When he'd woken up that morning, Toothless had still had the magical tail fin from before and, his head still reeling from the death and violence he'd seen, Hiccup could think of no better way to run away from the confusion for a little while. Quietly, he had slipped out of the castle and found his friend waiting in the shadows like a big black smudge. Immediately, Toothless nosed at him, hunting for breakfast in Hiccup's shirt. When that failed, the dragon snorted, sat down, and waited for Hiccup to get on his back and use a bit of rope around his neck to hang on
( ... )
Old habits died hard. Things that weren't even habits, too, just ways of being that had saved a person's life before were hard to do away with. Once before, Harry had flown on a broom with a dragon in the air with him. It hadn't been good.
The hair on the back of his neck rose and a cold wave of panic hit him. Though he recognized the dragon -- and his rider -- after a moment, that only calmed the fear in his chest. Harry still took a lazy loop around the pitch, just watching them, not wanting to interrupt them if they didn't want to stop. It had been a while since either of them had flown and that feeling needed to be cherished.
Also, while killing Nagini had earned the dragon Harry's gratitude and respect, Harry didn't want to cuddle up to it in midair.
It wasn't friendship. It wasn't even respect, probably. But he let them keep flying and Hiccup was grateful for that and he gave Harry a nod of thanks. Harry. That was his name. Harry Potter, the Chosen One, much more than the annoying boy from the island who wouldn't give him a fair chance. Harry Potter who...was also very, very good at flying.
Hiccup glanced at Toothless who just glanced back before taking off like a shot, not close enough to raise any actual alarm, but fast enough to be a challenge if Harry felt like taking it. And if he didn't, then they were just flying as fast as they could, as far as Toothless' wings could take them.
He wasn't a good idea. If Hermione or Ginny or Mrs. Weasley saw them, it would probably cause a heart attack. Even if no one saw them, any number of things could go wrong. But Harry couldn't bring himself to care at that moment. He had a broom under him and the wind whipping through his hair. And very rarely could Harry resist a challenge.
Pocketing the snitch, just to be sure he wouldn't lose it forever, Harry gripped his broom tighter and leaned forward, making himself as small as possible as he kicked up speed and took up a parallel course to the two.
In the corner of his eye, Hiccup could see Harry falling into the same path and he grinned, touching Toothless' sides with his heels. The dragon tucked his legs up beneath him and Hiccup ducked down until his chest and elbows were nearly flat against his back. Tight and close like this, even with Toothless more in control than Hiccup, they felt tied together, like one creature.
There was no need to shout taunts or challenges. This far up in the air, they were above all that. He just had to keep gaining speed.
In his head, a voice, not unlike Astrid's seemed to shout Go!
Harry had outraced a dragon in the past. But he had outraced her with his Firebolt, which was probably little more than twigs scattered over Surrey. The Cleansweep wasn't up for the task, but Harry pushed it anyway. He lay flat against the polished wood and urged it on as fast as it could go, keeping somewhere between Toothless' neck and tail at all times. The wind whistled past his ears, stung his face, but he smiled despite it all.
When Harry looked like he might be getting close, Toothless' back foot stuck out, batting at him a little. It never really hit before he tucked it back in, a clear tease rather than an attack, but Toothless decided to make things interesting and shot upward, higher in the sky.
His heart jumped into his throat first, a giant appendage lashing out at him frightening regardless of its intention. But his reflexes were too good for even that shock to dislodge or stop him and, after rolling to avoid the hit that never came, he realized it for what it was.
It was kind of annoying to Harry, actually. Quidditch and flying was dangerous enough. But more than that, he wanted to return the favor. Two could play that game.
He rolled and came in from above, careful of Toothless' tail, his wings, and chucked the Snitch right at Hiccup's back.
"Hey!" Hiccup shouted when it hit him. He couldn't quite work up the anger though. After all, he and Toothless had started it. More than that, it felt too good up here to get mad.
"Fine! Now you really try and keep up." He leaned down by Toothless' ear. "Spin."
The snitch sprouted its wings and took off. Harry watched it with a pang of regret, wondering if it would disappear forever or if he could find it again. But his attention went back to Hiccup as he pulled off to the left, wary of and waiting for the follow through on the other boy's challenge.
