Two nights later Harry slunk into the common room, pale and distracted.
"Did occlumency go that badly?" Link asked softly. He was aware Harry despised the teacher, and that the feeling was perfectly mutual, but the green-eyed wizard had been completing the lessons as well as he could regardless.
Harry blinked, as though just becoming aware of his presence. The Boy-Who-Lived was not normally so unobservant, so he must truly have something big on his mind. "I no longer taking it," he replied absently.
Hermione glanced up sharply from where she was color-coding a study schedule for their last month or so before exams. Link was painfully aware that the school year lasted around nine calendar months. Had it really been so long?
"What do you mean you're no longer taking occlumency?" Hermione asked warningly.
"Er, Snape thinks I can get along well enough on my own now," he said awkwardly, and so obviously lying that Link nearly cringed on his behalf.
"Harry," Link started slowly, "didn't you say just two days ago that you thought it was getting worse?"
"Er, well..."
"He did," Hermione replied crossly. "He said that he's been having dreams of that corridor almost every night."
Harry looked like he regretted Hermione's memory more than anything else in that moment. His eyes flitted about the common room, as though hoping for a distraction to come save him. He was out of luck there. Ron was down at the pitch, putting in hours that were probably unhealthy in an attempt to drum up some hidden skill. Fred and George were nowhere to be seen.
"What happened?" Link asked gently.
"I saw something Snape didn't want me to see," Harry admitted, shamefaced.
"Professor Snape, Harry," Hermione corrected absently. "And is that all? Surely he must have expected you to accidentally see some of his memories. Didn't you say that happened before?"
Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, well, this time wasn't 'cause I'd used protego," he muttered.
"What did you do?"
"I... I got curious-" And had looked somewhere he was not meant to go, Link filled in grimly. Hermione clearly thought the same. Clearly whatever he'd learned had been intensely personal to the man, but it appeared to upset Harry just as much.
"Harry! You need those lessons! You have to go apologize to Professor Snape!" Hermione was saying.
"No I haven't!" Harry interrupted, alarmed. "He'll kill me! You didn't see how mad he was! I thought he was going to curse me when I left."
"But you need these lessons," Hermione repeated, sounding a little afraid. "What if Voldemort uses your connection against you somehow?" she asked quietly, glancing around furtively. Fortunately, no one else was in earshot.
"I don't see how my knowing when he's happy does anything for him," Harry bit back. "And I've been having these dreams since this summer, way before Mr. Weasley got bit by that snake. How could he be using those dreams if he didn't know I was having them?"
"But what if he does now?"
Sadly, none of Hermione's nagging seemed to be getting through to her friend. Harry just shook his head. "Besides, they saved Mr. Weasley's life, didn't they? Maybe these dreams are a good thing!"
"That's a dangerous way to think, Harry" Link said, now also starting to feel alarmed. "Didn't Dumbledore say your connection-"
Harry whipped towards him, suddenly furious. "Dumbledore doesn't say anything! He hasn't spoken to me since last June!"
The green-eyed wizard hadn't had such a fit of temper in months. "That doesn't mean he's wrong," Link tried to say, but the boy would have none of it.
"I'm not talking to Snape," he insisted darkly, and stomped upstairs without another word.
Hermione slowly lowered her quill, colored ink dripping slowly onto the table. Her eyes were suspiciously shiny. "He's going to get himself hurt," she whispered. "We'll have all seen it coming, but he's going to get himself hurt anyway because he won't listen to us."
Link couldn't find it in him to disagree. He could do many things, but there was no protecting people from themselves, not when they attacked their own lives with such determination. Even worse, there would be no point in going to a teacher. Dumbledore had indeed been avoiding Harry, and was not likely to break their near year-long streak of no contact, and none of the other teachers were likely to make Harry return to his lessons. They couldn't force Harry and Snape to reconcile, and no one but the Headmaster could make them cooperate, even in the loosest sense.
Harry himself was going to have to see reason, but if he'd really come to see the dreams as a good thing, it was likely already too late.
Link sighed. "We'll just have to try again when he's calmed down."
Unfortunately, Harry didn't care to let them. He remained distracted and irritable up to and including his scheduled career consultation with McGonagall, and Link couldn't be sure Harry was even practicing the meditation he'd learned from the hylian anymore. It was only when Ginny spoke with them that they even realized he was planning something rash.
"You mean you didn't know?" she asked in clear surprise.
