The Fall of Dumbledore: The White King

Requiem

 Harry stands in a cluster of Slytherins, across from Weasley, Granger, and Longbottom. Between the two houses is a long line of broomsticks. Madame Hooch, a rangy witch with short gray hair and hawk-like eyes, stands between the two groups.

"Welcome to your first flying lesson. Well, what are you all waiting for? Everyone steps up to a broomstick."

Harry steps forward nervously, he has never ridden a broomstick before. He glances down, the broom is old, with twigs sticking out at odd angles.

"Stick your right hand out over the broom and say 'up'!"

Shouts of 'Up' ring out through the cool air, and though he barely whispers the command, Harry's broom snaps straight into his hand. Grangers simply rolls over and Weasleys flies up and cracks him in the nose. Harry and Draco snicker quietly while holding their brooms.

"Now once you've got hold of the broom, I want you to mount it. And grip it tight, we don't want you sliding off the end." Madame Hooch then walks along the row of students. "Your other right hand, Mr. Finnegan. Goodness, boy, what have you done with your eyebrows?"

"Lost 'em. Ma'am..."He says. The Slytherins snicker quietly.

"Excuse me, Madame Hooch. Given that some of us have been on sticks for years, would it not make sense to separate the expert flyers from..." Draco glances at Granger and Longbottom, "...the neophytes?" Madame Hooch then corrects his grip and begins class.

"Very well. Now when I blow my whistle, I want each of you 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..."

Jumping the gun entirely, a nervous Longbottom shoots straight up into the air, like a cork out of a bottle.

"Mr. Longbottom! Exactly where do you think you're going?!" Longbottom clutches desperately to his broom, slams into a tree, flops upside down, rockets past the other students- who duck- then soars into a mad spiraling climb.

"Come down here this instant!" Longbottom's pale face peers down, his eyes rolling up slightly... "On your broomstick, Mr. Longbottom!" Madame Hooch shouts too late. With a giant thud and a nasty crack, Longbottom hits the pitch. Madame Hooch and the Gryffindors ruch over.

"Broken wrist. Come on, dear. Up you get." Madame Hooch then begins to lead him back towards the school.

"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.'"

Harry then watches as Longbottom's broom sails off high over Hagrid's house, where the giant sits in the front garden, watching with a pair of binoculars. Draco nudges Harry and then picks up Longbottom's Remembrall from the grass, chuckling.

"Did you see his face? Perhaps if the great lump had squeezed this, he would've remembered to fall on his fat arse." Draco chuckles before tossing it to Harry. Harry caught it, laughing, before tossing it back to Draco.

"Give it here Malfoy!" Granger shouts, running up to him and trying to grab it out of his hands. Draco tosses it back to Harry before shoving Granger away.

"Get off me mud blood! And no, I think we'll be keeping this for a while." Draco then gets onto his broom and flies up a few feet, Harry and some of the other Slytherins following after him. Harry tosses the remembrall back to Draco, making the toss feel as risky as possible.

Weasley glares up at them, grabbing his broom.

"Ronald, no! You heard what Madame Hooch said. Besides you don't even know how to fly-" Weasley shoots into the sky before Granger can finish her sentence.