Sunday and Flying Class

Everyone spent a leisurely, relaxing day.

On Sunday, Su Yu lay bored out of his mind on a sofa in the Slytherin Common Room. Nine-Tailed Fox crouched on the table with a cup of coffee before her. Imitating Sister Fa and Sister Ka, she held the cup with both front paws and took tiny sips. But after every sip, she went "Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo," stuck out her tongue, and scrunched up her whole face.

"What is this garbage?" Nine-Tailed Fox pushed the cup away. "It's bitter and astringent. How can you humans drink this?"

Sister Fa sighed helplessly and got up to fetch a cup of hot milk. Nine-Tailed Fox lowered her head and took a sip. Her ears perked up. She took another sip, and the tip of her tail rose. Then she drained the whole cup in one gulp.

"This is okay," Nine-Tailed Fox said, licking her lips and pushing the empty cup toward Sister Fa. "Another."

Daphne sat beside Su Yu reading. She liked this feeling of being around him. There was no need to talk or do anything, just sit quietly, turn a few pages, and occasionally look up at him. Su Yu breathed softly, his eyelashes trembling faintly. It was impossible to tell whether he was truly asleep or merely resting with his eyes closed.

After quite a while, Su Yu turned over and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Daphne put down her book.

"Uncomfortable," Su Yu said.

He sat up and looked around the common room. The Slytherin Common Room was originally beneath the lake, with a low ceiling and perpetually damp stone walls. No matter how fiercely the fireplace burned, it could not drive away that cold, gloomy air. Several skulls sat in the corners, unknown bone specimens filled the alcoves, and candlelight swayed in the darkness, throwing shadows across the walls like a crowd of ghosts ready to come alive at any moment.

"It's too oppressive," Su Yu said. "I'm sick of this environment."

Nine-Tailed Fox jumped down from the table, crouched by his feet, and looked around as well. "It's not much," she said. "Barely better than the seal."

Su Yu stood. His voice was not loud, but the entire common room could hear him. "Sister Fa, Sister Ka. Gather everyone who's in the dorms!"

Sister Fa and Sister Ka exchanged a look. They did not know why Su Yu liked calling them that, but they still got up and went to summon people. Before long, everyone had gathered in the common room hall. Some had been dragged out of their afternoon naps, their hair a mess and their robes unfastened.

Su Yu stood before the fireplace and swept his gaze around.

"Who knows the Undetectable Extension Charm?"

Several upper-year students stepped forward. Su Yu told them his idea—expand the common room, raise the ceiling, and clear away those eyesore bone racks. Once they heard him out, the upper-years looked troubled.

"Chief," a sixth-year boy said, "we don't know a permanent Undetectable Extension Charm. And even if we did, we'd need approval from the school and the Ministry of Magic."

"Forget it, then," Su Yu said.

He walked to the center of the common room, crouched down, and pressed both hands against the floor.

Several younger students retreated a few steps. Sister Fa and Sister Ka did not move, merely folding their arms as they watched.

Su Yu closed his eyes. Chakra seeped from his palms into the stone floor and spread downward through the foundation. He sensed the underground structure—beneath the stone was soil, beneath the soil was rock, and beneath the rock was lake water. The entire Slytherin Common Room was like a shell embedded in the mountainside: low, damp, and airless.

Then he would dig it deeper.

"Earth Release."

His voice was soft. The ground was not.

The whole common room shuddered violently. The stone floor creaked as though something beneath the earth were turning over. Several students lost their footing and crashed into one another. Sparks flew from the fireplace, and the wall sconces clattered loudly.

Then the floor began to sink.

It was not collapsing—it was as if an invisible hand had pressed the entire floor downward. Cracks in the stone were filled by newly formed soil, while the bone specimens on the walls fell amid the shaking and shattered on the ground. The ceiling did not move, but the floor sank a full two meters, and the common room instantly became far more spacious.

Su Yu stood and dusted off his hands.

"There. Now just throw out those bones and the rubbish. We're nobles, not undead!"

He took a deep breath. The air was still damp, but no longer as suffocating as before. Firelight from the fireplace reached the walls now two meters higher, and the shadows no longer felt so oppressive. The lake water overhead still shone through the windows as before, but the angle had changed—now, the fish beyond swam lower.

Everyone was astonished. The upper-year students stood there with their mouths open for a long time.

Su Yu said nothing more. He waved them off and told everyone to disperse and get back to whatever they had been doing.

Daphne sat down again and opened her book, the corners of her mouth raised. Nine-Tailed Fox jumped onto the sofa, sprawled across Su Yu's lap, and rested her chin on his knee.

In the blink of an eye, it was Thursday of the second week.

