The Heart Is Not Black or White

Chapter 15

All the Slytherin first-years were gathered around a piece of parchment posted on the bulletin board in the Slytherin common room. It said that first-years would be starting flying lessons on Friday. We were paired up with the Gryffindors.

I knew it would be a breeze, as Fred and George had taught me to fly years ago. I wasn't bragging, but Draco was.

"This will be the easiest of all my classes," he said with his nose up in the air. "I'm already a great flyer, and I bet next year I'll be the Slytherin seeker."

I rolled my eyes, annoyed with his arrogance. I had only spent ten days at Hogwarts and I had already had enough with Draco Malfoy.

Pansy, standing next to me, leaned over and whispered, "He's so talented."

Looking at Pansy like she had five heads, I replied, "You really think so? He's just a load of talk."

"I bet you're just jealous," she muttered.

"Jealous?" I scoffed. "I'm not jealous of a blond air-head who thinks too highly of himself. Anyway, I think you're fancy on him, and that's why you're defending him."

Pansy just narrowed her eyes at me, and I smiled because I had figured out her secret. She had a crush on Malfoy! Pansy turned around and stomped back to the dormitory.
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That Thursday I was sitting at breakfast in the Great Hall with Daphne. All the first-years were brimming with excitement or nerves for our first flying lesson. Everyone from a wizarding family seemed to have a story about their dangerous journeys on a broomstick. Some of the students bragged, but Malfoy did more than brag. This morning, he was at it again.

"Hey, Crabbe and Goyle," he said loudly, making sure everyone at the Slytherin and Hufflepuff table could hear him. "Did I tell you about the time I was doing flips on my Comet Two-Sixty and almost crashed into some mental muggles flying a helicopter?"

"Did you know that's the seventh time he's tried telling that story?" I groaned to Daphne. "In just three days?"

"Um, yea," Daphne said, stuffing a piece of toast in her mouth. "He seems kind of... full of himself."

"Way to state the obvious!" I laughed.

Just then Tracey ran up to the Slytherin table with a textbook in her arms. She squeezed into a spot between me and a second-year boy, earning a glare from him. She slammed the heavy book down on the table, earning more glares from other people at the table.
With eyes ablaze and ruffled hair, Tracey exclaimed, "Look what Hermione Granger let me borrow!"

Looking at the cover of the book, I saw that it read "Quidditch Through the Ages." Of course. Tracey always had her nose in a book, and I should have figured that with the upcoming lessons she would be spending extra time researching so that she would be ahead of the rest of the class... again.

"Oh, come on," Daphne said to Tracey. "The one class I thought you couldn't show off in!"

"I was so scared of failing this class, but now I have everything I need to know right here!" Tracey squealed.

"I don't know about that," I said. "You can't really learn how to fly from a book. It takes practice, not brain space."

"Oh," she said, her smile fading as she looked down at the book.

"But it can sure help you improve," I added to cheer her up. "I bet it has lots of tips. But you can't become a pro by just reading the book. You have to physically do it to get better."

At this Tracey's smile returned and she opened the book to a page title, "Broom Culture."

Screeches were heard overhead as owls flew in through the windows. I spotted Corvus heading my way. As she flew over the long table, she dropped a cream colored envelope in front of me. I opened it carefully, not wanting to rip the letter inside. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Draco gloating over a package of sweets that his parents sent to him every couple of days, another thing for him to brag about.