Chapter Seven

Flying Lessons

In the next couple of days, Mia began to get used to life at Hogwarts. She was really enjoying her unusual classes, and beginning to learn her way around the castle. However, some things took longer to get used to, such as the crazy knight who followed you through seven floors down the breakfast challenging you to a duel, or Peeves, the Poltergeist, who delighted in making you jump by floating through walls right in front of you, or directing you the wrong way when you were lost, especially through doors that were really walls pretending to be doors, or down staircases with trick stairs that you sank down to your knee.

On Wednesday afternoon, the first years had their first flying lesson. Mia was nervous as she and her friends headed out to the grounds – they'd all be flying all their lives, whereas she had never even touched a broomstick before.

When they arrived at the Quidditch pitch, they found forty broomsticks, set out in four circles. Lily, Hugo and Mia bade goodbye to Louis, and headed over to join the rest of the Gryffindors, where Danielle Wood was standing in the middle of the circle.

"Right, is everyone here?" she asked, as the three of them took their places in the circle. There was one broom with a space next to it. "Are we still waiting for someone?"

"Alexander," Kieran Finnegan said. "There he is."

They all watched the figure in the distance running towards the pitch. When he arrived, Danielle addressed the group.

"Right, I want you to hold your hand out above your broom, and say, very firmly, 'up'."

She demonstrated, and her broom immediately sprang into her hand immediately.

"Up," Lily said, and her broom sprang into her hand too.

"Up," Hugo said. The broom twitched. "Aw, c'mon, UP!" His broom jumped up obediently too.

Mia was nervous to try – what if the broom just refused to move?

"Come on, Mia," Lily said.

Mia sighed. "Up," she said firmly, and, to her surprise, the broom soared up into her outstretched hand. She felt it tingling against her palm, ready to fly.

By degrees, everyone else's brooms found their way to their hands, although Mia saw Alexander Abercrombie surreptitiously bend down and pick up his broom when Danielle wasn't watching.

"Now then," Danielle said, "when you're ready, I want you to kick off hard from the ground, and rise up just a few feet," Danielle said. She demonstrated, hovering three or four feet off the ground. "Now you try."

Lily and Hugo immediately rose up and hovered, level with Danielle. Alexander rose up a few feet, then tipped forwards, and fell, head first, off of his broom. Rachel couldn't even get off the ground. Mia kicked off, and effortlessly rose up to join Hugo, Lily, and a handful of others who could fly, more or less. She was surprised at how easy it all was – she had been expecting a similar experience to Alexander or Rachel.

"Watch," Lily said, tilting her broom upwards and climbing to six or seven feet.

"Lily," Hugo sighed, "you'll get into trouble."

"Spoilsport," Lily said, her boot brushing the top of Hugo's head as she hovered above him.

"Lily Potter, come back down!" Lily yelled.

"But I can go higher," Lily said sulkily, tilting her broom forwards and coming back to join Hugo and Mia.

"You can, but I said only a few feet," Danielle said firmly. "So if you do something I've told you not to again, you'll spend the rest of the lesson on the ground."

In the next hour, Danielle taught them how to tilt forward and land, how to fly forward, and how to turn. Mia found herself easily able to keep up with Lily and Hugo, who were clearly the best fliers in the class.

"Shall we go and watch the Quidditch tryouts on Saturday?" Mia suggested tentatively as they headed up to the castle for dinner.

"Sure," Hugo shrugged. "We ought to go support Roxy – cuz you can bet on your life the older cousins'll just mock her."

"But good for her if she gets on the team," Lily said. "D'you know anyone else who's trying out?"

"No one else from the family, if that's what you mean," Hugo said. "There's only Al and Rose who are in Gryffindor but not on the team. And seriously, have you seen Rose on a broom?"

"Al can fly," Lily said. "But I think he doesn't want to be compared to Dad."

"He's already got the hair, the eyes and the glasses," Hugo said. "All he needs now is the scar and the Quidditch legend."

"Exactly," Lily said.

