Supported & Torn (HP) {Book 3 of the Wild & Free Series}

29. Department of Mysteries

I wound my hand tightly into the mane of the nearest thestral, placed a foot on a stump nearby, and scrambled clumsily onto the horse's silken back. It did not object, but twisted its head around, fangs bared, and attempted to continue its eager licking of my robes.

I found there was a way of lodging my knees behind the wing joints that made me feel more secure and looked around at the others. Neville had heaved himself over the back of the next thestral and was now attempting to swing one short leg over the creature's back. Luna was already in place, sitting sidesaddle and adjusting her robes as though she did this every day.

Ron, Hermione, Lucy, Rowan and Ginny, however, were still standing motionless on the spot, openmouthed and staring.

"What?" I said.

"How're we supposed to get on?" said Ron faintly. "When we can't see the things?"

"Oh it's easy," said Luna, sliding obligingly from her thestral and marching over to him, Rowan, Lucy, Hermione, and Ginny. "Come here..."

She pulled them over to the other thestrals standing around and one by one managed to help them onto the backs of their mounts. All five looked extremely nervous as she wound their hands into the horses' manes and told them to grip tightly before getting back onto her own steed.

"This is mad," Rowan said faintly, moving his free hand gingerly up and down his horse's neck. "Mad... if I could just see it —"

"You'd better hope it stays invisible," said Harry darkly. "We all ready, then?"

We all nodded and I saw eight pairs of knees tighten beneath their robes.

"Okay..."

I looked down at the back of my thestral's glossy black head and swallowed.

"Ministry of Magic, visitors' entrance, London, then," I said uncertainly. "Er... if you know... where to go..."

For a moment my thestral did nothing at all. Then, with a sweeping movement that nearly unseated me, the wings on either side extended, the horse crouched slowly and then rocketed upward so fast and so steeply that I had to clench my arms and legs tightly around the horse to avoid sliding backward over its bony rump. I closed my eyes and put my face down into the horse's silky mane as we burst through the topmost branches of the trees and soared out into a bloodred sunset.

I did not think I had ever moved so fast: The thestral streaked over the castle, its wide wings hardly beating. The cooling air was slapping my face; eyes screwed up against the rushing wind, I looked around and saw my seven fellows soaring along behind Harry and me, each of them bent as low as possible into the neck of their thestral to protect themselves from its slipstream.

We were over the Hogwarts grounds, we had passed Hogsmeade. I could see mountains and gullies below them. In the falling darkness I saw small collections of lights as we passed over more villages, then a winding road on which a single car was beetling its way home through the hills...

"This is bizarre!" I heard Ron yell from somewhere behind me, and I imagined how it must feel to be speeding along at this height with no visible means of support...

I thought about the events ahead and checked my watch. We were already flying for fiteen minutes.

If we were too late...
He's still alive, he's still fighting, I can feel it...
If Voldemort decided Sirius was not going to crack...
I'd know...

My stomach gave a jolt. The thestral's head was suddenly pointing toward the ground and I had actually slid forward a few inches along its neck. We were descending at last...