Gryffindor Princess and The Philosophers Stone (Harry Potter Fanfiction)

Chapter Five: Neville's First Solo Flight

"Our first flying lesson is this Thursday", Hermione read out. 

They were standing in the Gryffindor Common room by the notice board. Hermione had been the first one to spot the poster stating that first year Gryffindors would be having their first flying lesson with Slytherin this coming Thursday. 

The news had come as quite a shock to Hermione, who was muggle born and therefore had never flown on a broom stick. Hope herself had only flown on brooms as a method of transport, she'd never actually played Quidditch. Hermione had so far been going through all of their classes flawlessly. However flying on a broom was something that you couldn't learn from a book. Hermione gave it her best effort however, she took quidditch through the ages out from the library and was reading flying tips during breakfast that morning. Neville was hanging on to every word she said. Apparently his grandmother had never let him on a broom due to the fact that he was so accident prone. 

Hermione's lecture however, was interrupted by the morning post. The morning post was delivered by a series of owls who would swoop down from the celling and drop letters and packages on their recipients. A large barn owl swooped down and dropped a small package in front of Neville from his grandmother. He tore it open and inside was a glass ball about the size of a tennis ball, which seemed to be filled with white smoke. 

"It's a Remembrall!", he explained eagerly, showing it to those around him, "Gran, knows I forget things - you hold it tight like this and then if it turns red -" his face fell as the white smoke inside the glass ball turned red, "then that means you've forgotten something." 

Neville was just trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy came over to the table and snatched the rememberable out of Neville's hands. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley both jumped to their feet glaring at Malfoy. However, before things could escalate Professor McGonagall was there quick as a flash. 

"What's going on?"

"Malfoys taken my Remembrall Professor", Neville told her. 

Malfoy scowled and dropped the Remembrall back on the table. For a second Hope thought it would break on impact, however the little ball just bounced and rolled along the table, completely fine.

"I was just looking", he grumbled.

Hope felt as though their classes couldn't go fast enough. Her mind was on their flying lesson which would be happening at three this afternoon, meaning they would miss a potions lesson. She wasn't particularly sad to be missing the lesson. Professor Snapes constant favoritism of the Slytherins made her so angry she found it very difficult to focus in class. She couldn't' really think of anything else all day, and it appeared that Hermione couldn't either. She was constantly asking Hope how they were supposed to stay upright on the broom and how the breaking and deceleration worked. She tried to be as helpful as she could be, after all Hermione did grow up with Muggles and therefore could have no idea about how broomsticks worked.

Finally three o'clock rolled around the first year Gryffindor's and Slytherins walked out onto the quidditch pitch. On the pitch were twenty or so broom sticks lying in two lines. The Gryffindors went to one line and the Slytherins went to the other. Hope stood between Neville and Hermione, who was muttering to herself furiously about how to stay airborne. Their teacher was Madam Hooch, who was a tall but muscular woman with short grey hair and green eyes so bright they looked yellow.

"Hurry up, hurry up", she called, "everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

Those who hadn't already picked a broomstick hurried into place.

"Stick out you right hand over your broom", Madam hooch called from the front of the two lines, "and say 'Up!'"

There was a loud chorus of 'Up!' Some peoples brooms flew into their hands on the first try. Hopes lifted itself up a few inches before falling back to the floor again. Hermione's rolled around on the floor and Neville's on her other side, hadn't moved.

Madam hooch then instructed everyone to pick up their broom if it hadn't flown up to their hands yet. She then showed them how to mount their brooms and how to hold them properly so that they wouldn't fall off in the air.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground", Madam Hooch instructed, "keep your brooms stead, rise a few feet, then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle - Three - two -"

But Neville seemed to not need the countdown. He pushed off the ground hard before the whistle had even come close to Madam Hooches lips. He shot straight upwards accelerating faster and faster. She could see his face staring down at them as he moved upwards. He was white as a sheet. He let out a loud yell and slipped sideways off the broom... Hope screamed as he fell down twenty feet at least. Neville hit the ground with a loud thud and lay down face down on the grass. His broom stick floated off of its own accord towards the forbidden forest.