Flying
Sadly during first year the Gryffindors only had potions with the Slytherins. It really got in his way of trying to corner Regulus to talk with him. Well that and one other class but that was outside, no chance to try to talk to him in private. But James was actually really looking forward to that class. It was their flying lessons, James’ first time back on a broom in technically 12 years! He was so bloody excited, Harry on the other hand was not at all excited.
James had found out that somehow Harry and Draco Malfoy, the only son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, had a feud going on. Harry had gotten it into his mind that there was no way he would be good at flying and would make a fool out of himself in front of Malfoy.
Really Harry shouldn’t be worrying about it, James knew he was going to be great! I mean his dad was Gryffindor quidditch captain and was scouted by several professional leagues! But it wasn’t like he could just say that randomly so here they were the morning of the class, with Harry refusing to eat due to nerves.
“C’mon Harry you gotta eat!” Ron said as he was shoving some pancakes in his mouth.
“What’s the point in eating when it’ll just come back up in a bit?” Harry mutters picking at his plate.
“You’ll spend the morning shaky and it’ll just make you fly worse, you gotta eat something Harry,” James hums and he moves some pieces of cantaloupe over to Harry’s plate, “At least fruit, that’s easier to stomach.”
Harry shoots him a quick look but fueled by the thought of somehow being even worse than he was sure to be, he started to eat the fruit as the owls flew in with the morning parcels.
“What’d you get Neville?” A muggleborn named Dean Thomas who was their dorm said, looking at the package Neville had just gotten.
“It’s from my Gran, it’s a remembrall, they change when you’ve… forgotten something…” Neville trails off at the end as he sees the smoke inside turn from white to red.
James couldn’t help but wince, Alice was always forgetful, she must have passed it down to Neville. A part of James why his Grandmother had sent him a remembrall, they were horrible. James had the memory of Lily mentioning that Alice had one but it was always red as she always forgot stuff but it couldn’t tell what you forgot so it just stressed her out. Remembralls were just the worst.
Neville was trying to remember what on earth he had forgotten when the remembrall was snatched right out of his hand by none other than Draco Malfoy.
Before any comment could be made Ron and Harry had jumped out of their seats right as Professor McGonagall appeared at their sides.
“And just what is going on over here?”
James was quick to speak up, “Malfoy has Neville’s remembrall Ma’am.”
He saw her eyes quickly flit over to Malfoy who very quickly put it on the table and mumble something before he walked off with his goons behind him.
Harry and Ron slowly sat down as McGonagall left the table.
Neville smiled shyly at the three of them, “Thanks guys…”
“No problem Neville!”
~~~
Soon it was their flying lesson time. The Gryffindors were there after the Slytherins but they all quickly moved to stand next to a broom.
Now to put it bluntly, the school broom’s were shit. Especially since these ones looked to be the same ones James had for his own flying lessons. He knew of course that through the 10 years brooms had advanced quite a lot but even on his old Nimbus 1989 he could fly laps around these brooms.
In an ironic twist of fate Harry was between James and Ron, with James across from the man himself. Regulus.
James sent him a small smirk, this was slightly familiar. Regulus and him facing against each other with brooms.
Regulus responded in kind of course by flipping him off very discreetly.
James tried to not laugh as Madam Hooch began her speech and the instructions.
The first step was to say ‘Up!’ and get the brooms in their hands.
James had barely finished saying it before his test broom was in his hand. He looked around to see how the others in the lesson were doing. He saw that Regulus, Malfoy, another Slytherin boy and Harry were all the same as him, the broom jumping right away. He muffled a snort seeing Ron’s thwack him on the nose before going to his hand. And of course a few like Neville and a bushy haired girl still had their brooms on the ground, sensing their reluctance to fly.
However they weren’t all that lucky as Madam Hooch just had them pick their brooms up.
She spent a while correcting grips and James of course got praised for his. What was weird though was she actually corrected Regulus’ grip. Now James knew Regulus’ quidditch skills, he knew that he and James were practically the same, if James’ was perfect, so should have Regulus’ been. Of course Regulus looked pissed off about that, obviously thinking the same thing as James.
“Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard,” said Madam Hooch, “Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward Slightly. On my whistle -Three -Two - One!”
After the countdown everyone pushed off from the ground. James felt immediate relief being up in the air, no matter how far off the ground he was. He could see the tension slip out of Regulus as well as they kicked off.
Sadly that tension quickly came to both of them as they heard Madam Hooch shouting at Neville. James looked up and saw Neville rising way too fast and getting pale. He saw the moment Neville blacked out and slid sideways off of his broom.
Without thinking James shot on his broom towards Neville’s falling body and managed to catch him. Sadly the force Neville fell knocked James off of his broom as well but at least he had softened the blow for Neville.
Madam Hooch rushed over to them and checked them over, tutting at Neville, “Broken wrist… Come on you two, off to the hospital wing with you both!”
James managed to get up and helped her with getting Neville up, he was feeling alright of course, he’d had much worse falls from worse heights than that.
“None of you is to move while I take these boys to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms on the ground or you’ll be out of Hogwarts before you can say ‘Quidditch.’ Come dears,” Madam Hooch said as she started to walk them back inside the castle.
James managed to send Harry and Ron a reassuring smile before they were out of his eyeline.