Okay...good...she was off the ground now. Only about 6 inches, but still off the ground. SEE SELINA?! SHE WAS FLYING! Or, well hovering as the case may be, but it was progress. Kurumi hadn't flown since lessons last term, and watching a few too many replay videos of the World's Worst Quidditch accidents while waiting for her father to get off work at the Ministry one day had made her a nervous wreck - more so than usual.

Pulling up on her broom slightly, Kurumi rose in the air a few more inches. Oh, good. She must be about a foot off the ground now, so she could untuck her legs just a bit from the leg holders. Her joints were beginning to cramp just a little because she had practically rolled herself into a ball on her broom. Right...how about...another few feet in the air?

Pulling up again, Kurumi continued to rise into the air until she was about five feet now. Good. This was a gooooooooooood height to start at. So Kurumi leaned forward and began to make her way towards the opposite end of the pitch. Nice and sloooooooow...

Hmmm...were there any butterflies out here today?

Sooooo..... why was 'rumi being all lame and scared and stuff? She wasn't that bad of a flier, right? West looked over at the seventh year Gryffindor prefect curiously. After a moment of looking he flew over there and sort of hovered above her. Barrel roll? Yess? West flipped upside down and hung there happily.

"Hi. Whatchu doing?" He said this in her ear. Upside down.

When his exaggerating big loop was done, the Slytherin looked down at the ground and laughed a bit as the students looked so little. He couldn't make out Kurumi amongst them so he flew lower until he knew which girl was her.

From where he was, it didn't look like she had moved in the air so he flew down again with speed until he breaked and saw that Kurumi WAS hovering in the air. Well...it was better than nothing right? Giving a thumbs up at the seventh year he flew up high in to the sky again.

Wheeeere should he go? Left? right? Daichi looked around him and decided to fly a simple circle around the Quidditch Stadium. He leaned his body to the left to make a curve and then bend forward to gain speed. Flying was much more fun when the broom was going at a great speed. He circled around the stadium a few times before coming to an halt...

Should he do some show off tricks?

Annabelle now wanted to practice diving before she took off into the air. Since she was levitating a little bit off the ground to get a feel for the air. Belle gently nudged the broom down and she landed onto the soft grass. "Yes i can do this!" Belle said to herself happily. She wanted to do another practice before going in the air. Since she landed, she go over on her broom, right hand underneath her left since she was a righty, then she used her feet and pushed off and levitated and then she nudged the broom to land on the ground. She knew not to let it go straight down because she didn't want to dive, that is for sure. At least she knew how to take off and land now. Now it was time to go into the air and test her skills.

Following along with the directions, although she knew this part quite well, Sierra straddled the broom, making sure to keep both feet flat on the ground. She glanced down at her hands. Yup, they were just like they should be. Just like all right-handers place their hands. She was an old pro at this part. She was just here to be on top of her game before tryouts got under way.

Okay, so they could begin flying now? Excellent. Sierra had been waiting to get back into the air ever since school had started. She kicked off the ground and took to the skies. She leaned forward and coasted along, enjoying the feel of the Fall breeze as she glided through it. So what were they supposed to do now? Just make laps?

Right. She had this. Unless somebody crashed into her, that is.

Sutton gave a frustrated sigh as Professor Vindictus began giving instructions to move on. She hadn't even been able to get her stupid broom off the ground yet! it was all Sutton could do to not simply kick her broom and give it all up in frustration. So what if she never learned to fly?

Folding her arms and pouting slightly, she practically yelled at her broom. "What is wrong with you?! You're more stubborn than a horse whose being trained!"

Wait... she thought to herself.

Unfolding her arms she looked down at her broom and considered it. Maybe... brooms were like horses... maybe they could sense fear and her thorough lack of confidence. She was certainly very, very scared about this whole flying thing. Sutton took a few steps away from her broom to clear the space around it of her energy. Taking a deep breath, she circled back around, walked up next to her broom, confidently stretched her hand out over the handle, and said, "Up!"

Her broom flew into her hand, and it surprised her so much that she forgot to catch it causing it to smack into her palm and then drop back to the ground.

Beaming, she looked around and noticed that most of the other students were already on their brooms. Her smile faded. Putting her hand back out over the broom, she once again said, "Up!" This time, she caught it. Sutton swung her leg over her broom and arranged her hands so that her right was in front of her left.

Just like riding a horse... she told herself.

Except brooms would be much higher off the ground. There wouldn't be any cute older boys to catch her if she fell from somewhere high this time.

Standing there, gripping her broom tightly, she bent her knees to kick off, and then she mostly just froze as fear and panic mounted, causing her heart to race. Her hands began sweating and her face paled as the visions of death by, "Splat," (as Professor Vindictus had put it) flashed through her head.