Harry was apparently dead set on breaking into Umbridge's office again, this time to access her fireplace. Logically, it would be the only one in the school that would be unmonitored, especially now that the Room of Requirement was also under watch. Ginny had quietly alerted them that the twins were keen on causing a disruption on Harry's behalf.
"Did he lose all sense along with Snape's lessons?" Hermione tutted furiously. "If he's just making a fire-call, he doesn't need a fireplace connected to the network; I told him that months ago. We've done this several times now!"
"Umbridge is monitoring the classrooms, dorms, and the Room of Requirement," Ron pointed out easily. "He wants to talk to Snuffles; the only one she won't catch him at is the fire in her office."
Hermione looked at the Weasley as though he were insane. "But that's only if we can keep her away from it, Ron. It's her own office." An office the toad-woman had all but been sleeping in, lately; a habit she'd taken up after their second message. In addition, the curses and hexes she'd laid to protect the office were more vicious then ever. Hermione had caught her preparing them once, and had come back to Gryffindor tower a little pale. The woman was certainly going out of her way to catch her blackmailers, and this was absolutely going to hurt Harry's chances of having a conversation with his godfather unscathed.
"If we can't stop him then let's at least try to convince Harry to sneak into the Room of Requirement instead," Link replied, pinching the bridge of his nose in a vain attempt to stave off a headache. "That won't be quite as dangerous, and I don't think Umbridge has a way to monitor fireplaces that aren't even there half the time."
"Maybe," Hermione said, unconvinced. "But what about Fred and George? They'll be expelled if Umbridge catches them causing a scene."
Ron shook his head. "That's one thing I wouldn't worry about. They don't get caught if they don't want to. Not by teachers."
It was tough work getting Harry to see reason. Link could feel every inch of goodwill they'd lost in their unfortunate attempt to convince the boy to apologize to Snape.
"Well what would you rather do?!" Hermione eventually snapped. "Get more petty revenge on Umbridge by sneaking into her office, or actually talk to Snuffles?!"
That at least gave Harry pause. "Fine," he said finally, and the three of them nearly dropped out of sheer relief. "But I'm talking to Snuffles alone," he insisted. There was no arguing with him on that point, as he refused to divulge the reason he needed this conversation in the first place.
Hermione quickly capitulated, but that left them with nothing to do but wait as Fred and George carried out whatever insane plan they had, Harry sneaking off under his father's cloak, Maruauder's Map in hand.
Fred and George, as it turned out, dropped a swamp right in front of Umbridge's office. While she was still inside. They'd then proceeded to light fireworks down the corridor leading to the Room, luring the lone prefect and Filch into chasing them throughout the castle. It was a brilliant display that had Fred and George high-fiving each other and discreetly raking in Galleons as they sold more of each product to an impressed student body... or whoever was willing to keep silent, really. Link later heard that Trelawney had purchased a few herself, and could swear he saw Flitwick pocketing a portable swamp for later "study."
Harry returned from the Room triumphantly and, more importantly, undiscovered. Link eyed the green-eyed wizard in displeasure. "Did you at least find what you were looking for?" he asked seriously.
"I think so," he said slowly, but did not elaborate. "Lupin and Snuffles think I need to go back to Snape's lessons too," he admitted quietly.
"Are you?"
There was no answer.
Harry had been worried about Hagrid ever since Firenze had left him a warning to pass on to the half-giant. Well, no, he'd been worried since Hagrid had returned to Hogwarts. Firenze had only added to it.
Link watched as the Sidon-sized man wrung his hands anxiously, glancing up at the Pitch every now and then before striding purposefully into the forest. Harry had good reason to be worried, he mused. The man didn't show up without new bruises or cuts each time they saw him, and his nervous behavior would have rung all sorts of alarm bells if Hermione had been more concerned about it.
Harry seemed to think it meant Hagrid was trying to keep a secret, something he was notoriously bad at. Hermione and Ron agreed, with the added information that the man likely had some dangerous new pet or other. But Firenze's warning had caused them to reconsider.
Only, whenever they brought it up, Hagrid grew cagy and quiet. Harry had eventually given it up as a bad job. Hagrid could handle himself, and the trio were so busy they had no further time to convince the man to share. Things likely would have continued in this manner had Hagrid not reported to their last CoMC class unable to bend his arm properly. Hermione had quietly entreated Link to find out what was going on. Firenze wouldn't tell Harry, Hagrid would tell none of them, and the half-giant's track record with dangerous creatures was incredibly bad. Needless to say, she wanted to help their large friend and stop him injuring himself further.
