Chapter 7: Flying Lesson
Days after the students had really settled in, the first years awoke to find a notice pinned to the message board in the common room. It informed them that they would be having flying lessons with the Slytherins that day.
Tabitha and Matilda groaned in unison.
"What?" Ron frowned.
"Look, Mat, just what we've always wanted," said Tabitha sarcastically.
"Yeah, to make fools of ourselves in front of Malfoy." Matilda agreed.
"You won't make fools of yourselves," said Hermione.
"Yeah. Malfoy talks a lot, but I bet he can't really fly." Said Euterpe.
But for the rest of the day, Hermione and Neville read all the flying books they could find. Neville's grandmother had never let him near a broomstick, but Aaric, Euterpe, Millie, and Ron already knew how to fly, so they weren't worried, though Aaric didn't like it that much – for sport, at least – and Euterpe hadn't been allowed to fly often. Millie, however, frequently played with her cousins as a beater, and was very good.
Around two, the Gryffindor first years headed out to the Quidditch pitch. They got there before the Slytherins, and Hermione was busily whispering last minute tips to everyone. It was to the relief of all but her and Neville when Madam Hooch arrived, the Slytherins close behind.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" she barked. "Put your hand over a broomstick and say 'up'!"
They all did as told. Matilda's and Tabitha's brooms flew right into their hands. Millie's rose a little more than a foot, Ron's tilted off the ground slightly, and Hermione's simply rolled over. Neville's didn't move at all. Madam Hooch congratulated the twins, then told the others to try again. Several brooms went up this time: Millie's, Aaric's, Ron's, Euterpe's, and Malfoy's. Finally, after three more tries, all the brooms were up.
"All right, now mount your brooms." They all did. "On my whistle, you'll kick off from the ground, hover for a moment, then lean forward slightly and touch back down. Ready? Three, two–" but Neville, anxious not to be left on the ground, had kicked off too early. He rose rapidly into the air; four feet, five feet, six feet…Everyone looked on in shock.
"Mr. Longbottom, come down here this instant!" cried Madam Hooch, but Neville was out of control. He continued to rise up, then at about twenty or so feet he started sliding off the end and fell to the ground with a cry of pain.
The other seven gasped, running towards Neville and ignoring Madam Hooch's cries. Thanks to her long legs, the flying instructor made it first. Neville's face was pressed into the grass, and he moaned, his arm bent in a funny way.
"Oh dear, a broken wrist," murmured Madam Hooch, helping Neville up. "Come on, boy. Madam Pomfrey will fix this in a jiffy."
They started walking back towards the castle, and Madam Hooch called back, "You are all to keep your feet firmly planted on the ground while I take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing. If I see one broom in the air, the one riding it will be out of Hogwarts before they can say 'Quidditch'."
The Slytherins were all openly laughing now, and the Gryffindors glared at them.
"Hey, look!" cried Malfoy through his laughter. He picked up something off the ground, and the seven recognized it as the Rememberall Neville had received from his grandmother that morning. "Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he'd have remembered to fall on his fat arse!" he cried, prompting more laughter from the Slytherins. Before the Gryffindors could stop him, he rapped the ball hard with his wand, causing it to break in half.
"Give it here, Malfoy," demanded Tabitha angrily, stepping forward.
"No." Malfoy said, glaring at her. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for him to find." He grabbed his broom and mounted it, soaring upwards effortlessly. He could fly.
Simultaneously, Tabitha and Matilda grabbed their brooms and mounted them.
"No way, you guys!" Hermione cried, running forward.
"Yeah," agreed Aaric hurriedly. "I mean, you don't even know how to fly!"
But Tabitha and Matilda ignored the pleas of their friends in favour of the Gryffindor instincts churning through them and took off.
It was so easy, so natural that it shocked both of the girls. It was very simple to tilt slightly one way to turn, lean back to slow down, and forward to speed up. They ascended until they were even with Malfoy about a hundred feet in the air.
"Give it here or we'll knock you off your broom!" yelled Matilda. Malfoy looked stunned, but quickly shook himself.
"Oh yeah?" Malfoy said, but his confidence was failing. The shock of seeing the twins, who had been Muggle-raised, flying with ease, must have gotten to him.
"Not so brave without your body guards, are you?" Tabitha sneered.
"We'll see who's brave!" cried Malfoy. He took one half of the Rememberall in each hand and threw the pieces hard in different directions.
The girls didn't think, just acted. Matilda followed one piece straight down, pulling up just in time and rolling gently onto the grass with it in her hand. Tabitha followed the other that went bouncing down the window ledges on the castle. Focusing only on the half-sphere, she didn't notice whose window she was in front of when she spun completely upside down to catch it, landing on the ground by the others seconds later.
There was a pause, then all Gryffindors cheered, surrounding the two girls, patting them on the back, and congratulating them.
"Wow, that was amazing!," cried Parvati.
"That flip, Tabitha, wow!" said Ron, impressed.
"I've never even seen professionals pull up that fast!" moaned Euterpe enviously, grinning.
"Miss Potter!" cried an angry voice, and everyone froze. The Slytherins were smirking, but the Gryffindors were all pale. It was Professor McGonagall.
