HRG - Hogwarts Romance 16

Chapter 16:
Rush

“What is it Harry?” Hermione asked him as she helped him on his feet.

“My head hurts,” he started to say, “We have to go now. There isn’t much time. Pad foot.”

Luna looked over to Hermione and then over at Ginny. “Where’s Neville?” she asked.

“Here,” Neville said as he came up behind Harry.

“We should go now, but how are we going to get to London?” Harry asked under his breath. In all the commotion, he was almost sure no one was going to over here him.

Luna thought for a moment, “We fly.”

“I hate flying,” Hermione muttered.

“Do you have another idea?” Ron spat.

“Now is not the time to have fear Hermione,” Harry added.

She bit her lower lip and looked over at Ginny, “Fine. But I am riding with Ginny.”

“We aren’t going to take brooms. Follow me,” Luna advised as she skipped away suddenly.

The rest of them followed Luna downstairs and into the forest. “What are we doing here?” Ron asked as he looked around, “There’s nothing here…”

“Harry?” Luna asked tugging lightly on his robes, “what do you think?”

In front of Harry and Luna, the thestrals were grazing on the little bit of grass on the floor. Harry lightly pushed his glasses up the rim of his nose and looked over from the thestrals to Luna. “It’s the only option we have,” he said grimly.

“What are you two talking about?” Ginny said. “There is nothing there!”

“Yes there is,” Luna told Ginny, “You have to trust us. We can see them because both me and Harry have seen someone died. You can’t see them because you haven’t had that happen yet.”

Harry nodded his head and slowly walked over to one of the Thestrals. His head came up slowly as he saw Harry approach him. Harry slowly let his hand extend and the thestral moved its head to Harry’s hand. Slowly Harry started to pet it. Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Neville just saw Harry’s hand float in mid-air. Ron jumped back.

“What’s he touching?”

“A thestral, we need to gain its trust before we can ride them,” Luna started.

“Ride something we can’t see?” Ginny tilted her head, “That sounds impossible.”

“Nothing is impossible,” Luna dreamily said as she petted another thestral. “Here, someone come near me, I’ll show you where their heads are.”

Ron sucked in his breath and walked over to Luna. He looked at her with some kind of uncertainty, but she picked up his hand and placed it on the thestral’s head.  Ron could feel skin under his finger tips. He had a disgusted look on his face but kept his hand steady. Suddenly, the thestral picked up Ron. “Whoa!” Ron shouted as he floated in mid air. He could feel warmth under his body as he was sitting on its back.

“He likes you Ronald,” Hermione said with a smile.

“That’s great,” Ron snorted.

Luna motioned for Neville to come next. Another thestral came trotting by and Luna repeated the process. Harry now called Ginny over. Ginny was nervous as she felt the sensation of skin. “Oh,” she sighed, “I can feel it, but I can’t see it.”

“That’s right,” Harry said. “They aren’t all that bad. I’m glad I can see them.”

Ginny nodded but as she did she too was lifted in the air along with Neville. They both let out surprised yelps as they were placed on the backs of these creatures they could not see. Unsure of what to do with his hands, Neville felt around looking for a place to put them. He finally felt warmth as he placed his hands down. Ginny looked at him and followed his league. Ron was sitting up right with his hands to his side. He was looking around for a place to put his hands but hadn’t looked up to see that the others figured it out.

“Come on Hermione,” Luna summoned her. Hermione stepped over completely unsure. She reached out her head with Luna’s help and felt the warmth of something under her skin as the thestral with Ginny on its back came. The thestral warmed up to Hermione almost instantly. She was up in the air screaming.

“Try not to scream,” Luna warned her. Hermione bit her lower lip as she was placed behind Ginny. Hermione instantly placed her arms around Ginny’s waist. Her face was buried into Ginny’s shoulder as small tears rolled out of her eyes.

“Right, you and me know Luna,” Harry said looking over at another Thestral.

“Mind if I ride with you Harry?” Luna stated.

Harry shook his head, “not at all.”

Harry mounted the thestral he had been petting and lifted Luna behind him. “Thank you Harry,” Luna smiled. She wrapped her frail arms around his waist and gently put her head on his shoulder. Harry felt warm all over and wasn’t sure why. He shook his head trying to get the feeling out of his mind. Ron’s thestral suddenly jumped into the air followed by Ginny and Hermione.

