Author's Note: It's been a while, hasn't it?
Harry found himself overtaken by raw, animal terror. He ran as fast as he possibly could, desperate to escape from the toppling pillar. But the pillar was so large and it was falling so fast, that it seemed impossible to escape it in time. Even as Harry ran, the only coherent thought he could muster was that this was surely his last moment. Sure enough, he felt like it had only been seconds since he started running that be could fell the air rush as the pillar was inches from his head. He expected that at any moment he would feel it hitting his head and flattening him.
Yet the moment never came. Harry was so consumed by adrenaline that it wasn't until a few moments later that he realised that the pillar had stayed in that position for quite a while and was no closer to crushing him. In any event, he had managed to escape it's reach by now, so he felt safe enough to look back. What he saw was quite incredible. The pillar was suspended in midair, just above where his head had been. Behind him he saw the headmaster, pointing his wand directly at the pillar, with a look of great concentration on his face. Harry breathed the biggest sigh of relief in his life- Dumbledore had saved him. It was only a moment before Dumbledore began to wave his wand violently and the pillar began to move again. It rose as quickly as it had fallen and rejoined the fragment that had remained attached to the ceiling. Dumbledore left and before long the stunned students had resumed their activities as if nothing had happened.
That was not an option for Harry. His heart was still beating like it was about to burst out of his chest, he had only just stopped panting and his skin was slick with sweat. Never before had he come so close to death. He had sometimes come close to injuring himself but Uncle Henry and Aunt Petunia had always kept a close eye on him. Still, there was something oddly pleasant about how he was feeling. It was like being on a rollercoaster, only a thousand times scarier.
Harry wasn't quite sure what to do next. He really didn't feel like going to the library anymore but on the other hand he had been quite determined to go. And Hermione was sure to fuss like mad once she heard about it. After a few minutes of deliberation, he decided to head back to Ravenclaw Tower. He would have to go back sooner or later and he thought he might as well get it over with. Besides, the corridors had abruptly started to feel a lot less safe.
He had barely made it past the riddle at the door before he found himself being hit with full force by a bushy-haired object travelling extremely fast. Hermione held on tight and didn't let go.
"Oh Harry" she said " I was so worried. I heard you were in some kind of accident?"
Harry briefly struggled to disentangle himself from her grip but decided it was probably better to persuade her to let her go. "It was nothing serious, just a bit of old castle falling down" he reassured her " I'm fine, honestly"
"Nothing serious?" Interjected Ron, as Harry frantically motioned for him to stop talking " I heard you almost died! What the hell happened?"
"Well you heard wrong, Ron" said Harry, in an exasperated tone " One of the pillars fell over but it never came anywhere near me" Harry thought that it would probably be best not to worry anyone. Besides, if Hermione knew that he'd been in serious danger, she'd probably write to his aunt and uncle. That was a can of worms he did not want to open.
Harry felt himself stumble a bit as Hermione suddenly let go of him. "Did you say one of the pillars collapsed? She said in a sceptical voice.
"Yes?" Harry replied. He didn't know where this was going.
"That's supposed to be impossible" she continued "According to Hogwarts :A History, the whole castle is supported by magic. The most important parts of the castle should be immune to natural damage"
"Maybe the magic on that pillar was a bit wonky" said Ron " Or maybe it's gone wonky. It's been a thousand years after all"
"Maybe" said Hermione. She didn't sound convinced.
It was not long, though before they encountered something which would take their minds entirely off stone pillars. The next day Harry woke up to find a notice pinned to the Common Room board: flying lessons would be starting on Thursday.
This news had something of a mixed reception among those at Hogwarts. Ron was very excited indeed, having flown a little at home and glad to have the opportunity to do it properly. Ron's enthusiasm was infectious and Harry soon found himself wondering what it would be like to soar through the air like a bird, feeling the wind rushing on his bare skin, looking down at the people below...
Unfortunately Draco Malfoy was no less enthusiastic about flying. His long, boastful stories of his flights were a constant and unwelcome presence.
