The figure appeared in a new place, straddling a Flying Broomstick with tangled bristles.
A muddled female voice spoke. "I'll blow my whistle in a moment, and then you push off with both feet. Push hard..."
Neville could tell that he knew this muddled female voice very well... It was Madam Hooch, who taught Flying Class.
"Three... two... one..." Madam Hooch had only just finished counting and had yet to blow her whistle when the figure pushed off with both feet and shot straight into the sky.
Having rushed into the air so recklessly, the figure was naturally met with a rather dangerous fall.
The Flying Broomstick flew off into the distance while the figure himself plummeted to the ground, even breaking his wrist.
"I really want to drop out..." The figure clutched his wrist and limped toward Neville, sobbing softly. "I'm useless..."
Watching the staggering figure approach him, Neville began to doubt himself;
He could no longer be sure whether he had truly thought that way.
The Fat Lady's voice was equally muddled. "Wrong password. That was the password from days ago!"
"Fat Lady, please let me in!" the figure said tearfully. "I just happened to forget the password."
"Really?" The Fat Lady's tone was full of suspicion. "I have to ensure the safety of the other students too. No password means no entry!"
The figure drew closer to Neville. He leaned against the wall with his arms wrapped around himself, his crying gradually weakening.
Looking at the curled-up figure, Neville wanted to step forward, yet instinctively felt that he should not.
The figure's voice emerged. "Harry, I wanted to warn you—Malfoy said you have a dragon, so he's coming to catch you..."
"Why were you at the Astronomy Tower at one o'clock in the morning?" This