Class soon ended and students began leaving for their next class. Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the class room. Heading towards the end of a corridor, they were joined by Fred and George, identical grins on their faces.
"Hey, little first years," said George, grinning.
"Where are you little gits headin' off too," chuckled Fred.
"Going to pay Hagrid a visit and then we have class to go to."
5 minutes the five of them left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.
When Harry knocked they head a frantic scrabbling from the insde and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying "Back,Fang, back." Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.
He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.
There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from theceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.
"Make yerselfs at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at George and Fred.
"This is Ron," Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring tea into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto another plate.
While Ron, and the twins told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with the dragons, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet:
Gringotts Break In Latest
Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards unknown. Gringotts goblins today insist that nothing had been taken. The vault was searrched had in fact been emptied the same day.
"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokegoblin this afternoon.
Harry looked up from the newspaper and asked,"Hagrid, it says that there had been a break-in at Gringotts a few months ago. What was that about, do you know?"
Hagrid looked at him for a moment, not saying a single word. "Oi, that's some secret business with Dumbledore, yeh're not supposed to know." I had to go into that bank earlier that day. But it wasn't meh who broke into it. Shall say nothin' Dumbledore's orders."
Looking at the clock in Hagrid's hut, he noticed it was time for lunch. "Hey Hagrid, it's time for us to head out to lunch so we'll talk to you later!" and the five of them headed out, waving goodbye to Hagrid. Hagrid waved back and shut his door.
The five of them sat down at the Gryffindor table, with Harry sitting in between Ron and Harry and the twins sitting next to Ron.
"Hey Hermione, have you ever ridden a broomstick before," asked Fred.
Hermione turned pale and muttered,"Uh, no I haven't"
"So rude," Hermione grumbled. "But anyways, we're headed outside for our first broomstick practice."
"Ooh, flying on broomsticks, eh?" grinned George.
"Those Hogwarts brooms aren't very good, are they George?" supplied Fred.
"They are terrible! They don't travel very fast and hard to control!"
A small blonde boy, flanked by two other taller boys walked up to them and they faced Harry. The blonde boy tapped Harry on the shoulder, and Harry spun around.
"Are you Harry Potter?" smirked the boy,"I'm Draco Malfoy."
"Well, hello and nice to meet you." replied Harry cooly.
"Are you...going to the Flying lesson?" drawled Malfoy.
"Yes, I am. Why?"
"Don't fall off and break your neck, Potty." and the three of them left the Gryffindors. Harry watched Draco walked back to the Slytherin table with his cronies and saw that he had a satisfying smirk on his face.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and the twins got up and walked out of the Great Hall.
They walked into a different hallway and Harry noticed a note pasted on the wall. It read:
Dear First Year Students,
Today, 9/4/1991 will be your first Flying Lesson. It would be held outside in the courtyard outside and lessons will be shared with other houses.
Gryffindors will be paired with Slytherins while Hufflepuffs will be paired with Ravenclaws.
Thank you and enjoy your day.
Sincerely,
Madam Hooch
Flying Instructor.
The five of them groaned.
"Sucks for you three, not one Slytherin ever turned out to be a good wizard. Well, see you three later!" and the twins departed, running in the opposite direction.
At 3:30 that afternoon, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the other Gryffindors hurried down thefront steps onto the ground for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the Forbidden Forest, whos treese were swaying darkly in the distance.
The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Harry had heard Fred.
Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. she had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."
Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.
"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front,"And say 'up'"
"UP!" everyone shouted.
Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once, but it was one of the few that did. Hermione's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all. Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Harry; there was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground.
Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Harry and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it for years.
"Now when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch.
But Neville, nervous and frightened of being left on the ground pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.
"Come back boy!" she shuted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle-twelve feet-twenty feet- before he fell off and landed on the ground, unconscious.
Madam Hooch said,"Do not move until I return from the nurse's office," and she lifted Neville off the ground and headed into the castle.
No sooner had Madam Hooch closed the door to the castle, Malfoy walked over and picked up a small object from the ground.
"Hey guys, isn't this Longbottom's Remembrall?" drawled Malfoy, tossing the ball to the ground.
"Leave it!" said Harry, glaring at Draco.
"Come and get it!" as Draco mounted his broom, and kicking off the ground hard. Harry mounted his broom when a hand held onto him.
"Harry, you'll get into trouble-" but Harry had kicked off the ground and was flying in the air on his broom. Harry couldn't believe this feeling; it had felt wonderful to him. He swerved himself to face Draco and yelled,"Hand over the ball now!"
There was a flash of uncertainty on Draco's face but was quicklyy replaced with a sneer.
"Come and catch it if you can!" said Draco, throwing it as far away as he could.
Harry saw the ball soar through the air and Harry leaned forward, and graped the broom tightly in both hands, and the next second, he was gathering speed...racingthe ball and he stretched out his hand and he saw he had almost crashed the ground. With an outstretched hand, he caught the ball in his hand and he pulled out from the dive, soaring in the air while holding out the Remembrall for all to see.
"Guys! I did it!" shouted Harry, now heading towards the ground.
"HARRY POTTER!"
His heart sank faster than he'd just dived. Professor McGonagall was running towards them. He got to his feet, trembling.
"Follow me," she said,"Now."