Link figured now was as good a time as any. The students were all occupied by the final Quidditch match of the season, an activity that incited no particular interest in the hylian, but which occupied the vast majority of the school. Hagrid seemed to be thinking along the same lines, as he was less careful that day about sneaking his way into the Forest.
Link's purpose here was two-fold. One, he was going to figure out what had Hagrid looking like he'd had a round or two with an unarmed lynel for his friends. And two, he had finally successfully transformed for the first time only yesterday. Hagrid was not in mortal peril, and the Forest would be the perfect place to hide illicit transfigurations. Now was the perfect time to put his animagus form through its paces.
The hylian crept to the edge of the tree line, making sure to keep the half-giant in earshot at all times before sucking in a deep breath, slowing his heartrate and drawing his wand. 'Focus on the things that make you hylian. Let your soul guide the form of the beast.' Link swept his wand through tight, practiced motions, a soft incantation breathed from his lips.
His eye-level lowered by perhaps a foot as Link collapsed to all fours, body stretching into the sleek form of a massive wolf. Silver and white fur gleamed in the sunlight shining through the trees, and Link shook out a thick mane of blue-grey fur as he stood on padded feet.
The first transformation, completed in an unused classroom after hours, had gifted the hylian with a brief look in a mirror. Wolves native to Hyrule were not quite as large, and bore only plain coats one or two colors. Link's silver and white swirled in exotic patterns along his side and muzzle, a pale diamond shape not found in nature stamped on the crest of his brow. Niether did the Hyrulean wolves bear thick manes like Link's angelite scruff, nor his clear blue eyes, the only things to remain the same between man and beast.
His wolf was both faintly familiar and fully foreign, and the sharp urgency Link had felt in his pursuit of the magic finally dissipated at its realization
Link focused back on the present, staring into the darkened treeline with the sharp clarity of his lupine gaze. He padded after Hagrid, silent as a poe.
The half-giant lumbered easily through the wood, an odd, horizontal bow with a thick handle held in one hand. It was the closest thing Link had seen to a normal weapon at Hogwarts, though the small mechanisms he could barely make out in the waning light gave it an oddly mechanical appearance that didn't mesh at all with what the hylian knew of advanced weaponry.
Link made sure to keep his distance regardless. The strange arrow hooked in the machine would be lethal if it hit, odd device or no.
They walked for quite some time. The hylian had only been in the Forbidden Forest a few times for classes, the urge to explore mitigated by his need to research and study. Those areas, all fairly close to the castle and near safe pathways, had been passed early in their trek.
Link's hearing, advanced over even his hylian senses, picked it up first. A low, rhythmic sound like giant rocks shifting against one another sounded in the near distance. Hagrid perked up at it, rounded around a tree, and Link cautiously followed.
At first he thought it was a Talus. What appeared to be massive grey boulders shifted and rose with a crashing sound. Thick ropes stretched through the ancient trees surrounding the huge figure, which shifted and groaned as Hagrid roared in greeting.
"Grawp!" He hollered, and Link stepped back, ears pinned flat against his head. "Grawpy, I've got some new words fer yeh to try today."
New words? The creature stood abruptly with a loud roar of displeasure.
Link blinked up at the giant - for what else could it be - in astonishment. Hagrid was... teaching it? Or trying to. The hylian imagined he was having as much success as Purah might if she decided training moblins to dance was a worthy endeavor.
The next hour or so passed painfully. Hagrid tried and failed to show off objects to Grawp, shouting their identities in English all the while. The giant would pay him no mind whatsoever. Hagrid would redouble his efforts, and Grawp would turn or make some other sudden movement that sent the half-giant sprawling to the ground.
An involuntary whine left Link's throat. He could respect determination, but this seemed closer to delusion. All the injuries Hagrid sported... it was now painfully obvious they came from the giant.
Eventually Hagrid deemed the lesson finished, though whether Grawp managed to learn anything was unlikely. Link slunk after the man uneasily. What could they do about a problem like this? They couldn't get rid of Grawp without upsetting Hagrid, and the massive being didn't seem to want much more than to be left alone anyway.
But they could hardly leave the giant there. If anyone other than Hagrid stumbled upon Grawp, the results would be disastrous. The force of even his turns tossed the Sidon-sized man around like a doll. Goddess-forbid Grawp hit anyone else.
