Albus Potter and the Cursed Destiny

Chapter 4

Act One, Scene Four

Flying lessons 

Alicia Jordan (née Spinnet) steps in front of the class. She gives instructions to stand beside brooms and say Up. 

Albus: Up!

The broom shot into his hand and he held it firmly. He smiled easily. The next broom up was Scorpius's. When it sailed steadily into his hand, he had a flicker of smugness on his face, which turned into his usual scowl. 

Rose: Up!

The broom goes up, nearly to her hand, but falls back down, earning a cluster of snickers. But it surprisingly wasn't Scorpius Malfoy who remarked, but was unsurprisingly Jenkins.

Jenkins: Of course the nerd can't do it! What did you expect.

Albus glared at him.

Albus: At least she has skill, unlike you. Quidditch isn't life, however much you don't want to admit it. 

Rose looks at Albus gratefully, smiling only for him. 

Madam Jordan: Now mount your brooms and touch lightly from the ground. Only a foot. 

Albus did the task, albeit hesitantly. His natural talent still showed, but much more shakily than if he were doing it devoid of any hesitance. 

Render: Why are you so afraid, Potter? Your father flew like the Son of the Sky himself. You have his natural talent, at least at flying, that is. 

The truth was that Albus never felt the thrill of adrenaline that rushed through everyone else at flying. In fact, he believed humans weren't made to fly. But he was smarter than to just admit that.

Albus: Well, Render, just woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, I'm still a little tired, that must be why my broom isn't rising smoothly into the air. Trials were second on the schedule today, and I'm not a morning person. 

Render: That wouldn't stop your father, Potter. Imagine how saddened he'd be that his son didn't try for the Friendly Team this year. 

Albus took a deep breath in. This was what he hated. James was their father's incarnate in every way, from his popularity to his magical skill, to his skill on the Quidditch pitch. Albus was the opposite of his father in every way. His grades in Defense Against the Dark Arts, his father's best class, were high-A to low/mid-E, meanwhile Potions was the subject where he exceeded everyone else.

There was also the fact that Albus made a mediocre or average seeker, depending on who he was playing against. James was possibly the best seeker in the entire school. Albus' specialty on the quidditch pitch was chasing.

Albus: I do plan on trying out next year, then joining the house team in third year. 

There was a silence. Those words seemed to resonate with the people around them and Albus wished he could disappear. 

Render: It's because you're not applying your full potential, Potter. Potions is the only subject you're capable of doing that in. 

Rose: Shut up, Render. Just because Albus can't fly as smoothly as his father, where's the need to rub it in his face coming from? 

Render looks at Rose, surveying her like she evolved from pond scum. He knew better than to say anything. Rose was the most popular girl in their year, if not the whole school, the latter title only being earned due to her parentage.

Madam Jordan: Students who were not able to successfully summon their brooms are to attend another lesson on summoning their brooms. For others, flying classes are open for registration, but for now, just general transportation classes. The flying classes for quidditch hopefuls will begin next term!

Albus, Scorpius, Rose, and the other students nodded, heading off the quidditch pitch. 

Albus: Are you planning on trying out for quidditch?

Scorpius: Only when people don't treat me like the plague. I'm also going to be trying out for seeker, since they don't work with the team much, and the last thing I want is to work with a group of people who loathe me on principle. I might try for the individual sport though, and that's only if Mum lets me. 

Albus: Well, I'm sort of expected to be the star seeker, so I'll be going out for the seeker role in next year's tryouts, but I really just want to be chaser.