You're Being Hugged, Harry

by David Silver

15 - Basic Mastery

"Stand just to the side of your broom, on the left side. Extend your right hand." That was Miss Hooch. She was teaching a class they hadn't been taking the entire semester, but was required of first-year students. "Order it firmly, 'up', and the broom should come to you."

The classroom was filled with students attempting to order their broom to rise. Some had more success than others. Brooms began to float and hover beside the eager new wizards and witches. Harry was one such success story, bidding his long broom to float gently beside him.

Flurry inclined her head at the whole thing. "I don't get it. Needing a broom seems silly." She spread her natural wings wide. "I can fly without one of those."

"That's good for you." Harry kept his hoof out over the broom as they had asked him. "But most of us don't have any wings to use. Brooms make a second best thing."

Miss Hooch swatted one of those extended wings. "You stay on the ground. Nobody goes in the air without my saying so!" She was already marching past Flurry to speak to the struggling students about how to command their broom.

Flurry stuck her tongue out. As if she needed permission to take flight! "I heard from Princess Twilight that her student could fly with just magic. She picked herself up and flew around. No problem at all!"

That caught Miss Hooch's attention, storming back up to Flurry. "That is extremely dangerous. You are enchanting yourself when you fly that way and the slightest mistake can send you flying into something, and they're easy to make when you're the one casting and the target of the spell. Your friend is lucky they still have all their parts. Class, do not try that, if you intend on actually graduating the school."

Flurry flinched back at the angry outburst. "She's really very--"

Hooch grabbed the magical creature by the snout. "That some random magical creature managed this impractical feat of dangerous magic has no baring on my students. Stop spreading worthless information or I will eject you from this classroom and I don't care what allowances they have made!" She pushed Flurry back and turned to Harry with a scowl. "Control your beast."

"Yes ma'am!" Harry nodded quickly, only relaxing when she moved on to instruct others. "Flurry, shush!"

"Fine!" She crossed her arms with quite a pout, her tail curled behind her.

The class continued peacefully, at least until a student took to the air without leave to do so. They came down in an uneven heap and a pained cry. Hooch was on them quickly, inspecting the wrist that had cushioned their fall. "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the Hospital Wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.'"

She took Nelville Longbottom away as quickly as she could.

"Looks like he forgot something." Another boy, Draco Malfoy, advanced to grab a sizable marble. It was big enough to fill one's palm, and he was wrapping his fingers around it. "He doesn't need this anyway." With a great throw, he launched it high into the air, dooming it to smash against the ground.

This wasn't something Harry could accept. As the others gaped at the flying object, he threw his legs over his broom and launched himself up at it. He reached with a hoof as his horn glowed, using the two in concert to get a good grip on it mid-air and swerving around with his broom. Without losing control, Harry came back to the ground, everything safe for the trip. "That wasn't--" He trailed off, seeing a teacher watching him. He'd been caught!

Minerva strode into the area on sure feet. "I saw that! Mister Potter, with me." The class was a collection of accusing Ooos as he was walked away. Flurry dashed after them, unwilling to let her brother leave her sight. Minerva wasn't leading him to be expulsed as had been promised. Instead they went to a new office. "Oliver, are you in?" She knocked on a door lightly. "I have something you need to know."

"Is that you, Minerva? Come in." And she did. "Welcome. Ah, the student of the hour." It was hard not to hear of the half-horse student, and their strange companion creature. "I'm Oliver Wood, don't think we've met before, Mister Potter."

"Um, hello." What was Mister Wood's job again? "Nice to meet you, Mister Wood."

Hoof met a hand in a firm shake, even if only one of them could grab the other. "Now, what brings you by with this student?"

Minerva gestured in a sweep. "This fine student has shown great skill with his broom. Barely started on his lesson and he's already making full turns and plucking small things out of the air." The way she said that carried specific meanings, her brows raising with a smile. "I thought you'd prefer to get your hands on him first."

"You're too good to me." He released Harry's hoof, but was looking him in the eyes. "Son, you ever hear of quiddich?"

"Everyone's talking about that." Well, not everyone at all times, but it was hard to not at least hear a mention of the sport. "Why?"

"I'm the captain of the Griffyndor quiddich team." He tapped himself on the chest. "And you happen to be Griffyndor, what luck." It was unlikely to have been luck that drew Minerva to his office. "Would you like to try for the team? From the sound of it, you have a good chance."

"Yes!" That wasn't Potter. Flurry had blurted it out, her wings flapping. "That sounds fun!"

He looked to the colorful magical beast that was not part of his house. "I'm afraid to report that magical creatures may not play in any sanctioned game of quiddich. Things would get quickly out of hand if students could just enter the field with all kinds of crazy creatures." He shook his head at the mental image of it. "No, this is a game of wizard to wizard. No outside assistance. You can watch, but not play."

Flurry trembled with a restrained groan, but a smile burst free suddenly. "Oh, you said 'sanctioned'. So I can still help my brother practice and play with him, just not when it counts."

