Prepair for Flight!

(Earlier in the day:)

Looking out the office window Victoria pitied the 1st Years who were flying after lunch. Can't always expect perfect weather, she thought, but today looked particularly brutal. Never the less, there would be class.

She went outside, standing under the awning on the west side of the building, and looked over the pitch. There were puddles of water here and there, and the general appearance was muddy and very sloppy. She figured the good part of this was they'd not hit too hard if they spilled, and since they'd be in gear, they should handle a good day.

Beside, I like getting all dressed up for flying.

She prepared a quick message to post along with their lesson flight plan. It would be a simple day: the standard beginner's flight. She prepped her message, triplicating it to post by the Main and the Tunnel Entrances:

Today’s lesson will be conducted as planed. Please report to the West Landing outside the building and review the flight plan for today. Wait there until I arrive.

Victoria, Mistress of the Broom.

Once everything was in place she figured she should check out the Cleansweeps, go over the gear and then change.

They'd be here before you know it, she thought.



Flight Plan for Lesson 1:

It seemed as if everyone began arriving at the "Broomstick Bastion" about the same time. Kerry was surprised to see just five of them heading up the stairs to the main building; he'd expected more, but then, perhaps the professor wanted to keep things nice and controlled, and a smaller group was a manageable group.

The notice greeted them as they stepped off the stairs: "Mistress of the Broom", indeed. The professor seemed pretty laid back, and the other day seemed proof enough that she wasn't going to be some total hard-ass about flying. Not that I need to be nervous about this, Kerry thought. I'm only gonna stick a hunk of wood between my legs and flying all over the place! To him, this was going to be his first real magic. Potions and visions aside, if he tried he could maybe explain those away. If he did what he saw Victoria do the other day . . . that was real magic to him.

Walking out to the meeting place, he was greeted by more rain and wind. The wind had died down a little, but here, on the flying pitch, the trees to the north and south were visibly moving, and there was a bit of mist covering the field. Kerry spied some large pylons on the pitch now: mostly red with a few blue popping up near the middle of the field, maybe--what? 150 meters out? There was also a large red line in the ground not far beyond the overhang, though damned if he was gonna walk out there and look it over.

There was a map with a flight path marked out, little black lines going round the pylons on the field. Follow the Leader the lesson said, and Kerry could figure out, in his head, what that meant--

Just then there was another clap of thunder. He pulled Annie into his body and put himself between the wind and her. "Nice day for flying, huh?" he said to no one in particular.

Out of all their classes, Annie was looking forward to flying the least. She had a real problem with heights..and motion sickness and thunder and lightning and driving winds and rain.

She groaned when she read their lesson—Follow the Leader. Unlike Kerry, she had some idea of how dangerous being in the middle of a clearing in weather like this on wooden brooms could be. And these brooms weren’t exactly like the ones her father kept under wraps in his office back home; these were school brooms. They had probably been through hundreds of accidents already and would not trust the students on them today. She could foresee problems…huge problems.

When a loud clap of thunder sounded, Kerry pulled her tightly to his body. At least the weather is having some perks, she thought, leaning into him.

Before the teacher began class, and before the other kids got too close, Annie swung herself in front of him and placed her hands on his face. “No matter what happens, promise me that you’ll be careful,” she pleaded, almost hysterical with panic.

Fear was all over Annie's face. Damn, she's really scared, he thought, and was trying to understand what going through her head. He suddenly flashed on the issue: Daddy.

She's like a NASCAR kid, he realized. Daddy goes out and races, and if you're at them often enough it only a matter of time before you see Daddy punch the wall hard and get hauled off on a stretcher.

Kerry wasn't about to go out and rip ass around the pitch. The idea of broom flight fascinated him, though he could see a lot of issues with what they were going to do. He understood this was gonna be like taking off on ET's bike without ET to keep you in the air. Falling was a possibility; getting hurt was another possibility. He wanted neither, but he accepted that it could happen.

And then there was the whole Acrophobia thing . . . he didn't like heights. He was terrified of them, actually. The funny thing was, when he'd flown he wasn't all that bothered, probably because above a certain height you were no longer connected to the ground. He hoped that he'd concentrate enough on flying to keep his mind off of, you know, being in the air without support--

He leaned in very, very close to Annie. "Pumpkin, I don't want to get hurt," he said, murmuring in as soft, low voice. "I'm not going to take any chances, and if the instructor tells me not to do something, I won't do it." He glanced around to see if anyone was really paying attention to them, the kissed her on the nose. "We're both gonna walk away from this class okay."

“I’m going to hold you to that…Mr. Malibey.” She managed a grin and then kissed him, not caring if the entire student population was behind her or if she would have to serve a million detentions.

