Percy didn't think he'd meet anyone more annoying than Clarisse. After all, she had tried to maim him during his first week there and has continued to be an arrogant, headstrong idiot on par with her father. All three of her most infuriating aspects had been perfected by one Draco Malfoy. When Percy decided that Clarisse was the most arrogant person he knew, he had yet to be Draco Malfoy. Jut the sight of him annoyed Percy. Malfoy walked around like he owned the place and talked to almost everyone not in Slytherin like they were below him. He talked like how Zeus talked, except Zeus actually was powerful. Malfoy ran around expecting everyone to respect him just for being in the "noble" house of Malfoy.

So when Percy learned that they were taking flying lessons with the Slytherins, Percy muttered greek curses underneath his breath.

Now almost everyone talked about flying. And this time, it seemed that the boasting and bragging were not limited to Malfoy as almost everyone else was also talking about their previous adventures. Many purebloods and halfbloods talked of their experience with brooms and even Ron would tell everyone who would listen about him almost crashing into a hang glider with his brother's broom.

As he expected, Harry was just as annoyed as he was and seeing as neither had ever even touched a magic broomstick and the extensive talking about flying was making them both even more nervous.

Percy was just as nervous as excited though. He had lived his entire life in fear of the sky, a fear that had doubled last year when he found out that there was a good chance he'd become a lightning rod if he tried. The only way for him to fly was through pegasi and they were cool but it wasn't like he had his own or can really bring them anywhere. The pegasi at camp were only good for air battles, not travelling. So now that he could be owning and using a personnel flying machine? Super cool. He also liked the idea of playing games of flying basketball (or at least that's what Percy gathered quidditch was from others).

"You preparing for flying classes too?" Percy had asked Hermione when he found reading quidditch for the ages.

"Yes, do you want to join me?"

"Sure," and with a nod, he joined her.

They learnt a lot that night about the history of quidditch, but unfortunately, they didn't learn much of how to actually fly.

Hermione was still reading the book the next morning but Percy had stopped. It was obvious to him that the book was going to be useless if he actually wanted to know anything.

Neither of the three had gotten packages since Hagrid's and his mom's. Malfoy on the other hand, however, had received packages of candy almost every day. Flaunting it at the Gryffindors gloatingly as he passed it out to the other first years of Slytherin.

A barn owl dropped Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly to find a glass orb the size of a large marble that was bursting with white smoke on the inside.

"It's a remembrall," Neville explained. "If you hold it tight like this and the smoke turns red…" Neville's face fell as the smoke immediately turned crimson. "It means you've forgotten something."

While Neville was trying to remember what he had forgotten (Percy swore that the guy needed to get checked up on), McDragon Malfoy and his two mindless goons walked up to them and Malfoy snatched up the ball gleefully. Percy jumped to his feet and as did Harry and Ron, and he could tell that they were just as eager as he was for a fight to knock Malfoy down a peg. Before they could, however, Professor McGonagall got there.

"What's going on?"

"Malfoy's got my remembrall, Professor."

Scowling, Malfoy smartly dropped the remembrall back on the table.

"Just looking."

Though Neville got his remembrall back, Percy couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed at not being able to fight the jerk, a fight that-if the little skirmish on the train was anything to judge by-Percy would almost certainly win.

At three-thirty the next afternoon, the Gryffindors got out onto the pitch to find the Slytherins already there, Madam Hooch, a middle-aged woman with hawk-like eyes, and an array of brooms. It was a clear breezy day and the grass rippled under their feet.

"Alright," Madam Hooch said, "Walk to the front of the broom and say up."

There was suddenly a lot of "up"s as people tried to get their broom into their hands. Harry, Draco and Percy were the first ones to get it. Poor Neville failed so many times he just ended up picking it up from the ground. Percy wondered if brooms, like wands, had some form of sentience, and was able to feel the user's emotions, or had whatever sense wands had while choosing the wizard. It wouldn't have surprised him, thought Percy, if brooms had a magical core, considering if the magical world just had a flying spell, it be incredibly stupid that nobody used on themselves to just become superman.

"Mount your brooms," Madam Hooch instructed

As they mounted their broom, Neville ended up mounting too quickly and the broom went straight up, and then stopped in midair, then slamming him into the ground. The second Madam Hooch left with Neville to the hospital wing, Malfoy burst out laughing.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?"

The other Slytherins joined in.

"Shut up Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" Said a Slytherin girl who Percy remembered was called Pansy Parkinson, "Never thought you liked fat little crybabies, Patil."

"Well, at least she isn't so brain dead to speak like Malfoy's echo!" Percy retorted.

Before the angry girl could say anything back, Malfoy interrupted their argument.

"Look!" said Malfoy, snatching something in the grass, "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

"Give it back," Said Harry, who looked just as furious as Percy felt.

