Chapter 2: October 2013

As September came to an end and October began, things at Hogwarts were good. Dominique was having a great time with her new classmates and all her worries from the summer seemed to have disappeared.

"Did anyone get an answer for question four?" Brittany Philbrick asked.

All the Gryffindor first years were gathered together in the common room, working on their Herbology homework. It was nice, Dominique thought, that they all got along so well – not like her sister with her classmates.

"Yeah, it's dragon dung," one of the boys, Tom Kelley, replied.

"Oh seriously?" Holly exclaimed. "I think I totally messed this up, I'm going to need a fresh sheet of parchment."

"Oh here, I have one," Timothy Coote offered, reaching into his bag and passing it over.

"Thanks," Holly smiled, balling the written on parchment up and tossing it in the direction of the fire. It missed and landed on the floor next to it, prompting some fourth years sitting by the fire to yell at them about not throwing things.

"Guys, did you see?" Brooke said excitedly, joining them at the table.

"See what?" Zeke Aldin asked.

"Flying lessons start on Thursday!" Brooke cried excitedly.

"Oh no!" Dominique groaned.

"How are you not excited?" Brooke asked in confusion. "This is the best thing ever. I've been waiting my whole life to learn to fly."

"Oh, you know…" Dominique muttered, wishing everyone would stop looking at her. "I'm just not that excited about it, alright? I mean, it's just one more class we have to attend."

"It's hardly History of Magic!" Tom pointed out. "These are flying lessons. Where we get to learn to fly on brooms."

"Yes, I understand the concept," Dominique said dryly. "I just don't think it's going to be my thing."

"How can you know before you even try?" Miles wondered. "At least give the lessons a chance."

"Well it's not like I can blow them off or anything, now can I?" Dominique demanded.

"Hey, calm down," Brooke said when Dominique started getting defensive. "So you're not into flying, so what? It's fine."

Dominique sat back, relieved. "Thank you," she said, sending Brooke a smile.

The first years went back to their homework and after a few seconds, Joy was asking a question about the uses of some plant or other.

"You really aren't excited about flying?" Miles muttered to Dominique so that only she could hear him.

"No, I'm not," Dominique said, glaring at her friend. "And I'll thank you not to bring it up again."

Miles backed off and Dominique made it look like she was extremely absorbed in her work. It was too embarrassing to admit in front of all her friends, but the reason she wasn't looking forward to flying class was that she was afraid of heights. She knew as soon as she got on the broom, she was going to freak out and everyone was going to find out, but she wasn't ready for them to start making fun of her quite yet.

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The first year Gryffindors' first flying lesson was on the first Thursday in October. In her fathers' day, houses had been paired together to learn how to fly, but ever since Madam Volant had replaced Madam Hooch, she had changed it so that she taught each house separately in order to devote more time to each individual student. When it came to flying, you couldn't be too careful. Dominique could remember the stories her uncles liked to tell about when Professor Longbottom had flown for the first time – he'd had to go to the hospital wing. Ever since Madam Volant had taken over, there had been no more accidents.

"Alright students, pick a broom and then form a line down by the south goalposts, laying the broom down on the ground next to you," Madam Volant instructed, opening up the Hogwarts broom shed so that the students could take their pick of old brooms. They were on the Quidditch pitch, which was even more uncomfortable for Dominique, because there was a smattering of older students sitting in the stands who were going to see her utterly humiliate herself.

"This is so exciting!" Brooke squealed, grabbing an old Nimbus 2000 and running down to the goalpost.

When Dominique finally got into the shed, she grabbed the first broom she saw – a Comet 260 – and got out of there as fast as she could.

"Are you sure that's the broom you want to learn on?" Miles asked, seeing her choice.

"It's not like it's going to make much of a difference which broom I pick," Dominique muttered.

"Well, actually – " Miles began.

"Seriously," Dominique interrupted, before he could give her a lecture about brooms and their respective characteristics. "I don't care."

She stalked off to the goalposts and laid her broom down next to Brooke.