When she let go of him, she felt better. Not as good as she would have felt if they didn’t have this dreadful class today—but well enough to jump a broom and fly around a field...in a thunderstorm.

“I suppose I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” She swallowed hard and took his hand, waiting for the instructor to start the class.

The lingering preoccupation with today's failed History of Magic assignment had turned into a deep-set frustration that Keith brought with himself to the pitch. The feeling mixed with the prospect of flying in this weather and gave him an unfamiliar sense of resolve. Without realizing it, he was filled with the urge to prove himself.

I was so stupid. I'm not stupid. he thought. He clenched his teeth and balled his fists angrily. Through the wind and rain, his fierce expression looked strange and a bit frightening, even on a boy of his relatively diminutive stature. It made a few students give a double-take when he arrived.

The lovey-dovey couple, as he had mentally flagged Kerry and Annie, had made it there ahead of him and were drawing a few stares from some of the other students. He smiled when he noticed them, thankful to them for talking to him earlier.

Keith looked around silently and tried to get a feel for what they were going to be doing: Flying around on broomsticks. The notion itself seemed silly to him because it immediately triggered the prevalent Halloween image of a hooked-nosed, wart-chinned witch. However, being granted an opportunity to fly, to move more freely and faster than he ever could, did nothing but excite him. He would pay special attention when the Mistress of the Broom started.

Victoria figured she'd let her charges suffer enough in the sheltered cold. She'd planned on showing up on her broom, but, naw, she suspected they didn't want razzle-dazzle; they wanted to get warm and get the butterflies out of their tummies.

She stepped out of the broom room in her flying gear. She expected to get a few strange reactions--she usually did. Do they think they're going to be tooling around the pitch in their trousers and skirts? she thought. Probably. Too many stereotypes when it came to witches on brooms--

Straightening her jackets, Victoria said, "Sorry to keep you waiting, witches. So, we ready to fly today?"

Kerry spun at the sound of the flying instructor's voice. The moment he laid eyes upon her he did what he could to keep his draw from dropping. So, he thought, we're getting flying lessons from Amelia Earhart.

Professor Salomon looked like something straight out of the 1930's. She wore a white turtleneck pullover and a partially un-zipped brown leather flying jacket. There was an round patch on the right breast: a black silhouette of a woman flying on a broom and wearing a witch's hat, a large ball nestled under her right, diving towards the ground with a full moon behind her. "Ночные ведьмы" was written in a semi-circle over the picture, and "Vickie" printed in flowing cursive at the bottom of the circle.

Her pants were also brown leather, and looked well worn. She wore matching flat, lace-up boots, and the cuffs of her pants zipped down tight over the top, designed to keep rain and wind out. Lastly she carried an old leather pilot's helmet and goggles in her right hand, completed the impression that Professor Salomon was less a witch on a broom and more an pioneer of the sky.

There were many things Kerry wanted to say in reply to her question, but all he could do was nod and croak out a soft "Yes".

"Yes, ma'm." Keith stated, contrasting with the simultaneous murmured responses of the other students. Professor Salomon looked and sounded very confident despite the weather, so he trusted that her expertise would make up for his lack of any flying experience.

A memory briefly washed over him like a thin sheet of rain. He was at Knott's Berry Farm with his cousin Janet, riding on one of many miniature airplanes. It was one of those carnival rides that spun riders around in a circle, but there was a handle control for each rider to adjust how high they could "fly." Keith, at the age of four, stayed as close to the ground as possible for the majority of the ride. He was terrified of going up. After much goading from his older cousin, he pulled up on the handle for a few seconds. It was wonderful, controlling the imitation aircraft. He then pulled up until he was higher than all the other riders. He had never felt so free. That was also when the ride ended. "See? I told you it would be fun." his cousin had said afterward.

Keith knew this wasn't the same as a kiddie ride. He planned to be careful, but he also was not afraid.

Annie took in the flying professor. She looked like she knew what she was doing—but then again, she would be flying her own broom…not a school hand me down.

She heard Kerry squeak out a ‘Yes’ and she smiled. Maybe it was finally dawning on him just how dangerous this was going to be. She straightened up a bit and resolved to grow up. She had seen her father fly in the rain hundreds of times. No big deal. She was actually glad to have the rain to fly in so no one would be able to see the tears she felt coming.

Victoria saw the nods and heard the confirmations, then nodded in return. "Come inside and lets get your outfitted." She walked towards the entrance. "Follow me, please."

They re-entered the building, then turned left down a hall. Turning left into a room, they were looking out onto the pitch through a window Victoria knew they wouldn't have seen because it was invisible from the outside. On the wall to the left of the doorway was a cozy fire; across from it were two doors labeled Aviators and Aviatrixes. In the middle were several chairs and a board. Victoria likes to have a relaxed yet professional environment to teach, since most of these kids had never been on a broom before and they didn't need to be any more nervous than they already were.