Malfoy only smiled nastily, a smile that reminded Percy of Ares.

"Maybe I'll leave it up in a tree for him to find," he said, holding his broom.

"Give it here!" Harry yelled. At the same time, Percy went to tackle him, but Malfoy jumped out of range then flew up with his broom.

"If you want it, come and get it!"

Harry immediately grabbed his broom and soared up, ignoring Hermione's warnings. Percy grabbed his broom as well, intending to back his friend up, knowing that Harry had less practice than Malfoy. Just as he was about to take off, he found a hand on his shoulder.

"Percy, this is a horrible idea! Malfoy and Harry have already gotten themselves into trouble. The last thing we need is you as well!" said a rather annoyed Hermione. "I hate Malfoy as much as you do for what he's doing but Harry's already gone to stop him."

"You know that Malfoy has tons more practice than Harry. We still don't even know what Quidditch is!" He understood Hermione's point, but he couldn't just stand there while the dolt bullied Neville and was likely to humiliate Harry.

"Well, at least wait till Harry's in trouble. You heard what Madam Hooch said, you could get into serious trouble for this."

While Percy didn't exactly like it, he knew that Hermione was right. Him flying would be exactly what Malfoy would want, and he knew that somehow he was going to skirt out of trouble, landing Harry, and Percy if he flew as well, straight into trouble. He looked up to see the two exchanging words, then, Malfoy cocked back arm and then threw the remembrall. Percy knew that it would be impossible for him to do anything now, and that he'd just have to settle with jinxing the hell out of Malfoy later for breaking Neville's remembrall. But then Harry went into a breakneck dive and Percy cringed, ready to get a teacher immediately, but then miraculously, Harry pulled up last second, remembrall in hand and a huge smile on his face. Percy raised his arms and let out a huge whoop, and soon enough all the Griffyndors were cheering with him. Just as Harry landed, Percy heard a voice call from behind them.

"Mister Potter!"

Immediately, Percy knew that trouble was coming. Changing schools every year had basically given him a sense of trouble, kinda like a sixth sense.

"Mister Potter! Come with me!"

Instantly, protests erupted from the Gryffindors.

"It wasn't his fault, Malfoy stole from Neville!" He heard Pravati shout.

"Ask any of us in Gryffindor, Harry was just standing up for Neville." Percy yelled.

But the Professor ignored all of them and asked Harry to follow him. After the two left, Malfoy stepped up again.

"Look at Potter," He laughed, "Thinking he's so special. As if! He should be shipped back to his muggle cousins."

"At least Harry can fight his own battles and take the consequences, without just saying he's from some rich family." Percy said, seething in anger.

"Yeah," Ron said, "Unlike you he's brave enough not to just pick on people weaker than him!"

"Jackson! Keep defending Potter and weasel and you'll end up in the same sorry ditch as them. Wonder whether you'll become broke or orphaned."

The Slytherins broke out in laughter again, and Percy could just feel the anger radiating from Ron.

Percy pointed his wand at Malfoy and yelled "Flipendo". Malfoy was knocked onto his butt and this time it was the Gryffindors who laughed and cheered, making Malfoy's ears go red. He pulled out his wand as well and leveled it at Percy. Just as he was about to say a curse, they heard a cough from behind them and turned to see Madam Hooch glaring at them.

She cleared her throat again and said loudly "If we are interrupted again this lesson with a duel I will be rather inclined to take a few points." She glanced pointedly at Percy and Malfoy. "Now, before we were interrupted I was giving instructions on taking off. Mount your brooms again. And this time make sure to be steady and not make sudden jerks." After everyone was ready she continued. "Now I want you to jerk your brooms up. Be careful because this determines how far up you go."

Percy jerked his broom softly, the last thing he needed was to give Malfoy leverage. To his surprise however, it felt perfectly in control and it was almost as easy as riding a pegasus. Maybe it was part of his blessing or just talent or that he had experience in flying, but it was comfortable and he felt rather safe. Hermione on the other hand had way more trouble, making unsteady swerves before landing. Ron was doing decent, while not completely in control, he at least looked like he knew what to do. Unfortunately, Malfoy was doing well, and so were most Slytherins, though it was probably just that they've done it before.

An hour and a lot of flying tips later, they finally walked back to the castle.

"What do you think Mcgonagall did with Harry?" Ron asked. "Hopefully she doesn't put him in detention for the whole year or expel him."

"Well if she does she'll have to run it through Dumbledore. He seems reasonable enough. If he's willing to hear us out, the entire Gryffindor first year can back up his innocence."

"Hopefully…" Ron sighed.

Though the two didn't know it, the situation would sort itself out. And when it did, it made it better than any of them could ever even dream of.