DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter and all other characters and locations belong to J. K. Rowling.
Chapter Four - Under Attack
Draco slid quietly from the warmth of the carriage, wincing at the sudden chill. He glanced around at the seemingly abandoned campsite, pausing to wonder where everyone was. In the center of the small area, a fire burned on strongly. The fresh snow remained undisturbed though, no tracks marring the perfection that had fallen overnight. Shivering, he wrapped his arms around his waist and looked to make sure all the horses were present. He relaxed when he saw the black hippogriff standing companionably between a pair of tall horses, their coats damp with melted snow.
Shuffling towards a convenient tree, he gasped in shock when the red haired witch dropped from its branches. She offered him a hesitant smile before walking past him. Glancing over his shoulder, he shook his head before hurriedly finishing his business. Wheeling around, he made for the carriage. Ginny's sudden cry of warning was too late as he dropped one foot down on a small snowbank. Beneath him the pile of snow shifted, sending him stumbling forwards.
Squealing as he fell, he closed his eyes as he slammed face first into the cold blanket. Before he could move, a pair of arms erupted from the pile of snow he had fallen into. Grimacing, he opened his eyes and met the furious orbs of Harry Potter. Around them, the Red Lions rose up from beneath the snow like breaching whales. Snow was shaken from cloaks and hair as they stood and glanced around, searching for any sign of danger.
"Sorry." Draco squeaked, wiggling out of the firm grip and making a mad dash for the safety of the carriage. Hurtling inside, he swung the door closed and sank back against the bench.
"Would you kindly remove yourself from my lap?" Blaise asked sharply, pushing Draco's shivering form from his lap and onto the floor of the carriage. Rolling his eyes at being woken so rudely, the dark haired wizard brushed snow from his clothes. "You're freezing."
Teeth chattering, Draco gave Blaise the finger and huddled under the cloak he'd dragged from his section of the bench. Curling up under the thick material, he rubbed his hands together and listened to the noise growing outside the carriage.
"What's going on?" Pansy murmured sleepily, one hand rising and wiping her eyes. Her mouth fell open when she saw Draco curled up on the floor shivering. Frowning at Blaise, she searched her pockets for her wand.
Sighing as several warming and drying spells were placed on him, Draco closed his eyes in pleasure. "Thank you, Pansy." He whispered, shooting a glare at Blaise. Climbing onto the bench, he settled his cloak over his legs and tucked his toes beneath him. All three glanced at Snape's slumbering form before falling silent.
The sudden jolt of the carriage had Pansy glancing around the curtain hanging over the window. "We're leaving already." She muttered in shock, her eyebrows vanishing beneath her long bangs as she watched several horses trot past the carriage. Turning a look on Draco, she crossed her arms. "What exactly did you do?" She asked loudly, ignoring their hisses of warning as Severus mumbled something and shifted.
"I fell on Harry." Draco whispered in embarrassment, running his fingers through his hair as Blaise snickered. Making a face, he punched Blaise in the shoulder before opening his history book and feigning interest in a war that had occurred centuries ago.
"How exactly did you manage that?" Pansy whispered in sympathy, reaching across and patting his knee.
Rolling his eyes, Draco snapped the book shut and tucked it away. "When I went out it looked like there wasn't anyone there because of the snow. They were buried and I guess I wasn't thinking when I stepped onto a small bank of snow."
"They were actually sleeping under the snow?" Pansy asked in interest, eyes wide at the thought. Sitting back she tapped one finger against her chin as she considered the concept. "You'd think that would be quite cold."
"Yes, well I think I'm going to try and go back to sleep for a while." Draco grumbled, wiggling around until he was comfortable. Closing his eyes, he ignored Pansy's mutter of baby and tugged his pillow under his head. Yawning, he settled down for a short snooze.
XxXxX
Hermione shook her head and laughed softly, ignoring the angered glare Harry shot at her. Still chuckling, she slid a hand over her mounts neck and winked at the smirking red-haired witch riding next to her.
"The look on your face." She murmured, knowing those few words would be enough to incite the wizard into an argument. Her eyes watched Harry's fingers clench in BlackHeart's feathers, the hippogriff lashing it's long tail in warning at the slight pull.
"He startled me." Harry snapped, face reddening as the pair snickered at his back. Loosening his grip on the animal beneath him, he rested his hands on his knees. Snorting at the continued whispers, he urged the black hippogriff into the air. In a crack of feathers and thundering hooves, the pair soared into the sky. Circling calmly above the small caravan, they floated gently on the light breeze. Narrowing his eyes, Harry searched the ground for any signs of a possible ambush. The snow gleamed with an icy crust, small spots where the snow was broken easily seeable. A small herd of Icy Mountain Goats fled the hippogriff's shadow, their bouncing strides carrying them into the safety of small caves.
