The Houses Competition writing for Gryffindor Round 6, year 4 stand in.

Category: Drabble

Prompt: [Speech] "If you never try, you'll never know."

Word count: 567

Hermione laughed with Harry and Ron as they reminisce over their childhood, in particular, over Ron's attire to the Yule Ball. It was amusing to think back to the times when they got jealous but were too stubborn to admit it. The feelings had been there for so long, yet it wasn't until death was on the table did either of them have the courage to actually do anything. It hadn't been very Gryffindor of them.

She shook her head as they continued to talk and noticed seven-year-old Rose looking very put-out and upset. Her daughter had been excited mere moments ago. With a quick look to her friends, she excused herself and headed over. "Rose?"

The little ginger looked up at her mum before sitting on the ground. "I can't do it!" she exclaimed with a pout.

"Can't do what?" Hermione asked as she joined her on the floor. She summarised to herself that it must have been about flying - after all, Rose was staring at the broom she had received as a birthday present a week prior.

"Fly. I'm not good enough."

Hermione pretended to think. Her daughter always coped better if it appeared she didn't have an answer for everything, it somehow soothed her daughter and made her work harder. "How do you know?"

Rose faltered. "I… I'm not meant to fly."

"Your father was on the Quidditch team, as were your uncles and aunt. Flying is in your blood. Even your cousins are flying. You are meant to fly."

"No… you don't fly. I'm just like you."

Hermione was stunned, she had not anticipated her daughter being that conscious of her lack of time in the air. She never did like flying and much preferred to keep her feet on the ground, even now. Technically, she could grab a broom and fly it now to prove that Rose had no excuse but she didn't want her daughter to gain confidence in somebody else's achievements. Besides, she wasn't entirely confident in her own ability to fly. "Rose," she started before pausing, waiting until her daughter looked up at her. "If you never try, you'll never know."

Rose stared at her for a moment before turning her attention to her broom. She had been so excited to fly and she loved flying with her father. Her hand grasped it and she stood up. "What if I try and I fail?"

"What if you try and succeed?" she countered.

Hermione anxiously watched as Rose attempted to fly and cringed when she didn't even get up off the ground before looking deflated.

"Keep trying. If not you'll never know what you're truly capable of," she said, rephrasing what had got her daughter up.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, but had been less than a minute, her daughter was flying slowly barely a meter of the ground. Relief filled Hermione for a moment until her daughter started getting confidence and she knew she would now worry about Rose falling off. Thankfully, the protection barriers would catch her, but that didn't stop her from worrying.

"I wanna fly too! Please, can I fly too, Mummy!" Hugo cried as he ran over.

Hermione looked down at him. She didn't want him to try; he was too young in her eyes. She sighed. "Ask your father to take you up."

Hugo ran off without further prompting, satisfied with the answer.