The Flying Lesson – A New Seeker:

After that break, the first years headed outside to have their first flying lesson. They were in the huge courtyard surrounded by one of the gates and brick walls.

Just over the brick walls, they could see a good view of towering stands of blue, green, yellow and red with matching flags.

They were in two lines facing each other with brooms laid out before them.

A teacher, with brown eyes, short grey hair and dressed in grey robes with a whistle round her neck walked between them.

"Good afternoon, class!" she greeted.

"Good afternoon, Madam Hooch!"

"Good afternoon. Good afternoon," Hooch muttered as she came to the end of the line. She turned towards everyone to begin the lesson. "Welcome to your first flying lesson. Now I would like you all to step up to the left side of your broomstick,"

The students stepped forward to the left sides of their broom.

Hooch gave out her next instruction. "Stick your hand over the broom and say, "Up,"

The students proceeded to follow the instructions. The first one to do with it with just a single attempt was Jenny.

"Wow," she commented feeling proud of herself.

"Great job," Cass standing next to her on her right commented. She said, "Up" and her broom came up to her hand too.

"Great job to you too," Jen said as well.

The majority of the students were still struggling a bit.

Draco finally got in his broom to come up to his hand. He was smirking with pride as he observed Ron still struggling. Henry, on Jenny's right, was struggling too.

"Up!" Ron demanded the room a 10th tenth. It came up but it banged into his head.

Cass couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"Shut up, Cass," Ron said feeling offended.

"Sorry," Cass quickly apologised.

Finally everyone got their broomstick in their left hands.

Hooch proceeded on. "Now, once you've got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it,"

Everyone mounted it like a child playing with a play horse.

"Grip it tight. You don't want to be sliding off the end," Hooch advised. "When I blow my whistle, I want you to kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your broom steady, hover for a moment…then lean forward slightly and touch back down," she held up her gold whistle. "On my whistle. Three. Two…" 'tweeeeet'. The whistle gave out.

Neville, on Ron's right, suddenly started lifting up into the air. Soon he came right above the level of his classmates' heads.

"Mr. Longbottom," Hooch's alert made everyone look at Neville.

"Neville, you gotta come down," Cass urged.

Neville tried to but he didn't have any good control of his broom.

"Mr. Longbottom. Down, down!" Hooch ordered.

"Neville!" all the Gryffindors called out fearing for his life.

The broom continued carrying Neville up and up and up. He tried to direct it down but he didn't have any luck at all.

"Come back down this instant!" Hooch shouted.

Soon the broom went crazy. It steered itself, right and left and left and right and then spinning round in circles and spiriling make Neville feel queasy and sick and dizzy. He desperately continued to cling on.

He flew right into a wall. The broom went 'thud' 'thud' 'thud' in cricles until it made Neville and itself fly down and then right towards Hooch and the students.

Hooch pulled out her cedar wand to stop it but it was too fast so she jumped out of the way whilst the students dodged just in time.

The broom went through the nearby gate tunnel, up over the top and towards a statue. Right as they zoomed past the statue, it's poky point of its poky spear caught Neville by his robe and it pulled him off the broom.

He was now hanging 400 feet above the grass like a caught fish.

Hooch and the students dashed to the base of the tower to look up at him as they feared for his life.

'rip'

Neville looked up and saw the edge of robe ripping apart on the hook against his weight.

The robe edge wripped and he fell down.

This time, his robe got caught on a torch holder.

But then, he slipped out of his robe and landed with a loud 'thud'

"Everyone, out of the way!" Hooch ordered as she jogged over to a poor, hurt Neville.

The students watched anxiously for Neville.

"Is he alright?" Henry asked quietly.

"I hope he is," Cass said with worry. "He doesn't look good,"

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Jen said hopeful for him.

"Oww," Neville whimpered in pain as Hooch helped him up.

"Oh, dear, it's a broken wrist," Hooch sympathised helping up and gently holding his broken right wrist. "Poor boy. Come now, up you get,"

Draco smirked as he saw Neville's Remembrall laying on the grass. It had fallen out of his robe pocket whilst he was spinning about on his broom. He picked it up intending to greedily keep it for himself.

Hooch helped Neville onto his feet and they started walking through the small crowd of first years. "Everyone is to keep your feet on the ground whilst I take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing. Do you understand?" Hooch was serious with her order and question. Before she and Neville disappeared, she gave out a final warning. "If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will be kicked out of Hogwarts before they can say Quidditch,"

The students waiting there were keen to obey it. One wasn't quite.

