"Can someone tell me what exactly happened here!" Madam Hooch's gaze swept across the group of young wizards before settling on Malfoy and Harry.
Harry and Malfoy's faces turned white with fear. Ivan, however, was the first to answer.
"Madam Hooch, as you can see, they were just practicing their flying techniques."
A conflicted look flashed across Malfoy's face. He opened his mouth, about to mention Ivan attacking him with the Full Body-Bind Curse, but ultimately closed it without arguing.
After all, Malfoy understood that if he tattled, Ivan would surely reveal that he had stolen Neville's Remembrall and provoked the conflict in the first place. Malfoy was very clear about which of those offenses would earn a harsher punishment.
To avoid being hung up and whipped by Filch in the detention room, Malfoy very reluctantly accepted the narrative that he and Harry were just having a "friendly" flying practice.
But Malfoy was determined not to let the detestable Ivan get off scot-free. He immediately spoke up.
"Yes, but it wasn't just the two of us flying just now."
As he spoke, Malfoy raised an eyebrow at Ivan, the threat on his face obvious. Madam Hooch's attention shifted from Malfoy and Harry to Ivan.
"Alright, I admit it..." Ivan shrugged nonchalantly, mentally complaining about Malfoy's childish need to drag others down with him.
Ivan and Malfoy exchanged a look of mutual dislike, but their gazes met and formed a silent agreement: neither would expose the other... a temporary truce!
Malfoy was frightened by the punishment Ivan had described, while Ivan was worried about being chosen to patrol the Forbidden Forest.
With his current small frame, Ivan was not prepared to take that risk...
Harry, who had been listening on the sidelines, wore a completely baffled expression. Wasn't this about Malfoy taking Neville's Remembrall and me getting it back?
When did it become me, Ivan, and Malfoy having a friendly flying practice together?
However, given Ivan's frequent and pointed glances, Harry wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.
"I believe I made myself clear before I left. No one was to fly on a broomstick until I returned!" Madam Hooch was furious to hear that three students had been flying without permission while she was gone.
She had just taken Neville to the hospital wing! What if another accident had happened?
"I'm very sorry, Professor!" Ivan first apologized politely, then immediately added.
"But I don't think any young wizard can resist the temptation of flying freely on a broomstick. Who among us doesn't dream of becoming a glorious Quidditch player for their country after graduation?"
"As for what happened with Malfoy and Neville, it was just an accident. Fortunately, our Levitation Charms are pretty good, so no one was hurt."
Ivan spoke eloquently about his love for Quidditch, all but declaring that he was a man destined to become a Quidditch champion in the future!
Madam Hooch's expression softened slightly. As the flying instructor, she was also a fan of flying and the sport of Quidditch, so she could naturally understand that desire.
"Even so, you must pay the price for breaking the school rules..."
Although she wasn't as angry as before, Madam Hooch put on a stern face and began to consider how to punish these troublemakers. She was interrupted by the timely arrival of Professor McGonagall.
"Madam Hooch, could you hold on for a moment? I may need to borrow Mr. Potter."
"Of course..." Madam Hooch was surprised at first, but she quickly nodded.
Madam Hooch hadn't seen Harry's flight earlier. She assumed Harry had made some other mistake and was being sought out by Professor McGonagall, so she simply gave a brief account of Harry riding his broom without permission during her class.
Professor McGonagall just nodded and then signaled for Harry to follow her.
Harry's mind was a complete mess. He still had no idea what was going on and could only follow Professor McGonagall away, worried and afraid.
After watching the two of them leave, Madam Hooch turned back, only then remembering she still had others to deal with. "Ivan, Malfoy, your actions will cost your respective houses five points each. Now, let's continue the lesson!"
Ivan's face fell. He didn't care about losing the points; he had already earned about ten points for his house just by answering questions in class over the past few days, so no one would blame him for a five-point deduction.
But continuing the flying lesson was a real pain for Ivan. He secretly prayed for the class to end quickly. Otherwise, wouldn't his cover be blown?
Ivan could only pretend to hold his broom in a flying posture while trying to minimize his presence and slack off.
However, things didn't go his way. Due to the numerous incidents earlier in the lesson, Madam Hooch didn't dare let the young wizards fly around freely anymore. She decided to have them go one by one. Ivan, having been set up by Malfoy, was unfortunately first in line.
Ivan looked at the broomstick in his hand and couldn't help but sigh. He was starting to have regrets. He should have just admitted his flying skills were terrible from the start.
Now, thanks to Malfoy, he couldn't even say he didn't know how to fly.
Ivan reluctantly gave it a try. This time, the broomstick showed him a little bit of respect, wobbling into the air under his control.
Despite this, Ivan was still very happy to experience flying for the first time. As he accelerated slightly, he felt the sharp wind whistling past his ears, and the rooftops and tiles of the surrounding buildings flew by. This feeling of freedom was far more wonderful than being on an airplane.
After flying for a while, Ivan landed steadily.
Madam Hooch pursed her lips, clearly not very satisfied. After all, Ivan's earlier performance had given her high hopes. Why was he so wobbly now...
Ivan could only clear his throat twice to cover his embarrassment. "Ahem, Professor, I think this broom might be too old... it's a bit unstable when flying... I was flying much better before."
Malfoy, on the other hand, was snickering. He hadn't expected Ivan's flying skills to be so terrible. No wonder he had stayed on the ground earlier instead of flying up with Harry.
But then, to his surprise, Ivan suddenly spoke.
"Right, Malfoy? Otherwise, why would you have suddenly fallen off your broom..."
Malfoy's snickering stopped abruptly. He could only glare at Ivan with hatred, finally managing to squeeze out a sentence after a long moment.
"Of course. I also think there might be something wrong with these brooms..."
What else could he say? Contradict himself?
Malfoy felt utterly hopeless. To avoid punishment, he couldn't tell the truth. Could he say it was because his own skills were so bad that he fell off?