Mako's Message: Oh my god it's a Christmas Miracle!
That said, thank you for clicking on this story, whether you found it through browsing, and Author Alert, or a many year old Story Alert. I've written over 110 chapters for various stories over the last year, so I feel confident that I will be able to continue this story at last. I apologize for any changes in tone or style from the previous chapters as a lot of time has passed and my style has changed, as writing styles tend to do. I hope if you enjoyed it before and are coming back to it, that you will still enjoy the story. I also apologize for the brevity of this chapter. It ends on what I felt was a natural stopping point, even though it's not the cliffhanger it pretends to be, and I liked the title "First Flight" too much to change it when I realized how little flying would take up the chapter if I took it all the way through the meeting with Fluffy as I'd originally intended. If you're familiar with my more recent work you'll also know that I just tend to write short chapters nowadays.
And with that out of the way, enjoy the story!
-Year One Ch7, First Flight-
"'The supply closet'?" Fred asked
"Is that really what you said?" George asked?
Harry nodded his head.
"That's brilliant!" the two chorused.
"I know." Ron said, "Snape was furious and you could tell he was about to take points for it, but then Harry gave him a real answer. He should have gotten more than one point for answering all those questions though."
"Yeah, well," George started.
"Snape's a git." Fred finished.
Harry might have enjoyed the conversation going on around him, but his mind was otherwise occupied. He couldn't stop thinking about the break in at Gringotts. It'd happened the day he and Hagrid had been there. They day they had emptied a vault. And the vault that had been broken into was emptied that day.
He knew it was the same vault. That the thief had been after whatever they'd removed. And he knew this was desperately important. He just couldn't figure out why it was so important let alone figure out why he was so sure of it's importance.
.oOo.
Fortunately, there were other things to take his mind off of it. Things like Draco Malfoy.
Draco Malfoy was a boy who actually managed to make Harry miss Dudley, of all people. And Harry had never considered himself a violent person, until he met Draco. Yet, despite the urges he'd get to curse his face off whenever he saw him, Harry couldn't shake the feeling that he should at least try to be civil to the boy if nothing else.
Fortunately, he only had one class with him; Potions, though Harry would have preferred having two classes with Draco over having to put up with Draco and Snape at the same time.
He got half of his wish though one day when they saw a notice had been pinned up saying that flying lessons would begin that Thursday, and that they'd be learning with the Slytherins. But while the rest of the first year Gryffindors groaned at this, Harry was focused on only one thing; he was going to get to fly.
.oOo.
On Thursday morning his class was a bundle of nerves. Mostly due to Hermione and Neville's nervousness seemingly being contagious. Though he felt Neville was completely justified since all Harry had to do was look at him and know that something bad was going to happen to him today. Of course, something bad usually happened to him anyway.
Almost as an example of that, Neville received a package that morning from his grandmother. A large glass marble that seemed to be filled with smoke that turned red almost as soon as Neville picked it up, telling him that he'd forgotten something. Unfortunately he couldn't remember what it was he'd forgotten.
Malfoy happened to be walking by the table just then, and snatched the Rememberall up. Harry and Ron jumped to their feet, and while Harry wanted desperately to be given a reason to punch Draco in his smug, ferrety face, he couldn't shake the feeling that this needed to be handled diplomatically, "Give it back Draco," he grated out through clenched teeth, "Think about how your representing the...highly respectable and noble house of Malfoy."
Malfoy hesitated for a second before dropping it disdainfully into Neville's lap, "I'm sure you'll make good use of this, until you forget where you put it" and he walked off laughing while Neville turned the same color as the Rememberall.
McGonagall walked up then, smiling, "Very well handled Mr. Potter. Fi- no, TEN points to Gryffindor."
"Nice going Potter!" Seamus said as he sat back back. He noticed Hermione smiling at him, seemingly impressed. Ron however, was starring at him like he'd just grown a second head, "'the highly respectable house of MALFOY'? Are you mad?"
Harry shrugged, "I won us points."
Ron looked like he'd have rather lost points than say anything even remotely complimentary about the Malfoys.
