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Chapter 21: Flying Lessons with Ravenclaw
Chapter 21: Flying Lessons with Ravenclaw
At five in the afternoon, the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students walked together to the lawn where their flying lessons were held. From here, they could see Hagrid's hut and the distant Forbidden Forest, from which strange sounds sometimes emanated.
Unlike the adventurous Gryffindors and the troublemaking Slytherins, the Ravenclaws were masters of self-preservation, usually only testing the boundaries within the rules. As for the Hufflepuffs, they were a bunch of goody-two-shoes and wouldn't dare break the rules. Most students from these two houses wouldn't venture into the Forbidden Forest throughout their seven years at Hogwarts.
About twenty broomsticks were lined up neatly on the ground, and Madam Hooch was already waiting for them. With hawk-like eyes, she scrutinized the students alertly and admonished, "I assume you've all heard about yesterday's accident! Mr. Longbottom from Gryffindor was lucky to have only broken his wrist. But if you act recklessly, don't be surprised if someone breaks their neck! Remember that!"
The little eagles and badgers murmured their assent.
"Alright! Now, each of you stand next to a broomstick!"
Under Madam Hooch's watchful gaze, the students moved swiftly, without jostling or rushing. However, the school's broomsticks were ancient, to say the least. Each one was dilapidated, with twigs protruding haphazardly and gnarled wooden handles. They looked more like they'd been chewed on by beasts than tools for flying.
But they were expected to fly on these contraptions.
Vidt suddenly felt that riding a broomstick might not be the best idea for his tailbone's health.
He heard Michael mutter, "Meteor 2000—the cheapest broomstick there is..."
Vidt glanced at Michael's broomstick, which looked even more worn than his own. It resembled a bunch of tangled weeds tied together.
"Extend your right hand and place it above the broomstick handle," instructed Madam Hooch. "Then say—Up!"
"Up!" the students chorused.
Vidt's broomstick rolled a couple of times on the ground before jumping into his hand. He gripped it and felt that he didn't need to exert much force as the broomstick seemed to float on its own.
He turned to observe the others. Some had succeeded instantly, while others—like Michael, whose broomstick was bouncing on the ground like a fish out of water—struggled to get a hold of it.
Once everyone had a firm grip on their broomsticks, Madam Hooch proceeded to teach them how to mount the brooms without falling off and sternly corrected the postures of some students.
Vidt had initially thought this would be a breeze, recalling how Harry Potter nonchalantly hopped onto his broomstick in the movies. But when he actually tried it, he realized it wasn't so simple. After all, the broomstick handle was just a thin wooden stick, and maintaining balance required a certain level of skill.
Thankfully, the pressure on certain fragile bones wasn't as intense as he had imagined. There seemed to be a cushioning charm on the brooms, making it feel like sitting on a chair. It wasn't the most comfortable, but it wasn't unbearable either.
Only when Madam Hooch was satisfied with everyone's posture did she permit them to proceed to the next step—flying.
"On my whistle, give a good hard kick off from the ground," instructed Madam Hooch. "Hold tight to your brooms, but don't kick off too high unless you want to vanish into the clouds! Just a gentle upward movement, and glide a few feet above the ground, moving forward slowly, then gently back down again."
Madam Hooch emphasized the word "slowly" three times before continuing, "Listen out for my whistle—three, two, one!"
At the sound of the whistle, the students' performance varied. Some soared too high, while others dived toward the ground. Two students failed to maintain their balance and tumbled off their brooms with a roll.
Madame Hooch frowned and waved her wand just in time to prevent any injuries.
Suddenly, there was another scream. One of the Ravenclaw girls was speeding towards the broom shed on her broom!
"Obstacle ahead!" Madame Hooch shouted.
The girl hovered in the air for a moment, then crashed into the wall, but the impact had lessened, and though her broom was in pieces, she was mostly unharmed.
Instead of scolding her, Madame Hooch summoned another old broom with a Summoning Charm and instructed the girl to continue practicing.
Vidt circled at a slightly higher altitude, gradually increasing his speed. There were only about five or six students, including himself, who could control their brooms to this extent. Most of the others were restricted by Madame Hooch from flying higher than the broom shed.
Even so, accidents kept happening.
For instance, two students' brooms collided after veering off course, and a Hufflepuff boy, who had been flying close to the ground with ease, closed his eyes and fell off his broom when he tried to ascend to a higher altitude. It turned out he had a fear of heights.
The first flying lesson was chaotic, to say the least. Madame Hooch was like an octopus, rushing around to "put out fires" wherever they ignited. Her wand was a blur as she frantically cast spells to rescue students from potentially neck-breaking situations. She was even bumped by a reckless student, turning her expression thunderous. She promptly deducted five points from Gryffindor!
Now Vidt understood why Madame Hooch always looked grumpy and angry. Any driving instructor would likely have the same expression teaching novice drivers if they kept making basic, foolish mistakes.
Finally, the flying lesson came to an end, and the students flocked to the hospital wing to see Madam Pomfrey for various scrapes, sprains, and bruises. Fortunately, Vidt and Michael had escaped unscathed, and they headed back to the Great Hall for dinner.
"Vidt!"
Hermione, already seated at the table, waved at them. Seeing that she was alone at the end of the long table, Vidt and Michael joined her, taking seats at the Gryffindor table.
Hermione glanced at them appraisingly. "Didn't go well in flying class?"
"Exhausting," Michael said wearily. He seemed to need an energy boost, taking two buttered rolls and adding a roast chicken leg to his plate.
Vidt poured himself a glass of juice and gulped it down before speaking. "It was everyone's first time flying. More than half the class got minor injuries, and someone even fainted."
Hermione nodded. "I'm not surprised. It's only natural to get injured flying through the air without any safety measures!"
She clearly didn't share their enthusiasm for broomstick flying or Quidditch.
"It's a skill that requires practice to master! Skilled Quidditch players can be more agile in the air than birds."
After the flying lesson, Michael had regained his energy, though Vidt recalled that he had stayed close to the ground during the entire class, trembling whenever he tried to fly higher.
A typical case of a novice player who loved to show off.
But Michael had a persuasive argument.
"Think about it, Vidt," Michael said in a conspiratorial tone. "We can fly directly to our dorms on our brooms and forget about climbing stairs! That's what the Quidditch team does!"
(End of Chapter)
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