The Fall
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, and/or his parents and their friends unless I make them up, like the plot.
Lily was waiting for the flying lessons nervously. In her mind, she was debating her nerves. It wasn't really practical to be nervous because of flying. Falling didn't mean anything—she'd fallen before.
So why did she feel so nervous?
It was probably just a nervous reaction anyway.
But when she remembered what had happened in the wand shop, she wondered about her power. Maybe, just maybe, she wasn't a weirdo seeing visions and there was something about this. In fact that seemed very definite.
Good.
When Lily went with Sarah, the rest of Ravenclaws and the Gryffindors she was astounded. It was a huge oval thing with perfect green grass and thousands of seats all around. On either end she saw gold hoops.
She became critical of the weather then, as she always did when flying. There was a slight breeze, and the sun was shining a bit too brightly for her liking, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem.
With the rest of the class she walked over to the brooms lying on the green grass. Some appeared old, but most were fairly new, albeit with quite a few twigs sticking out at various angles. She felt apprehensive. Flying on a broomstick?
A woman with eyes like a hawk came to the front. "Good afternoon,' she said.
The class chorused "Good afternoon."
"Today is your first flying lesson. I want you to stand to the side of your broom and say UP."
This was a weird directive, but Sarah it seemed understood it. "Just do it," she whispered to the bemused Lily.
"Up," said Lily to the broom. Suddenly it was in her hand; she was surprised.
"Well, it seems that you like flying lessons," grinned Sarah, whose broom hadn't moved.
"Yeah, it would seem. But I really don't."
"Could have fooled me—Up!"
The broom rose up, half heartedly, then all the way up. She looked around. A skinny boy with hazel eyes was talking to Sirius Black about flying. Remus was listening, interested, and a small mousy boy was next to them, listening in.
The majority of the class now had their brooms. Madam Hooch taught them how to hold their brooms, and then it was time for a practice flight. Lily's stomach felt odd.
"On my whistle. Three. Two. One. Phweet."
Lily pushed off. She was accelerating and she was in the air. Controlling the broom wasn't difficult at all, she realized, and as she turned the loop in the air she descended, with the class, gracefully onto the ground. She realized to her surprise from envious glances of the class that she was obviously fairly good at this. It wasn't that hard.
"Now, you can take a maximum five to ten minute flight," said Madam Hooch. "Again on my whistle."
Lily pushed off, enjoying the same rushing feeling that came from flying unaided. She climbed higher and higher, and then did a few easy loops around, taking it easy. In her airspace she saw Sirius and the hazel eyed boy. Nearby was Sarah. She dove down, finding the broom slow in response and called Sarah.
"Hello Sarah. How's it doing?"
The two were paused in midair. "Urgh. Let's fly a little. I hate being stuck in midair. I don't know if I'm going to fall, or what."
Lily laughed. "Obviously you don't like flying."
"Oh no, I don't mind it. I just don't feel exactly comfortable being supported by nothing but magic."
"Try being in a Muggle aeroplane then."
"A what?"
Lily explained while looping lazy circles around Sarah. She dove once for the fun of it, and then she rose again, higher than most of the class. The sun was shining in her eyes, but she merely squinted past it. She was too accustomed to it. The squint was accenting her long eyes.
It was a pretty scene, she thought. She could see right over the stands, and it was easy enough to appreciate the scenery. She checked her watch. She had to come down soon. But she could stay here for a minute longer right?
Remus saw her, the wind whipping her hair. He saw
She never even heard them coming.
She suddenly felt herself grasping for the broom, like a maniac and she was falling. Off. Fifty feet above the pitch. She felt the ground rushing up and she knew it was no time to panic.
Everything was in slow fast motion. She slid off her robe, somehow . . . caught the air with it like a parachute . . . she felt her wings catch the air, and she grimaced with the pain . . . one of her wings had to be broken. She heard screams and Madam Hooch came trying to rush across to her. She turned herself right way up . . . she didn't have much more to go . . . please, all instincts that are inside me work . . . .
Fifteen, thirteen, ten . . .
Lily let go of the robe and dropped.
There were resounding gasps. Two boys touched down after her.
She was on all fours, in a squat. Her ankle was screaming, but she wouldn't move—yet. Her body was doing a check.
