𝐢. 𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐂 ; harry j. potter ( UNEDITED )

126. "we're still the same. howling ghost they reappear"

The dragon seemed to crave cooler and fresher air: It climbed steadily until they were flying through wisps of chilly cloud, and Lucia could no longer make out the little coloured dots which were cars pouring in and out of the capital. On and on they flew, over countryside parcelled out in patches of green and brown, over roads and rivers winding through the landscape like strips of matte and glossy ribbon.

"What do you reckon it's looking for?" Ron yelled once again as they flew farther and farther north.

"No idea," Harry bellowed back. His hands were numb with cold but he did not dare attempt to shift his grip.

"Not to worry," Lucia hollered, slowly snapping out of the land of dreams she was in and clutched the dragon again, looking around. "Hagrid had a lesson dedicated to dragons a few months ago, and he said something about how a dragon would go and try to find its kin. Or even rest in a secluded and more peaceful area!" she said a little too happily.

"Well, if we're lucky enough then, it'll be the latter!" yelled Harry. He had been wondering for some time what they would do if they saw the coast sail beneath them, if the dragon headed for open sea; he was cold and numb, not to mention desperately hungry and thirsty. When, he wondered, had the beast itself last eaten? Surely it would need sustenance before long? And what if, at that point, it realized it had three highly edible humans sitting on its back?

The sun slipped lower in the sky, which was turning indigo; and still the dragon flew, cities and towns gliding out of sight beneath them, its enormous shadow sliding over the earth like a great dark cloud, making it seem as though they were living in a quite microcosmic world.

Every part of Lucia's body gradually aching with the effort of holding on to the dragon's back.

"Is it my imagination," shouted Ron after a considerable stretch of silence, "or are we losing height?"

Lucia looked down and saw deep green mountains and lakes, coppery in the sunset. The landscape seemed to grow larger and more detailed as he squinted over the side of the dragon, and he wondered whether it had divined the presence of fresh water by the flashes of reflected sunlight.

Lower and lower the dragon flew, in great spiralling circles, honing in, it seemed, upon one of the smaller lakes.

"I say we jump when it gets low enough!" Harry called back to the others. "Straight into the water before it realizes we're here!"

They agreed, Hermione a little faintly, and now Lucia could see the dragon's wide yellow underbelly rippling in the surface of the water.

"NOW!"

"Oh lord, please don't let us fall to our deATH —"

She was pulled to slither over the side of the dragon and plummeted feetfirst toward the surface of the lake; the drop was greater than she had estimated as she screamed deafeningly, one hand flailing her arms around in panic before she hit the water hard, plunging like a stone into a freezing, green, reed-filled world, with, miraculously, spectacles intact. She kicked toward the surface and emerged, panting, to see enormous ripples emanating in circles from the places where Harry, Ron, and Hermione had fallen.

The dragon did not seem to have noticed anything: It was already fifty feet away, swooping low over the lake to scoop up water in its scarred snout. Harry emerged first through the surface of the water, panting and looking around before Ron and Hermione followed suit, spluttering and gasping, from the depths of the lake, the dragon flew on, its wings beating hard, and landed at last on a distant bank.

Lucia smiled, waving goodbye to the dragon that had helped them unknowingly. "Thank you, cucciolo!" And perhaps it was just a figment of her imagination from the rush, but she swore she heard a faint roar in the distance.