Closed Not Flying High Enough

[Logan Ashworth]

It was a sunny day and Logan's parents had been happy for him to go out and play. The Tākarokaro Park wasn't too far from their house, and he knew his parents would come and pick him up when they wanted him back home. Logan had brought his toy broom with him, after he had once again begged them for a real one. They had told him (again) that he would get a real broom once he left for Hogwarts, which seemed so unfair since that was still a year off. The toy broom he had was barely big enough for him anymore, it struggled to carry him and it didn't go higher than about a two feet of the ground. He tried his best with it, flying in low circles, but he soon got bored. He tried to force the broom to go up, pulling it up against the magical height restriction. After a few tries, he actually managed it. The broom shot up another foot and Logan cheered. Then, it seemed to remember it wasn't supposed to go up that high and snapped him back down roughly, the sudden movement unexpected. Logan yelped as he toppled off the broom, landing in the grass on his back with a thud. "Ugh." He grunted, kicking weakly at the broom that had landed next to him.

 

[Brynn Brightsong]

Brynn didn't have a lot of friends. Which was to say, she didn't have any at all. But she didn't mind, it gave her more time to practice her knitting. She liked knitting and taking walks. It was a nice sunny day, so she'd gathered up her knitting basket and the little project she was working on, before asking her mom to drop her off at a park. She smiled, pleased when she got her way. She was just walking into the park when she saw a boy fall off a broom. She gasped and hurried over. "Oh, goodness, are you alright?" She fretted.

 

[Logan Ashworth]

Logan didn't want to get up immediately. He stared up at the sky and let out a soft sigh, living for a moment in the delusion that no one had seen him. Of course, that wasn't true. He groaned as he heard a voice. He looked up to see a pretty blond girl looking down at him. He slowly sat up. "Yeah, I'm fine. No big deal." He said, flashing her a grin. "I meant to do that." He joked.

 

[Brynn Brightsong]

Brynn wasn't sure she believed him, but she gave him a smile in return and sank down to sit on her knees next to him. "Oh, well, if you're sure," She offered shyly, tucking her hair back behind her ear. "Do you like flying?" She asked, though she thought the answer was obvious. She just wasn't sure what else to ask.

 

[Logan Ashworth]

Logan rubbed the back of his head and sat up completely. "Yep, definitely." He said, wondering if she actually believed him. He was about to get up when the girl sat down next to him, and then it suddenly seemed rude. He simply reached over to grab the stupid toy broom. "Yeah, I love flying." He said, waving the broom around a bit. "I just wish I had a real one, you know?"

 

[Brynn Brightsong]

Brynn smiled shyly, shifting to tuck her legs under her and putting a hand beside her for balance. "I bet flying is nice, my parents won't let me," She told him, sighing softly. "They said it'd be better for the Professor at school to teach me." She watched him wave the broom around. "There's a shop in town, do you want to go look at brooms?" She asked.

 

[Logan Ashworth]

Logan wrinkled his nose. "Really? Why not?" He asked, though she soon explained. He shrugged. "You can use this one if you want, it doesn't go up very high." He said, gesturing to the broom. "It's kind of for babies, but maybe that'd be good for you to learn on." He told her, not thinking about how it might sound. He hesitated at her suggestion. "My parents told me to stay in the park..." He said, though he was tempted.

 

[Brynn Brightsong]

Brynn understood his hesitation, even as she hesitated to get on the broom he had for the same reasons. "Well... would you help me with it if we did?" She asked, deciding that her flying a baby broom with this boy would be better than leaving the park against his parents wishes. She took a breath and offered out her hand to him. "I'm Brynn, by the way," She introduced herself.

 

[Logan Ashworth]

Logan nodded slightly. "Even if your parents said you couldn't?" He asked, a little impressed she'd do it anyway. "I can help. It really doesn't go high or very fast." He told her. "I'm Logan. Maybe we can look at the brooms after?" He had already convinced himself that if this girl could go against her parents' wishes, he could too. And maybe if they were fast he wouldn't be caught.

 

[Brynn Brightsong]

Brynn hummed softly, looking down and twisting a bit of hair around her finger. "Well... it's not really flying, you said that, right?" She asked, peeking back up at him with a shy smile. "So it's not really against their wishes. It's not actually a real broom." She justified, taking a breath and pushing herself up. "Let's just see how this goes. Hopefully I don't fall over," She teased, giving him an easy smile.

