The entire afternoon, the lawn rang with screams, laughter, the shrill whistles of out-of-control brooms, and Madam Hooch's repeated commands.
Some people fell into mud pits, some crashed into tree trunks, some suddenly burst into tears halfway through a flight—"Mum! What do I do?"—and others tried to slap their brooms' tails as if they were riding horses. As a result, they were punished with copying the Flying Safety Rules three times.
But no one gave up.
When the setting sun dyed the lawn gold and crimson, Lyria finally mustered the courage to raise her broom as high as a two-story building. She kept her eyes closed, gripping it tightly with both hands, her lips moving faintly as if whispering to the wind.
And the wind seemed to answer her. The broom stopped trembling and hovered steadily in the air. A dandelion drifted up from her feet and rode the wind away.
Not far away, Yulian practiced "slowing approach" over and over. He no longer pursued explosive bursts of speed, instead focusing on every tiny turn and every inch of distance he controlled. His movements remained swift, but they now carried a steadier rhythm.
Hannah, her golden hair shining, slid off the back of her broom and landed hard on her bottom, yet she burst out laughing. She wiped the sweat from her face, climbed back on without hesitation, and took off again.
Madam Hooch stood at the edge of the field, watching the bedraggled yet stubborn little wizards. At last, a genuine smile lifted the corners of her mouth.
"Remember how you feel today," she called loudly. "In the Magical World, no one is born knowing how to fly. Whether you become a Quidditch star or an ordinary wizard, everyone starts by falling into the mud, getting stuck in trees, and being spun around by their broom."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over Lyria, Yulian, Kayson, Hannah... every face with a sweat-dampened forehead and shining eyes.
"Talent determines how fast you can fly, but hard work determines how far and how high you can go."
The evening breeze swept across the lawn. The brooms swayed gently, as if nodding in agreement.
Far away, Cho Chang and Roger leaned against the railing of a tower, watching.
"You were right about that black-haired Yulian," Roger suddenly said. "His speed is astonishing, but he's too reckless. If he makes the team, I'll train him personally."
Cho Chang smiled. "Don't rush, Roger. They've only just left the ground."
"But some people," Roger said softly as he watched Yulian once again hover precisely in front of the Quaffle, "are born to belong to the sky."
At dinnertime, the Hogwarts Great Hall blazed with light. Hundreds and thousands of candles floated overhead, making the gold-trimmed plates and goblets gleam brilliantly.
The air was thick with the aromas of roast chicken, Pumpkin Pasties, and hot Butterbeer.
Yulian, Kayson, and Edgar had just found a table and sat down when a familiar voice came from behind them. "Hey! Yulian! Over here!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were waving at them. Everyone shifted toward the end of the table and sat down beside Harry and the others.
"How was your Flying Class this afternoon?" Ron asked while piling mashed potatoes onto his plate, his eyes shining. "Our morning was quite eventful."
"Don't remind me!" Kayson immediately cut in, thumping his chest dramatically. "I almost sacrificed my broom to the Willow Spirit! But..." He puffed out his chest. "I can complete a three-second hover now! Joining the Ravenclaw House team is just around the corner!"
"You mean 'getting stuck in a tree for three seconds before Madam Hooch rescued you with the Levitation Charm'?" Edgar mercilessly exposed him.
Everyone burst out laughing.
"But speaking of which, those Slytherins from Malfoy's group were really infuriating this morning," Hermione said, recounting what had happened during their Flying Class.
"So that's why I didn't see Neville. He was injured? Is he all right?" Edgar asked.
"It shouldn't be serious, uh..." Ron choked slightly on a mouthful of potato.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him and continued, "His wrist is broken, but Madam Hooch said Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing could mend the bone in a single night."
"We'll go see him after dinner," Ron said after taking a sip of water. "And we'll tell him some good news, too."
"What good news?" Hermione asked irritably. "That you got into a fight with the Slytherins?"
"But we won!" Ron and Harry both raised their heads proudly.
The little Ravenclaw eagles exchanged glances, wondering how both Gryffindor's and Slytherin's classes could be so explosive.