Draco turned towards all his fellow Slytherins. "Do you see his face? Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze…" he reffered to Neville's Remembrall. "…he'd had remember to fall on his fat bottom!"

This made the Slytherins laugh.

Cass wouldn't have. She shoved Draco forward.

He turned to his sneering at her.

"You should be ashamed of yourself. Mocking Neville like that when he just got injured. He could have been hurt even worse,"

"Well sorry, Lumpkin but he's a big fatty forgetful boy who even forgot his own Rememberall,"

"Give it here, Malfoy!" Cass ordered holding out her hand. "It doesn't belong to you!"

"It doesn't belong to you, either!" Draco suddenly pushed Cass to the ground. He, his cronies and the other Slytherins laughed.

Ron and Jen helped Cass onto her feet and glared hatefully at Draco.

"Give the Remembrall here, Malfoy!" Jen ordered. "Or I push you back,"

"No," Draco answered. "And your threats don't scare. I'm goanna leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find," Draco mounted his broom and unexpectantly lifted him into a controlled way into the air. "How about onto the roof?!" he jeered as he made his broom fly higher.

He turned and looked down towards everyone else. "What's the matter, Jenny?" he jeered up wanting to get her to fly up to him. "Bit beyond your reach? Or are you scared of heights?"

Jen wouldn't have it. "That's it," She mounted her broom.

"Jenny, no way!" Henry stepped in. "You heard what Madam Hooch said. Besides you don't even know how to fly,"

"I don't care what she said. Malfoy's gotta learn that he can't mock or bully students like that,"

Jenny took off into the air.

"What an idiot," Henry muttered.

Ron elbowed him.

"Ow!" he angrily looked at Ron. "What was that for?"

"For calling her an idiot,"

"She's goanna get expelled,"

Up above, Jenny skilfully made her broom get in line with Malfoy's. "Give it here Malfoy or I'll knock off your broom!" Jen threatened.

"Is that so?" Malfoy cooed with mocking pleasure as he tossed the Remembrall up and down.

Jen dove forwards to try and grab it but Malfoy dodged her by swing round on his broom.

Jen turned her broom back to him. "You've got one more chance!"

"Have it your way then!" Malfoy gave a might throw with the Remembrall and it went soaring through the air.

Jen's eyes widened. She made her broom fly forwards as fast as she could. The Remembrall was heading straight for a wide stone tower.

Before it could hit it and smash, Jen, letting go of the broom with her one hand, snatched it from the air. As she did, she did a single quick spiral that didn't make her feel dizzy.

She held the Remembrall with her right up to her eyes whilst keeping a tight hold on her left hand. She smiled as she had saved it. "Got it," She directed her broom back towards the courtyard where her classmates were waiting.

What she didn't realise was that McGonagall had observed her spiral catch from outside her office window. She eyed Jen as she flew at a fast pace back towards the pitch.

Jen landed back in the courtyard and she saw the majority of her class running towards her. "I got it!" she called out.

"Well done, Jen!" Cass said.

"That was wicked!" Ron complimented.

"Nice going, Jen!" the majority of the others including Henry said.

Everyone was so busy complimenting on Jen's amazing catch that they didn't notice McGonagall walking up to them. She was looking very serious.

"Jenny Potter!" her voice made everyone look at her.

"Uh oh," Ron muttered fearing his new friend was goanna get expelled.

"Follow me," McGonagall ordered. She turned and a worried Jen trailed behind her.

Draco (who had landed back on the ground earlier before the teacher arrived) and his cronies smirked. "Well. Well. Looks, like the Girl Who Lived is goanna be kicked out of school," he insulted as they all watched Jen and McGonagall disappear.

Cass and Ron turned to him infuriated. "So are you when we tell the Headmaster about what you did," Ron pointed a sharp finger at Draco.

"We should punch you so hard in the face, you won't be able to see daylight again," Cass had her spare fist clutched.

"I'd like to see you two try," Draco was not all scared.

The two were about to do when Henry blocked them. "Don't guys! Don't get Gryffindor into trouble! Punching him won't do any good for Jenny,"

Jenny, all worried at the thought of being expelled when she was just starting to like the place, walked slowly behind McGonagall, still carrying her broom and Neville's Remembrall.

"Look Professor, I can explain…" she attempted to say.

"There'll be no explanation required," she interrupted stilling leading the way and not looking back at her.

McGonagall led her through some corridors and they came in front of the door to the classroom.

