Chapter Text
‘Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. The past few years have seen a great weight lifted from our world. Remember, while you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you House Points, while any rule-breaking will lose House Points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to your house,’ said Headmaster Albus Dumbledore as he addressed the students filling the Great Hall, right after the Sorting Ceremony on the first of September, 1984. After his welcoming speech, the students began to eat and chat. A newly Sorted Slytherin by the name of James Smith, with light skin, brown eyes and straw-like hair was deep in conversation with his new friend and housemate Rowan Khanna, with messy black hair and brown skin, and thick glasses over his brown eyes. When the Feast came to an end, their Head of House directed them to the Slytherin Common Room, where they rested for the night after more conversation.
On the first day of classes, Professor Flitwick taught them the Wand Lightning charm, something Jamie seemed to naturally excel at. After their first Charms class, he and Rowan went to the dungeons for their first Potions class. Feeling the call of nature, Jamie excused himself, while his friend continued to class. When he was finally arriving there after his delay, Jamie saw his friend talking to, or rather, arguing with, another student. A Slytherin girl, to be more precise. She had short, messy, brown hair with a patch of orange and very pale skin. Her robes were unkempt, and from time to time she would stomp one of her feet, which wore heavy combat boots. When Jamie got closer, he heard her yell, ‘Admit it!’
‘I can’t!’ replied a frightened Rowan.
‘Say I’m the most powerful witch at Hogwarts!’ insisted the girl.
‘It’s logically impossible! I’ve made numerous lists of the most powerful witches at Hogwarts based on multiple factors. You’re less powerful than Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout, Madam Hooch, Madam Pomfrey, every single seventh-year… You’re just a first-year like me!’
This clearly angered the witch. ‘I’m nothing like you,’ she spat.
Jamie decided to intervene and got between the two of them. Trying to distract her he said with a grin, ‘I don’t know why the most powerful witch at Hogwarts would be bullying a first year… Unless she’s insecure…’
‘Who do you think you are?’ she asked, turning her head and scowling at Jamie, who was taken aback for a second at the sight of her unusual violet eyes.
‘Jamie is the one who should be claiming to be the best wizard. Professor Flitwick said he cast the best Wand-Lighting Charm of any first-year,’ Rowan interjected.
‘Jamie…? Now I know exactly who you are…’ She grinned as she recognised the Slytherin. ‘You’re James Smith. Your brother lost his mind, disgraced his house, got expelled from school, and was never heard from again. The Sorting Hat should be burned for putting you in Slytherin.’
‘And you are…?’ Jamie tried to steer the conversation elsewhere, raising an eyebrow. He remembered seeing the girl the night before being Sorted right after himself, but he hadn't listened to her name, as he had been too thrilled at being Sorted with Rowan at the time.
Puffing out her chest, her voice full of pride, she replied, ‘Merula Snyde. First-year Slytherin. The best witch at Hogwarts.’ She then narrowed her eyes, and with a condescending tone added, ‘I overheard the professors whispering about you at the Feast. I suppose you think you’re better than me. I should put you out of your misery before you ruin Hogwarts like your brother tried to.’
Shaking his head and with a half-smile, Jamie dismissed the idea. ‘I don’t want any trouble.’
‘You don’t have a choice,’ said Merula with a dangerous look.
The boy opted to fight fire with fire when he fired back, ‘You’re just afraid I’m more powerful than you.’
Instead of becoming enraged, or backing off, the girl raised an eyebrow, interested; and accepted the challenge. ‘Let’s find out who’s more powerful right now…’
Before any of them could say anything else, the classroom door opened, and out came Professor Snape with an angry look on his face. He looked at Jamie, and said, ‘Smith. I knew you would be trouble.’
‘Merula was bullying my friend, Professor…’ but before Jamie could explain himself, he was again interrupted by Snape.
‘Get to Potions class, and be thankful you aren’t headed for detention.’ The teens obeyed without delay, and Jamie and Rowan chatted quietly until the class begun.
