Adam's comment earned him a very synchronized middle finger from both Rock and Theo.
Rock did it naturally.
Theo learned it from Adam.
Adam just shrugged in response.
After they packed up their things and saw it was about time, the three of them headed casually toward their flying lesson.
Outside the castle, Rock stood in line, spacing out as he listened to the chatter around him.
"Hey, Rock, Theo… are those stories actually true?"
Adam had been listening to all the bragging going on around them and finally turned to ask his friends.
"True? Which one?"
Theo stared at him, completely speechless. "Are you asking about the kid who claimed he ran into a Muggle helicopter on his children's broom? Or the one who said he and his dad accidentally flew over the Alps?"
"Uh…" Adam blinked.
Yeah, both sounded unbelievably fake.
"Let me put it this way," Theo said with a shrug. "Unless their family's well-off and some older sibling had already bought a broom before them, then maybe it's possible."
"How much were those again?" Adam asked. He honestly hadn't checked broom prices at all.
"A basic one starts around ten Galleons. Secondhand ones are cheaper," Rock replied, snapping out of his daze.
Adam did the mental math. "That's not bad. Even the cheapest one's only like… sixty pounds."
Theo pointed at Adam dramatically.
"See? Look at this guy. He actually thinks that's cheap!"
"It depends," Rock said, rubbing his nose. Newt had given him enough Galleons that he could buy several.
"Wait," Rock added, "isn't the exchange limit for Muggle-born kids only a hundred Galleons?"
"I brought gold to exchange, so they let me convert more," Adam said, shrugging. He honestly had no concept of value.
Rock sighed internally. Capitalism really is evil…
He knew better than anyone how greedy the goblins were. They'd probably converted all of Adam's gold without hesitation.
Their conversation went unnoticed by the other young wizards, who were still loudly bragging about their "amazing" flying experiences.
Well, bragging was free.
And if they couldn't get off the ground later, they could always blame the broom.
Tweet—!
Madam Hooch blew her whistle as she pushed a cart full of brooms toward them.
The excited students rushed up to grab one.
Rock looked at the broom in his hand and grimaced.
This thing was ancient.
No wonder Neville fell off in the books.
"All right, put your brooms on the ground to your right and wait for my signal!" Madam Hooch barked.
Everyone placed their brooms down and stared at her, eager to hear the command to fly.
"When I blow the whistle, shout the command!"
She lifted the whistle again.
Tweet—!
"UP!"
"UP!"
Across the lawn, kids yelled with all their might.
A few brooms immediately snapped into their owners' hands.
Rock and Theo were among the successful ones.
Adam, on the other hand, watched his broom lie on the grass like a lazy old dog.
"Adam… I think your broom might be elderly. Maybe a little hard of hearing," Rock teased.
Adam rolled his eyes, then glared down at the broom.
"UP. Or I swear I'm using you as firewood!"
Smack!
The broom jumped straight into his palm.
Adam smugly tilted his chin at the other two.
"Genius," Rock said with a thumbs-up.
"Dude, you're unreal," Theo added, staring at the broom's "fear for its life" reaction.
Madam Hooch scanned the students. Once she saw that everyone finally got their broom up, she stepped forward.
"Eyes on me! I'm demonstrating now. Nobody tries anything on their own!"
Given the incident yesterday, she watched them like a hawk.
After demonstrating the proper posture a few times, she said, "When I blow the whistle, push off the ground. Remember—hold tightly to your broom. Do not fly higher than three feet!"
Theo glanced at Rock.
Rock shrugged. Three feet… barely a meter.
Tweet—!
Everyone lifted off at once. Some wobbled wildly, clinging desperately to the broom handle.
"Cool!"
Adam grinned, loving the feeling.
"Way better than a helicopter!"
Rock stayed at about four feet and let the broom hold steady. Honestly, the experience was pretty average.
If he could circle the entire school like in the games he used to play, that would be worth it.
Madam Hooch nodded approvingly as they all stayed within range.
"Good! Now keep that height and move slowly. No going higher, no zooming off!"
Of course, the moment she said that—
Half the kids took off like they'd just been unchained.
Any time one flew even a little too high, Madam Hooch would zoom beside them and force them down.
Do it twice?
Yellow card.
Points deducted.
Back on the ground, Theo looked defeated.
"Zero thrill."
He'd tried going higher just once and immediately got yelled at.
"I kinda liked it," Adam said. "Feels like riding a bike."
Rock walked along beside them, glancing at the talking portraits and catching bits of gossip.
Tonight would be his first night sneaking around Hogwarts.
He needed to memorize the surroundings—and avoid getting caught.
On their way to the Great Hall, Rock noticed Harry talking with a red-haired Ron. Looked like they were heading to dinner too.
Harry must have sensed the stare.
He scanned the crowd and spotted a Ravenclaw watching him.
…That kid?