Hidden Wings - Part I

Just when you think it could not get any worse...

After a moment, the world stopped spinning and the sounds returned to Mioha's ears.

She fell onto her side and landed heavily on the ground, holding Harry tightly to her body with her wings. The Triwizard Cup clattered to the ground and rolled a few meters before it stilled.

The crowd was silent.
Students and Professors, parents and Aurors watched gobsmacked how Harry Potter detangled himself from the wings of the bleeding Silverwing that laid on the ground.

Quickly pushing herself up on all fours, she looked up at the baffled crowd. Students were pointing at her and whispering in confusion if this was some kind of joke.

"A Silverwing!", Mr. Bagman bellowed, his voice still amplified by a Sonorus.

Somehow, that broke the spell on the audience and everyone started yelling at the same time.

"What is that?"

"BY MERLIN'S PANTS-"

"Do you see it?"

"It's a Silverwing!"

"Someone SEIZE it!", Mr. Fudge bellowed, lifting his wand into Mioha's direction.

Six Aurors, who Mioha did not recognize, rushed forward and circled her, ropes shooting out of their wands. They tightly wound themselves around her legs and wings, getting smeared with silver blood.

Neighing in panic, Mioha reared up on her hind legs, the ropes only wrapping themselves tighter around her underbelly and wings.
She turned around, snorting agitatedly while deflecting the Aurors' spells with her horn.

"Stop this!", Professor McGonagall shrieked, jumping forward with her wand ready.

"Don't intervene!", Mr. Fudge ordered hysterically. "This is ministry business!"

One of the Aurors jumped up, grabbed her neck and tried to pull her down with his weight, quickly joined by a second.

Mioha whinnied in a high-pitched tone and jerked her head around. She flung the two Aurors off her neck, the wizards landing on their belly in the dust.

More ropes tied themselves around her front and hind legs. The Aurors pulled at them, sweeping Mioha's legs to the side so she fell onto the ground.

Mioha groaned. Her entire body was aching and covered in blood, and she felt exhausted after draining her magic at the graveyard.

Her magic crackled around her in a silver light, but she had made one grave mistake: she was now in a weak position by laying on her side.
Breathing raggedly, she tried to get up again, but three Aurors pushed her back down, tying a cord around her muzzle.
She whinnied in fright, jerking her head around to poke them with her horn. Silver beams of light shot out of the spiraled horn, cutting through the ropes around her front legs and hitting two Aurors squarely in the chest.

"Cornelius"!, she heard Professor Dumbledore demand sharply, "release the Silverwing!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Mioha saw shadows flying across the sky, landing around her with loud thuds.

Her nostrils flared.
Aurors.

The witches and wizards from the ministry got off their brooms and whipped their wands forward. Some focused on keeping the crowd away from Mioha, stopping the angry professors from nearing her, while the others ran over to their colleagues to help get the Silverwing under control.