Chapter eight: Flying? Nah-uh...

"Welcome first year gryffindors, to your first flying lesson! I am your instructor today, Madam Hooch! Now-"

"Morning Madam Hooch!" Lemo and Andy chorused. Madam Hooch looked startled, but smiled all the same,

"Thank-you girls! Now you all have brooms, I want you to stand on the left side of the broom."

Everyone stepped forward, Mione, Nicholas and Andrew most nervous of all.

"Good, now put your hand over the broom and say 'up'! With feeling!"

"UP!" everyone cried.

Emo's, Barry's, Andy's, Lemo's, Andrew's and few others flew up into their hands. Nicholas's rolled over and over, Don's flew up and hit him in the nose, while Moine's laid stock still.

"Crap," Mione muttered gently tapping the broom with her foot.

Sitting a little way away from the first years, McGonagall took notes, watching the first year flyers carefully. Madam Hooch was now showing them how to mount their brooms; McGonagall was surprised at how many naturals there were amongst them. What surprised her even more was that maybe - just maybe - it wasn't such a burden having Lemo and Andy in Gryffindor, even though they were total nutters. As for Barry, she knew from the start he was going to be brilliant.

As McGonagall continued her note taking, Madam Hooch was in the middle of telling the first years how to take off,

"Now, I want you to push off from the ground, hover for a few seconds, and then come back down again. On my whistle...three...two-"

Out of pure terror of being left on the ground, Nicholas pushed off hard from the ground. Rising quickly into the air, Nicholas went pale with fright.

"Come back down boy!"

"I...don't...know...how!" Nicholas gasped. Suddenly Nicholas was whizzing through the air, with no idea how to control his broom. Madam Hooch whipped out her wand in an attempt to bring Nicholas back to the ground. Nicholas's broom suddenly went flying off towards the dark forest, moving too fast for a wand to follow. Without much thought Andrew, Seamus, Barry and Don took off the ground and went after him, going at amazing speeds. Watching them speed off, Superman rips off his disguise and flies after th-

Just kidding. This is Barry Saucepan! Not Louis and Clark... (And may we remind all cell phones are to be switched off...) Anyway... McGonagall watched them speed past overhead, almost passing out, by how well they flew and how dangerous it would be if one of them fell.

'Their first years! A few of them are muggleborn! - It would be their first time on a broom, they shouldn't know how to fly!' she thought.

Gathering to deadly speeds, Seamus and Don pulled back, while Andrew and Barry kept going. They had almost caught up with Nicholas, when he finally lost grip of his broom. Barry dived to catch Nicholas, while Andrew ripped a branch from a nearby tree top and whacked the broom, sending it back accurately towards the castle. The broom ran out of steam just above Hooch, stopped and fell at her feet, Hooch's mouth dropped open and looked at Andrew's flying figure disappear into the treetops.

At the time Andrew hit the broom, Barry dived into the carpet of green tree tops. Branches grabbed at his cloak as he dived. About three feet from the ground, Barry pulled up his broom catching Nicholas; the broom dropped a foot under the weight of the impact.

"Think you need to lose some weight, Nick!" Barry joked, but Nicholas had fainted.

A worried McGonagall and Hooch rushed into the forest, closely followed by Andy, Lemo and Emo - (not under McGonagall's permission...)

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Are they okay! Drew! Barry! Nick! GUYS! You alive!" Andy yelled rushing ahead into the Forbidden Forest.

"Amber Rose! Come back! Madam Hooch and I must go in first!"

"If Saucepan did catch Shortbottom, I do believe Minerva, you have a seeker...As for Watson, he beat the hell out of the broom and his aim was amazing...Beater?"

"I don't think it's the time..."

"It's always the time to talk about Quid-"

"DREW! You're alive!" Lemo cried as a rather ruffled, but still alive Andrew came into view.

"Your scared the shit out of me!" Andy said throwing her arms around him crying, "Is Barry and Nick okay?" she asked tearfully.

"She gets emotional in these situations," Emo said rolling her eyes, "...doesn't take bad luck well..."

Andrew patted Andy on the shoulder, slightly embarrassed,

"Yep, Barry and Nick are okay, Nick out cold though..."

"Thank god!" McGonagall said relaxing a little, "Where are they?"

Back a bit, I'll show you…"

Peeling Andy off him (who was still sobbing uncontrollably out of relief) and put an arm around her,

"C'mon Amber get a hold of yourself!" he said trying to joke as he led them back into the forest. Finally Barry came into view with Nicholas lying nearby, looking pale.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD, HE'S DEAD!" Andy cried, before she passed out. Luckily Andrew and Lemo caught her before she fell onto tree roots and mud.

"No, he's not dead. Passed out while he was falling - I think," Barry replied calmly.

"Watson, let Parker help carry Rose. I think your strength will be needed more for Shortbottom...he a looks tad on the heavy side…"