"This is not the way out, Altair." Cho grinned as she watched him turn and walk towards the Staff Room as soon as they stepped onto the Ground Floor.
Some of the professors were still outside, and their attention soon turned to the pair.
"Good morning, Madam Hooch." Altair stopped in front of the Quidditch Instructor and Hogwarts Flying Instructor, greeting her politely.
"Good morning, Mister Black, Miss Chang. What brings you to me on such a fine morning?"
"The fine morning, Madam. We were hoping you would give us permission to fly around the grounds on our broomsticks. It's been a while since we last took to the skies, and we are missing it."
At his words, Cho's heart started racing with excitement, but she managed to keep calm, simply looking at Madam Hooch with her doe-like eyes.
"Is that the only reason?" She smiled at the pair, unsurprised when Altair shook his head.
Professor McGonagall and Professor Tonks, who were chatting outside the door, came over as well.
"We heard from someone that the wild unicorns have come to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. We wish to see them, and broomsticks are for our safety as well..."
"You are not allowed to enter the Forbidden Forest, Mister Black. I hope you remember that," said Professor McGonagall.
"Of course, Professor." He bowed politely to the Headmistress. "But I was hoping you might give us special permission today, please? Better yet, you could come with us if you have time." He smiled. "Unicorns are beautiful, especially this herd of the Silvers."
They all quirked their brows at him, and his smile brightened.
"I promise you, they are very beautiful," he said playfully, and despite herself, Professor McGonagall failed to hide her smile.
"I am afraid I cannot go with you, Mister Black, Miss Chang, but your Head of House is free this morning. You are allowed to go if she agrees, and you must take Hagrid with you."
As soon as they heard her words, both Altair and Cho looked expectantly at Professor Tonks, who felt a little restless.
However, seeing the way they looked at her, she could not bring herself to refuse their request.
As soon as she nodded, Cho jumped up in excitement and hugged Altair, kissing him on the cheek, and their interaction made everyone smile.
Madam Hooch then added to their excitement by giving them permission to fly around today, as long as they promised to stay within the Hogwarts grounds, but she strictly forbade them from going to Hogsmeade Village.
Professor Tonks then asked them to grab their broomsticks and meet her outside the front doors, and Cho took Altair's hand and rushed towards their dormitory, almost dragging him along.
"I wonder who told them about the Silvers herd arriving at the edge of the forest." Rolanda smiled.
"It must be Hagrid." Andromeda sighed but then smiled. "Thank you, Professor."
"You are welcome." Minerva smiled as she hugged her shoulders. "Do tell me about the Silvers herd in the evening. They are indeed one of the most beautiful unicorn herds in existence."
"I will." She promised as she walked towards the entrance.
By the time Altair and Cho arrived outside the front doors, Professor Tonks had been waiting for them for nearly five minutes.
The two apologised for the wait, but seeing them already dressed and ready, she was quite impressed by how fast they had managed it.
Both Altair and Cho carried their broomsticks as they walked towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where Hagrid's hut was located, and Andromeda silently listened to Cho's excited chatter and Altair's detailed answers about unicorns and the Silvers herd.
"Why are mane hairs not used for wand cores, Altair?" she asked sceptically when he brought up tail hairs being used as wand cores.
"They are not as magically potent or powerful, and they have different properties, which is why they are used in potions instead. The tail hair of unicorns is where their purest magical essence accumulates, and when the hair is filled to the brim, it usually falls out. The wandmaker has to track them and hope to find the tail hair before it merges with the earth, which happens within a day or two if not collected. They make the land more fertile and sort of bless the flora. They even cleanse the area from any residual Dark Magic..."
Andromeda already knew he was well-read, but she was still shocked by the depth of his knowledge at such a young age.
"Will they allow me to touch them?" Cho asked, a little worried and nervous, then smiled brightly when he nodded.
"You are kind, pure of blood and magic, and a maiden. They have no reason to refuse you. Just don't act overly excited, and stay calm. Stroking is fine, but no hugging. Don't touch their tails or rump..."
