Reaper's Heir (Book 1)

Chapter 6

We gathered on a large field outside, lined up with the Gryffindors on one side and the Slytherins on the other. I felt my stomach clench at the sight of brooms laying on the ground in front of us. "Good afternoon, class." A woman named Madame Hooch said as she walked toward us.

"Good afternoon, Madam Hooch." We said as a group.

"Good afternoon, Amanda, good afternoon. Welcome to your first flying lesson. Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone step up to the left side of their broomstick. Come on now, hurry up. Stick your right hand over the broom and say, Up!"

"Up!" We all said at the same time. Malfoy, Harry, and I all had our brooms fly right up into our hands. Daphne looked at me with surprise, but her broom flew to her hand on her second try, while Ron's smacked him in the face. There were snickers from both sides.

"Now, once you've got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it. And grip it tight, you don't want to be sliding off the end. When I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your broom steady, hover for a moment, and then lean forward slightly and touch back down. On my whistle...three, two." and she whistled. Neville lifted off immediately but kept rising. "Mr. Longbottom. M-M-Mr. Longbottom Mr. Longbottom!"

Malfoy laughed as Neville's broom jerked him around, rising higher and higher. Crabbe and Goyle laughed along with the blond, but it was hard to tell if they genuinely thought it was funny or were just worried Malfoy would yell at them if they didn't do what he told them to.

"Mr. Longbottom! Come back down this instant!"

He can't. He can't even control the broom. Neville's broom one last time, throwing him off. His shirt caught on the statue's spear then tore and he dropped, a snap echoing in my ears as he landed. I gasped, moving without thinking. Finally reaching Neville, I knelt down next to him, gingerly grabbing his arm. That had to have been at least a ten-foot drop. The golden aura that usually surrounded Neville had dulled, except for around his wrist and hand, which pulsed an angry red.

"Is he alright?"

"Everyone out of the way!" Madame Hooch yelled, shoving through the crowd of students. I stood and moved as well, watching her as she carefully helped Neville up and checked his wrist. "Oh, oh, oh, oh dear. It's a broken wrist. Tch, tch, tch. Good boy, come on now, up you get. Everyone's to keep their feet firmly on the ground while I take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing. Understand? If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say, Quidditch." She led Neville away, her attempts to console him fading away.

"Did you see his face? Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he'd have remembered to fall on his fat ass." Malfoy mocked, squeezing Neville's remembrall in his hand. Pansy and a few other Slytherins began laughing and I looked around at them uncomfortably.

Harry shoved his way over to the blond boy. "Give it here, Malfoy." Sensing the growing tension, I made my way over to the pair of quarreling boys.

"No. I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find. How 'bout up on the roof?" Malfoy kicked off the ground and flew into the air, hovering so he could watch the group. "What's the matter, Potter? Bit beyond your reach?"

Harry grabs his broom and runs to get on it. I grabbed his arm at the same time that Hermione tried to stop him. "Harry, no! You heard what Madam Hooch said! Besides, you don't even know how to fly." Harry ignored us both, flying off. "What an idiot."

Harry hovered in the air, across from Malfoy. "Give it here, Malfoy, or I'll knock you off your broom!"

"Is that so?" Harry lunged at him, but Draco dodged him and smirked again. "Have it your way, then!" and he threw the remembrall towards the castle. Harry took off after it, almost running into a window. I watched him fly back towards us, stomach in knots. Students crowded around, congratulating him on how well he'd flown. My heart, meanwhile, wouldn't stop beating so fast that I thought it would jump out of my chest.