Round 4 QLFC

Prompts:

Thestral

7. (image) [snowy mountain]

10. (setting) lake

12. (song) "Magic Dance" from Labyrinth Original Soundtrack

Word Count: 2995 according to Google Docs

Thanks to my beautiful beta's: Ann, Ever and Mel

Like all of my ancestors before me, my birthplace was in a cave on a snowy mountain. One of the first feelings I could recognise was the water that dripped from higher rocks, splashing down onto the sensitive skin on my back. During my first few months, I was a blind foal, curled tightly against my mother and her warmth. Her touch and the crisp snow were two of the few things that I knew.

The first time I blinked open my eyes, I saw my mother take her last gasp of breath. All around me, the other foals were whisked away from the bodies by their fathers, but mine never came. I was left alone with the corpse of my mother and the feeling of impending doom.

I stood still beside my mother's body, feeling as the warmth drained from her small form. Her last words kept ringing in my ears, getting louder every time I thought about them. "Wait for the giant two-legged creature," she had instructed me, "for he will love you nearly as much as I."

A few days later, when the hunger was starting to take over, heavy footsteps rattled through the area and caused icicles to fall off of the ceiling of the cave I was in. Curious, I poked my head out from where I was hiding, spotting a massive two-legged creature examining a dead—wait, dead? What died? How? When? I should have noticed… when I was too busy feeling sorry for myself in my cave—creature beside the lake. On unsteady legs, I moved towards him, certain this was the giant thing my mother was talking about.

Suddenly, the giant creature turned around, spotting me. "Hello," it said, a kind smile on its lips. "How are yer?"

I thought it was pretty silly to ask a creature a question in a language that they can't speak and expect them to answer, so I just stood there. "Where is yer father?"

I have no idea, sir. "He's dead, most likely."

Shut up. "Want to come with me?"

I tilt my head to the side. Why would I go with him? He must've seen my doubt, for he said, "we will look after you there."

That sounded fun. I nodded, walking closer to him. He would lead me to happiness, I could feel it in my bones.

I had been treated to a feast of a lifetime, I had met other orphans like myself, and I had been named Claw. The half-giant—Hagrid—seems to have a weird sense of humour, because Thestrals don't have claws.

A pretty female Thestral was called Feathers and another was called Dumbo—after some weird non-magical thing Hagrid knew about, according to everyone I had asked. Unless I am a rare type of Thestral, we do not possess feathers, and we are the most intelligent creature in the universe!

However, I can understand why he calls us these things. 'Hoof' was an odd name, as was 'Skin' and 'Smarto'. Maybe it was a good thing to be named after a feature you do not own?

The flock became my new father, in the sense that they had raised me like he would. They taught me how to hunt, how to defend myself, how to survive.

I was the youngest here. The others treated me like a foal for it. I got the first pick of the prey they caught, and I hated it. Other Thestrals, older Thestrals, deserved it more…

My first ever mission was to take the students back to Hogwarts after their yuletide holidays. Although it was the only mission we were usually ever given anyway, I was proud to be part of the team that carried the carriages of students.

On my first day, I met my first human. He was beside the lake, watching the carriages—and us—warily. He tugged on the sleeve of another human. "Percy, what are they?" he asked, pointing at me.

Percy looked in my direction, but not at me, proving he had never seen death. "That is a Thestral, Mr Longbottom."

"Why can I see them?"

"You can only see it if you have seen someone die. If you don't mind me asking, who have you seen die?"

Mr Longbottom walked over to me, his hand halfway to scratching my ear. Unsure, he drew back, until courage took over, causing him to pat my head. "My grandfather," he said after some time. "I was nine."

He blinked back some tears. "Come on, Neville," Percy said, his voice soft. "The carriages will leave without you, otherwise."

Hagrid had led four young humans into the forest. Four. Young. Humans! What was he thinking? Centaurs would kill them if they had the chance!

A loud scream echoed through the forest from to one of the two children Hagrid left alone, and he looked around. I stepped closer to Neville, who noticed me. "Hello," he said softly, reaching out to pet me.

I glanced at Hagrid and the young female. The female looked around, fear flowing off of her in waves, but she never spotted me. "We're looking for unicorns," Neville said, his voice low. "We got a detention, and we have to find what is killing them. I think it found Harry Potter…"

Who is Harry Potter?

"I have to go now. Hagrid is looking for the other two. It's so dark…"

I watched him follow Hagrid. Be careful, Neville...

Neville visited me again soon after. He treated me with ferrets and hugs. He also informed me that the summer was near, but he would see me at the start of the second year.

The summer between Neville's first and second year was the one where Dumbo went missing. "Where is she?" I asked Zoe, Dumbo's friend.

"She—"

"She is currently carrying my foal, and has decided to retreat to the mountains," Blanc interrupted, walking over to us.

I had noticed that Dumbo was getting meatier, as flesh was starting to grow on her bones, but I thought that she was eating a few too many ferrets. "Is she going to die?" I asked.

Blanc let out a loud breath of air before storming off. I turned to Zoe. "Is she going to die?"

