Chapter 6

The ground outside was crisp and had a layering of frost pinching the top. It was blowing a gale and first-years were stepping outside to begin their first flying lesson. Professor McLaggen walking with giant strides and his cloak billowing out behind him towards twenty brooms situated in neat lines in the centre of the Quidditch Pitch. The first-years quickly followed. They stood in a group by the brooms.

"Stand on the left side of a broom and place your hand over it, palm down," Professor McLaggen said. The first-years did just that. "Now say up and the broom should fly into your hand."

Albus shouted "UP!" to no one in particular, staring at the person across from him, Scorpious Malfoy. The broom suddenly shot into his hand, leaving him staggering from the impact. As Albus recovered from the shock, he began to notice the kids around him. Sam was saying "up" again and again to the broom but he was barely making it hop around on the ground. Rose had turned towards her broom and was saying "up" very sternly and was wagging her finger at it. Matthew Hudson had just given up after the first few times and picked it up instead. McLaggen stormed over to Matthew.

"What are you doing? If I wanted you to pick up your brooms I would have told you to do that. They will not fly if they don't respond to you saying up," he said, in a melodramatic voice.

Matthew dropped it and started to work again, this time the hard way.

"Now," he said, having to shout over the noise of the wind, "Those of you who have been clever enough to figure out how to keep your broom up" he looked pointedly at Matthew. "You will now need to climb on and start flying. Remember, where you point your broom is where you will go."

Albus stepped onto his threadbare broom and pointed it upwards. The broom lifted with him on it until he could barely touch the floor. He pushed upwards and he saw to his amazement the whole castle under his feet. He looked around him and saw boys and girls around him learning how to control their brooms. Albus was watching how Scorpious handled his broom. He sat stiffly and confidently with his back straight. He had obviously done this before. Scorpious pushed his broom handle just slightly too far and began to plummet towards the ground! Albus raced after him, seeing only later how much danger he had put himself in. Albus could hear Scorpious's ear shattering screams floating up towards him.

Neville Longbottom was picking leaves from a plant in Greenhouse Three when he heard the cries of a child over by the Quidditch Pitch. Had McLaggen hurt someone again 'cause it sure sounded like it. Neville pottered out into the open air. In the distance were two falling shapes. Neville walked closer. They were two boys on broomsticks!

Albus was drawing nearer and nearer to Scorpious, who was still flailing around in his descent to Earth.

"Hold still. I'm gonna try to save you," Albus screamed, desperate to be heard above the howling wind.

Scorpious stayed stock still as if he was saying in his cocky way, "I'm listening!"

Albus swoops down until he is under Scorpious. He brings one hand up to grab at Scorpious's broom. The other is still latched, knuckles white, onto his own. He brings his own broom level to Scorpious.

For Neville, this was a great action scene played right before his eyes. Albus knew what to do and just did it, regardless of his own safety. You don't get a heart like that very often.

At the last second, Albus pulled the two brooms up from their steep dive. He landed, not too softly, and stood, leaving Scorpious in a heap on the ground. He let the crowd surround him. Everyone was cheering and clapping him on the back. That one decision in the height of the moment had led to this, Albus, already famous for his courage, not just his father.

"Potter, come with me!" Professor Longbottom called from far away.

The first-years formed a path to let Longbottom past. Albus walked shakily through to join Longbottom. He turned and walked off at a brisk pace. Albus hurried to catch up as Longbottom stopped outside a doorway. He knocked and opened it.

"Could I borrow Adam for a second, if I may?" Longbottom asked politely.

An older boy sitting at the back of the classroom stood up and made his way to the door where he stepped outside. He tilted his head when he saw Albus.

"This is Albus Potter, your new seeker," Longbottom said calmly, as if a first-year getting on the Quidditch team is perfectly normal.

"Is he good?" Adam asked.

"He just pulled out of a fifty-foot dive."

Adam nodded and held out his hand. Albus took it, sealing his place in the team. Longbottom turned to Albus.

"You can go back to your class now."

Albus and Sam were just sitting in the Great Hall eating their lunch, when Scorpious and his two cronies, Crabbe and Mike, stood in front of them.

"It's you and me tonight at midnight, duelling in the Potions Dungeon," he looked round suspiciously. "Who's your second?"

"Sam," he said, touching Sam's arm, who looked up with a mountain of food in his mouth.

