𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐝 {𝐇. 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫}

6

Johnny had never believed he would meet boys he hated more than the boys in his school, but that was before he met Ronald Weasley. Thankfully due to a time-table change, first-year Slytherin's only had Potions with the Gryffindor's, so Johnny didn't have to put up with Weasley much. Or at least, he didn't until he spotted a notice pinned up in the Slytherin common room that made them all groan. Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday -- and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.

"Typical," said Johnny darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Weasley.

He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.

"You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," said Pansy reasonably. "Anyway, look at Malfoy, he's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but he's all talk, he'll make a bigger fool out of himself."

Malfoy certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters. He wasn't the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnigan told it, he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick. Even Weasley would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang glider on one of his brothers old broom. Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. Apparently Weasley had already had a big argument with Dean Thomas, who shared their dormitory, about football. Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly.

Hermione was almost as nervous about flying as Johnny was. This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book -- not that she hadn't tried. At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called Quidditch Through the Ages. Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later, and Johnny was staring at her with heart eyes, not that Hermione noticed, but everybody else was very pleased when Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail.

A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.

"It's a Remembrall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things -- this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red -- oh..." His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, "... you've forgotten something..."

"You've forgotten your robes, Nev," said Johnny with a small smile. "I'll come with you to get them if you want?"

Neville was about to thank Johnny when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.

Harry, Ron and Johnny jumped to their feet. The three were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfoy, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.

"What's going on?"

"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor."

Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.

"Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.

At three-thirty that afternoon, Johnny followed Harry, Ron, and the other Gryffindors as they hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.