Oooh! Broomsticks! Are they like wandsticks? on Quidditch Pitch

Amy Fox

January 30, 2007 9:27 PM

Flying Lessons: Lesson 1: Part 1 by Amy Fox

“Alright,” Amy stated, looking out at the scores of students. It was the first lesson of the year, held on a Saturday as usual, and the day was most likely going to drag on for ages as she had a detention to deal with following the lesson. Waiting until the students had quieted down, Amy tampered with the gloves on her hand, fitting them more firmly to her hands. When it was sufficiently quiet, she looked back at the sea of faces. “Alright, this is your first year of official flying lessons and so we need to get a few things straight. The first thing is that anything you have learned previously, anything at all, needs to be thrown out of the window. I don’t care if you’ve been flying for ages. You may have been doing it wrong. So, you will do as I say and only as I say.”

Reaching down, Amy picked up her one-of-a-kind broom and surveyed the students. “I have four rules and they’re very simple. We’ll all get along a lot better if you follow them. The first rule is to listen. If you aren’t listening and fail to miss my instructions and get hurt it’s your own fault. The second rule,” Amy stated, throwing two fingers into the air, “is that you are to do exactly as I teach. Don’t copy me or your buddy, just do as I say. Third rule,” Amy continued, adding another finger in the air, “is that you will be on time for my class or you will deal with the consequences. We’ll leave it at that for now. Finally,” Amy stated, placing extra emphasis on the word, “I expect each and every one of you to participate in my lesson. I don’t care if you’re scared of flying. I don’t care if you think that that stupid WAIL group is the greatest thing in the world and that girls shouldn’t fly. You don’t participate, you fail. It’s as simple as that.”

Amy waited for a moment, letting her words ring in the air. “Now,” she finally said after a few moments of silence, allowing her words to sink in. “If you don’t have a broom, there’s a stack of them over there.” Amy motioned toward the pile of brooms located a few yards away from them. A few Cleansweeps, Firebolts, Warpspeeds, as well as a number of other makes and brands could be found. “I want each of you to grab a broom and then head back over here so we can get started. Be quick about it.”

Stepping to the side, Amy watched as the group of students moved forward and selected the broom of their choice. Of course, there would be a few first years that had brought their own brooms, but she was almost positive that the majority would need to collect one from the pile. When they had all returned to their places, Amy moved back in front of the group.

“Alright, I need you all to spread out to where you have about an arm’s length on all sides of you. When you have finished, place your broom on the ground below your wand arm and look forward to wait for more instructions.” Again, Amy waited as they moved into their places. Of course, there were some that she had to tell to move further apart but it seemed to go along decently enough.

Once the students had settled into their places once again, Amy placed her broom to the ground once more and showed the students how she wished them to stand. “Your broom needs to be below the hand of your wand arm. When you are ready, you will need to start your broom with a clear command up Up! that will activate it.” Amy demonstrated by commanding the broom, it quickly rising to her hand. “Of course, it will not be this simple for most of you. If it doesn’t work on the first try, that is alright. It usually takes a few tries in order to be successful. Once you have activated your broom, turn back to me. Oh,” she added, “and be sure to make your command strong and clear. You don’t want to be too forceful or you will experience effects you may not be ready for.”

OOC: Alright, I expect lengthy responses of at least 15 lines, not sentences. Please be sure to look over your spelling and grammar before you submit. Also, make them interesting and please don’t try to be the next Harry Potter. Remember not everyone will take to flying quite like he did.
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Subthreads:

Woo!! Here we go! by Irene Liddowe with Talen Dupree, Talen, Irene

You don't know how long I've been waiting for tis by Law Cooper with Hyana Kamiya

fear of flying: lesson 1: part 1 (gulp) by Gwyneth Aquillon with Lutece Anthony, Gwyneth

Oooh! Broomsticks! Are they like wandsticks? by Jaeven 'Jae' Dimitri with Brett Hodges, Amy Fox, Jae

Well, This should certainly interesting by Hikaru Kasuragi

scared stiff and following the rules this time by Josiah with Oliver Abbott, Amy Fox

Flying Lessons: Lesson 1: Part 2 by Amy Fox with Irene Liddowe, Hyana Kamiya, Gwyneth A, Lutece Anthony

CLASS IS OVER. (nm) by Amy Fox

0 Amy Fox Flying Lessons: Lesson 1: Part 1 0 Amy Fox 1 5

Irene Liddowe

January 31, 2007 3:31 PM

Woo!! Here we go! by Irene Liddowe

Irene had arrived early to this lesson, not wanting to miss a thing. Irene was thrilled when she heard about flying lessons and she couldn't wait to be up in the air. It had been ages since she tried flying up at the cottage.

Irene had had her birthday in June and her uncle had bought her what she considered the best broom on the face of the earth. Her Firebolt was bought at a used broom shop but, to be honest, she preffered it. It was already broken in and it wasn't new to the air or speed. She held it tightly in her hand as their instructor began to speak.

She set the rules which were fair and, by the looks of it, should not be bent.

Take note: Do not bend rules here. Irene thought to herself.

The instuctor had told them to lay their broom on the ground, raise their wand hand over it, and commandit 'up.' When the word was given, Irene did so.

"Up," she said clearly. The broom twitched but remained by her side. It was always stubborn...

She gave it a glare and repeated, "Up!" She said clearly and forcefully. Her broom shot up into her hand and caused her to stumble sideways. In the process she accidentaly knocked into a person on her left.

Regaining her balance, Irene exclaimed apologetically, "Sorry! Sorry! Lost my balance!"\n\n

0 Irene Liddowe Woo!! Here we go! 106 Irene Liddowe 0 5

Talen Dupree

January 31, 2007 3:57 PM

I'm overjoyed by Talen Dupree

Being a Pureblood, one might think that Talen would have learned or even attempted flying at one point or another, but this was not the case. He even sneered at the mere idea for he had no intention whatsoever of flying. He deemed it a pointless action for someone such as himself. He had no intention of playing Quidditch and as soon as he was of age, he had ever intention of learning to appariate. However, he also had no plans to fail the class, which meant he would have to at least try.

Since he had no desire to fly, it meant he would have to use one of the school brooms. He felt sick to his stomach at the thought of a Dupree having to touch something...used. Grabbing the first one that was deemd appropriate, he headed back to his spot, near to a girl that he had seen around the Pecari common room, but had never talked to.

With a bored tone, he said, "Up."

If he had actually intoned the voice he used on the servants, the broom would have responded immediately. As it was, the broom just laid there. He was about to state the words again when someone bumped into him. Looking up, he saw it was the girl apologizing.

'Sorry! Sorry! Lost my balance!'

Feeling generous, he responded, "It's quite all right. My name is Talen Dupree, and you are?"\n\n

0 Talen Dupree I'm overjoyed 105 Talen Dupree 0 5

Law Cooper

January 31, 2007 4:25 PM

You don't know how long I've been waiting for tis by Law Cooper

Law had been waiting for this day ever since he got his acceptance letter. The day he would get to take lessons, real lessons, and on a real Quidditch Pitch. It was going to be awesome.

