Disclaimer: See Chapter 7.
Chapter Eight! Isn't that great? Ooh I rhymed! I'm having a great time! Yeah, too much sugar, just read.
But before her first week was out, Kiki saw the Sorting Hat's words come true: she became a better teacher than a student.
Kiki had set up her delivery service in Koriko, a city that was nowhere near as big as London but still much bigger than the village where she was born. The tallest building in Koriko was an old clock-tower, and Kiki sometimes spent her free time (the little that she had) by the tower. Sometimes she'd see a flock of pigeons feeding at the base of the tower. There would always be a small sparrow-half the size of the pigeons-bobbing and darting around the edge of the crowd of pigeons, searching for leftover food and looking out of place.
That image came back to Kiki when she saw Ginny Weasley sitting alone in a corner of the Gryffindor common room. She didn't seem to have a friend in the place. Kiki, who didn't know anyone either, knew the feeling. She barely knew Ginny to speak to-just that Ginny was a first-year and was Harry's best friend's little sister-but decided to see if she could help. She went over and threw herself into an overstuffed chair next to Ginny.
"How's it going, Ginny?"
"Okay, I guess." She didn't look okay. "We just had Madam Hooch for Beginning Flying."
"Really?! I love flying! I'll bet it was great."
"No it wasn't. Nothing happened. My broom just sort of sat there."
"Well, that's no big deal."
"Yes it was. It was a double class with Slytherins, and almost everyone flew a little bit. And my big brother Charlie used to be on the Quidditch team here, and Fred and George are now."
Ginny couldn't go on. She was almost in tears. Kiki didn't hesitate, but grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her out of the chair.
"What are you.?"
"Let's see what you've got." She dragged Ginny to the entry-hole, reared back and kicked the picture.
It flew open at once, then slammed shut as soon as they were through. They saw the fat lady in the pink gown rubbing her obviously sore backside. "WELL! I NEVER!"
"That's your problem, isn't it?" Kiki shot back. The two girls were off down the hall.
"Wait!"
Kiki took no notice of Ginny, but dragged her down to the school broom- closet. She thrust a broom at random into Ginny's free hand, grabbed her own, then went out onto the lawn.
"Okay, Ginny, show me what the teacher showed you."
"Well, we had the brooms on the ground, and we stuck out our hands and said "UP!", and the broom was supposed to jump into our hands. Mine didn't do anything."
Kiki's opinion of the teachers at Hogwarts sank to a new low. Brooms jumping up on command?! she thought. What next-teach them to roll over and fetch? But instead of saying any of this, she asked Ginny, "You had to do more than that, didn't you?"
Ginny repeated what Madam Hooch had said about proper seating and holding on to the handle.
"Well," Kiki said when Ginny had finished, "your teacher was right, as far as she went. She just didn't tell you enough. I remember when my mother taught me to fly; I was about as old as you are now. The first thing she taught me was how to land. She knew I was afraid."
"Afraid of flying?"
"No, silly; flying's the fun part. It was landing that scared me. I didn't want to break a bone in my foot or anything."
It had simply never occurred to Ginny-with three older brothers having been on Gryffindor Quidditch teams-that any witch could have shared her fear, not of flying but of getting hurt. Feeling immensely relieved, she hung on every word and gesture as Kiki explained floating down to a soft landing.
"You can get off running if you have to, but you don't need to know that until later. So; do you feel like giving it another try?"
Ginny looked at the school broom in her hand and bit her lip.
"Tell you what," Kiki said. "If you want, get onto my broom behind me. Hang on to me and we'll take a quick flight, just so you can get the feel of it."
Ginny climbed onto the broom behind Kiki, and a second later they were level with the third-story windows of Hogwarts. Ginny was elated; flying really was as much fun as everyone said.
Kiki was also overjoyed, but for a different reason. She not only remembered everything her mother had taught her on that wonderful first day, but was using it now to teach another young witch. Years from now, when she married and had a daughter, Kiki knew that she would be able to pass along the little bit of magic that she knew-flying.
They circled for a quick minute, then settled back onto the ground.
"How was that, Ginny?" Kiki didn't need to ask-the joy in Ginny's face was plain to see-but she wanted Ginny to say it out loud.
All Ginny could do was smile and breathe the word, "Wonderful!"
"Great! So get on the other broom and-- No, you don't need to have it jump up into your hand. Bend down and pick it up; that's why you have knees. So get on the broom-back a bit, you're a little too far forward-and take off! And don't worry about anything; if you get into any kind of trouble, I'll be right up to help you."
On her own, Ginny didn't rise higher than the second-story windows, but she was having the time of her life. Whatever fear she had was gone. She circled for a minute then settled back onto the lawn. As soon as she did, the dinner bell sounded.
"We'd better put these away," she told Ginny, "but in your next flying lesson I'll bet you'll knock the eyes right out of their heads."
Ginny wasn't worried about the next lesson. All she felt at this moment was gratitude to Kiki for helping her.
***
Mari: Wait, wait, let me guess- R/R?
Me: Wow, you're so smart! *Mutters* Not.
Mari: What was that?!
