Hey everyone, Ginny is back and the adventure continues with chapter 5. Please review, favorite, ask, comment, etc. I love feedback!

Chapter 5 A Freefalling Class

Ginny was sure that she had never been this excited before. A couple weeks into school, and now it was finally time for the class that she had been dreaming of ever since she first stole Bill's broom. Flying lessons.

She and Ron were both reasonably prepared, having flown on brooms made for kids for years (and of course her secret adventures at night). Harry and Hermione, on the other hand, were both noticeably less enthusiastic about this class, being that they had no experience flying.

The only down side to this class was that the Slytherins would be joining them and after their fist fight on the train, Draco's feud with their group only grew larger. He and his crew had been sorted into Slytherin, a house notorious for producing more evil witches and wizards than any other. He was living up to this reputation, offering his racist opinions whenever possible. As well he had taken to bullying Neville Longbottom, a shy Gryffindor boy in her year. Although Harry tried to defend him, their lack of magic knowledge meant that Harry had gotten quite a few new bruises following any interventions with the Slytherin squad.

Hermione was quick to point out a pattern that was quickly emerging from this. First, Draco would pick on Neville. Second, Harry would intervene. Third, Draco and his crew would beat up Harry. And finally, Ron and Ginny would join the fight while Hermione and Neville went for a professor. Hopefully, with the attendance of Madam Hooch, there would be no fights during flying lessons, but Ginny knew better than to bet on that luck.

BREAK

"…. Step up to your brooms and clearly say UP," Madam Hooch lectured. She was a stern woman with strange yellow hawk-like eyes and spiky white hair.

Ginny put her hand over the broom and repeated the incantation.

"UP!"

The broom jumped straight to her hand and she grinned, looking over to her friends. Ron's broom had just wacked him in the face and now he was being told off by Madam Hooch for swearing. Hermione looked irritated, but Ginny couldn't tell if it was from her lack of broom movement or from Ron's outburst. Harry was laughing at Ron while holding the broom in his hand, and upon seeing her success, gave her a high-five.

Suddenly Ginny realised with Madam Hooch distracted, no one was watching out for Neville. She turned and saw Draco and his gang speaking to Neville. Draco was casually tossing a small glass ball in his hand. Ginny recognized it as the Neville's Remembrall, a gift he had shown them that morning.

Fury built up quickly within her and she stomped over to the group, followed closely by an equally angry Harry.

"Give Neville his Remembrall, Malfoy!" Ginny growled, putting her broom to the side while pushing up her sleeves.

"Or you can always use it to find a life, if you ever had one," snarked Harry. Hermione and Ron laughed, having joined the group after Madam Hooch had moved on to help another student.

"I'll pass, this thing is trash anyways-" Draco started, but Madam Hooch interrupted, "You lot better get back into line before I give you all detention!"

"But Madam Hooch, Draco's stolen-" tried Ginny.

"No but's! Everyone straddle their broom and on the count of three push off the ground, then return to the ground. No flying about!" Madam Hooch continued impatiently. "I will not have this class become a free for all."

Sighing Ginny prepared to fly for the first time, the excitement growing once more.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

She pushed off the ground, rising high above the other students, before quickly landing. The wind in her hair gave her an exhilaration like no other. But suddenly a cry of panic caught her attention. Neville was rising farther and farther, and it looked like he didn't know how to land.

"Mr. Longbottom, get back here this instance!" Madam Hooch yelled at the floating boy. Misreading the scenario, she had assumed that Neville wanted to go for a joy ride and was deliberately not landing.

Ginny locked eyes with Harry and they nodded, pushing off the ground. They sped toward Neville who was now at least 50 feet in the air. More yells came from the ground but she and Harry were distracted by a more pressing problem. Neville finally lost his grip and started to fall. Joining together, Harry and Ginny went underneath him and braced. Neville collided with them and the three of them started to descend – though at a much slower rate than Neville had been going initially. The three of them landed with a loud THUMP.

Getting up, she reached out to help Neville and was surprised by a flash of green in his eyes. He was extremely pale and looked slightly green. But this vanished with a shake of his head.