"Listen," Brooke said. "I know you're not all that thrilled about flying lessons, but I just wanted to say good luck anyway."

"Thanks," Dominique said. She could use all the luck she could get. "I'd offer you good luck, but you look like you were born to fly."

"Alright students," Madam Volant began the lesson now that everyone was lined up. Dominique glanced down the line to find that Miles had picked the furthest place from her to stand. She sighed, knowing that she was going to have to apologize later for being short with him. "Now first thing's first, you have to make a connection with your broom by calling it, so raise your right arm over your broom and command it to rise by saying the word 'up'."

Obediently, Dominique did as she was told, but nothing happened. For a moment, she panicked, because Brooke's broom had risen almost immediately, but a quick scan of the class told her that only two people had succeeded on the first try – Brooke and Tom.

"That's alright, just keep trying until you get it," Madam Volant encouraged.

Dominique repeated the command, still to no avail. She glanced down and saw that three more students – including Miles – had succeeded on their second try. She tried a few more times, but soon she was the only one left who couldn't get her broom to rise for her.

"That's alright dear," Madam Volant assured her. "Some people just need to work a little harder to build that connection. You keep working on it while I lead the rest of the class in a few warm-up exercises.

While the rest of the first year Gryffindors mounted their brooms, Dominique continued to mutter the command over and over again, becoming more and more aggressive when it still refused even to twitch or move even in the slightest. Soon, her classmates were engaging in a slow lap of the pitch while Dominique still couldn't grab hold of her broom.

"Why won't it listen to me?" Dominique demanded angrily when Madam Volant came over to see what the problem was. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

"Perhaps you say the word, but you do not really mean it," Madam Volant suggested.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Dominique asked.

"You need to do more than command the broom to rise," Madam Volant explained. "You have to will it to rise. You have to desire it. I don't think you desire it. Am I right?"

"Maybe a little," Dominique muttered.

"And why might that be?" Madam Volant asked.

"I don't want it to rise because I don't want to learn to fly," Dominique replied.

"And why don't you want to learn to fly?" Madam Volant asked.

Dominque hesitated.

"Don't worry, I'm here to teach, not to judge," Madam Volant assured her.

Dominique took a deep breath. "I'm afraid of heights," she confessed.

"Alright," Madam Volant said. "Well Dominique, the way I see it, you have two options. The first one, is we can work together and try to conquer your fear."

"What's the second one?" Dominique asked, really not liking the sound of the first.

"The second option is that I can write you a note exempting you from all flying lessons. You'll be required to receive final approval from the Headmistress of course, but it has been done before."

"I think I like the sound of the second option," Dominique declared.

"Are you sure?" Madam Volant asked. "You could give it a try and then if it's too much for you, you can always stop later."

"No," Dominique said. "I'm sure now."

"Alright," Madam Volant said with a sigh. She pulled out her wand and waved it in the air, producing a letter, signed by her and everything, and handed it to Dominique. "Bring this to the Headmistress' office right away. If she signs off, then you never have to learn to fly."

"Thanks," Dominique smiled, taking the note.

"And don't forget to put your broom away," Madam Volant added, hopping on her broom and flying down to the opposite end of the pitch to see how the rest of the class was doing.

Overjoyed at the sudden turn of events, Dominique threw her broom back in the broom shed and hurried up the castle, taking the stairs two at a time as she hurried to see the Headmistress. When she arrived, she realized she didn't have the password, so she asked the gargoyle to tell the Headmistress that Madam Volant had sent her. She waited a moment, and then the stairs began to move, so she hopped on and waited impatiently to reach the top.

"Dominique!" Headmistress McGonagall greeted her when she entered the office. "What can I do for you today?"

"I have a note from Madam Volant exempting me from flying lessons," Dominique said, placing the note on the Headmistress' desk. "She said I had to get you to sign off on it as well."

"I see," the Headmistress said, peering at the note through her spectacles. "Well this seems to be in order. I just have to ask you a few questions."

"Alright," Dominique said.

