Hate isn't a strong enough word

B

Beau Hurley

Well-Known Member
Messages
676
So it was a week till lessons began which meant Beau had a chance to not look like a complete idiot when it came to the flying lesson, though he knew it was highly unlikely that he would be able to learn to fly in a week, Alyssa said they only got taught the 'up' command in the first lesson so that would be okay, he couldn't practise that because he didn't know how to do it but he could atleast attempt to fly couldn't he? But he hated flying with a passion, was it really worth embaressing himself now?
He sighed angrily as he walked over to the broom cupboard and grabbed the first one he got. "Come on Beau you can do it," he murmed, though his voice was full of disbelief, he mouted the broom but couldn't bring himself to kick off, his knuckles were white as he held on so tight, and his face was pale. He dropped on to the ground, "Who am I kidding of course I can't," he said bitterly, throwing the broom to the side.
 
"If you give up that easy with everything, you won't get very far here" Andromeda had wandered down to the quidditch pitch with 'Falcon' her Sienna Storm. She had hoped the place would be empty, it felt like forever that she had been up in her beloved sky, being locked up in a dungeon just didn't have the same appeal. As she made her way out she saw a first year removing a school broom and without it would seem knowing the basics, sat astride the broom.
She had begun to walk closer, knowing her own love for flying - her basic addiction to it. Knowing that she hadn't had the inclination or will to fly since the trauma of what she had been put through. This morning was supposed to have been her chance to get back to basics. Her prefect badge gleamed in the autumn sunlight, she pushed her already short bobbed hair back from her face.
"Do you know what you're doing or would you actually like some pointers?" this would be good for both of them probably, by showing him she could break herself back into it without getting all emotional.
 
Libby saw Beau and waved. "Heya. What are you doing?" She saw the broomsticks. "Are you praticing to fly?" Libby had been able to fly since she was four, and she loved it.
 
Beau laughed coldly as he heard someone tell him he wouldn't get very far. He stood up and turned to face the girl, who he saw was older and a prefect, he scanned her face finally realising she wasn't a Slytherin and he had never before seen her. "I don't need help from stuck up little prefect," he spat, it was bad enough that he couldn't fly without some stranger asking to help him. He realised he shouldn't have spoken to her like that but he did not take it back, vaguely interested to see her reaction. "Hey Libby," he said distantly his eyes still focused on the other girl, great now he had an audience to witness his attempt to fly maybe he should just leave. No, why should he, he was here first.
 
(lol)

"Have you flown before?" She asked Beau. She didnt wait for an answer. She mounted her broom and flew off, circling the field a few tmes. She paused in mid air and smiled at them down below. "You comng then?" she called, and carried on flying.
 
Andromeda didn't mind the bad attitude so much, goodness knew she had dealt enough of it out herself lately. Another obvious first year came out onto the pitch and began to show off a little with her flying. Andromeda could only smile at the girl but the girls exuberance would not help her friend on the ground.
Andromeda walked over a bit closer to the boy and tossed her broom onto the ground infront of her.
"I'm not stuck up, I'm Andromeda. Those who know me call me Andy. Don't let the badge bother you I'm still pretty much learning the rules of the whole prefect thing as I go along" she looked up into the air at the girl before turning to the boy again, "Not many if any actually learn to fly at four, hover maybe as that's the only type of brooms they make for children. You can let her tease you or you can let me show you how to get air born. The choice is yours".
She wasn't going to sweat it no matter what he decided, she had taught a few others over the past two years how to fly, she was damned good at it and knew it.
 
