Fly high PV Amber Bullhorn Finished

@Amber Bullhorn

Before they left, he hid the broom behind some bushes, to make sure no one would ask questions about why they had it in the first place. He barely managed to convince Amber that he had permission, let alone an older student.

As she accepted to go along with him, Edmund led the way to the broom cupboard by the Entrance Hall.

"It's the best broom ever," said Edmund, hands in his pockets. "Leeeeeagues better than the Nimbus. Haven't you seen the ad? Thunderbolt, the broom that makes you go faster than light!" He mimicked the presenter, hand gestures and all. He shrugged at her comment and explained himself better - not wanting to paint his father in a bad light or something. "I think it builds my skills. I don't remember what he said... 'If you're good enough to win with a school broom, you can do it with any broom,' something like that. I don't mind it, you know,"

They walked inside the castle, going through the empty corridors. Soon enough the students would be leaving their classrooms and it would be impossible to hide or not raise suspicion. He picked up his pace, looking at Amber, reminded that she didn't have a broom.

"Father has a collection of brooms - they're all there, collecting dust, but he always gets a new one. Some are older than me and you," said Eddie. "If I asked, I don't think he'd buy me a new one, though. Maybe when I turn 15. My mum would be against it - she cares a looooot about safety. If she saw what we were doing, she'd freak out,"

late september 2021 / with @edmund dempsie

Amber gave him a sheepish look and shrugged. She would feel bad for not knowing what he was talking about, but she didn't see anything wrong with her lack of knowledge. Besides, she was learning from him anyway. She would just have to try and find the advertisement at some point and watch it.

"That makes sense. Your broom gives you an advantage, and your da probably thinks you would learn better on the same level as everyone else! Like, you gotta work just as hard if not harder to be ahead of the rest?" She didn't know if she explained her thoughts well, but she understood where Edmund (Or, well, his da) was coming from.

She listened as Edmund spoke as his parents, fascinated, "So your ma doesn't like flying?" Which amused her a little, considering what Edmund's da did for a living, "Maybe she would prefer you to play Wizard's Chess or something." Amber teased lightly, feeling like they were comfortable enough around each other now to joke around.

At least, Edmund seemed like he could have a good sense of humour about most things.

They went through the castle together until they came to the broom cupboard and Amber looked around. She was surprised it wasn't locked, honestly, as she tugged open the door and revealed the many brooms inside, "Does it matter which one I pick?" They all looked the same to her, just with varying degrees of wear and tear.

@Amber Bullhorn

Edmund nodded to what she said. Deep down, he knew his father was right - using a school broom would help develop his competitive nature and his will to always do his best, didn't matter the condition. He could always use one of the many brooms during summer break.

"Exactly," He snickered to her comment on his mother, lips curling in a small smile. "She would rather have me study all the time, to be honest. From what Granny tells me, that's all she did at Hogwarts,"

He analyzed the brooms inside, arms crossed as if he was a specialist. Most were standard school brooms, all crammed together on one side. The others possibly belonged to their Professors, and he wouldn't even dream of touching them. He hummed, tilting his head, grabbing one from the left - it was as old and crooked, so it wouldn't be uncomfortable to use. It was one of the early Comet 290 designs, which made it look vintage. Father had one of those behind glass back at home. Words were carved in the tip, but he couldn't make out what they said.

"There we go," Edmund said, twisting his wrists to feel the weight of the broom. "This one's good - it's a Comet. Around sixty miles per hour, I think," He handed it to Amber. "We should go before anyone sees us,"

late september 2021 / with @edmund dempsie

Amber scrunched her nose, "Studying all the time would be so boring... Was your ma in Ravenclaw, then?" She guessed. Okay, so it wasn't fair to assume things because of stereotypes, but they existed for a reason. And most Ravenclaws were always walking around with their nose stuck in a book anyway.

At least she knew Edmund wasn't going to be someone who bugged Amber about doing her homework or paying attention in class. He was someone more her speed, someone who would be a good friend. She could just tell.