The lesson of the day was the Cure for Boils. In the same table sat the two friends, Merula, and another student. Other than a few mean comments from Merula that were ignored, the lesson appeared to go smoothly. Jamie’s potion seemed to be coming along well, and Rowan congratulated him. But then, an uncontrollable bubbling started. An alarmed Rowan asked, ‘Did you add Bulbadox powder? From my studies, this looks like the beginning of the explosive reaction caused by adding Bulbadox powder…’
‘Explosive?!’ Jamie cried. Too late to do anything, the cauldron exploded, sending the potion all over the students and the class.
Merula grinned at the sight. ‘Congratulations. You have cured the table of boils.’
Snape came over to their table, furious. ‘You should have never been allowed inside of my classroom, Smith. Not since your brother have I seen such a reckless Slytherin. Ten points from Slytherin! What do you have to say for yourself?’
Angrily, and without thinking of the consequences, Jamie snapped, ‘I must not have been given proper instruction, Professor.’
If Snape was shocked at the response, he hid it well, stating coldly after a second of silence, ‘You are fortunate I won’t be giving you detention today. Or worse.’ Going back to his desk, he dismissed the class, and all of the students scurried out, whispering about what had just happened.
Rowan was wide-eyed at Jamie's reply. ‘I can’t believe you blamed Snape, but it was the right choice. It threw him off, and kept him from taking more House Points,’ he whispered.
Merula chimed in in a condescending tone, ‘You should have known that coating your cauldron with Bulbadox powder would make your cauldron explode. I certainly did.’
‘What is your problem? We’re both Slytherins. You just cost us House Points!’ said the sabotaged student.
‘I’d rather lose House Points now than have you ruin Slytherin forever. Now, there’s no doubt that I’m the most important first-year, and you’re nothing but a disgrace just like your brother.’
Jamie packed his things in a huff, following Rowan out of the classroom after the fiasco. Just when he had exited the room, a quiet voice made him turn around. ‘You’re James Smith, right?’
Jamie looked at the person that had called out to him. A sickly pale boy with short blonde hair and small brown eyes was facing him, but he seemed to avoid eye contact, shifting his gaze from Jamie to the floor in quick succession. He had been with them in Potions Class, though Jamie didn’t recognise him as a fellow Slytherin, so he had to be one of the Gryffindors they had shared the classroom with. ‘…Yes,’ Jamie said. ‘Who are you?’
‘Ben Copper,’ the boy introduced himself. ‘I… I just wanted to say thank you for standing up to Merula Snyde.’
‘You were there? I didn’t see you…’ Jamie said, remembering what had happened but an hour ago.
‘I was watching from the end of the corridor,’ Ben explained in a faint whisper. ‘I can’t be seen by her outside of classes… I’ve even been following her so she can’t sneak up on me, and if she sees me, I’ll at least have a chance to run away. She tormented me the entire way here on the Hogwarts Express. She kept threatening me, and calling me a Mudblood.’
Jamie’s stomach twisted in anger, as he muttered, ‘I’m sorry, Ben. That’s terrible.’
‘Merula is obsessed with being the best witch in our year, and she thinks she has to impose her will on us to prove it,’ Ben said, looking around to make sure he wasn’t heard by the witch, who was nowhere to be found on the corridor by now. ‘I’m just glad someone was brave enough to stand up to her. I’m certainly not. It’s a joke that I got put in Gryffindor.’
‘Everyone is afraid of something, Ben,’ Jamie said dismissively, to try to calm his peer.
‘Unfortunately, I’m afraid of everything,’ Ben noted, rubbing his arm shyly. ‘I come from a Muggle family, so all of this is new and scary to me.’
‘I know how you feel,’ Jamie said. ‘I come from a wizard family, and this is hard for me too. But if you need help, give me a shout.’
Ben gave what could be best described as a weak smile, at least in comparison to his previous look of horror. ‘Thanks, James.’