Law was not a spectacular flier. In fact, he wasn't even a great flier. He was much too cautious an eleven year-old to try any particularly dangerous tricks. That would be Hannah or Zane. He could zig zag under control, and pass and catch the Quaffle while in flight, and was pretty comfortable on a broom, but that was it. And still, his lack of talent that was obvious to even him did not discourage the tall, overweight Teppenpaw. He was just here to have fun.

But, sitting in the bleachers as he listened to What's-Her-Name talk (really, had she even said her name? Law always felt bad when he forgot people's names) it didn't seem like everyone wanted to have fun. Really, what was wrong with their teacher, she seemed so grouchy! Not even Aunt Tabby was like this on her bad days. But at least she was going to let them fly and not lecture the whole time. Maybe they'd even get a pick up game started. That had been Law's original plan, to hopefully get together a pick up game one day on the Pitch, but that had been hard with nothing but an old Quaffle of his own. Sure he had a Cleensweep at home, really reliable and fast enough for him, but he hadn't been allowed to take it to school. His parents were hoping he might become a more well-rounded person, and he could understand that.

Moseying down with the rest of the students, he picked up a Cleansweep most like his own broom (easier to adjust to) and picked his spot.

Law remembered the first time he had been on a broom. Not the toy brooms, but the actual real ones. He'd been seven, he'd gotten it for Christmas, his reliable Cleansweep. He stood outside trying to command it to go up all day long, but the broom just rolled around in the grass, not doing anything. It took him two days just to get that broom to listen. Zane had thought that there was something wrong with it, until the six-year old had figured out how to command the broomstick himself. Zane always had a way with brooms and flying. Law smiled at the memory- he couldn't wait for his little brother to join him at Sonora.

"Up," he commanded the broom into his right hand, this time it came much faster than his broom encounter at the age of seven, and his smile grew. The brunette boy looked around as he mounted his broom, making sure it was safe to kickoff, when he noticed a kid kind of standing off by themself. The kid hadn't managed to get their broom up yet. Understanding where they came from, Law dismounted the broom and walked towards said kid. His dream of flying on a real Quidditch Pitch could wait another five minutes.

"Hey," he said, approaching the other student, his own broom in hand, "You need any help?"
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0 Law Cooper You don't know how long I've been waiting for tis 0 Law Cooper 0 5

Hyana Kamiya

January 31, 2007 8:43 PM

No, I don't. by Hyana Kamiya

Hyana stood in the back of the crown, listening to Miss Fox talk. After her and Josiah's encounter with her, she was terrified of Miss Fox. When she told them to throw anything they had learned about flying out the window, she gave an inward sigh. It's not like she knew much in the first place.

When the group was instructed to get a broom, Hyana quickly did so. She didn't want to be the one to invoke Fox's wrath. She grabbed a Nimbus 2001. It was the same broom she and Josiah had practiced on. At least she could keep that one scrap of information.

Next they were instructed to place their broom under their wand arm. Hyana found this kind of odd, but did as Fox said. I don't want to get into anymore trouble she cried in her head. Then Fox did the most amazing thing. She said 'Up!' and her broom flew up into her hand. Th-that's new. She thought, wide eyed. For some reason, she couldn't wait to try it.

"Up!" She commanded, trying her best to sound commanding. She really wasn't good speaking like that. The broom layed on the ground. It didn't even twitch. "Up. U. Up!" She continued to say over and over again. But it didn't work. She buried her head in her hands. Maybe I'm not cut out for quidditch after all... She thought miserably. She stood there for a second, her fear of failure and Miss Fox getting to her. She let herself cry in her hands. It wasn't like she was there. But she heard someone speak and approach her.

"Hey, you need any help?" She looked towards him and quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Y-y-yes...k-kudasai..." she managed to get out through her strangled voice and slight japanese accent. "I mean...yes please." She took a deep breath. "I can't get my broom to go up. Can you help me?"\n\n

0 Hyana Kamiya No, I don't. 0 Hyana Kamiya 0 5

Gwyneth Aquillon

February 02, 2007 8:18 PM

fear of flying: lesson 1: part 1 (gulp) by Gwyneth Aquillon

The day that she had been dreading since she first arrived at Sonora had finally arrived. She would rather have been anywhere else in the world - - detention, the dentist or her sister's never-ending dance recital - - than here. At breakfast, she had been reminded by the other students' excitement over the impending flying lessons. She had promptly run from Cascade Hall to the nearest bathroom and thrown up! She briefly debated if she could claim a stomach ailment (certainly not a lie!) and get a note from the Medic to avoid the class. Somehow, she didn't think it would work. And from what she had learned about the teacher, Ms. Fox, she was pretty sure that Ms. Fox wouldn't be all that sympathetic. So with no way out, unless the ground answered her prayers and swallowed her whole right now, she headed toward the Quidditch Pitch.

Gwyneth found herself in the middle of the group of students who had assembled for the first lesson. No, assembled wasn't an accurate word choice. Based on the teacher's demeanor, commanded might have been closer. Gwyneth tried to listen to the instructions. She really did. But a funny thing happened when she was terrified; her blood pounded in her ears and she missed some of what was said.

She did hear Ms. Fox say to forget everything learned previously. Well, that was certainly easy for someone who until Very Recently had not even heard of flying broomsticks! She also clearly heard the predictions, almost promises, of someone getting hurt. Gwyneth groaned inwardly because she just knew she was clumsy and afraid of heights and a likely prospect for falling off a broom. She was certain she must have missed something important when the professor started talking about a . . . whale playing Quidditch? No, that definitely didn't sound right, even in this magical world.

Reluctantly following the other students when told to select a broom from the pile, she wandered over and stared. She had no idea what made a "good" broom. Well, they were all school property so she assumed they were fairly similar. 'I mean, it's not like I want to play Quidditch or anything. A broom is a broom. If I'm really lucky, I won't even get off the ground. Just wish they had one with training wheels or even a seat belt,' she thought glumly.

After claiming a broom, a Cleansweep because the Firebolt and the Warpspeed definitely sounded like a racing model and not her speed, Gwyneth found a relatively empty spot on the pitch. Placing the broom on the ground below her "wand hand", she hesitantly stammered the command, "up." Not surprisingly, nothing happened. On the one hand, she was delighted, this meant she couldn't possibly ride the thing. On the other hand, Ms. Fox had muttered a dire threat about failing the class if you failed to participate and Gwyneth was fairly certain that one attempt would not count toward participation points.

"Up," she said again, this time without the stammer but only modestly more commanding. Again, nothing happened. She was NOT going to fail this stupid class! There had to be some way to appear to be participating without actually getting her feet off the ground. Gwyneth took a quick look around and saw that many of the students had "activated" their brooms and were waiting for the other students to catch up.

The third time she said, "Up," the broom seemed to actually move an inch or so up off the ground before falling back. "I didn't have this much trouble with that Levitation spell in Charms class. What is the problem?" she muttered under her breath. After several more attempts, she was all but shouting, "UP!" Finally, as she was feeling like an absolute failure, on the tenth attempt, the broom slammed upward into her hand. Her entire arm felt numb from the shock and she made a yelp of pain. Now completely certain that this was not going to be a good thing, she turned to face Ms. Fox and wait for the next instructions.