"You alright Neville?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he mumbled.

Madam Hooch joined them and led Neville off to the Hospital Wing, ignoring his mumbled protests assuring her he was fine.

Once she was out of ear shot, Draco laughed loudly. "Well that was rather disappointing wasn't it Crabbe? Here I was thinking the fat lump would reveal himself."

Frowning, Ginny turned, "Shove off Malfoy and give me his Remembrall back!" she said holding out her hand.

"I'll have to pass," he said coldly and with that turned away and chucked the ball into the air away from the group.

"No!" she cried out angrily, watching the ball fly farther out of her reach. But just then a woosh of air swept by her.

It was Harry!

He intercepted the ball midway down its arc and then landed, holding it triumphantly in the air. The Gryffindors cheered and rushed him, even Hermione was grinning widely at this feat.

Their celebration was interrupted by the appearance of Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch striding towards them.

"Miss Weasley and Mr. Potter please come with me." Professor McGonagall said with a look that indicated that she shouldn't be crossed. Ginny gulped and she and Harry followed her back towards the castle. Surely, they weren't in trouble for saving Neville's life? She glanced at Harry, she was concerned more for Harry. There was no way that Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch hadn't had seen him fly just then. But if that was the case, why was she coming along?

They stopped outside the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom. Knocking on the door, Professor McGonagall called out to a quivering Professor Quirrell, "Can I borrow Wood for a moment?"

Wood?! As in Oliver Wood, a keeper and now captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team? What was this all about?

Professor McGonagall led the three of them to a nearby empty classroom. "Wood, I know you have already had quidditch tryouts, but I think you need to watch these two fly. Mr. Potter here has the potential of being your new seeker," she announced. Ginny and Harry gaped. Join the quidditch team, as first year students?!

Wood smiled and the three introduced themselves. "Meet me on the pitch tonight and we'll test you out," he said with a grin. "I hope you're as good as your brothers, Weasley."

BREAK

Ginny ignored the glare shooting daggers in her back from Katie Bell. An easy thing to do given the circumstances. The fearsome foursome was back in the common room celebrating (and thanks to Hermione) and studying. It had turned out that Wood had not yet found a seeker, so Harry just jumped into the empty position. She, however, had flown better than Katie Bell, who had just joined the team that year.

"Youngest seeker and chaser in a century!" said Hermione. "The odds of this happening were astronomical low! Although it really should be no surprise, given your genetics-"

"Wait, my parents played quidditch?" Harry asked.

"Your Dad did, he was a chaser for Gryffindor," she replied, going back to scribbling up her potions essay.

"Blimey Harry, I'd take that as a sign of good luck for the coming match," said Ron putting down his quill and sliding his essay towards Hermione. "Hermione, can you look over my essay?" he asked sweetly.

Ginny rolled her eyes, "You mean write it for you?"

"No! I wouldn't-" he stammered.

Hermione tossed it back to him with a glare, "Do your own work Ronald."

Ron groaned and the four of them started working quietly again.

Bored by the essay topic, Ginny turned her thoughts to her diary. Upon writing in it for the first time after sorting, she discovered that there was a sort of magical being within it. He called himself Tom Riddle. She wished she had more time to "talk" to him, but with all the excitement and friendship this year had shown, she had only had time to update him about classes. From his writings, he was interested in what she thought and felt. And he seemed to want to help her with any issues, but she just didn't have many problems to talk about. She made a mental note to try to connect more with this Tom Riddle soon.

None of them noticed Neville return to the common room holding a black bottle and walking like a sleepwalker.

BREAK

Finally returning from the hospital wing, Neville nervously clutched a small black bottle.

"Just take it whenever you start feeling like that monster is going to come out"

After he had left the hospital wing, Madam Pomphrey had chased him down to hand him the bottle. He wasn't sure why Dumbledore hadn't told him about this option, but he wasn't going to pass up on the opportunity. Within it was a calming substance meant to control Mimb. So as long as he drank it, (and avoided life or death scenarios) Mimb would not be able to return.

Heading to bed, he opted out of joining his fellow Gryffindors with homework. Today had been a far to long of a day.