(Forward Dated to June 5) That Day of the Year Again - OTA, Gathering Style!

[black_nimbus01]

Today was The Day. If anyone asked how old he was, Draco would throw out a random number - partly because the reactions were fun, and partly because he didn't want to think about it. Plenty of that had gone on the previous year. All the energy Draco would have spent worrying and pontificating about the meaning of life was re-allocated to the

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[moor_maleficent]

Maleficent, though she didn't know Draco, walked up just as the preparations were complete, drawn by the magic in the air around most of the decorations.

In particular, she gazed at the broomsticks with some puzzlement.

[black_nimbus01]

Draco always had an eye out for anyone remotely interested in broomsticks. The joy of flying was an opportunity too few people took advantage of in the village.

"Racing brooms," he said with a friendly grin as he came up beside the horned woman. "Well, flying brooms at least. Some of these aren't well-suited to proper racing."

[moor_maleficent]

The Fae's attention was riveted. "You can fly on these?" she asked incredulously. Or perhaps hungrily. Her bright eyes could easily be interpreted either way.

[black_nimbus01]

His grin grew much wider. Draco knew that look all too well. Winter often brought on that look in his mirror.

"Oh yes." He chose a broom, mounted, and hovered about five feet off the groom. "It's a simple device, really. An series of enchantments gives them the ability to defy gravity."

[moor_maleficent]

"Can anyone use them? Or must one know a phrase or be a human or... ?" She made no effort to hide her desire to fly.

[black_nimbus01]

"These ones are specially made for those lacking magic," he said eying her speculatively. "Though I have the feeling that's not true for you. No matter. They don't forbid those with magic to ride them, they're merely much easier to use."

[moor_maleficent]

"They are yours, then. May I try one?" she asked politely.

[black_nimbus01]

"Of course." Draco smiled and motioned towards the selection. "Beginner skill on the left, and they go up to expert on the right."

[moor_maleficent]

"What are the differences between the 'beginner' broom and the 'expert' one?" Maleficent asked.

[black_nimbus01]

"Beginner brooms are for those unfamiliar with flying or magic in general. The sensation of balancing one's life in something the mind cannot readily understand can be disconcerting, I am told," he explained briefly. "Expert brooms are for those that have a lot of experience with the mechanics of flying - balance, direction, speed, control, all of that. I would not put someone who has never flown before on an expert broom, and someone who has proverbially spent their life in the sky would find the beginner's broom rather boring and stifling."

[moor_maleficent]

"The 'Expert' one it is, then." Maleficent, observant Fae that she was, had noticed the extra note of command in Draco's voice when he activated the broom. She held out her hand and insisted, "Up!" as naturally as a Queen.

The broom obeyed with alacrity.

She considered the mechanics of riding a broom in a dress, and sat on it side-saddle.

"How does one tell it to fly?"

[black_nimbus01]

Draco grinned. The woman was bold and impressive.

"It obeys the nuances of the body," Draco explained. "Think of it as an extension of the body, and it will listen."

[moor_maleficent]

Maleficent looked up to the sky in the direction the broom pointed and leaned forward with her hand gripping the handle firmly. A moment later, she was off like a shot.

A second after she gained flight, it was probably for the best that neither Glinda nor Elphaba were still in the village or they might have remembered a certain day that terrified the citizens of The Emerald City.

Of course, Elphaba's high, screeching cackle was nothing like Maleficent's deep and throaty wicked laughter, but otherwise the resemblance between the two was notable.

[black_nimbus01]

Draco shielded his vision from the sun and smiled up at the sky. Clearly the broomsticks were a hit, and that made him very pleased with himself.

[moor_maleficent]

After a few minutes of flying around rather acrobatically, she swooped down to nail a perfect landing in front of him. Her eyes glowed with exhilaration.

"Where might one get one of these? It's almost as if I had my wings back..." she enthused.

[black_nimbus01]

Draco was clearly impressed, and wondered what wonderful things she could do with wings. But the implication that she had lost her wings kept him from prying.

"The Quidditch shop has a wide variety. Quidditch is a game from my home which is played on racing brooms."