Harry Potter: 19 Years Later

Chapter 9: Fireworks?

"Scorpius, I don't know about this..." Rose said, staring at the broomstick her boyfriend just handed her with uncertainty.

"Come on, Rose! You always said you wanted to learn to ride a broom. For your New Years' resolution. And who's a better teacher than your boyfriend, the Gryffindor Quidditch Team Seeker?" Scorpius asked.

Rose smirked. "James, the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team."

Scorpius glared at her playfully, making Rose laugh. "Ha, ha, very cute. You're just going to have to settle for the co-captain." He winked. Scorpius sure knew how to make Rose give in to him.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Since I obviously have no choice, fine. But if I fall, it's your fault."

Scorpius returned an eye roll. "I'm not gonna let you fall, Rose. Flying isn't that hard."

He led Rose over to an open clearing near the woods where they could practice their flying. Rose was never a good flyer, just like her mother. Her smarts overpowered her athleticism. Yes, she'd always wanted to learn to fly better like her cousins and brother, but she was terrified of it. Heights were never her thing.

"But you're not afraid of heights, Scorpius," Rose replied, her heart pounding as Scorpius helped her mount the broom. She rose about an inch off the ground, and even that made her yelp in surprise. It didn't help that Scorpius was trying his best not to laugh.

"Here, I'll get on behind you and we'll fly around until you get comfortable enough to fly on your own. Okay?" Scorpius grabbed Rose's hand. How could Rose say no to that?

"Alright..." Rose said hesitantly. Scorpius climbed onto the broom and sat behind Rose. He put his arms around her waist and held her hands to help control her steering.

Maybe this won't be so bad, Rose thought, smiling to herself.

"Alright, I'm going to kick off the ground on the count of three," Scorpius waited for Rose to nod, which she did slowly. He held her hands tighter, probably because they were shaking so much. Rose squeezed her eyes shut as he began counting. "1, 2....3."

After a few seconds, Rose opened her eyes. They were floating 15 feet off the ground, to Rose's horror. Her breaths became more rapid and her entire body stiffened. She shut her eyes again.

"Scorpius, please fly us back to the ground." Rose said hastily.

Scorpius rubbed her arm comfortingly, then calmly whispered into Rose's ear, "Shh, Rose, it's okay. I promise I will NOT let you fall. I just want to help you conquer your fear."

Rose knew she trusted Scorpius. She trusted him with all her heart. So why was she so hesitant? Rose was going to conquer her fear. Even if she fainted in the process, she knew her boyfriend wouldn't let her fall off that broom.

"Let's fly." Rose gripped the broom tightly and braced herself for the flight.

Then the broom started moving. At first, Rose was positive she was going to faint. Then she focused on other things besides falling, like how nice the cold winter air and delicate snowflakes felt hitting her face. The swift movement of the broom gave her a rush, like how it felt when she first rode in a Muggle car with her mother. The main thing she was loving was how tightly Scorpius was holding her against him, assuring her that he was never letting go. That's when she opened her eyes and removed her hands from the broom handle, slowly raising her arms in the air like she was on a roller coaster. She shouted with joy.

"Yeah!" Rose yelled, laughing with glee.

Scorpius chuckled. "See? I told you this wasn't bad!"