Royalty, eh?
Disclaimer: Own nothing besides Ariel and Mandy. And the non-canon teachers. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling and various other companies. Hmmm, if I keep this up, I might not need that head page.
Sorry it took awhile for this chapter to be uploaded. Everyone was busy. But tigerlily, one-third of the beta team still wanted to apologize.
Tigerlily's (one of my beta reader) note:
Ah! Sorry this took so long! The thing is, this was due Jan. 2 (Yesterday, bah) and on the 30th of December last year, I was planning when to finish, but I thought it was the 28th (Yes, I know, very dumb of me.) I then had a friend over for three days. Of course, this is no excuse, because if I kept to my normal schedule you would have read this a week or two ago. Many apologies, it will not happen again. Oh, Omni has an amazing amount of patience. If I were in her place, I would have killed me by now. ^^
A/N: About my patience . . . I think I might have too much. People tend to think of that trait as carelessness . . . Oky. On with the story.
Wait!
Please ignore the lines. Pay attention to the asterisks and squiggles. Not the lines. Blame it on my lack of knowledge in formatting.
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Chapter Eight: Flying Lessons
(third part of three parts . . . finally!)
"Bella!" I called when I entered the common room again. She and Mandy were chatting animatedly about something; maybe what Bubbles was.
"I heard you got a letter from your family." I nodded.
"Why did Ariel want you for?" Bella had blushed scarlet and Mandy was unsuccessfully trying to control her laughter.
"I had to write to my cats . . ."
"Your cats read?" I asked incredulously. There were just too many surprises in the magical world. First portraits spoke, then statues moved, now cats could read?
"Well, let's go to the dorm. I'll explain it there." Bella lead us to the dorm. Once we entered, Mandy burst into giggles and Bella threw her pillow at her.
"I'm sorry. So how is it that your cats can read?" Mandy's tauntingly repeated my question, making Bella redder. I looked between the two. Just what exactly was so funny?
"Shut up, Mandy. You already know, so be quiet and let me tell Lily." Bella turned towards me. The color of her face was more normal. "Our family is strange," she began.
"Yes, I know that. Your family have to be strange if you are wizards and witches," I said with a bemused look on my face. When did Bella get so jittery?
"Right. But we are even stranger than the average wizarding family. I think it was maybe two centuries ago that my great-great-great, uh I lost count, but my several 'great' s grandpa caused a potions accident. I don't remember what he was trying to make, but his cats somehow drank it. It wasn't like he forced fed them, or anything," Bella added when she saw my appalled face. That's good; the man wasn't cruel to his cats. "They just walked up to it and started sipping it like milk – or that is what the story goes. Great-grandpa said the cats treated it like catnip.
"Anyway, the first reaction was the cats' fur started shedding, then it grew back in a different color in one hour," Bella continued with a none-too-dramatic extension of the story.
"The genetic codes of the cats were altered?" I asked.
"What code?" I motioned for her to ignore my last comment. "Anyway, his cats were able to read and talk after that. And for some reason, those cats can live for up to fifty years."
"Wow!" That story made me even more confused about Potions. How is it that just putting random ingredients in a pot can cause miracles to happen? "Did you great-grandfather ever make it again?"
"No. The weird thing is the he used the exact ingredients but the cats didn't want to drink it anymore."
"I don't see how this was funny though . . ." I said as I looked at Mandy, who had just recovered from her laughing fit.
"Oh, she was laughing at this incident that happened with my cats a few years ago. My family and I went on vacation, but we didn't send any mail. It was the first time my parents didn't write letters to our cats. Mind you, I didn't know my cats could read until that summer. We got home from vacation with the house torn apart."
"And this was done by?"
"My cats. The first thing they asked was where did the letters go." Bella shrugged at her story. I supposed she could have made it more interesting, but Mandy would probably have made fun of her. A sudden movement from Bella caught me by surprised. She had frowned and smiled at the same time. "Uh-oh. I think I forgot something."
"What?" Mandy and I asked worriedly. Maybe she hadn't included something in the letter to her cats. Then their house would be in ruins or maybe the cats would come to Hogwarts and tear our dorm apart. You never knew what magical animals could do.
"I still need to write my history essay and check my Transfiguration homework!" Bella said suddenly. Mandy and I shook our heads in defeat. And she said we were compulsive. She had already checked and rewritten her Transfigurations essay five times.
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"Yes! We have flying class tomorrow!" shouted James, dancing in the middle of the common room. Bella, Mandy and I glared at him from writing our history essays. Revolutions and rebellions needed full concentration since there were too many names.
"Flying? Are they going to teach us how to charm wings onto our backs and start flapping?" I asked, blinking rapidly, my train of thought still on history. Mandy and Bella giggled. Even Remus and Peter laughed. James and Sirius were the only ones scowling at me.
"No! With brooms," said James, who rolled his eyes (which made him look dopier than usual).
