"Shut up," Tracey says.
"You shut up!" Parvati says.
"You shut up!" Millicent and Daphne shout in unison.
In the second week, the two main topics of conversation at Hogwarts have died down. Number one, Harry Potter. The country's most famous eleven-year-old seems to be as boring as he looks. He's neither very good in class, nor constantly surrounded by a crowd of friends - but he and the grubby-looking Ronald Weasley are practically joined at the hip. Number two, the forbidden corridor. Joke or not, like most of the students, Pansy is losing interest in it.
Besides, it's very easy to pass the free time with Millicent and Daphne. They catch up on the latest celebrity gossip and make fun of teachers and classmates as they stroll along the lakeshore, looking out for the giant squid. Tracey is usually with them. She doesn't really share their interests, but she's smart enough not to exclude herself (who wants to sit alone in the library every day, like Hermione does?).
With the boys, it's more difficult. Pansy and Blaise have known each other for a long time, but now it's getting obvious that they have nothing more in common than long-forgotten board game experiences at dull parties and the funerals of his numerous stepfathers. And certain family secrets they'd never dare say out loud ... It's easier for Pansy to talk to Theodore, although he is friends with her new archenemy Draco Malfoy. Since their quarrel on the courtyard, he doesn't miss an opportunity to remind Pansy of her small size, ignoring the fact that no one, except for Crabbe and Goyle, laughs at his fantastic jokes.
And then of course there are classes, which take up most of her time, but doesn't interest Pansy that much. Apart from Charms, she thinks the subjects are either too difficult (Transfiguration, Potions) or completely useless (the rest). And the certainty that she will take over her mother's business one day does not exactly motivate her to learn. Nevertheless, she doesn't want to present her parents bad marks at the end of the school year, so after McGonagall's class in particular, she joins the homework supervision.
By now Pansy enjoys the cosiness of a daily routine, but at breakfast on Thursday she realises, that the one thing she has blocked out is yet to come.
"Flying lessons," Blaise repeats scornfully. "Sure, the Mudbloods among us have never sat on a broomstick, but they can hardly be the standard here!"
Millicent groans. "I'm not doing it, flying is for boys."
"I think it's cool," says Tracey, "and it might be useful to know how to control a broom."
"Nonsense," Pansy replies. "Later we'll be able to Apparate anywhere we want, and what are Floo powder and Portkeys for? I'm doing fine without a broom, thank you very much."
"Stay positive," says Ted, "this is going to be even more fun than Snape's class. What's the betting that at least one Gryffindor will make a fool of himself?"
"I'll raise you two," says Malfoy, catching a package from the owl with long ear-tufts that shows up several times a week.
"Butter Toffees!" Millicent says delightedly.
"Here," he says, tossing her the package. "I've got enough. But the midget can't get none!"
Pansy rolls her eyes, throwing the toffees back to him. "Keep your stupid bonbons, Malfoy." Then she turns to Millicent. "We talked about this, Millicent, you'll never get rid of your weight problems with those sugar bombs. Trust me, you'll feel brand-new after you've tried this Owl nut diet!"
Millicent nods in embarrassment, when Malfoy raises his voice. "So, I was flying on my Comet, and suddenly, a heli-whatever came right at me! You know, one of those Muggle things with rotating blades. I dodged it with a double loop at the last second, or else it would've hit me hard!"
Daphne hangs on his every word. "Wow, a double loop! Weren't you afraid at all?"
He waves his hand dismissively. "I even flew alongside the Muggles for a while. You should've seen their faces, they almost crashed into a tree."
Pansy is kind of impressed - not everyone bothers to embellish a lie like this. "How fascinating! You must be so skilled on your broom, considering how many people have been ripped apart by those flying things."
"Idiots who didn't watch out."
"Probably," she says, crossing her arms. "But if what you're saying is true, you would've violated the Statute of Secrecy."
The colour of Malfoy's face slowly turns into an ugly, bright red. "I don't care! I fly wherever I want."
