Harry James Potter wasn't a mean boy by any means, growing up he despised bullies, as he was always getting picked on by his cousin Dudley. Yet the night before Harry and his friends had snuck into the room where the brooms were kept and jinxed nearly a third of them. The young Potter boy wasn't exactly peer pressured to do it, yet he did the deed. Knowing full well the consequences and even the ramifications of injuring his fellow student. After sneaking out at night he couldn't sleep adrenaline, fear, and excitement of getting caught was all too much to handle.
This morning though a note was put up in the Slytherin common room stating flying lessons would be with the Gryffindor students. His friends couldn't be happier with Draco going as far to jump for joy at the thought of physically harming the Gryffindor students. Before flying even happened they were already receiving pats on the back, but even after all the acknowledgement and praise Harry had gotten, something about the situation didn't full sit right with him.
Either way Harry had gone on with his day, eating breakfast at the Great Hall and talking to Daphne about Potions as they were know permeant partners in class.
Harry hadn't had a single letter, something that his friends had been quick to notice, especially the Malfoy heir in particular.
Draco's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table.
Harry didn't take it personally knowing the young blonde knew that he received the most letters and sweets compared to their whole house, maybe even the entire school. This is how Harry realized the boy's gloating wasn't directed at him.
As Draco began his usual brags about sweets, Harry noticed an owl drop a package for Longbottom.
A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.
"It's a Remembrall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things - this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red - oh. . . " His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, ". . . you've forgotten something. . . " Harry couldn't help but laugh a little, he might be the Boy-Who-Lived but he was extremely forgetful and clumsy. He noticed from the corner of his eye Draco get up with Crabbe and Goyle, who Harry believed couldn't hold a conversatiion to save their lives.
Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.
Neville and Ron jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfoy, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.
"What's going on?"
"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor. "
Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.
"Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.
Harry rolled his eyes from the interaction, making Theo elbow him.
He looked at his friend annoyed "We should get going" Theo stated, having Blaise laugh in response, "Lets get the good brooms" Zabini said with a wink, as Harry sighed.
As flying lessons approached he stood next to Theo slightly less excited then the other Slytherin first years. They had arrived early to take the un-jinxed broom sticks leaving the Gryffindors with few options.
"Typical just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick" he said darkly, his gloomy tone evident.
"You don't know if you'll make a fool of yourself" Theo began, "I walked past the trophy case and saw your father had won a few for Gryffindor back in his day" Harry's eyes widened. "Where did you see that" Harry asked.
"I'll show you later, but he was their star Chaser, so lighten up you might have some natural talent" the Nott boy stated positively.
Blaise approached watching the Malfoy boy brag to his other housemates about his flying skills. "I bet Malfoy's all talk, someone that goes on about Quidditch all the time, has to be" Theo snorted and Harry couldn't help but crack a smile, his nervousness forgotten.
Malfoy certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters. He wasn't the only one, though: most of the boys who had grown up in Wizarding households went on about their childhoods zooming around the countryside on their broomsticks.
Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.
"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up. "
Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.
"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!'"
"UP" everyone shouted.
Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once, but it was one of the few that did. Not one of the Gryffindors popped up, but he wasn't sure it was because their lack of talent or the Jinx that was put on the Gryffindor broomsticks.
Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Harry, Theo, and Blaise were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years. "I knew he was all talk" Blaise murmured, Harry couldn't help but smirk. It seemed Ron and Neville were just as happy with Malfoy not being as good as he says, but even so they wouldn't be smiling for long.
"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle - three - two-"
All of a sudden half the Gryffindor brooms took off at once. They were rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle - twelve feet - twenty feet. Harry saw their scared white faces look down at the ground falling away, saw them gasp, slip sideways off the broom and -
WHAM - a thud, and a few nasty cracks left half the Gryffindor first years including Ron ,Parvati, Lavender Brown, Fay Dunbar, and Seamus Finnigan lay facedown on the grass in a heap.
Madam Hooch turned white with fear, as harm had befallen her students.
Madam Hooch bent over looking at their injuries, some had broken wrists while others had broken ankles.
