If he was being perfectly honest, Dudley was fairly excited for this next part. After all, he'd heard no end of how amazing flying on a broomstick was from Harry in his previous life. And he'd heard no end about how good Harry WAS at flying in the previous timeline as well. All that taken into consideration, since Dudley had Harry's magic now, didn't that mean he should be naturally good at flying as well?
It certainly made sense that it would be that way to him. Of course, on top of all of that, he'd been making great strides in terms of his weight since he'd come back to the past. If he were still the fat, overweight pig he'd been before, Dudley probably would have been a lot leerier about any flight that required him to keep his equilibrium on a small wooden stick, even if it WAS magical flight.
As it was, he felt more than ready for what was to come, as he stood there in an orderly line with the rest of the Slytherin First Years, facing their Gryffindor counterparts, both of them with school brooms arrayed in front of them, laid out on the ground and awaiting… whatever was to come next. What that was, as it turned out, was the Hogwarts Flying Instructor, Madam Hooch.
"Good afternoon, class."
"Good afternoon, Madam Hooch."
Dudley dutifully greets the flying instructor right alongside the rest of the students, even as he surreptitiously enjoys her good looks. Much like practically every female Professor that Dudley has laid his eyes upon so far, Rolanda Hooch is gorgeous, looking like she should practically still be in school herself more than anything else. She has soft, wavy blonde hair that reaches to her shoulders, and a kickass body that just doesn't quit, shown off through the tightness of her flying robes.
And they are tight. Dudley can't help but ogle his flying instructor, even as she makes her way to the end of their two lines and whips around, looking among them. He knows that the robes she's got on, along with the boots and the gloves she's wearing, are likely designed to help with flight. But that doesn't change the fact that he can make out she's rocking at least double Ds thanks to the tightness of her robes in the chest region, or that he's getting to enjoy her decently wide hips and gorgeous toned derriere, outlined as both are by her shapely outfit.
The only real oddity about her, the only thing that might attract from her good looks, is the sharp yellow eyes she's sporting. She's got a beautiful face, framed by that same blonde hair Dudley had mentioned before, but those eyes of her almost give her a severe look… or would, if not for the lewdity of her hourglass figure. Put simply, the Hogwarts Flying Instructor was fucking smoking, and Dudley DEFINITELY wanted to tap that one day. Maybe even sooner, rather than later…
"Welcome to your first Flying Lesson. Well, what are you all waiting for? Everyone step up to the left side of your broomstick if you please. C'mon now, hurry up."
Both Slytherins and Gryffindors step forward, and Dudley takes the chance to shoot Hermione a grin, given that the bushy brunette is currently stood across from him. She blinks and smiles back tentatively. From what he'd already seen so far since they'd arrived at Hogwarts, Hermione was not doing very well in Gryffindor. Dudley wasn't sure why she'd ended up in that particular House in the first place.
He'd always assumed it was Harry who'd done it, because honestly, even in his previous life, knowing the bare minimum that he'd known, Dudley could have told you that Hermione Granger was a certifiable nerd. She was the bookworm to end all bookworms. Which, from what he'd learned since coming back in time, meant she should have gone to Ravenclaw, not Gryffindor.
Little did Dudley know that while Harry did play some part in getting Hermione into Gryffindor, she'd longed to join the House of Lions long before she'd ever met him, when she'd found out that such instrumental figures like Harry's parents James and Lily Potter, as well as the Headmaster himself, Albus Dumbledore, had all been Gryffindors.
As it turns out, when your world is effectively led by a man who's over a hundred years old, the history books tend to paint him and his preferences in a good light. In that way, many of the books Hermione had read, while not precisely shit-talking the other Houses (except for Slytherin) had indeed painted Gryffindor in a much better light, making it seem like the House to be. Hermione, while a bookworm, was just naïve enough and just brave enough for the Hat to put her in Gryffindor, even without Harry's presence.