"But it must've been quite embarrassing for your parents to get a letter from the Ministry, wasn't it? Now tell us, what did it say?"
But Malfoy gets up. "Talking to you spoils my appetite. What would you know about flying, or the Ministry? Ridiculous!" Then he storms off with his two bodyguards.
In a good mood, Pansy refills her pumpkin juice.
"Did he lie?"
"Yes, Daphne."
Ted shrugs. "Who cares?"
"Ooh," says Pansy, "Teddy is a true friend who is more than happy to listen to Malfoy's lies."
"So what? I lie every day by saying good morning to Crabbe."
Tracey smirks. "Can you imagine Crabbe sitting on a broom?"
"First he should be able to tell apart both ends of a broomstick."
Daphne is just thinking about an appropriate hairstyle for flying, when, from a few metres away, they hear McGonagall. "What's going on?" she asks with a stern voice, standing at the Gryffindor table.
"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor," says Toadboy.
"Just looking," Malfoy grumbles, dropping a small glass ball on the table.
Sighing, Pansy turns around again. "Helpless Toadboy is almost pitiful, don't you think?"
"Almost," says Blaise. "And if Malfoy loses a single house point because of that loser, I'm going to kick his arse."
"Let me know when you do. I'd hate to miss that."
Promptly at 3:30 PM, Pansy and the others gather on a meadow near Hagrid's hut, where the flying lesson will take place. Hooch, a woman with short, grey hair, is impatiently looking out for the Gryffindors.
Pansy kicks the worn school broom lying next to her on the grass. It's made of the cheapest wood, with many missing twigs. Her house-elf wouldn't even sweep the cellar with such a thing.
Suddenly, Malfoy says, "What do you want with that, midget?" He points at her broom. "You better ask for a toy broomstick, they lift only one metre off the ground, but that's at least your eye level."
"Can't you think of anything new?" she asks, taking out her pocket mirror.
He sneers. "Your mirror must be enchanted. I bet you look less ugly in it than in reality - otherwise it would've shattered long ago."
Slowly, she lowers her mirror and glares at him, while Millicent and Daphne assure her that she is not ugly at all.
How can he be so mean?
"It's about time!" Madam Hooch says as the Gryffindors come running down the slope. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up ... All right, now stick out your right hand over your broom and say 'Up'."
"UP!"
Pansy's broom doesn't move an inch, but some of them jump into the students' hands at once.
"Did you see that?" Tracey says enthusiastically.
Pansy stares at her broom. "Up!"
Come on, or I'll rip out your last twigs as well!
This time, the broom obeys.
Millicent and Daphne, who are out of luck, just pick up their brooms from the ground in an unobserved moment.
Next, Hooch walks through the rows and checks their grips for demonstrating how to hold onto a broom safely. Pansy watches her correcting Malfoy with great satisfaction.
"No, no, that's not good. You have to place your hands further apart, with your right hand on top."
"Excuse me," he says, sounding upset, "but I've been flying since I was six years old and I've never fallen off my broom!"
"Then you were lucky all these years, boy," says Hooch, moving on while Malfoy taps his forehead behind her back.
"But you're not even sitting on your broom," Hooch says to Pansy shortly afterwards.
"I'm not feeling well," she pouts.
"Fiddlesticks! You'll see, flying is great and not difficult at all. Just do it like your friend here," she says, turning to Tracey. "That's perfect."
Annoyed, Pansy takes her position. She doesn't want to fly, not even for a second.
Satisfied, Hooch takes a few steps back. "Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet and then come straight back down by leaning forwards slightly. On my whistle - three - two -"
But suddenly, Toadboy shoots into the air like a champagne cork.
"Come back, boy!" is all Madam Hooch comes up with. Not very helpful, because he goes higher and higher until he loses his grip and finally falls back to the ground like a wet sack. His broom decides to take a trip to the Forbidden Forest instead, where it disappears between the treetops.
