"Mr. Green, time is precious. Stop wasting it. You two, pick up your broomsticks and join the rest of us for the lesson," Madam Hooch said, shaking her head helplessly at Jerry and Neville.
Jerry scratched his head, embarrassed. Ever since he had started learning magic, he had excelled in every class. He had never run into a problem like this.
He began to wonder if he had picked up the wrong broomstick. Perhaps it was an ordinary broom, not a magical one.
Madam Hooch lifted the whistle hanging around her neck and addressed the students, who were all ready. "Listen for my whistle. When I blow it, push off hard with your legs to leave the ground. Make sure you have a firm grip on your broomstick, rise slowly, and then let—"
Before Madam Hooch could finish, Neville, too nervous to wait, pushed hard off the ground. His broomstick shot high into the air, climbing faster and faster toward the clouds.
"Come back, child!" Madam Hooch shouted in alarm. But the broomstick kept rising. Neville stared down at the ground falling rapidly away from him, his face pale and his mouth open as he gasped for breath. Then he slipped off the broomstick.
"Arresto Momentum!"
At the critical moment, Jerry drew his wand and saved Neville's life.
Madam Hooch had been badly frightened too. She hurried over and examined Neville. Nothing was broken; he had merely fainted from the shock.
After letting out a long breath, Madam Hooch said to Jerry, "Well done, Mr. Green! Five points to Slytherin!"
The Slytherin students cheered. They did not necessarily like Jerry, but they certainly liked seeing their house earn points.
Hearing the cheers, the Gryffindor students refrained from making snide remarks for once. After all, Jerry had saved someone from their own house.
"I'm taking this child to the Hospital Wing at once. None of you are to do anything on your own! Put all the broomsticks back where they belong. If I come back and find anyone still holding one, they can forget about ever setting foot in Hogwarts again."
With that, Madam Hooch carried Neville off to the Hospital Wing.
Once she was out of sight, Malfoy burst out laughing. "Did you all see what he looked like? That idiot?"
The Slytherin students beside him joined in the mockery.
The brief easing of tension between the two houses vanished. Students on both sides began trading insults again.
Jerry had no desire to get involved. He took Hermione's hand and led her to a patch of grass nearby, where they sat down. Seeing Jerry leave the crowd, the Slytherin students grew bolder and mocked the others with even more enthusiasm.
Hermione watched the insults grow sharper. Parvati Patil and Pansy were so close they were practically spitting in each other's faces. "Jerry, do you think they'll start fighting?" she asked worriedly.
"Don't worry. These two houses have been arguing for years, and they've never come to blows. At most, they ambush each other when no one's looking."
"But I'm still worried. What if they do fight? Could Harry and Parvati get expelled?"
Jerry said, "That lot from Slytherin would insult a dog on the side of the road. If arguments really turned into fights, they'd have been beaten to death long ago."
Malfoy snatched Neville's Remembrall and quickly mounted a broomstick, rising off the ground. To get it back, Harry prepared to jump on a broomstick and chase him.
Hermione could no longer sit by. She rushed forward and warned Harry sternly.
Jerry wanted nothing to do with it. He let them carry on; nothing too serious could happen at Hogwarts anyway. Remaining where he was, he picked up a book of spells and began reading intently.
"Jerry, Professor McGonagall took Harry away! Do you think he'll be expelled?" Hermione asked anxiously as she ran over to him.
"Don't worry. Unless Dumbledore jumps off the Astronomy Tower and falls to his death, Harry will be fine."
"What? You're going to be Gryffindor's Seeker?" Ron said, stunned.
At dinner, Harry told them why Professor McGonagall had taken him away.
After hearing the news, Ron suddenly found the pie in his hand much less appetizing.
Jerry paid no attention to their conversation. Instead, he used the dinner hour to find the Weasley Twins.
"Hey, George, Fred. Good evening. I need to ask you something!" Jerry knew the brothers had the Marauder's Map and wanted to borrow it.
Seeing Jerry hesitate, the twins exchanged a glance and immediately understood. Grinning, they led him beneath a staircase around the corner.
George raised his eyebrows at Jerry. "What do you need us for? Are you after some prank supplies, or do you need our help pulling a prank?"
"Do you have anything that would let me wander around at night without Filch catching me?"
The brothers gave a cheer, then flanked Jerry and escorted him out into the corridor.
Once outside, they said in unison, "Jerry, we had you all wrong. We always thought you were a good kid who followed the School Rules. But well done! You came to the right brothers."
Then one of them—Jerry could not tell whether it was George or Fred—pulled a square of folded, badly worn parchment from his pocket.
Pretending not to recognize the Marauder's Map, Jerry asked, "What's that?"
The brothers answered proudly, "The secret to our success!"
"We found it in Filch's office in our first year." George drew his wand, pointed it at the map, and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
In an instant, fine lines of ink flowed from the tip of George's wand, weaving across the parchment like a spiderweb until they filled every corner. At last, the map's name and its makers appeared.
It was a detailed map of Hogwarts Castle and the surrounding grounds, but its most remarkable feature was that it showed everyone's location in real time.
Jerry exclaimed, "That's amazing! George, Fred, you have to let me borrow the Marauder's Map."
"Of course," George said. "You can have it now. Just remember to give it back when you're done. There are still plenty of places at Hogwarts we haven't explored. Once we've seen them all, we'll give you the map."
"And remember, Jerry," Fred said, "when you're done, tap the map with your wand and say 'Mischief Managed.' The markings will disappear. Good luck tonight!"
Jerry put the map away and nodded to show he understood. Then he said goodbye to the brothers, returned to the long table, and resumed his dinner.