Juliet decided to go for a little ride on the broom. This is fun, being able to just fly. Juliet leaned forward and the broom automatically flew and sped up a bit. However, she halted it as she pulled the handle towards her. Her hair is now all over her face. Great. With her free hand, she tried to find for her black clip on her pocket.

Her other hand firmly grasped the broom handle. She didn't want to go all the way down now. When she finally found her clip then she first clipped it onto her broom handle. Slowly taking two hands off and making sure she balances herself above ground, she manged to twirl her long hair and then clipped it. Done.

Her hands both grasped the broom handle once more. Leaning forward once again and making a left. Woooohooo. This is absolutely fun!!!!

Okay, maybe going up another foot wasn't a good idea. Kurumi liked this 5 feet in the air idea. She needed to ease into things nice and slow. Instead she leaned forward a bit more on her broom to increase her speed just a bit. Now she could hold her own against any butterflies that might try to fly past her. Maybe not too much luck with ladybugs, but for sure butterflies.

Kurumi pulled on the handle to come to a stop, figuring that she should at least remind herself how that was done and gave Daichi a little wave.
o________________________O

Kurumi ended up doing a barrel roll of her own, only difference was that she feel right off her broom and SMACK into the pitch. Wind momentarily knocked out of her, Kurumi's eyes crossed and she tried to refocus. She managed to do so juuuuuuuuuuuuust in time for the handle of her broom to smack her right in the forehead before it rolled off to the side. Now left with a red mark on her forehead and the image of about ten little West's flying around her head, Kurumi attempted to stand back up and used her broom for support.

What was she doing? "Trying not to die..." she grumbled.

Yeah, SELINA, you owed her BIG TIME.

Annabelle know had the basics down. She wanted to go up in the air, she kicked off the ground since she was already on her broom. She was up in the air and rising. She felt the breeze in her hair and she knew she was home. She loved flying and forgot how much she missed it. She leaned forward to get a little speed , the was flying fast and then she sat up and the broom slowed down. "Hmm this is pretty easy with the basics." Belle smiled to herself. She was flying around checking out the scenery of the field. She was being cautious because she was a prefect and plus the teacher was watching them at all times. Next she was going to work on turning.

There was something wrong with her, obviously, if she couldn't even stay on her broom. West had even seeeeen her fly before and he'd heard that once she was a Seeker too? So who broke the prefect?

"Flying doesn't kill people. People kill people." West said seriously, still upside down. "How come you can't fly anyways? You're a bit old to not be able to fly, don't you think, Rumi?" he hovered above her and still upside down.

"I can maybe help you, if you like, since I'm much much better at this than you are." He said in earnest.

As if to prove this point, the second year flipped himself back up the right way and obligingly went a bit lower so he could still talk to her. On account of he really did want to know why the prefect sucked so badly. And if she didn't like it, why was she even here?

Back on her feet, and feeling ridiculously frustrated and embarrassed, Kurumi straddled the broom once more, bent her knees, and pushed off from the ground. This time she actually got OFF the ground instead of falling back down right away, so that was an improvement. She continued to pull up on her handle a little until she met West half way and then brought her broom to a stop while she went back to itching her arms.

Itch itch itch itch.

"I think everyone is better at this than me now," she said, trying to laugh off how ridiculously awkward she felt right now as she turned her handle a bit so she could glide slowly towards the opposite end of the pitch like she had been. "Hard to believe I used to play Seeker, huh?"

Just...going to keep gliding here...maybe let a butterfly or two pass us...no biggie.

"Very hard." Paaause. "Were you better at flying then?" Also what was with the itching? West flew along tooooo but the second year flitted here and there and around the prefect much like a small eager puppy gets all wound up around your ankles.

"Do you have a disease? You're scratching lots. Are you allergic to broom twigs? Is that why you can't fly? Lets go faster. And then you won't think so hard about it. You're thinking too much, I think." Just to experiment, West switched his grip.

Kurumi bit down on her lip and somewhat curled back up into a ball on her broom. Her heels dug into the foot holders and her hands gripped the handle almost to the point her knuckles were going to turn white. "D-D-Disease? Um...no...not exactly," Kurumi said as she continued to glide along. "Unless you really CAN be allergic to flying...it's just a rash...causedbynerves." Yeah, cause this Gryffindor was weird like that.

Kurumi's eyes widened. FASTER? Were West's bludger panties on too tight? Her...faster? Yet her body seemed to act on its own accord and she leaned forward...causing her broom to accelerate and for her to hold on tighter.

EEEEEEEEEEEK!!