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0 Gwyneth Aquillon fear of flying: lesson 1: part 1 (gulp) 0 Gwyneth Aquillon 0 5

Lutece Anthony

February 02, 2007 10:04 PM

Enter: the mall rat by Lutece Anthony

When she had heard that there would be Flying Lessons given, Lutece had immediately dropped what she had been doing (some complete nonsense for Potions on how the different ingredients 'affected' the 'magical' properties of the 'potion') and gone to find out more. There were, indeed, flying lessons. Mandatory ones. It would give her a chance to work on what Jen had shown her that first week and what she had read since.

Lutece actually listened to Coach's lecture, something she hadn't yet done for a teacher in this crazy place. Most of it she already knew, some she disregarded (forget everything she had learned? Yeah, right.), and some she was just confused about. WAIL? What was that? And what did it have to do with girls flying? She would have to look it up later. Looking stupid, even around first years, was not something Lutece wanted to be doing.

In anticipation of the work to come, Lutece had worn a light green tee over her low-rise jeans instead of a skirt or shorts. As Coach finished the lecture, she hastened to get a good broom. By the time she had cut through the crowd of first years, though, there was only one Warpspeed and no Firebolts left. Not able to recognise any of the other brands and not seeing the broom she had ridden in practise with her Captain, Lutece quickly grabbed the Firebolt and hastened to stand next to another girl, laying the broom in the grass.

"Up," she ordered imperiously. The broom rose fairly easily, although it lagged a bit. Whether that was because of something Lutece had done or because of the broom itself, she couldn't tell. However, she could (and did) amuse herself by watching the other first year have considerable difficulty in getting her broom to rise. After the other girl had practically yelled for her broom and finally gotten it up, Lutece looked over at her. "Don't yell," she said. "It doesn't help. You have to order it to get up."\n\n

0 Lutece Anthony Enter: the mall rat 100 Lutece Anthony 0 5

Jaeven 'Jae' Dimitri

February 02, 2007 10:28 PM

Oooh! Broomsticks! Are they like wandsticks? by Jaeven 'Jae' Dimitri

OOC: As an author, I am currently hiding from Jae. I mean, seriously. Him and a broom? I don't trust the kid on the ground, forget above it. But mandatory is mandatory, I suppose....

BIC:

Broomsticks! They got to learn about flying broomsticks!

Jae had hopped down the dorm stairs as fast as he could, trying to pull on his robes over the cargo pants and t-shirt he usually wore. It worked somewhat well. He still couldn't really get the hang of these robe things. They were like dresses, and his were too long; Jae tended to trip over them on a regular basis. As usual, when he arrived on the pitch, his wandstick was tucked behind his pierced ear and he wore an ear-to-ear grin. Broomsticks! And wandsticks! This school was madcool!

Looking around the group of firsties, he looked for Mika. Since Jae was fairly short, though, the fact that he didn't see him didn't mean much. After (sort of) listening to the woman's lecture up front, the boy dashed up to get a broom. Some of them had letters on the handles and some didn't, but Jae didn't bother to try and read them. He probably would have trouble anyway, and then there wouldn't be any broomsticks left! So, grabbing the first one that came to hand, Jae moved away, set it on the grass, and said "Up!".

Nothing happened.

"Um...up?"

Still nothing.

"BROOMSTICKUPPLEASE!" Jae yelled, finally. The broom gave a little quiver, then leaped into his hand, stinging his palm. "Ow," he said, looking at the broom reproachfully. "I said please. You don't need to be mean." At that point, instead of turning towards the Coach, Jae turned to the person standing on his left. They seemed to be having trouble getting their broom to come up properly. Since he had just done it right, Jae decided to help.

"Hi, I'm Jae," he informed the person. "It helps if you say please. The broomstick likes it better."\n\n

0 Jaeven 'Jae' Dimitri Oooh! Broomsticks! Are they like wandsticks? 0 Jaeven 'Jae' Dimitri 0 5

Gwyneth

February 03, 2007 8:14 AM

my day keeps getting better and better ;-( by Gwyneth

As the broom slammed upward into her hand, Gwyneth heard a girl next to her say "Don't yell . . .It doesn't help. You have to order it to get up." With her entire arm feeling numb at this point, she turned saying, "Thanks for the advice, but you're a bit late."

Then she say the girl and groaned inwardly. Of course, it was someone like "that." Immediately upon seeing who had spoken to her, Gwyneth knew the type. Miss Perfect Hair and Make-up. Clothes she probably bought from Hollister or Aeropostle which, on comparison to the rest of the assembled students, looked vaguely out of place here. Miss NYC in the desert! Gwyneth almost giggled at the thought. Except standing before her was an archtype of every middle school mean girl that she had ever come up against. The "cool kids" who because they had money and bought designer inspired namebrand clothing assumed they were superior to all the others. Cool kids who used used their limited brainpower for sarcasm and cutting remarks to keep others in their places. Suddenly, Gwyneth wanted to throw up again.

Gwyneth had seen the girl smirk at her predicament. Knowing that this girl was highly unlikely to become a friend, or even an acquaintance, she tried to ignore the girl beside her and focus on the teacher. "This day just keeps getting better and better," she muttered.\n\n

0 Gwyneth my day keeps getting better and better ;-( 0 Gwyneth 0 5

Hikaru Kasuragi
February 03, 2007 9:38 PM

Hikaru Kasuragi
Peripheral
Written by:

Well, This should certainly interesting by Hikaru Kasuragi
Hikaru walked out of the building and onto the Quidditch Pitch. The brisk morning air blew past him as he strode down to the Pitch and admired the gorgeous sun that was hanging over the sky.

He had decided last night that his hair was a little too long so he had done something extremely drastic...he had cut most of it off so it was only over his ears and was slightly hanging behind his neck.

Hikaru had looked at himself in the mirror that morning and decided that if he was even going to attempt to play Quidditch his hair wasn't going to be long!

He breathed in the air as he approached the small group of first years infront of their Professor. Hikaru thought to himself as he stood infront of the small grouping of Teppenpaws I don't need flying lessons! I've been flying for a year and a half! I honestly don't think this is nessecary! What a drag...

Hikaru listened to her instructions quietly and carefully and was inwardly grumbling and growling. He was a fair flyer and best and maybe thisw would be a good practice run so he could help out the Quidditch team more.

He set his nicely pollished Nimbus 2001 on the ground next to him on his right side and began to clear his mind of distractions.

He had gripped on perfect calm for a moment but then a flood of annoyance at the fact that he didn't get to fly at the moment was starting to agravate him.

He took a deep breathe and ignored all outside interfernce Alright, this is for my own good...come on!! Let go...let go...let go...

He felt the calm and murmered the command under his breathe Up! The broom shot up into his hand like it had when he used to practice it.

