Ch. 9

The next day it was posted that flying lessons with the Slytherins would begin Thursday. Everyone was either excited or nervous. Harry was both until Violet said something odd.

"Don't worry so much, Harry. You've always been good on a broom."

"I've never been on a broom."

"Yes, you have. We would zoom around on our toy brooms all the time before… well, before we went to live with our aunt and uncle."

"How can you possibly know that? You were only a baby like me."

"I'm nearly a year older than you, so I was actually a toddler at the time," she said as though it made a difference. "Besides, you'd be surprised what I remember. I'm often surprised by what I remember." Violet had a slightly haunted look as she spoke, but she shook it off quickly. She pushed her hair from her neck and showed him a scar near her right collar bone. "See that? We were racing the day Mum and Dad died. I would have won, but the cat darted in front of me. I swerved to miss him and crashed into the fireplace. Mum decided we needed to put the brooms away and…"

She fell silent. Harry assumed Voldemort must have shown up at their house shortly after and decided to steer the conversation back to brooms.

"Aren't toys much different than real brooms?"

It worked. Violet's expression cleared as she looked back at him.

"Not a whole lot. Real brooms mostly just go higher and faster, but the basic technique is still the same."

Mail arrived during lunch. Neville received a package from his grandmother. Violet accepted a new Quidditch news magazine from a small, fluffy owl as Neville unwrapped a Remembrall. After lunch, Madame Hooch led the first years to the Quidditch field. Each student was given an old school broom which rested on the ground to their right.

"Quiet back there!" Madame Hooch said. "Now then, place your right hand over your broom stick and say 'Up.'"

Harry, Violet, and Malfoy's brooms leapt into their hands at once. Everyone else took several tries. Neville Longbottom eventually gave up and picked up his broom. Ron's whacked him in the nose which earned him laughter from Violet and Harry.

"Oh shut up you two!"

"Now then," Hooch went on, "mount your brooms. Keep a firm grip so you don't slide off. At my whistle, kick off, hover for a few seconds and come back down. Ready?"

She blew her whistle. Everyone hovered and returned to the ground, but Neville couldn't get his broom to return to the floor. Then, without warning the broom zoomed away and hit a wall. Madame Hooch rushed to him at once.

"Ow! Ouch!"

"Neville! Is he okay?" Violet asked.

"Oh dear! Looks like a broken wrist. Let's get you to the hospital wing. Miss Potter, he's fine. Stay here. If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will be home before you can say Quidditch!"

After they left Malfoy pulled something from his robe. It was Neville's Remembrall.

"Maybe if the lump had given this a squeeze, he would have remembered to fall on his fat ass."

Harry and Violet stepped forward.

"Give it here Malfoy," Harry said.

"No. I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find. Like… up a tree."

Malfoy mounted his broom and rose high into the air.

"What's the matter Potter? Come on up here and get it!"

Harry mounted his broom.

"Harry, you can't be serious!" Violet cried. She looked up at Malfoy. "Malfoy, get down here!"

"You can't even fly!" Hermione echoed to Harry.

Harry rose into the air with Malfoy. It was amazing! Harry just seemed to know what to do. Like it was instinct. He smiled, happy that Violet had been right all along. Malfoy's sneer wavered. He had not expected Harry to be able to fly at all.

"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to protect you," Harry threatened.

The same thought had occurred to Malfoy. He threw the ball across the field with all the strength he could muster. Harry zoomed after it and caught it just before it hit a window. When he flew down, all the other kids were cheering, except for Malfoy and his friends. Violet hugged Harry tightly.

"That was amazing, Harry!"

"You're lucky you weren't killed," Hermione shrieked.

"Oh, lay off Hermione. It was brilliant!"

A hand clamped down on Harry's shoulder and the cheering stopped at once. Harry looked up and found himself in the clutches of Professor McGonagall.

"Harry Potter! Never… in all my years… You could have broken your neck!"

"Please, professor," Parvati started.

"He was just saving Neville's Remembrall," Violet said. "It wasn't his fault, Auntie!"

"Malfoy threw it," Hermione and Ron chimed.

"He didn't mean to…" Dean started, but the witch cut him off.

"Silence all of you. Harry Potter, come with me."

Harry handed the Remembrall to Violet.

"See that Neville gets that back," he said miserably.

Harry was certain he was about to be expelled. All his dreams of being away from the Dursleys slipped farther away with each step he took. By the time McGonagall led him to the Charms classroom Harry felt like he was going to cry.

"Professor Flitwick, may I borrow Wood for a moment?"

"Of course."

Harry wondered if Wood was a switch she was going to use on him. Oddly, Harry's spirits lifted. Maybe if he just got a good caning, he wouldn't be expelled after all. However, Wood was actually a burly fifth year; the same fifteen-year-old that had been speaking to the girls on Platform 9 ¾. Wood looked down at Harry and seemed just as confused as he was.

"Follow me, you two." She led them to a classroom occupied by Peeves who left, swearing. "Harry, this is Oliver Wood. Wood," McGonagall said excitedly, "I found you a Seeker."

Wood's eyes brightened and he began circling Harry.

"Are you sure Professor?"

"I just saw him make a spectacular catch. Was that your first time on a broom, Potter?"

"Er, yes."

Harry struggled not to sigh with relief. He wasn't going to be expelled after all! No caning either. Some of the feeling returned to his legs.

"Well, he's the right build for a Seeker, to be sure. He'll need a proper broom though."

"I'm sure I can arrange something with the headmaster. I think we can bend the rules this once." She smiled at Harry. "Your father would have been proud. He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."

