To Fly or Not to Fly
Hermione Bronte (Hufflepuff)
When you are a clumsy person and you are about to begin your first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, you know you will have a bad time when your first Flying lesson is about to begin. And you will think about it as soon as you realize that is an obligatory class, making it almost impossible to think about anything else. What’s even worse is that from that moment on, your mind won’t stop thinking about loads of possible scenarios that could happen--all different from each other, but with the same kind of ending: a bit of a mess. Even if it’s totally surrealistic, you know it can happen. Because you are that clumsy.
Just minutes before the more-than-predicted disaster, you’re having breakfast, and, while you’re trying not to spill the pumpkin juice because your hands are shaking so much, the rest of your classmates are excited about the class. They're talking about how high a broomstick can go and, of course, about that unnamed person (but still everyone knows at least one), who, in his/her first lesson, got lost on the grounds of the castle--well, the grounds of the castle…or Kent.
You finally stand up and begin your way to the grounds. You walk awkwardly, and your anxiety is so obvious that your classmates stare at you, and some even ask if you're okay. When you have the broom at your side and you’re waiting for instructions from the professor, you look at it and wonder if that thing can really make you fly. Because, honestly, Hogwarts’ brooms aren’t in the best condition. And you have no choice, or time, because it's when you are thinking again about all those awful scenarios that the professor gives the signal. The rest of your classmates, or almost all of them, already have the broom in the air next to them.
"Up," you say, timid and with a slightly trembling voice.
You are afraid to actually make it levitate. The broomstick seems like it wants to lift, but it never does. The professor looks at you and raises a brow. Everyone is waiting on you. You try again. "UP!" This time your command is more like a shout, maybe louder than you wanted it to be, because that’s what nervousness can make you do.
And that time, it rises. The moment you most feared was there, looking you in the eyes. You slowly put the broomstick between your legs and then…you give a kick to the ground, and you can’t feel it anymore under your feet.
At first you think you will throw up, but the sensation doesn’t last long. And suddenly all the nervousness disappears. In fact, the breeze helps you feel better. So you move, slowly and carefully, but there you are. Flying. And you’re even enjoying it. After all, you feel better than ever, not only because it’s nice to be up there, but also because you overcame your fear and realized that, in the end, you just made much ado about nothing.
