Chapter 27: Flying Lesson (Part 1)
Sunday, the final day of the weekend, passed pleasantly for Warren. He had successfully secured Snape's favor and was about to learn Scarpin's Revelaspell, the spell he had been longing for, along with more advanced potions and magic. All those years of hard work and research were finally paying off.
For the other first-years, however, the weekend break was far too short. Before they knew it, the second week had begun, and their workload had intensified. The professors assigned more material and heavier homework with each passing day.
More importantly, after a week of school, the social circles of the first-years were starting to solidify. The Gryffindors and Slytherins, who shared many classes, were constantly at each other's throats. Whenever they had a joint lesson, both sides would groan and spend the whole period trying to sabotage one another.
The classic rivalry pitted Harry and Ron against Malfoy and his cronies. Malfoy remained wary of Warren and did not dare to push his luck. But gradually, he realized that as long as he did not provoke Warren or Granger, Warren would leave him be. Especially when Harry and Ron slipped up. And so, Harry and Ron's nightmare began.
Imagine it. Every single class, someone was watching your every move. The tiniest mistake, and they would mock you for it. You could not even argue back, because you were the one in the wrong.
"I never thought there was anyone in the world more hateful than Dudley," Harry complained to Ron after one Transfiguration lesson.
Ron nodded vigorously. "I never thought there was anyone more hateful than Fred, George, and Warren combined."
Hermione bristled at that remark. "They are your brothers, Ronald Weasley."
She loathed Malfoy, too. Even though he was terrified of Warren and dared not harass her, he always made a show of looking down his nose whenever he saw her, as if the mere sight of her offended his eyes.
Over the next few days, the trio settled back into their usual rhythm. Children rarely held grudges for long. This was particularly true after Harry nudged Ron into awkwardly apologizing to Hermione. Their minor disagreement dissipated naturally.
There was still one lingering effect, though. Hermione stopped using Ron's nickname, calling him "Ronald" instead—a habit he found distinctly unsettling. Ron confided in Harry that Warren had traumatized him. Whenever Warren was about to pull a prank, he'd always address Ron by his full name. As a result, Ron couldn't help wondering if Hermione had ulterior motives for reconciling with them.
Regardless, thanks to Malfoy's arrogance and sharp tongue, relations between Gryffindor and Slytherin had hit an all-time low, with Harry at the center of it all. Warren remained the sole exception among the entire first-year class.
As time passed, everyone gradually grew accustomed to seeing him wander through the other houses. They discovered that this Slytherin, who excelled in his studies and enjoyed strolling about with his cat, was actually quite easy to get along with, if only his personality were a little more normal.
Warren did not particularly enjoy spending time with boys, but he was always happy to chat with pretty girls. As a Slytherin, he was reportedly unhappy with the word "Dungeon" carved above the entrance to the common room. It was too gloomy and bad for his image with the Ravenclaws. He had cast a spell to change "Dungeon" to "Ocean View Room." Peeves had reported him to Filch, and the news had spread through Hogwarts like wildfire.
No one knew why Professor Snape had not punished Warren. And with the prefect still in the hospital wing serving as a warning, no older student dared to undo Warren's spell. Filch, the Squib caretaker, spent several days fruitlessly trying to scrub away the enchanted words before finally giving up.
From then on, the Slytherin dungeon was officially the Ocean View Room. Every Slytherin who passed under those glittering, oversized letters felt a strange sensation, as if the Black Lake outside the windows had suddenly turned sunny and bright. The famous Gryffindor troublemakers, Fred and George, frequently showed up at the entrance to the Slytherin common room. They would hold up two posters, borrowed from a Muggle-born student, featuring sunny beaches and women in bikinis. As students entered or exited, they would call out cheerfully.
"Welcome, valued customers, to Weasley Property Development."
"Lakefront property, mermaid views, we have it all."
It always caused quite a stir. On Thursday, the Gryffindor and Slytherin common rooms were filled with groans. It was the first flying lesson for the first years. The schedule had been posted since Monday. At first, everyone had been excited. Seamus Finnigan bragged loudly about his flying experience. He claimed not to have been off a broomstick since the day he was born. Ron had told Harry about the time he had snuck Charlie's broom out for a ride and nearly hit a Muggle airplane. "It was brilliant. I got so close. I even shook hands with a Muggle."
Hermione immediately shut him down. "Aeroplanes are enclosed, Ronald Weasley. You couldn't have shaken anyone's hand."
Ron flushed. He stammered, "What do you know? How do you know they don't have open ones?"
Hermione sniffed. "Oh, they did. Decades ago. You'd have to be eighty years old to have seen one of those old planes in the sky."
By the time they finished, Harry's head was spinning. He had never been on a plane, so he had no idea who was telling the truth.
Unlike him, having grown up with Muggles, his classmates from wizarding families had definitely flown before.
Malfoy, for instance.
Harry didn't want to lose to Malfoy. So before class, he made a point of finding Warren to ask for tips on riding a broomstick.
Warren simply looked at him. "I've never ridden one either."
Harry stammered, pointing at Ron. "But Ron said—"
"Yeah, the time he nearly clipped a Muggle plane? That was a dream he had after I took him to see a Muggle film." Warren laughed. "Don't worry about it, Harry. It's all hot air. Even in wizarding families, hardly any parents let their kids near a broom before school starts."
Harry was half-convinced Warren was just trying to make him feel better.
That is, until class that afternoon.
The Gryffindors and Slytherins stood in a line before their brooms. Madam Hooch, the Flying Instructor and Quidditch referee, instructed them to begin.
"That covers the basics. What are you waiting for? Hold your right hand over your broom and say 'Up!'"
"Up!" Harry succeeded on his first try. He looked around in astonishment. None of the students who had been bragging had managed it. On the Gryffindor side, only Hermione's broom had twitched. Among the Slytherins, only Warren had succeeded. They were a bunch of liars.
Warren was surprised too. He had never been particularly obsessed with flying. The system did not even have a separate affinity for it. He had expected it to take him several tries. But hey, talent was talent.
When Madam Hooch gave the command to lift off, Warren and Harry shot into the air immediately. The other first-years watched, green with envy.