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Chapter - 27 : Flying Lessons

Despite Ava trying to make sure, Draco managed to give Harry trouble whenever he could, in such ways that Ava could say nothing to Draco about it.

She completely ignored Pansy, which Pansy reciprocated without hesitation. Yet she always spoke to Milicent whenever she could and Mylene was always at her side whenever she wanted.

In the common room, a notice was pinned which made the Slytherins (all except Ava) groan.
Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday - and Slytherin was paired up with Gryffindor.

Draco was certainly excited for he kept complaining that first-years should be permitted to join the team.

Hermione was definitely nervous. This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book - not that she hadn't tried.

Ava was nervous too, but she wasn't as interested to perform her best in flying as she was in her academics.

At breakfast on Thursday, Ava could see that Hermione was boring everyone with flying tips she'd got out of a library book called Quidditch Through the Ages. Neville listened to every word she said very carefully. Ava wasn't bothered to hear what Hermione was saying for she had read the book too.

This was the precise reason she decided to have breakfast and immediately move to her next class.
Fortunately for the Gryffindors, Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the morning mail.

A school owl swooped low and dropped a letter almost into Ava's plate. A letter from Leah, no doubt, responding to her previous letter which read -

Dear Ava,

I'm glad that you are enjoying school as per usual. I know that I'm replying to this letter late but it's taken me sometime to grasp the whole situation.
Why would someone try to break into Gringotts? Hadn't Hagrid told you that it was them safest place except Hogwarts itself?

But nonetheless, I think you should just forget about it for now, till you get through to what's happening.

I hope that that roommate of yours - Pansy, isn't giving you much trouble lately. I don't think I'd bother to even walk across your path after what you said to her.

I love you. Be careful.
Keep me as updated as you can.
Love,
Leah

Ps - I'm planning to bake some cookies this week, so can you send Nessie next time? I want to send you the cookies.

Ah! Cookies! How long had it been since she ate them - 2 weeks? More or less. But that was too long a time! She'd been almost tempted to look through the Weasley twins' minds to find the passage to the kitchen.

Ava finished her breakfast and headed straight for her class after waving Hermione a goodbye.

At three-thirty that afternoon, the Slytherins Gryffindors made their way into the grounds for their first flying lesson.

It was a clear, breezy day and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns towards a smooth lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the Forbidden Forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.

As the students positioned themselves properly, their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, grey hair and yellow eyes like a hawk.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she barked, "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," Madam Hooch called out, "And say, 'Up!'"
"UP!" everyone shouted.

Ava's broom jumped into her hands at once, but it was one of the few (including Harry and Draco) that did. Hermione's had simply rolled over on the ground and Neville's hadn't moved at all.

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 and Ron were delighted when she told Draco that he'd been doing it wrong for years.

"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 forwards 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.

"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle - twelve feet - twenty feet.

His scared white face looked down at the ground falling away, gasping, slipping sideways off the broom and -

WHAM! - a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay, face down, on the grass in a heap. His broomstick was still rising higher and higher and started to drift lazily towards the Forbidden Forest and out of sight.

Madam Hooch was bending over him, her face as white as Neville's.

"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 are 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." said Madam Hooch, who had one arm around Neville, helping him move.

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Hey guys!
I have just a very random and absolutely unnecessary life update for you on this fine day!

So I have my English exam on Monday (term exams for those who understand the British education system and midterms for those who understand the American one). And so, I was studying some time back and I literally fell asleep reading one of my lessons and I drooled all over my textbook.

That's it... Very weird to share, I know.... But eh! I don't really care too much so.... Just wanted to tell that to someone *shrugs*.

But anywho..... I hope you enjoyed today's chapter! Thanks for reading! Lots of love!

Always,
Ana