.oOo.
That afternoon the first year Gryiffindors left the castle and headed down to a large flat area of the rolling Hogwarts grounds where they would be taking their flying lessons. Unfortunately the Slytherins, were already there, but their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived shortly after them so there was no time for any antagonism. Though, Harry felt like Draco could have started throwing hexes and he wouldn't have cared, so long as he got to fly.
Madam Hooch instructed them all to stand next to a broom, hold their hand over it, and say, "Up."
Everyone did as instructed, though when Harry cried, "Up!" the broom leapt into his hand with such eagerness that he was nearly lifted off his feet and into the air, which Harry didn't mind at all. On the other end of the spectrum however, where Hermione and Neville, whose brooms just sort of rolled over or didn't so much as twitch, respectively. Everyone else was somewhere in between.
Eventually everyone had gotten their brooms off the ground, and Madam Hooch went around instructing them on how to properly grip the broom(Harry and Ron exchanged wide grins when Malfoy was told he'd been doing it wrong for years), and how to sit on it without sliding off.
Harry hoped Neville was paying attention, but a glance in his direction made him sigh; Neville looked so scared he doubted he'd heard anything that'd been said.
Finally, when Madam Hooch was satisfied with how everyone was sitting on their brooms she said, "Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle – three – two -"
And Neville launched himself into the air before the whistle had even touched Madam Nooch's lips.
"Come back, boy!" she shouted but Neville continued to rise with no signs of stopping. Without even realizing it, Harry was airborne and quickly catching up to Neville. "Potter! What do you think you're doing?" she yelled.
Harry came up beside Neville and reached out for him, "Give me your hand."
But Neville just looked back at Harry white faced with fear and unable to move.
"Neville! Your hand!"
"Listen to him!" Madam Hooch called out.
Neville looked down at the sound of her voice and went even paler. Neville started to slide off the broom and Harry moved in to grab him but wasn't fast enough, feeling Neville's robes slip through his fingers.
Harry watched resignedly as Neville hit the ground and barely even winced at the sound of bone breaking. He sighed. The whole thing suddenly seemed as if it'd been inevitable, and he was somehow sure that Neville was fine. Or at least that he would be.
Harry glided down with Neville's broom in hand as the students and Madam Hooch clustered around him. "Come on, boy – it's all right, up you get."
She turned to the rest of the class, "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'. Come on dear," and she put her arm around Neville as he hobbled off.
As soon as they were out of earshot Draco burst into laughter, "Did you see his face. The great lump?"
The other Slytherins joined in.
"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.
"Ooh, stcking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, "Never thought you'dlike fat little cry-babies, Parvati."
"Look!" Draco suddenly shouted, and he and Harry both bolted to the spot where Neville had fallen. Draco reached it first and snatched up the glittering Rememberall, smiling smugly at Harry, "You want this, eh, Potter?"
"Just give that here."
"I don't think so. But since you think you're such a great flier, "He leapt on to a broom, "You can just come and get it!"
"No!" Hermione yelled, but Harry was already in the air and flying after Draco.
Draco lead him a short chase across the lawn; swerving, diving, climbing, and growing increasingly annoyed at Harry's ability to stay right on top of him no matter what he did.
Draco suddenly pulled up short and Harry overshot him by a small margin before turning around to face him. "What's the matter Draco? Giving up already?" he said as he prepared to rush in and snatch the Rememberall back.
Draco sneered, though much of the cockiness had left him, "No, just thought it time for a new game. Catch!" and he threw the Rememberall as far as he could before diving back to the ground.
Harry watched it soar through the air, then, when it'd reached it's highest point and started to fall to the ground, he rocketed forward. His heart raced and his spirits soared as the wind whipped through his hair. The ball gained speed, but Harry watched it carefully, and flew unerringly. Their paths intersected a mere foot from the ground as he whirled his broom around and reached out to snatch it from the air.
His eyes wide with excitement, he was about to thrust the fist clutching the Rememberall into the air, victorious, then-
"HARRY POTTER!"
Crap.