Hikaru smiled to himself Alright, Phase One is accomplished. Now if only we could fly! Hikaru opened his eyes amd stretched a little so he could be ready to fly at a moments notice I wish I wasn't so bad at Quidditch, the team thinks I'm a let down, nobody really likes me here except for the people who I've really talked to. Why do I have to be such an arrogant idiot! \n\n

0 Hikaru Kasuragi Well, This should certainly interesting 0 Hikaru Kasuragi 0 5

Talen
February 04, 2007 10:28 AM

Talen
Peripheral
Written by:

Good, mission accomplished by Talen
Talen raised an eyebrow at Irene's words about her broom. He couldn't understand why someone would keep an unruly object. His opinion was to only keep that, which bent under your command. Afterall, this was how he had been raised, to think that he was better than everyone else.

When the sliver went into Irene's hand, his face remained emotionless. He had found that it was easiest to shut those of sadness or happiness off rather than experience them. So, when she laughed, he couldn't relate. Why would someone laugh and not only laugh, but at themselves? Talen tilted his head in confusion at her words.

"Why is that amusing?" He asked, in slightly curious tone, as though he was studying something for in a way he was.\n\n

0 Talen Good, mission accomplished 0 Talen 0 5

Law Cooper
February 04, 2007 12:22 PM

Law Cooper
Peripheral
Written by:

Well, let's just say I've been very excited about this cla by Law Cooper
Law cocked his head to the side when the girl said something that couldn't have been English. But then she corrected herself and it didn't really matter. What mattered was the task at hand, which fortunately, just happened to be flying.

"See, it's like this- working a broom is hard at first, but once you know how, you can always do it," he explained. He paused for a moment. Showing was always much better than telling. Explaining how it was done might just confuse the girl more than it would help her. And Law truly did want to help her out. So, dropping his own broom on the grass so that it landed with a soft thud, he figured he'd give a quick demonstration.

"You've gotta just relax- you know? If you get it the first time around, that's really cool, but if not, well, that's okay too. And you have to be confident in yourself, and let the broom know that you believe that you can do it. You have to let it know who is controlling who- but don't yell or get mad or anything. That usually doesn't go over well with brooms. So, once your ready, you just hold your hand out like this," he held his right hand out over his own Cleansweep, "And then you just relax and you believe like I said and," he smiled encouragingly at her, "Up!"

The broom obediently shot up to his hand and he grabbed it, instinctively swinging a leg over the broom, knees bent and ready to kick off. Law caught himself though, and the heavy boy stood up straight again, swung his leg back over the broom so that he held it at his right side, and smiled again.

"See? Not that hard, even I can do it," he motioned to her with a nod of his head, "Your turn."\n\n

0 Law Cooper Well, let's just say I've been very excited about this cla 0 Law Cooper 0 5

Irene
February 04, 2007 4:13 PM

Irene
Peripheral
Written by:

A job well done. by Irene
Irene tilted her head as Talen asked,"Why is that amusing?" In a comfused voice.

Irene furrowed her eyebrows. She thought it was an odd question. She thought it was funny because of the ironic timing for one. And two, she didn't really feel like crying over a stupid sliver.

"I'm not sure... I guess because its easier to laugh about things that to get upset about nothing," She responded with a shrug.

"So do you fly any?"

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0 Irene A job well done. 0 Irene 0 5

Brett Hodges
February 05, 2007 5:18 PM

Brett Hodges
Peripheral
Written by:

Or hockey sticks? by Brett Hodges
Theoretically, there should have been plenty of time for Brett's stopover at the Owlry on the way to the Quidditch Pitch -- but then he got lost and ended up getting directions from a portrait who directed him not to the Quidditch Pitch but to an unfamiliar entrance into Labrynth Gardens and then ran off through the canvases laughing like tormenting lost firsties was his favorite thing in the world to do. From the Gardens it had been a dead run -- complete with almost running over about five people and shouting, "Sorry!" over his shoulder -- to make it before Professor Fox started.

He was psyched, really. Psyched. He stood impatiently for the flying thing to happen and when it was his turn, he sorted through the brooms that were left -- easily identifying the oldest, beat-up-ist looking broom that was probably Echo's Chaunessy the Underdog -- and chose one with nice bristles and a smooth handle to be his first-shot-at-it broom. He didn't plan on naming it.

He didn't really know any of the other first years yet -- he'd talked to a few of them (like Hikaru, Hyana, and Josiah that one time in the Gardens), but he wouldn't exactly call any of them his friends yet so he decided to stand next to Jae. Jae was his roommate and he had to be the only other kid in the school saying "mad cool" besides Brett, so that was like whoa points in his favor.

Brett tossed his broom on the ground near Jae and walked up next to it. He had instructed it, "Up!" a few times to no avail when Jae started shouting at his with a desperate, "BROOMSTICKUPPLEASE!". As Brett turned to watch, the broom jumped into the kid's hand.

"Niiice," Brett commented, impressed, and turned back to his unsuccessful, "Up!"s.

"Hi, I'm Jae," his roommate informed him. Introductions did get to be a habit, but Brett was mostly way impressed that Jae didn't use his last name in the introduction like every other freaky kid at this school. It seemed like it was just a weirdo wizarding thing, but it was quickly turning into Brett's biggest pet peeve ever. And here was Jae was like a fresh taste of muggleness... "It helps if you say please. The broomstick likes it better."

Or... not.

Brett's grin faded a little as he tried to make the brain leap into brooms liking some commands better than others. "Uh, okay. Oh, I'm Brett. I'm the roommate with the big red duffle bag." The thing still wasn't unpacked and was starting to slide off the foot of his bed along with the rest of Brett's blankets.

He took a deep breath and tried again, this time using Jae's spell, "Broom, up please!" It didn't help.
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0 Brett Hodges Or hockey sticks? 0 Brett Hodges 0 5

Josiah
February 05, 2007 5:53 PM

Josiah
Peripheral
Written by:

scared stiff and following the rules this time by Josiah
Josiah felt a gnawing terror in his stomach when he saw the notices. Flying lessons were up. They would be taught by Coach Fox. Oh, no! He groaned for what seemed like the hudreth time when he grabbed his broom and headed for the pitch. Not only was he in trouble with the teacher, she was scary as heck! Besides, he got in trouble with her. She scared him. He had detention with her. She scared him. He got told off for being reckless. Did he mention that woman scared him?

His face stood out paler than normal and his hand clutched the broom. If his face was white, it was nothing compared to his knuckles. He listened carefully as she talked. He winced as she held up her two fingers, afraid she was going to hit him or something. Hey, the lady scared him!

He looked at the pile of brooms. She had no sharpshooters, but there was a couple of firebolts and a brand he was unfamiliar with. He looked at his broom. His firebolt had served him well, so he decided not to swap it. Besides, the scary lady could've jinxed the one she was sure he'd take (which would be the new brand as he was rather curious).

He stood ther, frozen to the spot as she had them all line up and put their brooms on the ground. He felt like his broom was giving him a life support. Reluctantly he placed it on the ground and watched her call her broom up. He blinked. Josiah didn't know what this whole 'up' thing was about. HE just got on teh broom and kicked off. Maybe it would help it to fly? He smiled, sure of his abilities, and put a hand above the broom. "Up," he said with confidence. It did nothing. Oh well, try a bit more of a flair, "Uh-uh-uh-p!" he said making the uh's sticcato. It did nothing. Now what was wrong with the broom? He tried several ways including falsetto, pleading, begging, asking nicely, telling the broom his life depended on it, and threatening.

