Chapter 61:
Harry, Alicia and Hermione moved instinctively together, peering through the trees, as Ron came into sight, with Ginny, Neville, and Luna hurrying along behind him. All of them looked a little worse for wear — there were several long scratches running the length of Ginny's cheek, a large purple lump was swelling above Neville's right eye, Ron's lip was bleeding worse than ever — but all were looking rather pleased with themselves.
"So," said Ron, pushing aside a low-hanging branch and holding out Harry's wand, "had any ideas?"
Alicia noticed her's too and took it grinning.
"How did you get away?" asked Harry in amazement, taking his wand from Ron.
"Couple of Stunners, a Disarming Charm, Neville brought off a really nice little Impediment Jinx," said Ron airily, now handing back Hermione's wand too. "But Ginny was best, she got Malfoy — Bat-Bogey Hex — it was superb, his whole face was covered in the great flapping things. Anyway, we saw you heading into the forest out of the window and followed. What've you done with Umbridge?"
"She got carried away," said Harry. "By a herd of centaurs."
"And they left you behind?" asked Ginny, looking astonished.
"Ha. No they wanted to do the same to us." Alicia admitted as she twirled her wand, happy to have it back in her hand.
"No, they got chased off by Grawp," said Harry.
"Who's Grawp?" Luna asked interestedly.
"Hagrid's little brother," said Ron promptly. "Anyway, never mind that now. Harry, what did you find out in the fire? Has You-Know-Who got Sirius or — ?"
"Yes," said Harry, as his scar gave another painful prickle,
"No." Alicia said "Kreacher said he wasn't home."
"How's that different?" Harry remanded of her
"Maybe because Kreacher is unreliable. I am very sure that he has not been hiding in the attic all those times." she admitted "I don't trust him and we shouldn't have stuck our heads in the fire we should have gone in to Grimmauld place. Looked around the house instead of trusting that elf. In fact I'd rather to that now. Then we can take the Grimmauld place fire to the Ministry, which even still is stupid as it'll be filled with Ministry people, and we'd have all these traveling worked out and no more second guessing." Everyone stared at her "And you know what I'd also like to go and find Snape because I bet he has some idea of what's going on!"
"Snape?" Ron asked "You want to trust him?"
"He's in the order and for what ever reason he agrees to help Dumbledore, because Voldemort clearly needs Harry to get what ever it is and it's taken him all year to realise that, despite Snape being in our heads so many times. So yeah."
"We don't have time for this!?" Harry snapped "How can you just sit around!?"
"Because I have a terrible feeling!" Alicia snapped "I feel if we rush to the Ministry we're not going to be any better off than we were in the graveyard and we were lucky Harry!" Alicia cried, fear evident in her face. "I've got so many mixed signals that even if Sirius is being tortured I need to be absolutely positive and I'm not, there's soo many red flags and inconsistencies. And if Voldemort is using Sirius to get you to the Ministry, he wont kill him at least until you get there, because if he does, he's lost his leverage."
"He's going to kill him anyway!"
"So we go and he dies and possibly us and we stay and he dies?" Alicia asked her eyes welling up at the thought. "Harry I love Sirius, he's a reminder of our parents and a family member and …" she trailed off taking a deep breath as her voice had begun to shake. Harry looked at her is annoyance dying slightly.
"I don't like that nothing matches up okay it doesn't make me feel confident or secure. It scares me, after all we've gone through, running in so blind just puts us the same place we've always been." Alicia admitted
"We don't have time—"
"Exactly but it's so important! I—"
"The other times were different." Ron suddenly put in and Alicia looked at him "The other times you two were almost always by yourselves. You faced Quirrel alone, and the basilisk, and Voldemort last year and even the dementors third year."
"Yeah, Alicia we're coming too."
"And if that gets you killed because we're children and running headlong into a trap?" Alicia asked
"That's our decision." Ginny added
"That wont make me feel any better." Alicia snapped and they actually chuckled slightly.
"Alicia, Sirius would do the same for us." Harry reminded her
"Sirius is a reckless adult who's also an escaped convict," Alicia added and Ginny and Ron laughed. "I don't think you can really use that kind of comparison."
"Look, we're wasting time. I know you feel the prickles and aches that I do so you know he's doing something regardless. We need to go. Sirius needs us." Harry said and he was rather calm considering Alicia could feel his impatience. "I can't just stand around waiting for you to gather all the facts so I'm going."
"Well I can't let you go alone, I don't think you'd ever survive without me." Alicia said sighing. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.
"So, we're going?" Ron asked and Harry nodded.
"I'm sure Sirius is still alive, but I can't see how we're going to get there to help him."
They all fell silent, looking rather scared. The problem facing them seemed insurmountable.
"Well we can't take brooms, we don't have enough and we'd probably get lost. We can't take the floo powder because we'd be spotted and Harry and I wont be welcomed…" Alicia listed "Obviously we can't apparate." she added
"Well, we'll have to fly, won't we?" said Luna in the closest thing to a matter-of-fact voice Harry had ever heard her use.
"Okay," said Harry irritably, rounding on her, "first of all, 'we' aren't doing anything if you're including yourself in that, and second of all, Ron and Alicia are the only ones with a broomstick that isn't being guarded by a security troll which is why Alicia said we can't fly so."
