Out of sight

Jackson's suspicision

Albus debated as to whether or not he would take his broomstick to FMRW training. He picked it up and ran the tip of his finger along the smooth curves in the wood. Small flecks of dust flew off the prestigious surface landing on a red and gold striped rug. Sighing, he picked it up, leaving Rose and Jackson alone in the safety of the Gryffindor Common room. How he wished he could be an ordinary wizard; to go about the school unnoticed as a measly first year, but he had to face the facts. He was Harry Potter's son; a son of a great wizard who defeated the almighty Voldemort.

The corridors were pretty much empty as Albus anxiously paced towards the Quidditch pitch. This was slightly unnerving. It would have been much easier to handle if the school had been thriving with both pupils at teachers alike. Then, he would have to concentrate on not bumping into people and respecting his elders. Instead, he had it all to himself to reflect on the upcoming future. FMRW. The Four Sectors. He sighed. Lately, sighing had become a regular habit which he rarely spent a day without doing. He felt as if it was a way of letting out his problems, his worries, his fears. Not always would this technique work, but sometimes, it did the trick.

"Potter!"

A shrill shout brought Albus back down to earth where he belonged. He looked up to see McGonagall's stern face staring back into his own.

"You're late! Didn't you hear me set the training times?" McGonagall snapped, her glasses slipping slightly over the tip of her nose.

"Sorry Professor," mumbled Albus meekly, "I guess I just went a bit too late."

"Well, you're only in your first year. I suppose you can be forgiven," McGonagall said fairly. "Now get on your broom for Flying Practise."

"Isn't Madame Hooch taking is for flying?" called out a particularly sly looking Slytherin, Stone.

"No," replied McGonagall briskly, "That will be me. And I will get along well with you if you follow my orders, but if you choose to disobey, I am warning you now; there will be trouble."

Albus flinched at her last sentence. It wasn't because he had plans to cause mischief up his sleeve but it was the cold, icy tone in her voice. He'd never heard it empathized so much before. Shivering, he swung a spindly leg over his broomstick handle and slid on gracefully. As he hovered about two feet ground, he watched Plush struggle to get on her stick pityingly. She didn't look like much of a contender for FMRW. A sudden winter breeze almost blew Albus on to the ground as he carelessly made circles with his broom, waiting for McGonagall to set them a task. Unfortunately for him, getting Millicent up in the air proved to be rather a struggle for the older Professor.

"Frankly, I give up," said McGonagall, frustrated. "You'll just have perform all the spells on ground."

Blood rushed to Millicent's cheeks rapidly, forcing out a furious blush. She tightened the hair band which was pulling her hair back and whipped out a long, sleek wand from her pocket. Nodding she gave a weak, subtle reply of, "Ok."

"The first thing we'll do is a Knockback Jinx," said McGonagall sharply, "And I know that most of you will have already learned or even performed this handy spell but even so, I need to make sure that you can all do it easily on your brooms. The outcomes of a Knockback Jinx are quite useful in tricky situations. Repeat after me: Flipendo."

"Flipendo," they chorused.

"This jinx is the most utilitarian of Grade 2 spell, in that it will allow the caster to 'knock back' an opponent or object and can also be used to push and activate certain magically charmed switches. Like many Grade 2 spells, Flipendo can be targeted," McGonagall told the four students, particularly focusing on Albus who had an expression of awe painted on his first year face. "The wand movements are a lot simpler than a lot of Grade 2 spells."