Magic? || Years 5-7

Back to Hogsmeade: On the Run

Clinging to the dragon's neck, Amisty pried her eyes open in the London air. The breeze was cool, gentle, and soothing as it danced across her burns and blisters, the city shrinking farther and farther as the dragon soared through the air. Distantly, she could hear Ron swearing as loud as he could. Hermione was sobbing.

"Where are we going?" Amisty murmured.

"The mountains," the dragon said, climbing higher as clouds brushed their backs. "Away from man."

Amisty nodded, shivering, as London vanished below the expanse of white clouds. The city faded into the countryside, blurs of green and brown flashing past, ribbons of rivers and roads cutting through the patches. The air was fresher up so high, away from the smog and smoke of the capital, the dragon picking up the pace the farther they got from Gringotts. It was a beautiful view, in a strange, otherworldly sort of way, still climbing toward the ever sinking sun.

"What do you reckon she's looking for?" Ron yelled, barely audible over the flap of wings.

"No idea!" Harry shouted back.

The sky turned purple as the sun inched below the horizon, cities, and towns flying past below. Amisty's throat ached and her stomach rumbled; they hadn't eaten all day, let alone stopped for a sip of water. Exhausted couldn't even begin to describe the bone-deep weariness plaguing her body. Just barely, she could make out the shadow of the dragon swooping across the earth, her eyes watering against the bite of the wind.

"Is it my imagination," Ron shouted, "or are we losing height?"

They'd reached the mountains. Wide swathes of deep green and coins of silvery lakes dotted the landscape, glowing copper in the sunset. Sunlight glanced off the water's surface, trees sharpening into focus and they flew lower and lower.

"This is where I leave you," the dragon said, circling above one of the smaller lakes. "Best of luck, Wolf, may Magick treat you well."

"Thank you," Amisty said again, reverently, her muscles wailing in protest as she unwound her arms from the dragon's neck. "Now, Harry, we have to let go!"

He shot her a disbelieving look, still clutched to the dragon's scales as the lake drew near. "Are you—?"

"We've gotta get off now!" Amisty yelled, swinging a leg free. "She wants us to go!"

Harry blinked, lips pursed in a thin line. The water shone yellow, reflecting the underbelly of the dragon.

"Okay," he said, turning to yell to Ron and Hermione. "Jump when it gets low enough! Straight into the water!"

They agreed. Hermione looked very pale in the face.

"When?" Harry said.

Amisty's vision blurred at the edges, thin tendrils of golden magic weaving between the dragon's scales and up her arms. The connection broke just as the dragon's claws brushed the tranquil surface of the lake.

"Go."

"NOW!"

She pushed herself off the dragon's back, scales digging into her tailbone as she plummeted feet first into the lake. It hit harder than she'd anticipated, the collision rattling up her legs as she sank into the freezing water. A reed brushed against her leg, curling around her ankle and she yelped, choking on the water as she kicked up to the surface. When she breached the surface, still shivering and spluttering, she could barely make out the waterlogged heads of Harry and Hermione. The dragon swooped down to scoop water into her scarred muzzle, wings still deafening overhead.