Chapter Sixteen.
Broomstick Mayhem.
Thursday arrived swiftly the next day, despite the early morning awakening and tiredness that gripped my limbs from repeatedly waking up from nightmares that involved me being locked in vault 7-1-3, there was an undeniable buzz in the air from all the first-year Slytherins gathered in the common room. Ever since we'd been given our timetables, this has been the day we all had been looking forward to most – flying lessons.
As usual, each lesson was made up of the combination of two first-year houses, and it was pinned up on the Slytherin noticeboard in the common room which made every other first-year groan but made my heart leap with joy as flying lessons will be held with the Gryffindor first-years which means I'd get to see Harry and Hermione – Ron, I considered a friend but it was obvious he had fixed opinion on the Slytherins and me being his best friends twin, wasn't going to change that he thought we were evil and mean.
We all sat together at breakfast, flying lessons was all Harry and Ron had been speaking about since we got our timetables, and as me and Hermione sat discussing Transfiguration, it had become my favourite subject despite Professor McGonagall's terrifying nature. Ron was telling Harry about the time he almost hit a hang-glider on his brother's old broom.
Post arrived shortly, Hermione received a letter from her parents but once she had read it and gleamed happily, Hermione handed it too me, I took it rather confused and read the letter which was written in soft, feminine handwriting, apparently Hermione had informed her parents about me and they had kindly said; Maybe one summer she can come and stay with us, she sounds lovely. Have a good time, see you at Christmas. I grinned happily, deep down I felt suddenly warm, her parents must be lovely, I handed Hermione her letter back, we hadn't spent much time speaking about families, I think maybe she thinks I'll feel uncomfortable but I'd like to hear about her family.
We continued eating breakfast whilst we all watched Neville, a boy from the Gryffindor house, open a brown papered package he had received, his twin watched over him carefully, clearly jealous that he had got a present and she had not. Once unwrapped, Neville removed a tennis ball-sized glass ball that looked fragile, it had a band of gold around the middle with some circle engravings on the surface.
"Look, Neville's got a Remembrall." a boy called Dean pointed out. Everyone within several chairs who wasn't watching like I was, turned to look at the item Neville was holding in his left hand.
"I've read about those," Hermione pointed out as the ball began to fill up with grey smoke which turned a crimson red, "When the smoke turns red, it means you've forgotten something."
Neville just turned to look at her, "Problem is, I can't remember what I've forgotten."
Several other first-years laugh warmly before turning back to my food however soon it was time for every one to head off to first lesson. Harry and Ron practically skipped to the field where we had been instructed to wait, I could tell by the mere look in theirs eyes that they weren't looking forward to it nearly as much as they had been in the days beforehand, and I can tell it was because of Draco Malfoy.
Twenty broomsticks lay neatly, ten either side facing each other. Amongst the twenty first-years, most of them had been on a broomstick with the exception of Harry and myself, Hermione and the other twins who live in Gryffindor; Neville and Tracey. Draco talk a lot about flying and all the times he had almost been spotted by Muggles, he complained loudly about the first-years never betting in the house Quidditch teams. Seamus Finnigan said he spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on a broomstick.
Our teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, grey hair that was styled so it poked out randomly with yellow eyes like a hawk. She stands at the end of the two lines, "Welcome to your first flying lesson," she says, "Well, what are you all waiting for?" she ordered looking at us in a confused manner, "Everyone stand on the left-side of your broom, come on hurry up." Hooch orders, "Stick your right hand over the broom and say 'up'."
I gulped as everyone began shouting 'UP' at their broom. Harry was to the right of me whilst Hermione was on the left. They all yelled at their broomstick, several rolled about on the ground whereas Harry's shot right to his hand on the first order. Ron, Hermione and myself all look at Harry with amazement, despite not calling 'up' at my broomstick, I feel like everyone else who had yelled at their broom without it jumping up.
Instead of yelling, I simply whisper, "Up."
Suddenly, the broom whisks to my hand, I grip it firmly and smile, half surprised that my idea actually worked. Hermione was still trying to get hers to move whilst Ron's shot up vertically and hit him in the nose instead of going to his hand. Harry and I laughed together for the first time in a while but it felt great and even Hermione cracked a smile at Ron's misfortune.
Eventually, every student had their broomstick in their right hand. We were then told to mount our brooms, Madam Hooch then approached us all and corrected our form to ensure we don't slid off the end. Harry and Ron were so pleased to hear her tell Draco he'd been doing it wrong for years. Pansy and Mae had a few things to be corrected same as Hermione and I but Harry seemed to be doing everything perfectly.
"Now, when I blow my whistle, you will all kick off the ground, hard," ordered Hooch, "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, hover for a moment and then come straight back down." All the first-years suddenly looked a different shade of green, "On my whistle – three – two –"
Immediately, Neville began to rise up, he hovered above our heads for a moment as Madam Hooch ordered him back down but the broomstick appeared to have a mind of it's own as it began to rise more before shooting forwards narrowly missing Draco and Pansy heads.
"Mr Longbottom!" Madam Hooch yelled as Neville's broomstick fly off, getting higher and higher, even from the ground I could see his white face as he looked down at the ground. His broom was aiming for the wall, he tried to angle it away but he was too close, the end of the broomstick smashed into the hard brick wall of the outer castle and then he slipped sideways off the broom and –
CRASH – a thud echoes through the silent surroundings combined with our gasps and a nasty crack. Neville lay face down on the grass in a crumbled heap. The cursed broomstick was still floating several feet above us before zooming off lazily towards the Forbidden Forest and out of sight.
