Lili had never liked flying. It scared her, being up in the air. She didn't understand how people could willingly get on an object that you could fall off at any point in time. She couldn't wait until she turned 17 so that she could apparate everywhere.
Brooms lined the ground in two rows, perfectly spaced apart and with one for each first-year student. Lili stood in the middle of one of the rows, with Draco to her left and the other Hufflepuffs to her right. The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were in the opposite row. Madame Hooch, the hawk-like teacher, stood between the two groups.
"Welcome to your first Flying Lesson. Well, what are you all waiting for? Everyone step up to a broomstick. Come now. Hurry up." The students all moved forward to be beside a broomstick. "Stick out your right hand, over the broom, and say 'Up'!"
"Up," Lili said, and the broomstick beside her rose to meet her hand immediately. She smiled at her accomplishment, looking up in time to see Ron's broomstick hit him hard on the nose.
"Now. Once you're got hold of the broom, I want you to mount it. And grip it tight. We don't want you sliding off the end." Hooch walked down the line. "Your other right hand, Mr Finnegan. Goodness, boy, what have what have you done with your eyebrows?"
"Lost 'em, ma'am."
"Excuse me, Madame Hooch," Draco spoke up. "Given that a few of us have been on sticks for years, would it not make sense to separate the expert flyers from..." He glanced at Harry. "...the neophytes?"
"Draco!" Lili hissed, slapping her brother on the arm.
Hooch simply stared at Draco. "Thank you, Mr Malfoy, but I'm sure even an expert flyer such as yourself can appreciate the benefits of reacquainting oneself with the basics. Your grip, for example. It's thumb in, not out." Draco went red. "Very well. Now when I blow my whistle, I want each of to kick off from the ground. Hard. Keep your brooms steady, hover for a moment, then lean forward slightly and touch back down. On my whistle...three...two..."
Before Hooch even blew the whistle, the Gryffindor Neville shot straight into the air. "Mr Longbottom! Exactly where do you think you're going?" It didn't seem like Neville knew, as he shot through the sky while clutching his broom tightly. He began to spiral upwards, making students duck as he ricocheted past them. "Come here this instant!"
Neville landed on the spear of a statue that perched above the flying grounds. "On your broomstick, Longbottom." Neville's robes began to rip, and he plummeted to the ground. Lili winced as he hit the ground.
"Broken wrist," Hooch sighed. "Come on, dear. Up you get." She turned to the rest of the students. "Everyone's to keep their feet on the ground while I take Mr Longbottom to the Hospital Wing. Understand? If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say 'Quidditch'."
Lili watched them go, then turned when she heard Draco's voice. "Did you see his face? Perhaps if the great lump had given this a squeeze, he would've remembered to fall on his fat arse." He held Neville's Remembrall in his hand.
"Give it here, Malfoy," Harry said, speaking up before Lili could."
"No, I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find. How about up a tree?"
Lili watched Draco kick into the air, and she glared up at him. "Draco, it doesn't do much to be rude all your life."
"But kindness gets you nowhere."
"That's just Father talking to you."
Harry soon joined Draco in the air, pissed. "Give it here. Or I'll knock you off that ruddy broom."
"Is that so?" Harry shot towards Draco, who swerved Potter easily. "Have it your way, then!" He hurled the Remembrall high and far, watching as Harry chased after it. The boy caught it moments before it would have hit the ground, then flew back to the other students. The Gryffindors were cheering.
"HARRY POTTER!" They all heard, and McGonagall could be seen briskly walking towards them.
Draco grinned. "Chin up, Potter. They might let you stay on as Hagrid's assisstant.
--
"I never realised how absolutely infuriating he is," Lili said, walking beside Cedric to go to dinner. "He was just so rude today. I don't know what it is about Potter that makes him like this. He never used to act like this."
"Maybe he's just getting used to a new environment?"
"I mean maybe, but I highly doubt it. It's probably just years of Fathe-"
"Got yourself a girlfriend, Ceddy?" The pair were interrupted by the twins in Cedric's grade.
"Oh, leave off!" Cedric laughed. "Lili, these are the Weasley twins."
"I'm Fred."
"I'm George."
"Oh, I already know who you are," Lili said. "Your brother is in my grade. He eats a lot. Bit ugly, if I'm being honest. Not a good quality in anyone if you ask me."
"I like this one," George smiled. "You're feisty."
Lili blushed softly. "I just like speaking the truth. Better than my brother, really. You know, I've never met actual identical twins. I can see the differences between you two, but you look more alike than me and Draco."
"Ooh, she can tell the difference between us, Georgie! Better than our own mother!"
"Really? Well, that's not good. I would assume that your own mother could know who was who. Doesn't your whole family wear lettered sweaters?"
"We switch them up a lot..."
"And she never even notices!"
Lili watched as the Weasley twins walked off to the Gryffindor table while she and Cedric went to the Hufflepuff table. As they sat down, Lili saw Cedric smiling at her. "What?"
"You like him, don't you?"
"Who?"
"George! I saw you blushing!"
"So what if I do? It's just a stupid little crush."
"We'll see about that."
"Oh, leave off Ced!" Lili pushed him softly, giggling.
Comments (0)
See all