Chapter 14: A Little Risk
The chilly wind whipped through Ariadne's hair, and she couldn't help but feel a tiny bit grateful for the warmth of Sirius' body close to hers. She had been stubborn enough about even holding onto his waist ("Just grab on, Morrigan, even you aren't talented enough to stick to a flying broomstick all by yourself") but he was a good flier, and now she felt better about her impulsive decision.
And Merlin, does this thing fly, she thought to herself as they hugged the edge of the lake, sparkling deep blue in the late afternoon sunlight. The Shooting Star glided through the air and cut through blustery winds like butter; they were coasting as smoothly as if they were moving through still water, and not a single bump or shudder had interrupted their ride.
Sirius coasted low over the lake and Ariadne actually reached down to let her fingertips skim the freezing water. With the sun beginning to set behind the castle, silhouetting it black against a golden-pink sky, the entire scene seemed too idyllic to even be real.
Finally, Sirius muttered to himself, "All right, let's see what this baby can do," and they soon began to rise higher and higher above the lake.
"What exactly do you think you're doing, Black?" yelled Ariadne over the rush of the wind. Sirius just turned his head and winked at her. They were now level with some of the highest towers of the castle.
And then they dived.
Ariadne felt her stomach leave her body. They were plummeting towards the lake at an almost impossible angle, yet the broom kept them stable and the ride smooth. The surface of the water was getting closer and closer—20 feet, 15 feet—and seemingly just before they were going to crash into the water, Sirius pulled up steeply and they continued cruising through the air.
Sirius made a few well-practiced loops before finally returning to the Quidditch pitch. The Shooting Star glided to the ground and they touched down without a tremor.
Sirius was laughing. Ariadne was beside herself.
"So was your plan to drown us both before James could get a chance to try and kill us? What the hell were you playing at?"
"Morrigan, it's just a bit of fun," said Sirius, running his fingers through his ruffled hair. "What's life without a little risk?"
"Considerably safer."
"You mean more boring."
"I mean less certifiably insane."
"You can't deny she took that dive like a gem, though."
Ariadne crossed her arms. She couldn't disagree. Sirius grinned at her. "I knew you'd like it. If you liked how she rode, I'll have to take you on my flying motorbike sometime."
Ariadne sighed. "Of course you have a flying motorbike."
It was only then that she noticed Priya and Lupin walking towards them from the stands. They would have witnessed the landing of their stolen.
"Remus, old friend," said Sirius gallantly, clapping Lupin on the shoulder. "How about we keep this," he gestured to James' Shooting Star, gleaming in the light of the sunset, "just between us?"
"And Priya," added Ariadne.
"And Sophie, too, I guess," said Priya, pointing to their friend who was bouncing her way over.
Sirius looked exasperated. "Okay—can we just not mention this to James?"
"What are we not telling James?" asked Sophie, having just arrived, breathless.
"Don't worry about it, Soph," reassured Ariadne.
"If we're sure I don't need to place Unbreakable Oaths on you all to keep you from snitching—pun fully intended-" said Sirius, eyeing Sophie distrustfully, "then I'll be putting this back exactly where Potter left it."
As he walked off, Priya gave Ariadne a meaningful look, while Sophie looked innocently curious. "So, Ariadne, I found the star chart, but I'm still kind of confused about, erm, Mercury's orbit. Do you think you could explain it to me?"
"Of course, Priya. Maybe we should go to the Astronomy tower, it'll be night soon anyway—"
"Let's go to the dormitory," interrupted Priya, grabbing her arm and giving Sophie a look. She more or less began dragging Ariadne off the pitch while Lupin looked on in bemusement.
"Bye, Remus!" said Sophie cheerfully. "We're just going to look at Mercury's orbit in the girls' dormitory!"
Remus looked confused but waved to them anyway. As soon as they were out of earshot, Priya spun Ariadne around and grabbed her shoulders.
"Ari, what in the name of Merlin is going on?"
A/N: Another shorty but I'm just trying to get something written every day. Your reviews give me life and keep me going 3 -Andromeda