"Yes, dear, she is. Don't worry about Blanc, he hates knowing that he is the reason his mate is going to die."

I thought it was kind of patronising, her calling me dear, as she was only a year older than me, but I thought it was best not to voice my thoughts. "Why do mares die?"

"Because the birth tears at her internal organs and she can only live until the pain takes over."

"Do you ever want to be a mother?"

She scoffed. "Not likely."

"Hello, Claw," Neville said, meeting me beside a small lake next to Hagrid's hut.

I nuzzled into him. Sighing, he scratched my head. "It's my second year now. I like the Herbology course; today we handled mandrakes. Harry Potter flew into school with a flying car—whatever the hell that is."

I shook my head, indicating I had no idea what he was on about. What was a mandrake? What was Herbology? "His friend, Ron, got a Howler. Gran told me that she thought about sending me multiple Howlers last year. She scares me, Claw. I don't think I'll ever do her proud."

Neville's last sentence before the yuletide holiday rung in his mind. "If something can harm a ghost, it must be dangerous. Claw, I'm terrified. I was nearly a Squib, and they petrified the Squib's cat..."

I didn't want him to be petrified. He was the best human I have ever met—he was the only human that has seen me.

I turned around, to where Blanc was sleeping. The steady rising of his chest calmed me, causing me to feel drowsy. Blinking, I looked to my other side, where Zoe was curled up. I smiled at how peaceful she looked before I turned back to Blanc.

"Guys!" I said, my voice creeping higher and higher. "Blanc has—"

Zoe was the first to react by knocking me over with her long legs. "I told him not to," she said. "I knew this would happen."

"What?" Feathers asked, blinking away her tiredness as she stretched.

"Blanc. He bonded with Dumbo, I know he did, but—"

"You're getting hysterical, Zoe," Feathers said, twirling her tail around Zoe's in a comforting way.

"Bonded?" I asked. "What does that mean?"

"They share the same feelings," Hippo said—I hadn't realised he had woken up—stretching out his limbs. "They die when the other dies. It can only happen if one is pregnant."

I glanced at Zoe, who shrugged. "There's another orphan out there," Shortie said. "We have to find the foal before it's too late."

The older Thestrals' all crowded together, planning who was going. "Blanc was my older half-brother," Zoe said. "I'm going."

Finally, they had a flock of five Thestrals going to find the orphan. "I can help," I said.

"You're just a foal," Shortie said.

"A foal that knows how it feels!"

Silence. "We all know how it feels," Hippo spoke up, directing the other Thestrals to start flying.

Zoe glanced at me one last time, before spreading her wings and following them.

By the time the humans yuletide holiday was over, the group still wasn't back. Hagrid noticed something was different, but didn't question it. I was back beside the lake, awaiting the returning students.

Neville appeared beside me. "Hello," he said. "How are you?"

I just nodded. I hadn't seen Zoe in a week, and it felt weird not having her treat me like a foal. "I'll see you soon," Neville promised, before slipping into the carriage.

The Thestral at the front—Tenebrus, Hagrid's favourite—started moving, causing some children to rush onto the carriages. I took a deep breath in, before following them. The flow of the lake wasn't all that calming tonight; instead, it made me feel more enclosed. I was trapped here whilst they were out in the world.

"Most people have forgotten about the attacks now, but I haven't and I'm so—are you even listening to me, Claw?"

I nodded, glancing back at the forest. It had been three weeks and Zoe still hadn't come back. Neville must've sensed my fear, for he wrapped his arms around me. "Whatever it is that is distracting you, it must be big. I'm sorry."

I rubbed my head against his shoulder. It's fine, Neville. It's not your fault my Thestral friend left me alone.

"My friend Hermione is back from the hospital wing now. When I first heard that she was in there I was scared that she had been petrified. She's a Muggleborn, see, and they were the main ones being targeted."

He scratched my head, fear still rolling off of him in waves. You will be okay, Neville. I will make sure of that. Nothing will hurt you whilst I am still around.

They returned with a young foal a week after, a female Hagrid named Féroce. I finally understood why the flock treated me like royalty, as I loved looking after the foal. "What's her name?" Féroce asked, pointing her tail at Zoe.

Glaring at the foal, Zoe stormed away, leaving me confused. "That's Zoe," I said. "She helped to rescue you, remember?"

Féroce looked upwards, before nodding. "She doesn't seem to like me."

Silence fell over us like a comfortable blanket. A while later I broke it by saying, "you remind me of myself when I was younger."

Féroce jolted. "Who do?" She asked, dazed.

"You do."

"Do what?"

I briefly wondered if she had listened to me at all. "Remind me of myself when I was younger."

"Oh."

I turned away from her. "My mum told me about you before she died," she said. "She said you were a nice Thestral. Are you?"

"Yes."

Neville visited once more before the summer between his second and third year. "It's gone!" he had exclaimed. "The threat has gone! It was a giant snake, can you believe that?"

The summer was uneventful. Neville was gone, as were all of the humans, and life was boring again.

That was until the Dementors arrived.

The Dementors brought pain and heartache with them, tearing out any happiness and replacing it with hurt, sorrow and fear. They weren't allowed near the school, but they were close enough to the forest for the cold to seep into our hearts.

