Chapter 29

[Chapter Size: 1700 Words.]

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When Madam Hooch felt that everyone had grasped the basics, she instructed them to mount their brooms and prepare for takeoff.

However, before she could even give the command, she was already feeling nervous and concerned, Neville, who had been struggling moments ago, was now unexpectedly ahead of everyone.

Then, he suddenly floated upward.

Then, he couldn't come down.

Then, he plummeted uncontrollably.

Harry slapped his forehead in frustration. Since this was a flying lesson, he had tucked his wand into his waistband. By the time he pulled it out, he was too slow and had no chance to cast a spell, like Wingardium Leviosa, to stop Neville from falling.

By the time he had his wand in hand, Neville was already crumpled on the ground, his body twitching slightly.

Neville didn't cry, and Harry thought that was rather brave of him. If I had fallen from that height and broken my wrist, I doubt I'd be able to hold back tears.

Madam Hooch used magic to make Neville float and quickly escorted him toward the castle. Before leaving, she turned to the remaining students with a stern warning:

"I'm taking Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing. None of you are to move. Put your brooms back where they belong. If I see anyone in the air when I return, you'll be expelled from Hogwarts before you can even say 'Quidditch'!"

Most of the young witches and wizards obediently placed their brooms back where they belonged, but, of course, there were exceptions.

As soon as Madam Hooch disappeared into the castle, Draco Malfoy burst into laughter.

"Did you see that? That fat, blundering idiot!" he sneered.

Several Slytherins laughed along, especially his two ever-present henchmen, Crabbe and Goyle. Harry found it ironic, given their own bulky frames, how could they have the audacity to call anyone else fat?

"You have no idea, do you?"

"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry muttered. But he had hesitated, and Parvati Patil was the one who spoke up first.

"Oh? What's this, Patil? Do you have a soft spot for that chubby crybaby?" Pansy Parkinson taunted.

Pansy was, in truth, a rather pretty girl, with short black hair and delicate features. However, she always carried herself with her nose in the air, looking down on others. If Hermione's arrogance ranked at a five, then Pansy's was at least a twenty.

She took particular delight in mocking others, Ron's hand-me-down robes, Neville's clumsiness, anything she could use to belittle them. Ron and his friends despised her for it.

Pansy seemed to have a special grudge against the Patil twins.

Harry understood why. Nearly everyone considered the Patil sisters to be among the most beautiful girls in their year, Harry himself agreed. That fact clearly irked Pansy, who prided herself on her own looks.

By contrast, another Slytherin girl, Daphne Greengrass, was far more reserved. Even among Gryffindors, many had a good impression of her.

At that moment, Daphne looked slightly displeased with Draco and Pansy's behavior. She furrowed her brows but chose to remain silent.

Just as Harry and Ron always stood by their fellow Gryffindors, Slytherins were fiercely loyal to their own.

Unfortunately, Parvati was no match for Pansy's sharp tongue. Her beautiful face flushed red with anger, but when she opened her mouth, no words came out.

"Well, well, what's this?" Draco suddenly exclaimed. He took a few quick steps forward and bent down to pick up a small object near the spot where Neville had fallen.

It was a Remembrall.

"Oh, look! If that oaf actually used this thing, maybe he'd remember to land on his backside next time!" Draco mocked.

"Malfoy, give that back!" Harry snapped, stepping forward.

Draco smirked. "No, I think I'll hide it. Let's see if Longbottom can find it. The treetops sound like a good place."

"I said, give it here!"

Harry lunged toward him, but Malfoy was quick. He knew full well that Harry was a capable fighter, so he instinctively jumped back to maintain his distance. At the same time, he mounted his broom and took off with a sharp whoosh.

It was clear he hadn't been bluffing about his flying skills. His posture might not have been perfect, but he was certainly adept, quickly soaring five or six meters into the air.

"Come and get it, Potter, if you can!" Draco taunted, controlling his broom with one hand while tossing the Remembrall up and down with the other.

Harry locked eyes on the Remembrall. The moment Draco threw it into the air again, Harry swiftly drew his wand and commanded:

"Accio Remembrall!"

The ball stopped mid-air, then zoomed straight into Harry's outstretched hand. He caught it firmly, leaving Draco hovering above with a stunned expression.

"The Summoning Charm! I know that spell too, why didn't I think of that?" Hermione murmured to herself, shaking her head.

The Summoning Charm was considered a relatively advanced basic spell. While challenging, it was still fundamental magic.

Though it wasn't typically taught in the lower years, Hermione, ever the overachiever, had, of course, already learned it. She wasn't yet fluent in it, but she could at least cast it successfully.