"No…" Alicia mumbled "I said we can't take the brooms…" she said looking at Luna as she thought fast.
"I've got a broom!" said Ginny.
"Yeah, but you're not coming," said Ron angrily.
"Excuse me, but I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do!" said Ginny, her jaw set so that her resemblance to Fred and George was suddenly striking.
"You're too —" Harry began.
"I'm three years older than you were when you fought You-Know-Who over the Philosopher's Stone," she said fiercely, "and it's because of me Malfoy's stuck back in Umbridge's office with giant flying bogeys attacking him —"
"Yeah, but —"
"We were all in the D.A. together," said Neville quietly. "It was all supposed to be about fighting You-Know-Who, wasn't it? And this is the first chance we've had to do something real — or was that all just a game or something?"
"No — of course it wasn't —" said Harry impatiently.
"Then we should come too," said Neville simply. "We want to help."
"That's right," said Luna, smiling happily.
Harry's eyes met Ron's. He knew that Ron was thinking exactly what he was: If he could have chosen any members of the D.A. in addition to himself, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione to join him in the attempt to rescue Sirius, he would not have picked Ginny, Neville, or Luna.
"Look they just don't want to bring you guys along because it's dangerous and if something happens it's on our conscience." Alicia began and the three began to protest "But," she continued before they could speak. "It is their choice we kinda don't have the right to stop them…"
"I can stop Ginny." Ron believed
"You're her brother not her mother Ron." Alicia reminded him "And I'd love to see you try." Ginny grinned at Alicia before turning to Ron, who in turn turned to Harry.
"Well, it doesn't matter anyway," said Harry frustratedly, "because we still don't know how to get there —"
"I thought we'd settled that?" said Luna maddeningly. "We're flying!"
"Look," said Ron, barely containing his anger, "you might be able to fly without a broomstick but the rest of us can't sprout wings whenever we —"
"There are other ways of flying than with broomsticks," said Luna serenely. Alicia gapped and turned to Luna, she'd just struck it, mostly because they'd walked into sight.
"Luna you're a genius." Alicia believed and everyone looked at her surprised but Ron who continued to argue.
"I s'pose we're going to ride on the back of the Kacky Snorgle or whatever it is?" Ron demanded.
"The Crumple-Horned Snorkack can't fly," said Luna in a dignified voice, "but they can, and Hagrid says they're very good at finding places their riders are looking for."
Harry whirled around as Alicia moved forwards grinning. Standing between two trees, their white eyes gleaming eerily, were two thestrals, watching the whispered conversation as though they understood every word. One put it's nose down to Alicia as she reached them and she moved to pet it grinning.
"Yes!" Harry whispered, moving toward them. They tossed their reptilian heads, throwing back long black manes, and Harry stretched out his hand eagerly and patted the nearest one's shining neck.
"Why didn't we think of this?" Alicia asked annoyed.
"Is it those mad horse things?" said Ron uncertainly, staring at a point slightly to the left of the thestral Harry was patting. "Those ones you can't see unless you've watched someone snuff it?"
"Yeah," said Harry.
"How many?"
"Just two."
"Well, we need four," said Hermione, who was still looking a little shaken, but determined just the same.
"Five, Hermione," said Ginny, scowling.
"I think there are seven of us, actually," said Luna calmly, counting.
"Don't be stupid, we can't all go!" said Harry angrily. "Look, you three" — he pointed at Neville, Ginny, and Luna — "you're not involved in this, you're not —"
Alicia sighed and didn't bother to say anything. Immediately though they burst into more protests. Alicia felt her scar twinge and looked at Harry who seemed to accept he didn't have the time and was accepting defeat.
"Okay, fine, it's your choice," he said curtly. "But unless we can find more thestrals you're not going to be able —"
"Oh, more of them will come," said Ginny confidently, who like Ron was squinting in quite the wrong direction, apparently under the impression that she was looking at the horses.
"What makes you think that?"
"Because in case you hadn't noticed, you, Alicia and Hermione are covered in blood," she said coolly, "and we know Hagrid lures thestrals with raw meat, so that's probably why these two turned up in the first place…"
Harry felt a soft tug on his robes at that moment and looked down to see the closest thestral licking his sleeve, which was damp with Grawp's blood.
Alicia chuckled and moved around to the back of the thestral, patting it with intent of mounting. "And people thought Hagrid was a joke of a teacher." she said looking at Luna.
Harry however looked at Alicia with sudden hope. She rose an eyebrow and then rolled her eyes as she heard his thoughts.
"Okay, then," he said, a bright idea occurring. "Alicia and I will take these two and go ahead, and Hermione can stay here with you four and she'll attract more thestrals —"
"You're an idiot." Alicia said simply.
"I'm not staying behind!" said Hermione furiously as Ron too turned and told him he was mental.
"There's no need," said Luna, smiling. "Look, here come more now… You three must really smell…"
"You might find giants blood is more potent." Alicia shrugged
Harry turned. No fewer than six or seven thestrals were picking their way through the trees now, their great leathery wings folded tight to their bodies, their eyes gleaming through the darkness. Alicia chuckled and he looked at her annoyed, he had no excuse now…
"All right," he said angrily, "pick one and get on, then."
Alicia raised an eyebrow as she'd gotten up onto her thestral and waited.