Take to the Sky

When she told him that she appreciated him being around, Percival blinked as a faint blush colored his cheeks a rosy red. He hadn’t expected the kind words, but it made him smile in a way that looked just a little awkward but felt warm and sincere. “Thank you,” he said softly, “I’m glad I could help." Flying’s one of his favorite things to do, after all. The view, the wind through his hair, the sun on his face... it all felt so amazing.

Being able to share that and help someone else enjoy it made him happy.

He then urned his eyes forward again, watching the castle’s towers and the lake down below. Moments like this made him love Hogwarts even more than he already did. It felt like he was really part of something magical he needed to protect and cherish.

A moment later, Vera said they should head back, so Percival nodded and pulled slightly on his broom handle to slow down. “Alright, let’s go,” he said as he readied himself for a proper landing. But as he moved, he kept an eye on her, making sure that she was handling the landing as well as her flying. But, within seconds, his grin faded away when he noticed that she had gotten distracted and was heading for the ground far too quickly.

“Vera! Watch out!” he called out in desperation, panic rising in his chest as his broom dipped lower in an attempt to follow her. His fingers tightened around the handle, and his breathing grew erratic as he realized he didn’t know a single charm that could help stop a fall or help her get control of her broom. His 'lesson' never covered this part, he realized, and he suddenly regretted every bit of that.

Was it his fault that she might crash? The thought frightened him.

So, with his heart racing, he braced himself as the ground came closer and closer, hoping she would manage to pull up just in time...

@Verity Engels

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Interacting with @Percival Rocier

“Vera! Watch out!”

Vera came back to her senses. The first thing on her mind was how careless she was being. This was her first time trying something new in the Wizarding World, and it could literally cost her life if she wasn't careful. The second was that she was still flying and had to clock back in. Though, by the time she did, she was flying just as fast as she did when she first mounted (if not faster) towards the ground.

Her eyes widened. "WOAH!"

She tightened the grip on her broom handle and yanked it towards her just before she could face-plant into the grass. The change in direction was not without its consequences, however. Compared to when she first figured out how to direct the broom, the panic had clouded her judgement and her grip loosened. The recoil practically threw her right off.

Vera rolled onto the ground with a resounding "Oof!" On instinct, she wrapped her arms around her head and let the rest of her body fall limp as she rolled, and rolled, and rolled. It felt like she had been rolling for a while, but when the blood stopped roaring in her ears and everything quieted, she looked up and found her broomstick only a few metres away.

"Holy shit," Vera breathed out, mostly to herself. A second later, "I shouldn't swear, but my god..."

That could've gone horribly. Vera sat up, wincing from what definitely would turn blue, black, and purple later. She took a second to assess herself, though the adrenaline had yet to wear off, so her senses were still dulled. But for now, she could hear and see clearly.

Not even a second later, Vera broke into a hysterical fit. "Well, that's one way to dismount." She sighed. Her thoughts were coming back to her now. She shook her head and turned to Percival. "Sorry, I'm not sure what came over me. I probably should've asked you to go before me so I could watch and figure it out."

Vera slowly got onto her feet, humming at the lack of (what would've been concerning) pain in her legs. She took a second to bend them up and down, nodding when nothing happened. "Good news, no broken bones."

Percival landed quickly and hoped to catch up to her and make sure she's alright. “Vera!” he shouted again as he sprinted across the grass. His heart was pounding in his chest until he finally saw her once she stopped rolling. For a second, he just stood there frozen, terrified of what he might find... then she sat up, groaning but alive, and the relief hit him like a wave.

Phew, she's still breathing.

He then jogged the last few steps and dropped to a knee beside her. “Are you alright?” he asked, his gaze quickly shifting over her arms and legs to make sure nothing was twisted or bleeding. She did look a little dazed, but when she started talking and even swearing under her breath, he finally exhaled again. “You scared me there,” he said, half laughing now that the panic had eased. “That was… that was almost really bad.”

He couldn’t help but laugh too, when she did. Sure, it had been a dangerous little stunt, but the entire ordeal was pretty amusing now that it was over. “That... is one way to land,” he said between chuckles.

He then watched her as she got up and stood ready to step in if she lost her balance. But when she finally stretched her legs and seemed perfectly fine, he smiled again, "The bruises might hurt a bit soon, but I'm glad you're alright." He wouldn't have forgiven himself if she got hurt because of his impromptu lesson.

After brushing some grass off his robes, Percival finally looked back toward the castle. “We should probably head back,” he said with a small smile. “Before we get caught and people wonder what we've gotten up to."Practicing flying wasn't illegal, he figured, but being out and about too far and crash landing wasn't a good way to advertise their practice hours.

He picked up his broom and nodded toward hers. “Come on, let's go."

@Verity Engels

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Interacting with @Percival Rocier

She'd had some pretty bad falls before. Falling down stairs was something that happened a few times as a child; running down stairs was a hard-learned lesson. When she first learned horse riding, her instructor had specifically taught her what to do during a fall. Perhaps that was what saved her from breaking a few bones now, though the application was very different.

Even though they were laughing now, Vera still felt bad. She'd undoubtedly given Percival a fright—twice in the span of at least ten minutes. "I apologize. I didn't mean to."

This was usually the part where her parents' would suggest doing something for emotional compensation. A cup of coffee for a more relaxed and less stress-inducing activity, but also one that they said was still off limits at her age. A toy? But there were no toy stores nearby. There was that town just a twenty-something minute walk off the school grounds, but Vera heard only Third years and up could request to go there on weekends. So, that was officially off limits.

There was nothing she could offer as emotional compensation that the school didn't already provide. So, Vera just sighed. "Thank you for the support. Really. And I do apologize for scaring you like that." An apology was going to have to suffice until they were older. Which was plausible since they'd be at this school for the next seven years. "Hopefully the next time we have Flying class, I won't give you as much of a heart attack."

When he suggested to go back, Vera just nodded. "I agree." Whatever happened today was enough for one day.

As they walked, Vera remembered Sage's words from their train ride together. She had told her to stay away from Slytherins, and that they were a rambunctious bunch. But today had just proved the opposite.

Seems like not all Slytherins are so bad.

Exiting the thread unless stopped
It's been lovely writing with you! Hope to do it again, if you'd like :p