The rest of flying class went by without any more problems. Adrian made sure to fly well enough to look good, but not so well that he stood out. He even found a chance to mess with Malfoy a bit.
"Better be careful up there, Malfoy," he said, trying to sound worried. "Don't want you falling off again."
Madam Hooch saw this and smiled. She liked seeing students from different houses getting along and looking out for each other.
Malfoy was angry at the hidden joke, but he couldn't complain without telling everyone why he'd really fallen. He wanted to show off with some fancy flying moves to prove he was still good, but Madam Hooch stopped him. She didn't want another accident.
[Ding! Flight class completed. Overall class evaluation: Excellent. Evaluator: Rolanda Hooch. Reward: System points +10]
Adrian felt pretty good as he walked back to the castle. Even with Malfoy trying to mess things up, he'd done what he wanted to do.
But Ron and Hermione were worried about what would happen to Harry with Professor McGonagall.
"We should tell the truth!" Hermione said as soon as class was over. "What if Harry gets kicked out because of this?"
Adrian stopped walking and looked at her. "McGonagall won't kick Harry out over something small like this. She probably wants him for the Quidditch team after seeing him fly like that."
"First-years aren't allowed to play Quidditch," Hermione said right away.
"Sometimes they make exceptions for really good players," Adrian said with a smile. "Not many beginners can fly like Harry did today."
This made Ron feel better, and he started talking about Harry's chances. Even Hermione seemed to think Adrian might be right.
When they got to the Great Hall for dinner, Harry was already sitting at the Gryffindor table. He looked really excited.
"You won't believe what happened!" he said before they even sat down. "Professor McGonagall wants me to be the new Seeker!"
Even though Adrian had guessed this would happen, Ron and Hermione still looked shocked. Ron was really excited.
"That's amazing! You might be the youngest player in years!" Then he asked hopefully, "Did they say they need anyone else? Maybe a Beater or Keeper?"
Harry shook his head. "Wood said the team already has everyone they need."
"Harry," Adrian said, "what did you tell McGonagall about what happened during flying?"
Harry looked confused. "That's what I wanted to ask you about. When she took me away, I thought I was going to get expelled. But then she started talking about Quidditch instead. What was all that about 'friendly practice' with Malfoy?"
Adrian explained how he'd used the spell to freeze Malfoy and then made up the story to keep them both out of trouble.
"If I'd told on Malfoy for stealing Neville's Remembrall, we'd both end up in detention," he said. "This way, he learned his lesson and we didn't get in trouble."
Ron laughed when he heard about Malfoy being too scared to fly properly for the rest of class. "Perfect! He couldn't even get back on his broom after what you did!"
Only Hermione didn't like it. She looked more and more upset as Adrian told the story. Finally, she got up and walked away from the table.
Adrian thought about following her, but decided not to. Hermione would have to learn that following every rule wasn't always the best way to handle things at Hogwarts. Sometimes you had to be smart about it.
In the real story, Malfoy never got in any real trouble for being a bully and stealing things. At least now he might think twice before doing it again.
Or that's what Adrian thought, until Malfoy came over to their table with Crabbe and Goyle behind him. He looked like his usual cocky self again.
"Having your last dinner, Potter?" Malfoy said loudly so other students could hear. "Tomorrow you'll be back with those Muggles where you belong."
The three friends looked at each other but didn't bother to tell him he was wrong. Ron was almost grinning, thinking about how surprised Malfoy would be when he found out the truth.
When they didn't react the way he wanted, Malfoy got annoyed. But he kept going with his plan.
"Blackwood!" He turned to Adrian, looking mean. "If you've got any guts left after this afternoon, meet me in the trophy room at midnight. Let's settle this the right way, a wizard's duel!"
Adrian didn't even look up from his food. "No."
The simple answer caught Malfoy off guard. "What?"
"I said no." Adrian finally looked at him with a bored expression. "I'm not interested in fighting someone I already beat. It would be a waste of time."
He had better things to do tonight, like getting that reward from the Restricted Section. Plus, he remembered this trick from the books. Malfoy was planning to tell Filch and get his "opponent" caught breaking the rules.
"Are you scared, Blackwood?" Malfoy's voice got louder.
"I'm smart," Adrian said calmly. "When you learn some real magic, and figure out how to stay on your broom, then come talk to me."
The other students around them laughed at this. Malfoy's face turned red when he realized his plan wasn't working.
"You'll be sorry," he said, but it didn't sound very scary.
"Probably not," Adrian said, going back to his dinner. "Now leave us alone. We're trying to eat."
Malfoy had to walk away with Crabbe and Goyle, looking embarrassed and angry. Adrian could finally plan his midnight trip in peace.