Flying Dream

"Oh, God, why did my dream of flying have to clash with those Slytherin guys?"

They looked at the flying lesson schedule posted on the wall.

The Gryffindor first-years would be having class together with the Slytherin first-years.

Both Ron Weasley and Harry had been eagerly anticipating flying lessons. Their desire for it was stronger than any other wish.

Ron especially. Otherwise, on the night they had determined what type of wizard he was, he would not have said, 'I like the feeling of flying freely.'

What made Ron, Harry, and Hermione Granger sigh was that Slytherin's Malfoy was always mocking them. It was utterly unbearable.

"This is love turning into hate, Harry!"

"That bastard Malfoy looks down on us so much, but he's utterly devoted to you. You rejected him for our sake, so now he's taking revenge on us."

Ron suddenly grabbed Harry by the clothes and spoke with a look of despair.

Harry was completely dumbfounded by Ron's words.

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

What kind of nonsense was love turning into hate?

Ron, what exactly was inside your head?

Hermione looked at Harry and Ron in disbelief. Her slender fingers gestured through the air, yet she could not force out a single word. She was so adorably flustered that Ron stared at her for a moment.

"Hey, red-haired Weasley, you seem pretty scared of me?"

"Haha, don't be so nervous. We'll take very good care of you during flying lessons."

"Oh, and I'll show you who the real flying expert is."

Malfoy happened to be passing by with his two large lackeys, Goyle and Crabbe. Hearing Ron's howl of despair, he stopped, turned to look at the three of them, and sneered contemptuously.

Ron's expression darkened at Malfoy's words, but he still replied stubbornly, "Hmph, I'll let you know that you're nothing but trash in front of me."

Malfoy merely gave a disdainful laugh at Ron's words, then looked at Harry and said, "Harry, I'll make you understand that your choice was wrong. Staying with them will only lower your status and taste."

After saying that, Malfoy left with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Crabbe, Goyle, make sure they learn their lesson in this afternoon's flying class. Make them understand that we Slytherins are the strongest."

Malfoy instructed Crabbe and Goyle.

Crabbe and Goyle nodded and grinned foolishly.

"This could be troublesome," Harry said helplessly as he watched them. "I just hope I won't embarrass myself too badly in this afternoon's flying lesson."

Harry had never ridden a flying broom, but he knew it would not be an easy class.

Ron watched Malfoy's retreating back, pouting as he muttered, "That guy really needs a beating. He's got such a big mouth, always bragging about how amazing he is at Quidditch. Believe me, if anyone embarrasses himself, he'll do worse than you."

Hearing Ron's words, Hermione could not help rolling her eyes. "You really know how to comfort people."

Harry smiled at that, then gathered himself again.

As for who would embarrass themselves in the afternoon flying lesson, that remained to be seen.

Malfoy bragged about his heroic deeds to his underlings almost every day. Even when they had class with Gryffindor, he would deliberately speak loudly enough for Harry and the others to hear, drawing envious looks from others and satisfying his little vanity.

For instance, he was always complaining that first-years were not eligible to join the Quidditch team.

He also often told thrilling stories with Malfoy naturally as the protagonist. Interestingly enough, he always ended them by narrowly escaping a Muggle helicopter.

It was a contest of speed and courage, meant to show off his skill and mastery in riding a flying broom.

Of course, no one believed Malfoy could actually do it.

Malfoy was not the only one who liked boasting. Seamus Finnigan and Ron did it too.

For example, Seamus was always saying that he had spent most of his childhood riding a flying broom over the wilderness, flying about in complete freedom and excitement.

That made many first-years who had never ridden a flying broom envy him terribly.

"Flying lessons are this afternoon. Do you have any tips?" Neville Longbottom asked nervously as he carried his food over and sat beside Ron.

Harry and Ron had not expected Neville to ask them such a question.

Ron looked Neville over, then rubbed Neville's stomach with his hand and said, "Neville, with a build like yours, are you sure a flying broom can even carry you into the sky?"

Neville gave an awkward smile at that.

"My family has a flying broom, but my grandmother has never let me go anywhere near it."

Neville tried hard to explain himself.

"Hey, Neville, I think you should just give it up. Your grandmother was absolutely right. You shouldn't have dreams of flying," Ron said with a teasing grin.

"But I want to give it a try!" Neville said seriously.

Ron looked into Neville's earnest eyes, then looked at Harry. Finally, both of them turned their gazes toward Hermione.

If there were any tips, Hermione should be the one to ask. She was a learned and talented girl.

Faced with the gazes of Harry and the others, Hermione cleared her throat and said, "Since you're all looking at me, I suppose I can reluctantly tell you a little."

In truth, Hermione was just as nervous as Neville.

This was not as simple as seeing something in a book and memorizing it carefully. It required trying it out on an actual flying broom.

Even so, Hermione began showing off the knowledge she had read in a book called Quidditch Through the Ages to Harry and the others.

Harry and Ron were left somewhat bewildered by what they heard. Ron especially. Although he occasionally liked to boast, he had actually ridden his brother Charlie's flying broom before. The process had not gone particularly well, and the result had been rather tragic.

So, listening to Hermione, Ron found it unbelievable. Hermione, you could actually talk this much?

Neville did not know what Ron was thinking.

Neville only knew that his first flying lesson was that afternoon, and that he would finally hold a flying broom and realize his dream of flying, so he listened with extreme care, afraid of missing even a single word.

This concerned whether he could get through his first flying lesson easily and avoid embarrassing himself in class. Otherwise, it would be far too damaging to his pride.

Just as Neville was listening with complete concentration and Hermione was speaking with great confidence, utterly absorbed in her explanation, a burst of commotion suddenly rose around them.

The wizards eating in the Great Hall all looked up at that moment.

A flock of owls flew in, followed by packages and envelopes raining down from above, caught by the wizards below.