"Lily, are you alright?" Sarah's face was tense. An odd feeling of a headache passed through her mind.
She tossed her hair up. All of the auburn hair was windswept, her green eyes flaring with anger, gold specks appearing in them. Her teeth were bared with pain, anger and fright. Her skin was chalk-white. She looked wild.
"I have a sprained ankle," she said through gritted teeth. "And I hate, hate, hate falling fifty bloody feet."
A stunned silence resounded through out the field. The hazel eyed boy looked at her, unbelieving. "Is that all?" he asked, sounding astounded.
No. That's not all. My wing bone is broken and I can't set it! she screamed mentally.
Sarah started. Lily whipped around and looked at her, then eased to a standing position.
She buckled, then put her weight on the other foot. The boy and Remus rushed to help her.
"Who are you?" demanded Lily, as they accompanied by Sarah, trudged to the Hospital Wing. Sirius was tagging at a farther distance.
"Who me?" asked Remus startled.
"No, Remus. Not you. This hazel eyed jackass who with Sirius just knocked me off my broom and broke my . . . ankle."
Sarah glanced at her in an odd way. "I thought you said it was sprained."
"I think I underestimated it," growled Lily. Of course, that was just a cover up.
"Look, Evans," said Remus in a tone that matched her own, "it's done. Stop quarrelling about it. There are worse things in life. James and Sirius didn't mean to do it."
"That's true. But it's called watching your airspace. Look where you're going."
By now, they were in the hospital wing. The nurse tisked.
"Well, broomsticks. Dangerous sport you see. When will they learn?"
The boys waited anxiously. Lily propped on her elbows. Her wings uninjured didn't hurt her this much, at least to lie on, but the break—she had no idea what to do. Tell the nurse? Oh madam Pomfrey, I have wings, one's broken. She gingerly moved it. It hurt. The pain must have shown in her eyes, because James looked at her concerned.
"Look, um,"
"It's Lily. Lily Evans," supplied Lily.
"Look, Lily, we're really sorry. Are you going to be alright?"
She relaxed, subtly. "I guess. Thanks for caring."
"Well, it's our responsibility," said Sirius. "We did get you injured."
The nurse bustled back in. "Out," she said.
They all left except for Sarah. "Well," said Madam Pomfrey, "I'll give you a potion for it."
"Shouldn't it be a spell?" remarked Sarah, her eyes flickering silver. Again, Lily was feeling a headache.
Oops, Sorry.
Lily blinked. She was
hearing things. She did not just hear a voice say sorry. Suddenly she
was downing a warm, bitter potion. Just as she was about to drain it
to the dregs, her friend caught her hand. "Hold on. I think you're
going to need the last couple of drops," here she lowered her
voice, "For your well, wings."
She whispered the last part so
that Madam Pomfrey couldn't hear her. The nurse was attending to
someone else that she couldn't see.
"Ok." How did Sarah know? How could she possibly know?
A warm feeling was passing over her wings and over part of her back. "There, its setting."
Her wings were transparent, for the most part. Maybe, she worried, hormones would wonk them up, but that was it. She prayed.
"Done."
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They were heading back to the Ravenclaw Common Room. "So Sarah, how on earth did you know . . .?"
"Okay. You know what? I have to tell you something. I can read minds."
Lily stopped dead, and stared at Sarah. She noticed something—Sarah had pointed ears, like her. That would explain quite a lot. "What?"
"I can read minds. Well, not very well. Sometimes I hear thoughts, and occasionally I feel emotions that aren't mine. That's how I can tell stuff about you. But it makes my eyes go silver."
That explained a lot.
"Yes, it does," agreed Sarah. "But I saw your wings."
Lily stopped dead for the second time in two minutes or so. "But, but?"
"No worries. It was more like a rainbow mist like thing that was reflecting light. And I realized it then. When you were falling."
"Oh."
"We are weirdoes aren't we?" said Sarah, pensively.
"A little. I am a tad weirder, I mean, I think I can see the future."
"How?"
"I see pictures, or once I heard words. But sometimes I just get a feeling that I know what's going to happen. It's scary."
"Lily, I think you're a Seer."
She had never heard of this. Of the things she'd picked up around here, she'd never heard of this. It sounded rather strange.
"I'm a what?"
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Well reviewers: here goes.
