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[email protected]/Rakasa
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At three-thirty on Friday afternoon, William and the other Ravenclaws dashed down the steps, eager for their first flying lesson.
The weather was perfect-a sunny, breezy day. As they hurried across the grassy field, the blades of grass swayed under their feet.
The Hufflepuff students had beaten them there, and dozens of broomsticks lay neatly lined up on the ground.
William had heard Fred and George complaining about the school brooms, and now he knew they were justified.
Every broom looked on the verge of being broken, like an ancient relics from the past.
Besides their looks and aesthetics, their safety and performance left much to be desired, lacking even in the basic functions.
Hogwarts wasn't short on funds by any means, the kids of the rich studied here and the ministry must have allotted a shit ton of money for the school.
William had a serious suspicion, Someone is definitely filling his own pockets instead of improving the school.
Mrs. Hooch approached, her short gray hair and piercing yellow eyes like that of an eagle's.
"Alright, what's the hold-up?" she yelled. "Everyone, find a broomstick and get ready!"
"Quick, quick, hurry up!" Mrs. Hooch urged.
William spotted a broom that seemed less worn out and hoped it worked.
Silently communicating his hopes to it, unsure if it would respond in kind.
He'd never attempted this before and prayed the broom would cooperate.
And he won't make a joke of himself in front of everyone.
"Extend your right hand over the broom handle," Mrs. Hooch instructed from the front. "Then, say: 'Up!'"
"Up!" echoed everyone's voices.
William's broom quivered, inching upwards, like a new born trying to fly.
With another firm command, looked like the broom gained a touch more speed, but it was still slow.
Cho's broom zipped into her grasp effortlessly, on her first command.
She Smirked in William's direction feeling smug about finally one upping him in something.
With everyone's brooms in in their hands,
Mrs. Hooch demonstrated the technique of riding a broom without slipping, showcasing her expertise.
Surprisingly, riding the broom wasn't as awkward as expected; an unseen support seemed to cushion their seats.
She paced among the group, adjusting their hand positions for better control.
"Once I blow the whistle, lift your legs from the ground and give a good kick-off," Mrs. Hooch instructed.
"Mount your brooms, float a few feet, then lean forward slightly before descending straight down to the ground.
Listen for my whistle-three-two-"
However, Shabby from the Hufflepuff
seemed was a little bit too excited.
Without waiting for Mrs. Hooch whistle, he kicked hard on the ground and flew up.
"Come back, child!" Mrs. Hooch shouted, but Shabby blasted off like a rocket.
Fred and George had mentioned the broom being incredibly slow,
yet it was too fast for William. And soon after, Shabby vanished from the sight.
Wasn't the Nimbus 1700 supposed to be slower?
A bit further from the greenhouse, the group located Shabby.
How lucky he was.
Not too far away, there's this special fertilizer made from.
the magical creature's dung.
It was used to water all sorts of magical plants.
Despite the tank being magically protected, Shabby, at that speed, couldn't avoid crashing into it.
But oh his luck ran out.
Shabby fell from a height but landed safely among a bunch of vines, so he wasn't hurt.
But the broom kept moving fast and disturbed a nearby plant. Suddenly, lots of branches shot out, snapping the worn broom into two.
Shabby tried to run to a damp wall to save himself, but the plant reacted,
sending out snakelike tendrils that wrapped around his ankles and lifted him up.
He tried desperately to tear off those vines, but the more he broke free, the faster and tighter the vines became.
When William and the others got there, they saw Shabby all wrapped up, hanging like a decoration from the eaves.
"Help!" Shabby cried, shaking. He looked like a wobbly green caterpillar from far away.
Nobody dared to go close. The long tentacles flailed around, hitting the ground hard and making a big hole.
The impact was like the kraken has attacked them rather then a plant .
All eyes turned to Mrs. Hooch.
Even Mrs. Hooch's expression shifted slightly. She recognized the plant before her—the Devil's snare.
It wasn't because she great in magical herbology.
But it was because a few months back, Robert, the previous Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, died below this plant.
Robert really had a miserable end. He was drunk during the day, got injured by a Tebo (wild boar), then stumbled into the Devil's snare, becoming ensnared, and ultimately died due to blood loss.
Mrs. Hooch was aware that Professor Sprout had relocated the Devil's snare, but she didn't thought it was moved near the septic tank.
The question lingered: Why did this broomstick ended up flying here, of all the places, was shabby's luck so bad.
But then again, Hogwarts has dangers in various corners:
Tall fences to the west and north, the Black Lake down south, the forbidden forest to the east, and the whomping willow...
It's a really dangerous place.
As for Mrs. Hooch, the Quidditch teacher...
Even though she's an adult wizard and a teacher, she didn't know how to handle the Devil's Snare.
You wouldn't rely on a gym teacher to solve calculus problems or figure out the cure for cancer.
Similarly, you can't expect a Quidditch teacher to know the weaknesses of the Devil's Snare.
Even if she once knew, it's likely been ages since she encountered it.
"You all stay put, I'll go fetch Pomfrey..."
Mrs. Hooch was in a frenzy, about to rush for someone to rescue, but before she could finish speaking, the Devil's Snare unfurled once more.
Angered by the commotion, the plant displayed its anger, vines unfolding across the ground, crushing every thing near.
Everyone moved backward, and Shabby was thrown high into the air, by a tendril aiming for the cesspool.
The first years gasped, half in shock and half in anticipation, as if expecting Shabby to start swimming freestyle any moment.
"Cho, don't!" William cautioned. "If you go near, you'll end up caught in the Devil's Snare too."
"What do we do then?" Cho asked urgently, trying to sit on the broom.
"I remember Hagrid saying the Devil's Snare lives in dark and damp places—"
"But we don't have any fire!" Cho exclaimed, waving her hands in frustration.
"Are you really a witch?" William asked, surprised at her stupid response.
He drew his wand, muttering an incantation, and a flame resembling a blue bellflower shot from the tip.
Crossing through the crowd, he moved cautiously toward the Devil's Snare, the flame on his wand glowing like a blue lantern.
All eyes fixated on William, some of them even covered their eyes.
Despite numerous vines baring their teeth and claws, none dared to approach him.
Instead, they all hid away into the dark corners, avoiding William's fiery advance.
In just a few seconds, Shabby felt that the vines had loosened their grip on him.
The plant twisted and twitched, automatically loosening the tendrils wrapped around him, and he finally broke free.
Breathing a sigh of relief before realising he was above ground without any support.
As he fell from the air, he yelled for help.
"Aah! Help me, I'm too young and handsome to die like this."
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Show some support by throwing your stones at me.