‘Call me Jamie,’ Jamie said, smiling encouragingly.
‘Thanks, Jamie…’ Ben said, his smile a bit stronger. ‘I’ll see you around.’
A while later Jamie and Rowan were roaming the east corridor. After Potions class, in their common room, the fifth-year prefect Felix Rosier had delivered a letter from Snape addressed to Jamie. The letter stated that the professor would reconsider restoring the House Points if the student brought him a jar of ingredients from the Potions storeroom after finding possible evidence of sabotage. And that was what had lead them to a door in the east corridor, following the directions in the letter. Opening it they found themselves in a pitch-black room. Jamie heard the sound of the closing door and turned to Rowan. ‘Why did you close the door? Can’t see a thing in here.’
‘I didn’t, it closed behind me as soon as I stepped inside. And I think it’s locked!’ said his friend, trying in vain to open the door. Jamie took out his wand and tried the spell they had just learnt, Lumos, and finally they saw what was in the room. A strange looking plant, with thick vines resembling tentacles, covered the rest of the floor and walls. Its vines crept towards them. ‘What is that thing?!’ asked Jamie in a panicked voice, kicking one of the vines.
The last voice he wanted to hear answered his question, ‘A deadly plant called Devil’s Snare. Some fourth-year Slytherins showed it to me when I first arrived. It’s sensitive to light, so if you’re really better than me at the Wand Lightning Charm, escaping should be no problem…’
Jamie couldn’t believe it. ‘Merula?! You locked us in here?!’
‘Along with sending you a fake letter from Snape. I told you things would only get worse for you, Smith. Something has to stop you from ruining Hogwarts. May as well be Devil’s Snare…’ And with that, they heard her run down the corridor.
Jamie felt vines holding his wrists and legs, and saw another one approach his throat. Gasping, he looked with horror towards Rowan, who had the same look on his face. ‘Jamie!’, he heard him say, ‘She’s right about it being sensitive to light. Use Lumos while I try the door and call for help!’
Rowan then turned to the door, and began pounding on it with his fists while screaming for help at the top of his lungs. Meanwhile, Jamie did his best to release his neck and members by prodding the plant with the light from his wand. The plant recoiled when the light came too near, but didn’t stop tugging.
After what seemed like an eternity, they heard a rough voice coming from the other side of the door, ‘What’s goin’ on in there? Outta the way!’
With a bang, the door came off its hinges, and a huge figure stepped inside, double the size a normal person. ‘Gulping gargoyles! Get away from that Devil’s Snare. Yer scarin’ it!’ the figure roared.
‘I’m scaring it?!’ said Jamie, gasping for air.
‘Let’s get yeh outta here…’
A huge hand the size of a dustbin lid grabbed Jamie by the shoulder with a dangerously tight grip, and yanked him from the Devil’s Snare with ease, carrying him out to the corridor along with Rowan. ‘You saved my life! Thank you, Mister…’ Jamie said, getting a better look at their saviour.
‘Rubeus Hagrid, at yer service,’ said the hulking man from under a shaggy black beard that covered his entire face, save for his small black eyes. Three times the width of a normal human, he wore shabby clothes that seemed to have been patched several times to fit his size as he grew. ‘I’m Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Pleasure to meet yeh.’
Jamie nodded, shaking his huge hand. ‘Oh, yes, I remember you from last night! I’m Jamie Smith, and this is Rowan Khanna.’
‘Ah, yer the one everybody’s been talkin’ about,’ Hagrid grumbled. ‘Maybe trouble really does run in yer family. How’d yeh end up in there?’
‘Another first-year Slytherin named Merula Snyde locked us inside,’ Rowan said, looking over his torn robes and assessing the damage.
‘She did?!’ Hagrid cried out.