"Comet..." She repeated, taking the broom and looking at it. She couldn't tell how it was any different to the others, but she trusted Edmund's advice. Maybe if it came to buying a broom for herself, she could ask Edmund to help her pick one. Now she was more determined to get on the Racing team if possible.

At his words, however, she quickly closed the broom closet door and followed him out of the castle again. She figured he didn't want anyone to catch them because the broom he had picked had been one of the better ones - and someone else would just try to take it from them. Well, they weren't going to get it until the two of them were done having their fun!

Luckily, it didn't take them too long to make it outside again. Amber grinned at Edmund as they went back to his broom, "So, what are the rules for this?" Since it was his idea, she would let him decide where they would race and things like that. Amber was just there to come along for the ride.

@Amber Bullhorn

"The most stereotypical Ravenclaw," stated Edmund, shaking his head, thinking of the countless times Granny mused of Theodore and Eliza's opposite behaviors. He knew some stereotypes were bad, especially when you allowed them to take over your perception of an individual, but it was funny to point out when people differed from them. His father, for example, initially might look like a popular, loud Gryffindor, but he was sorted into Slytherin.

Edmund took the broom with them, sneakily making their way back to where the one he borrowed earlier had been hidden. He handed the Comet 290 to Amber, taking the other broom from its hiding place. He commanded it - the broom glued to his hand in half a second.

"The rules aaare..." Eddie dragged on the last word, as he looked around, mounting on the broom. "We have to make it simple. Whoever crosses the Great Lake and returns here first wins, how about that? Ready?"

He waited for her to get ready, broom riding a few feet off the ground. He comfortably played with his hair, unbothered by it - as if his feet were still glued to the floor. Once he made sure Amber was ready to race, he leaned it, grabbing the handle, a knowing smirk flashing on his face.

Edmund elbowed her, "3... 2... 1! Let's go!" And he shot off.

late september 2021 / with @edmund dempsie

Amber laughed at Edmund's words - that was okay, right? Since he had said it about his own ma. Even for the short time she had been at school, she had met her fair share of 'stereotypical' members of each House - including her own.

They made their way back to where the other broom was, and Edmund mounted his first. Amber followed his lead and got on the comet they had borrowed for her. She felt a bit shaky on the broom, but she gripped the handle firmly with both hands. Determined, Amber wasn't going to fall off and embarrass herself again. Not that she really felt embarrassed before, she had made a mistake, and they had laughed about it.

"Great Lake and back again - okay, that seems doable." Amber confirmed with a nod of her head, which made her twin braids swing about as well. She laughed as Edmund elbowed her, and she nudged him back as he counted down. At one, he shot off, and she hesitated before leaning on her broom to urge it forward. She didn't want a repeat of last time.

So Amber set off, not as fast as Edmund, but as she gained a little more confidence, her broom went faster and faster. She gained on him, making up the distance he got from his head start, and smiled. This was fun. Amber could definitely see why a lot of people enjoyed broom racing as a sport (though, from what she knew, it had more obstacles and wasn't just an easy, straight race).

She let out a whoop, almost close enough to touch the back of Edmund's broom if she dared reach out her hand.

@Amber Bullborn

The wind tickled his face and excitement built up inside him, the familiar taste of freedom coming back to him. Edmund smiled, boyish, howling like a werewolf would, diving down closer to the water as he crossed the Great Lake.

He looked down at his blurry reflection, momentarily forgetting about the race, about winning. Letting go of the shaft, he splashed water, feeling the drops touching his skin as he leaned over the broom again, gaining speed. The tip of his shoes and the hem of his dark robes got wet, but he couldn't care less about it.

He looked back at Amber, hair covering his eyes as he waved at her, now that was closer to his tail. Yanking to the right, he slowed down just enough to be by her side. Edmund had to control the urge to tease and bump against her, cause it would end badly for them. Instead, he kept going faster, then slower - which was equally as infuriating, and he stuck his tongue out at her before tugging his broom upwards, going higher and higher, stomach turning cold.

