Harry Potter and the Altered Destinies

Chapter 5: The Duel

I do not own the underlined passages, it's from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. That being said, I do not own Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. 

Underlined - Quotes from the book 

When it came to the time to start flying lessons, Harry was ready for them. Having rode his own Pegasus quite a bit, he wasn't afraid of heights. In fact, he loved them and the air in his face.

So as his fellow Hufflepuffs and met with the Gryffindor's at the flying pitch, Harry felt annoyance at the redhead (who he later learned was named Ron) was bragging about how well he should be able to fly as he had been flying brooms since he was little.

Harry ignored the red head (and twin redheads in the stands who were watching the practice), and tried to calm Neville who was terrified of heights since his Great-Uncle dropped him from a window.

There were twenty brooms lined up with their teacher standing near them.

Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk. "Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up." (- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Page 146)

Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles, but Harry could feel the magic dance around them, like it knew what was about to come and was excited.(- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Page 146)

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!'"(- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Page 146)

"Up!" everyone shouted.Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once, but it was one of the few that did. (- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Page 146)

Neville's hadn't moved at all. Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Harry as he noticed other students who seemed nervous, broom's didn't move either. (- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Page 146)

Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips.Harry felt slightly delighted when she told Ron he'd been doing it wrong for years. (- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Page 146)

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle -- three-- two --"But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips. (- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Page 146 and 147)

"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle -- twelve feet -- twenty feet. Harry saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp,slip sideways off the broom and -- (- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Page 147)

Everyone watched as the broom suddenly paused in the air, Neville holding onto to it so tight everyone but Harry was surprised the broom hasn't snapped yet.

The reason Harry wasn't paying attention to Neville almost falling, he was focused on controlling the broom to not jerk around from Neville's simple touch.

He worked on stroking the magic to calm the excited magic that was escaping from it. He softly lead the broom back down, only connecting his magic to the brooms through his eyes.

Had he paid attention, he would've noticed Madam Hooch slightly narrow her eyes toward him before relaxing and whispering calm words to help Neville.