Gypsy

Chapter Three

Third Year

Age: 14

"Don't you think he is a little old for me?" Jenny snorted at my question and sunk into a chair next to me, the library was quite full so we were whispering.

"My brother is anything but old, besides, you know he is crazy about you." She elbowed me in the side playfully, although thanks to her growth spurt and my lack of one she hit me more in the upper ribs then lower.

Sighing, I grabbed one of my favourite books 'Taming that mystical beast that doesn't want to be tamed', and flipped over to the chapter on Thestrals. Jenny took one look at my page and rolled her eyes, preferring to twirl her wand between her fingers than read.

"I don't understand why you would want to find a Thestral," she flicked a finger onto the picture, "they look like flying skeletons."

Poking my tongue out I pretended to snap her finger in the book, earning me a yelp from her and a 'shh' from the librarian, Madam Flippard. Hiding a giggle with one hand, Jenny continued twirling her wand until it seemed to pass like a blur through her fingers.

"I happen to think Thestrals are magnificent, you wouldn't understand."

"You're right, I wouldn't." Jenny glanced at the pile of books I had on magical animals, "I'll never understand your fascination with animals."

"That's ok; I don't really get your love of spells."

At this Jenny laughed quietly, "A witch who doesn't like spells."

I smiled absently. It wasn't that I didn't like spells; it just seemed every time I tried anything but the most basic, something went horribly wrong. We were quite for some time, both content with what made us happy, until I glanced over a sentence I had read many times before.

The magnificence of a Thestral herd cannot truly be admired until viewed in the wild. However because of their less than appealing appearance, Thestral's are now nearly extinct in the wild. The only herds known being in the forests surrounding Hogwarts School of Wizardry and the Bulgarian Mountains.

"Do you want to help me find one?"

"What?" Jenny stopped her twirling.

"Thestral's, a herd lives in the Forbidden Forest." I knew I would eventually be compelled to go with or without Jenny, it was impossible for me to resist finding any type of animal once I knew where its habitat was.

"It's forbidden for a reason, Tony." Jenny didn't often show a voice of reason; it must be an off day for her.

"Please, we both know I'll go by myself if you don't come with me."

She chuckled, pointing her wand at me playfully. "If you promise to do everything I say."

"Of course," smirking I stood, "Come on."

Grinning wickedly Jenny followed me; nobody looked up as we walked out of the library. The older years were all too busy studying for their OWLS and the younger ones were trying to keep up with the homework load the teachers insisted helped with preparation for OWLS.

As always the Castle was quite cold, Jenny murmured a heating charm over us both as we walked into the waning light.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Huffed Jenny, stumbling along the path, she always seemed to have trouble seeing in this light.

"Yes, the Thestrals live quite near the edge of the forest, something about the bark from Blood Trees." We walked down past the gamekeeper's cottage, thankfully he wasn't around to catch us step into the forest.

"Blood what now?"

"Blood Trees, fascinating things," my voice quickened in excitement, "Whenever the sun goes down they glow a faint red."

"They drip blood?" She sounded slightly disgusted, but didn't stop.

Around us the trees became slightly denser, making it harder for us to move. My magic naturally reached out to connect to the nature around me, and somehow I avoided every rabbit hole and tree branch that my companion nearly tripped over.

"It's like blood," a faint glow of red was in the distance, "look!" Excited I grabbed Jenny's hand and hastened towards the glow. She followed my every step; I could sense anything around us that might cause a trip up.

We stepped into a clearing, all around giant black pines stood tall, red blood dripping from them. Next to me Jenny gasped in both disgust and amazement, I hardly noticed though. All around us were horse like creatures, made of bone with thin black skin stretched over them. They were beautiful it a way I wasn't sure I could truly appreciate until now.

"So where are the Thestrals?" asked Jenny, looking around.

'Only those who have been touched by death or seen it's result are able to see the mighty Thestral.' A passage from one of my books, I hadn't really believed until now that Jenny or Jeremy would be unable to see these creatures if I showed them to them.

"They are here..." I blinked back tears, "only those who have seen death can see the creatures."

Jenny was silent for a moment, and then took my hand. She and Jeremy were the only ones who knew about my past; even I could barely remember it and my mother went through great pains to ensure that we were never linked to our Gypsy heritage. They hadn't believed me when I told them about the Nazi concentration camps, thought I was making it up, because what kind of people could do that to another. In the end I pointed out to them the links between the persecution of the Jewish, Gypsy, Blacks and basically anybody who wasn't a Nazi; and how the Muggleborns were seen by so many Purebloods and Halfbloods.

"Describe them to me."

Jenny always knew what to say to make me feel better, so sitting down in the clearing with skeletal horses all around us, I told her how they moved and that while they were cursed with death, they weren't at all evil or to be feared.