Dragon Flight
The next day they went flying. Not on a broomstick, but on dragonback. Fireflash explained that very few bronze dragons ever allowed wizards on their back, but he made exceptions for Dark Hunters.
"I'll make an exception for you too, kid, since you're Amelia's significant other and you treat her decent," Fireflash smiled toothily, his azure eyes glinting. "You'll be the first European wizard to ride a bronze in oh, over five centuries. Hope you appreciate it."
Severus bowed, then said respectfully, "It'll be a great honor, sir, and I'll remember it for the rest of my life."
"Good. You've got nice manners, I'll say that for you. Half the wizards they turn out these days think who the blazes they are, treat me like some freakin' dinosaur, got no respect, see?" Fireflash snorted, plumes of smoke drifting from his nostrils. "'Course, those are the ones I dump into the ocean until they learn better. I mean, I'm a dragon, not a taxi service."
"I would never think otherwise," Snape assured him, beginning to think this wasn't such a good idea.
"Fireflash! Quit telling stories," Amelia scolded, thumping the dragon's shoulder. "Don't listen to him, Sev. He's never actually thrown anybody into the ocean, not even if they were royal pains."
"But I've thought about it," the bronze grumbled. "Especially with that brat Lucy Hamilton, the chief's daughter. That kid thinks just because her daddy was Head of the Dark Hunters, she can treat me like a limo service. I need to go shopping on Rodeo Drive, Fireflash, or skiing in Denver. You're inbetween cases now, so it's not a problem, my dad says. Who asked him? Do I look like I've got American Airlines painted on me? Spoiled little brat, she doesn't need a new ball gown, she needs a good kick in the behind."
"Enough already, partner. I have to deal with her at home, I don't need to deal with her on vacation." Amelia shook her head in disgust. "I don't know which is worse, the way she acts with you, or the way she treats the rest of us, like we were dirt beneath her feet."
"Sounds like Lucius Malfoy, one of my old schoolmates." Snape said dryly. "if he wasn't married already, we could introduce them. They'd make the perfect couple."
"Sure. Frankenstein and his bride," Amelia drawled.
"Or Dracula. Malfoy's like a vampire," Severus chuckled. "Sucks the blood right out of you."
"Sounds like a real nice guy. Glad I've never met him." Then she turned to Fireflash. "Time to get you saddled up, my friend. Accio dragonsaddle!" she commanded, then pointed.
A strange looking contraption that resembled a pilot's chair and a passenger seat on an airplane with about two dozen straps and buckles appeared on the bronze's back.
Fireflash turned his head, caught a loop in his teeth, and pulled it over his head. It settled down over the base of his neck snugly, the straps were made of ultra-strong Roc-hide lined with sheepskin so they didn't rub against the bronze's scales.
The great dragon flexed his shoulder muscles, settling the seats comfortably on part of his shoulders, just before his wings. He spoke a word of dragonspeech and the tangle of straps sorted themselves out and fastened themselves into place. The two largest went about his underbelly, and the rest crisscrossed on his massive chest.
"Check 'em, Amelia honey."
The Dark Hunter stepped up and went over the harness thoroughly, testing to make sure the straps were fastened correctly, laid flat, and were in good condition. "You're good to go, Fireflash."
"Great. Okay, let's get you two lovebirds on board. Amelia, you might want to help Severus, seeing as he's never flown with me before," Fireflash instructed.
"Yes, Captain," she said respectfully. "Sev, the way you get into the saddle from the ground is by climbing up Flash's front leg. Step up onto his foot and then onto his elbow here and from there to his shoulder and the seat. It's kind of like rock climbing."
Severus eyed the dragon dubiously. "You want me to step on his foot? Won't it hurt him?"
"Nah. I barely feel it, kid," the dragon reassured him. "My scales are tougher than stone. If anything, you'll tickle a bit." He extended his left foreleg.
Severus walked up to the massive forefoot, suppressing an instinctive shudder at the sight of those talons, which were out since they helped the dragon with traction when he took off and landed. Each talon was half the size of Snape's body.
He averted his eyes and stepped gingerly onto the dragon's foot. It felt a little like walking on cobblestones.