Lupine ears flicked as a rhythmic sound met them. Link raised his muzzle and sniffed at the air trying to pinpoint the newcomer's scent through the hundreds of new and intensified smells around him. It smelled familiar, but it wasn't until the creature stepped into the low light that he recognized the scent for what it was.
A centaur strode between the trees, narrowed gaze locked on the half-giant. Hagrid swore.
The chestnut centaur was followed by around half-a-dozen others, a black-coated one pulling up just behind the first. They circled Hagrid, raising bows and slipping arrows from quivers. "You were warned, Hagrid, of what would occur should you set foot here again."
Hagrid merely scoffed, raising his bow-like contraption threateningly. "This ain't jus' yer forest, Magorian," he said flatly. "Yeh ain't got no righ' to tell me I can't be here."
"You lost that right when you aided the traitor Firenze," Magorian returned easily. The black-coated centaur at his side stamped a hoof.
"Yeh won't shame me fer stoppin' a murder," the half-giant retorted furiously.
"We should just do away with him now," the dark-furred centaur said, nocking an arrow. "It is what we agreed upon, is it not?"
Link had heard enough. Without a second thought he launched himself forward, blitzing past a startled Hagrid to latch his teeth on the centaur's wrist, forcing him to drop the bow with a yell.
An arrow screamed past his ear as he dropped to the leaf-strewn floor and Link snarled, spinning and leaping at a grey centaur and catching the bow rather than the hand. The wood snapped in his jaws like dry kindling.
Magorian's remaining entourage had not been idle, rearing back and nocking arrows, hooves thudding dangerously near Link's slighter frame, just as dangerous as the weapons themselves. The black centaur took a long moment to retrieve his bow - it was a fact of his biology that made bending over a task he was ill-suited to, but retrieve it he did.
Link darted daringly under his hooves, forcing the others to stay their hands lest they hit one of their own. Most of them, anyway. The grey-coated centaur fired with a confidence only attained by hundreds of hours of training, and an arrow zipped through the black centaur's legs to thud painfully in Link's thigh. He yelped, leg crumpling beneath him.
"STOP!" Hagrid bellowed, loud enough it seemed, to rattle the surrounding trees. "JUS' STOP!" And for a fraction of a second everyone froze.
"What manner of beast is this?" Magorian frowned. "Bane, step aside."
Thus named, Bane leapt from his spot over Link, doubling back to draw even with the rest of his group. They raised their bows warily, but Magorian seemed unconcerned. He casually stepped in front of them, leaning down to examine the wolf.
Hagrid lurched forward and planted himself next to Link, big hands hovering over the arrow shaft stuck in his leg. Magorian ignored him.
"You are not a wolf," the chestnut centaur said, gaze fixed on the pale canine. "What are you doing here, child of Hylia?" A couple of the centaurs pawed the ground nervously at that.
Link startled before sliding painfully in front of Hagrid. He snarled, teeth bared. There was no more obvious gesture he could make.
"That is not what I meant," the centaur continued. "Your presence here on Earth should not be. The gateways have been lost for centures. Only one yet remains, hidden by wizards that have long forgotten its purpose. No child of Hylia should be here."
Link stopped growling, ears pointing straight up at Magorian's words. He tilted his head in confusion.
"You do not know," the centaur mused, straightening. Link whined.
"That which you seek is buried within the wizards' seat of power," Magorian said. "But the key, I think, lies with you, Goddess-touched." He fixed his bow to his back, powerful hooves stamping at the dirt. "We will allow you to pass today, Hagrid. Take the traveler with you, and ensure this does not happen again. We will not sit idle while your kin threatens the forest." With that the small herd turned and left.
Hagrid swore again and lowered his mechanical bow. "C'mere, little fella," Hagrid said, and Link yelped as he was easily cradled in the half-giant's hands.
"Don't rightly know wha' he was talkin' 'bout, but let's get yeh fixed up all nice an' proper, yeah?" He carried the animagus all the way back to his hut, where he settled him down next to his dog, Fang. Hagrid removed the arrow and cleaned the wound with deft, gentle hands, Link holding as still as he was able. It was clear the man had treated animals many times, and the hylian gratefully rested in the half-giant's care until the sun dipped low in the sky.
Finally, when Hagrid's thunderous snores started rattling through the hut, Link quietly limped away, mind spinning with all the things head learned that day. He needed to think on what the centaur had told him, and warn his friends about the giant sleeping in the Forest.
'But first,' he thought, wincing at the sharp ache in his leg, 'Mipha's Grace.'
