DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter and all other characters and locations belong to J. K. Rowling.
Chapter Eight - Visiting in the Night
Harry awoke to the utter silence and darkness that had fallen upon The Wolves Run within the last few hours. Staring at the rafters above him, he sighed and stretched slowly. He knew the Lions would be camped out down in the bar, all of them glaring somberly at each other while trying to reassure themselves he wouldn't do anything stupid.
Ruffling his messy black hair, he rolled over and swung his legs off the edge of the bunk he had slept in. A thin line of light crept under the door of the room, breaking the blackness blanketing the floor. His feet touched down softly, his right hand immediately settling on the pommel of the sword that he'd left leaning against the corner bedpost.
Drawing his wand, he gave it a smooth flick and watched as several candles sitting atop a round table beside the door leapt into life. The flames crackled softly as they stretched toward the ceiling, fingers of light playing upon the wall. He gave the hilt of his sword one last caress before tossing it lightly onto the bed he'd occupied. He wouldn't be bringing the sword with him on this trip, it was too long and might present a problem if he had to do any close quarter fighting in the forest.
Rifling through his saddlebags, he pulled a piece of folded parchment from the leather and headed toward the door. He turned the handle and opened the portal silently, eyes immediately locking with those of Neville. "Evening." He muttered in greeting, giving his team member an assessing look before turning and beginning to walk down the hall.
The plump wizard took a deep breath and rose from where he'd been crouched. "You aren't really going, are you Harry?" Neville called, hands gripping his wand as he waited for Harry's reply. He sighed when the raven-haired wizard merely bowed his head in response and kept walking. "Be careful!" A lifted hand the only acknowledgment.
Harry's foot hadn't made contact with the last step before half a dozen voices immediately questioned his decision. Frowning, he raised his hands and progressed further into the room. "Settle down and let me explain." He grumbled, hooking a chair with the toe of his boot and sliding easily onto the wood. Hermione and Ginny plopped themselves down across from him, their arms crossed over their chests in warning. Rolling his eyes at the grim expressions on their faces, he tossed the map he had brought downstairs onto the table between them. "The fastest way to Diagon Alley is through White Forest. I'm not going to drag all of you into werewolf infested woods."
"We've dealt with werewolves before!" Hermione argued loudly, the bobbing of her head perfectly in time with Ginny's.
"That was a mission. Those nobles upstairs right now are our current mission. I'm not going to leave them here just so we can all go mutt hunting together." Harry stated, flicking his fingers at the map. Sniffing in indignation, Hermione opened the worn parchment and flattened it atop the table.
"I take offense to that comment." Sirius grumbled as he dropped into the chair beside Harry, the sword he wore clanging loudly against the wood.
Rolling his emerald eyes, Harry shook his head and sighed. "You're not coming either. It will be safer and faster if I do this on my own." He tried to explain, running a hand over his face as everyone in the room began to argue with him. Sitting back in the chair, he closed his eyes and nibbled on the tip of his index finger.
"I'm going!" Sirius yelped, standing quickly so he could glare down at his godson. The hilt of his sword slammed into the underside of the table, tipping empty glasses and making forks clatter upon porcelain. "I have more experience then all of you combined."
"You're not going!" Remus hollered, eyes narrowing as Sirius shot him a glare and crossed his arms over his chest. "You haven't been on anything with wings in seven years. You'll only be a liability to him."
Curling a lip, Sirius sulked and glared at the top of table. "Will not." He mumbled, fingers smoothing the dented hilt of his sword. So maybe he was a little rusty, and so was his blade, but he knew how to deal with angry werewolves.
"Thank you, Remus." Harry muttered, sitting back up and raising a hand for silence. Arguing amongst themselves, his entire team continued to ignore him until a glass exploded against the far wall. Slack jawed, the Red Lions turned startled eyes on their fuming leader. "Listen up! In ten minutes I'm leaving. Hermione and Fred are in charge while I'm gone. The same orders I gave this afternoon are still in effect. No one goes in or out, the nobles stay upstairs unless they have to go to the bathroom. Understood?"
Nods greeted his words, lips remained sealed as his team followed his progress across the room. "Um, Harry? The map?" Ginny called softly, ducking her head when Harry turned on the heel of his boot and looked at her through narrowed eyes.
"I want several of you to find a secondary route around White Forest. If I find werewolves, we'll take that path." He said finally, nodding to his team and godfather before leaving the room.
The town of Haardein was silent as he kicked snow from his path, breath misting before him. He paused and pulled the cloak he'd found in the kitchen tighter around his shoulders, glaring up at the crescent moon glistening in the sky. Sighing, he crunched across the snow covered ground and pulled the stable door open, slipping inside quietly. Nickers and snorts greeted him as he lit one of the lanterns, the eyes of every animal in the barn on him as he walked down the aisle.
