5 {Year 1} Chapter 5: The First Flying Lesson
Soon, Thursday arrived. The Gryffindors and Slytherins have Flying lesson together.
Harry Potter looks forward to the flying lesson, but he is also nervous. What if he fell off the broom straight from the start? He would be made fun of by the others...he hope that flying is something he's good at. What does he have to do? Flying don't require any spells right? He barely learned anything over the past few days...
However, Draco Malfoy on the other hand, doesn't not look forward to it a lot.
The Draco in the books had learned how to ride a broomstick before he had came to Hogwarts—but the Transmigrated Draco didn't even touch a broomstick.
Narcissa Malfoy had forbidden him from flying until he had his first proper flying lesson at Hogwarts. Lucius wasn't really happy about it, but he considered his son's capabilities at that time and decide to postpone Draco's study of flying, as he had deduce that his son is already very intelligent.
He also fear that flying may hurt his son. Draco was great with a lot of things, but Lucius never seen his son's athletic skills. Narcissa's worried nagging had further supported the choice of not letting Draco fly on a broomstick until he had his first flying lesson.
All in all, Xie Yin—the transmigrated Draco Malfoy—has no experience with broomsticks. He didn't train with a broomstick when he was alone either, since a broomstick is expensive. His parents also kept a somewhat careful watch over his attitude about not being able to fly on a broomstick.
He thought about asking Dobby—one of the houseelves that was more loyal to him than either of his parents—to get him one. He decided against that in the end though, he doesn't think it would end out well.
Of course, he can always show that he has great athletic skills. His parents won't be so worry about the flying if he just show them that he can handle it. But then there was the whole being low key thing—it would be too troublesome.
Instead of showing off more of his talents, he should suppress and hide the existence of those talents—because the more brilliant you are, the greater the things that are expected from you. He doesn't want to bother with complicated things like Moldyshorts—oop, Voldemort, and that Harris something Potter. He'll still have contact with that Potter, but he won't get deeply involve with him—unless necessary. Life has a lot of unexpected factors. He will just be a classmate of the Chosen One, a background character...
Draco had looked back at his actions from before and realized his mistakes. The rivalry. Harry Potter needs a rival that will egg him on. Voldemort is his ultimate enemy, but not a rival. Draco Malfoy was his rival, and was a factor in quite a number of things in the whole plot of the series. If Xie Yin don't provoke him or anything of the like, there would not be a rivalry...there's also the thing further in the future he has to worry about, the death eaters and the Malfoy mansion being a base to Okdemrot's organization...ugh...
It really is a headache.
Perhaps he should ask Pansy and Blaise about this...he's not going to give them any details, he will just ask...no. He shouldn't. Draco shake his head, he had grown attached to those two...it's not a bad thing, but it's neither a very good thing.
He should get going now, he will be late for Flying lesson if he lingers any longer.
* * *
At three-thirty that afternoon the Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.
The Slytherins were already there. Twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Harry had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.
Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.
"Well, what are you all waiting for?" She barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."
Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.
"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!'"
Everyone shouted "UP!"
Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once, but it was one of the few that did. Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all. Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Harry; there was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground.
Pansy got her broom up a few seconds later, Blaise's only gone up a bit before it got stuck in that position. Draco's broom didn't move at all because the blonde didn't stick out his right hand nor said 'UP' earlier either. He just stared dazedly at the broomstick.
"Mr. Malfoy? Are you fine?" Madam Hooch noticed Draco's stare, she had gotten news from Dumbledore about the little Malfoy need to receive special treatment due to the gap between his level and the level of his peers. She has no clue what this is about though...Dumbledore had mentioned that the boy had never seen a broomstick up close before due to his parents, maybe that is why the blonde boy is staring at the broomstick for so long?
"I can see every equation (Lol, Jk, No)."
"I'm fine." Draco blinked. "Sorry about that, I was thinking about something..."
"Now then, do as I said earlier and call out to the broom."
Draco did as she instructed, the broom went up, but the process was slow and not very steady.