She stepped up to the twins, looking severe and very tight–lipped. "Both of you will come with me now." She said simply.
"But Professor, it wasn't their fault!" cried Lavender.
"It was Malfoy, he–"
"That's enough, Miss Brown and Miss Patil."
"You don't understand, Professor!" cried Euterpe.
"He broke Neville's Rememberall!" Dean said, pointing angrily at Malfoy.
"He had it, way up there, he was flying too, and then he threw it!" yelled Millie.
"That is quiet enough from all of you." Professor McGonagall said angrily. "Miss Potter and Miss Potter, come with me!" and she strode off, leaving the girls with no choice but to follow.
McGonagall didn't speak as they ascended staircases, went through doors, and passed curious students. The twins felt terrible. They hadn't even managed to last a month, and now they would be expelled. What would the Dursley's say when they arrived at their doorstep?
But Professor McGonagall didn't lead them to Dumbledore's office; instead they stopped in front of the Defence classroom. McGonagall stuck her head in and said, "Excuse me, Quirinus, but could I borrow Wood for a moment, please?"
In a second, a tall fifth year boy stood in front of them, looking curiously at Tabitha and Matilda.
"Follow me, you three." Said McGonagall, and she led them across the castle to her office. Once in, she closed and locked the door. When she turned around, she was grinning.
"Wood, I have found you two Seekers." She announced.
The boy beamed. "Really Professor?"
"Yes, and they're wonderful," McGonagall said, but then Wood frowned.
"Two Seekers? Is that legal?" he asked. The girls were completely lost. They knew about Quidditch and the positions, but they couldn't believe that McGonagall thought they should be Seekers…and there was only one Seeker…
McGonagall seemed to have been waiting for this, and she opened a large, dusty book.
"In 1912-1915 the Quidditch team The Fizzing Finaglers had two people try out for seeker who were perfectly matched in skill." She stated, pointing towards a section. "They could think of no way to decide who should play Seeker, so they went to the Department of Magical Games and Sports and after a vote, they decided that the two would play Seeker together, on one broomstick. The other teams all agreed, because it helped as much as it hindered. It took a lot of control to stay on, and both had to steer the same way, or risk tipping over. They had to train very had to be able to work together perfectly, and they did wonderfully throughout their time with the Finaglers."
She turned back to Wood, who was beaming again, practically bouncing up and down in happiness.
"And the other teams will agree because of the risks!" he cried happily. He turned to the twins. "You'll both do great, I'm sure, because you already know each other so well! This is the happiest day of my life!" he finally said, nearly in tears, and bent down to embrace the girls painfully.
"Wow, I just can't believe that," Millie said.
"That's so amazing!" Ron cried. "You'll be famous!"
"We're already famous." Tabitha reminded him.
"Oh…right."
"Wait, hold it you guys!" cried Hermione, holding the same battered old book McGonagall had used. The Gryffindor head of house had loaned it to the girls so they could explain to their friends. "Did McGonagall tell you what happened to those two seekers?" asked Hermione. They shook their heads. "They died in 1915! They turned opposite directions and flipped. They fell over four hundred feet!"
"Yeah, but that won't happen to us!" cried Matilda confidently, throwing an arm over her twin's shoulders. "We're twins. We can practically read each others minds!"
Everyone else agreed, and Hermione finally said that they were probably right.
That night at dinner, Fred and George came over to congratulate the girls and explain that they were Beaters on the team. No sooner had they left than, Malfoy arrived with…was that Theodore Nott? It was, and they were both flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.
"Having a last meal before they ship you back to the Muggles, Potter?" Malfoy sneered.
"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got you're little friends with you, Malfoy." Said Tabitha coolly. Of course, there was nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but the thugs couldn't do anything in front on the teachers except crack their knuckles and scowl.
"I'd take either of you any time by myself," said Malfoy. "How about a Wizard's Duel tonight, wands only? Tabitha against me, Matilda versus Nott."
"Or haven't you two heard of a wizard's duel?" smirked Nott.
"Of course they have!" cried Millie, standing up. "Me and Ron'll be their seconds, who's yours?"
Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up. "Crabbe,"
"Then I'll take Goyle." Said Nott as if the two larger boys weren't even there. "We'll meet at midnight, the trophy room. That's always unlocked." Then they left.
"Okay, that was weird." Said Matilda. "Since when do Malfoy and Nott hang out?"
"Good question, but what's a second?" asked Tabitha.
"Oh, a second is there to take over if you die." Ron said. Seeing the look on the girls' faces, he added. "But people only die in proper duels. The most you four will be able to do is send sparks at each other."
"But what if we wave our wands and nothing happens?" demanded Matilda.
"Throw them away and punch them in the nose." Suggested Millie.
The girls shrugged. "All right." They said in unison.
"Are you insane?" Hermione demanded, "You'll get in so much trouble!"
"I agree with Hermione," said Euterpe. "They're both up to something…"
"Well they have to now!" cried Aaric, "otherwise Malfoy will spread it around that they're scared."
"Yeah," agreed Tabitha.
"You can't! Don't you know how many rules you'll be breaking?" Hermione demanded, "You'll lose us points, and it's really selfish of you!"
"Well it's really none of your business." Said Matilda angrily.