Eino wasn't a first year, but he still flew like one, like one limbless first year. He had no sense of balance or direction, and a very loose grip. He was very glad Professor Vindictus allowed older students to participate in the basic flying lessons to improve their flying skills. He certainly needed all the additional training he could get, and there was no way he would just pick up a broom and try to fly on his own. Last time that happened he... Well, it never happened. "Good day, Professor." He greeted as he approached him in the middle of the quidditch pitch. He expected the pitch to be busy with all the house tryouts but apparently none were scheduled for today.

Hands trembling like a leaf in the wind, Kurumi made her way to the practice pitch with a large lump in her throat and her stomach in knots. Flying had taken on an entirely new meaning this summer seeing as Selina had taken it upon herself to put Kurumi though a crash course, literally, of flying lessons when she had stayed with her for two weeks over the summer.

Kurumi saw the man of the hour leaning against the broom rack and she bowed at him slightly, her eyes glancing at the brooms and the knot in her stomach tightening.

"G-G-Good day, Professor Vindictus,' she stammered as her hands gripped the edges of her robes.

Kyle walked onto the pitch her hands felt clamy, and that could have been because today it was her first flying lesson here at Hogwarts with her head of house. She wanted to do well. Really, she did. She kind of still had that small itzy-bitzy fear of him at times. Now was one of them.

When he could reduce points from her beloved house. Gulp.

"Hello Professor Vindi-CHOOO" she sneezed, and blushed awkward time to sneeze mid introduction. "Vindictus" she finished, her nose twitching slightly.

The eleven year old skipped her way to where Flying Lessons were going to be held. She was mega excited to go. That lesson had been one of her first things to do. Peyton looked up and stopped dead in her tracks.

O_O

It was that MAN! The same one that had yelled at her at the ship when they were about to get attacked by a crazed Ravenclaw.

Hmmm....

She debated on whether to stay or leave. BUT, she loved brooms and flying. Did this really have to happen to her? First, a step-mom and now this, a cranky man. SIGH. With hunched shoulders, the first year made her way to where some students stood. "Hello, Professor," she greeted politely, but the usual excitement in her voice gone.

Maybe he wasn't that mean. Maybe, he was just having a bad day that day at the ship. Shrug.

"Good day, students. Please grab a broom and place it on the grass beside you," Vindictus said as he greeted the students.

Selina smiled at Kurumi and Kyle. She knew that she did not need to attend the flying class because she had been flying for so long and she was no longer a first year, but she loved it. And besides a class that involved flying and nothing else but flying? She was in.

When Vindictus told the class to grab a broom she nodded. She loved her broom, but disobeying Vindictus was never a smart idea. He had once been so angry last year he had docked 30 points from both Elektra and Violet each for their attitude... he was a tough cookie.

So she did as she was told and grabbed a broom and placed it on the grass beside her.

Presley arrived at the basic flying first lesson. She had her own broom, but she left it in the dormitory. She knew that most firsties didn't have them, but her dad was a Quidditch fanatic. She'd flown before, and considered herself a decent flyer, but she wanted to improve, and get corrected so that one day she could be excellent. So she showed up for Basic Flying.
"Hello Professor Vindictus," She greeted her head of house with a smile. "I'm Presley. I'm in your house this year, but I don't think we've met before."

Janet took a broom and placed it to the ground beside her. She was a muggleborn, but she tried flyng. Once. And it was fun ! And hard. This is just a lesson she couldn't miss. Janet wondered if Janice and Evie would be here. The brooms were OK, so she waited for the next instruction from professor Vindictus.

Chloe really did not need abeginner couse but it was open to everyone. Thus Chloe entered the pitch and upon instruction grabbed broom and plat what is wrong with thatced it on the grass next to her. She came mostly for the points but a little overview on flying really would not hurt.

"Welcome to the first Flying lesson of the school term," began Professor Vindictus. He pulled out his wand and a white line appeared on the grass. Tucking his wand away, he continued.

"I want everyone to collect their school broom and stand on the white line about arms width apart. Once you're spread out, lay the broom on the ground to your right and make sure the tail twigs are pointing behind you."

Chloe did as she was told and grabbed her broom and then took her place in the line up of students with plenty of room on both sides. From there sheplced her broom on the right side of her and waited for the next set of instructions. She expected it woukd be calling the broom to ones hand by will. She really could not wait to just take to the skies but she would wait.

Peyton walked over to where the brooms were at and took one. She really wanted one of her own and had even tried to trick her daddy into buying one, but no such luck. Walking over to her the previous spot, she gently placed the broom beside her. Her mind wandered with ideas of what they were going to do. Maybe, they would race against each other...or chase after gold snitches.

Whatever it was, Peyton couldn't wait to get started.

She spread her arms apart and made sure that it didn't touch any of her classmates. With that done she made sure the broom was set the right way and waited for the next step.

Swallowing, and squeaking a bit loudly, Kurumi did as Professor Vindictus instructed. so far so good, right?

School broom...check.
Standing on the white line...check.
Arms width apart from her classmates...check.
Broom on the ground...che--- o_____O

Bending down as quickly as subtly as she could, Kurumi turned her broom around so it was facing the proper direction.

Phew...that had been a disaster waiting to happen.

"Now place your right hand over your broom and in a firm voice say 'Up!' " Vindictus instructed. "Make sure that your voice is firm because a broom will not respond to a weak command."



