Off The Ground pv Zephyr

Zephyr had never imagined that flying would become one of the things he looked forward to most in his Hogwarts life. It still surprises him up to now whenever he thinks about it. Before receiving his Hogwarts letter, brooms were just ordinary household tools to him. And although he had seen flying brooms from movies before, the idea that people could ride one for real was more unbelievable than the rest of the magical world he had been introduced to. His first flying lesson gave him mixed feelings--scary, intimidating, a bit excited, as well as feeling ridiculous. The first thing he did was stare at the school broom lying on the grass wondering if it would even listen to him. Some of his classmates knew different broom models while he had not even hold one before that day.

But the moment the broom leapt into his hand, his perspective and opinion changed. His first takeoff was shaky and the landing was not particularly graceful either, but once the wind hit his face and he saw the view of the castle and the lake, he was washed with an emotion he couldn't explain. After that first lesson, he decided to practice whenever he had spare time. If the weather permits it, every morning, he would spend an hour doing basics until everything became second nature. He was not naturally gifted, he just continued to practice on his own.

In the same way his father taught him when doing farm tasks, repetition could build confidence, and confidence helps with smoother movements. Flying turned out to be no different. It was not an easy task and his practices were not perfect. There were times he would lose control or overshoot or scare of the height. But every mistake taught him something and before long, the nervousness he felt during that first few lesson and practices have finally disappeared.

Months later, his body was already familiar with it and he knew what to do. One time, Ophelia approached him after Flying class and asked him if he could help her practice, he was surprised that he had to look behind him just to check if she's really asking him for help. The compliment embarrassed him, but he did agree to help her anyway he could. He's doing this because he knew what it felt like when he was just starting.

That Saturday morning came, he grabbed his Comet 180 broom and made his way to their Flying practice field. When the open field came into view, he spotted Ophelia already there sitting on the ground with a broom resting beside her. "You came prepared..." His way of greeting as soon as he was within earshot, motioning toward her own broom. "Sorry if I kept you waiting." The weather was nice that day, perfect for a flying practice. "I'm not much of an instructor, but I'll see what I can do to help you." There was no bravado laced in his voice, only sincerity. "Can you tell me first which part you're having issues with so I can help you improve them?" She already knew the basic, so they could skip the part on how to properly ride a broom and how to take off.