Basilisk Eyes

Chapter 110: Island in the Sky

"Hey, Aminah, do you have your flying carpet with you?" Harry asked as they were leaving the dining hall that night. "Do you want to try flying it?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess so," Aminah said.

Gemma tapped on his arm.

"Do you want to fly your broom again?" Harry asked.

"Yes," she responded. "Peter, too." She placed Peter's hand on Harry's arm and Peter signed his enthusiastic agreement to the plan. Harry had just learned the sign for broom and made it with a question mark. Peter told him that yes, he had his broom and that it was in his staff.

Harry jumped out of the way as he realized that Peter was pulling his broom out of his staff (when he hit him in the chest with it). Peter signed an apology on his back and Harry patted reassuringly in response.

"Are you all going flying tonight?" Tony asked. "Can I go, too? And Arig? I bet he wants to go. Let me get him." Harry heard Tony running down the corridor, toward the dormitory.

"Do we have enough brooms?" Harry asked.

Gemma made a happy sign across his back—he wasn't sure if it was in response to his question, but figured that they'd be able to figure it out.

They all started heading over to the O&M room. Pretty soon Harry could hear Arig's crutches in the corridor, too, and figured that Tony had found him.

"Hey, wait up!" Arig called out to them. Harry slowed and turned. Gemma wrote a question mark on the back of his hand.

"Arig asked us to wait for them," Harry explained.

I wish that Mei was here.

The thought surprised him. A couple weeks ago he'd been avoiding her at all costs.

"Hey, Harry, there's a kid calling you and waving at you in the dining hall..." Arig said.

Harry turned and then he could hear someone calling his name.

"Oh, it must be Neville. I wasn't sure if he'd be able to join us."

Gemma wrote a question mark on his hand while Neville's footsteps clattered toward them.

"My friend, Neville... remember him? We met him at St. Mungo's?" Harry asked Gemma.

She tapped yes on his arm, and then turned toward Peter to fill him in.

"Hey, Harry!"

"Hiya, Neville! You remember Gemma, right? This is Arig and Peter. Aminah, are you still here?"

"Hi, nice to meet you," Neville said.

"She went on with Tony," Arig explained.

"I thought so," Harry said, laughing.

"Pretty much the lot of us are going to go flying tonight. You ready?"

"Well, you know... it's not really my thing... but hey, I've been using that navigational spell you taught me and it's really been helping me."

"Oh, do you have low vision, too, Neville?" Arig asked.

"What? Oh, um, no," said Neville, laughing nervously. "I just get lost a lot."

"You should cast the writing charm so that Gemma can follow the conversation. Do you know that one?" Arig asked.

"Oh, yeah. Good idea. Why don't you all go ahead and I'll help Neville get sorted out?" Harry suggested.

Gemma waved across his wrist.

"Sure, no problem," Arig said and the sounds of his crutches moved away with Gemma and Peter's footsteps.