Seeing the pitiful gaze of the Thestral, William sighed to Cedric. "Well, it heard you."
Without another word, the carriage came to a halt, leaving William, Cedric, and Cho as the last ones trailing behind.
Peeking out from their own carriages, other young wizards glanced back at them curiously. The Weasley twins waved enthusiastically, trying to ask what had happened, but soon their carriage disappeared into the night.
"Uh… haha…" Cedric, feeling the awkwardness, muttered an apology to the air. "It was just a joke.
I wasn't really going to take your tail feathers. I'm friends with Hagrid—you know Hagrid, right? The big guy who's a groundskeeper here. We're all friends here… one big family."
Cedric's survival instincts were in overdrive as he even dragged Hagrid's name into it.
But still, the carriage didn't budge.
"I think I've got an idea." William's gaze locked onto the Thestral's eyes.
"I remember reading in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that Thestrals like drinking blood—especially that of powerful creatures."
"You can't be serious, William! You wouldn't use me as Thestral bait, would you?" Cedric exclaimed, horrified.
"No, not you." William pulled out a small bottle from his pocket, which gleamed with a red glow—it was filled with dragon's blood.
Dragon blood was incredibly valuable, with Dumbledore famously discovering twelve unique uses for it.
Drinking it raw was said to enhance strength and vitality, and it was also prized as a top-grade potion ingredient.
William happened to have a considerable amount of it. After donating half of his captured dragon to Hogwarts, the potion master Flamel had taken only a portion, and the rest—after a bit was sent to the Ministry of Magic and St. Mungo's Hospital—was bought back by Hogwarts at market price.
Dumbledore had given William priority access to this dragon's resources, allowing him to use it at will, with the rest going to Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey afterward.
This arrangement had driven Snape to fury; he had made multiple complaints to Dumbledore, clearly wishing he could stash the entire dragon in his private potion stock.
But Dumbledore held firm, granting William free use.
And since he had free rein, William had stored plenty of dragon blood in his expanded pouch.
With a wave of his wand, William conjured a small spoon and carefully scooped out some red liquid.
The air filled with the potent scent of blood.
The Thestral stamped its hooves, snorted, and hesitated before giving in to the scent. It turned and slowly approached.
William extended his hand cautiously, stroking the Thestral's head as it eagerly lapped at the dragon's blood.
But as soon as the Thestral finished drinking, the ground beneath them began to tremble, like the beat of a giant drum. In the distance, a rumbling sound grew louder and closer, until the noise was all around them.
Over a hundred carriages, nearly at Hogwarts Castle, suddenly turned around and came speeding back. Dust rose in clouds as the four-wheeled carriages barreled down the path.
The Thestrals charged forward wildly, and the students clung to their seats, struggling to stay inside.
"Let's go!" William laughed, hopping onto the Thestral's back.
He, the "Drift King of Akina Mountain," hadn't had a chance to race at Hogwarts yet.
The Thestral, fueled by dragon blood, became even more excited. It spread its massive wings, crouched down briefly, then shot into the air like an arrow.
The sudden speed and steep angle forced William to cling to the Thestral's bony body, trying not to slide off its narrow, skeletal back.
The Thestral, pulling the carriage, darted over treetops and soared towards the Black Lake, aiming to reach the castle directly.
Behind them, the other Thestrals spread their wings and gave chase. But the one William was riding, spurred on by the dragon blood, pulled far ahead.
On the Black Lake below, a fleet of small boats carrying first-year students, led by Hagrid, was slowly making its way toward Hogwarts.
"What is that?" someone shouted, and everyone turned to look.
In the distance, silhouetted against the night sky, was William, sitting atop the lead carriage as it sliced through the darkness, appearing as if out of nowhere.
Most onlookers, unable to see the Thestrals, could only see William floating in midair as he flew toward them.
Trailing behind him, the other carriages came into view, lined up in a long row like a roaring tide.
The students on the lake stared in awe, clapping and cheering. Some even reached out, trying to wave at their friends passing by on the carriages.
William waved back at Hermione, who was watching with wide eyes, then whistled, and the Thestral picked up even more speed, leaving the other carriages far behind.
In the end, he would make his mark at Hogwarts; seeing his taillights would be their only victory!
Soon they soared over the Black Lake, the lights of Hogwarts Castle coming into view.
"Will we get to ride to school like that someday?" Harry asked, shouting over the wind as he clutched his windswept hair and looked at Hagrid from his spot on the boat.
"Oh, I… maybe," Hagrid replied uncertainly. "I've never seen the Thestrals this excited—they're usually quite docile."
Harry and Ron looked disappointed; they both wanted a thrilling entrance like that.
Especially Ron… he thought back to the green Muggle car his father had spent the summer modifying and suddenly got a wild (and maybe slightly reckless) idea.
The Thestral abruptly slowed down, crossing the grand wrought-iron gates and descending onto the long, sloping path leading to the castle. Towers and turrets loomed closer and closer as William's carriage finally came to a halt.
William slid off the Thestral's back, giving it a pat, and, while he was at it, stealthily plucked a few tail feathers to stash in his pocket.
He realized that the dragon blood he had used was too concentrated, so he stirred the congealed remnants in his spoon and diluted it further with a bit of water.
Soon, the other Thestrals arrived, gradually slowing as the students excitedly disembarked, talking animatedly about their flight.
With Cedric's help, William moved down the line, offering the diluted dragon blood to each Thestral and collecting tail feathers along the way.
After all, they couldn't keep plucking feathers from just one Thestral—it would end up bald.
Soon, they had gathered a good handful, and the trio slipped into the crowd, hoping to avoid Professor McGonagall, who stood at the entrance, watching them silently with a pursed mouth.
They had barely made it through the oak doors when Professor Snape blocked their path.
With his sallow complexion and unkempt hair that looked as though it could produce a pound of grease, Snape glared at them.
His receding hairline seemed to have crept up even further since summer. At this rate, he might be bald in seven years.
A nasty smirk crossed his face, his eyes glinting with triumph.
"Hand it over, Diggory!"
"Hand what over, sir?" Cedric replied, attempting to look innocent.
He silently prayed Snape couldn't see Thestrals.
But Snape's next words dashed any hope.
"Give me all the Thestral tail feathers you collected. Don't make me ask a third time. Now!" Snape demanded, beginning his own brand of confiscation.
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