Dahlia walked with James to the Quidditch Field. She was his assigned "flying partner", whatever that meant. In his hand, James held a broom. Dahlia woke from her daydream of him asking her out.

"Hey, where did you get that broom? I thought they wouldn't let us bring our own," Dahlia said, pointing at the polished wood.

James looked down into his hand and shrugged. "My dad sent it."

"Oh, that's. . . cool, I guess."

James stared at her. "Do you know who the Flight Teacher is?"

"No idea."

"C'mon; just guess," James said with a devilish smirk. Dahlia was reminded of her cat.

"I don't know," said Dahlia, just as James swiped her books away from her.

He stared at the covers. "God, you're worse than my aunt," James said, shaking his head.

"James! Give them back!" Dahlia normally would have been furious, but she was really enjoying James paying this much attention to her.

James shrugged. "Sure." He then smirked again. "If you guess."

"I have no idea! Now give me my books!" She leaped in a desperate attempt to get her books back; if she grabbed her books at certain intervals between speech, she and James would be face to face. Close enough to possibly share a kiss.

"No. Not until you guess." Leap.

"I don't know!" Leap.

"Oh, come on, Dahlia! He's your cousin!" Leap.

"I have a lot of cousins!" Leap. Curse your attractive height, James Potter!

"He won the World Cup!"

"I don't know what that is!" Leap. Grab. Success! To her delight, James did not let go of the books.

Dahlia tugged on the books, making it seem like an accident that James was pulled towards her face. Closer, closer. . .

James was so close to Dahlia, their noses were touching. James let go of the book and took a couple of nervous steps back. "Sorry," he mumbled. Dahlia's heart seemed to stop beating. He didn't take the bait.

"No, it's okay. I understand. I feel the same. We were close enough to kiss. That would've been, like, really weird." Dahlia froze. James looked really disappointed. But then he slid his mask back on and smiled.

"Yeah."

The pair continued to walk in silence, and Dahlia found herself wondering if James possibly felt the same way about her as she did about him.

"So, today class, we will not be doing the regular things the other students do in their first year," Professor Wood, supposedly Dahlia's cousin, said, pacing the green area surrounding the lake.

"I have requested to take the most promising students for Quidditch to a more. . . private class. I have assigned each of you a third year mentor." Wood began to go through a list of names. Dahlia tensed when he finally began to near her name.

"Ludo, Briggs. Malfoy, Harrison. Potter, Du Pro. Wood, Raz." Dahlia was surprised when Eliza walked up to her.

"Wait- your last name is Raz?" she asked.

Eliza laughed. "Wow. Yeah. It is."

"So you're my mentor?"

Eliza nodded, her eyes sparkling. "It's sort of funny, isn't it? I mean, since we're friends and all."

Dahlia blushed. Eliza was her friend, and probably her closest one next to Cassia. It was nice not to be dependent on one person to always be there.

"Well, then, what are we doing, boss?"

"Umm, I'm guessing from our conversation last night that you've never ridden a broom before. Am I right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Go over to that broom," Eliza said, pointing to a broom and walking towards it. "And place your hand above it like so. Then command '"Up"'." The broom flew into Eliza's hand. She smiled. "Now you try."

Dahlia was nervous and excited at the same time. "Up!" she commanded, holding her hand over the broom. To her delight, the long piece of wood went straight into her hand.

"Great; now what?" Dahlia asked Eliza.

"Now," Eliza said picking up her own broom. "We fly."

Dahlia gulped. No way she was ready for this! As she mounted her broom, she kept thinking about showing off in front of James. It probably the only thing keeping her from collapsing on her face.

The broom shot in the air. "Aah!" Dahlia shrieked. The broom was out of control, zooming, zipping, diving.

"Dahlia!" Eliza yelled. "Hold on!"

"What do you think I'm trying to do!" Dahlia screamed, gripping onto the handle for dear life.

A calm hand gripped Dahlia's. "Hold on," the voice belonging to the hand commanded. Dahlia obeyed without a question. The broom suddenly dipped straight down. It shot towards the ground.

Dahlia shrieked. "Please don't," the voice grumbled.

Suddenly, the broom stopped. Dahlia squinted with one eye. There. There was the ground. Right below her. She stepped onto the ground, sprawling out in the grass. She sighed.

Remembering her mysterious savior, Dahlia glanced up. She was on the other side of the lake with a blonde boy. "Thank you!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. She drew herself back, looking at his face. What was his name again? "Thank you Malfoy!"

Malfoy stared at her. "You're, um, welcome. Uh, it's Orion, by the way."

"Thank you, Orion."

"May I see your broom, please?" Orion asked her. Surprised, Dahlia handed it silently to him. He waved his wand over it. "Oh. It's jinxed." Orion muttered something under his breath and his wand began to glow. A small, silver beam seemed to scan the broom, and Orion handed it back to her. "There you are," he said.

He suddenly leaped onto his broom and flew away across the lake.

"Thank you!" Dahlia yelled across from him.

Dahlia tried the broom again, and it took off without any problems. She flew across the lake.

"Thank God; there you are!" Eliza shouted, embracing her.

"Orion brought me down to the ground," Dahlia said.

Eliza eyed Orion and his mentor, Rob. "Oh. . . I see. . ."

"Shut up, Eliza!" Dahlia laughed.

"Maybe I will after you do five laps around the lake."

Dahlia saluted. "Yes sir!" she yelled, then stepped on her broom.

"Get out there, soldier!" Eliza yelled with a laugh.