Alyssa was glad when the Professor allowed them to start flying. She quickly mounted her broom making sure that she continued to keep both her feet planted firmly on the ground. She made sure that her right hand was placed over her left hand. Holding onto the handle but not too firmly, she leaned forward on her broom handle, she pushed off with her feet immediately her broom began to rise up.

She tilted and pointed her broom handle upwards and immediately the broom began to climb upwards. Alyssa loved heights and when she had reached a height that she felt comfortable with, she slowly pulled back on the broom handle to stop it from climbing and then she straightened the broom handle so that she was now flying horizontally with the ground.

Now that she was flying horizontally with the ground, she just leaned forward and began flying straight from one end of the green to the other end of the green.

Richard was looking all impatient as he listened to all the explanations and directions about how to fly a broom. Simply because; he wanted to fly and he wanted to do it NOW! He slightly moved as where he stood for he was having difficulty with waiting but he was also trying not to get any attention on himself. He did not want to be involved with the Flying professor guy and did not want any trouble. All he wanted was to fly now and maybe...

...he looked around to the others who had joined to the lesson and recognized some faces. Girls. So maybe he could fly with one of them. He really did sound harsh when he ordered his broom to be up and it followed him immediately. Heh. Of course it did. Even brooms did not want to annoy this Slytherin and not to mention everything had to follow his orders. Alive or not.

He felt way better when he was finally on the broom, his impatience lightening a bit. It was a matter of a moment before he could set off anyway. He looked up at the blue sky. It all looked very attractive and the weather was really good for a fly. And when they were finally allowed to fly, Richard kicked the groud and set off enjoying the breeze he felt all over him. Finally, that was it! He was flying. It was a real anti-stress thing. Yes, he felt way better now.

The Slytherin boy took in loads of the fresh air and looked down at the grounds as he flew around. The place was not a bad one at all, he even could say he liked it a bit but definitely, he knew, he had to spend more time here to like this new school. The place was still very new to him so way away yet from being his favourite.

He was only watching the green grounds when he realised someone fly past his right. The flier was kinda way from him but the boy caught her sight. He slowed down immediately and made his broom turn around to follow the girl. Then he followed the girl's route and speeded up a bit to catch up with her. Her hair looked nice waving with the breeze.

''Hello there.'' Richard said once he was closest to the girl. Flying was fun but flying with someone, especially a girl like this one, was way better, was not it?

Gliding was boring. Wasn't she bored? West thought it was boring. He flitted around some more, his grip relaxed and generally the kid looked perfectly at ease on the broomstick.

"Well why are you nervous? You already fell, right?" So, nothing left to be nervous about! West was soooo logical. YES SHE WAS DOING IT! Cheerfully, West sped up too, this time maintaining the same height.

"You should relax more. You look like you gotta poop." He sped up and switched his grip again, experimentally.

"It feels so good to go fast!"

The wind was a little biting now, with so many people in the air. Relinquishng her hold on the broom a moment, Elise reached into her pocket to take out a hairtie. Then tied her hair into a messy bun before putting her hand over the broom again.

"UP!" she muttered, smirking when the broom made contact with her hand. Maybe school brooms weren't so bad after all. Then, putting her left leg over first and then her right, she was straddling her broom.

Angling the handle upwards and leaning forward a little, Elise willed the broom to go a bit higher. And higher she went. Once she was a solid 3 feet off the ground, she smiled. This was fun.

Cassia Listened to what Professor Vindicuts said and nodded weakly, could they start now? Finally he finished. She didn't really pay lots of attention to every instruction because they seemed to matter to the quidditch players more during a match and she wasn't playing any matches

those days so she had just to listen to the main instructions.
So her fingers clutching the broom she straddled clumsily looking around her if anyone was enjoying the show of a clumsy girl. No hopefully not. Her right hand on her left she mounted the broom. And she wanted to point out to the Professor that only people with a death wish would take their hands off the broom's handle but she didn't. Cassia wasn't afraid of flying, she just didn't feel confident doing it surrounded by people .Which can be hard considering you don't fly in your room alone. However, she was determined to gain confidence. Ahem..here we go.

Pushing the ground lightly the broom started to rise and Cassia clutched more tightly causing her knuckles to turn white. But she was fine…so far. She kept a slow pace heading forward then she felt like taking a turn .She pushed the handle to the right and the broom stirred more than Cassia wished to do.
The second-year acted fast and jumped of the broom before felling of the broom. Whee..Nice save. Huh.

Glancing around her to see if any mocking people were around she found any. Instead she found a girl who seemed to be a bit…frozen? She seemed to be ready to take off but she wasn't moving. Cassia stepped closer to the girl, and spoke up, "Um…you staying like that?" She asked. "You know we're supposed to fly not just mount our brooms," Cassia said seriously. Maybe the girl misunderstood the Professor.

