The metallic scales, and the cool breeze was soothing on his burned and

blistered skin, the dragon's wings beating the air like the sails of a

Windmill. Behind him, whether from delight or fear he could not tell. Ron

Kept swearing at the top of his voice, and Hermione seemed to be sobbing.

After five minutes or so, Harry lost some of his immediate dread that

The dragon was going to throw them off, for it seemed intent on nothing but

Getting as far away from its underground prison as possible; but the

Question of how and when they were to dismount remained rather frightening.

He had no idea how long dragons could fly without landing, nor how this

Particular dragon, which could barely see, would locate a good place to put

Down. He glanced around constantly, imagining that he could feel his seat

Prickling.

How long would it be before Voldemort knew that they had broken into the

Lestranges' vault? How soon would the goblins of Gringotts notify Bellatrix?

How quickly would they realize what had been taken? And then, when they

discovered that the golden cup was missing? Voldemort would know, at last,

That they were hunting Horcruxes.

The dragon seemed to crave cooler and fresher air. It climbed steadily

Until they were flying through wisps of chilly cloud, and Harry could no

Longer make out the little colored dots which were cars pouring in and out

Of the capital. On and on they flew, over countryside parceled out in

Patches of green and brown, over roads and rivers winding through the

Landscape like strips of matte and glossy ribbon.

"What do you reckon it's looking for?" Ron yelled as they flew farther

And farther north.

"No idea," Harry bellow back. His hands were numb with cold but he did

Not date attempt to shift his grip. He had been wondering for some time what

They would do if they saw the coast sail beneath them, if the dragon headed

For open seal he was cold and numb, not to mention desperately hungry and

thirsty. When, he wondered, had the beast itself last eaten? Surely it would

need sustenance before long? And what if, at that point, it realized it had

three highly edible humans sitting on its back?

The sun slipped lower in the sky, which was turning indigo; and still

The dragon flew, cities and towns gliding out of sight beneath them, its

Enormous shadow sliding over the earth like a giant dark cloud. Every part

of Harry ached with the effort of holding on to the dragon's back.

"Is it my imagination," shouted Ron after a considerable stretch of

silence, "or are we losing height?"

Harry looked down and saw deep green mountains and lakes, coppery in the

Sunset. the landscape seemed to grow larger and more detailed as he squinted

Over the side of the dragon, and he wondered whether it had divined the

Presence of fresh water by the flashes of reflected sunlight.

Lower and lower the dragon flew, in great spiraling circles, honing in,

It seemed, upon one of the smaller lakes.

"I say we jump when it gets low enough!" Harry called back to the

others. "Straight into the water before it realizes we're here!"

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 630