"He's making it all up, I'd bet you any money" said Ron on Wednesday morning, as Malfoy's gloating tones drifted over from the Slytherin table. "Nobody's got that many flying stories"
"Oh Merlin, yes" interjected Mandy "They all end with him being chased by Muggles on helicopters. You'd think Mr. Malfoy would have taught him not to let the Muggles see him"
"I dunno" said Ron "from what my dad's told me, old Lucius Malfoy's the biggest Muggle-hater since You-Know-Who"
Harry was only half listening to their conversation. He had noticed that Hermione was looking rather pale and was rather obsessively clutching a copy of Quidditch Through the Ages. "You alright, Hermione?" He said. Hermione nodded but said nothing.
"I know what's wrong" declared Mandy. She turned to face Hermione "you're worried about flying right?" Hermione seemed for a moment as if she was struggling to find something to say but finally relented. "Yes" said Hermione " I've read as many books as I can find about it but none of them really tell you how to do it"
Ron spoke "flying's not really something you can learn from a book, Hermione. You've got to just do it. Trust me, once you're in the air, it'll all be easy" Hermione looked as if she wasn't sure whether to be comforted or even more worried- the idea of something that you couldn't learn from a book didn't come naturally to her.
The next morning, they would find out the truth of Ron's words. Flying lessons would begin immediately after breakfast. Hermione seemed less nervous now but she was insisting upon telling them everything she'd learned from Quidditch Through the Ages. Harry was just glad they wouldn't be having the lesson with the Slytherins- at least if he made a fool of himself on a broomstick, Malfoy wouldn't be there to see it.
The weather was cool and breezy as the Ravenclaws made their way to the grounds to begin their lesson. Already waiting for them were 23 broomsticks. Michael Corner and Terry Boot both stood next to one each and most of the other Ravenclaws followed, so Harry, Ron and Hermione followed them and stood next to Mandy. It was not long before the Hufflepuffs arrived. One of them, a boy with curly dark hair, walked towards Harry.
"Hello" said the curly haired boy, as he shook Harry's hand."I'm Justin Finch-Fletchley. Know who you are, of course" he said, as his eyes flicked upwards to Harry's scar. He had a plummy, upper class accent, like one of the newsreaders on TV.
"Hi" said Harry, rather sheepishly. Celebrity took a lot of getting used to. He remembered that he was standing with his friends and thought he probably ought to introduce them. "Um, this is Ron, Mandy, and Hermione, she's my sister" he said pointing to each of them in turn.
"Oh, really?" said Justin, looking rather taken aback "I didn't know you had a sister"
"He's adopted" interjected Ron, with a little less tact than Harry would have liked.
"All the same, it's great to be learning magic, isn't it?" Said Justin " can you believe we're actually going to learn how to fly? My parents put my down for Eton at first but this is so-"
Justin was cut off by the arrival of the instrument, Madam Hooch, a wiry middle aged woman with eyes that reminded Harry of a hawk. She barked at those Hufflepuffs without broomstick to find one.
"Stick out your right hand over your broom" called Madam Hooch "and shout UP!"
The entire class shouted "UP" back but most of the brooms stayed firmly on the ground. Harry's was one of the few to shoot up into his hand. Even Hermione's only rolled over on the ground. Madam Hooch walked through the row, correcting the student's grip and showing them how to mount their brooms without falling off.
Once she was satisfied with everyone's handling of their brooms, she began instructing them on how to take off.
"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard" Madam Hooch instructed "'Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet and then come straight back down by leaning forwards slightly. On my whistle – three – two - one"
Harry kicked off from the ground and with a sudden thrill, he realised that it was easy. Ron was right- you didn't learn how to fly. This was something he could do without thinking and it was over all too soon.
As the lesson went on, they would be taught the slightly more advanced forms of flying, going higher and making more elaborate manoeuvres. Harry found himself able to master each of the different forms with ease and each time was only barely able to restrain himself from going just a little bit higher. The others performed differently- Hermione still seemed terrified to leave the ground, Ron was competent but not spectacular and Mandy was slow and cautious but quickly warmed to it. Harry had a feeling he was going to like flying.