The sun had begun to set when Eleanor, Cynthia and Susan burst from the castle doors the next day, their OWL exams behind them and no need to worry about the results until the holidays.

Making their way down to the edge of the lake they find a comfy place to settle and sprawl out on the grass, basking in the warm air and freedom.

"Can you believe we have to go through this all over again when we do our NEWTs?" Susan sighs, staring up at the pink clouds drifting lazily across the sky.

"Yeah except it won't just be the classes we take next year that they determine, but the jobs we can have." Cynthia says, picking at a strand of grass.

"Let's not think about that right now okay? Just be happy we got through these ones." Eleanor says, joining Susan in examining the sky.

"Have you heard from-"

"No. And I still don't know if that's good or bad." Eleanor says, interrupting Cynthia from finishing her question. She hadn't been avoiding Reggie, but the last time she went looking for him to talk he had been walking with another Ravenclaw girl, the one Eleanor had assumed he was dating at the beginning of the year. Their heads had been bent close together as they laughed and smiled looking more of a couple than she and Reggie ever had. Since then she hadn't made an attempt to speak to him.

"What are you all doing over summer?" Susan asks, steering the conversation in a new direction. "I'm visiting my aunt at the start of the holidays and then mum and dad are taking me overseas somewhere."

"Sounds fun, I'm just spending the summer at home probably, shouldn't be too bad though. Harper is coming home from school for the summer, she wasn't there at Christmas and out of all my sisters she's the one I get along with the best." Eleanor says.

"She's only a few years younger than you isn't she?"

Eleanor nods silently, Harper had been born only two years after Eleanor, and this summer she would be turning 15. Even though their birthdays were a month apart they celebrated them together since Eleanor was always back at Hogwarts when hers came around.

"Well, I'm not going home this Summer," Cynthia says, sitting up against a nearby tree. "I told you how Reggie had been telling my parents all these stupid things about George? Well, after he and Fred left Hogwarts I was told that there was no way such a foolish boy was suitable for me and that if I refused to listen to them they would have nothing to do with me."

"What?" Exclaims Eleanor, sitting up to comfort her friend, "Where are you gonna go instead?"

Cynthia shrugs slightly and her face turns red, "George said I can go and stay with him. He and Fred have a place above their shop in Diagon Alley, and his mother also wrote to me and told me that I was always welcome at their house."

"Aww, Cyn I'm sorry your parents aren't more supportive," Susan says, sitting on the opposite side of Cynthia.

They had just been about to get up from the ground and head inside to the common room when Eleanor spies Hermione hurtling along the path out of the castle, Harry and Umbridge following close behind.

"What on earth is that about?" She asks, pointing towards the unlikely group.

"Whatever it is, I don't like it," Susan murmurs.

Eleanor and Cynthia decide to follow them to the edge of the forest where they agree to wait and see if they come out while Susan hurries into the castle to alert another teacher and try to find out what she can.

"Maybe she's finally snapped and is taking them into the forest to get rid of them?" Cynthia says, staring apprehensively into the dark trees.

"I doubt that, she's horrid enough but even she'd be hard pressed explaining away the deaths of two students to the minister and the public," but Eleanor wasn't quite so sure she was right.

"Do you think we should go in after them?" Cynthia whispers a few moments later.

"No way, not only do we not stand a chance of finding them, but we don't know what else is living in there that could find us."

"Yeah you're right I guess."

The two of them remain standing restlessly by the edge of the forest waiting for some word from Susan when a group of students run out of the castle and make their way down to them.

As they get closer Eleanor can make out the faces of Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna. All of them looked worse for wear.

"What happened to you?" Eleanor exclaims.

"Long story, what are you doing out here?"

"We saw Umbridge, Hermione and Harry go into the forest so Susan went back into the castle to find another teacher and find out what's happening."

They explain Harry getting caught in Umbridge's office and that someone was in danger if they didn't hurry.

"Can we help?" Cynthia asks.

"If you want, but we can't promise nothing will happen," Ron said, suddenly moving into the forest at the sound of movement further back in the trees.

"What about Susan?" Eleanor asks Cynthia before they follow him in.

"She's too far away to find, we'll just apologise for leaving her behind later."

Together the two of them catch up to the others who have found Harry and Hermione, Umbridge nowhere in sight. They had arrived just in time to hear Luna saying that they'd have to fly.

"Ron's the only one with a broomstick," Harry says, Ginny rounding on him suddenly.

"I have a broom!"

"Yeah but you're not coming," Ron says, anger colouring his voice.

"I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do."

Eleanor glances at Cynthia who shrugs and whispers, "Long story."

"We were all in the DA together," Neville said quietly. "This is the first chance we've had to do something real - or was that all just a game?"

"We all want to help," Cynthia says, stepping up beside Neville.

Help with what? Eleanor had no idea what was going on, why there was so much urgency, how the others had ended up with bloody noses or what the hell the wanted criminal Sirius Black had to do with them all. All she knew was that they were getting involved in something very dangerous and her friend had just volunteered to be there with them.