They spiraled off and away, Toothless diving up and down so unpredictably that even Hiccup felt a little queasy, but as long as he could keep it down he would hang on.
Being a Seeker, Harry knew better than to follow his prey through every single twist and turn. As long as he could keep Toothless in view -- and Toothless was kind of hard to miss -- he didn't worry. Even ignoring that, the brutal world of Quidditch was made to test just how well you could keep your stomach on a broom.
Harry circled around the dragon and the boy, not bothering with most of the fancy showboating except to prove that he could keep up with everything. Short of a Woollongong Shimmy.
Toothless took a sharp dive at the last second, hurtling to the ground as if he meant to slam them down, only to open his wings at the last second and coast over the grass. Hiccup turned back and grinned at Harry before Toothless took another sharp turn and shot up into the sky.
Wronski Feint. Without a Snitch to chase, it was easy to see that dive for what it was. Harry followed, hurtling downwards at break-neck speed, and pulled back at the last second.
But what the Firebolt could do, the Cleansweep couldn't. It was too much speed, too much force, and Harry heard an ugly, faint snapping noise before he was tossed in a still-tumbling heap of limbs onto the grass. Thankfully the ground wasn't rock and the soft wood of the bleachers stopped his forward roll.
On his back, glasses askew and feet still propped up against the boards, Harry watched the blurry black form of Toothless soar above with a dazed expression. "Merlin's beard," he muttered to himself before his head started to ache.
"Whoa! Stop!" Hiccup shouted to Toothless, noticing Harry go sprawling before the dragon did. Toothless pulled into a coast before turning and spiralling down for a hard landing that nearly sent Hiccup out of his seat.
"Yeah," Harry answered, groaning out the word just loud enough for Hiccup to hear. It was far from the worst spill he had ever taken, but it took him a minute to try and move his limbs.
"Last time I ever ride a Cleansweep," he said, slowly rolling onto his side.
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The hair on the back of his neck rose and a cold wave of panic hit him. Though he recognized the dragon -- and his rider -- after a moment, that only calmed the fear in his chest. Harry still took a lazy loop around the pitch, just watching them, not wanting to interrupt them if they didn't want to stop. It had been a while since either of them had flown and that feeling needed to be cherished.
Also, while killing Nagini had earned the dragon Harry's gratitude and respect, Harry didn't want to cuddle up to it in midair.
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Hiccup glanced at Toothless who just glanced back before taking off like a shot, not close enough to raise any actual alarm, but fast enough to be a challenge if Harry felt like taking it. And if he didn't, then they were just flying as fast as they could, as far as Toothless' wings could take them.
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Pocketing the snitch, just to be sure he wouldn't lose it forever, Harry gripped his broom tighter and leaned forward, making himself as small as possible as he kicked up speed and took up a parallel course to the two.
Reply
There was no need to shout taunts or challenges. This far up in the air, they were above all that. He just had to keep gaining speed.
In his head, a voice, not unlike Astrid's seemed to shout Go!
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It was kind of annoying to Harry, actually. Quidditch and flying was dangerous enough. But more than that, he wanted to return the favor. Two could play that game.
He rolled and came in from above, careful of Toothless' tail, his wings, and chucked the Snitch right at Hiccup's back.
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"Fine! Now you really try and keep up." He leaned down by Toothless' ear. "Spin."
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Harry circled around the dragon and the boy, not bothering with most of the fancy showboating except to prove that he could keep up with everything. Short of a Woollongong Shimmy.
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But what the Firebolt could do, the Cleansweep couldn't. It was too much speed, too much force, and Harry heard an ugly, faint snapping noise before he was tossed in a still-tumbling heap of limbs onto the grass. Thankfully the ground wasn't rock and the soft wood of the bleachers stopped his forward roll.
On his back, glasses askew and feet still propped up against the boards, Harry watched the blurry black form of Toothless soar above with a dazed expression. "Merlin's beard," he muttered to himself before his head started to ache.
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"Are you okay!?"
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"Last time I ever ride a Cleansweep," he said, slowly rolling onto his side.
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