Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (DISCONTINUED)

The Midnight Duel

Alexandria never thought that she would hate someone as much as she hates Draco Malfoy. Luckily first year Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherin but that changed when she noticed a crowd huddling around something.

She assumed it was bad since everyone groaned. She walked up along with Hermione and saw that Flying lessons would be starting Thursday. Excitement flew her, she had been practicing flying on Fred and George's brooms. She must admit that she was particularly good at flying and she couldn't wait to try for Quidditch the following year.

Next to her, was Hermione who was looked nervous. Alexandria followed her to the library where she looked for Quidditch Through the Ages. They went to the Great Hall and Alexandria saw Neville was extremely nervous about flying and was listening to every word that Hermione said.

"Doesn't playing Quidditch sound amazing," Alexandria said. "Flying on broomsticks, shooting the quaffle through the hoop, the wind flaring in your ear."

"Yes, that's when

A barn owl brought Neville a package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and held up a glass ball that was a size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.

"It's a Remembrall!" He explained. "Gran knows I forget things — this tells you if there's something you're forgotten to do. Look you hold it tight like this and if it turns red — oh..." his face fell because the Remembrall had suddenly turned a glowing scarlet, " ... you've forgotten something..."

Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand. Alexandria saw that Harry and Ron both jumped to their feet but moments later Professor McGonagall appeared.

"What's going on?"

"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor," Neville replied.

Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table. "Just looking," he said as he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.

At three-thirty that afternoon, Alexandria and Hermione, along with Harry, Ron, and the rest of the Gryffindors hurried down the front step onto the ground for their first flying lesson. It was a clear and breezy day and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns towards a smooth flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds, the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.

She saw that the Slytherin were already they and so were twenty broomsticks lying in beat lines on the ground. Fred and George had complained many times to her before that some of the schools brooms started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.

Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair and yellow eyes like a hawk.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" She barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

Alexandria stepped forward along with the rest of her fellow Gryffindors.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," Madam Hooch called out," and sat 'UP'!"

Alexandria took a deep breath and loudly shouted "UP!"

In a flash, her broom flew up right into her hand, the movement caught her off guard so she lost her balance for a moment then stood still.

She looked around and saw that Harry already had his broom in his hand. He caught her eye and smiled. She smiled in return and saw that Hermione was struggling with her broom along with Neville.

Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end and walked up and down the line correcting their grip. They were delighted when she told Malfoy he's been doing it wrong for years.