"Midnight!" Sirius cut across him loudly, his eager smile stretching from ear to ear. "And the coast is beyond clear. Come on, Prongsie, take your tonic!"

Falling. Flailing. Shrieking. I was frantically performing all three for what felt like an eternity. I was experiencing the sensation of flying downhill on the vertical drop of a roller coaster - my heart was in my throat, my terror at its peak, feeling both exhilarated and powerless simultaneously - but with no chance to take a breath.