I heard them first. Looking out my window, I saw two students on the pitch when it wasn't supposed to be checked out to anyone. It wasn't a great day for flying, but they seemed to be practicing. Have to hand it to them, they were trying hard. I was to meet Ginny and Ron Weasley in an hour or so, I wondered if it might be them.
I put down the book I was reading, grabbed the practice ball chest and headed out onto the field carrying my broom. They may not welcome my interference, some didn't- but I could at least bring them the real balls they needed to be practicing with as I have for many others over the years. And maybe having a teacher present would help keep any more players from losing their place on the teams. If the Gryffendor's lose any more players, they will have to forfeit the season. There was only one match left to go for the house cup. The girl, Ginny, spotted me first and signaled her brother.
At the entrance, I opened the case and released up the quaffle.
Ginny caught it deftly and gave me the high sign in thanks. I watched her play chaser and make goals around her brother. Not a bad mover, actually. Need to get her onto a better racing broom through. Ron signaled a break and had a conversation with his sister. They flew over to me. Looked like he was on the new Cleansweep. Good steady broom for chasers and beaters.
"Thanks for the balls. So it's really okay we're out here already?"
"Generally, we try to encourage the Quidditch players to tell one of us you're going to be out here in case of injury, but so far there's no educational decree against it." I smile at them, and gesture for them to sit and take a break.
"You were a trainer a while back, weren't you?" Ron asked me.
"Still am, on occasion. Why do you ask?"
"If it wouldn't be a bother, do you have any pointers? We have this big game coming up and..." I raise my hand to halt the torrent of words. Poor Ron, these games must have him tied in knots. Ginny didn't look much better and looked uncomfortable at his question. It occurred to me she hadn't told him of our earlier conversation.
"Ron, I hope you don't mind, but I asked her to coach us later this afternoon." Ron looked relieved, then pensive.
"I don't know how we're going to pay you..." I held up my hand again in a silencing gesture.
"You don't. You asked. You're students here, I'm paid to be a flying instructor here. It's already covered." I smile warmly at them both. I don't know how to explain to anyone that I'd feel awkward taking money for the coaching, I enjoy doing it too much. That and compared to getting Ireland ready for the World Cup last year, this was recreation.
"Well, if you're ready, let's get started. We've all been sitting a bit, so we'll start with some warm up flying exercises." I reach to grab my broom. Ron looked at it quizzically. I hand my Silver Arrow I to him for inspection. He let out a low whistle when he read the silver engraved words.
"At first I mistook that for a firebolt."
"Made by the same company actually, but this broom is about 75 years older. I own a Firebolt, but I prefer flying this one if I have a choice. Speaking of brooms, when we're done this afternoon, Ginny, let's hit the second floor and find you a racing broom that fits you. Ron, your broom is fine."
"But, why fly an antique when you have the best broom of this century?" I shake my head. Time to disillusion him.
"All right, a demonstration first then. Tally–Ho!" I do a toss-jump mount of the broom, (essentially jumping on the broom directly from a sitting position from the stands. A show-off move, and not one I'd ever try on an unfamiliar broom) and dive straight down the side of the stadium in a wronsky feint laughing.
It's been a while since I've done any stunt flying this year. Umbridge really curtailed my classess.
I pull out of the dive, skim across the field, then race at a 90 degree angle straight up 70 feet at nearly full speed before straightening out. I come to a dead-stop hover of arrested movement. I glance back at Ron and Ginny, they're hovering on their brooms by the stands gaping at me. I move the broom to full speed race to the end of the field, do a looping u-turn around the opposite goal posts, and fly back to them alternating between a full zig-zag and parallell jump-shifts in altitude.
It takes a lot of control to pull that maneuver off for a chaser or seeker. Without tilting the broom, you make parallel vertical jumps in altitude by stopping the broom and using gravity. This broom was specifically designed and charmed with this in mind.
It's one thing for a broom to be able to go from 0-120kph. It's another for the broom and rider to go from 90 – 0 to either at a hover or stop without inertia taking you over the front of the broom. Most of the newer brooms have breaking charms built in to slow a person down. Makes for graceful turns, but sloppy stops. Most professionals remove the breaking charms, and increase the airflow charms so the passage of the wind doesn't visually scramble a flyer.
I push the broom to full speed. When in play you become hyper aware of the quaffle and other players. The visual reversing effect of the stadium pulling away from you rather then towards you isn't quite as disorientating. I fly back towards them slowing slightly before ending with a fancy barrel roll and stealing the quaffle from Ron who was holding it loosely. I flew over to the goal posts and made a score. Catching the quaffle on the way down, and finally came back to a still-hover.
"How did you learn to fly like that? Where did you find that broom- it's amazing!"
"Years of practice. Remember what I keep telling you in the workshops. A well cared for or properly refurbished 'antique' can fly better then many of the newer brooms out there. Now then you play keeper? And Ginny, you're the seeker?" I pull my wand out and summon the snitch from the open case. I tap it once with my wand to slow it down a bit.
"Ginny, the Snitch will not leave the stadium area. What I want you to do for the next 20 minutes or so is just fly after it. Don't catch it, but don't let it out of your sight either. Get used to the way it moves, and changes directions." I released the snitch for her to follow and turned to Ron who was starting to look nervous again.
"Ok, I've seen your games and several of your team's practices. First thing to remember, you're not Oliver, you're Ron. Second thing, keep your eyes on the game and your attention on the quaffle. Third, trust your broom. We're going to start slow. Back to basics. Catch. I threw the quaffle directly at him. He caught it. Then looked amazed at himself for catching it.
We worked catch and release at a steadier pace and increasing distance. After about 5 minutes of this without warning I'd alternate between throwing at him, and throwing the ball randomly at the hoops. When he'd caught balls I'd thrown at the hoops 20 times without dropping or flailing, I called for a break and looked around for Ginny and told her to bring the snitch up to me. I tapped the snitch with my wand to bring it back to full speed and purpose.