Finally, all patience lost he yelled, "GET UP YOU STUPID BROOM OR I WILL MAKE YOU! UP!" it went up...and up...over the shoulder now...and into the face of the person behind him. He picked up the broom and said, "not like that! into my hand!" set it down, commanded it to go up again, and caught it when it complied. Then he remembered the person behind him was just wacked in the face. "Ohmygoshareyouokay?" he asked breathlessly in a rush. That coach was probably laughing it up over there. Little things kept proving his point on how he wasn't ready to teach. Blast irony! \n\n

0 Josiah scared stiff and following the rules this time 0 Josiah 0 5

Oliver Abbott
February 05, 2007 6:44 PM

Oliver Abbott
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by:

Age in Post: 11

Always following the rules. by Oliver Abbott
Flying lessons were yet another thing at Sonora which Oliver had been looking forward to. His Uncle Raymond had given him a broom when he got accepted; it was a Bluebottle T20 and Oliver proudly carried it down to the flying lesson. He knew that school brooms were available for students, particularly first years, to use, but Oliver didn’t see the point of using a different broom if you already had one you were comfortable with.

Oliver loved flying. He wasn’t an expert, or even particularly good, but he was a fair flyer. These lessons could only help, and that would increase Oliver’s chance of getting onto the Quidditch team next year, and not playing only as a reserve. He was determined to be good at Quidditch, even if only to tease Julian about it.

The Coach seemed a bit scary, but Oliver tried not to let that put him off. It did make sense to be strict when flying with amateurs, after all. Oliver didn’t know what she meant when she talked about ‘that stupid whale group’, though. He’d have to ask Jordanna when he next saw her, or maybe Jennifer.

The lesson really did start with the very basics – how to get your broom to stay up. Remembering that this was a lesson and he should treat it as such, Oliver placed his inherited broom on the ground beside him. When they were given the go, Oliver held his arm over the broom, called it up, and wasn’t surprised when it did exactly as it was told. He’d been riding this particular Bluebottle for nearly two years, and he didn’t expect it to start disobeying him now, just because there were lots of other disobedient brooms around. Oliver was enjoying watching the other students’ various failures – the boy in front of him seemed to be getting quite frustrated with his inability to make his broom behave – when something smacked him in the face, knocking his glasses off.

Oliver barely registered what had happened, but he knew his parents would kill him if he had to write home for a new pair of spectacles, so he immediately dove down to the ground and retrieved them. Thankfully they were mostly unharmed, but the right lens did have a new scratch right near the top. Oliver put them back on before trying to discover what, or who, had been responsible. As he stood up, the boy who had been having such trouble with his broom turned around and said something. What it was, Oliver wasn’t quite sure, because it was all fast and garbled. Or maybe another language. Rather than asking the boy to repeat himself, Oliver rubbed his cheek which was sore, and felt a scratch there, too. He looked at the broom in the boy’s hand and the worried expression on his face, and put the two together.

“Did you just hit me with your broom?” Oliver asked, fairly angry but not shouting angry. Shouting in a lesson was never a good idea.
\n\n

0 Oliver Abbott Always following the rules. 99 Oliver Abbott 0 5

Josiah
February 05, 2007 8:19 PM

Josiah
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Written by:

Well...i'm in trouble so I don't wanna break them by Josiah
Josaih's previously uncolored face became a brilliant shade of red. Oh dear, he really needed to stop this blushing thing! It was as if his face had a mind of its own and wanted to always embarras him further. He also noticed that he had knocked the other boy's glasses off and scratched him. He was about to say sorry again when he said something. Something really angry.

Josiah flinched nad held his broom defensively in front of him. He doubted the Coach would save him, she probably wanted to see him torn piece to piece too. So he just stood there, whimpering occasionally. When he was sure the boy wasn't going to kill him he said, "Sorry about my wimpiness...I just seem to have people out to kill me lately, "he peeked around the broom handle (though that wasn't really nessicary as he could see past it jsut fine) and said, "I'm really sorry! I was just trying ot get my broom to come to me. It isn't used ot this. I have used it often, it likes me, but it doesn't like being told what to do I guess. I think it was trying to hit me and missed. I'm really sorry it hit you instead.." he faded out knowing full well he sounded crazy.\n\n

0 Josiah Well...i'm in trouble so I don't wanna break them 0 Josiah 0 5

Hyana Kamiya
February 05, 2007 8:48 PM

Hyana Kamiya
Peripheral
Written by:

I can tell by Hyana Kamiya
Hyana took deep breaths as the boy explained to her what to do. It sounded so simple. And when he showed her, it looked simple too. "Your turn." he said. She bit her lip and looked at her broom. "O-okay..." She whispered.

She held her hand over her broom. Be confident, be confident. C'mon Hyana. You can do this. She closed her eyes for a second, calming herself down, then snapped them open. I can do this! "Up!" she commanded. Her broom shot up into her hand. Her eyes widened. "I...I did it!" She exclaimed. Hyana turned to the boy. "Arigato! I mean, thank you." She grinned and held out her free hand. "I'm Hyana Kamiya. It's so nice to meet you!"\n\n

0 Hyana Kamiya I can tell 0 Hyana Kamiya 0 5

Amy Fox
February 06, 2007 12:48 AM

Amy Fox
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Written by:

Trouble Maker by Amy Fox
Amy paced between the lines of students, correcting minor errors and informing students that most professionals didn't have the broom rise on their first time either. Her eyes darted from student to student, face to face, keeping look out for students who failed to follow the directions. Pausing to adjust the position of one student's arm, Amy's attention was quickly alerted upon hearing a student yell...

...at his broom?

Frowning, Amy turned just in time to see a broom fly over the culprit's shoulder and hit the person behind him. Urging the student she was working with the continue on, Amy stalked over just in time to hear the kid apologizing. Well, at least he had some manners. Finally coming face to face, Amy's frown deepened.

"Ashwood," Amy grumbled. "I should've know it was you." Looking at the sky in a questioning motion, Amy breathed in deeply. The kid already had two detentions with her, did she really want to risk another?

"Ashwood, please remember that the command is 'Up!' and only that. Also, brooms don't take kindly to being yelled at. Thus, keep a firm voice and use only the words you were instructed to use." Sighing heavily, Amy noted that another student needed her help. "Ashwood, please be kind and follow the directions from now on. Oh, and please remember to stay behind following the lesson for your detention. Thank you."\n\n

0 Amy Fox Trouble Maker 0 Amy Fox 0 5

Amy Fox
February 06, 2007 12:58 AM

Amy Fox
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Written by:

A Simple Up Will Do by Amy Fox
Having left Ashwood behind, Amy rounded the corner only to hear another command that was way off from her instructions. Had anyone bothered to listen to her rules? Amy was rather surprised when she noted that the broom had actually managed to make its way into the kid's hand, seeing as the command was no only wrong, but also terribly muddled. She found it even more disconcerting when she heard another him instructing another student.