Dudley, of course, knows none of that. All he knows is that even in Harry's absence, Hermione is rocking the red and yellow, leaving her standing across from him as they both have their first flying lesson with Madam Hooch. As everyone finally finishes getting into position, the blonde bombshell of an instructor thrusts one of her gloves hands out, speaking clearly and concisely as she tells them how to command the broomstick.
"Stick your right hand out over the broom and say Up!"
Huh, easy enough. Looking down at his loaned broomstick, Dudley holds out his hand and clears his throat before speaking the command word as all around him, others do the same.
"Up!"
Dudley's broom flies right up into his hand with a meaty smack of wood against palm, his fingers instinctively curling around it as he holds it in place. In truth, this wasn't just because Dudley had Harry's magic, and Harry's magic was somehow predisposed to flying or anything like that. It all had to do with frame of mind. In that moment, Dudley assumed that the broom would go up because he told it to, and that soul-deep certainty of his made it a reality.
In fact, he can feel the magic pulsing through the broomstick now that he's holding it. It really had just looked like a shoddy piece of wood with some bristles stuck on the end before, but now he knows… now he knows this thing could easily hold him aloft, it could fly, if he so chose to use it do so…
"Up!" "Up!" "Up!" "Up!"
It's only as he continues to hear the other students shouting 'Up!' around him that Dudley realizes something is wrong. Or not precisely wrong, but certainly abnormal. Blinking, he looks away from his broomstick to see that right across from him, Hermione is starting to look flustered, the young witch glaring down at her broomstick as she continues to try to order it up, and it in turn flops around on the ground like a disobedient pup. She glances his way, and he can tell that she saw him get it in one try and is annoyed now that she's being beaten on something academic.
Looking around further, Dudley can see that for most students, this task is NOT as easy as he's made it look. In fact, while others are starting to get it now that he's paying attention, of the class, only Draco seems to have managed it before he began looking about. The two meet eyes for a moment and share a grin from down the line, both feeling a welling of satisfaction at their success.
Some aren't quite as lucky as even Hermione. Ron Weasley, for instance, quite identifiable by his red hair, eventually grows so exasperated in tone with his broom not obeying him, that his next whining 'Up!' is met by the broomstick coming up and whacking him right in the face. And not with the softer bristled end either. Both Dudley and Draco snicker at that, though Ron doesn't notice with them being down the line and across the way from him.
Moving down inner row between the two lines of students, Madam Hooch has a soft, pleased smile on her lips for those who have already succeeded. As those sharp yellow eyes of hers turn on Dudley, they're quite a bit less severe, thanks to the softening of her face, showing how satisfied she is with her performance.
"Well done Mister Dursley. And Mister Malfoy as well. Five points each to Slytherin for getting it on your first try."
To the rest of the class, the gorgeous blonde instructor lifts her voice, so all hear her.
"With feeling, you lot! Come now, I know you can do it!"
Slowly but surely, all of them do manage it, in the end. For some, it's the work of a few moments and a few more 'Ups!' as their broom slowly hovers up into their hand over time. For others, it's like a light switch is flipped and the broom finally decides to obey as it slaps up into their palms. Regardless, they all have their magic flying brooms eventually, leading Hooch to begin the next part of the lesson.
"Now. Once you've got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it and grip it tight. You DON'T want to be sliding off the end."
… Did that sound provocative to anyone else? Dudley glances around, but there isn't a single lecherous look on the faces of his fellow students. Not even Draco seems to have picked up on the innuendo that Madam Hooch had just unleashed. Honestly, they were all thirteen, it wasn't like they were EXACTLY kids anymore. This was the perfect age for dirty jokes!
Unable to help himself, Dudley leans over to Draco and nudges him, murmuring to the other boy, even as they both put their broomsticks between their legs and begin to mount them as Madam Hooch had said.
"I'd sure like Madam Hooch to mount and grip MY broom tight, if you know what I mean."
Draco blinks as he looks Dudley's way, before the meaning of his words hit the Malfoy Scion. For a moment, the blond blushes… and then he grins and lets out a soft laugh.
"When I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off the ground, hard! Keep your brooms steady, hover for a moment, then lean forward slightly and touch back down!"
