Chapter Text
Harry's hand ran softly through the silky mane of the nearest Thestral. The dark skeletal horse with wings lifted it's head to rub it's face along his cheek and forehead. This startled Harry as the horse barred it's fanged teeth and started licking his lightning shaped scar.
"Uhh, mate? Whatcha doing?" Ron asked from where he and the others stood among the trees of The Forbidden Forest, not yet entering the clearing.
In reply Harry moves to stand on a nearby tree stump, the Thestral sensing his intention moves closer and bows its head. Harry swung his left leg over the Thestrals body and lifted himself onto the horse's silky back. It did not object but swung its head back at an unnatural angle and continued its licking of Harry's scar.
"Gross." Harry muttered under his breath as he tried pushing the skeletal horse's face away. After a few good pushes it snorted and faced forwards. Harry was just glad the skeletal horse didn't slober.
When Harry looked up he noticed that his friends, Neville and Luna had already followed Harry's actions, choosing their own winged horses to sit upon. Luna was sitting side saddle and adjusting her robes. She appeared at peace, like riding a thestral was something she did every day. Maybe she did, Harry mussed. You could never be too sure when it came to Luna. Neville on the other hand looked increasingly uncomfortable as the Thestral he sat upon continued to wander around the clearing.
Ron, Hermione, and Ginny however were standing motionless, staring with their mouths hanging open. Of course the three of them had never seen somebody die and therefore could not see the Thestrals. Harry was glad that was the case as they surely would refuse using the horses as transport if they could see their deathly appearance. He was already wondering how Neville could see them, he did not ask though as that wasn't something that needed to be shared at this time.
"What?" Harry asked as the trio continued to stand still. "I recalled Hagrid giving a lesson on Thestrals only a few weeks ago."
"How are we meant to get on when we can't even see them?" Hermione replied. Harry paused, he hadn't considered that. There weren't any humans around that he would be willing to kill so they could see the horses, not that killing someone was even an option in the first place.
"It's easy here", Luna said as she slid off the boney back of her thestral and glided over to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. "Come on… they don't bite unless you let them." That sentence didn't seem to reassure any of them. Luna quickly guided them onto thestrals of their own and made sure their hands were tightly wound in the horse's manes. For such a good flier Ginny sure looked nervous to leave the ground. Her teeth were biting down on her lip and causing a sore.
"How are we meant to do this now? What happens if we fall or lean too far? It's not like we can see or feel the thestrals." Hermione was moving her hand up and down the thestrals neck, trying to gently soothe both the horse and rider as she whispered to herself. "If only I could see it."
"Be glad you can't," Neville finally speaks. "Anyway now that we are all ready let's get going?" He turns towards Harry for conformation.
Harry meets the blonde boy's eyes and nods before looking back down to the glossy black head of the thestral and then into its stark white eyes. "Can you please take us to the Ministry of Magic Visitors Entrance, it's in London. I can help direct you?" He asked nervously while swallowing down his fear that this wouldn't work. His hands shook, hidden underneath his oversized sleeves. He couldn’t let Sirius die. Couldn't lose his last hope for escaping the Dursleys and gaining a family.
For a moment the thestral just continued to stare at him, unnerving pale eyes unblinking. Then with a quick movement that almost threw him off both wings extended and began to move up and down. The horse leaned towards the ground and Harry took the time to see that the other horses were doing the same. Suddenly the horse he was seated upon took off in a gallop, heading towards the trees. Halfway across the clearing the horse pulled its hooves up and took flight.
Harry closed his eyes as he burst through the tree and soared out towards the setting sun. He heard Hermione, Ron's and Neville's screams of terror along with Ginny and Luna's whoops of laughter. He himself was quietly chuckling to himself as he stroked the thestrals neck. "Thank you," he murmured in its ear "thank you so much".
Silently they flew through the clouds and over Hogsmeade, over fields and forests, over towns, and rivers. All the while following the setting sun that spun reds, oranges, and pinks through the clouds. The sight was breathtaking, but Harry could not forget why he was undertaking this journey. Within the Ministry of Magic, Voldemort was torturing his godfather, slowly killing him all in order to get through the door that haunted his dreams. The door Ron's dad was attacked and nearly killed in front of.
Using a tempus Harry could see it had only been half an hour since he awoke from the vision. He still had time to save Sirius. The thestrals had somehow sped up the journey, what would take a day on the express had taken only ten minutes so far. From the landmarks down below Harry reasoned that they were halfway to the Ministry. He supposed this warping of time was simply a part of thestrals natural abilities, same as the one keeping them invisible. It was something he had read about for the Care of Magical Creatures course Hagrid taught. Harry vowed to take more care in his classes to absorb more information, he was in the middle of the war and he needed all the help he could get.
Harry is snapped out of his thoughts as Hermione drawed even to him, getting his attention with her frantic hand waving.
"What if we are too late?" She yelled s over the howling wind, worry etched all over her face. Even though she detested Sirius' sense of humour she still valued his life and connection to Harry.
"Then at least we tried!" He yelled back before turning away and again facing the red sunset, the sky seemingly filled with blood.