Early that morning, Su Yu heard everyone talking about that day's Flying Class. Malfoy stood in the middle of the common room, one hand in his pocket while the other gestured animatedly, recounting the legendary tale of how, at the age of three, he had flown from the east tower of his manor to the west tower on a toy broomstick.

"—The wind was very strong then," Malfoy said. "At least force six. I made a sharp turn, and the broom's tail brushed the tower spire, but I held steady. My father watched from below and said—"

"Said you're really good at bragging?" Sister Fa passed by without even turning her head.

Malfoy choked, but quickly recovered his composure. "My father said I was the Malfoy Family's greatest flying prodigy in a century."

Sister Ka walked past him, glanced at him, and left without saying a word.

Still, Malfoy had stopped picking fights with Harry this past week. He felt his former self had been ridiculously childish—running after Potter every day, saying things like "My father will hear about this" and "I'm telling my father," like an unweaned child. But showing off was a trait every Slytherin had. It could not be changed.

It was not just Malfoy. The Slytherins had all changed.

Their arrogance made the other Houses despise them even more. In their eyes, everyone else was trash. Whenever they opened their mouths, it was, "I'm someone you could never aspire to reach. Get lost!" Whenever they shut them, it was, "Are you even worthy of entering my sight?"

The other three Houses were not without tempers, okay? A Ravenclaw prefect had gotten into an argument with Sister Fa in the corridor. Several Hufflepuff upper-years had once cornered Sister Ka. The Weasley twins of Gryffindor had even tried to secretly change the Slytherin Common Room sign to "Toilet." But every night, Su Yu taught them how to cast spells proficiently, fight, and use Dark Magic... As they steadily improved, they looked down even more on students from the other Houses. Every one of them carried an attitude that said, "Talking to you makes me sick."

Su Yu's opinion on the matter was: as long as they did not cause him trouble, they could do whatever they wanted.

Just before class, Malfoy and Harry started arguing again.

This time, though, it was not Malfoy's fault. A group of students stood on the castle steps waiting to head to the field when Harry said to Ron, "Thinking about Flying Class later, getting on a big broom in front of Malfoy makes me feel a little like an idiot."

Ron immediately chimed in, "I don't know whether you'll look like an idiot once you get on it, but as far as I know, Malfoy's always been proud of his Quidditch, and I'd bet he's bragging about himself again right now."

By coincidence, Malfoy, who was walking behind him, heard every word.

Malfoy's face flushed red, then turned pale, then reddened again. His lips moved, and his knuckles went white.

"You—" Malfoy's voice was low, but every word burned with fury. "Say that again if you dare."

"I'll say it if I want to." Ron lifted his chin. "Who's afraid of who?"

Harry stepped forward and stood beside Ron.

Malfoy sneered and slammed his broom against the ground. "A duel. Tonight. The Trophy Room."

"Fine," Harry said.

Ron added from the side, "Just don't chicken out when the time comes."

Luckily, Madam Hooch appeared in time. She strode over from the direction of the field, a whistle hanging around her neck and her brows tightly furrowed.

"What are you lot doing?" Her gaze swept from Malfoy to Harry, then from Harry to Ron. "Flying Class is about to begin. Get back into your lines!"

The few of them finally separated and returned to their respective groups. As Malfoy left, he turned and glared at Harry. Harry glared back. Ron made a face behind them.

Hermione stood on the other side of the line, and she was not in a very good mood either.

At noon, Hermione told Su Yu it was because practical work was not as easy as memorizing facts from books—and she had never flown before, either. So at breakfast on Thursday, Hermione had decided to teach her classmates the flying techniques she had learned from a book called Quidditch Through the Ages. But that decision had annoyed everyone to death, and she could feel it.

Su Yu had comforted her for quite a while, sat with her in the hall for a bit, and even had the kitchen elves make her a serving of macaroni and cheese. After Hermione finished eating, her mood improved considerably.

Madam Hooch stood on the field with her whistle in her mouth, hands on her hips, shouting, "Hey! What are you standing there like fools for? Everyone, get beside your broomsticks! Hurry, hurry up!"

The first-year students swarmed toward their class brooms. Su Yu strolled over to one and looked down—it appeared old, with uneven twigs and worn paint on the handle.

"Hold your right hands over your brooms," Madam Hooch said from the front of the line. Then she shouted, "Up!"

Madam Hooch demonstrated riding a broom for everyone again. She swung herself onto her broom, kicked off the ground, and rose steadily into the air. She circled over the field before landing, her movements crisp and efficient.

"Did you all see that clearly?" she said. "Once you get on, lean forward, grip the broom handle tightly, and clamp it between your legs—don't squeeze too hard, or the broom will feel uncomfortable. Do you think brooms can't feel anything?"

She had everyone practice the riding posture once, walking through the line herself and correcting their mistakes. When she reached Malfoy, she paused.