Dudley refocuses back on the lesson at hand as Hooch speaks up again.
"On my whistle. Three, two-!"
The moment that she blows the whistle instead of saying one, disaster strikes. Not for Dudley, thankfully. He hasn't even kicked off the ground when there's a sudden commotion from the Gryffindor side of things. Every student in the class looks on as Neville Longbottom begins to float up into the air. Some of the Gryffindors, Hermione included, try to tell him off, to get back down… even Hooch tosses out a few orders. But Neville continues to rise.
It's immediately obvious to Dudley that the Longbottom boy isn't doing it on purpose. Accidental magic, perhaps? Looking at the broom he's holding with a bit more trepidation, Dudley doesn't actually DO anything to help Neville. He's not quite sure he won't make matters worse, after all. In the end, if anyone was going to help, it would have to be Madam Hooch herself, right?
But what happens next happens far too fast for even the beautiful blonde Flying Instructor to react to, Dudley has to admit. Neville goes from floating a few feet off the ground to actually flying off into the air in mere moments, and then he's spinning around and swirling about and just… it's like his broom has a mind of its own. By the time he finally comes back to the ground painfully hard, Dudley has taken HIS broom out from between his legs and while he's still holding it, he's also looking at it like it might just come alive and attack him in the same way Neville's did.
In the end, Hooch delivers a threat of expulsion if anyone dares to fly as she moves to escort Neville to the hospital wing. Which is when Draco reveals a translucent glass ball as he chuckles darkly.
"Heh, did you see his face? Maybe if the fat lump had given this Remembrall a squeeze, he would have remembered to fall on his fat ass."
It's said to his fellow Slytherins, all of whom laugh. Even a few Gryffindors snicker at the joke, but to Dudley's surprise, Hermione isn't standing for it.
"That's not yours, Malfoy. That's Neville's! Give it here, so I can take it to him!"
Dudley can already tell this isn't going to go well as Draco whirls around, and upon identifying the source of defiance, sneers mightily. Hermione Granger glares right back at him, both of them in a standoff. But before Dudley has plans to get in Hermione's good graces… while also maintaining his standing with Draco. Which means he can't have them WHOLLY at odds. Before Draco can say something, Dudley will regret, he steps up to the Malfoy Scion's side and nudges him, murmuring in his ear.
"Forget her, Draco. Weren't you telling me about how the Longbottoms were an old family in the wizarding world? Ignoring Neville's stupidity for a second… wouldn't it help you out if YOU returned the Remembrall."
Draco gives Dudley an incredulous look at that but does pull him back a few steps so they can continue their quiet, hissed conversation.
"Why would I want to be friends with a Gryffindor? Especially an idiot like him?"
Dudley just smirks and shakes his head.
"Neville isn't exactly 'friend' material. But as far as toady potential goes… well, his pet IS a toad."
Draco thinks on that for a long moment, giving Dudley a considering look before ultimately grinning.
"You might be on to something with that."
They walk back over to the group, Hermione looking a little confused but no less defiant than before. What she's going to do if Draco says no, Dudley can't begin to guess at… he just doesn't want to have to pick and choose between them. Draco's connections and wealth would win out over Hermione's potential good looks down the line every time, but it isn't a trade Dudley doesn't want to make if he doesn't have to.
"I ain't giving you shit, Granger. Because I'm going to return his property to Heir Longbottom myself!"
Hermione's eyes widen at that, and there are mutterings among the group, even as Draco flashes Hermione a smarmy grin and then steps away, letting the Slytherins gather around him. Before Dudley moves to follow, he makes sure to catch Hermione's eye and give her a wink. The brunette is a pretty smart cookie… she immediately realizes that Draco's change in tone is due to Dudley's voice in his ear. Given that Dudley has gotten Hermione what she wanted, albeit in a rather circumspect way, a tentative smile alights on the brunette's face in response.
He's going to mold her into the perfect pet if it's the last thing he does. He wants her for both her looks and her mind. But on top of that, he wants her for who she could have been. One of Harry's.