Sighing heavily, Amy made her way over to the pair. It seemed that the first year boys really wanted to push her nerves to the limit this year. Each had his own way of breaking the rules and each was exceptionally annoying. Not that older males weren't quite so annoying, but they were annoying in a totally different way...

Shaking the thought out of her head, Amy stopped in front of the pair. "Hey, hey," she said, in hopes to attract their attention. "The command is 'Up!' I don't want to hear anything besides that, got me? You," she said pointing to the kid whose broom had risen into the air, "put your broom back on the ground and try again. I want you to use the actual command."

She then turned to the second kid. "It always seems to work best for me when I ignore everything around me. I'd suggest breathing in deeply for a moment and then exhaling with your eyes closed. When you feel that you are ready, open your eyes and try again. The main point is to make a connection with the broom. It's like a partnership that is based on trust. At the moment, you don't trust the broom so it doesn't trust you. Got it?"\n\n

0 Amy Fox A Simple Up Will Do 0 Amy Fox 0 5

Brett Hodges
February 06, 2007 4:38 PM

Brett Hodges
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Written by:

"Up" it is. by Brett Hodges
Brett had been warned about Professor Fox and how she'd already given detentions to first year students. When she came over Brett stood a little straighter and made sure he was listening attentively. He knew from his old school that if you were serious and made lots of eye contact, and only said what the teacher wanted you to say, you usually didn't get a referral when a teacher talked to you directly. Brett didn't think he and Jae did anything detention worthy, but you never knew with teachers. Sometimes they decided -- for no reason! -- that you didn't have an appropriate attitude and should go to ISS for the rest of the period.

"Yes, professor," Brett said agreeably when Professor Fox had finished her explanation of the broom-wizard partnership. He dutifully closed his eyes like she said and breathed in and out a few times.

How do I know when I feel ready? he wondered. He tried to think about his broom and trusting it, but he was more worried about looking dumb standing there with his eyes closed, so he opened them.

I trust you, he thought to his broom.

"Up!"

The broom didn't budge. Brett was beginning to see that he was actually going to have to try. He wasn't sure he knew how to do that.\n\n

0 Brett Hodges "Up" it is. 0 Brett Hodges 0 5

Oliver
February 06, 2007 5:30 PM

Oliver
Peripheral
Written by:

Why do I always end up with the weird ones? by Oliver
Well, the boy, some talkative Teppenpaw who had yet to declare his name, did sound sincerely sorry, so Oliver tried to calm down. However, he did have a momentary fleeting worry that his parents had been right all along about people who went to magic schools being unusually… well, unusual. His year mates were definitely an odd lot, with weird pets and phobias, some who didn’t even believe in magic, and now one who thought people were out to kill him. Oliver would hate for his parents to be right about Sonora, since they had such a negative view on the place, but he couldn’t keep ignoring the overwhelming evidence forever. Perhaps this boy was just joking about someone being out to kill him?

Before Oliver could contemplate either matter further,(death threats or being hit in the face with a broom), though, the coach came over to them and said “Ashwood” in such a commanding tone it was obvious that one of them was in trouble. Since ‘Ashwood’ and ‘Abbott’ really weren’t that similar, Oliver assumed the boy with the disobedient broom was Ashwood. Apparently he had already had some trouble with the Quidditch coach, which Oliver had to admit was impressive, since this was their first flying lesson, but it didn’t give a very good impression. Someone who got in trouble so often was bound to be trouble period.

When the coach left to tend to another student, Oliver desperately wanted to say ‘You’ve got a detention already?’ However, what he did say was, “Don’t worry, I’ve heard she’s always like this,” which wasn’t strictly true, but it seemed like a good thing to say at the time.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

0 Oliver Why do I always end up with the weird ones? 0 Oliver 0 5

Josiah
February 06, 2007 8:11 PM

Josiah
Peripheral
Written by:

i'm scared by Josiah
Josaih yelped when he heard a familiar and very scary voice say Ashwood. Use of his surname was not common, unless of course he was at a meeting with his father in which case he would me called 'Young Mr. Ashwood'. He bobbed his head rapidly as the woman talked and said "Yes ma'am, I'll be waiting for you. Right afterwards!" while she walked away. He slumped down to the ground with a low moan. THe two detentions! He'd forgotten about those!

“Don’t worry, I’ve heard she’s always like this,” "Really?" Josaih asked clambering to his feet. HE looked on the ground and realised he must've dropped the broom. "Up," he said and the broom oblidgingly lept to his hand. 'Great, broom, now you work!' he thought miserably.

He blushed when he realised they both hadn't been introduced yet! "Uh...i'm terribly sorry. I have forgotten my manners! I'm Josiah Ashwood, from Teppenpaw. And you? What's your house?" He didn't want to say 'who are you' because he was always told that was rude. He scuffled his feet in teh dirt a bit, feeling dumber by the second.\n\n

0 Josiah i'm scared 0 Josiah 0 5

Amy Fox
February 06, 2007 9:44 PM

Amy Fox
Peripheral
Written by:

OOC by Amy Fox
Josiah,

Please be sure to take extra care when writing your posts. I've noticed on a number of occasions that you have even spelled your character's name wrong. Also be sure to maintain the same point of view. You changed from third to first and then back to third in a sentence. Sonora requires all author's to write in third person. I understand that you might have problems with spelling and grammar, all that I ask is that you take a bit more time to correct it. At the moment you are making numerous careless errors that could easily be corrected if you just take the time to do it.

Thank you,

Amy Fox\n\n

0 Amy Fox OOC 0 Amy Fox 0 5

Oliver
February 08, 2007 5:46 PM

Oliver
Peripheral
Written by:

I would be in your position. by Oliver
Oliver was pleased to note that this Ashwood boy didn’t question his comment about Coach Fox. In fact, Oliver liked to imagine he’d even been a little comforted by it. However, before Oliver could offer any further condolences, establish why the boy had detention, or how his broom had managed to hit him in the face, the other boy started talking again, and fast. He introduced himself as Josiah, a Teppenpaw (which Oliver already knew from looking at the badge on his robes). Oliver thought Teppenpaws, by reputation, were supposed to be rather quiet, calm people. Josiah certainly was not of that vein.

“I’m Oliver Abbott,” he replied in response to Josiah’s introduction. “I’m in Crotalus.” He thought that mentioning your house was relevant at Sonora. After all, a student was bound to be closer to their housemates than others, seeing as they shared dormitories and commons. In addition, there did seem to be great competition between the houses, so he understood it was only natural to want to know what house a new acquaintance was in. That didn’t make the concept any less unusual to him, though. Oliver was more familiar with questions like, ‘where do you live,’ and ‘what do you do for fun,’ than what school house you were in.

