Torn Apart

Chapter 4: Year 1

The rest of the week happened to be very uneventful, apart from the fact that Harry and Ron, and frankly most of the Gryffindor House, were ecstatic about how we were to begin Quidditch lessons. Harry and Ron were disappointed to know that we would be doing it with the Slytherin House, which didn't seem too appealing to me either. Neville (another boy who had been sorted into Gryffindor) was terrified as he had never been near a broom in his life. Hermione wasn't too interested in it either. She was reading the full volume of a book that she found called "Quidditch Through The Ages" which she told Harry, Ron, and I all about it at breakfast that morning. Harry and Ron were not that interested, and though I knew how to play quidditch, I learned quite a decent amount from Hermione. Before Hermione could finish talking about the book though, the post arrived, to Harry and Ron's relief. Harry didn't receive anything, as usual, and I had been surprised when my snowy owl, Apollo, had dropped a letter, as well as a small package in front of me. I looked over to see that Neville was the only other one out of our friend group that had received something. I looked over to see Draco smiling as he ripped open the contents of his present. I could hear Neville saying something but I couldn't quite hear him as I tore open the letter to see that my father had written something:

"I hope you realize the problem here. You can tell that I am not happy that you are not in Slytherin but it ought to happen. I have also accompanied this letter with a silver necklace that has a snake on it. I know you are in Gryffindor but I want you to wear it. Stay safe."

Father

I stared at the letter. What did he mean by "It was ought to happen"? I was too confused to think so I put down the letter and opened the parcel. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were all looking at me now, waiting for me to open the package. I opened it with ease and as I took the necklace in my hand, Hermione had begun gaping at me. I was confused for a second and then realized what she was so shocked about. The eye of the snake was glowing a bright green. I immediately put it back in the box and pretended like it never happened. I began asking Neville about what he had gotten, aware that everyone was staring at me now.

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At around three-thirty in the afternoon Harry, Ron, many other Gryffindor's and I rushed down the stairs to get to our first flying lesson. The Slytherins were already there, and so were the 20 or so broomsticks that lay in 2 neat lines. Their teacher, Madam Hooch, had finally arrived, her short, grey hair whipping in the wind.

"What are you waiting for? Go stand beside a broom!" she exclaimed as we all hurried to the brooms. I was standing right next to Harry and Neville. I looked down to see that the broom had different parts of wood going everywhere. Madam Hooch started again:

"Hold your hand over the broom and shout UP," Hooch explained. Everyone then shouted "UP". My broom flew straight into my hand. I saw that Harry's broom was already up as well and I smiled at him.

Then Hooch showed us how to mount the broom without sliding off. Madam Hooch then went around and was telling people how to correct their grips on the broom. Harry and Ron had been delighted when Hooch told Draco that he had been doing it wrong this whole time.

"Now, when I say go you are to mount your broom, lift off the ground and then come straight back down. 3-2-.."

Madam Hooch was caught off guard as Neville, jumpy and scared, mounted the broom hard and flew off.

"Come back here, boy!" Madam Hooch shouted. But Neville kept rising into the air, his face pale as he rose. Before he could get any higher though, he slipped off the broom and fell to the ground with a shuddering "THUD". Hooch immediately ran to help him. We could hear her mumbling "Broken wrist" but stayed silent.