The next week flying lessons started. Emily was quite eager to begin them, for Susan Bones had told her that James Potter had been a good Quidditch player and had been on the Gryffindor team. Emily hoped that she had inherited some of her father's flying talent and planned to try out for the Hufflepuff team next year, for the beater and one of the chasers would be graduating at the end of the year. She wished she could try out this year, for the team needed a new seeker and chaser, and that first years could have brooms.
On Wednesday afternoon the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw went out to the Quidditch pitch for the flying class. About twenty brooms lay on the ground in two rows. Madam Hooch, the instructor, appeared. After greeting the class, she told everyone to stretch a hand over their broom and say 'Up'. Emily's broom flew up to her hand at once, but it was one of the three that did so. Other had to say 'Up!' a few more times before their brooms flew into their hands, Hermione's broom merely rolled on the ground, and Hannah's broom refused to move at all. Considering that Hannah had a fear of heights when she wasn't standing on a solid surface, it wasn't that surprising.
Finally everyone was holding their brooms and Madam Hooch proceeded to demonstrate how to mount and hold them. She corrected a few grips. After that, at her whistle, the class took off. Hannah promptly let out a shriek when she found herself more than twenty feet up in the air. She tumbled off her broom, but Emily, who had been flying near her, managed to grab her robe. With Ling's and Susan's help, the three girls were able to get Hannah to sit behind Emily, who then carefully landed.
Madam Hooch praised the girls for their rescue and after making sure Hannah was all right, had her sit out for the rest of the lesson. The instructor than informed Emily that she was an excellent flier and seemed to have inherited her father's talent. Emily blushed and then took off again. Anthony took out a small glass globe and began playing catch with Terry.
After a few minutes, Terry missed the globe and it began falling towards the ground. Emily went diving after it and three feet from the ground, managed to catch it. She then was barely able to pull herself up out of the dive. "Miss Potter!" exclaimed a voice.
Emily gave a start and turned her broom around to see Professor Sprout standing next to Madam Hooch, a surprised but pleased expression on her face. "That was excellent flying, Miss Potter," said Professor Sprout, a smile on her face. "I would like to see you after class."
After class, Emily was taken to Professor Sprout's office, where a sixth year girl was waiting. Emily recognized her as Johanna Kraler, chaser and captain of the Hufflepuff team. "Miss Kraler, I have found you a seeker," said Professor Sprout.
Emily blinked in surprise. Alex had told her about Quidditch and had let her read his copy of Quidditch Through the Ages, so she knew about the popular wizarding sport. However, she had not expected that she would actually be allowed to play on the team as a first year.
Johanna looked surprised as well. "Are you certain, Professor? I know we need a new Seeker, but tryouts are being held tomorrow and Cedric Diggory and a couple of other people have said they wanted to try out for Seeker."
"Emily Potter caught a small glass globe a few feet from the ground while executing a fifty-foot dive," responded Sprout. "She didn't even scratch herself. Even Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it when he was on the Gryffindor team."
Johanna looked delighted. "Well, that changes things. With Emily on the team, we'll have a real chance of winning the Quidditch Cup. Of course, I need to see how good she is, so Emily, I would like you to attend the tryouts tomorrow. It's just for form's sake, since I'm sure you'll do admirably and get the Seeker position. Thank you for finding her, Professor Sprout."
"You're welcome. Miss Potter, I'll speak to Professor Dumbledore and see about bending the first-year rule so that we can get you a decent broom. Oh, and please don't tell anyone about this, other than your friends, but after you've told them to keep it a secret. I don't want the rest of the school finding out about it until the time comes."
"All right, Professor Sprout," said Emily. After that, she was dismissed, and she went to the Founders' Room so she could tell the rest of the Hogwarts Gang what happened, after swearing them to secrecy of course.
The next evening, Emily attended the tryouts. Out of the other candidates for Seeker, Cedric Diggory was the only one that was more than moderately good. He wasn't as good as her, though, for she beat him to the Snitch the three times that it was let out. He was very good-natured about it and then went to try out for the Chaser position. He didn't get that position, either, but was made both reserve Seeker and Chaser, due to his excellent flying skills and being second best out of all the candidates for both positions.
