Harry Potter and the Twin Sister

Chapter 9 - Their First Flying Lesson

At three-thirty that afternoon, Harry, Ron, Annie, and the other Gryffindor students 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 Slytherin students were already there along with twenty-six broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground.The students lined up in two rows with their brooms by their sides. 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, Madame Hooch, arrived who had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.

"Good afternoon, class," greeted Madame Hooch as she walked down the between the two rows. "Good afternoon, Madame Hooch," said the students. "Good afternoon, Amanda, good afternoon," said Madame Hooch, "Welcome to your first flying lesson. Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone step up to the left side of their broomstick. Come on now, hurry up." All of the students stepped up to the left of their brooms. ""Stick your right hand over the broom and say, Up!" "Up!" said the class. Harry broom shot up to his hand right away. "Wow." Harry said. Hermione stared at Harry as the rest of the class continued. Annie looked over and saw the broom in Harry's hand. "How did you do that?" said Annie who was shock to see Harry being the first one to master the task of picking up the broom. "I just said 'Up' and it shot up into my hand," Harry said smiling. "Up!" said Annie. Nothing happened. "Up!!" said Annie more demanding. Still nothing happened. "UP!!!!" yelled Annie,"Oh this is ridiculous!" Annie bent down to pick up the broom the normal way with her bare-hands, but the broom wouldn't budge. She pulling as hard as she could, but it was like the broom was glued to the ground. "You have to command the broom!" said Madame Hooch, "You can't just pick it up, Ms. Potter! Brooms can't be forced to do what you want it to do unless you command it. And show some confidence!" Annie took Madame Hooch's advice and yelled, "UP!!!!" and the broom finally shot up into Annie's hand. She smiled as Madame Hooch congratulated Annie. "Well done, Ms. Potter!" said Madame Hooch. "Thank you, Madame Hooch!" said Annie still smiling.

The class continued to try and get their brooms into their hands some to no avail and others finally getting it after multiple attempts. "Up!" said Draco as the broom flew up into his hand while grinning smugly. "With feeling!" said Madame Hooch as students were still struggling. "Up. Up. Up. Up," said Hermione. But the broom just hovered slightly off the ground. "Up!!" said Ron getting frustrated after multiple failed attempts. After that final attempt, the broom flew up handle first and conked Ron on the nose. "Ow!" said Ron. Harry and Annie started laughing. "Shut it, both of you." But they continued to laugh. After everyone finally got their brooms in their hands, Madame Hooch proceeded with the class. "Now, once you've got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it. And grip it tight, you don't want to be sliding off the end." All of the students mounted. "When I blow my whistle," Madame Hooch continued, "I want each of you to kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your broom steady, hover for a moment, and then lean forward slightly and touch back down." Annie, trying to remain her confidence from before, was now starting to get extremely nervous. "On my whistle," said Madame Hooch. " 3... 2... TWEET!"

Annie, being nervous as she was, immediately lifted off. In terror, Annie gripped onto the broom firmly to keep from falling off. "Ms. Potter," said Madame Hooch. "Annie, what are you doing? said Harry. "We're not supposed to take off, yet," said Hermione. Annie began soaring higher and higher. "M-M-Ms. Potter," said Madame Hooch hesitating to control the broom, "Ms. Potter!" Annie screamed as the broom launched and shot forward. "Down! Down!!" Annie yelled trying desperately to control the broom. "ANNIE!!!" Harry shouted. "HELP!!!" yelled Annie. Annie soared higher and higher into the air. "Come back down this instant!" demanded Madame Hooch. Annie kept screaming as the broom jerked back and forth and up and down and left and right, then spiraled out of control. The broom then took Annie in the direction of the stone wall. She screamed in terror as the wall got closer and closer. The broom hit across and bounced off the wall on the front, back, then front again, pulled Annie backward and shot her forward almost aiming for the ground, but pulled up slightly and hover a few inches off over the ground. Madame Hooch and all the other students were crowded together on the ground and the broom was aiming right them. "HELP!!!!" Annie screamed. "Ms. Potter!!!" Madame Hooch yelled as she then pointed her wand at the broom. Annie came zooming toward them and everyone scattered and dove out of the way. Annie came through the scattered crowd and shot through a tunnel and up a tower. Annie scream more and more as the broom took her toward a statue of a man with a sharp spear, but quickly turned her to the left and back around toward the statue. Annie panicked and lifted her arms up to protect her face from hitting the spear from the statue as she gripped on the broom firmly with her legs. But, as she lifted her arms, her hands gripped the spear as the broom shot out from between her legs. She looked down as the students and Madame Hooch hurried toward the tower trying to hold on to dear life as she felt her wet hands slipping from the spear. "Help!!" yelled Annie, "I'm slipping!!" She was starting to lose her grip rapidly as one hand slipped... then the other. Annie screamed as she fell. There was nothing to catch her fall. The sun was beaming all around her and when she finally hit the ground everything when pitch black.