Jamie nodded, clenching his fists and muttering under his breath, ‘I swear I’ll make her pay for this…’
‘I can’t blame yeh fer feelin’ that way, but revenge rarely works out well fer anyone,’ Hagrid warned him. ‘Yeh might want teh reconsider. I’d head back to yer Common Room, an’ take some time teh think, Jamie. I don’t want yeh doin’ somethin’ yeh’ll regret.’ Pointing at the shredded robes, Hagrid said, ‘Yeh might also want to do somethin’ about those robes. That Devil’s Snare got yeh good.’
Jamie nodded again, a bit calmer, though rage still boiled inside him. ‘Thanks, Hagrid. Hopefully, I’ll see you around.’
After the Devil’s Snare incident, and changing into fresh robes, Jamie and Rowan went to the cloistered courtyard of the school, where Rowan showed him the game of Gobstones, which proved to be an excellent bonding experience. After their first game, they were interrupted by a voice they had heard too often for their liking, ‘Isn’t this precious?’
As they turned to face her, Merula looked them up and down with a disappointed look on her face. ‘You are unfortunately looking well after wrestling with the Devil’s Snare… You know, while you were off playing with plants, I’ve been doing a little research about your brother.’
Out of patience to deal with her, a frustrated Jamie asked, ‘Why don’t you just leave me alone?’
‘Because you’re a danger to Hogwarts just like him, and none of us will be safe until you’re gone,’ she said, without losing her smirk.
Rowan looked confused. ‘What are you talking about, Merula?’ he asked.
‘Smith’s brother didn’t just get expelled for endangering the entire school in search of some imaginary vaults…’ she explained in a conspiratorial tone. ‘He immediately went missing, and the next time he was seen, he was working for Voldemort.’
The pair of friends was taken aback by the mention of the name. ‘You can’t say that! You have to call him He Who Must Not Be Named!’ muttered Rowan.
Merula looked at him, and said with a cold voice, ‘I say what I want.’
‘You’re lying about my brother having anything to do with He Who Must Not Be Named!’ said Jamie, his eyes full of anger.
Merula twisted the knife a little more, ‘No wonder the professors were talking about you before the Feast. They’re wondering if you work for the Dark Lord too.’
Recalling something Rowan had just told him about Merula’s family during their game, Jamie fired back in the meanest tone he could muster, ‘I don’t know why you’d ever bring up He Who Must Not Be Named given your family’s history…’
Merula’s grin turned into a scowl. ‘You don’t know anything about me…’
It was Jamie’s turn to grin. ‘Rowan told me enough. I know that your parents are locked up in Azkaban for being loyal to He Who Must Not Be Named in the Wizarding War. You know, I finally see why you’re always so angry…’
Merula took a step backwards, thinking her next words. ‘Why don’t you just drop out of Hogwarts? Save Slytherin and your little friend here the embarrassment of being associated with you.’
Jamie gave a fake laugh, spitting back, ‘You’re just afraid that I’ll be better than you!’
Merula grinned at that. ‘Afraid? I’ll duel you right now.’
Taking a second to think, Jamie calmed down and assessed the situation. He couldn’t step down to her level, he thought. He didn’t even know any offensive spells. Turning his back to her, he said, ‘You aren’t worth my time, Merula. Keep this nonsense to yourself.’
Offended at his passiveness, Merula yelled at him, ‘Don’t walk away from me! Flipendo!’ After a flash of light, Jamie was in the ground, feeling as if someone had just struck him with a bat on the back. He looked at her, and heard her say as she walked away, ‘Learn a few more spells, Smith. Maybe next time you’ll put up a better fight.’
When she was out of sight, Rowan helped his friend get up, and commented with a sad tone, ‘Merula is never going to leave us alone…’
Jamie looked at him with determination. ‘Not unless I learn more spells, and find someone who can teach me how to duel.’