Me: Nothing!
Chapter Eight! Isn't that great? Ooh I rhymed! I'm having a great time! Yeah, too much sugar, just read.
But before her first week was out, Kiki saw the Sorting Hat's words come true: she became a better teacher than a student.
Kiki had set up her delivery service in Koriko, a city that was nowhere near as big as London but still much bigger than the village where she was born. The tallest building in Koriko was an old clock-tower, and Kiki sometimes spent her free time (the little that she had) by the tower. Sometimes she'd see a flock of pigeons feeding at the base of the tower. There would always be a small sparrow-half the size of the pigeons-bobbing and darting around the edge of the crowd of pigeons, searching for leftover food and looking out of place.
That image came back to Kiki when she saw Ginny Weasley sitting alone in a corner of the Gryffindor common room. She didn't seem to have a friend in the place. Kiki, who didn't know anyone either, knew the feeling. She barely knew Ginny to speak to-just that Ginny was a first-year and was Harry's best friend's little sister-but decided to see if she could help. She went over and threw herself into an overstuffed chair next to Ginny.
"How's it going, Ginny?"
"Okay, I guess." She didn't look okay. "We just had Madam Hooch for Beginning Flying."
"Really?! I love flying! I'll bet it was great."
"No it wasn't. Nothing happened. My broom just sort of sat there."
"Well, that's no big deal."
"Yes it was. It was a double class with Slytherins, and almost everyone flew a little bit. And my big brother Charlie used to be on the Quidditch team here, and Fred and George are now."
Ginny couldn't go on. She was almost in tears. Kiki didn't hesitate, but grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her out of the chair.
"What are you.?"
"Let's see what you've got." She dragged Ginny to the entry-hole, reared back and kicked the picture.
It flew open at once, then slammed shut as soon as they were through. They saw the fat lady in the pink gown rubbing her obviously sore backside. "WELL! I NEVER!"
"That's your problem, isn't it?" Kiki shot back. The two girls were off down the hall.
"Wait!"
Kiki took no notice of Ginny, but dragged her down to the school broom- closet. She thrust a broom at random into Ginny's free hand, grabbed her own, then went out onto the lawn.
"Okay, Ginny, show me what the teacher showed you."
"Well, we had the brooms on the ground, and we stuck out our hands and said "UP!", and the broom was supposed to jump into our hands. Mine didn't do anything."
Kiki's opinion of the teachers at Hogwarts sank to a new low. Brooms jumping up on command?! she thought. What next-teach them to roll over and fetch? But instead of saying any of this, she asked Ginny, "You had to do more than that, didn't you?"
Ginny repeated what Madam Hooch had said about proper seating and holding on to the handle.
"Well," Kiki said when Ginny had finished, "your teacher was right, as far as she went. She just didn't tell you enough. I remember when my mother taught me to fly; I was about as old as you are now. The first thing she taught me was how to land. She knew I was afraid."
"Afraid of flying?"
"No, silly; flying's the fun part. It was landing that scared me. I didn't want to break a bone in my foot or anything."
It had simply never occurred to Ginny-with three older brothers having been on Gryffindor Quidditch teams-that any witch could have shared her fear, not of flying but of getting hurt. Feeling immensely relieved, she hung on every word and gesture as Kiki explained floating down to a soft landing.
"You can get off running if you have to, but you don't need to know that until later. So; do you feel like giving it another try?"
Ginny looked at the school broom in her hand and bit her lip.
"Tell you what," Kiki said. "If you want, get onto my broom behind me. Hang on to me and we'll take a quick flight, just so you can get the feel of it."
Ginny climbed onto the broom behind Kiki, and a second later they were level with the third-story windows of Hogwarts. Ginny was elated; flying really was as much fun as everyone said.
Kiki was also overjoyed, but for a different reason. She not only remembered everything her mother had taught her on that wonderful first day, but was using it now to teach another young witch. Years from now, when she married and had a daughter, Kiki knew that she would be able to pass along the little bit of magic that she knew-flying.
They circled for a quick minute, then settled back onto the ground.
"How was that, Ginny?" Kiki didn't need to ask-the joy in Ginny's face was plain to see-but she wanted Ginny to say it out loud.
All Ginny could do was smile and breathe the word, "Wonderful!"
"Great! So get on the other broom and-- No, you don't need to have it jump up into your hand. Bend down and pick it up; that's why you have knees. So get on the broom-back a bit, you're a little too far forward-and take off! And don't worry about anything; if you get into any kind of trouble, I'll be right up to help you."
On her own, Ginny didn't rise higher than the second-story windows, but she was having the time of her life. Whatever fear she had was gone. She circled for a minute then settled back onto the lawn. As soon as she did, the dinner bell sounded.
"We'd better put these away," she told Ginny, "but in your next flying lesson I'll bet you'll knock the eyes right out of their heads."
Ginny wasn't worried about the next lesson. All she felt at this moment was gratitude to Kiki for helping her.
***
Mari: Wait, wait, let me guess- R/R?
Me: Wow, you're so smart! *Mutters* Not.
Mari: What was that?!
Me: Nothing!