Accompanied by the Gryffindors' screams, Hooch rushes toward the shapeless heap. She mumbles something about a broken wrist and helps the tear-stained Neville to get up.
"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'. Come on, dear.ˮ
Slowly, they walk back to the castle.
As soon as they're out of earshot, Malfoy snorts. "Did you see his face, the great lump?"
Blaise and the others giggle, until Parvati steps forward. "Shut up, Malfoy."
But he ignores her, running to the spot where Neville has crash-landed.
"Ooh," Pansy says with mock surprise, "sticking up for Longbottom? Never thought you'd like ›fat, little cry babies‹, Parvati."
Parvati doesn't reply. Being reminded of her own words seems to embarrass her.
"Look! It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him." Malfoy holds up the Remembrall that glitters in the sunlight. "Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he'd have remembered to fall on his fat arse!"
The following laughter ceases as Harry Potter walks up to him. "Give that here, Malfoy."
He's not impressed. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to collect - how about - up a tree?"
"Give it here!" Potter shouts, but Malfoy has already jumped on his broom with a smug grin.
He didn't lie about his flying skills; the others watch in amazement as he flies fast and in helical motions to the top of a tall oak tree, from where he must have a great view of Hogwarts.
He casually throws the Remembrall in the air. "Come and get it, Potter!"
Potter doesn't need to be told twice. He grabs his broom, ignores Hermione, who is frantically talking to him, and takes off. As if he'd never done anything else, he controls his broom to face Malfoy in mid-air within seconds.
"Give it here or I'll knock you off that broom!"
And indeed, a moment later he shoots forward like an arrow, almost causing Malfoy to lose his grip.
"Is he insane?" Ted gasps in horror.
Understandable; anyone falling from this height would definitely not get away with a broken wrist. Crabbe and Goyle crack their knuckles as if they were waiting to get their hands on Potter. But he just laughs. "No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy!"
"Catch it if you can, then!" Malfoy shouts, hurling the glass ball away and diving back to the others.
Meanwhile, Potter catches the Remembrall in a skilful manoeuvre and is cheered by the Gryffindors.
But then McGonagall comes rushing from the castle entrance, hands on her hips. "HARRY POTTER! Never - in all my time at Hogwarts - how dare you - might have broken your neck -"
"Or mine," Malfoy murmurs.
"It wasn't his fault, Professor -"
"Be quiet, Miss Patil -"
"But Malfoy -"
"That's enough, Mr Weasley. Potter, follow me, now."
Downcast, he trots behind her.
Goyle waves after him. "Good trip back to Muggle-Land!"
"They won't kick him out," Weasley says, more to himself.
"You think so?" Malfoy asks mockingly. "You heard what Hooch said, and Potter did touch his broom."
"You started it, though!"
"Can you prove that?"
Weasley clenches his fists. "You won't get away with that, we're going to tell Dumbledore what really happened!"
"I know you're sad about losing your friend, Weasley. Guess you were hoping he'd slip you a couple of Galleons."
Now Weasley's face and hair colour are almost identical.
"This is all your fault, Malfoy!" says Seamus Finnigan, who prevents Weasley from pouncing on him.
"Rubbish!" replies Blaise. "If Potter is stupid enough to fly after him, it's his own fault."
"He just wanted to get Neville's Remembrall back," Dean Thomas explains.
"So what?" Pansy says. "It's just a silly children's toy!"
"Who asked you?" Lavender retorts.
"Shut up," Tracey says.
"You shut up!" Parvati says.
"You shut up!" Millicent and Daphne shout in unison.
They're talking all at once, until Madam Hooch finally returns from the castle.
"The flying lessons are cancelled until further notice," she calls gruffly.
The boys protest loudly, but she continues, "I'm not here to discuss it. The instruction comes from Professor Dumbledore himself, so come on, in you go!"
With a swift movement of her wand, she lets the brooms around her levitate and form themselves into a neat bundle.
"Great," Ted hisses on the way back to the castle, "all because of that dork Longbottom."
Immediately, the first-years start bickering again.