OOC: No one is perfect. It's okay for you to do this several times (remember that the broom smacked Ron in the face on his third attempt) - just don't double post!

Really, she had donethis before,it sould be easy, right? "Up",Chloe said rather nonchalantly cuckling slightly. The broom barely budged. What? Why? Errr!! "Uuupp!!!" The broom snapped up and smacked Chloe right in the nose. Chloe clutched her nose and tooka compact mirror outof her back pocket. Her nose was bright red. Errrrr! No, I gotta do this right, calm, but seroius Chloe calmed herself and ignored her poor nose. "Up", Chloe said calmly with confidence. The broom finally rose to her hand and she realiized in flying like anything else cockiness gets you nowhere.












'

Kyle grabbed a broom from the broom closet, and placed it on the ground beside her. She was going to have to command it to go to her voice - last time she did this was at Beauxbatons and she'd broken her jaw.

Remembering that she absentmindedly rubbed her jaw.

She put her hand over the broom.

"Up" she spoke firmly but not to firmly apparently the broom lifted an inch off the ground before it fell with a clunk. Stupid no good broom.

Peyton beamed at the idea of the broom following her orders. She's seen her daddy have complete control over his broom. She wanted to do that as well. The red head extended her arm and placed it above the broom. "Up," she said.

...

*Cricket* *Cricket* *Cricket...

The girl frowned when the broom didn't even move the slightest. Was it deaf? "Up," she said, this time frowing at the wooden object. Peyton was a very patient person, so this broom was just pushing her buttons.

Fly broom, FLY!

Kyle, looked over to Peyton and gave her a smal smmile her broom wasn't moving for her at all.

Turning her attention back to her broom, she spoke even more firmly, "Up" even though she really wanted to say you get up to my hand now or i will rip you to pieces. And that time, it worked.

The broom flew up - but it didn't stop instead of going into her hand it smacked her in the stomach.

"Ughff" she ground as the broom fell to the ground with a clang. Now that was going to bruise. Normally she was lucky with brooms - maybe it was because she was trembling in her boots in front of her head of house?

Really? She couldn't just pick it up like she had been doing all summer? You know, baby steps into this whole flying thing?

Not wanting to disappoint Selina and the hours of training which had mostly been motivational speeches since Kurumi had froze the moment her hand had touched a broom, Kurumi swallowed, stuck her hand out over her broom, took a deep breath, mustered all her Gryffindor courage, and finally spoke.

"UP!"

The broom beneath her hand responded by shooting out and hurtling itself right towards Professor Vindictus.


o________________O

Kyle gasped jaw dropping, hand still on her stomach for a moment as she saw Kurumi's broom shot off towards Vindictus.

That didn't look to good.

Righting herself, she put her hand over her broom once again, "Up please" she spoke her tone, soft not even slightly commanding.

It worked.

What? That was odd, the broom she chose liked niceties like please and thank you then, crazy broom with feelings.

Eino had taken a broom by now and now stood in a safe corner alone (mostly for the safety of others). He placed the broom on the ground stood to its right, raised his right hand and commanded "Up!" The jerked and then levitated for a single second. Eino cleared his throat and repeated "Up!" This time the broom flung in the air, past his hand, and on its way back to the ground it hit Eino on the shoulder. "Ow..." He complained rubbing his shoulder. "Bad broom!" He snarled as he wiggled his index finger at it in extreme disapproval. He had done this before, so why was it so hard?! For the third time he commanded the broom firmly and finally it sprung into the air and he caught it with a firm grip.

Peyton noticed Kyle next to her and returned the smile although she wasn't too happy at the moment. Her broom was being MEAN to her. It probably didn't like her and prefered to be on the ground rather than with her.

Pfft.

Well, that was not going to stay that way. Clearing her throat she was about to say up when a girl's broom darted to towards the professor. Ahh, it was going to hit him. She would have warned him, but what if he yelled at her for that. No way.

Turning away from all that, she focused on her broom. Now that she thought of it, at least her broom didn't embarass her like that. HEHE! "Up!" she instructed and...

O_O

Ahhhhh! The broom was heading towards her FACE! Peyton saw it just in time and managed to throw herself out of the way. She felt her leggings rip at knee on the left.

Oh no, it didn't. That broom was ON.

Peyton stood up and EVEN ignored her torn legging and dusted her hands. That broom was going DOWN...or up. "UP!" she said, mad. If it tried hitting her again she was going to break it in half.

Oooh! Lookit! It moved...mostly like twitched.

Selina watched as the other students attempted to make the broom work for them. They were either too forceful or too timid with the broom. Then Kurumi's broom.... she flinched. That did not look like a pleasant situation at all.

Finally focusing she put her hand over her broom and said, "Up," with just the right amount of force and sweetness. The broom had to know that she was in control like she always did before she flied. Just like it always did the broom flew up into her hand with a fast motion and flew right into her grasp. That was easy... where was the button?

Preston cleared his throat, he could totally do this. Placing his arm out to his side he opened his hand up and let his palm face downward. "Up." He commanded. The broom did absolutely nothing, it laid there on the grass staring back at him. Letting his arm drop down to his side he let out a deep breath.

Maybe he hadn't spoke clear enough.

Sticking his arm back out again, palm opened and ready to catch the broom should it decide to cooperate Preston took another deep breath. "UP." He commanded in a slightly louder voice.

Once again, the broom did nothing. This was going to take a while.