Link did tell the trio about Grawp, but that was all he had time to do. The fifth years of Gryffindor House were practically mad with last minute studying, books and notes and wands out and in use every second of the following day. Even the good cheer from Ron's unexpectedly proud performance on the Quidditch Pitch was overshadowed by the fevered intensity with which the students tore through all they'd learned in the past five years. Hagrid was just going to have to carry on as he was, it seemed. As long as Umbridge didn't manage to fire him, things would probably be okay.
The hylian didn't know what all the fuss was about; surely if they'd paid attention to their studies they had no cause to worry? Though the closest he'd ever had to an examination was the Captain of the Guard inspecting his unit when he was but fourteen years old, and they had to follow regulations to the letter or risk punishment by going over them again through pouring rain, freezing sleet, and viscous mud. Which they'd ended up doing. Twice. Some silly paper tests couldn't possibly be much more demanding than that.
Hermione had shot him a truly vile look when he told her as much, a wild look in her eyes that had Link backing away slowly.
Even Ron and Harry were beginning to panic, a fact which had Fred and George laughing uproariously despite their own upcoming exams. NEWTs had to be more difficult - they were the equivalent tests for more advanced students after all - but the twins didn't look worried in the slightest. Granted, they'd only achieved three OWLs apiece, so it wasn't like they had many exams to sit, but still. If they kept up their obnoxiously relaxed cheer, an entire year's worth of students might just be driven to murder.
Link might have found it all funny himself if he didn't want Hermione to hex him.
Still, the days passed quickly, the hylian sitting the exams with everyone else. He wasn't particularly fussed about the results - mostly he considered the whole thing a waste of time when he should be working on figuring out how to get to the "wizard's seat of power" as Magorian had put it. Link tentatively guessed that meant where their government sat, their Ministry of Magic, which was both good and bad. Good because he knew roughly where to look. Bad because who in their right mind would let a random foreigner search through their government building?
Unfortunately his brainstorming partner was beside herself studying and testing and overall worrying, so there was little to do but wait out her frenzy, which lasted the entire week their examinations were held. Link coasted through the tests without much care, warily making sure the bushy-haired witch didn't notice his easy mood for fear of attracting her suddenly ferocious temper, when at last the end was in sight.
History of Magic was not an exam Link had to sit, of course, given that he'd not taken the subject in the first place. His tests were over, but it would be Hermione's final one. Link was just relaxing into the thought of having his research buddy back in top form when things finally went awry.
Harry streamed out of the examination room with a tense expression and fear lingering in his gaze. The younger wizard grasped the hylian's arm as soon as he escaped the worried examiner, all but dragging the blond to an empty room. "Sirius has been captured!" he gasped as soon as they had a modicum of privacy. "Voldemort's got him!"
"What?! Harry, are you sure?"
"I know what I saw!" the green-eyed wizard barked, fingers clenching into worried fists. "I've got to do something!" He spun on his heel, marching back into the hallway, only to turn right back around, Hermione and Ron in tow.
Hermione looked scared. "Harry, we've got to tell someone," she said desperately. "If it's true, then the Order can help us," she added. Her hands were up in a placating gesture and she was clearly trying very hard to stop Harry doing anything rash.
Harry's expression tightened. He looked positively infuriated. "D'you think Dumbledore will listen?" he asked aggressively. "I'd be shocked if I could get to his office anymore."
"This isn't about your grievance with the Headmaster!" Hermione said, shocked, the same instant Ron sputtered "Of course he will, mate!"
The green-eyed wizard was grinding his teeth in frustration but nodded nonetheless and the four swept out of the classroom. They booked it to the statue protecting the Headmaster's office, but it remained stubbornly still no matter what sweet they listed.
"What on earth is the matter?" McGonagall asked, long green robes swishing elegantly as she marched up to them.
"Where's Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked instantly, and the transfiguration master's lips thinned.
"He's been called away," she said tightly. At Harry's desperate look she added, "There's been an emergency. The Order is handling it, Mr. Potter, there's no need for you to worry. But I must be going; they've called for my assistance." And without another word the gargoyle leapt out of her way. McGonagall raced up the steps, and Harry was too shocked to do more than sputter out a weak, "Wait!" in protest.
"You don't suppose that emergency she mentioned," Ron began, eyes wide.
"Sirius," Harry breathed. They traded a glance then pelted toward Hagrid's Hut. Link and Hermione bolted after them, only for all four to crash headlong into Fred and George.
"Ouch!" George squawked. "What's got you in such a hurry?"
