Today at Hogwarts was a beautiful, sunny day.
Warm sunlight spilled onto the open ground in front of the Hogwarts gate.
A gentle breeze rustled the lawn.
Opposite the lawn was the forest, a place forbidden to Little Wizards.
Ron was explaining to Harry what he had heard from his older brothers, complaining that the flying brooms at school were too old, would tremble slightly if flown too high, were difficult to control, and always veered to the left.
Hermione was a bit nervous, continuously reciting the flight operations manual from "quidditch through the ages," hoping it would help her.
Neville was the same, his body trembling slightly, listening eagerly to Hermione's recitation of "quidditch through the ages," hoping to hear even a tiny bit of useful knowledge.
Chen Yu saw that the Slytherin students had already arrived early; they were laughing and chatting, boasting about how excellent their flying skills were and how thrilling their flying experiences had been.
At their feet, more than twenty flying brooms were neatly laid out on the ground.
The flying lesson professor was Madam Hooch; she had short grey hair, yellow eyes, and an incredibly sharp gaze, looking like an eagle surveying its hunting grounds.
Seeing the Gryffindor students approach, she immediately snapped, "Gryffindor students, what are you dawdling for? Everyone, quickly stand next to a flying broom. Hurry, be quick! Make haste, don't dilly-dally!"
The Gryffindor Little Wizards heard Madam Hooch's words and jogged onto the field, each standing casually beside a flying broom.
The students from Slytherin and Gryffindor stood in their respective lines, facing each other. Madam Hooch stood in the middle of the two houses' students. There was much friction between the two houses; no one could stand the other.
Chen Yu looked down at the flying broom at his feet.
Hogwarts' flying brooms definitely needed replacing; this one looked like it had been used for many years, appearing worn and dilapidated.
The branches left in the tied-up part of the broom's tail were very sparse; it felt like it would fall apart even if used for sweeping.
Chen Yu mentally reviewed the Levitation Charm, feeling confident there would be no problem. Even if an accident occurred during flight, as long as he used the Levitation Charm in time, everything should be fine.
On the open lawn, to ensure every Little Wizard could hear her, Madam Hooch's voice was always very loud.
She instructed the students to stand to the left of their flying broom, place their right hand above the broom, concentrate on imagining the broom flying into their hand, and say "Up!" with feeling.
Chen Yu saw Harry's broom jump into his hand after only one call.
Ron's broom jumped up but hit him in the face.
Hermione's broom rolled over, and Neville's broom lay motionless on the ground.
As for his own broom, it only trembled slightly, then stopped moving.
It seemed only slightly better than Neville's situation.
Hermione looked at Harry in surprise, not expecting him to succeed on his first try.
Madam Hooch praised Harry and Malfoy; they were the only two Little Wizards who could make their brooms jump into their hands with just one call.
She said they had a great talent for flying.
Harry and Malfoy were both pleased at first, but seeing that both they and their rival had been praised, they secretly became sulky.
Madam Hooch continued to have the Little Wizards practice until everyone had their broom jump into their hand.
Chen Yu tried calling several times, but the broom only trembled once before becoming still.
This made Chen Yu wonder if his flying talent was even worse than Neville's.
He glanced at his classmates around him; Hermione and Ron had already successfully made their brooms jump into their hands, and even the broom at Neville's feet had started to bounce a couple of times now and then.
Looking at Harry, Ron, Hermione, and others who were encouraging him with their eyes, Chen Yu thought to himself: It looks like I'll have to use a little trick, otherwise, I might end up behind Neville.
Madam Hooch's instruction for Little Wizards to concentrate on imagining the flying broom flying into their hand was somewhat similar to the precautions Chen Yu had noted when learning Accio.
While saying "Up!", Chen Yu silently chanted Accio in his mind, chanting "Broom, come!"
The flying broom immediately flew into Chen Yu's hand.
Indeed, a wizard's will and spirit are key to mobilizing magic, and there are commonalities within spells.
After a while, seeing all the Little Wizards holding their brooms, Madam Hooch nodded with satisfaction and began teaching them how to mount a broom without sliding off, instructing them on the correct grip and flying posture.
After correcting many Little Wizards' incorrect riding and gripping postures, she began to let them attempt to fly.
"Next is the low-altitude flight test. When I blow my whistle, you will push off with both legs and leave the ground."
"Remember to hold your broom steady, hover at low altitude, lean your body forward, and descend vertically back to the ground."
"Now everyone listen for my whistle... Three! Two!..."
Madam Hooch hadn't finished the countdown when Chen Yu suddenly turned his head to look at Neville.
Sure enough, Neville was still too nervous; afraid of being left on the ground, he pushed off with both legs and shot forward before Madam Hooch even blew her whistle.
He shot straight into the sky with a "pop," like a champagne cork after being shaken.
Madam Hooch saw Neville fly up first, thinking he was trying to show off, and frowned, shouting at Neville, "Boy, come back!"
Unfortunately, Neville had not mastered true flying techniques; he had merely pushed off too hard, which was why he flew higher and higher, quickly reaching a height of over ten meters.
As Neville flew on his broom, his body constantly swayed, rolled, and inverted; it didn't look like a stunt performance, but rather like the flying broom was out of control, carrying Neville with it.
Hearing Neville's panicked screams from the air, Madam Hooch quickly shouted at him, "Boy, danger! Hold on tight to your broom! Don't let go!"
No sooner had Madam Hooch finished speaking than she saw Neville crash into the wall of Hogwarts Castle.
Hogwarts Castle walls were protected by spells, so Neville was immediately bounced off and did not hit the cold, solid wall.
But this also made Neville completely lose his sense of direction, and amidst the Little Wizards' gasps, Neville lost his grip on the broom and fell directly from the sky.
Due to the suddenness of the incident, Madam Hooch had no time to pull out her wand to rescue him.
Chen Yu, quick-witted, had been keeping an eye on Neville's movements. Seeing Neville fall from the sky, he quickly pointed his already drawn wand at Neville and shouted, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The magic immediately slowed Neville's descent, making him suddenly hover at a height of three meters, then slowly lower.
Seeing Neville land safely, Madam Hooch quickly ran to check on him.
If anything had gone wrong with Neville in her class, she would be held responsible.
Madam Hooch found that Neville was only a bit bruised and tear-streaked. She helped him up and looked at Chen Yu with approval: "Well done! A good Levitation Charm, Gryffindor gets five points!"
The sight of Neville crashing into the Hogwarts Castle wall and falling from a great height had truly scared him.
Even though Neville's injuries didn't seem serious, Madam Hooch insisted on taking him to the infirmary to have Madam Poppy Pomfrey check on him before she could truly relax.
"Alright, children, I need to take this boy to the school infirmary. All of you stay here quietly, no unauthorized movement! Put all the flying brooms back in their place, and no unauthorized flying! Anyone who disobeys will be expelled from Hogwarts!"
Madam Hooch made the punishment for unauthorized flying sound very severe; she didn't want any more mischief from the Little Wizards during the short time she was away.
After speaking, she supported the tear-streaked and bruised Neville and walked towards the castle.