For the next few days, Jamie and Rowan learned the basics of duelling from Felix Rosier, who agreed to help them. He recommended learning a couple of spells from a duelling book hidden in the Artefact Room, a cluttered room that served as both a hiding spot for strange objects and as a collective dustbin. Rowan helped Jamie learn the Tickling Charm with the idea of embarrassing Merula in front of everyone, and Jamie even managed to convince professor Flitwick to teach him the Disarming Charm after promising him that he would only duel as a last resort. In their free time, and with the help of Felix, Jamie and Rowan engaged in practice duels, putting into practice what they had learned. With each duel, Jamie found it more and more interesting, though duelling Rowan could not quench this sudden thirst for duelling. He could not wait for the opportunity to stand up to Merula again, just to prove himself and find a more exciting battle.
One morning, Jamie stepped into the courtyard and saw a small crowd gathered around someone. He saw Rowan among them, and asked him what was going on. ‘Merula is threatening Ben Copper. He keeps trying to walk away, but she won’t let him,’ he explained. Ben was standing in the centre of the crowd, shaking. Merula was in front of him, with her wand at her side.
‘Just leave me alone!’ pleaded Ben.
Merula continued with her attack, ‘Disgusting Mudbloods like you shouldn’t ever be allowed in Hogwarts. Leave the magic to real witches and wizards.’
Jamie pushed his way through the crowd and stood between the two, facing Merula. ‘If you want to fight someone, fight me.’
Merula narrowed her eyes and grinned slightly. ‘You never learn, do you, Smith? Why don’t you be more like your mad brother and go missing?’
‘You’re the one everyone wishes would just go away.’
With a scowl, Merula challenged him, ‘Make me, Smith.’
Seeing the perfect opportunity for comeback, Jamie said, ‘I’ll duel you if I have to.’
Merula gave out a fake chuckle. ‘Try it. You’ll lose again like the loser you are.’
‘I won’t let you hurt anyone else…’
But before he could do anything, Merula had pointed her wand at him yelling, ‘Flipendo!’ He fell to the stone ground. ‘Wrong again, Smith.’ Jamie got up, wand drawn, and bracing for the inevitable duel.
The opponents began casting spells. ‘Rictusempra!’ yelled Jamie, but his spell was dodged by Merula as she cried, ‘Flipendo!’
Her jet of light barely missed his leg as he pointed at her wand, ‘Expelliarmus!’ Her wand flew out of her hand to the ground, and she was left unarmed.
‘How’d you learn that spell already? No fair!’ complained Merula, but no-one was on her side. The students started cheering Ben’s saviour, and Merula’s anger grew even more, ‘You can’t be better than me! No one can be better than me!’
Confident, Jamie tried to reason with her, ‘I beat you, Merula. Now apologise to Ben, and promise to stop bullying everyone.’
Merula didn’t calm down; instead she doubled down; however, she didn’t see the two teachers approaching behind her as she boasted, ‘I’ll never apologise to you losers and Mudbloods! I’m Merula Snyde! Fourth generation Slytherin! The greatest witch at Hogwarts! I do what I want when I want! I run this school! I-’
‘Ehem…’ Snape made his and Flitwick’s presence known, and Merula turned around with disbelief in her eyes.
After their duel, Merula and Jamie had to answer to Snape for their actions in the West Towers. Jamie was on his way there on his own with heavy feet, when he was stopped by a blonde girl his age. ‘Hello, James Smith,’ she said with a huge smile, her blue eyes shining. She sported two braids on her shoulders, letting the rest of her long hair free down her back. Jamie knew the girl by sight and reputation, though he didn’t think she would know him.
‘You know who I am?’ Jamie asked, flustered.
The girl gave him an amused look, asking, ‘Does that surprise you?’
‘Yeah, I mean, you’re Penny Haywood,’ Jamie said. ‘You’re the most popular girl in our year, and I’m…’ He looked away, while trying to think of an appropriate word. ‘Not popular.’
‘I disagree, Jamie,’ Penny stated. ‘Everyone is talking about the hero who was brave enough to stand up to the tyranny of Merula Snyde. Not to mention all of the rumours surrounding your brother…’
‘Did you want something?’ Jamie asked, not wanting to arrive late to his trial by Snape.
