I touched it first! pt.2 PV Jude Morgan

He had to get better at Flying. This was today's priority. Just as wrapping his head around the mere concept of Transfiguration enough for his wand to get to work was yesterday's priority.

In her letters, Mother told him he had to give it time, but she was only trying to cheer him up. Given her past, Arabella wasn't as strict when it came to grades and school, so long as he wasn't outright failing left and right. Which, on one hand, was nice, because he didn't need the added pressure on his shoulders right now. But also... wasn't nice. Because Mother didn't push him forward, she didn't understand the stress he was under.

Somehow, he managed to be bad at everything. Yes, he had expected to face a certain level of difficulty. But every subject? Without fail? Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. It was like hitting his head against a brick wall over and over again, and hoping to get a result other than a bloody nose. Instead of flexing his natural wizarding talent in front of his classmates and professor, Jude Morgan proved to be a bigger embarrassment than his distant relatives would've assumed, had they been notified of his existence.

He wouldn't let that stop him from achieving his goals, however. Challenges only made the journey more exciting, or whatever the motivation poster in Mrs. Horward's office said back in his old Muggle school. If there was one thing Jude Morgan had sworn to never, ever do, it was to give up.

And he wasn't going to break his promises right on his first year at that bloody wizarding school.

He must have looked like a madman as he approached today's Flying lesson, clinging to his school broom like a man on a mission. Not much was on his mind outside of the urge to perform some cool trick that would earn the approving look of his classmates — not even the Library fiasco from yesterday, when he made another enemy in a Slytherin girl. To stand out today, he'd have to be able to mount his school broom without falling and risking a broken wrist or ankle. He had done just that during his first lesson (apart from the injury, of course.)

Tossing one leg over the broom, he gripped it tight enough so he'd feel confident in what he was doing. He remembered what the Flying Professor had said about safety and all that — blah, blah, blah — but what really mattered was getting his broom high in the sky. What kind of wizard was he if he could barely fly?

Breathing in, Jude made sure no one was nearby, in case he failed. Slowly, his feet left the ground. His stomach grew cold, like it did when he was in the middle of turbulence in an airplane. He kept his eyes open — forced them to stay open, making sure not to speed up out of nowhere.

Okay... okay... I can do this.

He let out a relieved breath, reaching up with one hand to brush some curls from his eyes.

Big mistake.

His broom shot up in excitement, as if reading the urge to make a spectacle of himself from deep in his heart. A scream died from his lips as he was taken in full force, grip tightening around the broom so he wouldn't fall right away.

Another mistake.

The school broom spun, turning Jude into a red blur. His heart dropped further. Students moved away from his path, commotion surrounding him in the worst way possible.

"Stop, stop!" He shouted, hoping the desperate command would get the school broom to listen to him for once and put an end to this.

Before he could jump from that killer broom, however, he crashed right into a group of Slytherins — more specifically, one Slytherin girl. Jude slid off the broom, falling face-first onto the girl, and the broom fell flat, rolling down the grass a few steps ahead.

_{private thread with @Valencia Rosegold}

Talking to my friends in a group was something I was used to- what I wasn't used to was being crashed into by a clumsy boy on a broom. "It was going to be a good day." I had told myself that morning, not even thinking about the endless possibilities that could go wrong, after all, things hardly ever did; well, except for yesterday.

My friends and I had struck up a conversation about a new guy one of them was talking to after bumping into him in the hallway, making us all giggle and blush over the small, rom-com-like details that were embedded into her story. Since guys were the topic of our conversation, the two girls had turned to me when they finished telling their cute stories and began asking me about any new guys I might have an interest in. This only sparked a roll of my eyes.

I scoffed as I recounted the Library fiasco from the past afternoon. I hadn't wanted to think about it, but here I was, reminded of the stupidly stubborn Gryffindor that let me faceplant onto the Library floor over a book. The two girls giggled as they saw my eye roll, thinking it was me about to tell them a funny story. Instead, I bitterly told them about the Library situation and how that was the only interaction that I had had with getting remotely close to a guy.

Their expressions quickly changed, both looking slightly speechless as I rubbed my head, my headache seeming to reappear at the thought of the stubborn boy. That's when I heard it- someone was yelling "Stop!" at their broom repeatedly. "It's probably that clumsy kid again." I thought to myself with an eye roll. As I took my eyes back from the back of my head to my friend's faces, they were quickly rushing out of the way with wide eyes.