Somehow the more familiar questions didn’t seem right here, so instead, Oliver asked, “Is that your own broom?” He nodded towards the broomstick Josiah now held. It didn’t look like a school broom, and Oliver thought Josiah had made some reference to the broom’s usual behaviour, so he assumed it was personal property. It was an acceptable conversation starter, nonetheless.
\n\n

0 Oliver I would be in your position. 0 Oliver 0 5

Jae
February 13, 2007 8:27 PM

Jae
Peripheral
Written by:

Up works. by Jae
OOC: Sorry for the delay; life exploded last weekend for several extra curricular reasons. I'm back, though.

BIC:

Jae was just about to respond to the Brett with the Red Duffle Bag, when Coach Fox appeared out of nowhere in front of them. And pointed. At him. And said to use the right command. His eyes grew as big as saucers as he looked up at the Coach. She was scary. Scarier than Aunt Marla, Aunt Cheri, and his old principal combined. And his old principal was the one who didn't like what he termed 'excess physical contact' in his school. Jaeven had spent quite a bit of time in the principal's office there.

"Yes ma'am," he squeaked, quickly dropping his broom on the ground. Nervously, he looked out of one eye to see if she was watching him, but the coach seemed to be instructing Brett about how to get his broom to work. That was perfectly fine with Jae. It gave him more time to figure out how to get his broom to work the right way. So. No please. You just had to...do it. Um. That might work.

"Um. Up?" the broom rolled over in disdain. Jae looked down at it and up at the scary coach. "Up?" Another look between the broom and the coach. "Um...up...please?" The last word of that was said in an almost inaudible whisper. He didn't want the scary coach to be mad at him. He didn't want to get in trouble. He didn't want his broom to be mad at him for not being polite.

"Up!" he commanded, with a quick look around, then a whispered "Thank you," when the broom sort of rose. Stooping to get it, Jae lost his balance and sprawled all over the grass of the Pitch. Squeaking, he got right back up again and tried to edge behind Brett in the hopes of detracting the attention from him. \n\n

0 Jae Up works. 0 Jae 0 5

Amy Fox
February 16, 2007 2:48 PM

Amy Fox
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Written by:

Flying Lessons: Lesson 1: Part 2 by Amy Fox
After circling the group a number of times and pointing out instructions to those who were struggling, Amy eventually made her way back to the front of the group. Placing her thumb and finger to her mouth, she blew a shrill whistle in order to once again the attention of the students. Once she was satisfied that everyone was paying attention, she began once more.

"Alright," she said, taking a moment to pop her neck. "Now that we've gotten the first step out of the way, we're going to try a little bit of flying." A small smile formed at the corners of her lips as she remembered the first time she had actually mounted a broom. That had definitely been an experience, to say the least.

"I first need each of you to make sure that you have more than enough space around you, I don't want any of you flailing and landing on someone else." Her eyes instantly fell on Ashwood as she clearly remembered his broom hitting another student a few minutes before. "Once you feel that you have enough space, I want you to hold your broom securely beside you. Then, slowly, I want you to mount your broom like this." Following the words, Amy placed the broom about hip-level, swung a leg into the air and straddled her broom.

"It seems extremely easy, but you need to make sure that you keep a good hold on your broom while you are doing it. Now, it won't float off but sometimes it likes to play games. Each of you go ahead and mount your brooms." Amy watched for a moment as each student tried to mount the broom, some having small mishaps. After a few moments, she was sure they were ready.

"Now comes the fun part," Amy said, a grin forming on her face. "I want each of you to lightly push off the ground and hover about three feet above it. Your feet should not be touching the ground. Now, some of you will have trouble remaining on the broom. If any of you have ever ridden a Muggle bicycle, you will know that balance is extremely important when it comes to staying on a broom."

In demonstration, Amy pushed off the ground and hovered a couple of feet above it. Wrapping her ankles around the handle, she sat still. "It may seem simple, but you need to be able to hover before you can fly. Alright, it's your turn." With a small wave of her hand, Amy watched as each student began.

OOC: Alright, this is part two. If you haven't responded to part one yet, you still need to. Same rules apply. \n\n

0 Amy Fox Flying Lessons: Lesson 1: Part 2 0 Amy Fox 0 5

Josiah
February 16, 2007 4:31 PM

Josiah
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Written by:

And now i'm on the coach's 'bad' list.... by Josiah
OOC: Sry it took so long. been busy

IC: Josaih nodded. "Yup, mom gave it to me for my tenth birthday. I have known how to fly since age eight, or seven I forget. I always either used a toy broom or father's. Mother didn't like me using father's broom, she said that I could get seriously hurt. She didn't think I could handle it until I was ten. So now I got my trusty broom here. Firebolt. I'd rather have a sharpshooter, though. Much better broom. Made in Texas, but mother likes british brooms. I don't understand it myself. But she says that flying a broom is perfectly fine, but playing quidditch is for the 'less noble' so I can't play quidditch. What about you?" He babbled

He jumped when he heard Coach Fox's voice. Blast, was he to be scared of that overly angry, totally intimidating woman forever? Yes, yes he was....

He swung a foot over the handle of his broom. With a self-satisfied smirk, and a pat on the handle of his broom, he waited for the others around who didn't get it right off the bat. Come on! It was simple. Put one foot on one side, one on the other. How tough was it? After all, it was like standing on one foot. Jeesh.

"I can do this!" he said with a laugh, "Watch!" he added kicking off. He flew into the air a bit fast and had to brake sharply to stop himself from rising above three feet. He looked down at his new friend, "Coming Oliver?" He said with a smirk that said 'Ha-ha, I did this one right!' \n\n

0 Josiah And now i'm on the coach's 'bad' list.... 0 Josiah 0 5

Irene Liddowe
February 17, 2007 8:09 PM

Irene Liddowe
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by:

Age in Post: 11

Easy Peasy. Right? by Irene Liddowe
Irene looked around at the sound of a shrilll whistle from the coach. She followed the instructions the class was given stepped back and away from others around her.

This should a sinch. She'd flown before. All she had to do was not fall off. Anyways, it was just a few feet.

With a wave of her hand, Coach Fox gave them the word to begin.

Gripping her broom in her hand, Irene mounted it and pushed off lightly. She was amazed at how just being a few feet up could still give her the satifaction of fying.

Irene patted the broom handled and said quietly.

"There. This is better than being stubborn, huh?"

Irene struggled with herself as she got the impulse to go higher. That wouldn't be such a great idea. Detention wasn't really her thing... But it would be great to soar around the field... She shook her head and cleared her mind of her temptation to break rules.

Irene was just about to touch back down when a person near her smacked into her side.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, turning around to face whoever had nailed her. \n\n

0 Irene Liddowe Easy Peasy. Right? 106 Irene Liddowe 0 5

Hyana Kamiya
February 19, 2007 9:44 PM

Hyana Kamiya
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Written by:

Well...I've passed part one so... by Hyana Kamiya
Hyana turned away quickly from the boy she was talking to when Coach Fox's shrill whistle pierced her ears. She jumped up half a mile as well. Coach Fox was still succeeding in terrifying her.

Coach was talking about flying and...she smiled. A happy smile. A smile that wasn't forced. It made Hyana feel better. Coach needed to act like this a lot more, she decided. They were instructed to make more space around them. She waved goodbye to the boy and spread to an open area. She listened to the next set of instructions.