Madam Hooch was disappointed, she had thought that perhaps the boy would be a Quidditch genius as well, but then, no one is perfect. Besides, being able to lift the broom all the way up on first try is not something everyone can do. She gave Draco a smile and said good job, after that, she walked to the front and continued the lesson.
When Madam Hooch turned away, Draco let out a sigh. He had suppressed his magic energy and strength quite a bit to make sure the broom would act like that. It seems like Madam Hooch didn't detect any abnormality. But then, he's only a first year, no one will suspect him about something like that...
Now...he has to make Harry Potter jump on his broomstick so that he can show his natural talent for Quidditch...taking the Remembrall when Neville Longbottom falls and then flying up is not an option, that would blow his cover...hmm...how about...
"Pans? Do you want to make a bet?"
"Ooh, a bet? Spill."
* * *
"What do I get from this?"
"What do you want?"
"Well...there is something I want you to do."
"...I think I have an idea of what you what me to do..."
Pansy grinned in a way that shows off her tiger teeth. She is very different from the Pansy in the books, but that's not a bad thing.
"I want you to..."
"I knew it."
"So?"
"...I'll do it..."
"Haha! You really do want to test Potter! I'm going to add this to my list of 'How to get Draco to do something'."
"...What kind of list is that?"
"It's exactly what the name suggests. I will accept this bet, but don't forget the promise you made!"
"Hu...fine..." Sacrifices are necessary to react his ultimate goal...
There many benefits to having friends...this is one of them.
* * *
A few minutes later, Madam Hooch instructed them about how to mount their brooms.
As she was about to blow the whistle, Neville had his accident.
Poor Neville Longbottom broke his wrist. His Remembrall rolled over to where the Slytherins stood.
"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." Madam Hooch supported Neville as they headed to the hospital wing.
Pansy quickly got the Remembrall from the grass and started riling up the Gryffindors.
"Oh, look what we have here? The stupid ball that Longbottom's gran got him. Hmm...I wonder, what will happen if he lost it?"
"Hey! What are you doing? Give it back!" Parvati Patil snapped, glaring at her.
"Ooh, so your sticking up for Longbottom? I didn't thought you would actually prefer crybabies like him, Paravati!"
Other Slytherins joined in.
"Haha, such a loser." Mockery.
"He still needs his old grandma to look after him!" Personal attack.
"Haha! What a dumbass." Some...colorful language.
"Hm...I wonder, what should I do with this." Pansy smirked, her eyes gleam with maliciousness. Dang she can really act.
"Give it here." The glasses wearing scar head finally stepped in. Draco sighed with slight relief internally, this should set the plot forward. Maybe he should start antagonizing Harry Potter... that's tiring and stupid...but getting someone else to do it is troublesome...he needs to think this though.
"Let me think about it..." Pansy blinked and frowned as of she's actually considering it.
"Give it here."
"Jeez, you don't have to repeat the same thing twice, I'm not deaf or even hard of hearing." Pansy rolled her eyes. Some Slytherins smirked at her retort, while others didn't even try to hid their ridicule. Draco had to agree with her, Potter can be too dumb and rude for his own sake.
"I was going to give it back...but now I changed my mind."
"You—" Before he could spit out another syllable, Harry Potter was interrupted and cut off.
"I think I'll leave somewhere else for Longbottom to find! Like—that tree over there!" Pansy hopped on her broom faster than anyone could say Quidditch and kicked off from the ground, floating into the air.
Harry, of course, went on his broomstick and chased her, despite Hermione's warning.
"This is great! Haha!" Pansy screamed excitedly, she threw the Remembrall high up into the air before heading down back to the ground.
"Catch it if you can, Potter!" Pansy cackled as she proceed to land.
Harry Potter quickly perform an impressive flip and caught the Remembrall, just as Professor McGonagall walked out onto the grounds.
"Harry Potter! Never in my entire life at Hogwarts..."
And, the rest went as planned.