"Of course, I wasn't talking about that. I meant Harry joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Uh-oh!" Ron covered his mouth again after speaking, as if he had let something slip.
Harry hurriedly explained to Yulian and the others, "It's fine that we told you. Just don't let the Slytherins find out. Wood said—the captain of our team—that he wants to use me as a secret weapon."
"What?!" Edgar nearly threw his fork. "A first-year?! That's impossible! Doesn't the school have a rule...?"
"I know, I know." Harry's face flushed slightly. "But Professor McGonagall said... the circumstances are special."
Just as he hesitated, considering how to explain, Ron picked up the thread. "You didn't see it. This morning, Malfoy stole Neville's Remembrall and threw it away. Harry chased after him on his broom, pulled off a Lansky Feint, and made a spectacular catch to save it. It looked amazing!"
"Right—he nearly broke his neck!" Hermione added.
"I didn't even know what a feint was at the time," Harry said, clearly missing Hermione's sarcasm. "I just acted on instinct, and Professor McGonagall happened to see me."
"Brother, I have to say, that was incredibly cool! How did you do it?" Kayson asked, full of admiration.
"Actually, it was my first time flying a broom too. I discovered..." Harry's face turned bright red, clearly still immersed in the joy of flying. "The sky isn't actually that frightening. As long as you're willing to follow the air currents, you can travel freely without obstruction."
"Talent! That's talent!" Ron declared from the side, summing up his friend's abilities.
Hermione did not argue this time. Instead, she nodded thoughtfully. "That does match some ancient records on flying meditation techniques. The Valkyrie are said to tame winged horses by resonating with the air currents."
Yulian was about to speak and offer a few words of praise when Harry suddenly lowered his voice. "It's a pity I didn't knock that Malfoy fellow down and let him have a taste of what a broken hand feels like!"
"What! You did that on purpose?!" Hermione raised her voice in shock.
"You should have hit him. Better yet, you should have broken his nose too!" Ron ground out through clenched teeth. "It's all that Rosier's fault for ruining things!"
"Rosier? Elizabeth Rosier? What does she have to do with it?" Yulian asked, puzzled.
"I didn't hit him," Harry said, shaking his head. "Just when Malfoy was about to fall, Rosier flew over and caught him. Her movements were... incredibly fast and incredibly steady."
"Although I don't like the Slytherins either, I have to say you owe Rosier today," Hermione said. "If not for her, you would have been in much deeper trouble. And after rescuing him, she simply left. She neither acknowledged Malfoy's thanks nor took part in the argument between the two houses afterward."
Ron immediately scoffed. "Hmph! They're all birds of a feather! I heard House Rosier is very close to the Malfoy family. Both families followed two generations of Dark Lords. Could they possibly be good people?"
Yulian fell silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking. "If Elizabeth acted in that situation, it shows that her flying ability is excellent too. And... she didn't take credit or participate in her later confrontation with you. That means she at least has basic judgment and... restraint."
"You're actually defending a Slytherin?" Ron stared at him, wide-eyed.
Hermione also looked at Yulian, a trace of confusion in her eyes and something faintly indescribable beneath it. "Elizabeth? Are you that familiar with her?"
"Yulian, she's a Rosier. Maybe you don't know this, but her family has produced countless Dark wizards throughout history!" Ron continued.
Yulian set down his knife and fork and spoke calmly. "I'm not defending anyone. I'm saying we should judge people by their actions, not their intentions. Saving someone is saving someone, no matter how complicated the motive may be. If someone's dark origins are enough for us to deny every good thing she does, then how are we any different from those pure-blood fanatics who only care about bloodline?"
The Great Hall fell silent for a moment. Even Kayson forgot to brag.
Hermione opened her mouth, seeming to want to argue, but in the end she merely pressed her lips together and lowered her head to cut her carrots.
It wasn't that she was unreasonable. In fact, she understood reason better than most. It was just that the way Yulian had addressed Rosier earlier seemed to...
Harry, however, looked thoughtful. "Actually... she seems different from the other Slytherins. Aside from looking a little arrogant, she never hangs around with Malfoy and the others, and she's quiet in class too."
"The quietest snakes are the most dangerous!" Ron muttered.
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