As the group began arguing about how they were going to get to London Eleanor pulled Cynthia back to her.

"What are you doing?" She hisses.

"Helping. Putting everything we've learnt over this year to the test. We're going to do something good Eleanor."

"I don't care about doing something good, I don't care that some guy is in danger. All I care about is that you and I aren't doing anything that could get us killed."

"El, don't you get it, there is so much happening here. So much that will happen if he really is back. Cedric would've done something, he wouldn't have stood around while Harry risked his life to save someone. And I don't want to either. You can go back to the castle if you want, I won't judge you but I'm going."

"Not without me you aren't," Eleanor snaps, "I might not care about whatever it is they're going for, but I refuse to let you go without me. Someone has to keep you safe."

The matter seemingly resolved they turn back to the group where the most bizarre scene was occuring. Harry and Neville appeared to be floating on the air while Luna went around to them all, helping them up onto whatever was there.

"Are they?"

"Thestrals," Cynthia confirmed, "Hagrid showed them to us at a Care of Magical Creatures lesson.

"Can you see them?"

"Yeah," Cynthia nods, moving forward to climb onto the back of one while Luna, smiling, takes Eleaor's hand and leads her to another, helping her to sit atop it.

Eleanor had read about Thestrals, she knew that you could only see them if you had seen somebody die. She'd lost her mother as a baby, at home in her cot safe and sound while her mother was out somewhere fighting, alone with no one to watch her back, too busy with their meetings and planning.

It had never occurred to her that Cynthia would be able to see the creatures when she could not, but she did know that she would never leave her friend without someone to watch her back.

"Are we all ready?" Harry asks, Eleanor glancing at the others around her who were also staring slightly horrified at the ground directly below them, knowing it would only be worse when they were in the air.

With a rush of wind the thestrals began to take off, at least Eleanor assumed they did because one moment they were just above the ground and the next they were streaking off above Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, the wind stinging her face and eyes as she clung onto the mane of the creature in her hand, moving her face lower until the raging wind eased a little and she thought to herself that she must be just above the neck of the creature.

The sun was nearly gone now, the sky a dusty purple as stars began to twinkle above them and pockets of lights spread out below them. They continued on through the darkness, the icy wind raging around them and biting at Eleanor's face.

She didn't know how long they had been flying for but her thighs were aching from clinging so tightly to the body she couldn't see and she didn't dare to adjust her position, knowing one wrong move could send her plummeting to the ground which was now barely visible.

A scream tore from her mouth when she felt herself slide forward a little while later, the thestral now heading downwards towards the ground where lights and buildings were becoming clearer. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see the footpath which was approaching faster than she would have liked, bracing herself for a rough landing.

Someone touched her lightly on the arm and she opened her eyes to see Ginny, smiling tightly and helping her off of the thestral, who's breath she could feel against the back of her neck as they stood together and waited for some of the others.

"Come on," Harry called when the last of the group had their feet on solid ground. He led them over to a small muggle phone booth, everyone squishing themselves in as Harry conversed with the lady's voice that filled the space around them, badges clattering into the booth with everyone's name.

Eleanor Wicks - Rescue Mission.

"Are they serious?" Cynthia says, humour lacing her voice despite the situation as she took in the badges.

The booth began to move, lowering them gently underground and Eleanor soon found herself tumbling out onto the floor of the Ministry of Magic, a golden fountain drawing the eye to the centre of the room.

Knowing exactly where he was going Harry led them all past the fountain and an abandoned desk to the elevators at the back, everyone again squishing themselves inside.

"Department of Mysteries," A cool voice like the one from the phone booth announced when the lift lurched to a halt. Again they followed along behind Harry who knew exactly where he was going. Eleanor didn't pay any attention though, all her effort was on staying a step behind Cynthia, no more or less, no matter what happened they would not be separated.

They entered a circular room, surrounded by doors and it was here that Harry seemed to become lost. It became a game of opening each one and exploring inside before Harry determined it to be the wrong room and they would return to the circle where Hermione marked the door with an x so that every time they closed a door and the room began to spin, they would know what one's they had been through.

After several minutes of this Harry declared they had found the right door and continued through the dark until they emerged into a room that was filled with rows of shelves after shelves, all containing glass orbs.

Following Harry as they counted the aisles and then began looking for, she assumed, Sirius Black, Eleanor couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine, the kind she got when someone was watching her.

Every few seconds she would glance over her shoulder, occasionally swearing that she could see shadows moving in the dark.

"Cyn?" She whispered, tugging on her friend's arm, but she was promptly shushed as Harry and Hermione, unable to find Sirius, were now staring at one of the orb's on the shelf.

"It's got my name on it," he said, reaching his hand out to take it. Everyone in the group stepped closer to get a better look at the dusty orb, even Eleanor despite herself felt curiosity getting the better of her.

"Very good Potter, now turn around and give that to me," a voice said from directly behind Eleanor, as she felt, rather than saw a number of people moving out of the shadows. Death Eaters.