"Weren't you paying any attention when we explained Quidditch to you?" asked Sirius as he tilted his head at me as though I was a new species of tropical fish. "We have flying class so we can learn how to ride a broomstick. Then when you're good enough, you can play Quidditch!"
"Why would I want to learn how to ride a broomstick?"
"Lily, broomsticks are a common form of transportation," said Bella, flicking non-existent lint from her skirt.
"I prefer cars," I mumbled, not liking the idea of flying. One would think I had flown before, but everyone was paranoid about my weak heart so it was "no flying for Lily." That was fine for me, because I was not very fond of heights anyway. I couldn't even stand on my balcony at home without gripping the railing 'til my knuckles turned white. There wasn't time for self-pity, or any feeling, since something in my brain had become clear.
"Oh no!" I exclaimed. Sirius, who was still ranting about the wonders of Quidditch – with no audience, mind you –, stopped to look at me. "I need to speak with Professor McGonagall . . . or any professor." Looking at the clock, I realized it was seven thirty and most teachers were most likely in their own quarters. "Aw," I groaned, "It's too late to find them."
"Lily?" asked Mandy, who was looking at me like I had grown two heads. "What's so important?" I shifted uncomfortably.
"I'll tell you later, but I need to find a professor. Any professor."
"Well, it certainly isn't homework," muttered James, going back to reading his book. Ever since the first day he had been bitter about me being better than him at Charms. If Bella and Mandy thought I was compulsive, James was even worse. He was in the top three in most of his classes yet he still complained. I personally thought being the best in Transfigurations, third in Charms, tying for first in History with Mandy, best in Defense Against Dark Arts, and third best in Potions was good enough. But no, James wanted to be the best at everything; not that it was possible, since Severus Snape of Slytherin (that greasy, impolite, icky . . . you get my drift) was too far ahead in Potions. Professor Mekaleri had given Severus fifth year work so he didn't waste his time.
I shot a glare at James. "You think Professor Dumbledore would mind if I went to see him?" I asked Bella and Mandy.
"See him for what?" Bella and Sirius asked at the same time.
"Jinx!" Sirius called. Bella sent him a look that could have cut diamond and went back to her essay.
"Never mind, I'll just go." As I went to open the portrait, Professor McGonagall walked in.
"There you are Miss Evans. I need to speak to you about tomorrow." She led me to a more secluded corner of the common room. "I realize your health conditions do not permit you to do much flying, but it seems you are healthy enough to participate. Madame Morgan has been informed of your situation, so you may stop if you need to. You can fly if you want to, but make sure you do not go too high or over exert yourself." I nodded. That was a good plan. If they had kept me out of the class, I would have had to explain to everyone why I couldn't attend. But if I were in the class, no one would suspect a thing.
"Good. I shall see you tomorrow in class then." Bella and Mandy waved for me to go to them, but I walked up stairs to the dorm, knowing they would follow me.
"So what was that about?" asked Bella leaning against my bedpost.
"I have to take extra precautions during Flying class." Bella snorted and Mandy gave me a blank look.
"Everyone take extra precaution during that class. Otherwise we would have lots of broken necks," Bella pointed out.
"My problem is a not matter of fainting." Both nodded their heads slowly in comprehension, but they were clueless. I explained to them the whole story behind my illness and why I did not have a mother anymore. The ending was gray; so to cheer me up again, Bella wanted to know Father and everyone thought about the candy.
"They liked it a lot. Grandfather even asked for more. Do you know where we can get some?"
"There's Hogsmeade, near here," Bella said thoughtfully, but she quickly frowned. "We won't be able to go there since we're only first years." That dampened my spirits. Maybe I could ask Mrs. Potter.
"Oh, and I have to leave school early," I added. May as well tell them now instead of right when I leave.
"Why?" Mandy asked sitting down on my bed beside me.
"Because I have to go to a large gathering in a ballroom filled with stuffy people two days before holidays start." Bella looked confused.
"Right, Lady Lily makes another debut," said Mandy, rolling her eyes. "I almost forgot you're nobility. Guess I'll be looking for your face on the newspapers."
"Oh, please don't. I think I will hide behind Father the entire time. But that shouldn't be a big problem since the party isn't for me; I think it's for some duke or duchess," I said not wanting to go back into my own world. I didn't want cameras flashing in every corner I go, and I did not want an encore of finding a photographer outside my bedroom window!
"What?" Bella asked, who looked baffled by everything I had said. "What newspaper? What duchess, huh?" She looked at me closely. "What did I miss?"
"The lovely detail of my life from receiving the Hogwarts letter to being at Hogwarts," I replied dryly. The memory was still disturbing.
"Yes, when Lily's face adorned many newspapers and when she got attacked by the media," Mandy added with a smile. I threw the nearby pillow at her.
"That doesn't really explain anything," Bella said slowly.
"My father is the Duke of York."
