"Five For Flying." (Harry Potter) G
Title: Five For Flying. (On Archive Of Our Own)
Author:
lannamichaels
Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Series: What Remains Behind
Rating: G
A/N: This was yanked out of Find Strength In What Remains Behind for ruining the flow, but I thought it was worth expanding out by itself.
Summary: Harry Potter had a talent for flying.
1.
For young Mr. Potter, the mandatory flying lessons in his second year came with a pleasant shock. He had no talent for Arithmancy or Potions, and so was placed in the safest category in the flying class. Others might have better luck if they fell; Harry did not have that margin for error. The school broomsticks were spelled for safety and the entire Quidditch pitch was heavily charmed. It would not allow flying above a certain height, it would slow any falls, and it would not allow bludgers to strike a student in the face. Still, Harry knew to be careful.
And then class began. They did not call their brooms to their hands; rather, they mounted them directly. The teacher instructed them on proper grip and steering. And then they were off.
And it was --
It was glorious.
Harry laughed in delight. He was good at this.
2.
For Harry's thirteenth birthday, Trudy invited him home to visit for the weekend. Harry had been spending the summer studying for muggle exams; despite the school's best efforts, Harry felt he was behind where he should be. He was thinking about going to university, although he didn't know yet what he wanted to study. He wanted to keep his options open, but he welcomed the break to go to Scotland and see his friends.
Trudy threw him a party and then she and Charlotte jointly presented him with a broomstick and tickets to a local professional Quidditch match for that night. Harry discovered that, despite the fact that school Quidditch was played on brooms enchanted to never rise above two meters off the ground, it was no less vicious and competitive than a professional match. The World Cup was to be next year and, when Harry left, they were already starting to make plans to go.
When Sirius Black broke out of prison, Harry was safely back at school and didn't need to be told not to leave; he didn't intend to.
3.
That year, Harry started taking his broomstick out and flying around the grounds. It was a traveling broomstick, not a proper Quidditch one, and was meant for distances and not speed. It was comfortable for long rides and had tons of safety charms that promised that, when used properly, it was impossible to fall off. That was good; Harry worried about falling a lot. He had broken a couple bones growing up and didn't want to do it again.
But Harry liked flying. It was the one place he felt like he could be alone. There weren't that many students at the school, but it wasn't all that big, and anyway, even if he was alone, there was still Sally. When he went for walks, he could hear the snakes around him talking to each other. In the air, there was him and the wind.
He wasn't the only one flying, of course, but mostly they left each other alone. They all had their reasons.
4.
Lupin was ill a lot, but that year he was absent even more; everyone was talking about how he kept being called back to Hogwarts to talk to Dumbledore about the fugitive from Azkaban, who was the headmaster's cousin. Different teachers took time to cover Lupin's classes and, for the first time, Harry was asked to present to the other students about what he knew about runespoors. It went pretty well, he thought. If this were Hogwarts, maybe they'd call him a dark wizard for having Sally as a pet, but here, everyone was more interested in trying to stump her with riddles.
In December, they found Sirius Black in a dormitory at Hogwarts and Lupin came back. His face was tight. Some of the students had told Harry that Sirius Black might have been after him, but Harry didn't think so, especially not if he was caught at Hogwarts. Not if Sirius Black had been intending to finish the job he started years ago. Everyone in the magical world knew that Harry Potter was not attending Hogwarts. Most still thought he was dead.
When everything died down, Lupin called him in to the office and reassured him that Black was not in a position to hurt him. "He found some compelling evidence to his innocence," said Lupin. "But the Ministry won't hear it, so he's gone, fled the country. I've told the headmaster in case he hears from him, but otherwise, I think this episode is behind us."
(In the Shack, Lupin had told Sirius about Harry. Starting that Christmas, Harry began receiving owl-post gifts. They were always anonymous. It would be years before Harry would find out who sent them.)
5.
The World Cup was like Diagon Alley: it was gaudy, it was crowded, and it made promises it couldn't keep. Harry loved it. It was Quidditch on a scale he didn't think he'd ever see again. He sat with Trudy and Charlotte and their families. Charlotte's older sister, who was friendlier than Harry'd expected and also played for her house team, provided a near-expert view on what they were seeing.
The match was all anyone could talk about at the school party afterwards, and Harry was so caught up in it that when the snakes started talking, Harry ignored them.
And then his scar began to ache. And then he heard the slithering, loud and terrifying. And then he heard the screams and suddenly in the night, bright against the dark sky, floated the Dark Mark.
Harry remembered: a flash of green light.
Harry remembered: cold laughter.
The Dark Mark hissed at him and Harry heard: die.
The headmaster grabbed his arm. "Harry," he said, sounding like he'd said it many times, like he'd been trying to get Harry's attention for a while now. "Harry, take this," and he pressed a shoe into Harry's hand, and Harry gripped the portkey. The world spun. He landed in the hospital wing back at school, shivering, shuddering. Charlotte and Trudy were already there.
There was hissing from behind him and Harry flinched, but then Sally slithered up the bed and wrapped herself around Harry's arm. Harry patted her gently and promised her that he'd be okay.
He was lying, but he figured if he repeated it long enough, it would become true.
This entry was originally posted at http://lannamichaels.dreamwidth.org/872047.html.