A/N What a response! Thankyou to everyone who has reviewed, favourited or is following this story! I'm a scientist but I have taken to writing for relaxation and I'm really thrilled that you enjoy what I'm writing. As always, you keep reviewing and I'll keep writing!

Cheers guys! Now on with the story.

Chapter 2

The next two weeks went by surprisingly quickly. Harry found it extremely difficult to cope with the stares and whispers on the first full day. So much so that the first evening he found himself in Poppy's office, crying into her shoulder about how he wasn't the person everybody thought he was and he didn't want to be famous, he wanted to be just Harry.

Poppy had soothed him as best she could and when he had fallen asleep, she flooed Minerva. What the Deputy Headmistress said at breakfast the following morning, neither Poppy nor Harry knew, but the effect was instantaneous. The stares were still there, but they were more furtive, as if trying to stare without being caught staring.

This Harry could deal with much better and so life went on in the castle.

Harry's favourite lesson was Transfiguration but Ron's was Charms and the two were often paired together. This made for enjoyable lessons. Also they found out that Hagrid was a font of knowledge for all things Hogwarts and to take tea with him was great fun. Between these things, meals in the Great Hall and ignoring the whispers that the first two weeks went.

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The following week, coming back from Hagrid's one afternoon, Harry and Ron found the Common Room awash with noise and people gathered round the notice board. When they walked in, no-one turned round and the noise kept going.

"Wonder what's so interesting that they've not realised I just walked in?" Harry asked Ron in shock

"No idea mate, but I bet you're glad of it!" Ron replied smirking

Harry grinned and nodded his head enthusiastically, moving over to the opposite side of the room, to give himself the most amount of time before he was spotted and the awkwardness invariably started again.

"Exploding snap or Gobstones?" Ron asked

"Not exploding snap - I'd rather stay anonymous for as long as possible."

"Gobstones it is then." Ron replied with a smirk, getting out the pieces.

An hour later, Harry and Ron approached the notice board that had captured everyone else's attention before. They had been so engrossed in their game that neither of them had noticed that silence had descended on the common room and when they had finished it, both covered in goo, most of the rest of the common room was absorbed in something else.

"Look Harry!" Ron squealed "we get to start flying lessons on Friday!"

"I shall look forward to that then." he said, smiling but noticing that the squeals had attracted others' attention. Most people by now wouldn't stare at him long, but if they didn't realise he was there then they would still do a double take, as if forgetting that their saviour was an 11 year Gryffindor and having to make sure.

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The next few days passed and suddenly it was Friday. If there was any day that Poppy truly disliked it was the day that first years first sat on brooms. Brooms were dangerous things in the hands of an uncapable rider and the school brooms that they used on this occasion made it worse because they were so old.

There was a knack to riding a broom, she knew and she also knew that the best way to learn was by trial, error and a few bruises. But there was always one who ended up more seriously injured, and this year, Poppy was afraid that that would be Harry.

She knew Harry was excited about learning to fly, she had known since that first day in Diagon Alley and he had been full of the tales that the Weasley boys had been telling him when he had last been in to see her. She was really happy to see him excited, it showed how far he had come, but at the same time she couldn't shake her own fear that he would severely injure himself.

Shaking her head to try to clear her thoughts, she went back to her potions cupboard and checked for the fourth time that morning that she had everything she might need. Harry would be out there in just a couple of hours, could be lying immobile in one of these beds just a few minutes after.

She started pacing her office, unable to keep the awful thoughts from her mind, when suddenly her floo flared and Minerva McGonagall stepped out. Taking in the situation and realising probably why Poppy was so distracted she steered the anxious medi-witch into a comfortable chair, ordered tea and laced it with a calming draught before handing it to her friend and helping her to drink it.

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Harry put on his trainers, bubbling with excitement. He knew his auntie didn't like flying or quidditch or even brooms, but he also knew he did. As far as he was concerned, flying was going to be the best thing in the world! He had played with his practice snitch as much as he could and he was getting pretty good at catching it whilst on his feet and that day at the Weasleys' he had been allowed on a broom with Fred but now he was getting to actually fly one on his own. He couldn't wait.

He bolted down the stairs from the dorm into the common room and ran smack into Ron, just going up.

"Ron come on we're going to be late!" he said as he rubbed his nose. It had banged against Ron's collar bone.

"Harry there's still 15 minutes before the lesson starts! Calm down will you!"

"I'll wait for you in the Common Room - hurry up!" Harry went down the stairs as Ron went up.

The next seven minutes lasted for all eternity in Harry's opinion. When Ron did come down, the two grinned at each other and left through the portrait hole.