"Hey, BlackHeart." He murmured, catching the hippogriff's sharp beak between his hands. Smiling, he blew softly into the animal's face and watched as its dark pupils dilated. Shaking his head as BlackHeart stomped one large hoof, he caught up his saddle and bridle and entered the stall. In a matter of minutes the hippogriff was ready to go, tail and wings swishing the air lightly.
"You'll be careful?" The voice came from the direction of open stable door, the stocky form of his father's friend just visible in the darkness. Snorting at the appearance of the wizard, BlackHeart rose up on his hindlegs. Talons raked the air ruthlessly, beak gaping in threat as Harry attempted to drag the rearing animal to all fours. Hissing loudly, the hippogriff settled his sharp talons to the straw covered floor and clicked his beak.
Leading the prancing hippogriff from the stall, Harry placed his foot into the iron and swung easily atop BlackHeart. "I always am." He replied, shifting into a more comfortable position before kneeing his mount forward. Feathers brushed the stall walls as the pair progressed forward, tail lashing in warning as a pale horse attempted to place a firm bite upon a black flank.
Nodding in understanding, Remus pushed the doors open wider and walked out into the night. His hands rested on his hips as he watched the hippogriff emerge from the shadowed stable, its long wings already flapping in preparation. Raising a hand in a wave, he watched as the dark hippogriff launched itself into the night with a crash of wings.
XxXxX
Draco glanced at Blaise and rolled his eyes as Severus droned on about something that had occurred centuries ago and no longer mattered as far as he was concerned. Sighing, he tapped the end of his quill on the parchment before him and stared out at the night sky. The moon shone cool and frosty, hundreds of stars twinkling alongside it.
"Are you paying attention, Draco?" Severus asked, halting his pacing and arching an eyebrow as the younger wizard whipped his head back around and blinked in question. Frowning, the greasy haired wizard stepped forward and flipped the text lying forgotten on the table open. "Read this."
"I have to go to the bathroom." Draco said, taking one quick look at the page before flipping the book closed. His fingers tapped on the cover as he shot another look at the moon before swiveling around in his chair. "Can I go?"
"Fine, but hurry up." Severus grumbled, turning his gimlet gaze on Pansy. The witch shot a murderous glare at Draco before smiling sweetly at the older wizard. "And no side trips this time, Draco."
"Sure, Sev." The blond called over his shoulder as he dashed out the door, slamming it closed before his chaperone could correct him again. He smiled and greeted Neville with a flick of his fingers as the shorter wizard rose fluidly. "Evening Neville."
"Good evening, Draco." Neville replied shortly, rubbing the screaming muscles in his thigh as he indicated the noble should proceed him down the hall. Adjusting the short sword he carried, he tucked his wand into the sheath up his sleeve and rubbed his forehead.
"Where's Harry?" Draco asked, trying not to sound to anxious. He set his hand on the banister beside the stairs, eyes narrowed as he maneuvered down the small steps. When his question went unanswered, he shot a look over his shoulder and was surprised to find a grim frown on the smaller wizard's face.
"He went out." Answered Neville finally, tipping his head to indicate Draco should watch where he was going.
"Oh? Out where?" Draco pressed, glancing around the main pub and finding a large number of his guards arguing around a table. All of them were sober and focused completely on the parchment resting in the center of the table.
"He had some business to take care of." Muttered the plump wizard, trying to shoo the blond in the direction of the bathroom only to have him swerve off into the kitchen. Rolling his eyes, he trailed after the noble while trying to make up a believable story to tell Harry when he returned.
Six candles glowed in the middle of the table, the uncertain light they cast throwing shadows on the faces of the four individuals perched around the wood. Hermione, Remus, Fred, and Sirius all looked deep in thought, their hands wrapped around the porcelain cups they held.
"What's going on?" Draco demanded, his voice breaking the silence. All four individuals within the room jumped, coffee sloshing over their hands and laps as they spun around and stared at the blond standing in the doorway.
"Neville." Hermione ground out, eyebrows shooting up into her bangs as she widened her eyes and tipped her head.
"He escaped?" The short wizard offered, shrugging his shoulders in apology when the bushy haired witch sighed and shook her head.
Fred finished his coffee and rose slowly, resettling the sword on his hip as he placed the empty cup onto the table. "It's my shift anyway." He said, gesturing for Neville to take his place at the table. Using a hand on Draco's shoulder to spin him around, he pushed the other wizard from the room.
"Where did Harry go?" Draco questioned again, allowing himself to be bodily shoved in the direction of the bathroom. He crossed his arms over his chest and turned to glare into the blue eyes of one of the twins.
Tipping his head, Fred crossed his own arms. "Harry's visiting an old friend." He replied suddenly, offering the blond some semblance of an answer. Reaching around Draco, he opened the bathroom door and pushed the blond inside, closing the door in the noble's face and leaning up against the wall across from the door. He studied his nails while waiting for the other wizard to finish up, knowing he wouldn't have to wait long.
