Next to you

Chapter 3

Yetao knocked on the door of Professor Zhennan's studio.

"Come in." Professor's low voice was audible through the thick wood of the door. Yetao opened it, entering the room.

"Oh Yetao, good afternoon. How was your day?" Zhennan was in front of his library looking for something, but he stopped turning his head to greet the boy.

"Good afternoon, Professor. It was okay I guess." He sat on one of the chairs in front of the desk. The room hasn't changed from last year. The same old desk, the same old chairs, the same old library. Professor's studio has always been quite simple. He had never liked decorations or excessive furniture, even if he had an eccentric fashion taste.

"Good. How were lessons? Did you make any friends?" Zhennan gave up his research to sit in front of Yetao facing him, interested in what his student did on his first actual day of school in Hogwarts.

Yetao liked Professor Zhennan. He was the first and only person who truly understood and accepted him. He was a life and academic mentor for Yetao and someday he would like to fully repay him for everything he has done for him. "Lessons were okay. Professors were satisfied when I answered their questions, they asked me who I was and welcomed me to their classes. As for the second question..." Professor looked at him expectantly. Yetao hesitated. He considered the brief interaction he had with the boy named Oscar during the potion class, but that couldn't be called making friends. "Well, I still have plenty of time, right?"

Zhennan sighed. "Yetao, I know it's hard for you. It's the sixth year here for most of the students and all of them already have their groups of friends. Just try harder, okay? I know you are a smart and powerful wizard. I'm not worried about your skills, but I want you to find your place here."

"I know. I will try, I promise." Yetao smiled. He really wanted to try making friends, he didn't want to disappoint Professor Zhennan after all. But it was hard. He hadn't interacted with people in years and he didn't even know how to approach them or how to trust someone.

Zhennan noticed his internal struggle. "You are thinking too much. Don't worry, it will be natural!"

Yetao nodded, not sure of what natural meant.

"Oh right! I talked to Professor Amber about your flying lessons. You will learn together with other students starting tomorrow morning."

Yetao turned pale. The only thing Zhennan couldn't teach him was how to fly on the broom. He said that is something students learn in their first year, but Yetao was not sure if he would be able to do it. Using charms and making potions was something he could get used to, but flying on a broom in the sky without his feet touching the ground?

"Don't make that face. It will be fun." Professor said standing up and going back to his library. Yeah, fun. You are terrified of flying too, Professor. Professor Zhennan was really a genius. He excelled in every subject when he attended Hogwarts, but he confessed to Yetao that flying was one of his worst nightmares.

"Why don't you come back to the dorms and take a shower? You will feel better." Clearly Professor Zhennan had something else to do.

"Yes, I will follow your suggestion. See you tomorrow, Professor." Yetao stood up, grabbed his books and exited the studio.

Next morning Yetao was standing in the Quidditch field holding the broom Zhennan bought him in his right hand. Of course, the other students Professor Zhennan was talking about were first year kids. They were oddly eying Yetao who was feeling quite embarrassed and out of place in the middle of short and pimply 11-years-old children. Luckily Professor Amber arrived soon, saving him from all the stares.

"Good morning class. Are you ready to fly high?"

The students all screamed a powerful "YES", except for Yetao who was eying his broom like it was his worst enemy.

Professor Amber looked at the students in front of her and easily found the boy Zhennan talked to her about who was intensely staring at his broom. "You are Hu Yetao, right? Zhennan told me about you. He said you are smart. I'm sure you will be able to fly in no time. You will see." Amber smiled and Yetao hesitantly tried to smile back at her. "Let's start then!"

Of course it was a disaster. Yetao couldn't even rise from the ground that he was already losing balance and falling from the broom. Professor Amber didn't know how to help him, because she couldn't figure out what was wrong in Yetao's movements. According to her, everything should be done by instinct, but Yetao's instincts were failing him at the moment. After one hour of struggle, she called off the lesson, but asked Yetao to stay.

"Listen, Yetao, I think you need... more practice. Are you free this afternoon?"

Yetao nodded. Not that he was busy or something. He was getting frustrated at himself for his performance and embarrassed because the younger students were already lifting themselves from the ground without problems. He was willing to do extra practice if that meant he could escape from the amusing stares of the smuggy first year students. He was still scared of flying, but if children could do it, why couldn't he?

"I'll ask someone from the Quidditch team who is available today to teach you, alright? Maybe you will feel more at ease with someone your age. Come here at three."

Yetao reluctantly nodded again. Professor Amber smiled reassuringly and left him behind. Yetao's frustration grew bigger, but he was fully determined to succeed.

Later at History of Magic class, Yetao was late, well later than usual, because of his talk with Professor Amber. All the front seats were all occupied even though class hadn't started yet, so he had to sit in the back of the room, something that he hated because he thought that he couldn't fully focus on the lesson. He was alone on his desk, but not for long. A Slytherin boy with short black hair and a goofy smile joined him.

"Hi! You're Hu Yetao, right? I'm AK. We have met in other classes before." He extended his hand.

Yetao was surprised by this sudden event, but he shook AK's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"So it's your first year here in Hogwarts!" AK said to start a conversation.

"Yeah. I mean, Professor Zhennan brought me here last April, but I was busy studying and catching up to everyone, so I was never... around. So yes, this is my first year." Yetao replied.

"Oh I understand." He said, his smile growing bigger. There was something strange about that smile, but Yetao thought that that could be just a feeling born from his paranoia with social interactions. "You must be really something to be under Professor Zhennan's care. He is special." AK added, still smiling.

Yetao was starting to feel uneasy about that smile. He opened his mouth to answer, but he was interrupted by the Professor who entered the room and started the lesson.

After the lesson, Yetao stood up to leave, but AK grabbed his arm. "If you need anything feel free to ask me. We are Slytherin mates after all, right?" He smiled again.

Yetao tried to smile back. "Sure, thanks." Yetao waved his hand to AK and exited the room. He needed to get ready for his flying lesson.