Harry Styles and the Sorcerer's Stone

Chapter 9: The Midnight Duel

Harry had never believed he would meet a boy he hated more than Ross, but that was before he met Luke Hemmings. Still, first-year Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, so they didn't have to put up with Hemmings much. Or at least, they didn't until he spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan. Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday – and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.

"Typical," said Harry darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Hemmings."

He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.

"You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," said Shawn reasonably. "Anyway, I know Hemmings's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."

Hemmings certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters. He wasn't the only one, though: the way Corbin Bleu told it, he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick. Even Shawn would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang glider on Carlos's old broom. Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. Shawn had already had a big argument with Austin Mahone, who shared their dormitory, about soccer. Shawn couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly. Harry had caught Shawn prodding Austin's poster of West Ham soccer team, trying to make the players move.

Maia couldn't wait till flying lessons started. She had never been on a broomstick before, being from a Muggle family, but she was one of the ones most eager and excited to get on a broomstick.

Liam had never been on a broomstick in his life, because his grandmother had never let him near one. Privately, Harry felt she'd had a good reason, because Liam managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.

Ariana Grande was almost as nervous about flying as Liam was. This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book – not that she hadn't tried. At breakfast on Tuesday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called Quidditch Through the Ages. Liam was hanging on her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on his broomstick later, but everybody else was very pleased when Ariana's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail.

Harry hadn't had a single letter since Niall's note, something that Hemmings had been quick to notice, of course. Hemmings's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table.

A barn owl brought Liam a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass half the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.

"It's a Remembrall!" he exclaimed. "Gran knows I forget things – this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red – oh..." His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, "...you've forgotten something..."

Liam was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Luke Hemmings, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.

Harry, Shawn, and Maia jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Hemmings, but Professor Gomez, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.

"What's going on?"

"Hemmings got my Remembrall, Professor."

Scowling, Hemmings quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.