"Hey, Claw," Neville said at the start of a new term.

I glanced up at him from where I was drinking from a lake. "I won't be able to see you much this year. There is a killer on the loose and security will be worse. I won't be able to get out, like the end of last year. I'm sorry, Claw."

I took one last sip of water, before lifting my head up and nuzzling into Neville. I'm getting taller than him. That's a scary thought.

Neville's third year was a blur to me, and the summer was here again. "Hey," Zoe said, walking over to me.

She hadn't had a proper conversation with me for a while now. She seemed to dislike Féroce despite the fact she was her niece, and due to the fact I talked to Féroce, Zoe stopped talking to me. "Hi," I said softly, a sense of betrayal stabbing at me like it had no mercy.

"You're not mad, are you?" she asked.

I blinked. "No—"

"Because I couldn't stand it if you were."

I hesitated, before saying, "why did you ignore me for almost a year, Zoe?"

"Féroce seemed like she liked you too much, and I couldn't—"

"Why not?"

"Because I look at you, and I'm home. Please… I don't want that to go away…"

Oh, Zoe… You don't even know…

Carefully, I nuzzle into her. She lets out a low sob, before tackling me.

Neville couldn't find time to visit me much in his fourth year. The times he did, all he managed to do was express immense fear for his friend in the tournament.

Zoe and I grew closer. If we became mates, and she was carrying a foal, I knew we would end up bonding. Then both of us would die.

I found that I didn't care.

"What's that smell?" I asked Zoe, who glanced at Féroce.

"I can smell meat," Féroce stated.

"Where is it coming from?"

"Over there," Zoe said, sprinting towards the delicious odour.

We followed her until we came to a stop near some humans. I spotted Neville as we closed in on the meat on the floor. I was sure my taste buds exploded when I dug into the delightful treat.

As soon as I believed I had eaten my fill, I stepped backwards, allowing Zoe to eat more. "You can see the Thestrals, Longbottom, can you?" a pink woman asked.

I watched as Neville nodded.

"Who did you see die?"

"My… my grandad," Neville said, his voice shaking as he remembered memories.

"And what do you think of them?"

She waved a small hand at us.

"Erm." Neville shouldn't have hesitated. He knew me. I was amazing. "Well, they're… er… okay…"

"Students… are… too… intimidated… to… admit… they… are… frightened," she muttered.

"No!" Neville said. "No, I'm not scared of them! I think—"

But the woman had stopped listening to him, and anger was swelling in my heart. He didn't defend us, he didn't care…

"Hello!" Neville said cheerfully.

I ignored him, turning my head away. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Did someone—oh no, did you hear me? I tried to say that you were special, honestly, but she didn't give me a chance."

I glanced at him. "Please, Claw. Believe me."

Sighing, I walked over to him. He pulled me into a hug. "You aren't scary, Claw. Trust me."

"Has anyone seen Zoe?" I asked.

"I can't find Shortie anywhere," Feathers added.

"And Féroce is missing…" Hippo looked concerned.

"They'll turn up," Tenebrus said, looking around at his flock. "They'll be fine."

Five hours later, the six missing returned. "You'll never guess what has happened," Zoe said as I rushed over to her. "We just led six humans to battle!"

"What?"

Neville's sixth year was the one where Zoe and I became mates. Neville took a fancy to another human. "She's so pretty," he said. "But I don't think she knows I exist. Her name is Hannah Abbott. She's the Hufflepuff prefect, but she hasn't been to school in a while because her mother died. It feels weird without her in my classes…"

The Battle was also looming over everyone. "I don't want to get into a battle," he told me. "I don't want everyone I know dying, but I want to make my parents proud…"

Neville's seventh year is the one where Zoe became pregnant. She left to the mountains, and I visited her a few months later. "Hello," I said, causing her to look up.

"Be quiet," she whispered. "I have someone you might like to meet."

I walked over to her. "She's beautiful," I said as I spotted the foal curled up next to Zoe.

"I know she is."

"She will be looked after, I promise."

The battle Neville feared had started, and creatures of all kinds were trying to destroy the castle and all of its inhabitants. "We need to do something," Tenebrus said. "What is the most threatening thing to us at this moment in time?"

"The giants," Féroce said, glancing to the side where a giant could be seen.

"Then we will attack them. Any questions?"

"If I die, will you find my daughter?" I asked.

"Of course, we will find her for you. Now, attack!"

We flew up and swarmed the giants. With every form of violence we could use, we tried to harm them. One swung his arm around and caught me in the side, sending me spiralling in the direction of—

...

Most of the names are opposites of what Thestrals actually are, except Tenebrus, who is a canon Thestral. Zoe-life in Greek (but with less Greek letters...), Féroce-fierce in French, Blanc-white in French. The rest are pretty straightforward...

Most of this is probably non-canon. I'm not entirely sure that it is canon that Neville has a Thestral friend, but Harry is as observant as a brick.

For the Cinema Competition II; Finding Nemo, both prompts

For Valentine Making Station; Bird

For the Outstanding OC Challenge