She held her broom beside her and, after watching the Coach carefully, successfully mounted her broom. It took a second, for her broom started to point to Josiah. "N-no...don't do that." She scolded the broom. She blinked a couple of times...not believeing that she just spoke to a broom. But no matter. She had completed the first task!

Then Coach Fox told them to push off the ground. Hyana gulped. Now it was time to fly. The Coach demonstrated for them, and she seemed so happy. Hyana counted to three and pushed off the ground. Her broom shook for a second, threatening to fall. "No." She commanded in a whisper. "You will do what I want." The broom stopped shaking and hovered in the air. She looked over at Josiah, a grin on her face. How would her friend do?\n\n

0 Hyana Kamiya Well...I've passed part one so... 0 Hyana Kamiya 0 5

Gwyneth A
February 25, 2007 10:14 AM

Gwyneth A
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Written by:

Fear of falling off: lesson 1: part 2 by Gwyneth A
After listening to the coach's instructions, Gwyneth looked uneasily at her broom. Ms. Fox made it sound so easy. 'Sure, if you aren't afraid of heights!' she thought. 'Okay, three feet is not much. I can do this.'

Cautiously, she threw her right leg over the broomstick and straddled the handle. She held on tightly with both hands and bending her knees slightly, kicked off the ground, fearful of what might happen next. Gwyneth seemed to jump up in the air, pausing there for a nanosecond before coming back down to the ground. 'Okay, what am I doing wrong now?' she groused to herself. She paused for a moment and mentally went back through Coach's instructions. She wasn't sure what she had done wrong, so she just had to try it again.

Standing astride her broom, grasping the handle firmly with both hands, remembering Ms. Fox's comment about balancing like on her bike, Gwyneth once again bent her knees slightly and pushed off the ground a little harder this time. Once again she jumped/rose up into the air and . . . this time stayed there! 'I DID IT!' she thought. 'I'm riding a broom! I just can't believe it! Uh-oh!!!' The next thing Gwyneth knew she was back on the ground, flat on her back, with her broom hovering just above her. RATS!!! Well, she had taken a tumble or two when learning to ride her bike so this was to be expected.

Gwyneth stood up and dusted off her backsides. She wondered if this was enough "participation" to count toward the class. Not that she was hurt, but she was over her momentary astonishment and reality and fear of flying was setting back in. 'One more try' was becoming her mantra at this school. She may not like some of the classes, but Gwyneth was used to being a smart, capable student and wasn't about to just give up!

Once again, she straddled the broom and kicked off the ground. Again, she managed to hover, 'maybe I am getting the hang of this, after all,' she thought. Seconds later, she felt her balance shift. Quickly she crossed her ankles around the broom as she had seen Coach do. That stablized her for a few seconds, then she just slid around the handle until she was hanging upside down under the broom by her hands and feet. 'Like a pig on a spit!' she giggled. 'Well, Grams said when we can't find the funny side of a problem, then we are really in trouble.' Gwyneth hung there suspended for a moment considering her options before letting go with her hands and feet and dropping to the ground for a second time. She couldn't help but to laugh out loud at her predicament.

While she didn't remember how long it had taken to learn to ride her bike, she was pretty sure it took a few more tries before she had the balance thing down. And, at least the Quidditch Pitch was softer than her driveway had been when she fell! Forgetting that if she ever managed to actually stay on the broom, she would eventually be expected to be more than three feet above ground, she stood up to try yet again.

Mounting the broom was becoming a routine. Grasp broom with wand hand, swing leg over, stand astride the broom, grab broom with left hand, bend knees, push off the ground. Practice does . . . well, if not make perfect, at least make it routine! Airborne again, Gwyneth carefully wrapped her ankles around the broom behind and worked to find her center of balance. She wiggled and wobbled a bit, once she thought she was about to fall off again. But, eventually, she managed to center herself and yes, it was a bit like riding her bike back home, if the bike would stand up without needing any forward momentum. 'But her bike seat was WAY more comfortable than this old broom handle,' she thought.

'Okay, I'm hovering three feet above the ground. It's only three feet, not high at all!' Gwyneth struggled to hold the broom level to the ground. She began to wonder how you moved the broom forward. NOT that she wanted to, of course! It was just a practical question from a fairly practical person. She had a suspicion that if she raised the handle up, that is where it would want to go. And that was where she did not want to go!!
\n\n

0 Gwyneth A Fear of falling off: lesson 1: part 2 0 Gwyneth A 0 5

Lutece Anthony
February 28, 2007 8:57 PM

Lutece Anthony
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by:

Age in Post: 11

*grumbles* I loathe mandatory by Lutece Anthony
The girl standing next to her was obviously as delusional and impolite as some other classmates of hers. She could only hope that not all of her classmates were quite so obnoxious as some of those she had come across thus far. Dolan had been polite and appropriate, not to mention offering to lend her his broom. Lutece hadn't seen him in a bit, though, if she recalled properly. In the commons, sometimes, but not really anywhere else. She hadn't talked to him since her first ride on a broom, anyway. Sighing and waiting for the second part of the lesson to start, she adjusted her shirt, ridding it of the few wrinkles it had obtained.

Finally, when the Coach decided to start the second bit of the lesson, she was thrilled to begin. It was about time, really. Since the girl next to her seemed unwilling to speak to her properly, Lutece merely concentrated on the broom. Tuning out most of the bothersome lecture, Lutece fiddled with her hair and clothing, waiting for the 'go' so she could finally get on a broom again. The first time had been amazing. Beyond amazing. It had taken her awhile to figure it out, but once that had happened the whole thing was brilliant. Save the lack of hand/eye coordination that had been discovered as well. Apparently, Keepers should not necessarily just kick the Quaffle out of the way.

Finally given permission, Lutece mounted her broom with only small difficulty. She hadn't ridden one since her Captain had showed her how to, although she had been tempted. Blonde-streaked brown hair in a high ponytail, in jeans and a t-shirt, she only looked marginally different than the other students. Well, strike that. Quite a bit different, as most of them had neither fashion sense nor any idea how to go about this properly.

Feeling more than a bit superior, Lutece pushed off the ground and hovered a bit waveringly. This was the bit she wasn't too good with when Jen showed her what to do. Flying she could do, but like a bicycle, it was harder just to hover. After a few small leaps ahead, up, and, in one case, backwards, Lutece finally managed a fairly decent hover. Of course, that got boring. Sneaking a glance at the Coach, she wondered if they were actually going to fly. Or if she could work on the pitch by herself sometimes. This was too dull and pointless to be of any use, really. In a game, she wouldn't be hovering. She would be circling the goals. After all, when there were three goals that could be approached from any direction, it would be just plain stupid to stay in one place.\n\n

0 Lutece Anthony *grumbles* I loathe mandatory 100 Lutece Anthony 0 5

Amy Fox
March 01, 2007 1:31 PM

Amy Fox
Peripheral
Written by:

CLASS IS OVER. (nm) by Amy Fox

0 Amy Fox CLASS IS OVER. (nm) 0 Amy Fox 0 5

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grumbles I loathe mandatory by Lutece Anthony