Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Or any of the characters appearing in the books. However, everyone you don't recognize from the books was taken from my slightly less than sane mind.
Sins of Angels: Thanks to all reviewers and readers! And those of you who read, please leave a review as well. I want to know what you think of this... Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter 3 – Flying
"You did it, didn't you?" Snape said quietly to Nora. She looked up from the schedule McGonagall had handed her before she left. This wasn't all that thrilling.
"Did what? I repaired my cup, if that's what you mean."
"No, that's not what I mean, child!" Snape snapped at her. "You bewitched him."
"Professor, I didn't even know that spell existed, least of all variations of it that lead to a squeaky voice."
Snape locked eyes with her and she felt his Legilimency stretch out to her mind. Carefully, she let a memory through. The glass smashed, and she repaired it. Snape looked displeased, so she did it again. She let the memory of Malfoy telling her to run away slip. He stopped probing.
"So, you and Mr. Malfoy know each other?" Snape asked offhandedly.
"Yes. I…stayed with him for a while. How do you know that?" Nora asked.
"You're friends?" Snape said while their walk to Filch's office continued.
"We're on a first-name basis. We're…not enemies."
Snape nodded. They stopped in front of the office. "Go inside. I have to talk to Filch."
Nora did so and went in. As soon as she entered, she pulled out her wand. "Accio Marauder's Map!"
Nothing happened. No drawers sprang open, no cabinets moved. The only effect this had was that Nora's jaw dropped in surprise. She caught herself, put her wand away and turned around just as the door opened.
"Go to your first class," Snape ordered. She left hurriedly and showed up in Herbology just after the class started. The professor, however, just smiled at her and let her in.
"Well?" Harry asked after she took her spot next to him.
"It's not there!" Nora hissed.
"What do you mean, it's not there? Where did you look?" Zack asked hurriedly from across her.
"I did a summoning charm. It's not there!"
"But it should still come, shouldn't it? With a summoning charm?" Neville asked.
"Not if it's kept tightly locked up," Harry pointed out. "Well, we should ask around."
"Oh, brilliant idea, Harry!" Zack said sarcastically. "Excuse me, have you seen a map that shows where everyone is at any time and incidentally lets the user see everything in Hogwarts?"
"Shut up, Zack," Harry said, smiling. "Okay, that was a bit thick of me, but it's a good start! So far, we haven't even done anything useful towards finding it yet!"
"Mr. Potter. Do you have something to share with the class?"
"No, Professor," Harry said and then glared at Nora, Zack and Neville in turn.
"Okay. Somehow, we'll find the map. It shouldn't be that hard, should it?"
"No. We just have to pay attention to those who look like they know too much about the castle," Neville pointed out. "Now shut up before we get detention! My parents would kill me."
Zack snorted. "Sirius would probably be proud."
"Yes, well, all small talk aside, we still don't know where it is!" Nora said, sighing heavily.
"Calm down, we'll get it," Zack assured her before he went back to the lesson. Nora mumbled under her breath, going through possible possessors.
"Cheer up, Nora!" Harry assured her after their first week. Nothing terrible had happened to her, but it became easily apparent that Snape did not like Harry and Zack, and showed a mild dislike towards Neville, perhaps because his parents worked with him. Transfiguration was, by far, the easiest subject, as all four of them managed to create a perfect matchstick from the needle, receiving death glares from Hermione. Nora had separated herself from the other girls in her year, mainly because Hermione wanted to kill her and the other two…well, they were a tad too girly for her taste. They had visited Hagrid, who quickly told them stories about Fred and George to rival the ones that James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had always told. By the end of the day, Nora was convinced that the twins had the Marauder's Map.
"What?" Nora asked, looking at Harry.
"I said, cheer up! We have flying today!"
"Yeah, but what's the point? It's not like first years get to be on the Quidditch team or anything. Damn rules. I say they let us play if we know how."
"And we're not allowed our own brooms," Neville pointed out. "My Mum bought me the new Nimbus 2000 and everything, said she was sure I'd use it sometime this year or next year. Now I can't even have it on the premises."
"Premises? Big word there, Neville," Zack teased. Neville playfully hit his arm.
Nora sighed again. Zack rolled his eyes.
"You're not still upset about the map, are you?" he asked.
"We know who's most likely to have it," Harry pointed out. "All we have to do is to convince them to show it to us."
"Yeah, and then to give it to us," Nora said. Neville grinned.
"That part is simple. If they show it to us, I just may let a few things…slip to my mother. Or, at least, that's what I'll tell them."
Harry gave him a high-five. The three boys laughed, and Nora allowed herself a smile.