His mention of purity of blood and magic ached Andromeda's heart, and she was reminded again of the family she had left behind and their motto "Always Pure."
She had been young and rebellious at that time, and the darkness of her family had pushed her to make certain decisions, but now, after all these years, she realised that purity of blood and magic was not just an ideology.
She remembered clearly the number of times her daughter had fallen sick, the number of times she had nearly suffered a magical accident, not the healthy kind but the fatal ones, and how she had almost feared that Nymphadora would become an Obscurial.
None of this had happened to her sisters or cousins, not even to Altaira, who was the strongest Black in the past millennium, perhaps ever...
However, she did not truly regret her life choices either. Yes, she had refused to have another child after Nymphadora, fearing the worst, but she was happy with her husband and life.
Still, being barred from attending her own mother's funeral cut deeply. Her mother had refused her presence at her funeral; she had broken her mother's heart with her decisions, and her father's words from that day echoed in her mind still.
"Go away, Andromeda. Do not show us your face ever again. Do not break my Druella's heart any more than you already have. I will just forget that I had a second daughter..." The pain, controlled rage, disgust, and disappointment on his face still made her feel suffocated, and she held back her tears as the memory surfaced.
With her mind distracted, she ended up suddenly tripped on the uneven ground, on the verge of falling, but Altair reached for her and helped her steady herself, cushioning her with his broomstick.
"Professor?" He looked at her curiously, and she did not dare meet his eyes, afraid they would remind her too much of her family and the tears would fall.
"My apologies, I was a little distracted." She smiled and steadied herself. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He said lightly, then continued walking down the track. Cho gave her a worried look but then followed her best friend, soon resuming their chat.
A while later, they arrived outside Hagrid's hut, and Altair and Cho eagerly rushed to the front porch and knocked on the door.
They waited for a few moments, and when the door opened, the half-giant beamed at them in delight.
"Oi, look who's come ter see Buckbeak again, Fang! In yeh come!" Hagrid grinned, holding the door open. Then he caught sight of Andromeda, straightened up, and looked a bit flustered. "Oh, Professor Tonks, didn't spot yeh there at first. Sorry about that. Everythin' all right?"
"Everything is fine, Hagrid. We were hoping you would accompany us into the Forbidden Forest. We wish to see the Silvers herd."
"Course, course, just a moment..." He hurried back inside, and Cho and Altair followed him after resting their broomsticks against the railing.
When they came out, the young Black was carrying a hippogriff foal in his arms, who seemed very happy to see him. Even when the boy set the magical creature down, it flapped its wings and stayed by his side, rubbing against his robes.
"Meet Buckbeak, Professor Tonks. He got injured a while back, and Hagrid has been taking care of him since. He's better now." Cho excitedly introduced him as she sat down and scratched his neck, and Andromeda smiled at the beautiful little creature.
She wanted to step forward and touch him too, but she could clearly see the distrust in his eyes, so she stayed back and offered a polite bow instead.
The little beast regarded her for a few moments, then bowed back, acknowledging and returning her greeting before simply ignoring her.
A while later, Hagrid came out, holding the chain of Fang, his beloved boarhound, who looked menacing except to those who knew the truth.
Andromeda glanced questioningly at the boarhound, and before she could ask, Cho answered her doubts.
"Don't worry, Professor. Fang is a scaredy little pup. He's very gentle." She grinned as the dog whined in complaint at her comment.
They all followed Hagrid into the forest, staying alert, except for little Buckbeak, who was playing around with Altair and Cho, trying to scare them by sneaking up and tugging at their robes.
"Hungry?" the young Black guessed, then took out his wand. He pointed it at one of the bushes, and the next moment, a ferret came flying towards them, which Buckbeak pounced on and caught.
They all stopped and watched the beautiful creature kill and eat the ferret, but none of them winced.
Although Cho felt a little bad, she knew it was the natural order of things, and seeing the hippogriff foal calm down after eating was satisfying.