Amelia hopped up next to him. "Watch me," she ordered and reached up, grasped the outer edge of a scale, and climbed up to Fireflash's elbow joint, perching on it like a stair. From there it was only a little bit of a scramble to the dragon's shoulder.
Severus set his jaw, determined not to be outdone by the American magician and began climbing, praying he wouldn't slip and fall. Luckily the dragonscale was not slippery and he managed the climb without looking like an idiot.
"Okay, now you can sit down and fasten your flight straps," Amelia told him. "They go over both shoulders and they're ultra-strong and reinforced with magic. You could fly through a tornado and not move an inch. I'll double check your straps when you're ready."
Snape sat cautiously in the seat, it was padded and warm, with armrests. He half expected it to rock slightly, but it remained still. He tugged down the straps, which were padded with more sheepskin, and clicked them into place.
"Comfortable?" Amelia queried, giving the straps a firm tug. "You're set. The seat's got a warming spell on it, 'cause it gets cold up there."
She walked the foot or so back to her own seat and got buckled up. "Everything's A-okay, Captain."
Fireflash craned his head around and drew in a lungful of air. "I'm going to breathe on you now, so don't be frightened. It's a rarified air spell, so you won't get dizzy or sick at the altitude I'll be flying. Otherwise you'd have to swallow an altitude potion and they make you sick as a dog afterwards, right Potions Master?"
"Yes, they're no fun to take, your stomach hurts for days afterward. It's the ground firebird talon. Our systems can't tolerate it well," Severus agreed.
"You won't have to worry about that here. My mist breath might make you a little drowsy, but otherwise it doesn't have any side effects that I know of. Too bad I couldn't slip that Hamilton brat an altitude potion in her drink next flight," Fireflash muttered. "Serve her right if it gave her a stomachache, she's enough to give me an ulcer."
"I could make you up some if you want. No trouble at all," Snape offered wickedly.
"Thanks, but I can't. Professional ethics, you understand. The chief'd fire me for sure if he ever found out I slipped his precious darling a Mickey Finn, no matter how much she might deserve it," the dragon said regretfully. "Ready?"
The two wizards nodded. The bronze inhaled, his nostrils flaring wide, his eyes narrowed slightly. Then he exhaled sharply, almost like a sneeze, and fine particles of purple mist shot out of his mouth and drifted over his passengers.
"Breathe deeply now. Good," he rumbled.
Severus' nose twitched and for one instant he nearly sneezed. The purple mist felt icy when he breathed it, it smelled like wintergreen. He felt slightly sleepy and yawned once, but otherwise the mist didn't feel uncomfortable. It was a hell of a lot better than the altitude potion, which always left you feeling like you'd been kicked in the gut by an ostrich.
"All set?" Fireflash called back. "Here we go."
He reared back on his haunches, his huge wings opening wide. He beat them hard against the updraft, then launched himself into the air in one tremendous leap.
Snape felt the wind whistle past his ears and tug at him, but the straps held him firmly in place and he was not frightened. The take-off was a smooth as if he'd been riding a broom.
Between the warming spell, his sweater, pants and insulated boots and gloves, he was quite toasty, just as if he were sitting in front of a fire in his den.
He gazed about him as they shot upward through the first layer of clouds and emerged in the sun-drenched lower stratosphere, an endless expanse of blue bordered by spun-sugar clouds. It fairly took his breath away.
Flying on dragonback was incredible, much better than a broomstick.
"How ya doin' back there, kids?" Fireflash roared, loud enough to be heard over the wind kicked up by his wings.
"Great!" Amelia yelled back. "Severus, you okay?"
"Never better!" He shouted, a Cheshire cat grin on his face. "This is fantastic!"
Fireflash chuckled. "You ain't seen nothing yet, kid. I haven't even started to go at top speed yet."
"How fast can you fly?" Snape shouted.
"Faster than a jet, if I have to. But that's only if I was flying trans-Atlantic. Today I'm only going to fly about two hundred miles per hour, or as near to that as I can."
Severus whistled. "Let's do it."
"Hang on," the dragon warned, then stretched out his neck and tail. His wings began to beat faster and faster, until they were mere blurs.
Snape blinked tears out of his eyes, able to see only bright flashes of dragon hide beneath him and streaks of blue and white, they were flying so unbelievably fast. He let out a yell of exultation, causing the dragon and Amelia to look at him worriedly.
