Draco Malfoy and the Obnoxious Stone

Chapter 5

He wasn't sure how, but the cat kept finding him when he was rushing somewhere. This time, Draco, Goyle and Crabbe were on their way to the long awaited first flying lesson of the year, so he couldn't stop to entertain it.

They pushed through a group of eager students, trying to pick the best looking old school brooms before the lesson began. These glorified twigs paled in comparison to his Comet Two Sixty back at home, Draco noted.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" Madam Hooch barked at them the moment she arrived. "Everyone stand by a broomstick."

Once everyone was settled and ready to call a broomstick to them, Draco looked around at some of the frightened faces. Longbottom was expected, but to his enjoyment Potter also appeared uncomfortable. He smirked as his broom rushed into his hand on first try, still irritated by his memories of today. A part of him wanted to prevent Potter from excelling and being let onto the quidditch team at all. A small part.
It was rather disappointing how many students, even pureblood ones, struggled with the task.

The teacher spent some time correcting their grips and stances. At least when those mistakes were concerned, Draco had ironed out bad habits.

"Listen up, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground" Madam Hooch instructed carefully. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a couple feet, and descend gently by bringing your balance forward."

Before she got the opportunity to use her whistle, Longbottom shot up twenty feet with no control over the broom. Everything happened in a blur, the teacher shouted, and he looked down, his face pale as a sheet in fear, and slid right off. The broom took no notice of the fall, continuing its ascent, and disappeared over the tree line of the forbidden forest. Really, the school should have fully investigated the strange pull these woods seemed to enact on magical objects, Draco thought while looking for the orb he remembered picking up.

She picked Longbottom up, and walked off with a warning.

"None of you is to move before I return! If I catch anyone in the air, you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on."

"Did you see his face?" a slytherin girl burst into laughter. Ayame Ito held a deep dislike for the unfortunate boy, ever since he accidentally burned an inch off her hair during their first potions lesson. The other slytherins joined in.

"Can it, Ayame," Parvati Patil interrupted.

"Is someone in love with Longbottom?" teased Parkinson. "There are plenty other crybabies you can choose from, Parvati."

"Unless it's the squib appeal for you?" Added Ito, smugly.

Draco spotted the orb and snatched it up. The almost invisible smoke inside rapidly coloured a crimson red. If he remembered correctly, it was a Rememberall, which meant Draco was forgetting something. The useless trinket didn't even hint at what he had forgotten or how important it was. He felt an urge to smash it.

"Look what we have here. Maybe if he made use of his gift, he wouldn't have forgotten Hooch's instructions." He raised the orb to show it off, to the amusement of his housemates.

"Drop it, Malfoy." Everyone stopped talking to watch when Potter quietly challenged him.

He smirked as he jumped onto his broom.

"I think I'll leave it somewhere safe for Longbottom to find... How about a tree?"

"Give it here!" Potter yelled, grabbing his broom. Granger blocked him off, reiterating the rules like the know-it-all she was.

"If you want it, come and get it!" Draco shouted, and was quickly reminded how powerful Potter became in the air, as the other shot right up to him.