"First flying lesson today!" she screamed loudly, standing in her seat. She glanced up at the High Table and shot everyone a smile. Dumbledore merely chuckled.
Harry laughed at her as she sat down, a red tint to her cheeks. Neville joined him upon noticing the small blush working its way onto her face. Zack, however, settled for sarcasm.
"Why, Nora, are you blushing?" he teased. When Nora shot him a warning look, he just smiled and went on. "And here I thought that was impossible, from you."
"Langlock!" Nora said softly, and Zack suddenly didn't have much more to say. "Yes, well, blushing may be unexpected, but if you thought for one moment that I would let you get away with taunting me, you were wrong, Zack Lupin. And here I thought you knew me."
Zack pointed to his mouth, frowning. Nora laughed at him.
"I'm not going to fix it! Come on, now, you three should know something, I suppose. Go on then. Fix it."
Neville frowned at her. "Finite Incantatem!" he muttered and Zack smiled at him.
"Thanks, mate! I owe you one!"
"Well, let's just hope I do just as well on a broom…"
Nora groaned. She knew that flying was not, by any stretch of the imagination, Neville's best subject. Brooms creep him out, for some reason.
"You'll be fine, Neville," Harry assured. "At least you're not as bad as she is," he mumbled, indicating Hermione. She was frantically looking over several books on Quidditch and flying techniques. The three boys laughed.
"Honestly!" Nora scolded. "I'm all for making fun of people, but only if they deserve it! Yes, Zack, you did deserve that. Now she, however, is simply more worried than Neville, the poor witch. I'll bet she's a Muggleborn, too, from the way she's behaving about this. And you three just can't wait to laugh at her!"
"And did Draco Malfoy deserve what you did to him?" Neville asked quietly. Nora frowned.
"Draco Malfoy deserves much more than that! Now is anyone going to come with me and help her calm her nerves, or are you all stuck-up prats?"
Harry stood up, frowning. "Merlin, Nora, never thought you'd stick up for the bookworm!"
"Yes, well, that bookworm looks really lost and lonely and, most of all, can kick your butt in a duel! So how about it, Harry? Too proud to be nice?"
Harry walked ahead of her, wordlessly. Zack went after him, staring at the ground. After a very meaningful look from Nora, Neville went as well. Only then did she follow, sitting next to the girl.
"Hi!" Nora said brightly. Hermione looked around her, slightly puzzled.
"Hello," she said guardedly. Nora laughed.
"We're just here to help."
"Help what?"
"You seem to be…um…worried," Zack said softly. Hermione glared at him.
"I am not worried!" she snapped. Harry laughed at her, at which point she glared at him.
"You just seem a bit, you know, stressed…" Harry stuttered, looking away from Hermione's glare.
"Look, we just want to help," Neville pointed out. "I mean, I'm hopeless on a broom myself, it's just that I've had more time to practice."
"You know my parents are Muggles," Hermione stated dully.
"Hermione, the way you're reacting to flying, it's kind of obvious. Nothing to be ashamed of, you know."
Hermione indicated the Slytherin table with her nose. "Tell that to them!"
Nora sighed. "Don't go by them and don't judge all of them by that stupid stereotype."
Zack looked at her, astonished. "Nora defending Slytherins? The sky must be falling!"
Nora gave him a glare. "Some of the best people I've met were in Slytherin."
"In not-so-respectable places, no doubt," Zack muttered. Nora sprang to her feet.
"What did you say, Lupin?" she snarled. Zack smiled.
"You heard me, I don't need to repeat it. For Merlin's sake, stop acting so bloody weird!"
Nora just sat back down and turned to Hermione, telling her the basics of flying. Zack sat down and moodily ate breakfast while Harry corrected Nora when she overlooked something. Neville had picked up the book Hermione discarded in light of her new tutor and leafed through it.
By the time that the five were walking out to the grounds, Hermione had found a small confidence in her abilities. Zack and Neville talked about Quidditch while Nora and Harry were smiling at the thought of flying again. They stepped over to their broom when their instructor told them to, and happily ordered them into their hands.
"I'm always so hopeless on the kick off," Neville muttered next to Nora. "After that I can manage, but the bloody kick off is always the worst!"
"Relax, Neville. It's not like the brooms have a mind of their own, you know."
Neville nodded and listened to their teacher. As soon as Madame Hooch told them to kick off and hover, Neville shot up into the air, jerking wildly on his broom.
"Bugger this for a lark," Nora mumbled under her breath and shot off after him, Madame Hooch's disapproving yells sounding behind her.