Harry sputtered out a explanation so quickly the words nearly jumbled together unintelligibly.
"Right," Fred said firmly, having somehow understood the gist of the situation. "We're with you mate. Where to?"
But Hagrid's Hut was empty. Had all the Order members gone to see about whatever this emergency was? What about Sirius? "I need to know if they're helping him!" Harry bit out desperately.
They turned around, breathing hard from the exertion of running across the castle but in too much of a hurry to care, when they very nearly ran over Neville next. Beside him, Ginny and Luna were panting for breath. "You'll never guess what's happened!" Neville squeaked. "It's all over the WWN! Giants have been spotted in muggle Aberdeen!"
That was too much of a coincidence. An emergency of that magnitude to draw out the Order, one that risked the giants instead of Voldemort's servants, and one that would also leave Harry isolated. It was no longer a question of whether or not this was a trap; just whether or not Sirius was actually in danger. Link's heart sank at the petrified look in Harry's eyes.
"They're nowhere near London!" the Boy-Who-Lived gasped.
"Harry," Hermione begged, "please don't do anything rash!"
"I need to get to the Department of Mysteries," Harry said quickly, ignoring the witch entirely. "We've got to save Sirius!"
There was no choice but to fill in Neville, Luna, and Ginny at that point, not with Harry blurting out such critical information right in front of them. Link hastily explained while Hermione tried vainly to get Harry to see reason. She was ardently advising Harry check in with Sirius first, just to be certain.
"HERMIONE!" he bellowed, "I KNOW WHAT I SAW!"
"Please!" she said again, and now there were tears in her eyes. "Harry we just need to make sure. I'll help you however I can, I promise!"
At this last entreaty Harry finally calmed enough for the nine of them to run all the way to the Room of Requirement. The twins set of a truly astonishing number of dungbombs to clear away the prefect guarding the area. A few hasty bubblehead charms later and Link stood guard at one end of the corridor, the twins at the other, while Harry darted inside.
It was a scant few minutes later that the Boy-Who-Lived barreled right back out, distress plain on his face. "There wasn't anyone there! Just Kreacher."
"They wouldn't have let Sirius go with them," Hermione breathed, horrified. Not when the man was a known criminal, to both muggles and wizards. He wouldn't have been able to help, not if he was just causing more panic.
Unfortunately, that didn't make this any less of a trap. Just a baited one.
"Harry," Link said sharply. "Voldemort is trying to draw you out, it couldn't be any more obvious."
"It doesn't matter!" the green-eyed wizard barked, wild-eyed. "I can't lose Sirius!"
The entire group straightened in determination, ready and willing to follow Harry's lead. It was foolish, so foolish, but the hylian wasn't going to be able to stop them. The only thing he could do was ensure they got in and out with minimal casualties. He nodded slowly and Harry loosed a rattling breath.
Link bit his lip. There was still one member of the Order that might still be in the building. He backed away from the group, pointing his wand down the adjacent hallway and flicked his wand, conjuring a roll of parchment and scrawling out a hasty message. Harry. Department Mysteries. Voldemort. Another flick and the scroll folded itself into a paper airplane - a trick he'd seen more than once by students passing notes in class. A sharp wave sent the plane spiraling away into the castle. Hopefully risk of interception was minimal; Umbridge was likely still sucking up to the examiners before they left. Either way, there were few options available.
The note would find Snape or await McGonagall in her office. Link found himself wishing crossly for more clear lines of communication with the Order, wondering how such a gross oversight could have occurred, but it was far too late to hope for something better.
"How're we getting there, then?" he heard Ron ask quietly.
"Aren't we flying?" Luna replied dreamily as Link rejoined the group. The twins shot him a questioning look, but he shook his head. Not now.
Harry spun around, glancing at all their faces in shock and outrage. "You all aren't going anywhere! This has got nothing to do with you!"
Link watched in fascination as seven people bulled straight over Harry's objections. Two of them they barely even knew outside the DA. It was the one who was arguably most distant from their number that eventually offered them a solution, too.
Luna guided them back outside, stopping only briefly at the kitchens to grab a large raw steak, bright red and bloody. It wasn't long at all before they were standing in the forest, surrounded by skeletal horses, night-black and winged. The Weasleys and Hermione watched anxiously as grass bent and blood was licked away by creatures they couldn't see. They weren't given long to confront their nerves however, as soon they were all being helped onto the thestrals by those that could.
"Let's go," Harry said grimly, and nine pairs of wings unfurled.