HP • Legilimency | 𝐍. 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐅𝐎𝐘

𝐇𝐨𝐠𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬

But when I'm back in Chicago I feel it.

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Astria cast a final glance at the slumbering dragon across the river, its rhythmic breathing creating small ripples on the water's surface. She then looked at the pile of fish around the beast, their silver scales shimmering in the moonlight. That late afternoon; with a wave of her wand and a whisper of "Accio", she had helped the creature feed, ensuring that hunger wouldn't make the group of youngsters a tasty snack. And now it rested after a well-deserved meal.

To her surprise, the dragon didn't attack her at any point. Instead, it sniffed the air a few times, its nostrils dilating and contracting, before joyfully focusing on the fish.

"You're looking like Hagrid," Ron teased, his tone full of amusement as he watched her for the third time checking if the creature was okay. But Astria just rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her lips.

The dragon, almost completely blind, had lived many years in captivity. Its eyes, once full of fire and fury, were now opaque and lifeless. It would be very difficult for him to survive alone again.

"I think you underestimate that we released a dragon in London," she snorted, pulling the grass from the ground with her fingers as she looked at the starry sky. Hermione was reorganizing her bead bag in search of Harry's invisibility cloak.

They would be going to Hogwarts. Without a precise plan. Just their wands, a dose of courage, a lot of stupidity, and a dream.
"I'm ready," said Harry after washing his face in the lake. The sound of huge wings beating echoed through the dark waters of the lake: the dragon awoke, sniffing the air before focusing in Astria's direction. And almost with a bow, it took flight.

They stopped the preparations to watch him rise ever higher, now a black spot in the rapidly darkening sky and, finally, disappearing behind a nearby mountain. Then, Hermione stepped forward and fit between the three. Astria checked around and together they spun and penetrated the crushing darkness.

When their feet finally touched the ground, Astria saw the main street of Hogsmeade, painfully familiar, but somehow altered: dark shop windows, the dark outlines of the mountains beyond, the curve of the road that connected it to Hogwarts ahead, and the light from the windows of the Three Broomsticks. With a start, she remembered, with frightening accuracy, how she had apparated there almost a year earlier, holding a weakened Dumbledore next to Harry, all this in the instant she disembarked ─ and then, when she released Harry and Ron's arms, it happened.

The air was torn by a scream that resembled the scream of a mandrake baby. It shattered all of Astria's body nerves, and it immediately became clear that it was an alert from they presence on the streets. It was a trap, and they fell into it like fools.

The door of the Three Broomsticks opened abruptly and a dozen Death Eaters, hooded and cloaked, ran into the street, wielding wands. Out of the corner of her eye, seeing her friends under the cloak, Astria caught the exact moment when Harry held Ron's wrist that was raising the wand.

There were too many wizards to be stupefied: because an attempt would denounce their position. One of the Death Eaters waved his wand and the scream stopped, still echoing in the distant mountains.

"Scatter. They're here." Six of the Death Eaters set off in their direction: Astria, Harry, Ron, and Hermione retreated as quickly as possible to the nearest side street, narrowly avoiding capture.

They waited in the dark, hearing people running back and forth, the beams of light from the wizards' wands sweeping the street in search of them.

They crouched in the dark corner, the same one where many years ago Astria was attacked by a dementor. But before they could decide what to do, they heard a metallic creak close by. A door opened on the left side of the narrow street and a gruff voice said: