Chapter - 11.1

Days passed by, and the aura around Alex was gloomier than ever. Even Daphne, who unexpectedly found easy access around Alex, could not do so this time. On top of that, there was hardly any interaction between the siblings.

But Alex was not the only one with a dark, invisible gloomy aura around him. Nicole had it worse. She could not concentrate on her studies and was growing paler and paler each day that passed. She hardly ever ate, and Alex never came across her in the Great Hall. The only time he saw Nicole was during a class.

Seeing his sister like that, there were times when Alex wanted to go and talk to her, but he held himself from doing so. The world was cruel, and she needed to understand that not everything would go according to her whims.

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Today Alex had a flying session, and unsurprisingly, it was with the Gryffindors. Unlike other classes, which were once, twice or even thrice a week, the flying class was held twice every month, whenever they could find a slot. At three-thirty in the afternoon, Alex, along with Daphne, followed the other first-year Slytherins onto the school grounds for their first flying lesson.

It was a clear, sunny day, and the grass rippled under their feet as the students marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat field. The grounds were just on the opposite side of the forbidden forest that they had been warned not to wander into in the night. As the wind blew past the trees in the forest, one could see them sway from the distance.

The Gryffindors were already present, and so were forty-odd broomsticks that lay neatly on the ground. Nicole and Hermione were standing side by side, with Hermione doing most of the talking while Nicole silently listened to her. Surprisingly, both Potter and Ron were also there. In the past two weeks, they were hardly able to achieve this feat.

As the Slytherins took their position around the lady with short, grey hair and steep-sharp eyebrows who was most likely their Professor for the class, Alex looked at Nicole, and their eyes met. But to Nicole's dismay, Alex looked away the next second, leaving her disheartened.

"Everybody here?" The lady turned to look at the Slytherins and asked. But she did not let anyone reply, "Even if someone is missing, I don't care. We will now start your first flying class. I am Professor Hooch, your teacher for this class." The Professor introduced herself, "You can call me Madam Hooch."

"Now, enough beating around the bush. Move, and everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, giddy up." The Professor barked her orders. And getting the go, soon the students were standing in two straight lines facing each other.

Alex looked down at the broom by his feet. It looked like an old broomstick from the closet with some of the twigs sticking out at odd angles. It was easily a hundred years old and might possibly shatter into pieces if held with a bit harder grip.

"Ready?" Madam Hooch looked at everyone and asked, "Now, stick out your hand over your broom and say, 'Up!'" Madam Hooch said as she demonstrated with a broomstick beside her. And as soon as she yelled the words, the broomstick came jumping into her palms.

"See, it's as easy as that," Madam Hooch made the broomstick stand beside her and gloated.

"UP!" Following Madam Hooch's successful demonstration, everyone else tried to follow suit.

And in one fell swoop, three broomsticks jumped up. It was Alex, Malfoy and Potter leading the bunch. Alex has heard Malfoy brag a lot about how good his skills with the broomstick were. He would gather a few Slytherins along with his two lackeys and narrate his adventures to them. Malfoy was usually in the limelight in these stories. Once, he climbed the tallest mountain peak on the earth, flying a broomstick his father got him for his tenth birthday. Or the other time, he came across a weird muggle machine with a fan attached on top of it and could fly. Obviously, he won the race. Alex had heard it all. In fact, Malfoy was the one most angry about the unspoken rule that first-years never get admitted to the Quidditch team.

As for Potter, Alex could not say. Maybe he was a natural as well, like Malfoy when it comes to Quidditch.

Nicole's broomstick didn't even budge an inch, and from the looks of it, she wasn't even trying.

On the other hand, Hermione's simply rolled over the ground, throwing tantrums.

Daphne was somewhere in the middle. Every time she yelled, 'UP!' the broomstick would hop about a foot or two from the ground before falling back. And unlike Hermione, who was patient, and Nicole, who did not care, Daphne was about to break her broomstick into two.

'This piece of garbage!'

But the one who had it worst of them all was that chubby guy, who has been the centre of a number of unfortunate events. From losing his pet to spilling the toxic potion on himself, that boy Neville had the worst luck Alex had seen.

Today also, like Nicole, his broom did not move. But unlike Nicole, he was trying his hardest. Alex could even see the veins bulge on his neck every time he screamed. But that was not all Alex could discern from Neville's voice. Alex could also sense the quiver in Neville's voice. Neville was visibly nervous.

'Maybe...' Alex tried to deduce, 'Like horses, even these things could feel the emotions inside of a person,' Alex thought and looked at the broomstick in his hand, 'Can it?'

"Enough now," while Alex thought about the broomstick in his hand, Madam Hooch clapped to bring everyone's attention back to her, "Those who were able to do it, very good. As for those who could not, you need to work harder on your concentration. It's not about yelling loudly or straining your muscles. But you need to feel the presence of your broomstick."

"Some can naturally do it, and others after a lot of practice. So no need to feel disheartened," Madam Hooch tried to raise their morale, "Now, I want you all to get on your brooms. We are going to practice how to mount one."

Saying so, Madam Hooch showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end. After that, she walked up and down the rows correcting their grips.

And to Potter and Weasley's annoyance, Madam Hooch was the most impressed with Malfoy. She felt he was so good at standing with a broomstick between his legs that she could not stop herself from patting his back a good couple of times.

But there were also two who weren't even trying it. It was Nicole and Alex. Nicole did not have her heart to do it, while Alex felt it was too embarrassing to sit on a broomstick. He couldn't even fathom how the nobles of the wizarding never objected to it and tried to find alternatives to it.

When Madam Hooch saw the two of them not mounted on their broomsticks, she was about to walk up to them, but before she could do so, a sharp shrill reverberated in the ground. The unlucky kid Neville had suddenly shot from the ground on his broom and was now zig-zagging his way in the air. The poor guy's broom was like a mad bull, with the limitless sky being his arena.

The broom tried to shake Neville off while Neville did his best to hold on to it. The contest lasted for a while as the Professor watched him battle for his life as a spectator until both Neville and his broom crashed into a wall. The impact was hard, and Neville fell hard on the ground from about twenty-odd feet, breaking God knows how many bones along with the broom.

Finally, it was only after hearing Neville groaning in pain that Madam Hooch came into action. She ran up to him and checked him all over. Then without wasting any time, she princess carried Neville and made her way to the hospital wing. But she stopped midway to warn the remaining students.

"You leave those brooms where they are, or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say Quidditch." And with the warning made, Madam Hooch left with Neville.

But as soon as Madam Hooch left, the Slytherins burst into laughter. Neville might have gotten hurt, but it was a hell of a funny episode. And to be honest, Slytherins were not the only ones laughing their lungs out.

While everyone was rolling on the grounds, Malfoy picked up a crystal ball lying not far from his feet.

"Isn't it the stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him?" Malfoy looked at the ball from every angle and asked.

"Give that back, Malfoy," As soon as Malfoy spoke, Harry jumped out of the Gryffindor crowd and said to Malfoy.

This, on the other hand, kind of irked Alex. Malfoy wasn't the good guy, but what's with this bossy attitude? Wasn't he looking for unnecessary trouble?

"Oh, Potter... The champion of justice is finally making his appearance," Malfoy smiled nastily, "But I think I will hold on to it. Finders, keepers, aren't they? Or even better, I will leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find. How about..." Malfoy put his finger on his chin and acted as if thinking.

"Up that tree?" Malfoy asked, pointing at a tree, "Or maybe that tower..."

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