I just want to say how sorry I am that I haven't updated in so long. I wrote this chapter about a month ago and I swore that I posted it but it never seemed to work so I'm reposting it. And FYI, I'm already working on the next chapter. Thank you all for your support even when I'm a sucky procastinater.
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The Wonders of A Broom
The beginning of the school year wasn't that eventful. Of course Rachel missed Aunt Bernice, Bimble, and even the weird statue on the second floor. But she was so happy to start school, to start learning magic. Like Oliver said, a train was there, on platform nine and three quarters, waiting to take all the eager students to Hogwarts. She found him in the crowd and they ended up sitting in a compartment together, along with a couple of other boys, Percy Weasley and Francis O'Neil, who were also first years. It was on the train where Oliver showed her a picture, which was magically moving (something that Rachel was finally getting use to), of the Puddlemere United quidditch team. Rachel could tell how much the team meant to him by the way the corners of the picture were bent and pealing from it always being stashed into a trouser pocket.
The sorting came as a surprise to Rachel. She had assumed you got to just pick whichever house you wanted, so when she was told to put on an old talking hat she was awfully confused. It had told her that it felt a strong loyalty to friends and mentioned something about Hufflepuff, but it also sensed her bravery to come across an ocean to learn of something she never heard of. So the hat yelled GRYFFINDOR and she took her place at the far left table. Later to be joined by Oliver and Percy. Unfortunately, Francis was sorted into Hufflepuff. Rachel didn't understand why that was so bad, because the hat wanted her to go there too. But Oliver explained that Hufflepuff's quidditch team was terrible and it was a disappointment that Francis's talent was to be put to waste.
Rachel didn't have much time to worry sortings and houses because dinner had magically appeared and she was famished. She took huge servings of roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, English puddings, and pies; which she regretted later when her stomach felt like it would burst. Soon enough they were shifted off into bed and she fell fast asleep with the fantasy of all of the magic tricks she would be learning.
Lessons, Rachel had found out, weren't going to be as easy as she thought. It turned out there was more to magic then waving a wand and saying a magic word, and she was disappointed to learn that it was going to be awhile before she could even attempt the tricks she was looking forward to. But her spirits rose near the end of September, when looking at her schedule during breakfast she saw that they were to begin flying lessons that afternoon. Oliver on the other hand wasn't as excited. He explained that he had learned to fly 4 years ago at quidditch summer camp in Scotland. She didn't have the chance to ask how it was because the bell rang to signal that they should finish up before the first class began.
Transfigurations seemed to last for hours as Rachel sat in anticipation for next period. She tapped her foot and stared out the window for most of the class. Professor McGonagall must have noticed this because she appeared in front of her and rapped her wand on the table in front of her.
"Miss Green, could you please repeat for me the homework I've just assigned?" McGonagall said strictly, shocking Rachel out of her day dreams.
"Umm..." Rachel paused and turned to Oliver for help. He was whispering the assignment to her when McGonagall shot a look at him.
"I believe I asked Miss Green not you Mr. Wood. So kindly be quiet!" McGonagall finished, turning her attention back to Rachel, "Well?"
"I don't know professor." Rachel mumbled, paying special attention to the burn marks on the table.
"What was that?" McGonagall replied.
"I said, I don't know." Rachel said louder, a tinge of resentment in her voice.
"Well, Ms. Green, I expect that tomorrow you'll pay more attention to class then daydreaming about a certain boy." McGonagall said, taking special care to give Oliver a hard glance on her way back to the front of the room. Rachel blushed a ferocious red. "And Ms. Green, Mr. Wood, I expect a foot long essay on the proper conduct in a classroom. Due next week, on top of the homework already assigned."
The bell rang shortly, and Rachel jumped out of her chair in a hurry to avoid the embarrassment she knew she would get from the Slytherins in the hall.
"Why couldn't Gryffindor have had transfigurations with Hufflepuff. Ever Ravenclaw would be better." She thought glumly darting out of the classroom.
"Rachel!"