“What is going on?” Ron asked with terror in his voice. He looked down and only saw his body floating over the woods.

“They know we are in a hurry!” Luna said as the thestral carrying her and Harry took off into the sky followed by Neville.

Neville also looked down to see only the forest. He let out a gulp and bit his lip. “I-I can see the floor!”

Hermione did not like the feeling of knowing something was under her but she couldn’t see it. She started sobbing louder. “I have to close my eyes,” she whispered to Ginny, “I cannot stand flying!”

“Hermione,” Ginny called over her shoulder, “Just hold on to me.” Ginny could feel the wind rushing past her and blowing her red hair over Hermione’s frightened body. Hermione’s bushy brown hair flowed behind her and mixed with the red of Ginny’s hair. Harry and Luna flew by them. Luna’s blonde hair was blowing in the wind in a wild fashion. She pressed herself into Harry and she was trying her best not to look down.

Neville was biting his lip so hard that a small trickle of blood rushed down his chin. He continued to look down to see a lake. He was finding it hard to ride something he couldn’t see. He wanted to press his face into the creature just to block out the view but there was no chance of that. Harry looked back to see Neville lagging a bit.

“Neville,” Harry called over to him, “do try and relax. The thestral can feel your energy!” Neville looked over at Harry and nodded. He tried his best to calm himself down.

Ron was shifting around in on his thestral. He was used to flying but used to holding on to a broom and not some invisible force. He was wondering what these things look like. I wonder if there are drawings of these things, he thought to himself, I should have paid attention in class.

Hermione did not move her head from its place on Ginny’s shoulder. She continued to hold on tight as the air rushed past her. She could hear it in her ears and she felt nothing under feet. She started to feel Ginny’s hair make its way to her nose. She breathed in Ginny and started to calm down. If she was with her, nothing was going to happen to her. She had to keep that in her head. She knew that she wouldn’t let her get hurt at all.

Ginny looked ahead and only saw Harry and Luna floating on nothing. She was trying her best not to look down because she knew if she did she would only scare herself. It was lucky she was used to playing quidditch. She took in a deep breath and tried to feel the beast underneath her body. She closed her eyes and found its neck. At least that’s what she thought and hoped. She put her hands gently there and held on tight as they flew into some clouds. They were so high up and she knew Hermione was having a fit. Ginny took a deep breath and just looked forward into the distance. She could see London coming up.

“We’re almost there,” Harry called back, “everyone just relax!”

“Harry!” Ginny called to him.

“Yes Ginny?” he called back.

“Do they have thestral parking where we are going?” Ginny asked.

“I don’t think so Ginny,” he answered, “we’ll see what we do with them I guess.”

“We should have taken brooms!” Ron shouted.


They finally made it to their destination. Harry took a deep breath. He turned to the others and sighed. “Are we ready for this?” he asked them.

Ron looked at his sister. She nodded. Ron’s eyes shifted to Hermione then Luna and then Neville. They all nodded. “I think we are,” he told Harry. Harry nodded as well.

He took them the way he knew how, the same way he came with Arthur for his hearing earlier in the year.

Harry was starting to have second thoughts. What if this feeling was nothing? What if it was a trap? Was he getting everyone into something he couldn’t get them out of? His mind was so filled with things that he didn’t know how to explain. He had to stop himself before reaching the station. There were millions of muggles walking around and Harry started to sweat. He turned his heel and his whole group stopped.

“Maybe this isn’t a good idea,” he said.

“Get it through your head,” Hermione said almost in an angry tone, “We are here with you no matter what.” Everyone in their small group nodded. Harry nodded his head.

“I understand that,” he said, “but what if we die doing this?”

“We aren’t going to die,” Ron said.

“And even if we do, it wouldn’t be for nothing,” Neville added.

Harry sucked in his breath once again and turned around without a word. He figured they understood what this all meant. He figured they knew that what was going to happen was not light.

Hermione’s own mind was set into motion. She had her eyes on Ginny as they made their way through the station. She was thinking what would happen if this rescue went wrong and she lost Ginny. Hermione was wondering what she do. She thought about it so much until she noticed that they ended up on a street with a phone booth.

“Harry,” Hermione started, “there’s nothing but a phone booth here. How are we going to get in?”

Harry turned around to face Hermione. “Through the phone booth,” he said sheepishly.

Hermione raised an eyebrow in disbelief, “you have got to be kidding me.”