Stars in Her Eyes {Wolfstar's Daughter}

Chapter 68: Comfort

The air was cold. Summer had come and now gone in a blaring heatwave but Nell couldn't say she had noticed much deviation from the monotonous bleak winter, similar the the one that had been churning on in her chest. And so once again the year had reached the peak of its course and was looking down on its daunting descent into winter. A slippery downward track where leaves abandoned their branches and windows were closed for the last time of the year.

Autumn. The amber limbo between summer and winter. The sky hung in an oppressive sheet of grey, threatening rain but never quite following through. A time when the world seemed to abandon its rose tinted glasses and pull a misted veil before it's wary eyes.

The two teenagers pulled their cloaks tighter against their skin as the chilling air nipped through the material. They had taken a detour on a walk back from quidditch, their sweat now running cold against their skin as they walked on the outskirts of the forest. Just as the trees began to open up into a small clearing, something lingering in a small patch of sunlight, scarecly present through the thick clouds, caught both of their attentions.

The same ashy skeletal creatures they had witnessed pulling the carriages on the first day back now stood before them, peacefully grazing amongst the trees.

Just as they had before, the three horses remained unphased by the two onlookers, yet this time lifted their heavy heads to acknowledge them. It was as if they met so few who could actually witness their physical form that they remembered the pair of grief ridden teenagers from that first night.

Whilst Harry's wore a face as equally perplexed as the one he had on their first encounter with the animals, Nell watched with a more knowledgeable gaze.

"They're called Thestrals," she explained to the boy who turned to look at her with a curious expression as to where she had learnt such information, "I looked it up in the library. Only those who have witnessed death can see them"

Harry made a small nod of understanding before turning his attention back to the dark horses.

"Well I think we have that covered" he breathed out, pushing his hands down into his pockets as Nell let out a humoured scoff.

As she stared into the hollow, milky eyes of the beasts before her she began to think about their first encounter. A few months had past since they had returned to school and on the first of September Nell had liked to think she would've come a long way by now. She had coaxed herself into a false dependency on time, foolishly thinking that her grief would simply fade as the seasons changed. She had happily let herself paint an image of a girl who had healed, not entirely but enough to give hope that one day she would, yet here she was all those months later still clinging to the wreckage of her own mind.

It had undoubtedly become more bearable, or easier to ignore perhaps she should say, now that she had the constant distraction of school. But it was those moments when there was nothing but her and her own mind that she felt as if the pain hadn't subsided at all, as if the wound was as fresh as the day it had been carved.

"What?" She narrowed her eyes as she noticed the boy beside her had turned his gaze away from the thestrals and back on to her.

He thought for a moment, turning his head in the direction of the trees before meeting her gaze again.

"Come on" he finally spoke, grabbing her hand and pulling her across the clearing and back into the trees.

"Harry where are we-" she tried to protest, following as he pulled them further away from the castle and onto a familiar path.

"Come on!" He simply reiterated as the familiar hut of the half-giant groundskeeper came into view. The currently unoccupied hut.

They finally came to a stop before a small paddock beside the house, occupied by one of Hagrid's many feathery friends. Harry swung open the gate, pulling Nell in behind him before turning round to face her with a smirk.

"So what do you think? Does Buckbeak look up for a ride?" He grinned, taking a few steps backwards towards the regal creature whisky keeping his excited eyes on her.

"You're joking right, Hagrid would kill us-" Nell's words trailed off as she remembered the Gamekeeper's unexplained absence, and the increasing concern they all felt with each passing day he didn't return.

Her gaze fell to the floor with a frown before Harry walked back over to her, taking her hand and causing her eyes to lift up to him.

"I think we both know that wherever he is, Hagrid would hate the idea of Buckbeak being alone" he said softly and she nodded with a small smile.

She let him bring her over to a few feet before the animal before they both took a deep bow, Buckbeak shortly following suit and bowing to familiar faces of Hagrid's friends.

"I seem to remember you were scared of Buckbeak, or was that just in my head?" Nell teased as she pulled herself up onto Buckbeak's feathered back, the same way she eagerly had in her third year.

"Completely in your head" Harry insisted, now sat behind Nell, to which Buckbeak let out what sounded like an almost unconvinced squawk and Nell couldn't help but laugh.

"Hold on tight" Harry said, more so to himself as Nell, just as she had before, looked perfectly at home on the back of the hippogriff.

With one last squawk Buckbeak ran across the length of his enclosure before taking off into the clouds, Harry holding on for dear life as Nell let out a laugh of pure exhilaration, the wind liberating her of all her pain even if just for a moment.

And Harry, although still feeling mildly terrified soaring above the school grounds, relished in the laughter of the girl he knew and loved.

It would be only once she landed back on the ground that she would let her heart ache over how much had changed since their third year. But maybe, if they flew high enough, she would leave some of her troubles up amongst the clouds.

A/N: Heyyyyy, I've been gone a while but here you go for those of you who are still here :)
Thank you for being so patient <3

This is suuuper short but it turns out it's rlly hard to get back into writing when you haven't done it for a while.

I'm also putting forsaken back up just cuz why not