Now, it was time to fly. As much as Selina enjoyed being on the Pitch, the earlier part of the lesson had been sort of a bore. There were only so many times that she could learn to summon a broom. And she had maxed out her patience with learning this trick a long time ago. So when he announced that they would be flying she did an inner victory dance.

Getting ready to fly, she threw her leg around the broom so she was straddling it. Her right hand placed itself right above her left one. Adjusting herself a little on the broom to get comfortable. Then she kicked off the ground and started her assention into the sky.

Once she had flown straight from one end of the green to the other, Alyssa decided to practise doing turns. Her favorite were the zig zag patterns. She first leaned to the right, pointing her broom handle to the right and the broom flew towards the right. Then Alyssa immediately leaned to the right, pointing her broom handle to the left and her broom switched direction and flew towards the left.

Alyssa kept switching leaning positions back and forth, pointing her broom handle first right when she leaned towards the right, and then pointing it to the left, when she leaned to the left. She was now zig zagging back and forth as she flew from one end of the green to the other end. She made sure that as she flew, to keep a watch out for the newer students who might still be learning how to fly, because she didn't want to accidentally crash into them.

Yes, yes...Straddling the broom...both feet planted firmly on the ground...hand placement...

Dylan grinned at the Old Quidditch guy. He definitely hadn't been much of a Vinny-fan at first, but he'd grown on him.

Swinging his leg over the side of the broom, he situated it a bit before fixing his hands. His feet remained where they were on the ground...all firmly-planted as instructed. Anyway, the Slytherin Captain was right handed so his hand-placement reflected that with the right being over the left.

No removing hands from the handle...UNLESS you're making a FANTASTIC leap for the snitch...or in the midst of battle over the quaffle...Dylan was familiar with broom control, obviously. He was a Captain...but that wasn't to say the Slytherin wasn't listening. Might as well learn something new if Vinny was offering it.

...Not that it was anything he didn't already know...

Anyway, time for KICK OFF.

Gently kicking off the ground as instructed, Dylan soared into the air. The Slytherin loathed school brooms...Really. There was nothing good about them. NOTHING...Why couldn't he bring his own, again?

Maneuvering in the air easily, he spied Odessa...The younger boy had had an amazing show at the first tryout session. Really, just fantastic. Could you tell Dylan was proud as a Captain?

Nudging the broom to the right a bit, he made his way over...

Yes, yes. Turning...landing...mmm-hmm; Silvia already knew all that. She was just here for the fun of flying. She had mounted and properly gripped her broom and was waiting for Professor Vindictus to finish giving instructions and give them the go ahead to take off. It was a nice day for flying and she was eager to get into the air.

Okay! There it was! They could begin.

Silvia pushed herself off the ground and rose without fear into the air. Stopping at about thirty or so feet, she looked down, wiggling her feet a bit. It was such a great feeling to leave the ground far behind. She loosened her grip on the broom handle a bit as her eyes raised up to take in the view. She felt like she could just stay here all day.

He was about to shift the temperamental broom to his right hand to check for that splinter when the Professor advised them to start mounting them. Right that first then

He positions the broom between his legs, then grabs the broom shaft with his right hand. For a moment he peers into his left hand and tries to find that splinter, but without his glasses, trying to find something that minuscule was a little tough.

He could feel the other students taking off and decided to just shrug it off. But as soon as his left hand presses against the shaft theres that annoying pain searing against his hand. Again trying to ignore it as he tries to focus on kicking off the ground....

.... and thats as far as he's gotten- denting the ground with his shoes.

Once she was up in the air, Selina looked around at the pitch. There were first years flailing about, older flyers who were showing off and Quidditch players like Selina who were sort of just flying around. There was no need to show off. It was just a class... Although Kurumi, who was once a Quidditch player, did look rather startled. She supposed that was her fault. Oh well.

Instead of doing some silly tricks or some outlandish flailing escapade, Selina decided to just fly around. She leaned into her broom to get some speed and off she went. Her face whipped against the wind as she weaved in and out of some very confused first years. They were just sort of in the way. But beyond that, she kept a steady line to te goal posts- her final destination.

Since Belle was airborne, she was ready to work on her turning. Belle was working on her speed, she speed to one tree on the grounds and nudged the broom to the right and it turned smoothly. "Huh i guess i am good at this." Belle thought to herself. She started to speed up and turned on command. She wondered if she could some tricks, she used to practice on her yard all the time in secret without her dad knowing. He didn't know brooms were in her closet. Belle speed and felt the wind in her hair and the sun heat radiating on her skin. She felt free and was loving the lesson already.