Hermione was the first person to abandon their broomstick, she ran towards the injured Gryffindor whilst I heard several Slytherins laugh at the poor boys misfortune. Turning sharply, I look at Draco who was snigger with Crabbe and Goyle, Pansy leant with one arm on Draco's shoulder giggling whilst Mae smiled evilly. Draco's eyes locked with mine and he stopped laughing almost immediately but the others continued.
Madam Hooch practically scooped Neville up, as she touched his wrist he howled in pain as more tears streaked down his tear strained face. "Ah, looks like a broken wrist," I hear her mutter before she began supporting hobbling Neville away from the scene, "All of you keep your feet firmly on the ground whilst I take Mr Longbottom to the hospital wing, if I see a single broom in the air, the person riding it will be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'." she threatens and by the gleaming look in her eye, she certainly means it.
With the help of Tracy, Madam Hooch walking hobbling Neville off to the hospital wing. I stepped back wanting to get away from the crowd, my foot accidentally hit something that felt solid but it rolled away at my touch, I turn to see what the item is and it turns out to be Neville's Remembrall before I could grab or stop the item, it had rolled into the hand of Draco Malfoy who snatched the present and glared at it.
"If the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he probably would have remembered to land on his fat ass." Draco hisses evilly. My mouth falls open with shock, I didn't expect something like that to come out of Draco's mouth, the other Slytherins joined in but the Gryffindors all looked hard-faced at the nasty first-year.
"Give it here, Draco." I say softly.
His eyes flicker between me and the others before he could speak, Harry did, "Yeah, give it back." he orders.
This causes Draco to smile nastily. "No, I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find –" he said before leisurely swooping off on his broom around the outside of the group before cutting through the middle and saying, "– maybe on the roof!"
Draco wasn't lying, he could in fact fly very well and he floated level with the topmost branches of an oak tree not far from us, and it's from this great height, he calls, "A little out of your reach, Potter?"
Harry mounts his broom, I grab his arm tightly, "No, you can't." I hiss angrily at my brother sheer madness.
"Your sister is right, you heard what Madam Hooch said, plus you don't know how to fly!" Hermione insists but my brother seems to think both of us aren't worth listening too, he stiffens his upper lip and mounts his broom to fly off after Draco who smirked triumphantly.
From the ground, non of us could hear what Draco and Malfoy were saying to each other however the faint facial expressions I can see suggests that the words pasted between when weren't nice. There was several times that Harry attempted to try and take Draco off his broom, and then, Draco pulled his arm back that's holding the Remembrall and threw it.
Harry zoomed past Draco who smirked again before returning back to the ground to receive several pats on the back from the other Slytherins. I just glared at him angrily but he didn't pay me much attention. Harry just caught the ball before he headed straight into a window, everyone cheered as he returned back down to the ground holding the Remembrall. Once on the ground, he is practically engulfed in a Gryffindor hug which only Hermione includes me in, I can practically feel the Slytherins staring at me.
"HARRY POTTER!" the sudden yelling of my brother voice sank my heart. Professor McGonagall was walking quickly towards the crowd of first-years. Her face was stern like always but there was a new look in her eyes that terrified me to my very core. Harry looked like a deer caught in the headlights however he turned to look at me. "Come with me please." Professor McGonagall orders.
I gulp as Harry handed Ron his broomstick before sulking off and following his Head of House into the castle. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle all smirked with happiness but as I turn to give them a cold look, their smiles quickly vanished.
My brother was going to get expelled, oh god, he would have to go back to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia to be laughed at and bullied by Dudley. How would I be able to face him when I eventually had to go home. Madam Hooch arrived not long after Harry had been whisked away and informed us that the lesson was not going to continue and gave us all study time.
Ron, Hermione and myself all walked to the Great Hall, but Ron told us he wasn't feeling homework and sulked off to the Gryffindor common room whilst Hermione and I headed to the library where we sat and finished the Transfiguration homework and did some reading on Potions but I couldn't concentrate, all I could think about was Harry.
At dinner, I was as shocked to see Harry walk confidently through the doors as Draco and his minions were. Looking at Professor McGonagall sat up at the high table, she gives me a nod and I walk quickly round to the table and sit beside Hermione as Harry speaks to them.
"You're joking." I hear Ron exclaim. "Seeker? But first-years never – you must be the youngest Seeker in –"
"– a century," said Harry proudly, shovelling what appeared to be a well deserved pie into his mouth, I look over at Hermione confused, I didn't know what a Seeker was but whatever it was Harry and Ron seemed to be very excited about it. "I start training next week, only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."
Harry looks past me to see Draco sniggering, I had left my food unattended beside Mae and opposite Blaize. "I better go before Pansy poisons my food." I mumble before walking back to the Slytherin table, Pansy looks as if she's about to say something nasty but Draco shoots her a look and she remains quiet. However, even if Pansy had the courage to speak even if Draco had told her not too, my brother wasn't going to leave me and that's the best thing I could ask for.
A/N: If you like this chapter please leave a review. Also I'm thinking of starting to write an Avengers fic, any of you be interested in reading it?