I Never Said I Was Helping You!

"I-I can't stop!"

The scream reached the grass, and everyone stopped what they were doing.

Neville was still rising. His feet had already slipped out of position, and his body tilted on the broom. The harder he tried to sit steady, the more violently the wooden handle shook.

"Hold tight, Longbottom!"

Madam Hooch had already drawn her wand.

The broom's upward rush slowed for a moment, but Neville hastily shifted the other way.

The wooden handle lurched sideways, and it began gliding toward the castle.

Harry tightened his grip on his broom, swung a leg over it, and kicked off.

The grass quickly fell farther away. This time, he did not even have time to look down.

"Neville, don't move yet! I'm coming to help!"

The words had barely left his mouth when the corner of a black robe swept past beside him. Malfoy had already caught up.

She glanced in his direction, her voice suddenly taut.

"You idiot, Potter, don't chase him from behind!"

Harry's movements faltered slightly.

"He could fall backward at any moment. Do you want the two brooms to crash into each other? Go around to the left!"

The girl had already turned before she finished speaking.

Her long platinum hair streamed behind her in the wind. Her broom approached Neville on a diagonal, gradually slowing as she drew closer.

Harry hurried to adjust. The wooden handle veered left, farther than he had intended.

[Excessive turn angle. Reducing tilt recommended.]

He steadied himself and relaxed his wrists a little.

The grass before him was still moving, and the wind made his glasses slide down slightly. Harry had no time to push them up. He simply watched the wobbling broom ahead.

"Longbottom, look at me!"

Malfoy had already reached Neville's right side.

"You cowardly fool! Stop shrinking backward!"

Neville's face was deathly pale, but his eyes finally moved away from the ground beneath his feet and turned toward her.

"I-I..."

"Pull your legs back in. Don't stick them out!" The girl's voice was clear.

Neville tried to do as she said, but the broom wobbled again. One of his hands slipped to the edge of the handle.

Harry's heart clenched.

He was already very close. He quickly lowered his broom a little, approaching Neville from below and to one side.

"You idiot, Potter, slow down!"

Malfoy glanced at him.

Harry slowed. The next instant, Neville's shoulder suddenly tipped sideways.

The hand that had already slipped to the edge lost its grip entirely.

Harry immediately reached out and caught Neville's arm.

The broom dipped sharply. Harry's body was dragged sideways too, and his fingers immediately tightened around the wooden handle.

"Don't pull him toward you!"

Malfoy had already reached out and grabbed the front of Neville's broom.

"Just support him!"

Harry gritted his teeth and steadied his own broom without pulling any farther.

Neville finally touched the wooden handle again. He hurriedly clung to it, though his body was still shaking.

"Good." Harry tried to keep his voice steady. "Just like that. Don't let go."

Madam Hooch's voice came from below.

"Hold steady. I'll bring him down!"

The broom, which had still been wobbling, was finally steadied by a force.

Harry felt the weight Neville placed on his hand gradually lessen.

The ground began drawing closer.

Malfoy did not let go immediately. She kept hold of the wooden handle, descending little by little alongside it.

Only when Neville's soles touched the grass did she withdraw her hand.

Harry hurriedly landed too. Only when his feet were firmly on the ground did he realize that he had kept his shoulders tensed the whole time.

Neville slid off his broom and sat down on the grass.

The broom that had just carried him wildly around the sky lay quietly beside him.

It looked as though it had done nothing at all.

Madam Hooch strode over.

"Longbottom, look at me!"

Neville raised his head, his lips still trembling.

She checked his condition, then looked at the right hand he had kept tucked against his body.

"What happened to your wrist?"

"Just now... I think I twisted it." Neville tried moving it and immediately screwed up his face.

Madam Hooch's expression grew serious.

"Let's get it checked at the Hospital Wing first."

Ron and Hermione had already run over.

"Neville, are you all right?" Hermione crouched down, speaking considerably faster than usual.

Neville nodded, then looked at Harry. "Thank you... Harry."

"Don't move that hand yet." Harry helped move his broom aside, then glanced to the side. "Malfoy helped a lot just now too."

Neville hurriedly turned his head.

"Thank you... Miss Malfoy."

The girl held her broom, her already raised chin pausing slightly.

The nearby students turned to look as well.

Her fingers shifted lightly on the wooden handle.

"As long as you know." Her voice was a little quieter than before.

Madam Hooch looked at the two of them.

"You judged your position very well, Malfoy. Potter, you caught him just in time too."

Ron's eyes immediately lit up.

But before Harry could breathe a sigh of relief, the professor continued:

"But you must also remember that approaching an out-of-control broom is dangerous too. Especially you, Potter. Today was your very first time flying."