‘I wanted to say thank you. Hogwarts is supposed to be fun, but Merula was making it miserable for everyone.’
‘Someone had to do something,’ Jamie waved off.
‘I agree, but only you were brave enough,’ Penny said, making him blush. ‘I hope Professor Snape doesn’t punish you for this,’ Penny wished. ‘Let me know if I can ever help you with anything, Jamie. I know the gossip around Hogwarts, and I’m pretty good with potions if I say so myself.’
‘I will,’ Jamie said, grateful for the offer. ‘Thanks, Penny.’
‘Thank you, Jamie,’ Penny remarked, walking away and waving at him. ‘I’ll see you around.’
Glad to have this new acquaintance, Jamie went to face the consequences of his actions. He met the teacher and his rival near a painting of a bowl with oranges. While they were being berated by Snape, the professor was pulled aside by the caretaker, postponing their punishment. ‘It’s about the… vaults,’ the students heard Filch say to Snape, who turned to them and ordered, ‘Return to your common room.’
Merula’s face lit up when the two adults left them, and said to herself, ‘They must be talking about the Cursed Vaults!’ She then followed them sneakily, trying not to be seen. Jamie, too curious to leave the situation be, followed her. They saw the adults go into a corridor, and went into it themselves at a safe distance. When Merula noticed him standing behind her, she whispered angrily, ‘Get out of here!’
‘Are they talking about the Cursed Vaults?’ asked Jamie in a soft voice.
‘I can’t tell because you won’t shut up.’
They heard Snape and Filch’s voice at the other side of the corridor, and immediately went quiet to listen in. ‘Who else knows about this?’
‘Only me and Mrs. Norris saw the ice, sir. Was going to report the incident to the Headmaster, I was.’
‘I will inform Professor Dumbledore. This may have to do with the Smiths situation.’
‘Is it true that the vaults are filled with gold and powerful prophecies and artefacts from before Hogwarts existed? And that’s why the Smith boy lost his mind trying to find them?’
’Don’t worry about what’s inside the vaults. Worry about keeping everyone out. Lock this door, and keep it guarded,’ Snape told him, and continued down the corridor.
When they were the only people in the area, Jamie turned to Merula. ‘What is “the Smiths situation”?’
The girl rolled her eyes at the question. ‘Who cares? This is another clue to the Cursed Vaults.’
‘You think the Cursed Vaults are real? And you’re trying to find them? You always call my brother mad for doing that exact thing,’ Jamie called her out.
‘Even if I cared to explain myself to an idiot, I wouldn’t do it here, and risk getting caught by the two meanest people at Hogwarts,’ Merula said in an exasperated tone before leaving to the common room. Being left with more questions than answers, Jamie did the same as her.
‘Hi, Ben. Is something wrong?’ asked Jamie. The two students were in the Great Hall one morning of the second school week, and Ben seemed distressed. More distressed than usual, at least.
‘Flying class is today. I’ve been dreading that class all summer…’ Ben confessed.
‘You’re afraid of heights?’
‘Falling from heights, mostly. I told you I come from a Muggle family. The idea of flying through the sky on a broom is terrifying.’
James tried to calm his friend down. ‘Believe it or not, I’ve never flown on a broom either. My mum was pretty strict about us using magic outside of school. There’s no reason to be worried, Ben. Everyone says Madam Hooch is an excellent teacher.’
The thought of the flying instructor did not seem to calm him down. ‘Have you seen Madam Hooch? I already know I’ll be having nightmares about those eyes. You aren’t afraid of flying?’
‘I’m a little worried too. It’s only natural to be nervous when you’re about to fly,’ Jamie admitted.
‘It’s good to know I’m not the only one’ said Ben, this time shaking a bit less.
Their talk was interrupted by Madam Hooch herself, saying, ‘You down there. Enough of that chatter.’
Ben looked terrified, and asked Jamie, ‘She’s talking to us! Do you think she read our lips with her eerie bird eyes?’
