At Five o'clock in the afternoon, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students walked together to the lawn for their flying lesson.
From there, they could see Hagrid's hut and the distant Forbidden Forest, with occasional strange noises emanating from that direction.
Unlike the adventurous Gryffindors and the troublemaking Slytherins, Ravenclaws are wise and cautious, generally only testing boundaries within the rules. And Hufflepuffs, being the obedient and diligent students they are, will never willingly break the rules.
Most students from these two houses would graduate after seven years without ever setting foot in the Forbidden Forest.
About twenty broomsticks were neatly lined up on the ground, and Madam Hooch was already there waiting for them. Her sharp, eagle-like eyes scanned the students warily as she sternly announced:
"I'm sure you've all heard about yesterday's accident!
Gryffindor's Mr. Longbottom was lucky to only break his wrist, but if you act recklessly, it wouldn't be surprising if someone breaks their neck!
You'd better keep that in mind!"
The little Eagles and little Badgers nodded obediently.
"Alright! Now everyone, stand next to a broomstick!"
Under Madam Hooch's watchful eyes, everyone moved quickly, without pushing or shoving.
However, the school's broomsticks were so old that they were all in a sorry state. The twigs were sticking out in all directions, the oak handles were rough and uneven, and they looked uncomfortable even to sweep the floor with.
Yet, they were supposed to fly on these things.
Wade suddenly thought that riding a broomstick might not be very kind to his tailbone.
He heard Michael muttering under his breath, "A Comet… the cheapest broom…"
Wade glanced over and saw that Michael's broom was in even worse shape than his own. It looked like it had been made from a bundle of weeds.
Madam Hooch then commanded in a loud voice: "Extend your right hand over the broomstick and say, 'Up!'"
"Up!" the students shouted in unison.
Wade's broom rolled on the ground a couple of times before jumping into his hand. As he grabbed it, he realized he didn't need to hold on too tightly—the broom seemed to float in the air by itself.
He glanced around at the others. Some students had succeeded right away, while others—like Michael—had brooms that were flopping on the ground like fish out of water, taking forever to reach their hands.
Once everyone was holding their brooms, Madam Hooch taught them how to mount the broom properly so they wouldn't fall off and sternly corrected those who were sitting incorrectly.
Wade had initially thought this should be simple, as he remembered Harry Potter in the movies always casually mounted the broom before flying off. But once he actually got on, he realized it wasn't as easy as it seemed.
After all, the broom handle was just a thin wooden stick, and staying balanced on it required some skill.
Fortunately, the pressure on certain fragile bones wasn't as bad as expected. The broomsticks were enchanted in such a way that sitting on them felt somewhat like sitting on a chair. It wasn't very comfortable, but it wasn't unbearable either.
Once Madam Hooch was satisfied with everyone's posture, she allowed the students to proceed to the next step—flying.
"When I blow the whistle, kick off hard from the ground. " Madam Hooch instructed:
"Hold onto your brooms tightly, but don't go too high, unless you want to end up in the clouds!
Lift off just a little, rise a few feet into the air, then gently glide forward, and finally, slowly return to the ground."
Madam Hooch emphasized the word "slowly" three times before saying, "Listen for my whistle—three, two, one!"
The whistle blew, and the students immediately split into different levels—some flew too high, others dove straight toward the ground, and two students lost their balance and rolled off their brooms with a thud.
Madam Hooch frowned and quickly waved her wand, ensuring no one was injured.
Suddenly, there was a scream—a Ravenclaw girl was speeding toward the broom shed on her broomstick!
"Arresto Momentum!" Madam Hooch shouted.
The girl hovered in the air for a moment, and then although she still crashed into the wall, the force was reduced, so she wasn't hurt. However, her broomstick shattered on impact.
Madam Hooch didn't scold her but instead summoned another old broom with a summoning charm, instructing the girl to continue practicing.
Wade was circling at a higher altitude on his broom, gradually trying to increase his speed.
Only about five or six students, like him, were managing to gain control of their brooms. Most of the others were ordered by Madam Hooch not to fly higher than the broom shed.
Even so, accidents kept happening.
For instance, two students' brooms wobbled uncontrollably and collided in mid-air; another Hufflepuff boy was flying well at low altitude, but as soon as he tried to ascend to just five meters, he closed his eyes and fell off his broom—this poor student was afraid of heights.
The first flying lesson was, to say the least, chaotic.
Madam Hooch was like an octopus, "putting out fires" in all directions, her wand was flashing as she constantly rescued students from situations where they might have broken their necks.
She even got hit by a reckless student, turning her face livid with anger, and she promptly deducted five points from Hufflepuff!
Wade finally understood why Madam Hooch always seemed so stern and perpetually angry.
Any experienced instructor would likely react the same way if they saw new drivers making basic, foolish mistakes over and over again while teaching them how to drive.
Finally, the flying lesson ended, and the students grouped together to head to the hospital wing to see Madam Pomfrey for treatment for various scrapes, sprains, and bruises.
Wade and Michael, however, were unscathed and walked together to the Great Hall for dinner.
"Wade!"
Hermione, who was already eating, saw them and immediately waved to greet them. Seeing her sitting alone at one end of the long table, Wade decided to sit with her at the Gryffindor table.
Hermione glanced at them and asked, "Did the flying lesson not go well?"
"It was exhausting," Michael replied wearily. He felt like he needed to replenish a lot of energy, so after grabbing two buttered slices of bread, he added a roast chicken leg to his plate.
Wade first downed a glass of juice, then said, "It was everyone's first time flying, so we were all pretty inexperienced. More than half the students got minor injuries, and some even passed out."
Hermione nodded, "I can't say I'm surprised. Flying in the air without any protective measures—it's only natural that people would get hurt!"
She clearly didn't like riding brooms or Quidditch at all.
"It's a skill that requires a lot of practice to master! Skilled Quidditch players can fly more nimbly than birds."
After the flying lesson, Michael finally regained his energy. But Wade remembered that during the lesson, Michael had mostly stayed at low altitudes. The moment he flew a bit higher, either the broom or Michael himself began to tremble.
A typical case of being bad at something but loving it anyway.
But Michael convinced him with just one sentence.
"Think about it, Wade." Michael said in a tempting tone.
"We can ride our brooms straight to the dormitory and never have to climb the stairs again! I've seen Quidditch players do it!"
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