Ron was excited. Violet was jealous.

"Seeker? First years never make the team!" Ron cried. "You must be the youngest Seeker in a…"

"Century. According to Wood."

"I would give anything to be on the Gryffindor team!" Violet cried. "I couldn't bring my Nimbus 99, but it sounds like Auntie might get an exception made for you."

"I start training this week," Harry continued. "Only don't tell anyone. Wood wants to keep it a secret."

Fred and George Weasley came up.

"Congratulations Harry!"

"Yea. Wood's just told us the news."

"They're on the team too," Ron said. "They're beaters."

"Really?" Violet said, brightening up as she looked at George. "Is it true Alicia Spinet is graduating this year?"

"It is. We'll need a new Chaser next year," George answered her with a knowing smile.

She smiled back and Harry could see the gears in her head turning. "How intriguing."

"It's our job to make sure you don't get bloodied up too bad," Fred told Harry.

"Can't make any promises though. Rough game, but no one's died in years."

"You must be good, Harry. Oliver was practically skipping when he told us."

"We got to go," George said. "Lee says he found a new way out of the castle. Bet it's the one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy."

Fred and George left as Malfoy came up.

"Last meal Potter? When are they sending you back on the train?"

"You're much braver now that you have your lackeys again."

"I'll take you on any time. Tonight even. Wands only."

"A wizard's duel?" Violet asked with her eye brow cocked skeptically.

"I bet Potter doesn't even know what a wizard's duel is," Malfoy said calmly, almost sweetly, to her. "So no need to worry, Violet."

Harry glared at Malfoy. Even though he was being polite, there was something in his tone when Draco spoke to his sister that Harry didn't like. Ron wheeled around.

"Of course he does. I'm his second."

"Crabbe is mine. Midnight in the trophy room. It's always unlocked."

"This is a bad idea," Violet said, but she turned back to her dinner and said nothing more.

After Malfoy left, Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"What is a wizard's duel?" Harry asked

"Exactly what he said," Violet said. "A duel using only magic."

"The most you two can do though is send sparks at each other. Neither of you know enough to do any more than that."

Hermione came up.

"I couldn't help over hearing…"

"I bet you could," Ron grumbled.

"You mustn't go roaming at night. Think of the trouble you'll get into!"

"Let them go, Hermione."

"Thank you, Violet," Ron said with a smirk at Hermione.

Too soon because then Violet added, "It will serve them right to get caught."

That night Harry and Ron were sneaking out when Hermione and Violet flicked on the light in the common room.

"What do you two want?"

"Don't do this, please," Hermione said. "You're going to get Gryffindor into trouble!"

"Let Malfoy get into trouble by himself," Violet agreed.

"Knock it off," Harry said, mostly to Violet. "When we get back, you'll see everything is fine."

Hermione wasn't about to give up though. She followed the boys through the portrait hole, with Violet on her heels.

"Well don't say we didn't warn you. You two are so…"

Her words died in her throat as she turned to find the portrait door closed and the Fat Lady gone on a night time visit.

"Now what are we going to do?" Hermione asked Violet, despairingly.

"Do what you want. At this point we're already in trouble so I'm going to watch the duel."

Harry smiled as his sister and she smiled back.

"Wait, I'm coming too!" Hermione whispered frantically.

"No, you're not!" Ron muttered.

"Sh!" Harry hissed. He had heard something.

Neville came into view.

"Thank God!" the boy said. "I got locked out. I can't remember the password."

"It's pig snout," Violet responded, "but it doesn't matter because the Fat Lady has gone off somewhere. Hermione, stay here with Neville. She's bound to come back and then you can go back in."

"No way! What if Filch catches us?"

"Be quiet!" Harry hissed. "Come along if you must, but we had better not get caught because of you two."

They went to the trophy room, but there was no one there. Except…

"Mrs. Norris!"

"Run for it!"

They ran through the back door of the trophy room, which brought them to the stairs. They rushed up the stair case that had just moved and went inside. They kept running until they came to a door.

"It's locked!" Ron cried.

"Move over!" Hermione snatched Harry's wand out of his hand and pointed it at the lock. "Alohomora!"

The door unlocked itself and they piled in.

Violet pressed her ear to the door.

"I think the coast is clear."

"I thought this door was locked," Ron said.

"It was locked," Hermione sighed.

"Maybe if you did your homework, you would have thought of it too," Violet said.

"Locked with good reason," Neville whimpered.

They all turned to see what he was looking at. A massive three headed dog was growling down at them. They screamed. Neville was frozen. Violet grabbed his hand and pulled him along as they ran out of the room, slamming the door shut behind them. They didn't stop running until they reached the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Where have you lot been?" the Fat Lady asked, bewildered.

"Never mind," Harry panted. "Pig's snout. Pig's snout."

"What are they thinking?" Ron cried. "Keeping a monster like that in a school!"

They slowed down as they came to the common room. Neville didn't stop, but went straight to his dorm.

"Didn't you see what it was standing on, Ron?" Violet asked, slightly out of breath.

"Who cares about its legs?! I was a little busy with its three heads!"

"It was standing on a trap door," Hermione said. "It's guarding something."

Harry blinked, surprised.

"Guarding something?"

"That's right. Now I'm going to bed before any of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed. Or worse, expelled!"

"Hermione," Violet said exasperatedly. "We need to work on your priorities."

Ron rolled his eyes as the girls went up the stairs to their room.

"You'd think we dragged her along," he muttered.

But Hermione and Violet were right, Harry realized. It seemed Harry had located the grubby package from the empty bank vault.