Disney's Hogwarts

Chapter 24: Touch the sky

A/N: A virus. Procrasination. Apparently people are still reading this. I don't need to explain myself further I think. Enjoy! :)

Merida

After the first week of school, the amount of fun I had in classes dropped down quickly, and the second week was filled with falling asleep in lessons and last-minute homework. Sill, it was way better than the princess lessons mom used to give me at home. At least this time I had friends around me, simultaniously being tortured in class too. 

I had spent a lot of time with my new friends and got to know them better. Astrid was a viking, both in dress and personality. Her strong will and determination are a welcome contrast to the rest of the school, and her stories of dragons were the absolute best after a long night of homework. She looked totally nothing like Hiccup, the boy that came from the same island as her. He was a little small and skinny, and anything but sure of his case. Despite all that, his sarcastic comments made me snort in laughter and he seemed like a nice person. 

Then of course there was Rapunzel, who had won over the hearts of everyone instantly. After the singing plants incident, she and I had spent more time together, and the air seemed always lighter when Rapunzel was around. Only downside to her were the friends she brought along.

The Tooth girl seemed nice, always on the move and too hyperactive to sit still, but that Frost-guy... He just seemed too full of himself, always smirking and shrinking that staff of his just to show off! But he wasn't a bad guy, and the rest seemed to like him, so I decided to not pay too much attention to him. 

---

Two weeks after school started, it was finally time. Flying class! 

Ever since Punz, Astrid and I watched the Quidditch tryouts, I had been longing to ride a broom and today finally was that day. 

At breakfast, I was the first one of the squad to be down. I had just shoveled down some toast and an apple when Astrid finnaly came sitting next to me, eyebrows raised.

"Well you're up early! Let me guess... Flying class?"

I grinned. "What else? We just have to get through the morning, but I'm ready!"

She grabbed a bowl of oatmeal and some bacon. "You do realise we have flying with the Slytherins, right?"

My heart sank. Oh no.

"Are you serious?" I grunted and out my head in my hands. "Please tell me you're kidding!"

"Nope! But don't worry, Jack is clever enough to be on his best behaviour. After all, he almost got detention last week because he kept throwing snowballs at Professor Binns." She chuckled at the memory. "He was just lucky Binns is a ghost and couldn't feel them pass through him."

I narrowed my eyes. "He better be on his best behaviour, or I'll kick his ass."

---

That morning, I couldn't sit still in class for the life of me. I felt like Tooth, only lacking her enthusiam for the actual classes and more desperate to get out of them.

When the last bell finally rang, I grabbed Astrid's arm and pulled her down to the field outside the castle. Madame Hooch was standing therewaiting for us, hands on her hips, her fierce yellow eyes piercing through flesh and soul. On the grass before her lay twenty brooms in two neat rows.

As we approached, her shrill voice called out to us. "Good morning miss Hofferson, miss Dunbroch. Pick a broom be quiet, please. Don't pick them up yet!"

Within the next minute, the yard filled with the excited and impatient students from Gryffindor and Slytherin. Jack strutted in there too, later than the rest, and gave us a wide grin.

"Astrid, Bedhead, good luck with the brooms!"

I rolled my eyes at his nickname for me and Astrid thanked and smiled back at him as Jack walked over to his broom.

Madame Hooch clapped in her hands. "Attention class, attention! Now, what are you waiting for? Stick your hand out over the broom!"

I looked down at my broom, searing with exitement, and put out my hand. 

"Now, say 'UP!'"

The whole class began shouting 'UP!' as hard as they could and I didn't hesitate to join them. I concentrated on the old broom in front of me, its twigs sticking out in awkward angles. "Up!"

In one fluent movement, the broom jumped into my hand. I looked up at Astrid, who had to try a couple more times before her broom flew in her hand too. We smiled at each other and I then looked at the rest of the class. Half of them were still shouting, but the other half was beaming with pride as they held their broom inside their hand. Jack included. 

Ugh

He seemed super relaxed compared to everyone else, like he had done this his whole life already. Annoyed by his ability to look so casual, I mimiced his stance and took a deep breath. If Frost could do it, so could I.

Madame Hooch called for our attention again and showed us how to get on a broom without sliding off instantly. She demonstrated going up and down in the air a bit for us.

Her piercing hawk eyes looked over the class. "Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet and down again. That's all you need to do for now!" 

She glanced over in Jack's direction, as well as Astrid and I.

"On my whistle! Three-, two-, one-!" A shrill whistle pierced our ears and I kicked off the ground. 

Suddenly, I was ten feet in the air, the sudden wind blowing in my hair. A surge of pure adrenalin flowed through me and I looked down. Astrid was only a few feet below me, firmly holding her broom but looking up at me with great excitement. I tried to find Jack in the crowd below me, but he was nowhere to be seen. 

"Hey Bedhead! Looks like you've managed to climb on that thing after all!" I almost slid off my broom as Jack's voice sounded right next to me.

I looked at him, one eyebrow raised. Jack was almost lying on his broom next to me, a big gin decorating his face.

"You did better than I expected, Red! Concider me suprised."

I stuck out my tongue to him. How could he be so relaxed?!

It seemed like he could read the question off my face, because he answered: "I have flown before. It's basically all I did at home."

That lucky warthog.

He coughed awkwardly at my silence. "Right, time to go down again, don't you think?"

I glanced down at madame Hooch, who looked at us in the air, one foot tapping the ground impatiently.

"Good idea, Frosty. We don't want you to get in trouble again now, do we?"

I grinned to myself after I heard him groan behind me as I quickly flew down again, him sqiftly following. 

On the ground, madame Hooch turned to Jack and I.

"Do you have newt droppings in your ears? I said a few feet! If you had fallen, you could have seruously hurt someone. Minus five points to both Gryffindor and Slytherin!" She sighed, "Now stand back in line, both of you!"

Astrid gave me a high-five as I walked past her.

"Awesome, Mer! Next year, we should join the quidditch team together and show Jack what we're made of!" Astrid winked at me and I smiled back.

"Oh yes Astrid, I think we should..."