Beau cringed as Libby began flying around, this would be even more embaressing now.
He looked at the girl as she spoke, "Really? A prefect who doesn't know everything interesting," he said though his tone was light and jokey now, "Hi Andy, I'm Beau," he said a weak smile on his face, "Sorry about the stuck up thing," he choked out, he hated to apologise but Andy was willing to help him out so he guessed he probably should.
"I choose you," he said, he picked up the broom but kept his eyes focused on the ground, "I'm a really bad flyer though," he muttered almost inaudiably, it was hard to admit that he was so bad at something but he guessed it was probably better to say now then later on when she was trying to get him to do something way to complicated.
He tore his eyes from the ground and looked up at Libby who seemed to be a pretty good flyer, that made it even worse now she would watch him, but what did it matter? Afterall she was only a Hufflepuff, but he guessed she was an okay Hufflepuff.
He watched her flying and got an uneasy feeling in his stomach, it wasn't the balance he was worried about in flying, he did about every board sport on the planet and he knew he had good balance, it was just being in the air, it wasn't natural to have all your weight on one tiny little broom, surely it wasn't safe. His face turned white on the spot and he looked back at the girl, Andy his blue eyes almost pleading.
 
Libby was angry at Beau. She hadnt thought he would have been irogant enough to have thought hufflepuff's wernt as good as the rest, and that a prefect could teach him better than a friend. She touched back down, and walking fast past Beau, she glared at him.
 
Andromeda chose to ignore the girl as she stomped off past them. Beau wanted to learn and he would do better without any interuptions.
"Don't sweat it" she smiled at him, "Now put the broom down on the ground beside you and hold your hand over it".
She demonstrated with her own broom exactly what she wanted him to do. Not believing in beating about the bush, Andromeda had always just gotten down to the task at hand. She had seen the pleading look in his eyes but knew that if for a second she showed pity, he'd probably get even more ticked off. He would be fine, most witches and wizards usually were.
"Have you got a dog, or a pet of some kind?" she knew this would throw him a little and that was probably a good thing. Too much thought on being in the air itself usually gave first timers the heeby jeebies.
 
(( :huh: ))

Beau watched as Libby stormed off, "Huh?" he said turning to the older girl.
But she got straight into flying and he liked that, it would have been bad to have to start a polite conversation.
"Okay," he siad reluctantly placing the broom on the floor and putting his hand over it like she had.
He looked up at her in confusion, "No I hate animals," he said coldly shaking his head, "But I have a bat," he said, he hadn't really seen it around much it was probably hunting somewhere, he hadn't even named it yet and he didn't plan to, but Toni had said she would help him so that should be okay. He still had his hand over the broom wondering what animals had to do with flying.
 
Andromeda smiled again.
"No biggy, sometimes its just good to visualise ordering your pet when you give your first 'up' command" she held her own hand over her broom and with a clear voice, ordered her broom 'UP'. It rose to her outstretched hand and she enclosed her fingers around it immediately.
"It looks easy but trust me, every year there are a dozen or so first years you don't get it the first time or the second. I learnt when I was ten and for about one hour I was standing there getting whacked on my shoulder and head by the broom but I refused to give up and eventually I got it. Now you try. Keep your voice even and firm, don't ask it politely, command it."
She held her broom 'Falcon' close as she waited for him to proceed.
 
"OKay," Beau shrugged and watched her command her broom up, Looks easy enough... he thought, despite the fact she had just said it wasn't.
He shoved the broom on the floor and kicked it a little bit into the right place, "Up!" he said firmly, just how he thought he should say it, it twitched but didn't move. He sighed, "I'm just not meant to be a flyer," he said silently.
"Okay again," he said more loudly, "UP!" he siad coldly and firmly, the broom shot up and smacked him on the shoulder, "Shi.." he stopped himself, "What the hell," he shouted as the broom fell back to the ground. He rubbed his shoulder, "I don't think I'm doing this right," he said angrily.
 
"Beau, there isn't ever a right or wrong way about this. You just need to concentrate and not take being beaten by a broom personally" she ventured another smile as she dropped her own broom back down on the ground and placed her hand out over it.
"Come on, try again. You will get it I know you will" she gave him an encouraging nod of her head before emphasising the 'UP' command to her broom which came up easily into her hand.
"The trick is to have your fingers almost splayed out ready for the broom to come out, it's all really hand to eye co.ordination from there. Once the broom hits the center of your palm, wrap your fingers tightly around it so it can't go any higher and bruise your shoulder or fall back down again. Go on, give it another go".
 