It took them nearly an hour to get close to the Silvers herd, and Hagrid, being wise, refused to go any closer.
Andromeda was stunned when she saw the Silvers herd, where every unicorn had a silvery white coat, flowing silvery manes and tails, and they were all tall and elegantly muscular. They were unlike any unicorns she had seen before; even the ones used in Care of Magical Creatures classes were nowhere near as beautiful.
Altair and Cho, however, did not want to stay so far away.
The young Black gently spoke to Buckbeak, telling him to stay put and not startle the unicorns, and the hippogriff agreed, though not without voicing his complaints.
"We'll hunt another ferret later."
With that promise, the little hippogriff stayed by Hagrid's side as Altair took Cho's hand and slowly walked towards the Silvers herd.
Hagrid and Andromeda both felt their hearts slow when the unicorns sensed their approach and turned to look, but then surprise and shock crept in.
Altair led Cho right up to a young foal, and they both touched and gently stroked it.
Its mother soon came over, and the young Black stroked her face as well, showing not the slightest fear even when she reared and neighed.
The two spent a long time meeting every unicorn in the Silvers herd, all of whom seemed to return their affection.
They even met the alpha stallion, who was bigger than the rest. To Hagrid's disbelief, it knelt down and allowed both Altair and Cho to climb onto its back, then trotted through the woods, circling the clearing.
The girl's melodious laughter echoed through the trees, and when the unicorn finally stopped and the two dismounted, she deeply bowed in gratitude.
Altair did the same, and then watched as the alpha stallion led the herd away, deeper into the forest.
As soon as they were out of sight, Cho jumped up and hugged Altair tightly, unable to contain her excitement.
She was almost in tears, and the young Black held her gently until she calmed down.
He then walked over to a spot and knelt, soon picking up a tail hair in his hand, glittering with magic, and then a few more, mostly mane hair.
When Andromeda saw him take out two large vials from his pockets, she realised he had not just come to see the Silvers herd, but also to collect these hairs.
She did not question it, as it was neither a crime nor forbidden.
When the two children rejoined the others, Hagrid could no longer hold back his shock.
"Merlin's beard, yeh two... ridin' a wild unicorn! Never in all me years have I seen anythin' like it! Unicorns barely let anyone near 'em, let alone let someone ride 'em! Blimey, I reckon even Professor Kettleburn never managed that, and he's seen every beast there is! How'd yeh do it? Proper magic, that is... Thought only the purest could even get close, and here yeh are, just ridin' as easy as walkin' across the grounds... I'll be tellin' everyone in the staff room, mark my words. Yeh two are somethin' else!"
He went on and on about how shocked he was and what an impossible feat they had accomplished, and Cho giggled heartily at his words.
Andromeda remained very quiet on the way back, just staring at Altair's back, lost in thought.
They were close to Hagrid's hut when the boy suddenly stopped, even Buckbeak turned silent, and Fang hid behind Hagrid.
"Altair..." the half-giant called out worriedly when he saw the boy walk towards a pair of creatures in the woods, and then immense sadness gripped his heart.
Seeing his reaction, both Andromeda and Cho became curious, as they could not see anything.
Both frowned as they watched Altair raise his hand and smile as he stroked something invisible. He then spoke to the invisible friend he had just made, and Andromeda soon realised what was happening.
"Is that a Thestral, Hagrid?"
"Yes, Professor. A pair of 'em." His voice was heavy, and he sighed deeply, though he smiled at how happy Altair seemed.
Andromeda, on the other hand, felt suffocated. She knew what seeing a Thestral meant.
Only someone who had witnessed death that affected them to the core, and accepted it, could see these creatures.
She even saw the boy take out another vial and collect something, likely Thestral tail hair, and later, when they returned to the school grounds, watched him take to the skies with Cho and Buckbeak, playing around without a care.
He was an enigma she felt hopelessly attracted to, and seemed to be the answer she had been searching for all her life without even knowing what she was looking for...