Flying Lesson

Before the flying lesson began, Wentworth had been worried that his experience driving cars in his past life would make it difficult for him to adapt to a broomstick.

But once he actually got his hands on one, he realized his worries were entirely unnecessary!

As it turned out, using a broomstick was far simpler than passing a driving test, and it was essentially an automatic transmission to boot!

Although some first-year students were hesitant about the broomsticks, perhaps due to a fear of heights, for Wentworth, this contraption—which lacked brakes, an accelerator, and a clutch—was not difficult to operate at all.

Before long, Wentworth was able to pilot his broomstick with ease, flying freely through the sky. If one ignored the fact that the broomstick beneath him trembled every now and then, his flying technique showed no traces of a beginner's clumsiness.

This sight left his fellow first-years stunned; after all, most of the other students were still stuck at the stage of hovering just off the ground, while Wentworth was already drawing S-shapes and B-shapes in the air.

The only one capable of keeping up with Wentworth's altitude was Cassandra from Slytherin, and her speed was not a whit inferior to his.

However, some had already noticed that the broomstick Cassandra was using actually had a pink bow tied to it; clearly, she was not using the old, battered brooms provided by Madam Hooch.

Soon, everyone was staring blankly up at the sky as Wentworth and Cassandra flew back and forth above their heads, as if locked in a head-to-head confrontation.

Up in the air, Cassandra seemed to be competing with Wentworth, following him wherever he went. Every time Wentworth tried to shake her off, it wouldn't take long for Cassandra to catch up again.

But since Wentworth possessed the soul of an adult, he really didn't want to get tangled up with Cassandra.

Consequently, Wentworth simply turned around, intending to head in the opposite direction.

Cassandra, however, did not seem willing to let him off so easily. She banked in a semicircle mid-air, appearing to cut him off.

Soon, the Slytherin and Hufflepuff first-years below let out a series of gasps, as the two in the air seemed to be heading toward an intersection point just ahead. At their current speed, they were bound to collide.

The two in the air quickly realized the problem as well, and Cassandra shouted loudly:

"Wentworth! Move aside, you!"

"Not a chance!"

Having already made one evasive maneuver, Wentworth was not about to yield this time.

Seeing the distance between them closing rapidly, Cassandra couldn't help but feel a bit nervous as she shouted again:

"Wentworth, I'm a girl, you know!"

Hearing this, Wentworth's heart softened for a moment, but he still didn't intend to give way. He pushed his broomstick hard, trying to accelerate and shift his position to avoid her.

Unfortunately, the broomstick beneath him couldn't support his intentions. No matter how much magic he poured into it, the broomstick maintained a constant speed; clearly, this was its limit.

By the time Wentworth realized it, Cassandra's terrified face was right in front of him. There was no avoiding it!

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, many of the first-years below instinctively covered their eyes with their hands. When they opened them again, they saw Wentworth and Cassandra both falling from the sky.

Immediately, everyone let out a cry of alarm!

But just as Wentworth and Cassandra were about to hit the ground hard, a spell was cast from not far behind the crowd.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

In an instant, the figures of Wentworth and Cassandra stopped just inches above the grass, suspended in mid-air.

The many first-years turned to look and saw Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, standing nearby with his wand in hand. Seeing Dumbledore arrive, the students finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Madam Hooch hurried over as well, and after checking on Wentworth and Cassandra to ensure they were unharmed, everyone finally relaxed.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, what brings you here?"

Madam Hooch walked over to Dumbledore and asked curiously.

Dumbledore looked toward Cassandra and Wentworth, his gaze lingering on Wentworth for a few seconds before shifting to Cassandra as he spoke:

"It is like this: I believe I have some matters that I need to discuss with Cassandra."

Hearing Dumbledore call her name, Cassandra was taken aback. Though she didn't know what was happening, she hurried over to Dumbledore's side, and then, to everyone's surprise, Dumbledore led her straight away from the Quidditch Pitch.

This sudden turn of events left everyone present looking at each other in confusion, and as Wentworth watched Dumbledore walk away with Cassandra, he couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding.

Cassandra herself was full of bewilderment; she tried to speak several times but held back, allowing Dumbledore to lead her back to the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts.

Once they reached his office, Dumbledore waved his hand, and a plate of toffees appeared on the desk.

"Cassandra, would you like to try one of my special toffees first? They are custom-made by the Hogwarts house-elves to suit my taste."

Dumbledore looked at Cassandra kindly as he asked.

But Cassandra shook her head slowly, took a deep breath, and asked:

"Headmaster, has something happened?"

Hearing her ask this, Dumbledore remained silent for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Is it... is it something bad?"

Seeing Dumbledore's expression, an ominous feeling suddenly welled up in Cassandra's heart, but she suppressed her anxiety and continued to ask.

This time, Dumbledore remained silent for even longer.

As the silence stretched, Cassandra's heart gradually sank. Especially when she saw Dumbledore finally give a slow nod, she felt a wave of dizziness. She instinctively reached out to steady herself against the desk, knocking over the toffees in the process, barely managing to keep from falling.

"Cassandra, are you alright? Have you not fully recovered from your duel? Shall we go see Madam Pomfrey first?"

But Cassandra waved her hand, stood up straight, and stared fixedly into Dumbledore's eyes, saying slowly:

"Headmaster, tell me what happened. It's alright—I'm not the kind of girl who just cries when things go wrong!"