‘No, I heard your whiny whimpering from across the room,’ remarked Hooch.
Ben sunk even lower in his seat. ‘Oh. Right.’
‘Flying class begins soon. I expect to see you both on the Training Grounds,’ the teacher reminded them before leaving.
Down at the grounds, the first year students gathered for their first flying lesson. Most of them were excited, with some notable exceptions. After Madam Hooch positioned them into two rows, each student with a broom on the ground near them, Ben turned towards Jamie and told him, ‘I can’t do this, Jamie…’
‘Come on Ben, you can do this. Just concentrate on the broom, and try to not think about falling.’ The Slytherin was running out of ideas on how to calm the Gryffindor.
‘Do you promise to catch me if I fall?’ asked Ben in a whisper.
‘I promise to do my best.’
‘That’s not very reassuring, but I suppose I have to try sooner or later…’
Once again, Madam Hooch spoke to him, ‘Even you don’t have anything to fear from today’s lesson, Mr Copper. We will only be picking up our brooms today.’ And so she continued with the class, giving tips and advice on the correct way to hold on to the brooms, or how to raise them from the ground. By the end, Ben wasn’t much more convinced on the idea of flight, though he agreed to read on the subject, since “you usually don’t fall to your death reading”.
The next day, Jamie met Ben for dinner, to try to convince him to try flying for once. Armed with the books Rowan recommended, they sat down and reviewed every bit of information regarding flight with brooms. From there, Jamie had an idea to make Ben more accustomed to heights. A few days later, Professor Flitwick had taught the class the Levitation Charm, and at the end of the lesson Jamie turned to Ben. ‘Are you ready?’
‘You really think this spell will help me overcome my fear of flying? Jamie, I think you underestimate my cowardice…’
‘You just need to take this one step at a time, Ben. The first step to flying… is floating,’ reasoned Jamie. ‘If Wingardium Leviosa works as planned, you should levitate a few feet off the ground.’
‘What if it doesn’t work as planned?’
With a smirk, Jamie answered. ‘You’ll find out falling is nothing to be afraid of. Wingardium Leviosa!’ Ben floated for a few seconds off the ground, rising up three or four feet, before Jamie released the spell. ‘See? You did it, Ben! You’re one step closer to overcoming your fear of flying.’
‘And even closer to realising my fear of getting sick in public. You’ll have to excuse me, Jamie,’ he said, as he covered his mouth.
‘Are you rushing to flying class because you’re so excited?’ joked Jamie.
‘You don’t want to know what I’m about to do…’ mumbled Ben as he ran out of the classroom.
A while later, a much better-looking Ben greeted his friend right before their second flying class. ‘Well, Ben, are you ready to fly?’ asked Jamie, and the Gryffindor nodded.
‘I think so. I’m still anxious, but I couldn’t have come this far without you. I can’t believe I’m not afraid of flying!’ Ben said, before Madam Hooch called everyone to their stations: the class was about to start. Ben went pale again. ‘I take it back, Jamie. I’m still afraid.’
‘I know you can do this, Ben. You just have to believe in yourself.’
Ben took a deep breath. ‘You’re right. I’ve prepared as much as I can. There’s nothing left but to try. You’ve been inspiring me to do this since the first class. It’s time I took to the skies.’
The class passed without incident, and Ben never fell off his broom. When it was over, Jamie congratulated his friend. ‘You did it, Ben! You were fearless!’
Ben shook his head. ‘Thanks, Jamie, but I was still very, very afraid… But you gave me the support and confidence I needed!’
Madam Hooch approached the pair, and addressed Ben. ‘Well done, Mr Copper! Where did you discover this newfound bravery?’
‘I owe it all to Jamie, Madam Hooch. He helped me realise there was nothing to be afraid of.
Madam Hooch looked at them both, and with a smile said, ‘Well done to both of you. Ten points to Gryffindor and ten points to Slytherin. I look forward to seeing you both again in flying class.’