The Noble House Of Black

CHAPTER EIGHT: Flying and Flowers

Breakfast went by in flashes of red and gold, black and green as every single Slytherin and Gryffindor first year wore their house colors in anticipation of their first ever quidditch class taught by none other than the legendary Madam Hooch, formerly of the Hollyhead Harpies! After winning the Quidditch Cup in spectacular fashion last year, the veteran beater, Hooch, was signed on at Hogwarts as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and even more excitingly, as Quidditch Master. Caelum ended up eating nothing, despite attempts by James and Sirius to try and force-feed her, earning them nothing but a vicious glare.

Eventually, the first year Gryffindors made their way outside to the quidditch pitch, complaining amongst themselves about having to share their first quidditch lesson with the Slytherins. James, Caelum and Sirius didn't care in the slightest.They were just thrilled they were finally going to be flying again. Flying was the most joyous experience ever, and sharing in the love of it together somehow made it even better.

The new students found themselves on the quidditch pitch standing in parallel lines to one another, awaiting instruction from their professor, Madam Hooch. "I am Madam Hooch. I will be your Quidditch and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor whilst I am here. Pair up and wait while I get the last of the brooms; it seems my course is more popular than expected." Caelum noticed that last comment was accompanied by a slight smirk, and her opinion of her new quidditch teacher became quite positive. "JAMES!" Caelum yelled across the line, signaling that she wanted to be partners with the raven haired boy. "LET'S DO IT," James hollered back to his friend, on the other side of line. Being far quieter and drawing much less attention to himself, Snape whispered, "Lils, want to come with me?" Lily nodded shakily and slowly made her way over to her best friend in fear; she was not getting on that broom. Lily was still terrified of heights from a traumatic incident she experienced when only a young child, an incident about which only her family and Snape knew.

"Sev, I can't get on that, no way. I'll panic," Lily said, on the verge of tears. Lily Evans was not one to cry, she very rarely did so and no one knew this more than Severus Snape. Snape knew he had to get Lily out of flying and quickly. He had to protect her, and he absolutely refused to give the pure blood supremacists from his own house yet another reason to belittle Lily. Lily Evans was his first and closest friend, and he would always be there for her... always.

Lily watched in confusion as Snape picked up the broom in front of him and mounted it, gaining the attention of a select few students and giving her an affirmative nod, though it looked more as if he were trying to convince himself to carry out whatever plan he had in mind. Swallowing his fear, Snape pushed himself up in the air and quickly flew over thirty feet above the pitch before staging a fall and throwing himself off the broom, earning gasps of shock from the crowd below. Snape felt the wind on his back as he fell through the air counting one... two... and bracing for impact. Snape hit the firm grassy ground with a sickening thud, seeming all the louder because of the long moment of complete silence that followed it. Coming out of her shock, Lily screamed, "Sev! What were you thinking?" After a groan of pain, which came as a relief to everyone around him, now knowing that he would be okay, James Potter interrupted the moment, "Y'know Snape, if you spent more time practicing and less sniveling on the floor you just might be able to stay on that broom. Though it's unlikely; you do seem utterly hopeless." James's taunt earned him roars of laughter from all those around, Slytherin and Gryffindor alike.

"POTTER!" Lily spat as if it were venom, giving James a murderous glare. "Evans," James echoed back, finding this whole situation rather amusing; however, Lily was now marching towards him at a rapid speed. "SHUT UP, OR I'LL DAMN WELL SHUT YOU UP, YOU BLOODY IDIOT" she yelled at James. "Okay, Evans. I'll shut up, as you so graciously put it, if you go on a date with me. How about it?" James said, wearing a smirk. "Potter, never would I ever go out with an arrogant toe-rag like you who has jammed his head so far up his own arse he can see out the other end, and that's a truly shite view." Laughing and surrounded by his friends from the night before, James only said, "Well I can promise you, it would be much more fun than hanging around with Snivellus over here."

Madame Hooch came into sight marching across the pitch, extra brooms flying neatly in happy rows behind her and seeming incongruous with the intense displeasure clearly plastered across her face. Having seen the entire incident, including the staged fall and the taunting that followed, she knew she would now have to deal with unruly students and a distressing amount of trouble on her very first day. Her strategy, seemingly, was not to question, but to summarily punish everyone in the inner circle around the fallen boy. Certainly, she would not exclude the culprit himself from punishment, who for reasons unfathomable to her stole one of her brooms and then threw himself off of it. She would put a stop to this insubordination at once, and to do that she knew, one must project power. "Evans, Snape, Potter, Black, Black, Lupin, Pettigrew! Detention!" Remus sent a shocked look towards the the rather angry Quidditch Master, sure he had laughed, but so had everyone else. Deciding he simply must state the injustice of it all he spoke, "But Professor - Remus was quickly cut of with a glare; if looks could kill he would be six feet under the ground. There would be no protesting her decision. Taking another look at the injured student, Madam Hooch added, "Evans it is your duty as partner to escort Mr. Snape to the hospital wing."

As Lily walked away with with a dejected looking Snape hanging off her shoulder, his reasoning finally donned on her as to why he threw himself off the broom. She knew Snape was a fine flyer, he was not incredible but he would not fall off from thirty feet either; he fell so she did not have to.

A/N:

What do you think the traumatic incident that happened to Lily was? Have a wonderful detention y'all!

-Maia🖤