"Now you understand that if you don't complete your flying lessons, you won't receive your flight certification?" the Headmistress asked.

"Yes," Dominique replied.

"And you realize that this means you will not be permitted to purchase a broom or to register one in your name?" she continued.

"Yes," Dominique repeated.

"And are you aware that I will have to put a note in your permanent record, which will be available for any future employers to see?" she asked.

"You mean it could affect my getting a job later on?" Dominique asked. "That doesn't seem fair."

"It will only be applicable to jobs which may require you to travel somewhere on a broom," the Headmistress assured her.

"Oh," Dominique said. "Well then that's fine, I wouldn't want that kind of job anyway."

"Very well," the Headmistress said, signing the slip. "You are officially exempt from flying lessons. If you should change your mind during your time at Hogwarts, you should know that you are always welcome to join a class at any time to receive your certification, and if you decide to pursue it later on, there are services offered at the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Transportation, Broom Division."

"Don't worry, that's not going to be an issue," Dominique assured her.

"Well then congratulations," Headmistress McGonagall said. "You are free to go."

"Thanks!" Dominique said happily.

She returned to the common room to discover that with her classmates all down at the pitch learning to fly, there were no other first years to hang out with in the common room.

"Hey Vic," she said, noticing her sister sitting at a nearby table working on some homework.

"Dominique!" Victoire said in surprise. "Aren't you supposed to be having your first flying lesson?" she asked.

"Nope," Dominique said with a smile.

"Really?" Victoire asked, getting up. "I could have sworn the bulletin board said – "

"Sit down," Dominique said, grabbing her sister by the arm and forcing her back into her chair. "Yes, flying lessons started today, but I got exempted."

"Seriously?" Victoire gasped. "Oh, I'm so jealous! How did you manage that?"

"Well you know how I'm afraid of heights?" Dominique asked.

"Really? That's all you had to say? I could have done that," Victoire grumbled.

"No, it was more than that," Dominique insisted. "My fear of heights prevented me from being able to call the broom into my hand, which Madam Volant noticed, which is why she exempted me."

"Oh," Victoire muttered. "Yeah that wouldn't have worked for me. I got my broom to rise in like, four tries I think."

"It's not like it even matters anymore," Dominique pointed out. "You have your flight certification, so unless you wanted to, you never have to fly again."

"That is true," Victoire agreed. "But it was a pretty terrible experience."

"I'm sure it was," Dominique rolled her eyes. Her sister was probably just upset because flying had messed up her hair or something.

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"You got an exemption?" Brooke cried loudly when Dominique told her what had happened to her.

"Shh, why are you screaming?" Dominique hissed. "Yeah, the Headmistress signed off on it and everything."

"Just because you weren't too excited to fly?" Brooke asked. "Doesn't that seem a little excessive to you?"

"No," Dominique said. "No, it doesn't seem excessive at all."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Brooke said, holding her hands up in surrender. "Obviously, Madam Volant wouldn't have exempted you unless you had a good reason for not wanting to learn to fly."

"Thank you," Dominique said.

"So what's the reason?" Brooke asked. "Did your uncle die from a broom-related accident? Were you traumatized from the experience of seeing his body lying on the ground, broken and twisted?"

"You're a little deranged, you know that right?" Dominique laughed.

"Yeah," Brooke replied. "But admit it, it's way more fun being friends with a deranged person than with a sane one, right?"

"Sure," Dominique replied. "Definitely."

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"Hey Miles," Dominique said, sitting down at the library table where her friend was studying alone.

"Oh, hi Dominique," Miles muttered, looking up for a second and then returning to what appeared to be a potions essay.

"Listen, I just wanted to apologize," Dominique said, forcing him to stop what he was doing and look at her. "I was rude and I shouldn't have been. I was tense and nervous about the prospect of having to fly and I took it out on you and that wasn't fair."

"It's alright," Miles shrugged. "I probably overreacted anyway. It's not like it was that big a deal."

"No, you were right to be upset," Dominique said. "I was just too caught up in myself to think about anyone else at the time."