"What are you two doing-" I spoke as I began to turn in the direction they were looking. I was quickly cut off, however, by that clumsy boy crashing into me after sliding off his broom. I hit the ground with a loud "thud", my headache becoming worse as I hit the ground, my eyes closing as I braced for impact. When I was still on the ground with quite a bit of weight on top of me, I opened my eyes slowly.

My expression quickly changed from surprise to a scowl. "You, again?!" I scoffed as I looked above me. Lying on top of me was none other than the stubborn Gryffindor I had argued with in the Library just yesterday, the one person whom I didn't want to see. I stared up with a glare at the boy's surprised expression, my glare faltering for a moment when I saw how handsome- "Ew, no." I quickly cut off my thoughts as my glare returned. My head was pounding, and my annoyance had only grown at this point.

"Are you just bad at everything?!" I sneered while he still lay on top of me. I couldn't believe this is what my day had come to; it's like fate wanted me to be annoyed. I scoffed as he still stared at me for a moment before I spoke up again, "Are you going to get off of me or what?" I narrowed my eyes as my words practically spit out of me.

Private thread with @Jude Morgan

Jude needed a second, reaching to grab his shoulder, to make sure it wasn't dislocated or something. It wasn't, but it still hurt. The girl he had crashed into wasn't giving him a moment of peace, as she berated him — that voice... Ugh, it was the bossy Slytherin from the Library, the blonde girl who demanded she get A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration out of his hands.

Why am I so lucky?

He winced, out of pain, because the left side of his body ached; embarrassment, for the way some students carefully approached them, curious to see what would unfold from that random broom accident; and also frustration, because, clearly, whenever he wanted to avoid a certain person, fate made sure to put them in his path, first with Evaline Something-Something and now with the unnamed blonde Slytherin.

Jude rolled off of her without a word, sitting on the grass with his legs stretched out. Jude let go of his shoulder, piercing blue eyes landing on the girl on the floor. Admittedly, this time, it was all his fault, which didn't sit well with his already bruised and bitter ego. The eyes on his frame burned his back intensely, waiting for what he'd say or do, just as his face burned as he realized he'd have to apologize for this.

Listen, if it had been anyone else, apologizing would have come off naturally. Not that Jude was fond of it, but he could admit when he was wrong. Mother made sure to teach him not to be that proud. But as he stared at that bloody Slytherin, he felt tempted to swallow his tongue instead.

Before a single word came out, Jude stood up. He patted down his robes and ran his fingers through his curly blonde hair, brushing them into the naturally chaotic style he preferred. At last, he offered the Slytherin a begrudging hand.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm bad at everything, whatever. I lost control of my broom, that's all. It's not a big deal!" Jude scoffed under his breath, ears burning twice as hard at that confession. It hurt his ego badly, but he knew it was the right thing to do in this situation.

_{private thread with @Valencia Rosegold}

I scowled at the boy as I awaited his reply. It wasn't that hard to apologize to people- but obviously it was when it came to him. How did he just keep showing up- and giving me a headache at that?! My head was pounding again, I could barely think straight without flinching, but if it meant that I could scold the stupid boy, then maybe I could bear it for a moment longer.

Watching him wince at his shoulder sparked a small- very small -pang of concern in my chest. Afterall, I wanted to be a mediwitch, so seeing people in pain made me feel bad for them- that was all it was, right? I scoff and swat away one of his golden curls that shifted down to hang over my eye while he still lay on top of me. When he finally rolled off of me, he sat in the grass next to me for a moment.

I knew he felt embarrassed- I could see it in the way his usually cocky and all high and mighty attitude had slightly withered away as he sat in the grass. It made me happy he had finally been humbled. After the stubborn, clumsy boy rolled off of me, I sat up, rolling my eyes with a small groan at my headache that was still in place. "I really oughtta go to the nurse to get it fixed..." I had thought to myself as I rubbed my head.

I rubbed my head and glared at him before noticing all the eyes that were staring at him. Some were scoffing in his direction, and others were mumbling about his terrible broom skills. I gulped slightly; there was not a single look that showed any signs of care on anyone's face that surrounded us. It actually made me feel quite bad for the Gryffindor, surprisingly enough.

