The lesson continued. After emphasizing a few basic points once more, Madam Hooch began guiding the young witches and wizards slowly into the air.
Harry and Ron both looked perfectly at ease, especially Harry.
This came as quite a surprise to Harry. Earlier, when Neville had fallen from the sky, Harry had been startled too, and a little frightened. Yet once he actually mounted his broom and took to the air, he felt unexpectedly calm.
It was as though he had already mastered this skill, but had forgotten it after going too long without using it. Now that he had picked it up again, it quickly became second nature.
The battered broom felt like an extension of Harry's body, changing direction freely at his will.
Ron was much the same. Although he seemed a little stiff at first, he soon became light and nimble, steering his broom up and down. He wasn't quite as smooth as Harry, but he was certainly at ease.
Naturally, where some did well, others did poorly.
In fact, the only ones whose performance could be called good were the five who had made their brooms jump up at the very beginning, especially Harry.
Harry had already firmly surpassed Draco. He was as light and graceful as a butterfly, and had even begun attempting some difficult maneuvers.
Ron was a little worse than Harry, but he was already approaching Draco's level. He flew freely through the air, and even seemed more relaxed, perhaps because he hadn't developed some of Draco's ingrained bad habits.
Draco and the three Slytherin students were at roughly the same level. They had clearly all ridden flying broomsticks before. Draco was a little better and the other three a little worse, but all of them could fly comfortably.
As for the other students, they could barely get airborne. Few could even make their brooms accelerate or turn nimbly.
"Mr. Potter, what remarkable talent!" When the students returned to the ground for a short rest, Madam Hooch looked at Harry approvingly.
"Though I already had high hopes for you-after all, your father was an excellent Chaser-even so, your performance has far exceeded my expectations."
"My dad was a Chaser?" Harry had already learned a little about Quidditch, so naturally he knew what a Chaser was. The earlier tryouts had selected a rather talented second-year Chaser, Katie Bell, who was now a full member of the Gryffindor House Team.
"Yes. He was quite the star back then, captain of the Quidditch House Team," Madam Hooch said nostalgically.
"He led Gryffindor to more than one Quidditch House Cup victory. He could have joined a Professional Club, but, alas, those troubled times..."
At this point, Madam Hooch's voice grew subdued. Before the students could become downcast too, however, she brightened again.
"Why don't we try an experiment, Potter?"
"An experiment?" Harry was puzzled, unsure what the professor wanted to do.
"Yes, an experiment." Madam Hooch nodded, then addressed the other students, mainly those from Slytherin.
"After you've rested, you may practice freely, but don't fly more than ten meters above the ground, and don't go near the Castle."
The students answered in a disorderly chorus-they were clearly rather curious about the experiment Madam Hooch wanted to conduct with Harry. Madam Hooch didn't mind, and turned back to him. "Well? Would you like to give it a try?"
"Y-yes, all right." Harry was a little nervous, but felt a faint stir of anticipation too. "What sort of experiment?"
"This!" Madam Hooch reached into her pocket and produced a tennis ball. "I'll throw this, and you try to catch it or grab it-on your broom, of course. How does that sound?"
Harry immediately thought it sounded fun. He wasn't the only one; the other students, including those from Slytherin, thought so too.
Once Harry agreed, Madam Hooch waited for him to mount his broom, then gently tossed the tennis ball in her hand.
With a whoosh, Harry shot off like the wind and caught the tennis ball easily.
"Wow!" A chorus of amazed cheers rose.
"Tch. I could do that too." Draco curled his lip.
"Exactly. So could I. What's so impressive about that?" Pansy Parkinson curled her lip too, her expression identical to Draco's.
The fair-skinned, good-looking boy and girl stood side by side, making the same gesture with the same expression. It was quite an amusing sight.
Blaise Zabini glanced at the two of them. His lips moved, but no sound came out. Anyone who could read lips, however, would have recognized the word: Idiots.
"Excellent, Potter. Now, the next one will be a little harder." Madam Hooch was very pleased. She threw the tennis ball again, much harder this time, sending it flying far faster.
Harry still caught it with ease.
Madam Hooch grew even happier. After that, she began using magic to accelerate the tennis ball. But when she had brought it up to roughly a hundred and twenty kilometers per hour and sent it darting erratically through the air, Harry still caught it easily, leaving Madam Hooch astonished.
The young witches and wizards were even more amazed. Ron, Dean, and Seamus had their mouths open wide enough to fit their own fists inside, while several of the girls, including those from Slytherin, watched with shining eyes.
Even Draco and Pansy, who had been making snide remarks all along, fell silent now.
A hundred and twenty kilometers per hour was, in fact, about the Golden Snitch's usual speed.
Before you continue