"Is... is he dead?" a girl whispered in terror.
The Ravenclaws who had witnessed the scene firsthand were suddenly filled with immense dread regarding flying lessons, especially Michael, who had been talking non-stop earlier.
He looked at the figure lying in the grass, his face pale, his voice trembling: "Was... was it my fault?"
Wade patted his shoulder, comforting him, "It shouldn't be too bad—he didn't land on his head."
Michael's throat worked, but he couldn't speak.
Fortunately, Madam Hooch immediately ran over to check, and soon helped Neville up from the grass. Thank goodness, the boy's wrist just looked a bit odd. Madam Hooch supported him as they walked towards the Hospital Wing, loudly warning the other students not to move.
"Ve-Wade..." Michael pleaded, "Let's go check on Neville."
Wade glanced at the other students standing dumbfounded on the lawn, nodded, and the two quickly ran through the corridor towards the Hospital Wing.
"—Flying lesson, is it?" Through the door, they heard Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, say in a familiar tone, "Every year at this time, some first-year always manages to have an accident. I can't even remember a year that passed peacefully—"
Wade gently pushed the door open, and Michael squeezed his head in first.
Neville was sitting on a bed in the Hospital Wing, sobbing. Madam Pomfrey was holding his arm, gently waving her wand to examine it, and feather-like light scattered from the wand's tip.
"Then I'll leave this student to you," Madam Hooch said urgently. "There are still over twenty students and unsupervised brooms on the lawn! Oh, if only there were more time, I'd ask Mr. Filch to keep an eye on them!"
Madam Pomfrey said, "Alright, I'll—"
Madam Hooch was clearly impatient. Hearing only "Alright," she turned abruptly to leave, and the sudden opening of the door made Michael stumble inside.
Seeing the two students, Madam Hooch's hawk-like eyes immediately flared, as if she were about to start scolding. But then she noticed their blue and bronze ties, and her anger subsided.
Since they weren't students who had sneaked away from her class, Madam Hooch didn't have time for them and left with a rush.
"—take care of this child." Madam Pomfrey's unfinished sentence sounded like she was talking to herself. She gently comforted the sniffling Neville, "Don't worry, it's just a small matter, we'll fix it right away. I promise you won't miss dinner tonight."
Madam Pomfrey waved her wand, and a potion bottle flew down from a shelf. She made Neville drink it, then pointed her wand at his arm and quietly murmured a spell.
In what seemed like a blink of an eye, the boy's broken wrist was reset. From his expression, Neville didn't even seem to feel much pain.
Wade watched in amazement.
"And you two, children?" Madam Pomfrey turned to the two at the door and asked, "Injured? Sick? Or a tummy ache?"
Michael's lips trembled, but he said nothing.
Wade had to speak up, "Madam Pomfrey, we came to see Neville."
"Oh, visiting a friend!" Madam Pomfrey seemed pleased. "Mr. Longbottom just needs a bit more rest. Once his bone is fully healed, he can go back with you."
"Thank you, Madam," Wade said, and Neville echoed his thanks.
After Madam Pomfrey left, Wade asked, "How are you, Neville? Does your wrist still hurt?"
"Not much anymore," Neville shook his head, lifting his robe to show that the scrapes on his leg were also healing quickly. "See, this is almost better too. Madam Pomfrey's healing magic is really powerful. St. Mungo's is probably just like this."
"St. Mungo's?"
"The largest wizarding hospital in Britain, the best healers are there," Neville said.
Michael shuffled over and whispered, "Neville."
The boy looked up at him.
Michael lowered his head in shame: "I'm sorry, I lied. I've actually never ridden a broomstick before—the tricks I told you about, I heard them on the radio. I—I actually don't have any experience myself—"
Neville blinked.
"I know!" he said.
"Eh?" Michael's eyes widened in surprise.
Neville explained, "Hermione said that if you used to ride a broom often, you wouldn't be this excited about flying lessons."
Michael's face instantly turned red. Had his frivolous bluster been seen through by everyone?
"But Hermione also said—" Neville continued, "Everything you said was right—it's written that way in books too. But flying isn't a skill you can master just by knowing the theory, right?"
For some reason, Michael suddenly felt like crying.
Wade smiled as he watched the scene unfold.
Originally, when he looked at these classmates, he felt a bit like he was "babysitting." But at this moment, Wade felt... perhaps they could truly become good friends.
Although Madam Pomfrey easily healed Neville's wrist, waiting for the bone to fully mend still took quite some time. Out of guilt, Michael didn't want to leave Neville alone in the Hospital Wing and insisted on waiting until he was fully recovered before going to dinner together. On their way, the stairs changed direction again, causing them to walk twice the usual distance to return to the Great Hall.
All in all, by the time they returned, the last dessert on the long tables had disappeared.
"Ah, blast it," Michael said, his face falling. "I should have some candy in my dorm—"
"Hey, Michael, Neville, Wade." Theo and Ryan walked over. The two had been friends since childhood and were practically inseparable at school, like conjoined twins.
"We heard Neville had a bit of an accident in flying class," Theo said, looking at Neville with concern. "Are you alright?"
"Broke my wrist—" Neville held up his arm to show him, "—but Madam Pomfrey healed it right away."
"That's great," Theo said happily, examining his arm.
"Did you have dinner?" Ryan asked. "We didn't see you two earlier."
"No!" Michael looked pitifully at the two, asking expectantly, "Did you two save us some bread or something?"
"No—but something better!" Theo pulled Michael out of the Great Hall. "Come with us!"
"Where are we going?" Neville asked, bewildered.
"You'll see soon enough! This is a secret only Hufflepuff students know! A senior told us the day before yesterday," Theo said excitedly.
"I bet nothing can stay secret from the Weasley twins," Michael told Wade, who nodded in agreement.
They passed through a door and descended a stone staircase, arriving at a wide stone corridor. Torches on the walls illuminated the corridor brightly. The walls, like other parts of the castle, had many decorative paintings, but these rarely featured people; they were all various kinds of food.
Theo stopped in front of a large painting of fruit, reached out, and gently tickled the pear in the painting.