She cringed knowing she had to wait for the person who called her name. Within seconds Oliver appeared at her side.
"Hey Oliver," she said, not looking at him. Instead she saw a group of Slytherin girls giggling and pointing at her and Oliver as they walked by.
"Professor McGonagall's a real git." Oliver said, also not looking directly at Rachel and trying not to pay attention to the Slytherins, "Imagine! Giving us a foot long essay on 'proper classroom conduct.'"
"Yeah, But I probably should've been listening." Rachel sighed.
"Why? It's not like being able to turn a match into a needle is important." Oliver said shrugging.
"Is that what the homework was?" Rachel asked turning to Oliver for the first time in the conversation. She giggled, "I thought you were trying to tell me that we were to hatch a beetle."
Oliver laughed, "Could you picture the look on McGonagall's face if you had said that."
They continued to walk, making their way to the entrance hall, where they would meet up with the rest of their classmates before their flying lesson.
"So what were you daydreaming about?" Oliver asked smiling as they walked down the last set of stairs.
"Oh! It wasn't about you!" Rachel said too quickly.
"Oh," Oliver said. His smile faltering for a moment.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean-- I just-- I was only thinking about flying lessons. I was, I was worried I wasn't going to be any good at it." Rachel stuttered.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you're going to do fine." Oliver said reassuringly, still not with the smile he usually had.
By then they had reached the rest of the Gryffindors and unfortunately the Slytherins. Rachel groaned and turned, planning on making a remark about having lessons with Slytherin, but Oliver wasn't there. He had moved to where Percy Weasley was standing, which also happened to be a great distance away from her. She sighed and looked around for something to distract her from the weird feeling of loneliness and despondency she felt.
Then it clicked. With the exception of Oliver, she really didn't have any friends. She hadn't bothered to talk with the rest of her dorm-mates. All four of them were from wizarding families and tended to give her strange looks when Rachel discovered another magical wonder, like finding out that mirrors talked or that the wardrobe gave fashion advice. And Percy, while Oliver seemed good friends with him, something about their dads both working at the ministry of magic, she thought he seemed very toffee-nosed.
Rachel didn't have anymore time to think about the predicament she had gotten herself into, but mentally told herself to make more of an effort to befriend her dorm-mates, because at that point in time, a lean, frazzled witch with glowing yellow cat-like eyes had moved in front of the group and was now saying something of some importance.
"Okay everyone! If you don't know already, I'm Madam Hooch, I'm both the flying instructor and quidditch referee of Hogwarts. We're going to be going out near the quidditch patch to begin your first flying lesson. Now when we get there I want everyone to stand near a bloom and wait for instructions."
It took ten minutes to get to where two rows of broomsticks laid. Rachel noticed that as the group got closer, their voices got louder with nervous excitement. Even she was practically shaking at the thought of flying. Unfortunately , if Rachel only knew what was about to happen, she would've been running very far and very fast in the opposite direction.
The lesson started out fine. Everybody found a broom and stood patiently waiting for instruction. Madam Hooch told them to call their brooms (it only took six times for it to fly into Rachel's left hand), and explained hat they weren't going to do any fancy flying or anything for the first lesson. She just wanted them to get a feel of the broom and so on. So Rachel was only a tad bit nervous when Madam Hooch asked that they all get in the proper position with a firm hold on their broomstick.
"Now I just want you to kick off, hover for a few seconds, then land." Madam Hooch said as she glanced at everyone to make sure they understood, "Okay, on the count of three. 1... 2... 3...!"
