Effervescence | h.p.

i | xix. up in the air, for now

After correcting Draco's and the other students' forms, Madam Hooch had commanded everyone to dismount their brooms so they could mount them again for practice.

She spoke to everyone saying, "Now, once you've got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it, and grip it tight. You don't want to go sliding off the end." All the students mounted their brooms and awaited their next instruction.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick-off from the ground — hard. Keep your brooms steady, hover for a moment, then lean forward slightly, and touch back down. On my whistle; three, two . . ." and instead of counting down to one, she blew her high-pitched whistle.

Before anyone could kick-off the ground, Neville began hovering. He was shakily brought into the air by his uncontrollable broom. Not knowing what to do, he panicked while being raised higher off the ground, twelve feet — twenty feet.

Madam Hooch was getting upset with the boy, which Lyra didn't understand. Madam Hooch was commanding, "Mr. Longbottom! Come down this instant!" She was yelling at Neville as if he had control over the broom, which everyone could see that he did not.

Lyra began getting a bit frustrated with Madam Hooch's demands towards Neville — he obviously didn't know how to come down. All the yelling wasn't going to help him come back to the ground if he didn't know how to lower himself on the broom.

Lyra decided to speak up and said, "He obviously doesn't know how to come down! We didn't get that far in the lesson! Why doesn't someone just go get him?!" she suggested, but her recommendation fell on deaf ears. She had been loud for her own standards, but that didn't mean she was actually audible.

Harry heard what she said, due to overall adaption to her usually shy and timid voice. But when he was going to restate her idea to their teacher, Neville's hand slipped from the broom, causing him to fall freely towards the solid ground. Then —

WHAM — a thud and a nasty crack later, Neville lay face-down on the grass. His broomstick kept in the air and finally began drifting off towards the forbidden forest and out of sight.

Lyra stood at the back of the group of students that huddled around Neville and Madam Hooch as she gave her simple diagnosis. Lyra heard her say something about "broken wrist" before demanding that Neville get up to go to the hospital wing.

As their teacher was about to disappear, she told everyone, firmly, "None of you are to move while I'm gone. If anyone is found off the ground on a broom, its rider will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say 'Quidditch,'" and with that, she was gone.

No sooner than they were out of earshot, Draco picked up Neville's dropped Rememberall. He knew Lyra wouldn't like how he was acting, but his jealousy towards Harry earlier overpowered his fear.

Draco was jealous of Harry because he was closer with Lyra. Harry was protective over her so Draco was almost never given the opportunity to hang out with her.

Harry had parents who loved him and let him make his own decisions. Yes, Draco had his mother, Narcissa, who loved him with all of her heart, but his father was not that. His father didn't know how to show love to his only son, causing him to feel unwanted.

Draco knew by how Lyra talked to Harry that Harry was loved and wanted — if not by his parents, by her. If only Draco could have more time with her, maybe she would talk about him with the same kind of admiration and enthusiasm.

"Did you see his face?!" he began, feeling jealousy running through his veins. All he had to do was prove himself to everyone and show how superior he really was.