"Wait here," McGonagall ordered.

Jenny obeyed.

McGonagall slowly intruded on a Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom being run by Quirrell. He was teaching fourth year students. "Professor Quirrell, excuse me. Sorry for interrupting like this. Could I borrow Wood for a moment please?"

"Of course," Quirrell answered in his usual stuttered stone as he was holding a large lizard creature.

A fourth year student with short brown hair and eyes stepped out of the classroom.

"Jenny, this is Oliver Wood," McGonagall introduced Jen to Oliver. "Wood, I have found you, a Seeker,"

Oliver's eyes lit up.

"A Seeker?" Jen asked, looking confused and relieved. "I'm not going to get expelled?"

"No. you're not," McGonagall said. "You would be. If I had not seen that amazing spiral catch with that Remembrall outside my window,"

"Wait, you saw that?"

"I did, indeed. And I have to say that this is the perfect skill required for a Seeker," McGonagall spoke proudly.

"Are you sure, we can put her on the team?" Oliver asked. "She's only a first year,"

"Wood, if that girl has got great skill then she's perfect for the team,"

"Then I shall start training her soon as possible," Oliver turned to look at Jenny. "Jenny, tomorrow I'll shall take you to the courtyard and I'll teach you as there is to know about being a Seeker and about Quidditch,"

"Quidditch? What's Quidditch?" Jen asked.

"It's the most famous flying Wizard sport," Oliver explained. "With my guidance, you'll became a wonderful player on our house's team,"

Cass and Ron were walking worriedly through the corridor. "I really hope Jen doesn't get expelled. She was only sticking up for Neville," Cass said.

"Hello, there you two," Sir Nick and a female friend of his surprised.

"Hello, Sir Nick," they greeted.

"Haven't you two heard? Jenny Potter is the new Gryffindor Quiddtich Seeker,"

"She's not expelled?" Cass asked feeling relieved.

"Nope," a voice answered behind them. "She isn't,"

Ron and Cass turned and saw Jenny behind them.

"Thank goodness. We feared the worse," Ron said relieved. The three continued as their way as they started discussing more about Jen's new Quidditch position.

"First years never make the house teams," Ron said surprised. "You must be the youngest player in…"

"A century, according to McGonagall," Jen analysed.

Fred and George came up to them. They looked at Jenny with proud excited faces. "Well done, Jenny. Wood's just told us," George said.

"You must be so proud of yourself," Fred said.

"They're on the team, Jen," Ron cut in. "They're beaters,"

"What do beaters do?" Jen asked.

"Their role is to keep these nasty balls called Bludgers from hitting anymore of their teammates," Cass explained. "My dad also told me that Beaters can even hit Bludgers at other teams. So you'll need to be very careful,"

"Well, what can one say? Quidditch is a rough, tough game," Fred pointed.

"Uh, guys. You're kinda making Jen feel more nervous," Ron referred to Jen who was becoming worried.

"Oh, sorry," the twins both answered.

"Well, we'd better be off now," George said ending the conversation.

"See you guys later," Fred waved at them as they disappeared away.

Cass and Ron both noticed Jenny was feeling really nervous.

"Jen, you're goanna do great," Cass praised.

"But Cass, Ron…I've never played Quidditch before," Jen pointed out. "What if I let our house down? What if I make a fool of myself?"

"Jen…" a new familiar voice cut in. "You won't make a fool of yourself,"

The three turned and saw Henry behind them. "It's in your blood, Jen,"

"My blood?" Jen asked. "What do you mean?"

"Come with me. I wanna show you something," Henry took Jen's hand and pulled her along through the crowded corridor.

Cass and Ron ran up to keep up with them.

Henry led Jen and the trailing two over to the trophy room. They were standing in front of a cabinet with golden trophies all of all shapes and sizes.

"Look," Henry pointed his finger towards a trophy shield with small shields of gold embedded all of around with engraved names.

"Blimey," Ron said surprised. "Jen, you never said your father was a seeker,"

They were all gazing full-eyed at the largest shield that James Potter engraved.

"I didn't know," Jen said. "There's still so much about him and my mother that I don't know,"

"You're goanna make them proud," Cass said. "You're goanna be a star in this game just like him,"

"You're just saying that to make me feel better,"

"No, it's true," Henry said coming a bit in between Ron and Jen much to Ron's annoyance. "If your father can do it, so can you. You just goanna have faith in yourself. Gryffindor does. So should you,"

Jen gave a slight smile of confidence.