Quote:
Originally Posted by
demented_death_eater 
"Very good!" exclaimed Vindictus as he watched the students. He'd make fliers out of them yet!
"Before we get to fly in the air, let's discuss how to maneuver the broom in the air." He ran over to the broom rack and selected a broom for his own use, then ran back to his position in front of the class.
His motions were exceedingly quick and in a blink of an eye, he was hovering on the broom with his feet resting comfortably on the metal stirrups located on either side of the tail twigs.
"To make your broom move forward, lean over the broom and keep the handle horizontal to the ground. Now watch." He slightly leaned forward over the broom handle and kept it level over the ground. Slowly (and deliberately) he flew back and forth in front of the class. He was no higher than five feet off the ground.
"Now I'm slowing the broom down by sitting upright and pulling the handle slightly towards me," he said as he came to a gradual stop, hovering in the air.
"Now all of you will try this. Gently pick your feet up off the ground and stretch them backwards until the soles of your shoes touch the metal stirrups located on either side of the tail twigs," Vindictus instructed the class. "Then lean forward over the broom like I demonstrated. I want you to fly forward about twenty feet and then return to where you started."
He saw that several of the students were nervous and smiled. "No one will be flying fast or high in the sky... yet. Everyone - give it a go!"
Helena carefully mounted the broom she was holding and suddenly froze.
I can do this, she kept repeating in her mind. She gently pushed her feet off the ground and stretched them backwards until she felt the metal stirrups.
Uhh this is really uncomfortable, she thought.
She slowly leaned forward over the broom and it started hovering over the ground. Helena was now about one feet above the ground, but that was enough for her. The next moment, she was flying around, or maybe just hovering, but still flying.
Maybe I'm actually going to enjoy this, she thought, laughing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
demented_death_eater He continued watching the students slowly inch around the area. Time to move on.
"Very good! Now place your feet firmly on the ground and listen carefully," Vindictus began. "To make your broom go faster, lean closer to the handle. Steering your broom is easy and many of you did it without being told how to do it - all you do is nudge the handle in the direction you want to go. Up, down, left, right."
"Landing, however, is a little more tricky because you won't come to a hovering stop like you just did. As soon as the ground is near, stick your feet out so that you have control once you touch the earth. It's common to see fliers jogging a few feet after landing."
Yes, some of the students were nervous. Thank Merlin he used a height limit charm to keep the students from flight too high, and a cushioning charm (different than the one found on brooms) on the pitch to soften any fall.
"I want everyone to have fun flying today - some of you will start fast and some of you will start slow. Some of you will fly high in the sky and some of you will fly low to the ground. The objective is for you to become comfortable flying a broomstick in a safe environment. Do not let obstacles, such as the older students in the stands watching, distract you. FOCUS. Be the master of your broom."
"On my whistle, I want you to push off from the ground and you'll be airborne," he said and held his whistle up to his lips.
TWEET!
As professor Vindictus was talking, she carefully leaned down and the broom went closer to the ground, enough for her to touch it.
Okay, older students watching?
He shoundn't have noticed that.
Hearing the whistle, Helena leaned forward again and rose up in the air, this time a little bit higher.
I'm really scared now, she thought.
Okay, lean closer to the handle. The broom started to hover a little bit faster, but she didn't lean too close, she just... couldn't.
She flew around for a few more minutes, faster and faster.
Landing now. How was she going to do that? She leaned down a little and the broom started to get closer to the ground and she sticked her feet out to touch the ground.
She took a deep breath.
Okay, it's over.