When he finally stood up and sputtered out his words, my eyes widened slightly- I hadn't expected him to just right-out admit to it- but hell, who was I kidding? It worked for me. I rolled my eyes at his words as he held his hand out to me, making me study it skeptically for a moment with a raised eyebrow. "It's not hexed, is it?" I nodded to his hand. At his scoff, I rolled my eyes and took his hand, groaning slightly and rubbing my head as he helped me up. "Thanks." I had grumbled under my breath before my head could even process what I was saying, after all, I wasn't thinking straight- or at least that's what I told myself.

Once I was fully standing up, I glanced back at him, watching him rub his shoulder slightly, before I rolled my eyes and groaned as I grabbed his arm. "This is going to be a hassle." I thought to myself as I began pulling him away from the crowd, "Come on, we're going to the hospital wing since you're too stubborn to do it yourself." I scoffed, the only reason I was helping him was for my own future interests- right?

Private thread with @Jude Morgan

Once the two of them were on their feet, the crowd dispersed slightly. Since there was no fight unfolding, they had lost the interest of most other students. Jude didn't know how to feel about it. On one hand, it was good that he wouldn't need to embarrass himself even more by losing a duel or something. On the other... what's that saying? Any publicity is good publicity...? Something like that. The broom accident would get his name out there, certainly.

The Slytherin girl grabbed his arm out of nowhere, trying to take him with her. He moved instinctively, looking back at his school broom, resting lonely on the ground, as if expecting him. Her words took longer for his brain to process, as if he was dealing with a concussion.

"Hospital wing? Are you mental? I'm fine," Jude hissed, putting all of his strength into not touching his shoulder, forcing himself to stay put. He looked at her, thankfully losing the warmth on his face. "I can't afford to miss my Flying lesson because of my stupid shoulder. It's probably just a bruise, or whatever. I won't lose an arm because of it."

His words came out harsher than expected. Soon enough, the professor would make her way to the group of first years, waiting for their Flying lesson. With the way things were going, if Jude wasted time going to the hospital wing at every minor disturbance, he'd never graduate from Hogwarts and never improve his magic. If he wanted to one day join a Quidditch team, be it here at school or one out there in the wizarding world, he'd have to survive a bruise or two.

"You can go if you're hurt, but I'm not going." Jude got her hands away from him, stumbling back so he could head back to grab his broom and get ready for class.

_{private thread with @Valencia Rosegold}

I scoff, "God, are you always this stubborn?" I hissed as I let go of his arm abruptly. If he didn't want my help, then he wouldn't get it. I scowled at him, "I'm trying to help, you know?" I rolled my eyes, " And you're the one who ran into me, so maybe you should be the one helping." I glare at him. How rude was this boy? I couldn't deal with it, and by gods if he didn't make my blood boil.

I scoffed and turned my back to him as I crossed my arms, trying my hardest to not wince. "I'm not going to the Hospital Wing because I'm not hurt!" I scoffed out the obvious lie as if it was the easiest thing in the world to say, when in truth, my head was pounding with every word I spoke.

"I'll go after that bloody Gryffindor leaves." I grumbled in my thoughts, promising myself I would at least go get a potion for headaches- if they had that? I let myself ponder it for a moment before letting the thought leave my head; I would figure it out when I got there. Unlucky enough for me, I had just remembered that class hadn't even started before this all went down, allowing a groan to escape my lips.

I whipped my head over my shoulder and glared at the Gryffindor boy, "Might want to ask for some tips from the instructor when class starts, idiot." I scoffed out the words bitterly, after all, his terrible broom riding had ended up hurting me and making my headache worse.

Was I going to be able to ride properly with such a bad headache? I mean, broom flying was all about focus and mental stuff- and right now, my mental state was pretty shit. I scoffed one last time at him and walked over to where I had set my school broom down earlier and grabbed it angrily before walking over to the huddle of students that began to form as the teacher came forth, as he was ready to start the lesson. I groaned slightly at the pounding headache I had- "It was all because of that stupid, clumsy boy.".

Private thread with @Jude Morgan

The more that girl talked, the more irritated he felt, rolling his eyes at every word coming out of her mouth, acting more childish than Jude needed to. None of this was her fault, of course, and she had only been trying to help, but he was never going to admit that. Jude would rather swallow his tongue than apologize properly for being such a prick. Besides, he had more important stuff to focus on than whether or not this Slytherin girl wrote his name on her enemy list or not, anyway. Like getting the hang of Flying.