In the distance, he could just make out the rolling waters of Ludwyn's Lake. Smirking at the sight of the crashing waves, he urged the hippogriff higher. Wings stretched and caught air, stroking deeply to achieve more lift. Narrowing his eyes, he allowed his gaze to sweep over the rocky edges of the mountains. A strong wind swept over the snow, causing loose white flakes to race across the hardened ridges.
Pulling the hood of his cloak over his tingling ears, he looked back at the company. He sighed when he realized three individuals now perched on the bench of the carriage.
"Damn nobles." He mumbled, snorting when BlackHeart croaked and shook his head. His eyes narrowed suddenly at a flash of movement, fingers curling into the fur lining of the gloves he wore. They erupted from a narrow slash in the stone of the mountain. Gold feathers catching the light of the sun as they shot into the sky. Four griffins snarled in challenge, beaks gaping as they raced towards the hippogriff and his rider. Burying his heels in BlackHeart's sides, Harry reached for one of his weapons.
His ears caught the cries from below as the Red Lions went into action. Scrabbling for the best defensive positions they could find under the circumstances. However, there were no trees to protect them from above. No arching branches to give them the advantage. They were in the open, surrounded by snow covered cliffs stretching into the sky.
BlackHeart sideslipped quickly, tipping in the air as a griffin shot by him. Talons raked and snatched at dark feathers, searching for flesh in the seconds the pair were in range. Shrilling in warning, the hippogriff folded his wings and fell after the diving griffin. Harry swore and locked his legs around his mount's barrel, the fingers of one hand clenching at the saddle's horn while his other hand sought the cold steel of a dagger. He swung at the shadow of a second griffin, gloved knuckles bumping the animal's chest as he attempted to avoid swinging claws.
They were driving him down to the ground, forcing him to give up his efforts of an aerial counter attack. BlackHeart rumbled beneath him, front talons dragging over the hindquarters of the first Griffin. Squealing in pain, the animal sought to escape. Wings flaring and swatting as the snow covered ground rushed to meet them. The smaller animal was caged beneath the hippogriff, its lighter body trapped under the clutching claws of BlackHeart. Even with open wings, the impact was hard. Jolting Harry from the saddle and sending him slamming into the ground. Gasping for breath, he rolled to his feet and stumbled toward the carriage.
"Inside!" He barked, not bothering to glance at the open mouthed nobles clinging to the bench. Hisses and shrieks accompanied the death of the griffin trapped under the angered hippogriff, its blood staining the snow as the dark animal dispatched it ruthlessly. "Ron! Neville! Get them back in the carriage!"
"Incoming!" Ginny yelped, wand pointed at the gold blur rocketing down from the sky. Horses snorted and pranced beneath their riders, hooves sinking into deeper snow as they whirled and plunged off the road. The beast's beak parted on a hissing squeal, talons opening as he grabbed at the flaring wings of a rearing horse.
Wands trailed the animal's flight, mouths parting on various curses and hexes. Flashes of blue and red connected with the lithe body, halting any further cries as the animal spun out of control and bounced over the snow. Racing forward with their swords in hand, the twins leapt upon the thrashing animal and finished it off, sliding nimbly to the ground and wiping their blades clean on the broken snow.
"Harry!" Neville snapped in warning, his short from almost hidden by the carriage as he dragged a frozen Blaise from the bench. Draco remained atop the wooden seat, eyes locked on the shadow falling upon him.
Harry snatched a short blade from the small of his back, flipping it into position before tossing it at the griffin. The blade was deflected by a batting wing, dropping harmlessly to the ground as the animal flared and stretched claws towards the blond. Emerald eyes widened as the blond remained frozen. Diving toward the carriage, Harry heard the barrage of hexes flung blindly at the animal as his fingers locked in Draco's cloak. Tugging sharply, he caught the noble wizard as he fell from the bench. Tucking the blond against his chest and ducking as claws raked over the top of the bench.
Pale eyes met blazing emeralds as Draco clutched at Harry's shoulders. Feeling safe for the moment he was held protectively in the arms of the other. The piercing cry of outrage the Griffin released at the missed strike snapped the pair back into reality.
"I told you to get in the bloody carriage!" Harry hissed, dumping Draco into the snow next to the carriage and standing. His dark cloak swept out around him as he turned and pointed his wand at the sky, the others following his gesture without question. The two remaining griffins spiraled above the group, their screeches uncertain as they failed to rise their pack mates from the snow. With last yelping snarls, they turned and fled back into the surrounding cliffs, the gold of their feathers shining before they passed into shadows cast by the ridges.