Edmund ignored his fear, and how heavy his robes felt now. His broom jerked and decreased in speed on its own. He looked back and tugged on his robes - it was stuck on the brush. Turning his focus completely to removing his robes, he let go of the shaft altogether. It was the worst decision. His stomach fell. The broom changed direction and he yelped, diving down. He grabbed it with one hand, spinning in the air, before going back to his original position.

Blood rushed through his ears and his heart slammed against his chest - the adrenaline made his body numb, and he still couldn't quite believe what had just happened. Somehow, he managed to not fall onto the Great Lake. Eddie allowed himself to do a small curve, having crossed the Great Lake, making his way back to where they were.

late september 2021 / with @edmund dempsie

Her broom stayed low at first, which meant she could easily skim the surface of the lake with her fingertips if she wanted to. Amber tried to ease the broom into ascending a bit, just so she wasn't in danger of accidentally taking a swim and she lurched upwards suddenly. While it did give her a good couple of feet of height, it did also mean she was almost bucked from the broom.

She tightened her grip on the shaft, just in case.

It was annoying how Edmund would slow down to be beside her and then speed up again. Like flying was second nature and no big deal at all (which, remembering what he had said about his da, was probably true for him). Amber wanted to prove to him that she could be good at flying as well, that it was No Big Deal to her either!

That would just have to wait for when she had a bit more experience with flying. Not everyone had been flying since they were toddlers, after all.

"Just wait, I'll catch up!" She yelled, the wind whipping loose strands of hair around her face. She spat some out of her mouth and laughed. Amber had no idea if Edmund could hear her or not but at least they were at the other end of the lake now. She turned as quickly as she could (without crashing) and starting heading back in the opposite direction.

Once again she was just behind him but slowly gaining on him again.

@Amber Bullhorn

He wobbled for a second before getting back to his proper position, going right next to Amber this time around, feeling no need to tease her.

Breathing in and out, in an attempt to calm down his poor heart, Edmund looked pale, almost like he'd throw up the moment they landed. Before the race, when he had crashed right into Amber, he didn't feel as scared. As much as it hurt (his shoulder was still complaining, though he tried to ignore it) he was closer to the ground. If he had fallen from that height... he'd need a special ticket straight to the Hospital Wing.

With a second or two, he recollected himself. He had been on a broom since he was a toddler - he had fallen more times than he could count. It was fine.

Edmund smiled at Amber, reaching out to poke her shoulder, before tightening his grip on the shaft, "You should totally race. Look how comfortable you are now,"

After that, he sped up - but just a little. Keeping his distance, he closed his eyes, and reached for water again, feeling the tip of his fingers getting wet. As he approached the place the race had started, he slowed down and jumped out of the broom.

late september 2021 / with @edmund dempsie

The race was over in a flash.

Amber hadn't expected it to seem so fast and so slow at the same time. While she was racing, it felt like she had all the time in the world to do something to catch up but without any obstacles to hinder Edmund, he kept that lead on her. He definitely had better skills than Amber did so she couldn't be too mad.

She made it back to the spot they had started, a few beats behind Edmund though her dismount was not as graceful. Amber let out a squeak and then a laugh as she somehow managed to 'trip' off her broom, leaving it hovering at waist height. She picked herself back up and cleaned down her clothes - which now had some fresh grass stains and some dirt. Oops.

"That was fun!" She grinned at Edmund, "You were amazing! You're going to be so good at Quidditch too - you can go so fast, they'd be crazy not to have you on our house team!" Amber grabbed her broom, ready to take it back to the school. It was only polite for them to return the brooms now they were done with them, right? "And I definitely need more practice... Maybe we can hang out again sometime and race?"

Something a little more challenging would be fun too. She needed to watch some school races and see how it was really done.

notes: we can probably end after a few more posts?