"Mine's Mike," he said, trying not to laugh. He staggered away, himself and his two cronies bursting with laughter.

"Did you really have to do that?" Albus hissed, turning to Sam.

"Sorry," Sam shrugged.

Someone tapped Albus on the shoulder.

"Hey! Didn't Dad say not to have duels before you know how? And anyway, I thought you might like this," said Albus's brother, James. He passed over a cloak. "It's Dad's Invisibility Cloak. I stole it from him a few years ago."

"Thanks," Albus said. He stuffs the shimmering cloak in his bag.

In the Gryffindor boys dormitory there were five young boys fast asleep. Each one was snoring but none as loud as Sam Grigg. All of a sudden, an alarm went off loudly in the middle of the room. Four boys jumped out of their skins at the sound. The fifth was still snoring as loud as before. Albus tried to smother the noise quickly, as the others looked around them in surprise, Sam's snores in the background. Slowly, Matthew, Jamie and James laid back down. Albus crept out of his bed and to Sam. He tried to shake him awake, but he only groaned and rolled over.

"Come on, wake up!" Albus whispered.

Sam opened his eyes. "I'm up," he said.

"Then get up," Albus said, stepping away.

Rose Weasley had been spending the evening to do her homework, while the common room was slowly emptying around her. Every few minutes her head would sag down into tiredness but she would jerk herself awake.

Only this time, what had woken her were two beings creeping across the room. She couldn't exactly see them, she just knew they were there. At that moment, a thundering elephant was coming down the boys staircase. Actually, it wasn't an elephant, just a curious Jamie. It's funny how someone so tiny could make such a loud noise.

Rose stood up and walked over to where she believed the two beings to be. She reached a hand out in front of her, the two beings leaning back to avoid being touched. Rose whisked the cloak off the two beings and immediately dropped it.

"Albus! Sam! Were you trying to sneak out?! You know you're not supposed to! That would lose us house points!" Rose burst out.

"Yes, if we get caught," Albus said cheekily.

"What were you going out there for anyway?" Rose asked, ignoring Albus.

"Albus got himself a duel with Scorpious Malfoy. I'm his second!" sam supplied eagerly.

"Right. Just don't go okay?"

"Of course we're going!" Albus exclaimed.

"Then I will go with you," Rose said, "But it's only to keep you out of trouble."

Jamie came up to Rose and tapped her on the shoulder. "Can I come? Can I come?" he said.

Rose looked strangely at Jamie. "Of course," she said rather surprised.

Rose threw the Invisibility Cloak over the four Gryffindors. She opened the door and they shuffled forwards. They made their way down the stairs to the Potions Dungeon. They slipped inside and pulled off the cloak.

"Is Scorpious here?" Rose asked, looking round.

"Doesn't seem it. You think he's tricked us?" Albus asked.

"It looks like it," Rose said, looking sympathetically at Albus.

The four heard a voice in the hallway. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Filch called.

The Gryffindors burst out of the Potions Dungeon and ran headlong away from the voice, leading them further down into the heart of the castle. Albus stopped at a door. He tried to tug it open. It wouldn't budge.

"Alohamora!" Rose shouted, her wand held rigid out in front of her. Albus pushed the door open and they all tumbled inside.

As soon as Albus had caught his breath, he saw the magnificent beauty of the place he had stumbled into. The deep red walls were shining with intricately placed crystals. Albus's gaze went to the centre of the room where a dragon was pacing, swinging its tail in alarming speed. Luckily, it hadn't yet seen them. The flared nostrils were huffing as it turned it's head towards them. It opened it's mouth and out of it a thick stream of blazing fire emerged.

"Aguamenti!" Rose shouted when she saw the dragon and its spiral of flame. Out of her wand came a wave of water which washed out the dragon's fire.

"Run!" Albus shouted.

Sam and Jamie were already barging out the door as Albus and Rose followed them, Rose keeping her spout of water directed at the dragon. She closed the door and said with her wand pointed at the door, "Colloportus."

The door locked itself as Albus looked at Rose quizzically.

"We don't want to be found out," she said with a shrug.

They made their way back to the Gryffindor Tower, forever vigilant in case of being found. Luckily, they made it back without being seen. Albus trudged wearily up the stairs and fell onto his bed. He was immediately fast asleep.