I gave them a chance to catch their breath, get some water, and led them into the next exercises. I set Ginny to playing catch and release with the snitch. A seeker flies to the middle of the stadium, closes his or her eyes, and releases the snitch. Counts to ten, then seeks and chases it down. Repeats from wherever they stop. Advanced and professional players will use a stopwatch to time themselves, sometimes will release a bludger or two to keep things real.
Ron and I returned to the goals. Ron starting to look eager rather then green to the gills. "Ron, this time I want you to hit the ball back to me without using your hands. Use your head, the tail of your broom, your body, but not your arms our your hands." He looked at me a bit confused. I tossed the quaffle to him and had him throw it at me. I whipped around with my seat to bat the ball with the brush of the broom through a goal. The advantage of being a broom technician is that if the charms fail, I can repair the broom easily. We worked this for another 20 minutes before I called Ginny in for a breather and some water.
I gave Ginny a sit and went back to work with Ron. This time set him to using the two techniques we'd been working on to block all the various ways I could think of to try to get the quaffle past him without having other team mates to pass to and from or bludgers bouncing in and out of play. When he'd blocked me, batted, or caught the quaffle about 25 times without flailing weather I made a goal or not, I sent him to the bleachers and called Ginny back out to watch and time her with catch and release.
She moved into seeker position on the field. I released the snitch, which flew to her and out of sight while our backs were turned. I counted to 10 out loud, nodded, started the clock and she was off and searching.
We practiced like this for about three hours total when I called it quits and invited Ginny to come pick out a different broom. As we walked to the barn carrying the ball chest, I congratulated them on a good practice, and made individual appointments with them for later in the week and on the following weekend when we reached my office. My office broom rack holds four brooms, my Silver Arrow I and II, the Firebolt, and the Shooting Comet I flew when I as a student.
I grabbed the heavy keys for the second floor and led the way upstairs. Ron looking interested in the 'hall of broom history' between Madame Hooch's office and our waiting area. "I'm hoping to be able to do my full workshop on all the brooms in those cases again next year. I'll be sure you get the memo if you'd like?" He nodded enthusiastically.
We climbed up to the second floor where the racks of racing brooms were held. I was looking for two brooms in particular that I'd just finished and donated back to the school. One was a Comet 220, the other a Nimbus 1500. Neither broom would draw too much attention to her, but either would be ideal for a seeker as small and light as Ginny, no matter what the weather was.
Harold was my flight tester for these, and agreed that once again, I'd managed to make older models fly as good if not a little better then their newer counterparts. Much of that is due to re-charging and upgrading the original charms, and the rest from using the upgraded designs the modern brooms were using. The only difference is that these brooms respond better to the skill of the rider, rather then responding to the subtle hand pressure on the neck of the broom that the most current brooms have.
My younger sister who works at a menagerie sanctuary has ridden everything from hippogriffs, thestrals, to muggle horses compares it to the partnership between her and the beast. The older brooms are like horses trained to be ridden bareback with leg and knee pressure to guide them, while the newer brooms are neck-reigned or use both.
I handed her the Nimbus first and had her cast up. The broom rose crisply, I had her mount the broom and hover for me. I then had her repeat the exercise on the Comet. I thought her seat and posture were much more balanced on the Comet.
"Without a doubt, Ginny, that one." Ron said suddenly.
"Why this one?" She asked, turning.
"You didn't just see your face."
Siblings. They will always be able to read you like an open book at the most surprising times. I re-rack the Nimbus and we walk back down the stairs.
"Take it and try it out for a few days. If you find you like it, keep it. If not, we'll try you on the Nimbus, or another." I was pretty certain that she wouldn't be bringing it back.
"I'll have to hand it back at the end of the year won't I?" She sounded concerned.
"If you find you like it that much, I'll see what I can do so you won't have to. You're a school quidditch player, if you can, you should stay in flying trim over the summer."
I bid them a good afternoon, and luck on their studying. I don't mention that she wouldn't even be the tenth student who's walked out of here with one of my brooms. Quality Quidditch Supplies has had a 'broom scholarship' program for Quidditch players for years that very few take advantage of because the brooms are used not new.
At the end of the year, if broom and rider have taken to each other and there isn't another broom to exchange, I contact Quality Quidditch. They purchase the broom from Hogwarts for the students use, remove the school property crest, and give the broom to the student with their complements. That money goes into the fund to purchase new replacements for the older brooms. Usually students can't afford or aren't lucky enough to fly the best on the market.
I do what I can to keep the school racing brooms competitive with the privately owned brooms on the field. When the Slytherin's went to Nimbus 2001's, (why is still beyond me) and Harry Potter got a Firebolt (exactly how Sirius pulled that off I still don't want to know. I'm afraid I'd have to arrest him.)- I did a full upgrade for free on brooms for any of the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students who came to me. More then once, I've suggested standardizing the quidditch brooms to a certain make and model depending on player positions, but the School Governors have overturned that suggestion every time.
Probably just as well. Left up to me, I'd have the whole lot of Hogwarts seekers and chasers on Comet 260's, and the beaters and keepers on Cleansweep6's and have done with it. I'd also insist on broom inspections before and after each game with points removed from the houses for any hex or unusual damage found on opposing players brooms. If I had 5 points for every hex, prank, and broken broom after some of the games with Slytherin these past few years under Marcus Flint, they wouldn't have a chance at the house cup. I'd also like to add special awards for team members who have good form and sportsmanship even when losing.
And while I'm wishing, I'll add in a weather-proof stadium so I don't have to get totally rain-soaked watching some of these matches.
Back to work, Finnigan.