"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.
She heard madam hooch muttering
"Broken wrist, come on boy - it's alright, up you get." She helped Neville to his feet, Hope could see his tear stained face as he clutched his wrist.
"None of you move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can Quidditch."
She and Neville walked back up to the castle, Madam Hooch had her arm around Neville's shoulders. The second they were out of earshot Malfoy burst into laughter.
"Did you see his face, the great lump?"
The other Slytherins joined in laughing.
"Shut up, Malfoy" Hope snapped at him.
"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?", Sneered a large girl Hope knew as Pansy Parkinson, "never thought you'd like fat little cry babies, Dumbledore."
"Look!", Said Malfoy darting forward and snatching something from the grass, "it's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."
Hope could see Neville Remembrall glittering in the sun as he held it tightly in his hand. Hope felt herself grow hot with anger.
"Give that here, Malfoy", Harry Potter said quietly. Malfoy just smiled nastily and threw the ball up in the air and caught it again.
"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find - how about - up a tree?"
"Malfoy, stop it!", Hope yelled at him.
"Give it here!", Harry yelled. Malfoy leapt onto his broom and soared off. Hope gritted her teeth with anger, Malfoy could fly very well. There was no way she would be able to get the Remembrall back off him in the air.
"Come and get it, Potter!"
"No!", Shouted Hermione from beside her, "Madam Hooch told us not to move, Harry - you'll get us all into trouble!"
Harry ignored her and kicked off from the ground spinning to face Malfoy. Hope was stunned, for someone who'd never once flown a broom, Harry was an incredible flier.
"Give it here!", She could hear Harry yell, "or I'll knock you off that broom!"
"Oh yeah?", Malfoy sneered.
Malfoy only just moved out of the way in time as Harry shot towards him. He seemed thrown off and was now beginning to look rather worried. It was obvious that Malfoy hadn't expected Harry to be able to fly nearly as well as he could. A few people around Hope actually clapped.
"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy", Harry taunted. Crabbe and Goyle, who were both standing only a few feet away from Hope. Were staring up at Malfoy as if completely lost without him. They were both very large boys who didn't say much but were very intimidating when they needed to be.
"Catch it if you can then!", Malfoy shouted. He threw the Remembrall with all his might towards the castle. The ball flew high into the air then stated descending back down. Harry dived for it. He was heading straight for the ground. Hope watched in Horror, it would take an incredibly skilled flier to catch that tiny ball in such a steep dive... At the very last second he was able to grasp the Remembrall in his hand and pull up out of the dive, rolling off his broom and landing safely on the grass without a scratch. Hope whooped and clapped loudly with the rest of the Gryffindors excitedly.
"HARRY POTTER!"
Hope spun around. Marching towards them was Professor McGonagall. The Slytherins all began to snigger excitedly.
"Never - in all my time at Hogwarts - " Professor McGonagall looked absolutely furious, Malfoy (who'd already landed on the ground and dropped his broom) was looking simply ecstatic, "how dare you - you might have broken your neck-"
"It wasn't his fault Professor-"
"That's enough Miss Dumbledore -"
"No, but Malfoy -"
"Quiet Mr Weasley. Potter, follow me, now."
Harry walked sullenly behind Professor McGonagall and out of sight back inside the castle. Hope was shaking with anger, Malfoy had gotten away with it. He didn't deserve to. He should have been in so much trouble for what he'd done, but Professor McGonagall had completely refused to listen to them.
"Well I think that will be the end of Potter", Malfoy laughed, "our little celebrity didn't even make a month at school."
"Shut up Malfoy!", Ron hissed at him. His face was bright red and he was looking absolutely furious.
"What are you going to do, Weasley?", Malfoy laughed, "throw one of your second hand books at me?"
If it was possible Ron turned an even darked shade of red.
"Go away, Malfoy", Hope growled at him.
"I'll do a lot more than just throw a book at you!", Ron yelled at him. He pulled out his wand, which Hope thought didn't really help his case, the wand was clearly old and worn, it had many scratches and the tip from the unicorn hair inside it was poking out of the end.
Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan jumped in front of Ron to stop him doing something he'd regret.
"Go on then, Weasley", Malfoy laughed, watching as Ron struggled to get past Dean and Seamus. Hope was shaking with anger but she knew better than to let Malfoy entice her into getting herself into trouble.
"What's this then?"
Madam Hooch had returned from the hospital wing.
"Put your wand away right now, Mr Weasley, or it will be five points from Gryffindor", she barked. Ron sent a finally glare at Malfoy before stowing his wand back inside his robes.
"Right now", Madam Hooch aligned herself back into the middle of the two lines and glanced over at the empty gap where Harrys broom lay abandoned.
"Where is Mr Potter?", She asked.
"He's with Professor McGonagall ma'am", Hermione answered.
They did not make any more attempts at flying during the lesson. Instead Madam Hooch (much to Hermione's delight) taught them the theory of flying and how broomsticks worked. Once or twice Hope managed to hear bits of Malfoys hushed conversation, with Crabbe and Goyle, opposite her.
"Really just goes to show that some stupid scar on your forehead won't get you everywhere", Malfoy was saying. Crabbe and Goyle both laughed at Malfoys comment. But Hope wondered, from the blank expression on their faces, if they even understood what Malfoy was saying.
By the end of the lesson Hope found that she hated Malfoy more than she'd ever really hated anyone.