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Hermione shuffled closer to where her friends were standing, huddled around a large area of what appeared to be empty space. She would have attributed the rustling and shifting of the grass in that spot to the wind if there had been a breeze at that moment, but she knew it wasn't true. Harry had already been shoved aside from seemingly nowhere just a minute before, and Luna and Neville could both see them, too. The rest of their group, including herself, were the ones having problems.

"Come on 'Mione," Harry called out over his shoulder, grabbing her hand. "It's not that bad."

She hesitated at first before allowing him to pull her closer to the thestrals Luna had found for them. She nearly jumped at the leathery feel of the creature's skin beneath her fingers. It was smooth, but surprisingly emaciated; Hermione was sure that she'd felt a bone somewhere…

"Thestrals are very gentle," Luna added, with a smile that gave her an almost ethereal look as she stroked the side of another one of the creatures a few feet away. "They're very protective, too."

Something nudged at her outstretched hand, batting it away slightly with a warm blast of air. In some ways Hermione felt a bit foolish grasping at empty space; logic told her that there couldn't possibly be anything there, but her familiarity with Harry's cloak had taught her otherwise. Magic was just as fascinating as it was confusing, and this made it so easy to get lost in her search for answers whenever she stumbled across something new.

"Careful," Harry warned, pulling her hand up and away from where it had been moments prior. "Nearly poked its eye."

She frowned. Off to the side, Neville had already helped Ginny onto one of the thestrals, and it was strange to see the younger girl float in mid-air without the aid of a broom. Considering what the six of them were about to attempt with these creatures, Hermione wasn't quite looking forward to being so high above ground on what was apparently an invisible flying horse.

Luna stepped forward to hold the thestral steady as Harry changed his grip on her hand. "It looks like you have a mild infestation of nargles, Hermione," she began. "I can help you with-"

"Oh, no," Hermione cut her off, shaking her head. "That's alright. I just need more time to get used to this."

Luna nodded and reached for her other hand. "Okay then," she said. "Just focus on the thestral here," Hermione's hand brushed against it again. "And try to keep your balance. You'll be fine."

Hermione took a deep breath. "Thanks, Luna. I'll keep that in mind." She then turned her attention to the daunting task of mounting a horse with her eyes closed. When this whole adventure was over, she was sure that it would be a long time before she would fly again.


This was written for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments) Assignment #9: Astronomy, Task 1

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