Early Morning Flight solo

Zephyr was not really fond of sleeping in late, even during weekends. Back on their farm, the day always begins before the sun is fully up on the horizon. He was used to waking to the sound of their animals or the chickens. At Hogwarts, the sounds were a bit different, but his body was still acting the same, waking up early. It's no use forcing himself to sleep some more because his eyes would open on their own. Since their first flying lessons began, this early habit became useful for him. He discovered he liked flying more than he ever expected. Initially, he doubted that a broom was supposed to fly like that, but there were so many proofs that it was hard to ignore them or feel ridiculous when they were enjoying it a lot. The moment he lifted off the ground during that first class, something inside him changed. It reminded him of running across the open field, the cool air on his face, the freedom of moving fast, the sense that he was doing something natural. Riding a broom feels strange at first, but he likes the feeling while in the air. The feeling lingered with him long after class was over, and it motivated him to improve.

Once he learned that there would be an unofficial broom race, curiosity got the better of him. He knew he would learn a lot by trying and joining as opposed to just reading the rules. This is something you can't learn from a book alone; you have to be present and do it. Being in the actual game or match will help him understand how proper turns feel, how other kids lean forward to speed up, how they handle their brooms in any situation, and most importantly, how to defend himself while on air, because it was a very brutal activity if you're not going to be careful. That's what he noticed while watching a match. Although he was not yet fast enough, unlike the other kids who were so used to flying, he enjoyed his first flying experience. Everyone had to start somewhere, right? He liked the challenge and the excitement it brought. It surprised him because he usually doesn't enjoy anything that is competitive, because it means getting everyone's attention. When he saw the sign up sheet for players, he wrote his name without thinking. His hands were shaking as he did so, but he was determined and excited about it. When he found out they placed him as a chaser, he was very proud. He may not be part of the main lineup, but it still meant the team would be relying on him, and that was very important to him. He didn’t want to let the team down.

But, he reminded himself that being part of the team meant he needed to take flying seriously. He needed to do some practice. Some kids who grew up around brooms were already comfortable with speeds and turns. While him? He was still learning the ropes. He knew that if he wanted to compete for real one day, he needs to put in the work. Just like his life on the farm, the only way to get better at something was to do it again and again. Because of that belief, every morning before classes started, he would go to the Quidditch training pitch alone. He always go there when it's still a bit dark, when the sky is still pale blue, and the stands were empty. And because it was early, he can take as much time as he can in choosing school brooms. Most of the brooms were old. From doing this regularly, he learned easily which ones were still useful and serviceable to him. There was one broom he liked best and the handle was still in good condition. It still dip at high speeds, but he could work around that.

Every practice started the same way for him - He would stand at the centre of the pitch with his broom in hand and take deep breaths to calm his nerves. He liked those few peaceful seconds before he kicked off the ground. It gave him time to focus. In the first few days, he was nervous every time he mounted the broom, but after a week, that feeling finally faded. He practised simple things first, things other students may sometimes ignore, because they wanted to jump straight into flying and prove themselves. His style was not like that, he liked to start slow. He practiced mounting smoothly without panicking. Some mornings, he repeated that movement several times before leaving the ground. Holding the broom straight, he would swing his leg over carefully and make sure his balance was solid. It seemed boring and unimportant, but it's a great help to newbies like him. The fewer mistakes he makes on the ground, the better he feels once he is in the air. It added to his confidence gradually.

After that, he practiced takeoffs. At first, he lifted only a foot or two off the grass, then he would hover and try to stay balanced. The school broom was not stable enough under him, and sometimes he overcorrected himself and leaned too far to his sides. There was one time he tilted so suddenly that the broom dangerously lowered, and he almost fell. His heart jumped to his throat, but he caught himself just in time and managed to land without falling. Whew! After that, he made sure to keep his shoulders relaxed. He just realised he's tensed all this time. Once hovering was easier for him, he practiced low laps around the field. His turns were wide and very slow. On the first morning, he kept lowering himself to the ground whenever he about to lose balance. The broom was working okay, but he noticed it had a habit of shaking when he would shift his weight too fast. To compensate for that, he keeps his knees bent and maintains a firm grip. He noticed that when he held the broom handle too hard, the broom would react badly.

Over the next several days, he became more comfortable regardless of the speed. He would follow the lines of the pitch and flew ten feet above the ground. It's not what you will consider as dangerous, but mistakes were still real, and he made plenty of them. He leaned too far once, and he almost spun in a circle. He miscalculated the angle of a turn and landed awkwardly. At least he's not hurt! There was also one time he hit a patch of cold wind, which pushed him and the broom sideways and startled him so much that he pulled the handle up and shot higher. His breath came faster, but he was glad he didn't panic so much and just forced himself not to cling to the broom too much. He never talked about the mistakes he made, but personally, he would never hide from them either. The best way to manage them is to get through them.

After a few mornings of simple flying and simple turns, he started adding new goals to his training. He brought a few stones from outside the pitch and placed them in a rough circle on the ground. He flew slow laps above directly over the circle. It helped him practice flying straight without drifting too much to the sides. On another morning, he lined up three cones that the team will sometimes used in their practice. He just wanted to add more challenges to push his own boundaries. He moved through them at a slightly faster speed first, the broom doesn't always respond properly, sometimes it jerked or lowered suddenly, and his stomach would flip as well, but on the bright side, he stayed balanced now. After moving back and forth enough times, he found that he began to anticipate how the broom would react before it actually happened. It was good to have that bit of control.