After tryouts, Emily wrote to Aunt Petunia to tell her news. A week after that, courtsey of her aunt and Professor Sprout, a Nimbus Two Thousand, the newest and best broom out so far, was delivered to her at breakfast. Her Hufflepuff friends had difficulty containing their delight, and when they went with her to put the broom away, was stopped by Malfoy, his two lackeys, Pansy, and Millicent out in the hall.
"What's that?" asked Pansy nastily, pointing at Emily's package.
Malfoy grabbed it and felt it. "That's a broomstick, Potter," he said with a mixture of spite and jealously. "You'll be in trouble for this, first-years aren't allowed brooms at Hogwarts."
"That's not any old broom, Malfoy, that's a Nimbus Two Thousand," snapped Susan. "What was it you said, that you had a Comet Two Sixty at home?"
"Comets may be flashy, but they're not as fast as a Nimbus," added Justin, who had spent some of the last few days looking at a copy of Which Broomstick? when the Hogwarts Gang had been wondering what kind of broom Emily would get.
"How would you know, you're just a Mudblood and not fit to fly on any broom," Malfoy spat.
Justin turned red, while the rest of the Hufflepuff turned angry. "How dare you call Justin that word!" cried Emily, eyes flashing. She pulled out her wand, intending to hex Malfoy, when Professor Flitwick appeared next to them.
"Not fighting, are we, boys and girls?" he asked in his squeaky tone of voice.
"Emily Potter's been given a broomstick," answered Pansy quickly.
"Ah yes, Pomona, I mean Professor Sprout, told me all about the special circumstances. What model is it, Miss Potter?"
"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir," replied Emily, noticing that Pansy looked thunderstruck.
"Very good. I'm sure you'll do admirably in your first match, though I do hope that my house wins, of course. Go along your way then, students."
Emily shot the Slytherins smug looks and then she had her friends went upstairs.
After that, Emily had Quidditch practice at least two times a week. Though she was smart and a good student, she still needed a little help from Hermione to get through all her homework on days when she had Quidditch practice.
One evening, the five Ravenclaws stayed longer than the rest of the Hogwarts Gang to finish their homework. By the time Ling looked at her watch, it was almost ten o'clock. Terry cursed under his breath as they realized that it was past curfew. Nervously they made their way back to the Ravenclaw common room, hoping that they wouldn't get caught.
Unfortunately, Filch could be heard talking to Mrs. Norris somewhere along the route and the Ravenclaws ran away from that direction. However, the noise they made attracted the attention of the caretaker, who went seeking for the cause. Finally the five reached a locked door. Hermione used "Alohomora" to unlock it and they quickly piled in the room. A minute later, Filch was heard walking by. After another couple of minutes, Padma let out a stifled shriek and Anthony gasped. The other three turned and saw a giant three-headed dog. The only reason it hadn't attacked was because their entrance had surprised it, but it was slowly recovering.
Terry looked white and Hermione and Ling barely managed to keep from screaming. As they backed out the door, Hermione and Anthony happened to glance at the floor and saw that the Cerberus was standing on the trapdoor. The five ran all the way to the Ravenclaw common room, where the bronze eagle-shaped knocker asked, "What is round like the moon and deep as a cup, but all the water in the world cannot fill it up?" Gasping for breath, the five exchanged looks, wondering what the answer was.
Finally Ling figured it out and gasped out "A- a s-sieve."
"Correct," said the knocker and they were allowed to enter.
Once they had all calmed down, Anthony asked, "Did anyone besides me see what the three-headed dog was standing on?"
"The floor?" asked Padma sarcastically. "I was too busy staring at its three heads to pay any attention to its feet."
"No, not the floor!" exclaimed Hermione impatiently. "It was standing on a trapdoor! That dog is obviously guarding something, most likely whatever it was Dumbledore asked Hagrid to fetch from Gringotts."
Terry gasped. "We have to tell the others about it tomorrow." The others agreed and then they went to bed.
