Closed Silent School, Plenty Practice and Professor Pointers

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene was making the most of his holiday at Hogwarts, most others had left but he didn’t mind it. He was saving his cousin money. He knew from her letters she’d be spending the time with friends and he was content to spend the time at school. He missed her, and wished he could see her a little bit but this was for the best. The hufflepuff was making the most of the silence and emptiness, he’d been spending a lot of time practicing, a lot of time reading in the library and a lot time at the pitch. He didn’t think he would play quidditch. Not that he didn’t want to but he saw how competitive it was and was sure that he just wouldn’t manage to be good enough at it, but he was practicing, and he liked flying. He was in the air currently, but a little unsteady, clearly trying his best to keep his balance and improve overall. Still he thought about a year ago, this would’ve the absolutely wildest thing.​

 

[Sarah Harrington]

Sarah saw the holidays at school a good time to go home and spend time with her family, her two daughters and husband. This year was a little different, circumstances for work were keeping her husband busy and both her daughters as well. She was proud of her family and missed them all greatly but she knew there were students at the school who also missed their families and she'd try to make the best of their short holidays by engaging with them the best she could. Walking the grounds she saw a few familiar faces and a few she knew but couldn't quite name. She did have seven years worth of students to remember the names of but as they got older it became easier and easier. Coming upon the pitch she couldn't remember the last time she had been around to watch a game. She spent most days napping as her studies typically kept her up late most nights. She vowed to make a few games this upcoming semester however. She noticed a lone student flying around up in the sky so she headed up the tower of the pitch to see if she could see who it was. "You need find a spot on the broom where you feel stable!" She yelled over to the student seeing him wobble a little bit.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene heard the voice, and nearly tumbled off the boroom in surprise. He looked at them, pretty sure it was a professor and he guided the broom to fly towards them. He stopped closer, noting that it wasn’t a professor he’d had yet. He moved his hands on the broom, finding a spot that felt a little easier, where he felt a little stable. ”How do I let go? like fly around without having to hold it?” he then asked, shouting loudly enough so that the woman could hear. He knew that if he was ever to get close to playing properly he needed to learn how to let go without feeling like he was going to careen down to the ground and die.​

 

[Sarah Harrington]

Sarah smiled as the student flew closer and yelled back to her. He seemed to find a spot that looked slightly more stable on the broom. She wondered if he hadn't gotten this sort of instruction during first year flying lessons. She couldn't remember all the tips she had gotten at that age and these days she flew home to the south island with relative ease and little thought. She thought for a moment before yelling back. "Do you trust your broom?" Sarah tried to think of a way to explain it to the young student. "You won't find yourself letting go of the broom till you get your stable spot and trust with the broom!"

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene looked at the broom as the woman asked if he trusted it. He wasn’t sure he did trust a broom, it wasn’t like a thing he could trust. Maybe it was like a bike though he trusted when he rode his bike that he was stable enough to not fall off it. He slowly nodded, he didn’t entirely trust it, but he could. He let out a long breath and when he felt in a stable spot, very slowly lifted his fingers off the broom, he wasn’t the steadiest, and he felt very aware of the ground below him. But he managed to at least sit up without either hand touching the broom and that felt like quite the achievement. He felt like he had really managed something. He looked to the professor suddenly, cause the broom to move a little and he had to grab on again but he was grinning widely. ”wow!” he exclaimed loudly.​

 

[Sarah Harrington]

Sarah sat down on one of the benches as the student focused on his flying. Seeing him slowly take his hands off the broom and maintain that steady position she began to smile. She had her wand at the ready in case he fell off the broom to catch him mid air so he wouldn't fall to the ground. "Wonderful!" She exclaimed as the boy recognize the triumph himself. "Now you'll want to do it while you're slowly flying around, remember leaning forward and back will tell your broom to move," she told the student as she found a comfortable position sitting on the bench, her older body not quite enjoying the benches the same as when she was younger and hardly noticed the hard seat.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene nodded as she told him a little more, he had figured as much but, it was always good to hear it. The advice from the flying professor had been good, it had gotten him flying and in the air, but he had needed more time to really get to grips with this. He urged the broom slowly forward, he figured it was a good idea to do things slowly and then once he got more comfortable he could go faster. He was managing a slow pace and he took one hand off, he felt a little unsteady but he just kept in mind to trust the broom and he felt himself actively steady and then pulled his other hand off, leaning back slightly, both hands off and continuing to go at the slow pace. He could probably speed up now but he liked this speed.​

 

[Sarah Harrington]

Sarah clapped as the student worked on his skills of flying without his hands. He certainly would be on his way towards being good enough to make his house team. Just needed practice if that was something he had wanted to do. It did make her wonder about perhaps she needed to go to the Flying instructor and their Headmistress about regulations about students in the pitch and flying. She worried other young students might come down here alone like this student had. If he had fallen, how long would it have taken for someone else to come find him. Usually she wasn't too awake during the day time so thoughts like this had never crossed her mind previously. "Well done!"