Chapter 32: Thestral
"Thestrals should be able to fly to ten thousand meters. They are very, very excellent flying creatures. Their stamina is so good they can circle the world once without landing, and they are very fast. They are a great help for long-distance travel for wizards. Professor Dumbledore sometimes rides them when he goes on a long trip and doesn't want to Apparate. They are much faster and more stable than a flying broomstick."
"I raise a lot of them in the forest. But they usually just help pull the Hogwarts carriages and such. Thirty years ago, there were only about ten of these little ones, and now there are almost two hundred. But Thestrals are not something ordinary people can see."
"You have to have witnessed death, right?" Ezio, of course, knew about Thestrals.
"That's right," Hagrid sighed slightly. "It's because of that that Thestrals have a bad reputation among those foolish wizards. They say Thestrals symbolize death and are unlucky, inauspicious, evil creatures. But in reality, these little ones are very gentle, very obedient, and very intelligent. You just need to tell them where you want to go, and no matter where in the world it is, they can find it. That's the magic of Thestrals."
Hearing this, Ezio's heart suddenly stirred. In that instant, he desperately wished that a Thestral could take him to the so-called 'place of the twelve moons'.
'If only things were that simple,' Ezio sighed internally, pulling back his wandering thoughts. But he decided to give it a try.
"Alright, I think that's enough for today. It's getting dark, and it's time for dinner." Hagrid clapped his hands to get their attention. "Maybe next time you can try letting Buckbeak take you for a flight. But it's late now, so you'd better hurry back to the castle for dinner."
"Aww..." Harry said with some disappointment. He gave Buckbeak's neck a final pat and nuzzled his large head. "Then we'll have to see you next time, Buckbeak."
Buckbeak nudged Harry's chest with his head. He was also very fond of Harry, who had been so diligent in brushing and feeding him.
The two of them said goodbye to Hagrid and then walked towards the castle, their shadows stretching in the setting sun, chatting about what it would be like to fly on Buckbeak one day.
After a simple dinner in the dining hall, Ezio once again disappeared. But by now, no one found it strange. They were used to Ezio greedily absorbing knowledge, seizing almost every minute. He could always be found in the library or on his way to practice.
This made many who didn't like him have to tacitly accept what he was doing in Slytherin. After all, if you couldn't even compete with him in hard work, what right did you have to speak up? To do so would only be to humiliate yourself. No one wanted to be glanced at by someone with the look of disgust one reserves for trash, and then be kicked into a garbage heap for being in the way.
But today, Ezio did not go to the library, nor did he go to the Charms practice room. He quietly left the castle and crouched on the top of a tower, a night breeze blowing past.
Neil, full and satisfied, landed on his shoulder. Man and eagle looked at the darkening sky and the Forbidden Forest, which had sunk into darkness.
"Go, Neil. Become my eyes. Find them for me."
Neil took flight, and in an instant, he disappeared into the night ahead. He didn't fly too low. Neil had seen what kind of strange things were hidden in this seemingly ordinary forest. On his first day at Hogwarts, Neil had nearly taken a fall. A spider bigger than an ox had shot a web at him from within the forest. If he hadn't reacted in time, Neil would have been turned into spider droppings. But his sharp eyes allowed him to maintain a safe distance.
About one hundred and fifty meters above the canopy of the Forbidden Forest, Neil glided gently. His excellent low-light vision allowed him to see every detail even at night. As Thestrals that were raised by Hagrid and also had the job of pulling the Hogwarts carriages, the place they lived would not be deep in the Forbidden Forest. Neil followed the several paths extending from behind Hagrid's hut and soon made a discovery.
About two hundred meters into the forest, there was a dry, flat meadow. A simple wooden fence enclosed a large circle. In some places inside the circle, thick straw was laid out, with indentations on it from something having rested there.
Only those who have seen death can see a Thestral, and this restriction applied not only to humans but also to Neil. But death was not limited to human death. Fortunately, Neil was a loyal carnivore, an eagle who would never eat grass to fill his stomach. He saw dozens of Thestrals, large and small, lying there quietly resting.
This was only part of the Thestral herd. When they weren't working, they were accustomed to wandering in the Forbidden Forest. There were few magical creatures that could harm them. Thestrals had dragon's blood in their veins, and their strength was astonishing. They could pull objects weighing several tons while flying in the sky, and they were also carnivores, with dragon-like teeth that could easily crush bone and a tongue covered in barbs. Furthermore, since Thestrals were all skin and bone, other predators in the forest were not interested in such a tough meal. Not to mention, with Hagrid as their protector, they had never been bullied in the forest.
Neil had found his target but did not leave immediately. He circled nearby for a while, finding a gift for Ezio to bring on his visit.
After deactivating the synchronized vision, Ezio pulled a beautiful broomstick from his waist pouch, his Nimbus 2000. Ezio, who had long since mastered the skills of broomstick flying, mounted it and slipped lightly into the night.
When he arrived above his destination, he dismounted, stowing the broom in mid-air. At the same time, a broken spear appeared in his hand.
The descent stirred a slight breeze. A small deer resting in a hidden hollow woke up alertly. Wild animals have senses far keener than humans. But just as its eyes scanned its surroundings, preparing to flee, a black shadow descended from the sky—the little deer was cute, but now, it was cute to death.