"Is everyone alright?" He called, walking away from the wizard huddled on the ground. He bent over and smoothly retrieved his dagger from the snow, fingers absently brushing clinging flakes from the metal.
"A few scratches here and there but everyone is alive." Hermione reported after a quick look around. Harry closed his eyes and nodded in relief before turning on the balls of his feet and glaring at Draco. "Look after BlackHeart, Ron."
"What are you going to do?" Ginny called anxiously, watching the raven-haired leader walk purposefully towards the blond noble. She patted the neck of her mount as Harry waved her question away, choosing to continue his angered march toward the carriage. Rolling her eyes, she glanced at Hermione and exchanged a quick look with the other witch.
Harry's fingers curled around the edges of Draco's cloak as he pulled him to his feet. Spinning the blond around, he pushed him against the carriage and pointed a quivering finger at the gouges in the wood of the bench. "That's how close you were to death." He hissed into the other wizards ear. Smirking as Draco's body shook within his arms, he spun him back around and lowered his face. "Next time I give an order I expect you to obey. Fail to do so and you could wind up dead."
Draco paled at the words and nodded slowly, back pressed against the carriage. His hands balled into fists and he bit his lip to keep from arguing. "Understood." He whispered, blue eyes dropping to stare at the toes of their boots.
"Good." Harry muttered, fingers loosening their hold as he backed away from the blond. Shaking his head in disgust, he whirled around and stalked to where Ron was attempting to drag BlackHeart off the carcass of a griffin. Gesturing the redhead back, he rested a soothing hand on the animals flank and whispered softly.
"I'll just. . . go and help Hermione." Ron whispered, hooking a thumb over his shoulder before whirling around and slipping across the snow toward the witch.
Harry nodded and ran a hand over BlackHeart's shining feathers, fingers seeking any wounds the animal might have sustained while fighting. "Good boy, BlackHeart. Good hippogriff." He mumbled, glancing over the animals back at the glistening peeks in the distance. His eyes dropped to the griffin half buried in snow, beak hanging open in death. The animal was skinny, its face narrowed from loss of weight. Feathers were grimier then usual, the edges of some shredded and torn. They had been desperate for prey. It didn't make sense. If they'd eaten elk yesterday they shouldn't have been hungry enough to take on a large group of people.
"Hermione! Get everyone ready, we're moving out right now." He called over his shoulder, hand grabbing trailing reins and pulling the hissing hippogriff away from the dead griffin. Bounding into the saddle easily, he shot a look at the carriage and sighed with pleasure when he saw only Neville sitting atop the bench. Nodding to the twins and complementing them on their quick sword work, he took his place at the head of the procession.
"What's going on?" Ron asked, adjusting the hilt of his sword with one hand while reassuring himself that his wand was back in its sheathe.
"Those griffins were weak. Too weak to be the ones who took down the elk I found yesterday. They were half starved and unclean." He replied softly, the fingers of one hand clenching around his knee.
"You think there's another clan out there?" Ron asked, shifting his weight to assist the pony he rode in recovering his balance. He groaned at Harry's nod and dropped his forehead to rest upon his mounts mane. "I hate griffins." He mumbled, grinning at the raven-haired wizards snort.
"Do you think you might have been a little harsh in dealing with Draco, Harry?" Hermione questioned, paling as narrowed emerald eyes were turned on her.
"If I hadn't grabbed him when I did he'd be dead. What did you want me to do, throw myself in front of the griffin and scream 'take me'?" Harry demanded, fingers tightening. BlackHeart grumbled and tossed his head, beak gnashing as he rolled an eye back to peer at his angered rider.
"No, but you could have at least explained it in a gentler voice." Hermione admonished, looking at Ron for support. The redhead was staring studiously in the other direction, one hand rubbing the back of his neck as he avoided eye contact.
Snorting in disbelief, the raven-haired wizard raised his hand and signaled the rest of the group onward. "The sooner we cross Ludwyn's Lake, the better." Harry bit out, slapping BlackHeart on the neck and urging him into a trot. The rest of the caravan followed quickly, horses extending their strides and racing after the black hippogriff. Protected carefully from all sides, the black carriage rattled across the snow covered road, the individuals inside sitting quietly for the time being.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Next chapter - the daunting ferry ride across Ludwyn's Lake. I wish everyone a Happy Holiday and hope you enjoy the time off from both school and work.
Wizli - It's hard to make every chapter action packed and excitement filled. I mean, their luck can only be so bad, right? It's like a road trip really, sometimes you see awesome stuff and other times you'll spend hours reading license plates in hopes of finding something amusing.
LandUnderWave - lol, Griffins of course!