Harry waved away his sister. "I suppose that's alright, but you don't even know the game, so how are you going to help me practice it?"

"Is that a yes?" The captain was smiling with budding hope. "The worst you can do is not make the team, but with a recommendation like that, I doubt that'll be the case."

"Oh, well..." Harry looked from face to face, and all of them seemed hopeful that he'd give it a try. Even his sister, banned from proper games, was bouncing with anticipation. "Sure, alright. Flying a broom felt natural enough."

"That's exactly what I like to hear." He slapped Harry on the shoulder. "Never had a participant that was half horse before, but you're far from the first half human to show up around here, so don't let that get you down. Your broom--"

"Is too small for him," warned Minerva with a frown. "I'll see he gets something properly sized." And off she went with a determined march.

"Well, when she gets it in her head..." He moved back towards his seat. "She means well, and she usually speaks sense. Now, your sister." He sank into his seat, looking at Flurry. "She seems very eager, but, as you mentioned, neither of you know the game. I propose we fix both of those.

So it was that the two of them got basic lessons on the rules of how quiddich worked. "This is a neat game. I like it." Flurry was cantering in place despite also flying at that moment. "Finally, something worth getting excited about. Chasing those little things around, that's fun! Aunt Dash would really love this if she were here."

Harry chuckled at the image of Rainbow hurrying after snitch. "Only one person per team actually chases the Golden Snitch around." He wobbled a hoof about the rest of the field. "I'll probably be helping trying to make goals, or stop goals being made, depending." That was assuming he even made the team. "It's still fun though!"

On this point, the siblings agreed as they raced around.

Later, in their room, the door swung open. "You need a broom." In came Minerva with a cocky smile. "And I have one, just for you."

Ron sat up straight. "Is that?!"

"It is." She set down the long broom carefully. "Now, this isn't yours. You're allowed to use it for practice and for games, but it remains here, at Hogwarts. Do you understand, Mister Potter?"

Harry hurried over to examine the broom. It was larger to suit his long form. "How nice! This is very kind of you."

"Kinder than you know!" Ron was at his side, gazing at the broom with wonder. "That's a Nimbus 2000! The fastest broom around! I wish I had one of those..."

"Is that what it is?" Minerva seemed to play it off like it was an accident, though the playful hint of her words was hard to miss. "This is yours, for use as I just said it. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." Harry cradled the valuable broom in his folded arms. "Thank you!"

"You're very welcome. You can pay me back by using it well. I think you have a bright future ahead of you." Minerva paused in her turn to look at Ron. "This is not yours, Mister Weasley, even if you do want one."

Ron got a subtle pout. "I get it! It's Harry's. I'm not a thief or nothing!" He watched her depart and set a hand on Harry's back. "Lucky! Wow, I hear those things can go really fast. You sure you can handle it?"

"Only one way to know for sure." Harry shifted the broom from his arms to his magic. "I'll start practicing with it and see how I do."

"You're my brother." Flurry stuck out her tongue. "You'll fly with no problem. Runs in the blood."

Harry raised a brow at that suggestion. "We're not related by blood, you do realize that, right?"

"Same difference!" Flurry peered at the new broom. "Think it'll let you go as fast as I do? You couldn't keep up before."

"What are you talking about?" Harry willed his broom behind him. "I caught up with you plenty of times!"

"Only because I let you." She blew a thick raspberry. "I'm supposed to be helping you train. Not letting you catch up wouldn't be doing that, right? If that lets you go fast enough for me not to slow down, that'll be even better, and more fun for me." She flapped her feathery wings with anticipation. "I can't wait for the next practice session."

Ron shook his head at the two of them. "I'm glad you're having fun, Flurry. Slowing down for a sibling? Mine did that for me, and I did it for the one that's younger than me. I've been there. You're a good sister, doing it without even being asked."

Flurry darkened. "Aw! Thanks." She half-pounced Ron for a proper hug that was accepted with a surprised laugh. "Being a sibling can be a lot of work, right?"

"It really can be." Ron won his personal space back. "But it's worth it, in the end. I love my family."

"I love mine too, even when they're being annoying." She rolled her eyes grandly. "Good to have somecreature around that understands how that works. Seriously, if that makes up the difference, this is going to be so much fun!"

Harry returned the extended tongue at his sister. "Look, thanks, for helping practice, I mean. Tomorrow, I actually try for the team. Hopefully that'll go well."

"You got this in the bag." Flurry waved away the idea that he could fail. "Just be your awesome self. I'll cheer you on!"

Author's Note:

There's the Nimbus! The fate of things is not entirely scrambled.

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Comments

[Booster Spice]

I was going to say Arwen hasnt a problem carrying a broom, then realised, wrong story, Minerva saved some other poor owl having to haul wood instead.

[harts fire]

family is always number 1.

a awesome chapter.

[howard035]

Flurry and Ron are cute together.

[tsaukpaetra]

No, shippers! Stop that right now! 😈