"I know you want to get started," she said, "but first, you need to change." She pointed out the window. "Part of flying is knowing your environment, and right now it's chilly, wet and windy." She looked them over with concern. "And there's no way you can fly in those uniforms. Therefore . . .."

She began describing her own outfit. "I've laid out your flight gear in the dressing rooms. The shirt--" She touched her neck, "is designed to keep you warm and pull moisture away from you body; that way you won't get chilly. The neck is high and tight to keep out the weather." She fingered her jacket. "The leather is waterproof and it's lined with lamb's wool to keep you nice and warm." She touched her pants. "Again, waterproof leather on the outside and quilted inside to keep your legs very warm." She twisted her body to show off her boots. "Leather to keep out the elements and laced up to give you support, so when you land you don't need to worry about twisting your ankles. And I'm wearing socks that will keep your feet cozy." She indicated the zippers on her pants. "And the pants seal down over the boot tops so you're insulated."

She pointed to the doors. "You'll find your gear in locker in the rooms. Your names will be on the lockers and you'll find your names--" She twisted so they all could see "SALOMON" printed in large letters across her shoulders-- "on the back of your jackets."

Victoria clapped her hands. "Go change; I'll check in about 10 minutes to see if you need anything." She smiled broadly. "And if you need anything, holler! I'll be out here." She waved them to the rooms. "Go! Let's get started."

And as they vanished into their dressing rooms, Victoria yelled, "And don't forget to bring your helmets and goggles with you!" Not that it was that big of a deal to not come out without them, but it helped if they had everything with them before they headed out.

Kerry entered the dressing room; it was only Keith and he in there. There was a row of lockers and it didn't take long for him to find "MALIBEY" printed on his. He opened it, started removing clothing, and began changing.

He wasn't paying attention to the other kid; Kerry was caught up in his own little world at the moment. All the warning Annie had given him had begun to ramp up his anxiety a bit, so by the time Professor Salomon showed he was starting to feel very nervous, and there'd been images of him sailing over the front of a broom and doing a header into the mud, dressed in his school uniform, running quickly through his head.

But now he was starting to relax. She's running this like a pilot's briefing, he thought. As he quickly slipped into his pants and shirt he wondered if she was gonna tell them to call her "God" and give them cute pilot call signs. "Oh, crap," he thought, "I hope she doesn't give me 'Loverboy'," he mumbled.

Annie slinked into the dressing room, ignoring the other two girls chattering nearby, and searched the rows of lockers until she found one marked with her name. She read the letters, KRUM, and her heart sank. The letters peered out over the room…taunting her and suddenly, Annie was furious. Here is her last name attached to a locker filled with flying gear—put there by someone who probably already had ideas about how she would fare on a broom.

She pulled open the door and saw the outfit hanging inside. It was very similar to the one she had hanging in her own closet at home…with one glaring exception. She yanked out the jacket and flopped onto the bench, turning it over in her hands to see the large letters spelling KRUM across the back. Great. One more thing to make this day perfect.

Annie let the jacket fall to the floor and slowly began to undress, removing first her skirt and then her blouse. She pushed her slender arms through the sleeves of the shirt and pulled it forcefully over her head. Once she was satisfied with the fit, she yanked the pants out of the locker, shoved her legs roughly into them and stood to hike them up. She finished up by slipping her feet into first the socks and then the boots, zipping the pants over the top to seal out the rain.

She slammed her locker shut, retrieved the horrible jacket from the floor, slung it over her shoulder, and stormed past the two girls still getting ready.

Kerry wandered out of the locker room, feeling much better now that he was dress, his jacket on and his helmet and goggles in hand. Now all I need is my Viper and I'm set, he thought. Don't give me any radioactive clouds to fly through, though.

Just then there was a roll of thunder outside, and it seemed to darken just a moment before returning to normal crappy. Kerry saw Annie standing in the room, annoyance streaking her face, and wondered what was eating at her now. This flying stuff is bothering her big time, he thought as he slid up next to her. He checked quickly to see if Professor Salomon was watching, then gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, I like a girl in uniform," he whispered.

Kerry gave her a kiss and she softened under his touch. She put on the ridiculous jacket and turned to face him. “Be honest,” she said. “How terrible is it?”

She did a neat pirouette for him and waited.

As Annie spun Kerry realized that if anyone could make a leather flying gear look nice, it was Annie. Okay, maybe Professor Salomon too, but still . . ..

