At five in the afternoon, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students walked together to the Quidditch Pitch, where flying lessons were held. From there, they could see Hagrid's hut and the Forbidden Forest in the distance, sometimes hearing strange sounds emanating from that direction.
Unlike the adventurous Gryffindors and the trouble-making Slytherins, Ravenclaws were adept at self-preservation, generally only testing boundaries within the rules. Hufflepuff students were typically well-behaved and wouldn't willingly break rules. Most students from these two houses would never step foot into the Forbidden Forest until they graduated in their seventh year.
About twenty broomsticks were neatly arranged on the ground, and Madam Hooch was already waiting there. Her hawk-like eyes scanned the students with a vigilant and scrutinizing gaze, and she said sternly, "I presume you've heard about yesterday's accident! Gryffindor's Mr. Longbottom was lucky to have only broken his wrist, but if you act recklessly, it wouldn't be surprising if someone broke their neck! You'd best remember that!"
The young eagles and badgers timidly nodded in agreement.
"Alright! Now, everyone stand beside a broomstick!"
Under Madam Hooch's watchful eye, everyone moved quickly, without pushing or shoving. However, the school's broomsticks were of unknown age and all quite dilapidated, with branches sticking out haphazardly and rough, uneven oak handles that would feel prickly even for sweeping.
Yet, they were supposed to fly on these things.
Wade suddenly felt that flying on a broomstick might not be very friendly to one's tailbone.
He heard Michael mutter under his breath, "Shooting Star—the cheapest broom..."
Wade glanced over; Michael's broom was even more tattered than his, looking as if it were made entirely of weeds.
Madam Hooch called out loudly, "Extend your right hand, place it above the broomstick handle, and say—'Up!'"
"Up!" the students shouted in unison.
Wade's broom rolled twice on the ground before leaping into his hand. He gripped it, feeling that he didn't need to exert much force, as the broom floated in the air on its own.
He turned to look at the others. Some succeeded immediately, while others—like Michael—had their brooms bouncing on the ground like beached fish, taking a long time to reach their hands.
Once all the students had gripped their brooms, Madam Hooch then taught them how to sit on a broom without falling off, and strictly corrected some students' incorrect postures.
Wade had initially thought this would be simple, remembering how Harry Potter in the movies always casually swung a leg over and flew off. But actually getting on and trying it, he realized it wasn't that easy. After all, the broomstick handle was just a thin wooden stick, and maintaining balance while sitting on it required some skill.
Fortunately, the pressure on certain delicate bones wasn't as great as he'd imagined; some charm had been placed on the brooms, making it feel like sitting on a chair. It wasn't entirely comfortable, but not unbearable either.
Only when everyone's posture met Madam Hooch's satisfaction did she allow the students to proceed to the next step—flying.
"On my whistle, you will kick off hard from the ground," Madam Hooch said. "Grip your broom tightly, but don't lift too high, unless you want to fly into the clouds! Just a little lift, gently rising a few feet, then slowly glide forward, and finally, gently descend back to the ground."
Madam Hooch repeated "slowly" three times, then said, "Listen for my whistle—three, two, one!"
The whistle blew, and the students immediately stratified—some flew too high, while others plunged towards the ground. Two students lost their balance and tumbled off their brooms with a thump.
Madam Hooch frowned, waving her wand just in time, so luckily no one was injured.
Then came another shriek—a Ravenclaw girl on her broomstick shot rapidly towards the broom shed!
"Impedimenta!" Madam Hooch yelled.
The girl hung in the air for a moment, then, though she still crashed into the wall, the force had been greatly reduced. However, her broom was shattered.
Madam Hooch didn't scold her; instead, she used an Accio charm to summon another old broom, telling the girl to continue practicing.
Wade circled higher on his broom, then tried to gradually increase his speed. Only five or six students like him were able to steadily control their brooms. Most were ordered by Madam Hooch not to fly higher than the broom shed.
Even so, accidents continued.
For example, two students' brooms wobbled, then collided uncontrollably in mid-air. Another Hufflepuff boy flew well at a low altitude, but as soon as he ascended less than five meters, he closed his eyes and fell off his broom—the poor student had acrophobia.
The first flying lesson could be described as sheer chaos. Madam Hooch was like an octopus, "putting out fires" in all directions, her wand swishing constantly, rescuing students from various situations that could have resulted in broken necks. She herself was even bumped by a reckless student, which infuriated her, turning her face ashen and costing Hufflepuff a full five points!
Wade finally understood why Madam Hooch always looked grim and angry. Any experienced driver teaching a beginner would probably react like Madam Hooch when seeing the beginner constantly making elementary, foolish mistakes.
Finally, flying class ended, and students flocked to the Hospital Wing to see Madam Pomfrey for various scrapes, sprains, and falls. Wade and Michael, however, were perfectly fine. They walked together back to the Great Hall for dinner.
"Wade!"
Hermione, who was eating, saw them and immediately waved. Wade noticed she was sitting alone at one end of the long table, so he simply walked over and sat at the Gryffindor table.
Hermione scanned them from head to toe and asked, "Flying lesson not go well?"
"Too tiring," Michael said, sounding exhausted. He felt he needed a lot of energy, so after taking two pieces of buttered bread, he added a roasted chicken leg to his plate.
Wade first poured a glass of juice and drank it down, then said, "Everyone was flying for the first time, very rusty. Over half of them got minor injuries, and some even fainted."
Hermione nodded. "I must say, I'm not surprised at all. Flying in the air without any protective measures, injuries are only natural!"
She clearly didn't like riding brooms or Quidditch at all.
"This is a skill that requires diligent training to master! A skilled Quidditch player can fly more agilely than birds."
After one flying lesson, Michael finally recovered his vitality. But Wade remembered that during the class, he had mostly stayed at low altitude; if he flew even slightly higher, the broom—or perhaps Michael on the broom—would start trembling.
He was a typical case of being bad at something but loving to play it.
But Michael convinced him with just one sentence.
"Think about it, Wade," Michael said in an enticing tone, "We can fly directly to our dorms on brooms; we won't have to climb the stairs anymore! I've seen Quidditch team students do it all the time!"
New stories are on their way! Once they arrive, expect two chapters from each story, daily. Keep an eye out!