Hermione got her first letter from her parents that weekend.
Dear Hermione,
How was your first week at Hogwarts? We've missed you
terribly! We can't wait until Christmas. Have you made any
new friends? What is Hogwarts like? Tell us everything.
Ms. Lauren's been dying to know where you are.
Should we tell her? It's up to you
Love, Mum and Dad
Hermione smiled to herself, think of her parents. She stroked the owl that had given her the letter then let it go. She stuffed the letter in her pocket and finished her breakfast. After breakfast she'd have to go brush her teeth again. Her parents would be so proud that she had kept her promise and took care of her teeth.
Suddenly, Hermione saw Neville Longbottom rush in towards her.
"Guess what, Hermione," breathed Neville.
"We're having our first flying lesson this week!" Hermione's mind was boggling. Flying! Hermione was never good at sports, sports that involved staying on the ground! This would be much worse! She could hurt herself, and she could hurt herself badly!
"Are you excited?" asked Hermione.
"Actually, I'm quite nervous," admitted Neville.
"Me too. I didn't really think we'd be required to learn to fly," said Hermione. "I thought it was some extra thing for Quittitch -"
"Quidditch," Neville corrected her. Hermione felt quite foolish being corrected by Neville but she didn't go on about it.
"Nevermind it," said Hermione.
The next time Hermione had the time, which was a Thursday, Hermione went to the library and checked out Quidditch Through the Ages.
Neville seemed very interested in learning how to fly so that he didn't hurt himself and Hermione was glad to help.
"So, Neville, if you just mount your broom directly upward and don't place any of your weight on your broom until you're lifted into the air you'll be able to get up in one piece."
"What about when I'm already in the air?" asked Neville.
"You see, Neville. If you're in the air already just don't -"
Hermione was interrupted by the arrival of a barn owl, giving him a small package.
He opened it eagerly to unveil a glass ball, about the size of a large marble, filled with white smoke.
"It's a Remembrall!" said Neville. "Gran knows I forget things - this tells you if there's something you've forgotton to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red - oh. . ." Neville's happy expression faded as he watched the Remembrall glow red and he was forgetting something, ". . . you've forgotten something. . ."
Neville was desperately trying to remember what he had forgotten when Draco Malfoy, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.
Harry and Ron jumped out of their seat, looking like they were going to fight.
Professor McGonagall had come before this could happen though. "What's going on?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor," answered Neville.
Draco dropped the Remembrall, uneasily but quickly. "Just looking," he said and his two thick, thug-like friends followed him.
. . .
At three o'clock that afternoon all the Gryffindor first years hurried down the front steps of Hogwarts for their first flying lesson. Hermione hadn't been so nervous since the Sorting, two weeks ago.
The Slytherins were already there, waiting for them.
There were at least twenty brooms laying in neat lines on the ground for them.
Madam Hooch soon showed up. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes. She looked like an old hawk.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" she asked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."
Hermione looked down at her broom.
It most deffenately was not new, but it looked a lot better than most people's brooms. There were broken twigs, and some were sticking out of the edges, and a bit of the wood on the handle was chipping.
"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch from the front, "and say 'Up!'"
"UP!" shouted the first years.
Hermione's broom pathetically rolled over, but she had decided it was better than Neville's, whose broom hadn't move at all.
Hermione looked around and saw that Harry Potter's broom had obeyed him and was in his hand.
There were few others that had their broom actually come up.
Maybe she had to use more confidence in her voice.
Madam Hooch began showing them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end. She then walked back, correcting everyone's grips.
She came by Hermione's and changed the grip completely.
"I suppose you're new at this?" she asked. "Yes, ma'am. I'm Muggle-born, you see. I'm much more of a bookworm." Hermione didn't feel embarrassed about doing it wrong, because she had even corrected Draco, who had been bragging about how well he flies all week long.
"What?!" sneered Malfoy. "You've gone mad! I've been doing this for years!" "Then you've been doing it wrong for years," answered Madam Hooch.
"Now, when I blow my whistle you kick off from the ground , hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle - three - two -"
Neville was extremely jumpy and nervous now, and pushed off the ground before her whistle sounded.
"Come back, boy!" she shouted after him.
Neville was rising higher and higher and higher, uncontrollably though. Hermione was so worried for him. Neville was so scared and soon he began to lose grip on the broom. Hermione bit her lip, hoping he would hold on, but Neville slipped sideways off the broom and -
WHAM - they all heard a terrible crack as Neville hit the ground.
His broom was still going higher and higher and higher, into the forbidden forest.
Madam Hooch bent over Neville.
"Broken wrist," she muttered. "Come on, boy - it's all right, up you get."
She turned to the rest of the class.
"None of you is to 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 say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."
Neville was crying heavily, clutching his wrist , and hobbling off with Madam Hooch, whose arm was around his shoulder.
When Madam Hooch was out of earshot Malfoy broke out into laughter. "Did you see his face, the great lump?" laughed Malfoy. The other Slytherins began to chime in too.
"Shut up, Malfoy!" said Parvati Patil, bravely.
"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a pug-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."
Hermione was so angry! How dare they call Neville a fat little crybaby? Like their anything better.
"Look!" said Malfoy, charging foreward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."
"Give that here, Malfoy," said Harry, leaving Hermione quite surprised.
Malfoy smiled darkly.
"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find - how about - up in a tree?"
"Give it here," yelled Harry.
Hermione feared he was going to do something rash that every Gryffindor would regret.
Malfoy lept onto his broomstick and taken off. Hermione was stunned by how well Draco could fly. It hadn't been all talk after all. "Come and get it, Potter!" he taunted. Just as Hermione had expected Harry grabbed his broom; Hermione had to stop him.
"No!" shouted Hermione. "Madam Hooch told us not to move - you'll get us all into trouble."
Harry ignored Hermione and flew into the air.
Why didn't anyone ever listen to her?
But soon after watching Harry she realized that not only was he good, but he was better than Malfoy, and not only was he better than Malfoy, but he was amazing! She had never seen anyone fly so well! But to be fair she had only seen three people fly in her whole lifetime.
"Give it here," called Harry, "or I'll knock you off your broom!"
"Oh yeah?" asked Malfoy. It looked like he was trying to sneer but he looked too worried for that. Harry came after Malfoy and Malfoy got away just in time. Hermione was happy about the event but was worried about the circumstances it was under.
People around Hermione were clapping and she gave them a dirty look.
"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy!"
Crabbe and Goyle - those must have been his friends - or followers.
"Catch it if you can, then!" shrieked Malfoy as he threw it high into air then came back down. "Oh no!" muttered Hermione. If Harry didn't catch the Remembrall Neville would be devasted, but the next thing she knew Harry was clutching the Remembrall.
"HARRY POTTER!"
Hermione's heart dropped to her stomach.
Professor McGonagall was running towards them.
"Never - in all my time at Hogwarts -"
Professor McGonagall was speechless. She was so shocked her glasses flashed furiously. "- how dare you - might have broken your neck -"
"It wasn't his fault, Professor -"
"Be quiet, Miss Patil -"
"But Malfoy -"
"That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me."
And with that Harry went off with Professor McGonagall.
"Oh, he's really done it now!" shrieked Hermione. "Shut up, Hermione!" ordered Ron angrily. "What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much, Ron?" "Don't talk to me! I said, 'shut up!'"
Hermione shook her head vigorously, about to turn around and leave.
Hermione decided not to let Ron get the last laugh. "You're a pig, Ron Weasley!"
Shortly, after Madam Hooch came back without Neville.
"All right, first years! Class dismissed!"