Basilisk Eyes

Chapter 112: Figuring out grey

As the sun settled behind the mountain, the group of flyers started gathering together and flying back to the Egress entrance skimming surface of the lake. Harry felt a happy contentment settle in his chest. His bum was a bit sore from riding the broom for so long, his thighs and knees ached from gripping the broom handle, but it was easy to ignore as he bobbed along, riding the wind currents, listening to the birds whistle and chirp to each other, and feel the happy glow that seemed to be emanating from each of his friends—evident in their voices and easy laughter.

Neville! I've never heard Neville sound so happy.

Neville was chattering with Aminah about herbs and his garden at his Gran's without stammering, without hesitation. And he'd flown. Wow. Neville had figured it out. And he hadn't fallen in the lake... yet.

The heaviness that had been in Aminah's voice wasn't apparent.

Flying should be a form of therapy here. It's way better than Council!

Council always made Harry think about Mei. He wondered how she was doing. What she was doing. He wished she could have gone flying with them.

"Wow—that's a shadow that just passed across your face, Potter," Tony commented.

"What? Er, well. I was just thinking that Mei missed out on this. She could have really used some time up on a broom—don't you think?" Harry said.

"That'd be a sight! A fish on a broom!" Tony laughed.

"Hey, you know she'd hex you if she heard you say that!"

"Yeah, you're right."

Harry had leaned back on his broom, his hands hanging by his sides—steering the broom with his knees as a gentle mist cooled his face from the lake below. He drank in the alpine crisp air and listened to birds trilling as they neared the shore. There was a buzz of insects, too.

He realized that up ahead of them, through the vibrations of his broom that conveyed the undulating surface of the water, that something was protruding out of it. He leaned forward to get a better understanding—concentrating on the shape in front of him.

"Mei! What are you doing here? How did you find us?" Arig called out.

"Hey Mei! We were just talking about you!" Tony said.

Harry dipped down and neared Mei slowly, he could smell her fishy, salty aroma in contrast to the mild wet smell of the lake water that smelled of algae.

"Mei! We missed you," Harry said.

"Yeah, right. But, I got your note. Thanks, Harry," Mei said and Harry noticed that she didn't call him Potter.

"You have to fly with us again—when it's not dark out. It's bloody brilliant," Arig expounded, as the group drew around the form in the water.

"Yeah, it sounded like you were having fun," Mei said.

"Why didn't you tell us you were here earlier?" Aminah asked—her carpet so close that Harry could smell the wet wool.

"Eh, I was just watching you zoom around from underwater—that was kind of cool and I didn't bring my broom with me," Mei said.

"We could have taken turns," Neville offered.

"Are you a new kid here? When did you arrive? What's wrong with you?" Mei asked.

"What? Oh, well, I'm just... a friend of Harry's. Just... visiting," Neville said, his voice losing some of the lightness with Mei's interrogation.

"You sure have a lot of friends, Potter," Mei noted.

His shoulders sagged at the use of his surname, though his heart surged with the truth of that statement.