When Harry and Ron arrived at Ginny's room, they were surprised to see Hermione speaking to Milvia pleasantly as if their conversation had never taken place.
"Hello, Harry."
"Hello, Milvia." Harry diverted his attention to Hermione who had a thin smile upon her pallid face.
"How are you feeling, Hermione?"
At first she seemed puzzled by the question, but suddenly she became animated, "Well, why do you ask?"
"Oh, nothing. Just thought you look kinda sad."
She narrowed her eyes, but said nothing. She merely looked out the window.
Before Harry could say anything else, Ron spotted Ginny's broom.
"What happened to your Comet?"
Ginny suddenly took it and hid it behind her, but Ron had seen it.
"What are you talking about?"
Ron stood looking down at Ginny who tried very hard to get to a wall, but before she could stop him, Ron had swiped it and now held it horizontally. Harry could see that the broom was warped in the middle and the upper handle was twisted.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing. We were just trying to make it faster."
"We?" said Hermione.
"It was my fault." said Milvia as she stood next to Ginny. "She was wondering if we could modify the broom, but I guess it's impossible to improve it. The charm just bounced of it and left it mangled."
"Oh," said Ron as he shrugged, " It's fine. Nothing major to fret on. Just don't let mother see it. She'll not like seeing her investment going to waste." He rubbed Ginny's head, but she pushed his hand away.
"Come on, Ron. Don't do that. You messed up my hair."
"Oh, Ginny. He was trying to be nice." Milvia said as she took the broom. "Anyways, I think I can fix it, but I will need to have some of my equipment."
Using her wand, Milvia made her trunk unlock. Then, she took two empty jars and filled them with what appeared to be a glistening green liquid. She opened a dusty book next to the jars and began to read. Suddenly, one of the jars began to bubble as the green liquid turned brown. The other remained green, but darkened lightly. She took the wand and made the brown liquid wrap the broom. It became solid, but with one tap of her wand, it broke off. She then took the broom and dipped the handle into the green liquid. Once she wiped it, the broom was straight and was as good as new. Harry and Ron could not believe what they saw and Hermione seemed to be the more jealous for it.
"But how?" asked Ron who now grabbed it. "It's better than before."
***
In spite to her objections, Hermione followed Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Milvia toward the field. Harry felt better under the warm glow of a summer evening as he and his friends walked towards the forest. To his right, he saw Ron who had an intense look about him. It was though he were playing the game already in his mind. To his left, Harry could see Hermione who was intently listening to Ginny on tips on how to play Quidditch. But as Harry turned to see Milvia, he noticed that she was examining the Comet Ron had lend her. She twirled it quite rapidly and stopped it to see how it stopped. She held he handle and tapped it with her fingers.
"It's a good broom even with its age and flaws." Ron had also noticed.
"I just hope I don't fall from it."
"I don't think you will after you learn how to fly and all."
"Thanks, Harry, but I'm afraid. If I fall from really high up wouldn't I break my neck?"
"Well, it's possible," Harry shrugged, "but I'm positive that nothing of the sort will happen."
"Look, Harry. That's the clearing." He stood still as Ron pointed out the baskets on both ends.
"Looks decent enough." Hermione said as she leaned on her broom.
"It's perfect. I just think we should show Milvia how to fly."
"I guess we should teach you how to make your broom come up. Just put it next to you and say up."
Hermione laid her broom next to her right foot and commanded the broom to come up. But it just rolled over. When Milvia was about to command the broom, the broom instantly rose and fell into Milvia's palm. Hermione couldn't believe it. She didn't even have anything to say after she had seen the broom pop up.
"Bloody hell. How did you do that?"
"What? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, not at all. It's that you didn't even said 'up' and it came up."
"Well, I was about to, but the broom was quick."
"I guess that lesson is over." Ron said as he hovered no more than two feet from the ground.
"Well, now I guess you should get on it and let the broom hover like Ron's."
She did as she was told, but then she started to go higher up and then to the right.
"Careful," said Ginny, "You don't want to go to fast on a Comet. They're unpredictable."
But Harry knew that Milvia was a natural. She didn't even stirred the broom, but it was if the broom read Milvia's mind for directions.
"How are you making it move?" asked Ron who was next to her in the air.
"I'm not sure, but I think that the broom is following directions from what I'm thinking."
"Maybe the broom is broken." shouted Hermione who was still on the ground.
"I don't think so. I think we can play now."