"Annie, you look great," he said. "It's all about not getting soaked, right? I mean, this was standard flight gear maybe . . . 60, 70, 80 years for, um, normal--Muggle--flying." He leaned in. "You look a lot better than you would in your soaked-to-the-bone uniform, trust me." He kissed her cheek again, this time holding it a little longer.

Victoria was doing a great job of pretending to go over the pitch layout on her board, but she was watching Malibey and Krum out of peripheral vision, which after years of flying and playing quidditch was great. She watched him slid in and give her a kiss, then Annie asking about how she looked--she's probably feeling a bit self-conscious, she thought, and could probably figure out why.

Then she caught Malibey sliding in for another peck and saw Krum blush slightly, but also get a look on her face that Victoria remembered well. Jeez, I'm need to get these two out in the rain and cool them off before they heat up the joint, she thought, smiling broadly.

"You wanna cool it there, Starbuck?" she drawled. Victoria turned slightly to face them. "The others are gonna be out any moment, and I gotta dock points if you're gonna smoochy face in front of them."

She giggled slightly before saying, "Annie, you forgot your goggles and helmet. Run in and get them, and maybe you got time for a hug before we start." She smiled again, then turned back to the board before both students died of mortification.

Annie felt her cheeks flush as Kerry kissed her a second time, lingering a bit longer than the first. She felt a bit dizzy as she looked up at him.

Right then, their professor spoke up. Annie wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. However, instead of taking coven points, she surprised Annie by trying to give them space. What an amazing witch. Instantly, Annie felt better about flying class. She turned back to Kerry, kissed him on the cheek and disappeared back into the locker room to fetch her goggles and helmet.

A few minutes later, she reemerged wearing both. “I look like I am about to fly to the moon.”

Smiling broadly, Kerry resisted the urge to laugh--though at this point Annie probably wouldn't mind. She looked a lot better than she was a few minutes earlier. So maybe she's gonna be okay in flight, he thought.

He nodded. "We're all gonna look that way," he said. "But it's kinda cool, really. There is no way I could have known last year this time I was gonna be dressed like a World War II pilot and getting ready to ride a broom."

Kerry checked the dressing room doors. "Everyone's really taking their time." He faced the center of the room, looking at the board where Professor Salomon drew someone on a broom. "Lots of nerves, I bet."

Annie lifted her goggles and rested them on the top of her helmet so she could see Kerry better.

“Let them dawdle. Besides, the professor did say we had time for a hug before we started…”

Kerry looked to the instructor to see if she was watching them. She wasn't, but then, he didn't think she was watching last time, either. Better do this quick, he thought.

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. "It's gonna be fun, even with the weather." He kissed her cheek a last time, the pulled away slowly, keep his eyes on hers. He couldn't help but smile.

She wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but Victoria was having a difficult time not watching these two. Wow, she thought, they're pretty intense for just 11. Victoria could tell as well, they weren't like a couple of kids going through some puppy love stuff as she'd seen back when she'd been that age. They both got that look in their eyes--though Victoria could sense the girl had far more of it than her young friend. Victoria sized them up and sighed. I'd have never guessed back in the World Cup days, she thought, that ol' Viktor was gonna have a daughter grow up to be such a charming little stunner.

"Okay, you two," she said, "time to get to business." She stood next to them, checking them for nerves. "While we're waiting for everyone else, lets talk. Either of you been on a broom before?" She grinned. "Just be truthful. Remember, I'm here to help, not make you feel down."

Shaking his head, Kerry said, "No, Professor. I'm Muggle-born; I'd never seen a broom until we saw you Friday."

Annie looked at the professor; a little taken aback that she did not already know the answer. She supposed their quick arrival had something to do with it.

“I have been on a broom before, Professor.” Annie said, avoiding Kerry’s eyes. “About a month before my seventh birthday, my father surprised me with a trip to Quality Quidditch Supplies in Diagon Alley. I was dying to get on a broom, and he promised me he would take me out to our pitch behind the house and show me how to fly.

“I took my time picking out all the gear—in fact, I have an outfit similar to this one back home. I wanted to fly just like him…I was a little headstrong back then.” Annie grinned.

“That night, I was so excited I slept with my broom. The next morning, I dressed before I left my bedroom, and when I reached the kitchen, my mother and father had both gone—leaving me with our house elf. She apologized for them and told me they had apparated to my baba.” That’s not right… “Uhm...I mean my grandmother.

“I was furious. The weather was turning nasty but I did not care. I ran out into it and all the way to our quidditch pitch, crying and screaming, the rain soaking my hair because I had left the goggles and helmet on the floor of our kitchen.

“Once I reached the field, I jumped on the broom and it took off. It did not trust me…I cannot blame it; I did not know what I was doing. We both crashed into a nearby lake. I don’t remember what happened after that.”

Annie fumbled with the zipper on her jacket. The silence was unbearable…