Beau nodded "Okay..." he said skeptically, the broom already on the floor from when it had hit him, seemed innocent and lifeless, which of course it was. But in his eyes it wasn't, how could anything lifeless be so full of life?
He splayed his fingers wide like she had suggested, his hand was directly over the broom now. "UP." he said trying to sound confident, this time it rolled on the ground but didn't leave the earth.
"UP!" he said, loosing his patients now, "UP!" he said again, the broom hurtled upwards a hollow crunch came from his fingers as the broom rose to about head height then came crashing down, he jumped out the way so he didn't get hit before his attention to his fingers.
They weren't broken, that much he could tell, he flexed them a little they hurt a little but seemed to brake some barrier in him, he was determind to be ready for this now.
"UP!" he said, his voice rung conident and coldly around, the broom seemed to slowly drift up it was about to drop but he bent a little and grabbed it. A smile, that looked like a smirk, appeared on his face, "I guess I kinder done it," he shrugged, it had been a slow rise, nothing like Andy's but still he had done it.
 
Andromeda gave him a glowing smile.
"Well done. Now you know that much practise it every chance you get, before you know it you'll be a pro at calling for your broom" she whipped her leg over her broom as if mounting a horse or a bike and turned to face him again.
"Now just climb on your broom the way I did. One leg over and hold on tight with both hands, one hand infront of the other of course. Like mine" She showed him exactly what she meant and as she waited for him to do like wise, she felt the old stirrings well up inside her. Andromeda had literally been born in the air, flying in a plane her mother had given birth to her. Her family had always joked since that she was born to fly and she had always felt that way, ever since she hovered for the first time. Her right foot gently touched off the ground which sent her broom just a few inches higher, so her feet were left dangling in the air. The control that this movement alone took was phenomenal. Hovering was never as easy as it looked and yet the girl did it as if it were like breathing.
 
Beau smiled, "Thanks for teaching me," he said quietly. He watched as she mounted the broom, "Woah, I don't think I'm ready for that yet," he siad backing up a bit
"I can't fly yet," he added, stopping when he felt he was a safe distance from the broom. He put his hands out infront of him as away of saying he couldn't do it. The irrational fear of being in the air was gripping him again.
 
Andromeda smiled again.
"You won't be flying up there" she raised her eyes sky ward before looking at him directly again, " You'll be keeping your feet about an inch off the ground. I'm not big on breaking the necks of first years you know".
She had met many jumpy first timers before, so she wasn't too surprised by his reaction. It was even a little endearing, the only other boy she had met who had been anti-flying to begin with had been Brian but once he got the hang of it and began, he became unstoppable. He even became the Ravenclaw keeper. She hoped Beau would be able to take to the whole flying process with as much ease and determination as Brian had but she wouldn't push it. Little steps, tentative little steps.
"Just straddle your broom, one leg over and hold on. Keep your feet firmly planted on the ground, just let yourself get used to sitting on the broom first. The sensation of sitting on a bit of stick is not the most comfortable, at first".
 
"Right," Beau said nodding, he walked forward and picked up the broom, not wanting to be whacked over the shoulder with it.
He mounted it just like she had, not finding it very comfortable. "Right okay," he repeated trying to build up determination, he planted his hands firmly on the broom, his feet rooted solidly to the floor.
"What next?" he asked, feeling a little more confident now that he was mounted the broom.
 
"Ok, now this will sound stupid but just keep looking at me and keep talking but while you're doing it just push with the tips of your toes off the ground. You won't go up far so don't worry. As soon as you lift a fraction off the ground, sit down firmly or ... lean more onto the seat of the broom. You'll go down again, so simply just put your feet back on solid ground. Just keep doing it like... like you're on a swing, you know those muggle things in playgrounds?" she asked him, wondering if any of this made any sense at all to him but showing him at the same time, so it didn't look quite so odd.
 