"If I say I forgive you will you stop trying to explain yourself?" Miles asked.

"That depends," Dominique said. "Do you really forgive me, or are you saying it to get me to leave you alone?"

"I really forgive you," Miles assured her.

"Then I'll stop explaining," Dominique replied.

"So I heard they exempted you?" Miles asked.

"How did you hear that?" Dominique gasped. "I only told Brooke and Victoire so far!"

"Tom heard you telling Brooke in the common room. Actually, he says the whole common room heard her scream it out at the top of her lungs," Miles replied.

"Of course he did," Dominique sighed.

"So what's your reason?" Miles asked.

"What do you mean?" Dominique replied with a question of her own.

"For the exemption," he clarified. "They don't just exempt people without a valid reason."

"Oh, well actually, it's because when I was little, my uncle was flying and he had an accident and died," Dominique said, making sure to use a voice that made it clear she was kidding. "I'll never get the picture of his twisted, mangled body lying on the ground out of my mind."

"Seriously?" Miles asked, his eyes widening.

"No!" Dominique cried, shaking her head. "Of course not. How many people do you think die from broom-related accidents?"

"Well, my mom for one," Miles said, hanging his head and staring out the window sadly.

"Oh, wait seriously?" Dominque asked, feeling terrible for turning his mother's accident into a joke. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea or I never would have said that – "

"I'm totally kidding," Miles laughed, turning away from the window with a grin on his face. "Man did I fool you!"

"That wasn't very nice," Dominique accused.

"Sue me," Miles retorted.

"I might, my Aunt Audrey is a lawyer," Dominique warned.

"Really?" Miles faltered.

"Well she used to be, before she had my cousin Molly," Dominique amended. "She stopped practicing to raise her and her sister Lucy, but she could totally sue you if I asked her to."

"You won't though, right?" Miles asked.

"Oh my gosh, you take things way too seriously," Dominique cried.

Thankfully, the conversation moved on, away from the topic of flying lessons and exemptions. Dominique was thankful Miles had let the topic drop, because she was afraid she might end up offending him again my refusing to give her reason for not wanting to take them.

Later that night in the common room, when her other room mates started giving her heck about bailing, Brooke came to the rescue, claiming that it was none of their business if Dominique didn't want to learn to fly and that clearly she didn't want to talk about it and to leave her alone. She never heard a word from the other boys, and could only assume Brooke had given them a stern talking-to as well.

"Hey, thanks Brooke," Dominique said when they were alone together in the bathroom.

"No big deal," Brooke assured her. "Your business is your business. If you don't want to share it with a bunch of people you've known for barely over a month, then you definitely shouldn't have to."

"It's not that I don't trust you guys – "

"Really," Brooke assured her. "I wasn't trying to guilt you or anything. There's plenty I wouldn't want you to know, even though I think you're pretty cool."

"Oh, like what?" Dominique asked jokingly.

"Well don't tell the other girls," Brooke said in a fake whisper. "But there's a hinkypunk in my trunk."

"Wow," Dominique said. "That's one of the worst lies I've ever heard. At least put some effort into it. A hinkypunk couldn't live in your trunk, they live in bogs or swamps."

"Where did you learn so much about hinkypunks?" Brooke asked.

"My cousin," Dominique sighed. "She insisted on teaching me all this stuff last year, claiming that I couldn't start Hogwarts without knowing anything."

"About hinkypunks?" Brooke said.

"Yeah," Dominique said. "She's a little nuts with the reading."

"You'd think she'd know that you don't need to know that sort of stuff coming into first year," Brooke muttered.

"She's actually a year younger than me," Dominique said. "She hasn't started yet."

"Wow!" Brooke exclaimed. "So your younger cousin was teaching you about hinkypunks."

"It was not my idea," Dominique muttered. "But it was either let Molly teach me about magical creatures, or play with a seven-year-old and eight-year-old."

"I'd have picked playing with the little kids honestly," Brooke said.

"Yeah, in retrospect, that probably would have been the better choice," Dominique agreed.