Harry couldn't visit his night flyer friend every night but he wanted to. Regardless, he was sure to go on weekend nights for certain. Hermione and Harry worked on homework together but aside from that they barely saw each other Hermione keeping close with Ron.
Harry spent most of his spare time with Neville practising defensive spells. Neville needed practice on his hexes and Harry thought his own defence needed work. In the past few weeks Harry had gained a lot of skills in his shielding, he felt confident in his full body shield. It was progress Harry was holding onto tightly.
Harry lived however, for his nights out flying with his mysterious companion. Both of them seemed happy to keep their privacy, no questions asked. They spent their nights mostly doing chaser practice, with some seeker practice at the beginning and end of their nights. They would talk between drills and during their warm up, about quidditch mostly, sometimes a few times, they would talk about how stressful school was, how the tournament had thrown classes into a tizzy. It was an outlet for Harry, it was something to help him get through the week.
On this night they had been joking, the Flyer was bitingly sarcastic. He would bait Harry into higher and riskier dives over and over. Harry was beyond exhausted when they started their cool down and the flyer had suddenly darted over the forest.
"I have something to show you!" He called out darting further off.
Harry shook his head, "Where are we going?" He asked and then jokingly, " You aren't going to try and kill me are you?"
The flyer's laugh echoed behind him as Harry followed after him. It took a while to get to the edge of the forest, Harry had never seen this far area of the island where the trees thinned again. The flyer dipped down and finally landed where the trees met the sea. Harry landed just inside the last of the forest, and his eyes grew as he took in the landscape.
The forest died off as sand and rock of a short small beach picked up, the flyers broom lay on a slate shelf several feet ahead. The ocean was at low tide and the flyer had walked out and into it his pant legs rolled up. The moon a crescent sat above them, the stars framing it perfectly. Harry dropped his broom and on instinct moved forward into the sand, kicking off his shoes. He felt the sand between his toes and the slate under his feet, it was cold and soothing in a strange way.
He dropped to his knees listening to the waves watching as the white caps peeked up and crashed gently across the sand. He was truly at peace for the first time in a long time. His heart swelled and Harry's eyes got cloudy. He didn't even try to stop the tears from falling as he took in deep breaths of the salty air. He had known the ocean was close but had never tried to find it.
"What do you think?" The flyer yelled back to Harry, turning around with a splash. Harry took a moment before answering in a wet shaky tone, "It's brilliant."
The flyer sighed, "You're a sentimental one aren't you?" He walked a bit closer to Harry, he seemed to be checking up on him while keeping his distance.
Harry laughed and suddenly found it hard to stop, "Apparently. This is going to sound strange but I've never seen a beach before."He may have gone his entire life without seeing the ocean, what a strange thought.
The flyer scoffed, "Never?! What kind of a childhood have you had? We're on an island for god's sake."
Harry laughed readjusting to pull his legs together and sitting to see the water, and the flyer in a better light.
"I- My family wasn't big on trips… To be honest I hadn't really left my hometown until I came to Hogwarts."
The flyer seemed to think for a moment then said, "I suppose that means I got a whole world full of things I'll have to show you."
Harry's heart leapt before free falling, he'd be long dead before he and this boy could explore anything past this. "I- I wish you could."
The flyer didn't respond, maybe he hadn't heard Harry. Suddenly the flyer stepped forward, moving close enough to Harry he moved back a little.
"Would you like to touch it?" The flyer asked, pausing at Harry's movement.
Harry didn't understand, "What?"
The flyer laughed, "The water you idiot! What are you stupid as well as sheltered?"
Harry blushed, "The context was confusing!"
The flyer laughed harder, "Oh now is not the time for that kind of nonsense, here. Take my hand, I promise not to get too close, I know you like your privacy."
The flyer had gotten closer than he ever had ever before, his hand a ruler's length away. He respectfully looked in the other direction as Harry cautiously grasped the hand.
It was cool and pale, smooth to the touch. Harry gripped the hand tightly as they approached the water together, the flyer looking in the opposite direction of Harry.
"I thought you'd like your privacy too." Harry spoke softly keeping his eyes on the water, the flyer gripped his hand in reply.
"Honestly, I've made myself look like quite the fool over the years. I'm happy to have met someone who knows me for what I love and only that. You've only ever seen me at my best, I don't want that image tarnished by my own stupid mistakes. If you really must know."
Harry smiled, "We all make mistakes, it's the growing from them that shows who we really are. It's the changes we choose to make that show our true strength."
They had reached the water and Harry realized he was afraid of it. He became rigid as the waves came close and the flyer still looking away stepped closer.
"Hold on as tightly as you need, I was afraid when I first saw it too."
Harry laughed at himself, "It's just so big. I feel as though even a tiny step in and it will swallow me whole."
"It's smart to be afraid of the ocean, but this is not a case where that fear is helpful. This is an experience I recommend, we won't go far, but it's worth you pushing through the fear."
Harry gripped the hand tightly and stepped forward, the water was freezing but the flyer was right. "This, this is wonderful," Harry smiled as the tide seemed to play around his ankles.
"I told you so, now you sentimental sod we should head back." The flyer stepped away back towards the shore and Harry followed. They shook their legs dry and hopped onto their brooms, Harry yawning and rubbing absently at his eyes as they flew back.
They landed a few yards from the covered bridge and Harry couldn't help himself. He ran to the flyer while his back was turned and hugged him.
It was the flyer's turn to go rigid as Harry buried his face in the boy's back. "Thank you for everything," Harry's voice was muffled but he said it loud enough that it could still be understood.
The flyer laughed, "Very sentimental I see. Well, you are very welcome." Harry gripped the boy very tightly for a moment and then ran off, back to his bag hidden by one of the stones that stood near the edge of the hill.
Harry had already thrown on his invisibility cloak by the time the flyer finally looked around. Then the flyer ran straight into the tunnel of the bridge and out of Harry's sight.