"See, that wasn't hard. Now if you had said that in the first place everything would be- WHAT?" Bella was shocked. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't want to talk about it and I kind of forgot about that little detail?" I squeaked out after Bella counted to ten.
"How can you forget that?" I could tell she was getting mad at me. Before she can make another sound I had to make my point.
"Because I only found out on the same day of receiving the Hogwarts letter; and really, how would you like to remember seeing a stranger by your bedroom window taking pictures of you in your nightgown?" I sounded more irritated than I meant to. But, no matter, Bella calmed down and had the sense knocked back into her head.
"Oh. I am sorry. I was just— "
"Jealous," Mandy cut in. "It's fine. If it makes you feel any better, she denied her name when I first saw her." Both of them were sent accusing glances at me.
"Wait, does that mean you lived for eleven years without knowing exactly who your relatives are?" Bella asked, surprised.
"Uh, well, yes . . . How about we sleep and get ready for tomorrow?" I asked, diverting their attention. I didn't want to get into that. We all changed and got ready for bed. Just as I shut off the last of the light, Mandy let out a cry of distress.
"Oh no! I still need to finish my history essay!" Bella groaned into her pillow.
"Drop it Mandy. We have two weeks left, you have plenty of time." I suppose Bella had anticipated Mandy would complain, since a pillow landed on Mandy's face, muffling it.
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"Okay everyone, stand by your brooms!" Madame Morgan said as the timid first year students huddled in large groups due to the cold morning. Bella and Mandy had found the scarf Maria made for me and wrapped it tightly around my neck four times; it wasn't an entirely friendly action since that was part of teasing me about Maria.
The school broom looked like regular broomsticks for sweeping, though I thought the ones at home looked more reliable than these. We had lined next to our brooms and were waiting for the next instructions. Well, most of the Gryffindors were. James and Sirius were itching to fly, and the Slytherins, whom we had this class with, were smirking at those two clowns.
"Say 'up' and the broom should fly into your hand," Madame Morgan directed. That sounded easy enough; however, Mandy's broom flew up three inches and plopped right back down. Mine broom barely made it into my hand. Now Bella, James, Sirius, and Remus . . . and also Severus, on the other hand, had their broomsticks smack their hands. Poor Peter was the last person to get his broom into his grasp.
"The more confident you are when you say this, the more willing the broom is going to fly," the instructor added when she saw the students like Peter struggling. That didn't help much, since Peter's voice was still shaky. In the end, Madame Morgan had Peter pick up the broomstick. I suppose it was very choosy about its flyer because the broom smacked Peter down the middle of his face before letting him mount it.
The next part was how to sit on the broom. That was easy to manage; all we did was copy Madame Morgan. The five students who first got their brooms into their hands were also the first to get the sitting position perfect. All five of them were encouraged to try out for their respective Quidditch teams.
"On the count of three, we push up," Madame Morgan continued, "One. Two. Three!" All of the students pushed off and we looked like bees coming out of our hives, eager to find nectar. While in the air, we were encouraged to try some easy Quidditch moves; James and Sirius took up the challenge. I think Severus only did the Quidditch moves to prove he could be just as good as those two. Bella stuck with Mandy and I since we were obviously beginners.
Bella was explaining some quidditch moves that the five best flyers were trying – most of which looked like they would break their necks, a concern Mandy voiced.
"They could. Anything you do in the air is dangerous," Bella replied casually. Both Mandy's and mine face paled. I could feel every limb in my body go numb. Unfortunately for me, James had the perfect timing off zooming right by. The resulting wind knocked me off the broom.
Falling wasn't very enjoyable. The first few nanoseconds felt like my stomach was trying to regurgitate itself and when it hit my diaphragm, it just stayed. At that moment, I wanted to be higher up in the air so there would be some more time for people to catch me. It was amazing how slow time went when you were falling. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, well, that was everything besides the ground. Just before I hit it, two flying figures caught me.
I suppose falling also causes a person's senses to be askew since I noticed a lady dressed in medieval clothing coming out of the walls with a knight. When I finally did reach the ground, the two figures and two that looked more solid crowded around me with worry. I was able to answer how many fingers and the other test performed by who I think was Madame Morgan. She was then ordered to go fetch Madame Pomfrey from the infirmary. The other solid looking person put his face closer to mine along with the two transparent looking figures.
"Are you all right, Princess?" all three of them asked. I blinked twice, scanned each face, and everything collapsed on me. My entire world swirled and blackness filled my vision.
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Thank yous for everyone that reviewed!
Also, to Shadowdagger, you did read the same chapter twice. Sorry. I had wanted to put a disclaimer and other acknowledgements so everyone gets credit.
I'll resume my personal thanks once I am not in so much of a rush. . . need to go back to reading book on comparative politics (gag, but fun, sort of)
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Did you like this chapter?! I hope the ending wasn't a horrible cliffhanger. It was never meant to be one in the first place.