The door swung open minutes later and Draco emerged, droplets of water still clinging to his hands. "But it's the middle of the night." He protested, allowing himself to be guided back out toward the main pub. He resisted the redhead's manhandling when they were passing the Red Lions gathered around one of the tables. "What are they doing?"
"They're doing what Harry told them to do, and the friend he's visiting is just the type of friend you visit in the middle of the night." Fred ground out, finally tired of the blond's questions. A twitch of his hand had Dean and Seamus moving to aid him. Without question, the pair scooped the noble up and hauled him toward the stairs.
"Put me down!" Draco growled, attempting to squirm free of the grip the guards had on him. His kicking and wiggling only got him spelled to stillness, which allowed the pair to carry him upstairs and dump him on his bed without further complaint or protest. Gritting his teeth, he watched the pair storm from the room before sitting up.
"What did you do?" Pansy asked in interest, glancing up from the book she had been reading. One of her eyebrows arched when she noticed the look creeping across his face. "What happened?"
"I asked where Harry was and Neville wouldn't tell me. So then I asked the group in the kitchen and they wouldn't tell me either. So finally I asked Fred and he said Harry was visiting an old friend." Draco explained tersely, his arms crossed over his chest.
Severus, seeing that his students were no longer paying attention to anything he was saying, packed his books up and put them away. He left soundlessly in search of a cup of coffee or something warmer.
"It's the middle of the night. Who could he possibly be visiting?" Blaise asked, slamming his books closed and tossing them in the general direction of his trunk. The loose parchment skittered across the floor and slid under the beds, vanishing in a puff of dust.
"Maybe he went to a brothel." Pansy suggested, her words causing both wizards to spin around and look at her in shock. "What? I'm not stupid. Besides, Harry is a young, good-looking soldier."
Draco sat up, his mouth hanging open as he glared at the blonde. "But he flirted with me, and he stared at my bum."
"Draco." Blaise groaned, holding his hands up in an effort to calm the rising storm. He sighed when the blond squealed and wheeled around to punch his pillow in outrage. "Good going, Pansy."
"Yes, blame me because Harry's a cheating cad who flirts with everyone he meets." Pansy snarled with a roll of her eyes. Standing, she gathered her books and left the room, slamming the door behind her as she went.
"I'm sure it's not true. Pansy's just upset that I've been spending most of my time with you." Blaise said, biting his lip as Draco muffled a roar of outrage with his pillow. Sighing, he bent over and began collecting his loose parchment. "We don't know what Harry's doing. For all we know he's dealing with a problem we aren't aware of. It's not nice to assume something before knowing the truth, Draco."
Draco's only response was a fist ground angrily into the pillow he wasn't screaming into. Rolling his eyes, Blaise got his bathroom stuff out and left the chamber in hopes of finding some peace and quiet in the bathing room downstairs.
XxXxX
Harry shivered against the cold wind brushing through his hair and clenched his fingers in the gloves he was wearing. BlackHeart's wings pumped steadily as they ghosted over White Forest quietly. There had been no sign of any creature bigger then a fox moving below them, the snow pure and unbroken as the day it had fallen.
"Good boy." He murmured as the hippogriff flew low over the forest, his passing causing small icicles to fall from the branches. His ears strained to pick up any noise or sound from the forest and failing. It was like the sprawling forest had been completely emptied of life.
Perhaps their assumption had been wrong. Maybe the griffins had moved because the prey had relocated. The snow was quite deep and might prevent deer and elk from grazing on the frozen blades. Many of the trees did appear to be stripped of their bark. Sighing, he turned the black hippogriff in the direction of Haardein and huddled deeper into his cloak. He'd get back in time for breakfast and they could proceed on their journey without having to change their plans.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review!
LandUnderWave – lol, that was definitely one of my favourite lines to write, the simple by-play between the two.
Peaceful Angel – Harry hadn't got any sleep until the time between chapter 7 and chapter 8. I suppose he took into consideration the 'at this point its simply easier if I do it by myself' frame of mind. Lol, after 24 hours without sleep, I too get random and kinda scary but I do enjoy it immensely.
NinjaoftheDarkness – Where would be the fun if I just let him stumble across the werewolves? WE both know it'll be funner if I send an unhappy Draco and a confused Harry though White Forest with the Lions.
Crystal Malfoy – lol, just what the story is missing. Flirting Draco and jealous Harry will appear very soon, thanks for the suggestion! And the seeds have already been sown.
PleiadesWolfe – I can't ever imagine abandoning one of my stories. I imagine it will eventually happen, but I don't see it being either of the fics I'm currently working on, I've already put way too much thought into them.
Animejo – Thank you very much for the compliment, and I'm glad you're enjoying it. I have a hard time finding top Harry fics, unless he's been made out to be a complete tramp that'll do anybody, there seem to be an overabundance of these ones floating around.
Jenny18 – Thank you and I shall continue to write. I usually post every Saturday morning/ Friday night.