The morning sun was bright as Ethan and the rest of the first-year Ravenclaws made their way down to the grassy lawns outside the castle, where their flying lessons would be held. The sky stretched out in a wide, endless blue, and a fresh breeze stirred the edges of their robes as they walked.
Ethan wasn't sure how he felt about today. Flying on a broomstick had always seemed exciting in theory, who wouldn't want to soar through the sky like a bird? But now that it was real, he wasn't entirely convinced. It was one thing to read about it in books. It was another to be standing on the edge of a field, looking at a row of slightly battered broomsticks laid out on the grass like half-forgotten toys.
Madam Hooch was already waiting for them, standing tall with a sharp look in her yellow hawk-like eyes. Her short grey hair ruffled in the wind as she barked out instructions.
"Everyone stand by a broomstick! Quickly now!"
The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs hurried to obey. Ethan picked the broom closest to him, a rough-looking thing with uneven twigs and a slightly splintered handle. He eyed it warily. Somehow, the idea of entrusting his life to it didn't seem all that comforting.
"Stick out your hand over the broom and say, 'Up!'" Madam Hooch commanded.
Ethan held his hand out, feeling slightly foolish. "Up!" he said.
The broom twitched a little, rolled slightly, and then flopped over with a pitiful sort of bounce. Around him, a few brooms shot up eagerly into waiting hands, while others stubbornly refused to budge.
It took Ethan three tries before the broom finally jerked into his palm, almost smacking him in the face on the way up. He caught it awkwardly, glancing around to make sure no one noticed. Helena, a few spaces down, had already caught hers with an effortless smile.
Madam Hooch paced along the line of students, correcting grips and posture with sharp, quick movements. "Grip it tight! No, not like that, you'll break your wrist if you fall."
Ethan adjusted his hands carefully. The wood was cold and rough under his fingers.
"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hover for a moment, and then come straight back down. On my signal, no sooner!"
Ethan's heart thudded uncomfortably in his chest as he tightened his grip. He didn't mind heights. But he wasn't sure he trusted the broom. It felt like it had a mind of its own, and not a particularly reliable one.
Madam Hooch raised her whistle to her lips, and with a shrill blast, the students kicked off.
For a terrifying second, Ethan's feet left the ground. The broom lifted under him, surprisingly forceful, and he wobbled dangerously. Wind rushed past his ears. He was maybe five or six feet in the air, not high by any measure, but enough to make his stomach swoop unpleasantly.
Hover, he told himself, gritting his teeth. Stay still.
The broom vibrated faintly beneath him, almost alive, twitching under the weight of his inexperience. He flailed slightly, managing to right himself just as Madam Hooch shouted for them to land.
Ethan pointed the broom downward and dropped a little harder than he meant to, stumbling as his feet hit the ground. He nearly lost his balance but managed to steady himself at the last second.
Around him, students were laughing and talking excitedly. Some had landed gracefully, others not so much. One Hufflepuff boy had landed on his backside and was laughing too hard to get up immediately.
"Well, not bad for a first go," Madam Hooch said briskly. "We'll be working on control and maneuvering in the next few lessons. For now, put your brooms away."
Ethan leaned his broom back against the grass, giving it a wary look. He wasn't sure if he liked flying or not. It hadn't been awful... but it hadn't been the thrilling, magical experience he had always imagined either. It had been... uncomfortable. Strange. Maybe it would get better with practice.
As they walked back toward the castle, Helena bounded up beside him, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
"That was amazing!" she said, practically bouncing on her feet. "Did you see how high I got?"
"I saw," Ethan said, smiling a little. Her enthusiasm was infectious.
Anthony joined them, looking slightly dazed. "I think I left my stomach somewhere up there."
Helena laughed. "You'll get used to it."
Ethan didn't say much. He was still turning the experience over in his mind, unsure how he felt. The sensation of being off the ground had been both exhilarating and unsettling. He liked the idea of flying. He wasn't sure he liked the reality of it, at least, not yet.
They trudged up the wide front steps of the castle and made their way inside, the warmth of the stone halls wrapping around them after the crisp outdoor air.
Their next class was History of Magic, which none of them were particularly excited about. Professor Binns was notorious for putting even the most energetic students to sleep within minutes.
By the time they slipped into the classroom and found seats near the back, Ethan's earlier adrenaline had faded, replaced by a sleepy heaviness. The chairs were hard and uncomfortable, the windows letting in pale streams of light that seemed to promise nothing but drowsiness.
Professor Binns floated in through the blackboard at the front of the room, a wispy, translucent figure who looked completely unaware of his own ghostly state. Without preamble, he launched into a monotone lecture about the Goblin Rebellions of the seventeenth century.
Ethan propped his chin on his hand, trying valiantly to stay awake. Helena was doodling absentmindedly in the margins of her parchment, while Anthony had already begun blinking slowly, his head bobbing every now and then.
He found his thoughts drifting. He thought about flying, about the feel of the wind in his hair, the strange lightness of having nothing solid beneath him. He thought about how maybe, with time, he could learn to enjoy it. Maybe flying was something you had to grow into.
He glanced down at his empty parchment and continued mindlessly writing down what was said and written by Binns, not that the ghost seemed particularly concerned with whether anyone was paying attention.
Time crawled by. When they were finally dismissed, Ethan gathered his things gratefully, stretching stiff arms and legs as he stood.
Outside the classroom, the corridors were alive with students bustling to and from lessons, laughter and chatter echoing off the high stone walls. Ethan fell into step with Helena and Anthony, the three of them heading toward their next destination.