Raised By Wolfstar: Slytherin Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Department of Mysteries

Harry wound his 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 his robes.

He found there was a way of lodging his knees behind the wing joints that made him 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. Theodore was trying to find the best way to get onto his thestral. Canini, Tracey, and Allison, however, were still standing motionless on the spot, openmouthed and staring.

'What?' said Harry.

'We can't see them, how are we supposed to get on?' asked Tracey.

'Oh it's easy,' said Luna, sliding obligingly from her thestral and marching over to help Tracey and Allison. 'Come here...'

'And I'll help Canini,' said Theodore as he discontinued his own attempt to mount his thestral and head to her.

Luna pulled them over to the other thestrals standing around and one by one managed to help them onto the backs of their mounts, Theodore did the same with Canini. All three looked extremely nervous as Luna wound their hands into the horses' manes and told them to grip tightly before getting back onto her own steed.

'This is just crazy,' Allison said faintly, trying to feel what parts of the animal were where. 'This'd be easier if I could just see them—'

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

They all nodded and he saw six pairs of knees tighten beneath their robes.

'Okay...'

He looked down at the back of his thestral's glossy black head and swallowed. 'Ministry of Magic, visitors' entrance, London, please,' he said uncertainly. 'Er...if you know...where to go...'

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

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

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

'It's indescribable!' Harry heard Tracey yell from somewhere behind him, and he imagined how it must feel to be speeding along at this height with no visible means of support...

Not long after Harry could hear the unmistakable sound of his sister hurling behind him. It was only then that Harry realized how committed Canini was to Harry and saving Sirius as his sister suffered greatly when riding something at high speeds and yet she never complained once when it was determined they would be flying to London. Despite how grateful he was to her, he couldn't help feeling bad for her thestral.