Together (A Harry Potter love story) 1

15

MILLIES POV

At three thirty that afternoon, we hurried down the front steps into the grounds for our first flying lesson. The smooth grass rippled under our feet as we marched down towards a smooth lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forest.

The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Fred and George had complained to me about the school broomsticks, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.

Our teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, grey hair and yellow eyes.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she barked.

"Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, Hurry up!"

I stood above an old-looking broomstick, with Harry and Ron on either side of me.

"Stick your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say, UP!"

"UP!" we all shouted.

My broom jumped into my hand at once. Looking around, I saw only two others clutching their brooms; Harry and Malfoy. Mione's had simply rolled over on the ground and Ron's hadn't moved at all. Madam Hooch then showed us how to mount our brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down correcting our grips, and was delighted when Madam Hooch told Malfoy 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, looking nervous and jumpy, pushed off hard before the whistle had been blown.

"Come back, boy!" She shouted, but Neville kept rising, must have been 12 feet - 20 feet. I saw his face look down at the ground, and he looked pale and petrified. I watched as he gasped and slid sideways off the broom and -

WHAM - I heard a thud and a nasty crack, and Neville lay, face down, on the grass in a heap. I dropped my broom and ran over to him, dropping onto my knees. Out of everyone, I was definitely closest with him - I know how to calm him down.

I watched with wide eyes as Madam Hooch bent over Neville, her face nearly as white as his.

"Broken wrist," I heard her mutter. "Come on boy, it's alright, up you get." I stayed on my knees whilst Madam Hooch 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."

Neville, in tears and clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him. Once they were out of sight, I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Harry and Ron standing above me.

"He'll be okay-"

"Did you see his face, the great lump?" I heard Malfoy say, and instantly, Harry's eyes darkened.

The other Slytherins laughed.

"Shut up, Malfoy," I snapped, standing up and taking a step towards him.

"Oooo, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat little cry babies, Millie. I thought your type was more ... Harry Potter." All the Slytherins wolf-whistled and laughed even harder. My expression hardened even more when Harry came up behind my and slung his arm smugly over my shoulders.

I stumbled away from him, just as Malfoy said, "Look! It's that stupid thing Longbottom's Gran sent him."

He bent down and picked up the remember all.

"Give it here, Malfoy," Harry spat. All the Slytherins stopped laughing instantly. Malfoy just smiled.

"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to collect - how about - up a tree?"

"Give it here!" Harry growled, pushing past me, but Malfoy had already leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. He hadn't been lying, he could fly well.

"Come and get it, Potter," He yelled.

"Potter-" I began, but he interrupted me.

"Tell me later, yeah?"

I grabbed his arms, which made him look at me in shock. "I'm coming with you."

"What?" He said, staring down at me. "No, just - stay here." He shrugged my arms off, mounted his broom and kicked hard off into the air. I watched him angrily, as loads of girls gasped and clung onto each other, watching him admirably. I sighed before mounting my own broom.

"Millie, you can't!" Mione said, jumping up and down anxiously behind me.

"Sorry," I mumbled, before flying after Harry and Malfoy.

"NO!" I heard Hermione shout, but I ignored her. I felt the blood pounding in my ears. In a rush of fierce joy, I realised I had found something I could do without being taught - this was easy, this was amazing.

I was zoomed up behind Malfoy, who was saying something to Harry. Harry now had his emerald eyes glued to me, and Malfoy must have seen where he was looking, because he turned around right at the last minute - but it was too late; I had snatched the Remembrall from his hand. I grinned, but my smile fell when Malfoy reached over and tried to grab it from my hands. but stopped quickly when I felt Malfoy's hand viciously against my own, trying to snatch the Remembrall back.

Instinctively, I shouted, "Potter, catch!" and lobbed the small ball in the opposite direction. I watched nervously as Harry leant forward on his broom and dived rapidly towards the ground after the ball, stretching out his hand. A foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight and I watched from the air as he landed gently on the grass with the Remembrall clutched in his hand.

"HARRY POTTER! MILLIE DONOVAN!"

My stomach flipped as I saw Professor McGonagall running in Harry's direction. I quickly landed next to him, shaking slightly.

"Never - in all my time at Hogwarts-"

Professor McGonagall seemed almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously - "how DARE you - might have broken your necks-"

"It wasn't their fault, Professor-"

"Be quiet, Miss Patil-"

"But Malfoy-"

"That's enough, Mr Weasley. Potter, Donovan, follow me, now."

I caught sight of Malfoy, who must've slyly landed on the ground after I had thrown the Remembrall. He had a triumphant look on his face as we left, walking numbly after Professor McGonagall as she strode towards the castle. I stared numbly at the ground, avoiding Harry's concerned eyes from next to me.

We were going to be expelled, I just knew it. I wanted to say something to defend us, but there seemed to be something wrong with my voice. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along now without even looking at us, and I had to jog to keep up. Now I'd done it. I hadn't even lasted two weeks. I'd be packing my bags in ten minutes. What would my parents say?

Up the front steps, up the staircase inside, and still Professor McGonagall didn't say a word. She wrenched open doors, and marched along corridors with us following miserably behind her. Where was she taking us?