Courage

-5-

"Leave her alone, pugface," snapped Layla. Pansy huffed and glared at Layla, reaching for her wand to hex the Lupin girl, but stopped at the sound of Draco's voice.

"Look!" he said, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.

"Give that here, Malfoy," said Harry quietly. Everyone stopped talking to watch.

Draco smiled nastily.

"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find — how about — up a tree?"

"Give it here!" Harry yelled, but Draco had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. He hadn't been lying, he could fly well. Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!"

Harry grabbed his broom.

"No!" shouted Hermione. "Madam Hooch told us not to move — you'll get us all into trouble."

Harry ignored her.

"Just let him do it," said Layla, turning to Hermione. "It's his choice at the end of the day. His fault if things go south."

Hermione huffed, crossing her arms, but stayed silent. Harry mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up he soared. He pulled his broomstick up a little to take it even higher, and Layla jumped when she heard screams and gasps of girls around her, and an admiring whoop from Ron.

Layla watched as Harry grasped his broom tightly in both hands, and it shot toward Draco like a javelin. Draco only just got out of the way in time; Harry made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady. A few people around Layla were clapping.

Draco then threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground. Harry leaned forward and pointed his broom handle down — he stretched out his hand — a foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight, and he toppled gently onto the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his fist.

"Nice one," Layla smiled at Harry, impressed. He shot her a proud smile back.

"HARRY POTTER!"

Professor McGonagall was running toward them.

"Never — in all my time at Hogwarts—" Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, "— how dare you — might have broken your neck—"

"It wasn't his fault, Professor—"

"Be quiet, Miss Lupin."

"But Malfoy—"

"That's enough, Mr Weasley. Potter, follow me, now."

As Harry followed McGonagall back towards the castle, Layla turned towards Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle's triumphant faces, and glared at them.

"You'll get what's coming to the lot of you," Layla then turned to Pansy and smirked. She loved getting under Pansy's skin. "Especially you, pugface."

"My face does not look like a pug!" yelled Pansy, stomping her foot childishly. Layla and a few others laughed.

"I disagree," smirked Layla.