Flying Session and Cryptid Status

Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful. And one look from Neptunia along with her orange hair made Malfoy wince. Indeed, by the next morning Harry and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure, and they were quite keen to have another one.

In the meantime, Harry filled Ron in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection.

"It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.

"Or both," said Harry.

Neptunia walked past as Harry said it and he opened his mouth to apologise but her orange hair made him think otherwise. He closed his mouth and looked away.

But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.

Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again.

Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus though Harry really wanted to make up with Neptunia. But they also really wanted a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later.

As the owls flooded into the Great Hall, as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by two long, thin packages carried by six large screech owls each. Harry was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in these large parcels and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of him and Neptunia, knocking his bacon to the floor and covering Neptunia's book as she was reading it. They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another two owls dropped letters on top of the parcels.

Neptunia's eyes widened as the parcel came for her, she glanced at Hermione who urgerd her to open her letter, which was lucky, because it said:

DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.

It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.

Professor McGonagall

Neptunia looked towards Harry, who had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to Ron to read.

"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one. "

They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package from Harry and felt it.

"That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them. "

Ron couldn't resist it.

"It's not any old broomstick," he said, "it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus. "

"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig. "

Before Ron could answer, Neptunia showed up. "Draco, what did I say?"

Draco looked away and muttered something and suddenly Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.

"Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he squeaked.

"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly.

"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter and Black. And what model is it?"

"A Nimbus Two Thousand, it is," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," he added.

Harry and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion.

"Well, it's true," Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team. . . "

"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's and Neptunia's hand.

"I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Harry.

"Yes, don't stop now," said Ron, "it's doing us so much good. "

Hermione marched away with her nose in the air as Neptunia called out to her. Neptunia sighed before heading to the Gryffindor Tower to keep it on her bed.

Neptunia couldn't put her usual enthusiasm in studying in class today. She was running through the motions. She just wished Harry and Ron would listen just a little. She also hoped Hermione would loosen up. Surely, the three of them knew of balance! Neptunia also really wanted Draco to stop being a prick, even if today he had grudgingly muttered a 'sorry'.

When it was time for dinner, Neptunia skipped it and went straight for the broom. She opened it and looked at it in awe. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top.

She walked down the stairs, glancing round to make sure no one saw her. She wanted to fly around with no one watching her. When she reached the grounds, she mounted the broom and set off.

As she flew around she looked at her surroundings, memorizing the muscle movement and places of the hoops. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end, fifty feet above the ground.

Neptunia moved towards the hoops, when she reached it she jumped over it and her broom went through it. As she fell, she grabbed the broom, she did a sloth-grip roll and righted herself. Moving in exhilaration, she did a few loops. On her last loop, instead of stopping, she went straight up. After going a bit higher, she stopped. Feeling the cold air nip at her skin, she shivered. Neptunia laughed, that was amazing.

"Hey Black!" Neptunia looked down, Oliver Wood had arrived, he had a broom in his hand. Neptunia died down with speed but as she neared the ground she didn't stop but rather pulled it steady and circled around Wood, "Evening Cap'n."

" Very Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting. "I see what McGonagall meant. . . you really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week. " He looked around, "Where's Potter?"

Neptunia glanced at her watch, "It's 6:13, I skipped dinner."

Wood told her to wait and went inside, he brought a red ball back outside. He sat on his broom and flew upwards. Neptunia quickly followed, hoping to score some goals. He flew towards the hoops and steadied himself in front of the hoops.

"Right," said Wood, sounding as though he had it memorized. "Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers. "

Neptunia nodded. "This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?"

"Yeah, quaffle gets passed around, thrown in the hoop for ten points by chasers."

"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper -" He pointed to himself "-I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring. "

Neptunia nodded, "The snitch is for a hundred and fifty points which gets caught by the seeker and our beaters beat the bludgers which fly around and try to hit people, right Wood?"

Wood nodded in surprise. Neptunia smiled, "I read Quidittch through the ages. It's a good read."

Wood threw the quaffle to Neptunia who caught it and stared at it. "Come on, try to throw it through the hoops."

And they started, Neptunia would throw it and sometime it would go through and sometimes Oliver would catch. Around forty minutes later, Neptunia was happy to report that out of a hundred throws, she scored ninety-one. Oliver Wood certainly looked very pleased.

When they landed on the ground at 6:53 and started to walk inside so they could freshen up, Neptunia heard Oliver say, "That Quidditch Cup'll have our name on it this year. Our team is going to be unbeatable."

When Oliver asked if she was going to come at 7:00 for more practice, Neptunia declined and told him that Harry should have the focus in this session.

Maybe it was the three practices a week along with her advanced reading tiring her or maybe it was the loneliness from the abandonement from Harry, Ron and Hermione, but Neptunia had taken to going to the Astronomy tower at night to whisper and talk to the flowing wind or to sing her faourite songs.

One day, as she walked through the halls, she heard someone people whisper.

"Did you hear it again last night?"

"Yeah, I did too."

Neptunia raised an eyebrow as she held her book as though she was reading it.

"Some people are saying that it's the tower siren."

"Nah, More like the Whispering Siren. I heard it sing one day and whisper the other."

"Did you hear what it said?"

"Nope.."

Neptunia smiled as she stared at the page in her book, guess she was a cryptid now.