Although Harry had experimented with many spells over the summer, the Summoning Charm had not been one of them. That particular spell wasn't even listed in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1.

He had only learned it after arriving at Hogwarts, specifically, during a trip to the library last weekend, when he had practiced it with Hermione. In truth, he was far from mastering it, and Harry secretly felt lucky that it had worked on his first attempt.

But while Harry knew it had been luck, the other young Gryffindors had no idea!

"Wow!" gasps of amazement echoed around him.

To the wide-eyed first-years, Harry's move hadn't just been impressive, it was magnificent! Parvati Patil and Sally-Anne Perks stared at him with stars in their eyes.

"Potter!"

Draco Malfoy descended from the air, his face almost as dark as the bottom of a cauldron, his eyes burning with fury.

His original plan had been simple: show off his flying skills, goad Harry into taking to the sky, and then humiliate him up there.

Instead, Harry had cursed him, making him look like a complete fool in front of everyone.

Stealing his moment to shine? That's unforgivable!

Draco was so enraged that he completely forgot the lingering fear from the beating Harry had given him on the train. He stomped toward him.

"What?"

Harry was too busy basking in the admiration of the Gryffindor girls to be bothered. He turned lazily, squinting at Draco's fuming face.

"What's your problem, Malfoy?"

"If you've got the guts, come and race me in the air!" Draco challenged through gritted teeth.

"Madam Hooch said no flying is allowed!" Hermione interjected loudly.

Draco ignored her, keeping his eyes locked on Harry.

"No, no," Harry said, spreading his hands in mock innocence. "Madam Hooch said we're not allowed to leave the ground."

He tilted his head, looking every bit the obedient student, unlike some people.

Draco sneered. "Haha, you're scared! Admit it, Potter, you're just a coward!"

Harry rolled his eyes. How could anyone fall for such a childish taunt?

"Why not?" Ron suddenly blurted out, completely missing the fact that he was about to do exactly that.

Harry had managed to resist Draco's provocation, but Ron? Not a chance. Without thinking, he stepped forward, eager to mount his broom and prove himself.

Harry suspected it was the sheer excitement of seeing a broom actually lift off the ground that made Ron so confident.

"Oi, oi, oi!" Harry grabbed Ron by the back of his robes just in time.

Merlin's beard, mate, you're making Gryffindor look like a bunch of idiots!

After successfully pulling Ron back, Harry turned his attention to Draco, who was looking smug, as if he had already won.

Harry smirked. "Tell me, Malfoy, do you dare to eat shit?"

Draco froze.

His family wasn't just pure-blooded nobility in the wizarding world; they also held noble status among Muggles. His grandfather had even possessed an official title.

Draco had been raised in an environment where insults were always wrapped in cutting wit and sarcasm, he had never been exposed to actual crude language.

Harry, on the other hand? He'd been mastering that skill since childhood. Aunt Petunia was an expert.

Before the Dursleys became as financially comfortable as they were now, she had made a habit of throwing sharp-tongued insults at the cashiers in the local supermarket.

At school, it was no different.

Though Harry had always been more of an observer, he had definitely learned a thing or two from the other kids. Whenever someone tried to insult him, he had used every trick in the book, ones he had picked up from Aunt Petunia.

He wasn't particularly skilled at it, not compared to her, but against someone like Draco Malfoy? It was too easy.

"Why the hell would I do that?!" Draco snapped, looking utterly disgusted.

"Haha! You don't dare! You don't dare! You're scared, Malfoy! You're terrified!"

Harry mimicked Draco's earlier taunts exactly, but with even more arrogance.

Draco's face went blank.

He felt as if he really had eaten shit.

For several seconds, the two boys just stared at each other in silence.

But with Harry standing there smirking, obviously holding the upper hand, Draco was growing increasingly infuriated.

Right at that moment, Madam Hooch returned.

"Professor, is Neville alright?" Harry immediately abandoned Draco and turned to her with genuine concern.

"Mr. Longbottom is fine," Madam Hooch replied, clearly pleased by Harry's consideration for his classmate. She even smiled and nodded at him. "Madam Pomfrey mended his wrist in a second. But she wants him to rest in the hospital wing for a while."

Harry let out a breath of relief. He had been feeling guilty for not being able to save Neville in time, even though it wasn't his fault.

After all, not even Madam Hooch had reacted fast enough to stop the fall.

"Alright! Now, let's continue the lesson!" Madam Hooch announced.

She didn't seem particularly fazed by Neville's accident.

Harry figured she had probably seen plenty of incidents like that before.

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