The Light

Chapter 60- The Threstrals

The Hogwarts grounds were surprisingly soaked in sun. Despite the crispness of the earth and the coldness that Hermione felt through her cardigan, the morning was light and bright and drenched in yellow. She strolled down the dirt path, head down, hands out to steady herself, feeling the wind bite at her cheeks. She had to keep her eyes on the rockery to ensure she didn't trip.

Hermione heard him before she saw him, whistling loudly as he worked in his garden. And then, his bushy head came into view, the tangles of his beard, the flush of his kind face. Her lips stretched into a wide grin.

"Hagrid!" She yelled, running a little down the hill. He turned around and his entire face lit up at the sight of her coming towards him.

"'Ermione," Hagrid greeted, sticking his shovel deep into the earth and smiling fondly at her. "'Ow are yeh?"

"I'm great," she replied, beaming at him. "How are you?"

Hagrid nodded. "That's good. I'm good. Haven' seen yeh in a while!"

Hermione instantly felt guilty, and she said, "I know, I've been meaning to come visit for ages! But what with exams and all..."

"Well, we've missed yeh," he smiled at her and there was a loud bang from near his hut. Hermione's eyes shot in the direction of the sound.

"Fang!"

The little puppy (although he was considerably larger than the slobbering bundle of wrinkles she had last seen him as) appeared from the cabin, waggling his tail so fast it blurred. His tongue lolled out of his mouth and a trail of drool accompanied his mad dash towards her. She knelt down and tickled his ears, laughing as he spun around in excitement, whining and barking and dribbling.

"Yer just in time," Hagrid said, leaving the shovel planted deep in the earth as he lumbered over to her. "I got some new 'erds that I need to check on, if yeh wanna come with."

Hermione was more acquainted than most with the wonderfully bizarre abundance of magical creatures in the forest. In fact, she'd come face to face with a few of them more than once. And despite the fact that it had almost cost her her life a number of times, the allure was still rooted deep inside of her. She smiled and said, "Yeah. Okay."

Hagrid beamed at her, and they made their way into the woods. The trees were thin here, barely two metres between each one and their canopies of leaves still let streaks of sunshine billow down; it pooled on the floor. Hermione breathed in and she tasted the freshness of the forest. There was something so serene and welcoming about this place that had her feeling light and airy, almost like she was floating without her feet ever really having to leave the ground. Well, about the outskirts that is. The further in you went, the more that feeling diminished.

They hadn't walked for very long when Hagrid held up his arm, and they both stopped. Over his shoulder, he said, "Now, don' be alarmed. It's alrigh' if yeh can' see 'em."

Hermione froze. She knew what herd he had taken her to see before the first one emerged from the bushes.

"Threstrals," she breathed, staring at them. The first horse had been joined by five more, of all different sizes. There was a foal on long, quivering legs, staggering by its mother. Her eyes traced the curvature of their hollow bones, lingered on the way their thin wings trembled in the wind.

Hagrid looked surprised. "Yeh can see 'em?"

He knew what that meant. So did she.

Hermione smiled sadly, trying to stop herself from crying, and she said softly, "Yeah."