"Right?!" Beau said watching as she did it, "Erm I'm not too familiar with muggles actually," he said laughing a little.
He sat on his broom and focused on Andy's eyes, his toes pushing too gently on the ground. He didn't come off the ground and he knew it was because he was reluctant, he didn't actually want to get off of the ground. Determination clouded his eyes and he pushed off a little to hard, the broom shot up in the air, only about a metre but Beau began to panick, he leaned more into the seat of the broom, putting on two much pressure, and came hurtling back to the ground. Somehow he managed to pull up at the last minute to slow it down so he came to stop and his feet didn't slam into the ground.
"Erm to much presure I think," he said laughinig a little nervously, though really it hadn't been as bad as he first thought, but then again he had only gone a fraction in the air.
 
Andromeda smiled in return and when he went a little higher than he intended and managed to land himself again, she suspected he was more flushed with adrenaline than anything else. He'll get the bug, she mused.
"That was great, no really. Many kids just stay put and can't get to hover at all for ages. So well done you" she glided herself and her broom so that she was parallel with him.
"Ok, step three." she gave him a wink before continuing "this time I want you to lean ever so slightly forward, this helps to make your broom move forward like you're steering it. We'll go straight up the pitch and stop before any corners or turns are necessary."
She touched off the ground again herself so that she was hovering beside him and then leaning very gently just a fraction lower over her broom, it began to move forward.
"Come on then".
 
"Thanks," Beau said, now he was over the intial shock he was quite pleased with himself. He listened as she explained the next step, they were moving through things quite quickly and he hoped he would be able to remember everything.
"Right lean forward a bit, got it," he said, determination building inside of him. He pushed off a little more gentle this time, he hovered, wobbling a little but atleast he was in the air.
He lent forward a little and moved at snails pace, he was a bit of an adreniline junkie and this really wasn't fast enough.
His feet were still close to the ground and that was slightly comforting, so he lent forward more the speed picking up, he was barel going in a straight line and he was wobbling all over the place.
Suddenly the feeling of his feet not touching the ground caught up with him, his head began to swim and he could hardely see where he was going, he crash landed only just managing to stay on his feet.
He ended up stting down and deep breathing, as he readjusted to the ground.
 
Andromeda could feel pain shooting up through her own leg and was delighted in a wierd way that Beau came off the broom. She needed time off of it too, so landed gracefully and walked over to him, kneeling down and she held out her hand to him to help him back up.
"Baby steps there Beau, don't try rushing it. The speed will come eventually. You must get the balance and accuracy right first. Patience is a virtue".
It felt silly telling him these things when she knew that at ten when her father had been teaching her, she had gone out every day over the lake as well to learn how to do it just right. Patience was something that grew on you eventually, so she didn't expect too much from him.
"Have you had enough for today?"
 
Patience had never been one of Beaus gifts, and as Andy suggested it he wondered how he would ever be patient, the fact that he hated flying did not make him patient.
As he sat on the floor, breathing normally once more but still trying to rid his eyes of the colourful dots that loomed everytime he closed his eyes, he nodded simply, "I think that would be a good idea," he said, he couldn't bare to get back on the broom now.
 
Brandon had been watching from the sidelines and could have cracked his sides with laughter watching the two of them. The fact that one was supposed to be a Slytherin didn't curb his glee anymore than watching the Gryffindor girl attempt to teach him. Had the boy no shame at all? He walked slowly over to where one knelt and the other lay on the ground.
"Now this is comical. If ever I thought to witness a farce on the quidditch pitch it has got to be this. Get up man, you're not hurt" Brandon would have liked nothing better than to kick the brat while he was down, getting a Gryffindor to show him how to fly? Was there nothing sacred around here? Brandon didn't seriously mind Gryffindors or any other house for that matter but a year spent living in the dungeons with Slytherins gave him an appetite for destruction.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top