Saturday morning dawned clear, with a lingering frost. Mia woke early, and attempted to finish off a Charms essay before breakfast. However, her mind kept wandering, to the Quidditch pitch outside where, in her mind, she was flying even higher than Lily had flown yesterday. But the charms essay – yes, that was what she was supposed to be doing - was difficult. Mia considered asking Lily for help, but no – Lily had her own homework to do, and anyway, Mia didn't want Lily to know she couldn't do the homework.

As ten o'clock approached, Lily, Hugo and Mia headed down to the Quidditch pitch, along with Louis, who had tagged along to support Roxanne. The four of them settled themselves in the stands to watch the tryouts.

Keeper tryouts were first – each prospective keeper took two penalties from each Chaser. There were seven or eight keepers to get through, and, an hour later, Danielle announced, using the Sonorous Charm again, that the new Keeper would be Will Darrow, who was also Head Boy.

Then it was time for the Beater tryouts. There were only four prospective Beaters, and Danielle set them up playing a sort of match, with Fred, James and the teams seeker, acting as a third Chaser so Danielle could watch, scoring against Will, and the Beaters in two pairs, one protecting the Chasers, the others sending the Bludgers towards them.

The play was good, as all the Beaters were reasonable fliers. After swapping the roles and pairs around several times, Danielle announced that the team's new Beaters would be Mary Cattermole and Roxanne Weasley.

Mia saw Fred pull one of Roxanne's long pig-tails and hug her as she landed beside him. Roxanne grinned – Mia could tell her brother's approval meant everything to her.

The new team, rejected members and supporters headed up to the castle for lunch together. Lily, Hugo and Mia found themselves walking with Will.

"So, how's your first week been, guys?" he asked.

"Good," Lily nodded. "I guess I won't tell you about the girl I want to hex, seeing as you're head boy..."

"Probably best not to," Will grinned.

"How come you've never tried out for the team before, if you're in seventh year?" Hugo asked.

"Because they already had a really good keeper, Olivia Wood, who was in the year above me," Will said. "I've played as a reserve a few times, though."

"Will," Mia said tentatively. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," Will said. "Go on, you guys – we'll catch you up."

Lily and Hugo walked on, and Will turned to Mia.

"So. What did you want to talk to me about?"

Mia didn't like to ask for help, but this was something she really wanted, and something that she couldn't do without help. "What qualities do you need to have to be a Keeper?" she asked eventually.

Will grinned. "Trying to decide if I'm good enough?" he asked.

"No..." Mia said. "I just wondered..."

"Well, I guess it's less about what goes on on the broom, and more about what goes on up here," Will said, tapping his head. "You have to have quick reflexes and good instincts, and then of course be able to turn quickly."

"You'll be leaving next year, so Gryffindor will need another Keeper," Mia said.

"That's true," Will nodded. "What are you thinking?"

"We had our first flying lesson on Wednesday, and I found it pretty easy," Mia said. "I didn't think I would, but I could keep up with Lily and Hugo, and they've been flying all their life. "And, at Primary School, whenever we played football or netball I always played goalkeeper."

"You fancy yourself as keeper?" Will asked.

"Well, yeah..." Mia said. "But I might not be any good at it..."

"Well, I tell you what," Will said. "The first Gryffindor practice is Thursday night at seven. Why don't you come down to the pitch at half six, and I'll give you half an hour's coaching – see you fly, try and put a couple goals past you, that sort of thing."

"You'd do that?" Mia asked.

"Sure," Will said.

"And Will," Mia said. "Could you... please could you not tell anyone about this?"

"I'll have to tell Danielle to get the key so we can use the Quaffle," Will said. "But apart from that, I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to."

"Thanks," Mia said. "I just think people like James and Fred would tease... and if no one knows and then I' rubbish, I'll be saved the humiliation."

"I'm sure you won't be rubbish," Will said. "Anyway, we better get going – I've got a prefect's meeting this afternoon, so I need to get some lunch."
The two of them walked into the castle together in silence. When they reached the Great Hall, they parted - Will going to sit with some fellow seventh years, and Mia joining the Weasley clan, who tended to sit together at weekends.

"What was that all about?" Will asked as Mia sat down between her and Hugo's sister Rose.

"Nothing," Mia said, deciding that, at least for the time being, Quidditch would be her own little secret.