Next, he added catching drills to his routine. As a chaser, it was said that he should have a good hand and eye coordination. Since he didn’t have another person to practice with, he started with something simple He just needs to toss the ball in front of him and try to catch it before it drops to the ground. As simple as that. The broom was not good enough, so the ball often fell to the grass before he could even reach it. The first time he tried this, he missed every throw, but he didn’t give up. He couldn't see the point in not trying again. That's what the practice is for, right? For him, if something doesn't work the first time, there's nothing else you can do but try again. Giving up is not an option so he picked up the ball and kept going. After repeating the drill many times, he managed to catch the ball once, then little by little, he slowly improved and caught three in a row. He was so smug that his dimple in his right cheek appeared.

With more practice, he began adding height whenever he flies. He was well aware that flying too high on a school broom was not always safe as the brooms were unpredictable, so he chose to fly from fifteen to twenty feet above the ground only. It was higher than his previous record, but still safe and close enough that he could land safely if something went wrong during his practice. The higher he goes, the stronger the wind pushes against him so he was sometimes hesitant to push but he persisted because he really wanted to do this. It was ironic because this wind was not light breeze just like the meaning of his name, it was stronger, one you wouldn't be able to predict easily. The broom tend to shake more and one morning, a sudden gust shoved him sideways so strong he shouted in surprise and gripped his the broom so tight for a moment. He didn’t like that feeling. It reminded him too much of losing control. The next morning, he practised flying straight into the wind at a slow speed which was very tiring. The broom fought him all the time, and he had to lean his weight forward and use his determination to push through it. He learned something important that if he didn’t panic and always keeps his movements small, the broom wouldn't overreact.

In his second week of morning practices, he started building which added to his confidence. It was automatic for him now that he would warm up first by doing simple stretches then he would proceed with the hovering and doing simple takeoffs and landings. Next, he would do some laps to relax into the broom’s movement and challenge himself using the cones again which by now was easy for him. Throw and catch the ball while flying slowly was next on his list to check his speed from one end of the pitch to the other. He would finish with two or three higher laps to get used to being high off the ground. No part of the routine was grand or special. None of it would impress anyone watching from the stands, but he really didn’t care about that. He was trying to learn here, not to impress anyone.

One morning while practicing flying between the cones he lined up, his broom dangerously lowered to the left side. He lost control for a brief moment but he stopped himself from falling all the way down. His heart pounded in his chest so he landed quickly to catch his breath. As soon as he touched the ground, both hands went on his knees as he breathed slowly. He was very nervous for some reason. He reached the point where he wondered if he should call it a day, but he knew that if he ended practice after every mistake, he would feel worse later, he knew himself. Once he calmed down, he rode the broom again and proceeded with his practice like nothing happened. He chose it that way so he will not overwhelm himself. He did it three times and more, for as long as he can. The improvement was small and simple but it changed something in him. He realized that improvement is handling mistakes without giving up.

After that, he began paying attention to how his body moved and how much he leaned. He took note of how he moved his weight in the seat, how loose or hard his grip was on the broom handle. He noticed that when his back was straight, it flew smoothly. When he leaned too much to the side, the broom would twist dangerously. When he pushed his knees hard against the broomstick, he had more control during his turns. Another improvement happened by accident. One morning while attempting a catch, he extended his hand too early and missed the ball entirely. He leaned too far, and the broom shook. Instead of grabbing for balance, he pressed his legs together and straightened his arms, the broom steadied that time. After landing, he thought he had reacted without thinking. That meant he was finally becoming familiar with the broom’s behaviour.

During his practice, he sometimes imagined how actual games worked. Chasers move so quickly, pass the ball, and dodge other players. He couldn’t practice everything alone, but he could practice staying aware of his surroundings. While flying around, he would glance left, right, up, down while also making sure he can stay balanced at any circumstances. At first, looking around so much made him balance shaky, but with practice, he got better. One of the most challenging aspects to improve was making sudden turns. The school broom was not designed for that but he it didn't dampen his spirit and just worked with what he had. It took several days of trial and error to get the movement right. He often ended up moving farther or slowing down too much. Over time, his turns were noticeably better.

His confidence grew over time which was good but he stayed humble through it all. He never stopped improving, never believing that he was already an expert. Overdoing it will cause him injury and trouble and he didn't want that so he only tried what he can manage. He just wanted to get better on his own. One time, he decided to test himself. It was nothing dangerous or too concerning. The challenge was to push himself to fly one full lap around the pitch at the fastest speed he could muster. It was something he had never tried to attempted to do before. The moment he leaned down to increase his speed, the broom shook but he paid no heed and focused on the mission. At that rate, he didn't expect the wind would hit his face harder, and the ground moved quicker under him. Ignoring that, he focused his eyes ahead and concentrated on making his movements calm. When he completed the lap he was tired but completely satisfied. He would say pleased as well.

He was not the best flyer at Hogwarts or the best first year flyer but he knew withim himself that he was improving. He was more comfortable now. Every morning, he learned something new, no matter how small. And every morning, he was more certain that flying was something he really wanted to do while at Hogwarts. He liked how flying made him feel focused and calm. It was hard work and determination. It reminded him of farm work, how it felt inside. You did the task yourself. You improved by doing it again. You keep going regardless of the mistakes made. He also liked the feeling of belonging to something bigger than himself. Being part of the Hufflepuff team meant he was practicing so he could help his teammates someday. He takes responsibilities seriously. He doesn't want to be the reason a game goes badly. He wanted to be someone his team could trust, a person who could be dependable. With this motivation in mind, every morning before the sun finally rise fully, he would go to the pitch and ready to start his day. He doesn't talk about these practices much. It's not even special for him. They were just what he needed to do and little by little, without noticing it himself, he was becoming a good flyer.

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