"ANNIE!!!!!!!" yelled Harry as he ran after Annie's motionless body on the ground. "Everyone out of the way!" Madame Hooch demanded as she ran through the group of student who scattered to let her through. Harry bent down over Annie who still wasn't moving. "Out of the way, Mr. Potter," said Madame Hooch as she bent down to assess Annie who was still not moving. "Is she going to be alright?" asked Harry. "I said out of the way, Mr. Potter!" Madame Hooch commanded as she continued to assess her injuries. "Someone go get Madame Pomfrey from the hospital wing! Hurry!!" said Madame Hooch turning to the crowd of students who were standing around terrified at what they witnessed. "She's not going to die, is she?" said Harry. "No! Nonsense! She's not gonna die," said Madame Hooch trying reassure Harry. Moments later, Madame Pomfrey and another nurse came running out with the folded fabric stretcher. They placed the stretcher on the ground, lifted Annie onto the stretcher, and carried her away in a big hurry. Madame Hooch came running behind, but stopped and turned to crowd of students. "Everyone's to keep their feet firmly on the ground while I take Ms. Potter to the hospital wing, understand?" Madame Hooch said sternly. "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 ran up behind Madame Hooch and asked, "Can I go with you?" "No! You best stay here, Mr. Potter," said Madame Hooch. "Madame Promfrey will let you know when you can see your sister." Madame Hooch ran to catch up with Madame Pomfrey and the other nurse.

Everyone was scattered across the grounds waiting for news from Madame Hooch. Some were sitting on the grass up against the stone tower, some were sitting inside the tunnel, and some were walking around or standing chattering with each other. Harry was starting to get very impatient for news on Annie's condition. "Why do we have to wait out here while my sister's in there getting treated?" said Harry irritatingly, "I mean, I don't know how serious it is, Ron." "I know," said Ron. "But we have to do what Madame Hooch says. Otherwise, well... you heard what she said." "I should be inside with her," said Harry as he glazed at the spot where Annie landed when she fell. "Any word?" asked Hermione who came by to see how Harry was doing. "No, nothing yet," said Harry. "I'm so sorry for what happened to her," said Hermione feeling very upset. "It's alright," said Harry. "It's not your fault." "I wish there was something we can do," said Hermione. "The only thing we can do is just... wait," said Ron.

Meanwhile, Neville was sitting a few from them against the stone tower tossed the Remembrall in the air a couple of inches while next to him sat Draco and his gang, Crabbe and Goyle. As Neville played around with the Remembrall, he accidentally dropped it a few inches from him. Neville got up to grab it and Draco stepped Neville's cloak causing him to land face first on the ground. Draco and his gang laughed loudly as Neville got up with his Remembrall in his hand and sat back down against the tower. Draco thought it would be fun to mess with Neville by doing try a trick he learned from one of the Slytherin students. He pulled out his wand and flicked it causing the Remembrall to roll away from Neville. Neville got up to go pick it up, but the Remembrall further away and stopped. Neville got confused as to what was going on. "That's odd," said Neville. Then it happened again. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle snickered and giggled at Neville tried to grab it. Then the Remembrall kept rolling until it was directed toward Draco. Draco grabbed the Remembrall in his hand, got up, and tossed it around a couple time. "Hey," Neville exclaimed. "That's mine. Give it back!" "What is this stupid thing your gran sent you?" said Malfoy sarcastically. "It's a Remembrall," said Neville, "Now give it back!" "Well, here's a bit of advice for you." said Malfoy, "Next time, maybe if you'd had given this squeeze, you'd have remembered to fall on your fat ass. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle laughed. Seeing and hearing what was going on, everyone gathered around to see what the fuss was about. "Give it here, Malfoy," said Harry angrily. "No. I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find." Draco hopped on his broom and soared around and through the group of students. "How 'bout up on the roof?" Draco then soared high off the ground and hovered high in the sky. As turned toward the group of students below he said. "What's the matter, Potter? Bit beyond your reach?" Harry grabbed his broom and started to mount when Hermione tried to stop him. "Harry, no! Think about what you're doing. You saw what happened to Annie and you heard what Madame Hooch said! Besides you don't even know how to fly." But Harry ignored Hermione's warning and took off after Malfoy. "What an idiot," said Hermione under her breath.