"You all right, Sev?"
"Fine. This is the best thing in the world."
"That's why I'm glad I was born a dragon," Fireflash laughed.
Right then, Snape wished he'd been born a dragon too, if it meant being able to fly like this whenever he wished.
"Isn't it fantastic?" Amelia cried, laughing delightedly.
He could feel waves of exuberance coming off her, for in her excitement she had lowered her shields slightly and was projecting her emotions into his mind. "This is why he can command top prices for his flights when he's not working cases with me," she told the other wizard.
"Not surprising. I'd pay almost any amount for this."
"It gets better," the bronze informed him. "How about a little music to go along with your flight?"
"Why not?" Snape wondered if the dragon had a mini band tucked into a scale or something. It wouldn't have surprised him at all.
"You ever heard of the Air Force song? You know, "Off we Go into the Wild Blue Yonder?" the dragon asked him.
"Uh, no."
"Ah, then you're in for a treat, kid, that's my best one." Fireflash cleared his throat. "I'm no Gilbert and Sullivan, but I'm not bad."
Severus didn't know who they were, since he wasn't up on American music culture, but he didn't care.
Soon they were flying along to Fireflash's enthusiastic rendition of the U. S. Air Force theme song.
The bronze's voice was a deep bass, note-perfect, and very soothing to listen to. After that he sang "Volare" in Italian, sounding remarkably like Luciano Pavarotti.
"He knows every song ever written about flying, wizard and Muggle," Amelia said. "He sang them all to me on the way here. In flight entertainment, he calls it."
"He's pretty good. Better than half the bands we used to have play at school. Some of those sounded like cats being tortured," Snape recalled with a wince. "At least he can carry a tune."
The dragon stopped singing and peered at his passengers. "You two awake back there?" After receiving affirmatives, Fireflash asked, "Want me to do some loops and spirals?"
"Loops and spirals?" Snape repeated.
"Yeah, like they do at the air shows. Tricks." Fireflash coughed slightly. "Are you afraid of going upside down, Severus?"
"I'm not fond of it, but I'm not terrified either."
Fireflash grinned evilly. "I hope you didn't eat too much for breakfast, kid."
"Not a thing."
"Good, then I won't have to worry about you puking. The smell takes weeks to get off my scales." He began to climb again, gaining the altitude necessary to perform his first maneuver.
"And now . . .get ready to experience the ultimate in flying thrills and chills, Fireflash's Amazing Aerial Spinning Spiral!" the bronze announced, just before he pumped his wings twice and did a sudden dip and roll to the left.
Severus felt his stomach do a sudden lurch, and he was very grateful Amelia had warned him about Fireflash's love of aerial acrobatics, otherwise he would have died of embarrassment.
Fireflash curved his body into an arc and coasted down in a spiral that left his passengers gasping for breath at the sheer speed and velocity of the turns.
Snape found himself laughing in amazement along with Amelia.
"Way to go, Fireflash!" they shrieked, screaming in pure excitement.
"Nice one, right? How about this?"
"Sev, close your eyes!" Amelia warned.
"Why?"
"Just do it!"
He obeyed.
A second later Fireflash broke out of his spiral, ducked his head, and flipped over, doing a series of 180 degree loops across the sky.
It was indescribable.
"Bloody hell, dragon!" Snape howled. "That was—I don't even have words to describe what that felt like."
"Too much for ya, kid?"
"You wish. Let's do it again."
Fireflash threw back his head and bellowed with laughter. "That's the spirit, Sevvy boy! I really like this guy, Amelia baby. He's got the heart of a bronze dragon. Keep this one, ya hear?"
"Will do, sir."
"Okay. One more time." Fireflash exhaled sharply, then dipped his wings, preparing for another spiral.
Snape felt his pulse quicken in anticipation. This was the sort of joy he should have known as a child but never had, a wild exhilaration that sparkled through his blood in a hot rush.
He felt the black shadow on his soul cringe away into the dark, unable to withstand the happiness welling up within him, allowing him to soar freely upon the wings of the dawn with two of his best friends in all the world. Forever after he would recall that moment, that wonderful magical flight on the back of a bronze dragon, the wind incarnate.
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