She blew her whistle and a blurry bunch of black robes flew into the air. Now maybe Rachel was too excited or perhaps the broom sensed her nervousness, but when she kicked off, she really kicked off. Instead of hovering a few feet in to air, she found herself whizzing 30m.p.h. towards the wall of the quidditch stadium. She flung her hands up to cover her eyes expecting to hit the wall. But the broom took her upward had motion as a sign to go up. Rachel uncovered her eyes when she didn't hit the wall and found herself 50 ft. in the air and steadily rising higher. She screamed and grabbed the broom handle, clutching onto it for dear life. The broom responded and plummeted downward at the same if not faster speed. Another scream emanated from Rachel and she forced her eyes shut. Again she didn't feel a collision. This time she reluctantly opened her eyes. She was heading straight into the group of students. They parted to reveal Madam Hooch positioned as if she was going to stop the broom, but sadly didn't expect to have Rachel flung off it. As Rachel felt herself thrown off the broomstick she swore she saw a flash of a camera. But that was the last thing she cared about, since she was flying with a broom, a good 20ft. She cringed right before impact, and the last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was Oliver and the rest of the Gryffindors crowded around her and the Slytherins behind them having a good laugh.
"Well at least someone thought it was funny." Rachel thought before everything went black.
Rachel woke up in the hospital wing the next morning with a killer headache and a very sore and bruised body. She saw that no one around, so she lifted herself up and sat looking here and there in the room. She spotted a boy was asleep on the bed next to her and upon closer examination she realized it was Oliver.
'He must have stayed here with me all night.' Rachel thought tenderly, 'That was so sweet!'
She shifted from the warm bed and tread softly to his bed. Looking down at the sleeping boy, his hair was falling onto his face and she lightly pulled it back. Suddenly she felt a hand on her wrist, it was Oliver's hand. She looked back at his face and saw that his eyes were open and staring directly at her. Rachel felt her heart beat skip at the intensity of the stare.
"You're up." she said, not knowing what else to do.
"Yes, and I see that you're feeling better." He stated, moving his body so he was sitting, never letting her hand go.
"Yeah, I'm just a little bruised, but I'll live. But what about you? How in the world did you get in here?" She asked eyes staring at their hands.
"You kept calling my name all night,. Madam Pomfrey had to let me stay, so the other patients could get some rest." Oliver said smiling, "I never knew that you needed me that much."
"Of course I do! You've been the only friend I've had since I moved here. No one else really cares about me except Aunt Bernice and Bimble."
"Don't be silly, of course people care about you. Everyone was asking how you were all during dinner last night."
"Really! I never knew. I always thought that everyone thought I was weird because I was raised by muggles." Rachel said tears swelling up in her eyes.
"Don't cry!" Oliver said brushing her eyes with his other hand, the first still holding her wrist.
"I'm sorry. It's just that no one has ever cared about me that much. I haven't gotten even one letter from all of my friends back in the states. It's like they completely forgot me." Rachel sniffled.
"Have you written to them? You need to show that you still care about them. You can't always expect everyone else to be the first to make a move. You need to show that you care about them too. If you don't, even how will they ever know how you feel and how are they suppose to respond to that. " Oliver said, his voice rambling on. Not just about her friends but also about their relationship.
"I don't know if I can. I've never been able to open myself completely to people, and I don't know if I can start now." Rachel answered, also not just talking about friends.
"Well, maybe you need to try." he responded.
"I'll try," she whispered leaning down closer to his face, "In fact, maybe I'll start trying now."
Their lips were being pulled toward each others and the distance was almost nonexistent when a voice shouted, "Ms. Green! You shouldn't be moving around yet! Get back into bed now!!"
Her head jerked forward in surprise and their lips missed each other and Rachel found herself kissing Oliver's chin. They pulled away and Rachel went back to her bed, where Madame Pomfrey hovered over the child. Oliver was sent away to get ready for class and Rachel sit bored out of her mind for the rest of the day and the day after that. When she was finally allowed out of the hospital wing her mind was reeling with thoughts about the almost kiss and Oliver.
Rachel sighed as she looked at the page adoringly. She was so confused about her feeling back then, but now all of it made her want to laugh. Teenage romance and hormones she thought to herself. It would only get worse later on and Rachel almost felt bad for the little girl in the picture. Of course she still remembered the pain of falling off that broom, just look at herself passed out on the ground made her cringe, but the pain that was to come would be almost unbearable for the child. She brushed off those feelings, telling herself it was all in the past now, and turned to the next page.