"Then don't go! It's not like I'm making you!" Jude raised his voice, rolling his eyes once again. He waved both hands to show that he wasn't making any effort to keep this conversation going, dropping them to his sides in exasperation.

She's insufferable.

Jude watched her go, twisting his lips in a displeased line. When she recommended he ask the instructor for help, he scoffed, bitter, but didn't say anything else on the matter. She was right. And he would ask for help! Not when there was everyone around, though. He'd have to wait for the right moment to admit his flaws.

Making his way back to where the rest of the students waited, Jude got his school broom and stopped as far away from that Slytherin as possible, arms crossed, eyes glancing everywhere but in her general direction. It's baffling how he managed to find two enemies from the same House. And they were both girls, too! Since his arrival, Jude had yet to make friends with a singular Slytherin... Huh. That said more about Slytherin than him.

Feeling the pale sun burning the top of his head, he could sense he'd start to sweat soon enough. The Professor arrived in a few minutes, cheering on the students before the start of today's lesson.

_{private thread with @Valencia Rosegold}

"God he's insufferable." I muttered under my breath as I joined my two friends again. The guy was an absolute prick, so obviously, he wouldn't apologize, even if it meant it would save his life. I grumbled and scoffed to myself as the instructor talked, none of it surpassing the pounding headache I was currently experiencing.

It was all this guy's fault that my past two days had been horrible. One guy caused 100 problems in my life, and I didn't even know the guy's name. I rolled my eyes at myself. Growing up, I had been surrounded by countless adults who just told me that when a guy was mean to me, it was because he liked me- yeah, I wasn't buying that crap. This guy was just straight up rotten. I mean, for goodness ' sake, he was a Gryffindor and acted more like a Slytherin.

I was snapped to attention by the teacher clapping their hands together to symbolize us all getting started. I winced as the sound rang through my ears. I seriously didn't know if I could do this or not; it was all mental, and my mental state was currently a pounding, annoying headache that wouldn't leave me alone, "Similar to a guy I know." I scoffed at my own thoughts. This guy really got under my skin- and I mean REALLY got under it.

As the students dispersed to different areas of the patch of land we were on, I held my broom firmly as I walked off with my two friends, finding an open spot to practice on. Obviously, I didn't go first- I had a headache to tame. As my two friends tried to mount their brooms and float off the ground for a moment, I just stood there rubbing my head. It was embarrassing, really, a Gryffindor boy had thrown off my whole focus for the day. "Just great." I grumbled to myself as I mounted my broom with a slight stumble. I was determined to get this right, to prove that I'm better than that boy.

As I mounted my broom, I gave a quick glance to the Gryffindor and smirked as if saying, "watch this". With a deep breath and lots of focus- so much focus- I began floating in the air on my broom, a warm and happy smile coming to my face, one that I hadn't worn in days.

Private thread with @Jude Morgan

Jude paid attention to the Professor's words, nodding along to their instructions, as if some graceful magic would reward him for being such a good student and wouldn't let him crash into the first group of "innocent" Slytherins in his path. He fidgeted in place, unable to fight back the excitement of trying again, his eyes sparkling with determination... That's the thing about him, perhaps the biggest reason he ended up in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin: no matter how many times he failed, he'd always find his way back up. Giving up sounded a lot scarier to him than failing again and again.

The boy watched as, one by one, the students mounted on their brooms. For a second, his eyes landed on that bloody Slytherin. Seeing her confident smirk caused him to scrunch his nose, rather annoyed that she was capable of mounting and floating without causing trouble.

Jude scoffed under his breath.

Big deal. She was probably some pureblood who had years of experience with brooms before him. He'd show her, though... He'd show everyone who ever doubted him. Ignoring the bitterness in his stomach, cheeks burning, Jude tossed one leg over his broom. He sucked in some breath, the ache in his shoulder a reminder that he should be careful this time.

Feet leaving the ground, he managed to float... Jude's grip on the broom tightened, and his eyes followed the Professor, waiting for the moment it would all go wrong, and he'd dislocate his shoulder once and for all. The feeling in his stomach made his hands sweaty, and he had to put all of his focus on weight distribution... What if he tipped too much to the left and kissed the grass again?

Surprisingly, none of that happened. He managed to land without a hitch. Immediately, Jude's eyes found that Slytherin, and he brushed his shoulders as he had never an issue with flying in the first place.

_{private thread with @Valencia Rosegold}