"None of you is to move while I take them to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'." she stated in a state of shock and rage, that some of her students were injured.
"I will watch them Madam Hooch" said Professor McGonagall walking toward them, looking upset that her Gryffindors were hurt. Madam Pomfrey rushed out as well lifting the students who couldn't work with a levitation spell.
"We will get to the bottom of whoever jinxed the brooms" she stated sternly but their was an angry undertone in her voice as she looked over the remaining students. Her eyes fell on the Slytherin students but said nothing, not wanting to jump to conclusions.
"If any of you know the students who were involved in this incident, speak up now, and if you were the perpetrator come forward and he punishment for this will be less severe" she stated coldly.
None of the Slytherin students said a word, while Neville and Hermione began accusing them.
"Professor it had to be them, they came before us" Neville stated pointing a finger at their rival house. Hermione nodded in agreement as did many other classmates, "None of them were even harmed".
Minerva sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Professor Dumbledore will look over the incident, the rest of you head back to your dormitories" she stated.
They did as they were told while the Gryffindors glared at them.
Harry did feel bad, but now his guilt turned into nervousness over being caught.
"Do you think they'll figure out who did it" Blaise asked slightly shaken. They didn't mean to break any bones just give them a small tumble maybe a cut or scrape. Seems even Theo was a bit taken back and was more quiet then usual.
"Relax" Draco said strutting in calmly, "I doubt anyone will know who it was"
"And why is that" Harry asked harshly, "Nobody saw us" he started waving his hand almost dismissively, "Students pull cruel pranks all the time and Dumbledore does nothing about it, the brooms are old and about 6 broke, pretty coincidental" he finished.
"How do you explain six malfunctioning brooms that break at the same time" Theo asked annoyed.
Draco shrugged "They were old, the fault will lie with Dumbledore, the school will probably just receive newer brooms to replace the outdated models".
As if Draco new the future, he was right, nothing happened. After the students were released from the hospital wing no one spoke of it again as if it never occurred.
Halloween
On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom. Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Theo. He noticed Ron Weasley, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. Harry couldn't care less as long as Slytherin gained points focusing on the task at hand.
"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too - never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest. "
It was very difficult. Theo swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop.
Harry on the other hand said the magic words "Wingardium Leviosa" as his feather hovered up above his head.
"Oh well done Mr. Potter" Flitwick exclaimed with loud clapping, " Everyone has done it on his first try, 5 points to Slytherin" he said excitingly. Harry smiled from the praise.
Ron, at the next table, started glaring as he had no luck at all.
Theo was about to ask how he did it so fast but was then interrupted.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Weasley shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill. Both Theo and Harry watched the seen play out before them.
"You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing- gar -dium Levi- o -sa, make the 'gar' nice and long. "
"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.
Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.
"Oh, well done as well !" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"
Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class, Harry noticed.
"It's no wonder no one can stand her," Harry heard Ron mutter to Neville, as the Gryffindor boys pushed their way into the crowded corridor in front of the Slytherin boys, "she's a nightmare, honestly. "
Harry and Theodore over heard "Even her own housemates hate her" Nott stated. When someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face - and was startled to see that she was in tears.
"I think she heard them talking." Harry said, when Draco and Blaise came up behind them, "Serves the mud-blood right" Draco murmured. Blaise nodded in agreement, but only Theo noticed Harry grow slightly startled at the vile word.
On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, where the Halloween decorations were quite extravagant .
A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.
Harry was just helping himself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll - in the dungeons - thought you ought to know. "
He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.
There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.
"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"
Draco shot up, "Its in the dungeons! Thats where we go" he exclaimed scared.
"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!" Gemma Farley stated taking control.
"How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed down the stairs.
"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Theo. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke. " Blaise stated trying to lighten the mood.
They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, then running Ravenclaws.
"This school has gone slightly mad" Harry stated, "Slightly" he heard Daphne exclaim sarcastically.
The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent down to them.
"Wonder what happened to the Troll" Blaise asked mid chew.
"We'll probably never find out, all that Professor Snape told us was that it was no longer a threat" Theo stated. Harry shrugged "Whatever that means."