 

[Logan Ashworth]

Logan nodded enthusiastically, eager to agree with Brynn. "Sure, yeah. Barely flying at all." He said quickly. He got to his feet, grabbing the broom. "If you do fall, just say you did it on purpose, works every time." He said, flashing her a charming smile.

 

[Brynn Brightsong]

Brynn giggled a little, leaving her knitting basket on the ground. She pulled her hair back, twisting it up into a bun. "It should be absolutely fine," She took a deep breath. "Alright, what are we doing?" She asked, chewing on her lip a little nervously and wringing her hands.

 

[Logan Ashworth]

Logan grabbed the broom and held it low in the air, it hovered in place. "It doesn't even properly have to be called like a real broom." He said. "So you just hop on. I'll show you." He threw his leg over the broom and hovered in place for a moment, the tips of his feet almost touching the ground. "See? Not hard at all." He got off the broom again and then gestured to it. "Your turn."

 

[Brynn Brightsong]

Brynn took a deep breath and nodded, shifting to mount the broom as he gestured for her to. She wobbled a little, trembling, but she managed to stay upright, keeping herself in the air. She giggled, her face flushed, and looked to Logan with bright eyes. "Oh my gosh, this is so crazy," She managed, her arms shaking as she gripped too tight on the handle.

 

[Logan Ashworth]

Logan grinned brightly and held out his hands. "You're doing it, see? Told you it was easy." He said, deciding not to tell her she could probably still touch the ground if she reached her legs down a bit. "Now try flying around." He told her, not really considering that he hadn't taught her that. She'd be fine, right?

 

[Brynn Brightsong]

Brynn swallowed hard, and took a deep breath, before starting to stutter and tremble along on the broom. She was working on trying to stay upright, but her balance was horrible. With a little yelp Brynn went head over heels and did a little roll across the grass. She laid there a second, dazed, before giggling.

 

[Logan Ashworth]

Logan beamed and started cheering Brynn on as she attempted to fly. She didn't look very confident, but he was sure she could do it. His smile fell when she tumbled off the broom, rolling onto the grass. He ran over to her, dropping to his knees next to her. "You okay?" He asked, concerned. She was giggling, which didn't seem normal. Did she have a concussion?

 

[Brynn Brightsong]

Brynn sat up, grass in her hair, and gave Logan a bright smile. "I'm alright," She reassured him. "I was just thinking how silly I am." She pulled her legs up beneath her. "I'm horribly clumsy, and apparently that translates to flight as well."

 

[Logan Ashworth]

Logan extended a hand to help Brynn up. "You're no sillier than me, since I also fell." He said, trying to reassure her. "And I'm a future Quidditch pro, so don't feel bad." He hesitated. "Do you want to try again? Or should we do something else?"

 

[Brynn Brightsong]

Brynn took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet. She giggled again. "Maybe something else," She offered, brushing a hand over her leg to wipe away the dirt. "We could go to the shops? Or we can sit and talk for a while, if you'd like," She offered, thinking she'd had enough of trying the broom for today. "I did bring my knitting."

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber walked past the park and whistled, vaguely noticing the two children playing but not paying them much mind.

 

[Logan Ashworth]

Logan helped Brynn to her feet and grabbed the broom that had fallen. It might not be the best, but it was what he had. He nodded as she mentioned going to the shops again, easily convinced to break the rules. "Yes, let's go to the shops. We can look around and talk about what we're getting for Hogwarts." He said with a smile. "Much more fun than knitting." He stretched slightly. "You're going next year too, right?"

 

[Brynn Brightsong]

Brynn nodded. She gathered up her knitting, giving him an easy smile. "Alright, let's go!" She agreed, trying to stay close. She wasn't the best in crowds. She let him comment about her knitting, knowing it was just in jest. She tucked her hair back, nodding. "Yes, next year, are you?" She asked, meaning to follow just behind him on the way to the shops.

 

[Logan Ashworth]

Logan remembered his parents had told him not to leave the park, but he decided to ignore it. He followed Brynn to the shops, figuring it would be fine. "We'll be classmates." He said with a grin. "Which house do you think you'll be in?"

 

[Brynn Brightsong]

Brynn kept her hands on her knitting basket. She always enjoyed this walk. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe Hufflepuff?" She asked, thinking that the house sounded cozy and she liked to think she was cozy. "What do you think you'll get?" She tried to think of the houses, and from the little she knew he seemed like a Gryffindor.