"Understood, Professor." Harry nodded obediently.

When he had caught Neville just now, he really had nearly been pulled off balance himself.

Malfoy nodded too.

Madam Hooch helped Neville up and turned back to the other students.

"I'm taking Longbottom to the Hospital Wing. Everyone stay on the grass. No one is to take off again before I return."

Her gaze swept across the faces of the two rows of students.

"Is that clear?"

Several replies sounded one after another.

Only then did Madam Hooch lead Neville toward the castle.

Hermione kept watching their retreating figures. Only once Neville could walk slowly on his own did she relax a little.

Ron turned to stare at Harry. "Harry! You actually caught him!"

"He happened to fall this way."

"But today was your first time riding a broom! You're a genius!"

Harry lowered his head to look at his hand.

His palm still felt a little warm, and the panel unfolded before his eyes.

[Effective flying practice.]

[Flying: beginner (18/100).]

Those few turns, along with that moment of maintaining his balance, had made him much more familiar with controlling a broom.

Of course, familiarity was one thing.

Thinking back on it now, he still felt that having his feet on the grass was more reassuring.

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked.

"I'm fine." Harry flexed his fingers, then looked at the girl standing beside him.

Malfoy was looking down, straightening her robe sleeves.

Her cuffs had been rumpled by her movements just now. She smoothed them twice before finally pulling them straight again.

"Malfoy."

The girl raised her head.

"It was thanks to you just now." Harry's tone was earnest. "If I'd chased him straight from behind, I really might have crashed into him."

Malfoy's movements stopped.

She had originally thought Potter would smile and say that she had taught him something again.

But this time he was not smiling. Those green eyes looked at her, and he was clearly thanking her sincerely.

Holding her broom, the girl suddenly felt that the line she had prepared-"Get on your knees and thank me"-was a little difficult to follow up with.

"I never said I was helping you!" She raised her chin. "I just didn't want anyone landing themselves in the Hospital Wing during their very first Flying Class."

"Yes, good thing you warned me." Harry nodded.

Malfoy pressed her lips together.

This Potter.

Why was he suddenly being so agreeable?

Ron looked at him, then at Malfoy. In the end, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.

After all, she really had helped Neville just now.

On the other side, Goyle and Crabbe came over too.

Crabbe glanced at the young lady, then looked at Harry.

"Miss, you flew really fast just now."

Malfoy's chin immediately rose a little higher.

"Of course."

"And you worked really well with Potter."

The girl's gaze froze.

Goyle slowly turned his head to look at Crabbe.

You really could have stopped after the last sentence.

But Crabbe was still looking at Harry's broom. "Wasn't he still tilting sideways just a little while ago?"

Malfoy looked over too.

Indeed, when Potter had first taken off, he had still needed her reminders.

Yet just now, he had already been able to turn, catch up, and even reach out to support someone else.

Though his movements still could not be called graceful, they were already much better than before.

The girl tightened her grip on the wooden handle.

Wait.

If I keep teaching him like this, this Potter won't end up...

She immediately suppressed that thought.

Impossible. Flying and Potions were different.

He had only managed to land safely just now because I was beside him giving reminders!

At that thought, Malfoy looked back at Harry.

"Potter."

"Yes?"

"That didn't count."

Harry was slightly taken aback. "What didn't count?"

"The contest." The girl answered with great solemnity. "Saving someone isn't a competition, and you haven't truly seen my flying skills."

Harry looked at her, feeling rather helpless.

Wasn't it just a matter of winning or losing? Did she have to take it so seriously?

"So?"

Malfoy raised a hand and pointed at the marker ahead on the grass.

"We take off from here, go around over there, and come back here. Whoever returns first wins."

"The professor just said-"

"Did I say we were flying right now?"

The girl glared at him.

"We'll race after she comes back. Otherwise, when you lose, you'll say you were only following the professor's instructions and weren't even trying to win!"

Harry opened his mouth.

Great.

She had even worked out what he might say after he lost.

Ron was just about to speak when Harry looked toward the marker first.

He really did want another look at the turn Malfoy had made there just now.

"Just one lap?"

"Yes." The girl curled her lips slightly and folded her arms, sneering all the while. "Do you dare, Harry Potter?"

Looking at how she seemed all ready to win, Harry finally couldn't help laughing.

Oh, well. I'll let her win this once.

After all, this young lady really had helped him quite a bit when he had saved Neville just now.

Besides... seeing how badly she wanted to beat him, Harry really was a little curious.

What sort of expression would she make if she really won in a moment?

It should be pretty interesting.

"All right."

"We'll race when the professor gets back."