"Your posture is completely wrong," Madam Hooch said loudly. "Your back is too straight, and your body is too stiff. Do you think you're riding a dragon?"

Harry and Ron were delighted. Ron covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking. Harry did not laugh aloud, but the corners of his mouth were raised high.

Malfoy's face turned red again. He adjusted his posture, but no matter what he did, it still looked wrong.

Then Madam Hooch told everyone to try flying.

"Listen for my whistle," she said. "At the sound, push off gently and rise two feet above the ground. When I say stop, you stop. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

Su Yu set Nine-Tailed Fox down by Daphne's feet and mounted his broom. Nine-Tailed Fox crouched on the ground and looked up at him.

The moment she finished speaking, the whistle blew.

Neville shot into the air.

He was launched like a stone from a slingshot, shooting into the sky with a whoosh. His face was white as paper, his eyes wide, and both hands clutched the broom handle desperately. His whole body was pressed against the broom like a leaf blown away by the wind.

"Ah—ah—ah—" Neville's screams drifted down from high above, growing more distant.

Sand poured from Su Yu's sleeve and raced along the ground after him. But Neville's broom was too fast. The sand chased him for a distance, always falling just short.

Neville traced a huge arc through the sky, knocked over quite a few structures, and then began to fall.

The screaming grew even louder.

The sand finally caught up to him. When Neville was less than two meters from the ground, the sand spread beneath him and formed a thick cushion. Neville crashed into the sand pile, and the dust it kicked up blanketed the entire field.

When Madam Hooch ran over, her face was as white as Neville's. She bent down to examine his arms and legs. Neville lay on the ground with tears and snot smeared across his face, sobbing miserably.

"His arm is broken." Madam Hooch stood and turned to the rest of the students. "While I take this student to the hospital wing, no one is to attempt flying on their own. Anyone who moves without permission can get out! Understood?"

No one spoke.

"Come on, little one. Let's go." Madam Hooch carefully helped Neville to his feet and led him toward the castle.

The field was silent for several seconds.

Then Malfoy moved.

He mounted his broom, kicked off, and whooshed into the air. He did not fly high, but his posture was steady—steadier than Madam Hooch's earlier demonstration. He circled in the air, then stopped not far from Harry and looked down at him.

"Potter," Malfoy said, "we haven't settled things between us."

Harry looked up at him, one hand already gripping his broom handle.

"You want a match?" Harry said.

"Do you dare?"

Harry did not answer. He mounted his broom, kicked off, and flew up as well.

The two of them hovered face-to-face in midair, more than ten meters apart. Malfoy's broom did not move at all. Harry's broom trembled slightly before steadying, and then the two began an aerial chase.

Professor McGonagall had appeared at the edge of the field at some point. Her face was livid, her lips pressed into a thin line, and her eyes behind her glasses looked like two balls of fire.

"Potter! Malfoy!" Her voice was not loud, but it carried across the entire field. "Get down! Immediately! Now!"

When the two landed, their legs were trembling.

Professor McGonagall did not say a single word. She merely looked at Harry, then at Malfoy, before turning away.

"Harry, come with me," she said.

Harry followed her. Malfoy remained where he was, his face alternating between pale and red. Crabbe and Goyle came over, only for him to shove each of them away with a slap.

That evening during dinner, Hermione was still complaining to Su Yu.

"What did I do wrong?" Her eyes were red, and she had not touched the food before her. "Why is the whole class isolating me?"

Su Yu leaned back in his chair and listened.

Su Yu felt she had done nothing wrong either. She was merely a girl who cared about House points and wanted to share her thoughts. Though sometimes, admittedly, she did make people feel as though she was just showing off and talking their ears off. But she had never gone tattling, had she?

This time, Hermione was the one in Daphne's arms. Daphne held Hermione close, gently patting her back with one hand while wiping her tears with the other. Hermione lay against Daphne's shoulder, her body shaking as she cried quietly, unable to stop.

Nine-Tailed Fox lay on the table, her ears drooping and her tail curled into a ball. She looked at Hermione, then Su Yu, then Hermione again.

"So noisy," Nine-Tailed Fox said.

No one paid her any attention.

Nine-Tailed Fox buried her face in her paws and muttered again, "Those Gryffindor idiots. I really want to eat every last one of them. If it weren't for them, Hermione wouldn't have come here crying until my head hurts."

Daphne lowered her gaze at Nine-Tailed Fox and smiled gently, but said nothing. She continued patting Hermione's back, once, then again, slow and soft.

Su Yu reached out, took a piece of cheesecake, and placed it before Nine-Tailed Fox.

Nine-Tailed Fox lifted one eye from her paws, looked at the cake, then at Su Yu.

"Don't think one piece of cake will make me stop being angry," she said.

Then she ate the cake.