Chapter 2 - Lucius & Setzer
The wind rushed past, blowing his silvery blond hair out behind him as the world below passed him by. The sunlight sparkled upon the surface of the ocean, the clouds were on fire with the colors of the setting sun, and in that moment Lucius Malfoy felt that he was truly free, that he has escaped the world and left all his troubles behind.
He looked over at the young man who was piloting the airship, and the scarred corners of Setzer's face creased as a smile spread across his lips.
"Enjoying yourself, Lucius?" Setzer called out above the noise of the rising wind.
"Well, it certainly beats riding on a broom," said Lucius.
Setzer laughed. "Yes, I imagine so, Lucius. Best to have a solid floor beneath you at all times, instead of a length of wood that can leave splinters where you don't want them." He steered the airship towards the emerald green forest in the distance, dipping low between the towering mountaintops that reached towards the heavens.
As he neared the forest, a flock of bird rose twittering into the sky, flying alongside the airship as they passed over the vast woodlands below. Lucius could see their rich brown, gold and blue colors shining in the sun, the iridescent hues mirroring the colors of the earth and sea.
Everything up here seemed to come alive in a myriad of vibrant colors. The birds, the ocean and the trees, even the air felt different, more clean and clear now that they were far away from the polluted muggle cities.
In the short time they'd known each other, Lucius and Setzer had formed a close friendship, bonding over their love of flying and adventures upon the open skies. All Lucius wanted since the Dark Lord fell was to reclaim the freedom he'd lost when Voldemort was in control. And standing upon the deck of the Blackjack, soaring high amongst the clouds and beyond the fiery horizon into the last rays of the setting sun, Lucius felt his heart come alive again.
"Where to, Lucius?" Setzer asked. "I can take you anywhere you want to go, and in less time than it would take if you were still riding that enchanted stick you call a broom."
The clouds parted, their edges on fire with shades of yellow and gold, as bright rays of sunlight shown upon the forests and water far below, making the softly shimmering waves sparkle like an endless field of diamonds surrounded by lush woods and tall, ancient mountains.
"Just keep going," Lucius said, a smile blossoming on his lips as his hair whipped behind him in the wind, his cloak rippling in billowing waves of black and silver. "I don't care where I'm going, so long as I am free."