Our first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns towards a smooth lawn. The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in lines on the ground.
Our teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, grey hair and yellow eyes like a hawk which I find fierce and beautiful, you rarely see eyes like that. "Good afternoon Madam Hooch," the whole class replied. "Welcome to your flying lesson, well what are you waiting for?" she barked.
"Stick your right hand over the broom and say 'UP'." She says loudly . I glanced down at the broom. It was old and the broom's head was already losing its raggedy fibers.
'UP!' everyone shouted. Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once, while the others were still shouting and calling their broomsticks. Hermione Granger was not impressed that Harry made it easier, Neville's hadn't moved at all, and Ron hit his face when he called his broomstick.
Harry and I giggled. "Shut up," Ron said, hiding a half smile. Perhaps brooms need patience, then I thought. It's like riding a horse? But in the air... It wouldn't be bad. I don't have a fear of heights at least.
"Now, once you've got a hold of your broom, I want you to mount it and grip it tight. You don't want to be sliding at the end." Everyone got onto their brooms as Madam Hooch directed.
"I want each of you to kick off from the ground hard when I blow my whistle," said Madam Hooch.
"Keep your brooms steady, hover for a moment, then lean forward slightly and touch back down."
"On my whistle - three - two -" whistled Madam Hooch. The moment the sound of the whistle was heard, Neville hovered but not in his control. He was already feet away from the ground.
"Mister Longbottom!" she said.
He pushed off hard before anyone could, but Neville was rising straight.
"Come back down this instant!" she shouted. He was getting higher and higher out of his control, moving sideways off the broom until he lost his grip on his broom, he fell down to a point tower grabbing his robe, hanging on the hook of the spear of the statue like a hanging bell.
His robe started ripping off. I tried to run and act fast, think of dragon wings or a Hippogriff .. anything !!! that Professor McGonagall taught me today, I say to myself. I closed my eyes 'come on come on,' before I even tried to. Neville fell hard to the ground. 'Crack,' Madam Hooch hurried to pick up Neville.
"Broken wrist," she muttered. "Come on, boy, it's alright, up you get." She turned to the rest of the class.
"Everyone needs to keep their feet firmly on the ground while I take Mister 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 you can say 'Quidditch'." I feel bad because I could have at least saved him before breaking his wrist. I should've done better.
"Did you see his face? Perhaps if the great lump had given this a squeeze, he would've remembered to fall on his fat arse." Malfoy smiled widely while holding his Remember Ball.
It makes me boil to think he could laugh or smile at a time like this.
"You think this is funny, Malfoy?" I come up close to him and turn to face him. "Trying to be heroic, I see? Running to Longbottom? Bet you can't even shapeshift like they say." He shot back.
without a second of thinking, it feels like my lion spirit had taken over. 'Control your emotion,' but I sadly let it get into me. From being at the same height and eye to eye, he is suddenly now taller than me. I now realize that I am not a lion but a lion cub.
"Look, Luminhood thinks she can terrify us," he points out laughs along with his comrads. I am back into my form, feeling so flushed from humiliation. I forgot that some of the creatures I can transfigure are out of reach until puberty as we speak.
"You are only making fun of me because there's nothing good about you to start with, Malfoy." I said while he was glared at me along with his temper. "You-" before he could even say anything, "Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Harry. "No?" said Draco firmly.
Everyone stopped talking to watch. Malfoy smiled nastily. "No, I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find. How about up a tree?" Malfoy slung a leg over his broom and teased Harry into letting him fly off to take Neville's Remember Ball. He hadn't been lying; he could fly well and high and fast too.
"What's the matter, Potter? Beyond your reach?" Harry grabbed his broom. "Harry, no way!" shouted Hermione Granger.
"You heard what Madam Hooch said. Besides, you don't even know how to fly." Without a second thought, he took off. "What an idiot," Hermione said disappointingly.
Harry ignored her to catch up to Malfoy. Harry tried to grab it until Malfoy had a better idea. He threw the ball so far that I doubted Harry for a moment if he would catch it. He rode his broom so fast and passed Draco that it slightly looked like he was about to fall, and in a rush, he caught it!! He actually caught the Rememberball.
"Wow..." I murmured. Everyone was cheering for Harry until Professor McGonagall called him. "Harry Potter, follow me."
This doesn't sound too good. Harry followed her. The moment they were gone, Malfoy and the other Slytherins were laughing. "You are nothing but trouble, Draco," I spatted
"You think you're special. You are nothing more than a animal shifter, Y/N"
What does that have to do with defending my friend or being special? But then Hermione takes me by the hand and pulls me away from him and the others "Let's just go," .
In the hallways, crowded a bit, far from class, especially Malfoy, and I was still furious. "Unbelievable," I talk to myself, forgetting Hermione and Ron were next to me.
"People like Malfoy tend to be like this," Ron tries to comfort. "It's fine, maybe it's for a while until it ends," I smile sadly. "I'll go see if Harry isn't in big trouble. It would at least make things easier."
'✩'
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