"..."
Hermione, seeing that Ian had already made peace with his broom, couldn't help but look down at her own broom.
Ugh!
Her broom wasn't cooperating at all. She had called for it multiple times, but it still refused to rise.
She tried again, but the broom merely rolled around on the ground and showed no intention of getting up.
Ian, noticing his childhood friend's predicament, took advantage of Madam Hooch's momentary distraction.
He pulled out his wand and gave Hermione's broom a light tap.
"Up."
The next second, the broom, which had been lying on the ground, suddenly sprang up like a carp leaping out of water and flew straight into Hermione's hand.
Hermione looked at the broom in her hand with delight, then turned to see Ian winking at her mischievously.
Her heart warmed slightly, and she smiled back at Ian before turning to gently stroke the broom in her hands. "Ian..."
"It looks like all of you have mastered the technique of getting your brooms to rise," Madam Hooch clapped her hands, drawing the young witches and wizards' attention. "Now, we'll begin learning how to fly."
"Mount your brooms and push off the ground firmly," Madam Hooch explained while demonstrating.
"Alright, I'll count to three. When I blow the whistle, you'll gently push off and jump into the air. Remember, just a light jump—if you push too hard, you'll fall off your broom."
"Alright, now, one, two..."
Before Madam Hooch could finish her sentence, someone had already shot up into the air.
"It's Longbottom!"
A sharp-eyed student exclaimed, spotting the wizard flying high above them. "Merlin, he's so high up!"
Ian looked up and saw Neville in midair, screaming loudly and teetering dangerously on his broom.
"Mr. Longbottom! Mr. Longbottom!" Madam Hooch called out anxiously, but Neville could no longer hear her.
All the young witches and wizards watched nervously as Neville was tossed about in the air by the out-of-control broom.
Madam Hooch pulled out her wand. "Longbottom, Wingar—"
Before she could finish her incantation, the broom carrying Neville hurtled straight toward the crowd.
Terrified, the students scattered in all directions. Ian quickly grabbed Hermione and Cassandra, pulling them aside to avoid the chaos.
Everyone watched in horror as Neville's broom flew up to the rooftop, where his school robe snagged on the sharp edge of a statue.
Neville swallowed hard. He could already hear the sound of his robe tearing.
Sure enough, the next second, the robe gave way under his weight, ripping apart, and Neville plummeted from midair.
"Oh no!" Hermione cried out in alarm, clasping her hands tightly to her chest, her face full of worry as she watched Neville fall.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
Ian drew his wand and, with unwavering determination, cast the spell on Neville. Neville's rapid descent immediately slowed down.
The young witches and wizards from both houses all turned to look at Ian in unison.
No way, mate! You're a bit too exceptional, aren't you? What kind of spell was that? Never heard of it!
The 1st year Gryffindor lions gazed at Ian with admiration.
Meanwhile, the Slytherin snakes wore expressions of pride.
That's right! See the wizard who cast the spell? Handsome, isn't he? He's from Slytherin! Our prefect! We know him very well.
Madam Hooch also cast a Levitation Charm, and with two wizards casting spells, Neville's fall slowed further and further until he gently floated to the ground.
Madam Hooch rushed over to catch Neville, and the young witches and wizards quickly gathered around.
"You poor child," Madam Hooch said as she examined Neville's injuries. "Luckily, it's only some scrapes."
Neville, lying in Madam Hooch's arms, burst into tears, overwhelmed by fear and relief.
Madam Hooch gently patted his back. "It's alright now, Mr. Longbottom. You're safe."
She turned to Ian, her gaze filled with approval. "Ian, you did wonderfully. If you hadn't cast the spell in time, Neville could have been seriously hurt. I'm awarding Slytherin ten points!"
Ian gave a modest smile and replied, "You're too kind, Madam Hooch. I only did what I should."
Madam Hooch praised Ian a bit more before turning to the gathered students and said sternly, "I'm taking Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing now to treat his scrapes."
"When I return, I don't want to see anyone in the air. Otherwise, even before this year's Quidditch matches, I'll have that person removed from flying lessons!"
"You all saw it—Mr. Longbottom nearly fell off his broom! I hope this serves as a lesson for everyone!"
The young wizards stood in place, watching as Madam Hooch left with Neville.
Only after their figures disappeared did the students turn their gazes back to Ian.
"Ian, what spell did you use just now?" a curious student asked. "How did you make Neville float?"
"It was the Levitation Charm," Ian explained. "It's a spell that makes objects float—it's one of the spells we'll learn in our first year."
"Ian, you've already learned the Levitation Charm!" Theodore looked at Ian with admiration. "That's amazing!"
"I just like reading and learned it a bit early," Ian replied modestly, though the smile on his face was impossible to hide.
"Hey! What's that?"
Ian was still basking in the moment when Ron suddenly shouted, pointing at something in the air. Instinctively, Ian followed the direction of Ron's finger.
Neville's broom was still flying wildly through the air, carrying a transparent glass ball stuck to its brush.
"It's a Remembrall!" Hermione exclaimed. "That's Neville's Remembrall!"
Ian squinted at the scene. The rogue broom darted erratically through the air, zigzagging up, down, left, and right, with the Remembrall still in tow.
"I'm going to get that Remembrall back!" Harry declared loudly, mounting his broom.
"Harry, are you crazy?" Ron quickly grabbed Harry's arm. "You haven't even officially started flying lessons yet, and you're going to ride a broom?"
Hermione chimed in, equally disapproving. "Harry, Madam Hooch just said no one is allowed to fly before she returns, or they'll be removed from flying lessons!"
"But that's Neville's Remembrall!" Harry said, looking at the broom spiraling wildly in the sky. "His grandmother gave it to him, Hermione."
Ian watched the exchange and couldn't help but marvel at the power of narrative correction. Even though Draco hadn't taken Neville's Remembrall this time, it had still found a way to end up flying through the air in some bizarre twist of fate.
Just as Ian was reflecting on this, a flash of blonde hair broke through the crowd.
"Scarhead, I'm with you. Let's race and see who can get Longbottom's Remembrall back first," Draco announced, hopping onto his broom.
Harry glanced at Draco, then mounted his own broom, ready to retrieve the Remembrall. "Alright, let's race, Greasehead!"
With that, both of them kicked off the ground and shot into the sky.
"Harry! Malfoy!" Ron yelled after them.
Seeing the two of them take to the sky, Hermione stomped her foot in frustration. "Draco! Get down here! Why are you joining Harry in this nonsense?"
"Those two are completely insane!" Cassandra fumed, gritting her teeth. "How dare they! If they're not afraid of dying, I'll personally throw them off the castle! No need for them to break their necks by flying!"
Ian quickly grabbed Cassandra to calm her down. "Don't be impulsive, Cassandra. If you throw them, you'll end up in Azkaban."
Still, Ian couldn't help but admire their actions.
After all, first-year students had barely any flying skills. The fact that the two of them dared to take to the sky showed they had a fair amount of courage.
______
Add to your library~!