The Black Bloodline of Hogwarts

The lawn was filled with screams, laughter, the whooshing of brooms, and Mrs. Hooch's incessant commands throughout the afternoon.

Some people fell into mud pits, some crashed into tree trunks, some suddenly cried halfway through the flight ("Mom! What should I do?"), and some tried to pat the back of a broom (broom bristles) like riding a horse, and were punished by copying the "Flight Safety Rules" three times.

But no one gave up.

As the setting sun painted the lawn a golden-red hue, Liria finally mustered the courage to raise the broom as high as two stories. She closed her eyes, gripped it tightly, and her lips moved slightly, as if whispering to the breeze.

And the wind seemed to truly respond to her—the broom stopped trembling and hovered steadily in the air. A dandelion seed drifted up from her feet and carried away by the wind.

Not far away, Julien was practicing his "slow approach" over and over again. He no longer pursued explosive speed, but focused on every tiny turn and every inch of distance control. His movements were still swift, but with a more steady rhythm.

Hannah, with her long blonde hair, slid off the broom, fell on her bottom, but laughed out loud. She wiped the sweat from her face, climbed back on without hesitation, and took off again.

Lady Hooch stood on the sidelines, watching the group of disheveled yet stubborn young wizards, and finally a genuine smile appeared on her lips.

"Remember how you felt today," she said loudly. "No one is born able to fly in the magical world. Quidditch stars and ordinary wizards alike all start by falling into mud, getting stuck in trees, and being tossed around by brooms."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over Liria, Julien, Kayson, Hannah… every face with sweat-drenched foreheads but shining eyes.

"Talent determines how fast you can fly, but hard work determines how far and how high you can fly."

The evening breeze swept across the lawn, and the broom swayed gently, as if nodding in agreement.

Meanwhile, on a distant tower, Qiu Zhang and Roger were leaning on the railing, gazing into the distance.

"You're right, that black-haired Julien," Roger suddenly said, "his speed is amazing, but he's too reckless. If he can join the team, I'll personally train him."

Qiu Zhang smiled and said, "Don't rush, Roger. They've only just left the ground."

"But some people," Roger said softly, watching Julien hover precisely in front of the Quake once again, "are born to be in the sky."

At dinner time, Hogwarts Great Hall was brightly lit. Hundreds of candles floated above the hall, illuminating the gilded plates and bowls.

The air was filled with the aroma of roast chicken, pumpkin pie, and hot butterbeer.

Julien, Kayson, and Edgar had just found a table to sit down when they heard a familiar voice behind them: "Hey! Julien! Over here!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were waving at them. So everyone moved to the end of the table and sat down next to Harry and the others.

"How was your flight lesson this afternoon?" Ron asked, his eyes sparkling as he piled mashed potatoes onto a plate. "It was quite a lively morning for us."

"Don't even mention it!" Kayson immediately interjected, patting his chest dramatically. "I almost got sacrificed to the willow spirit with my broom! But—" he puffed out his chest, "I can now hover for three seconds! Joining the Ravenclaw team is just around the corner!"

"You mean 'being stuck in a tree for three seconds before being rescued by Lady Hooch using a levitation spell'?" Edgar bluntly exposed his weakness.

The crowd laughed.

"But speaking of which, those Slytherins from Malfoy were really infuriating this morning," Hermione recounted their experience from flight class that morning.

"I was wondering why I hadn't seen Neville. Turns out he was injured. I hope he's alright," Edgar said.

"It should be fine, uh..." Ron choked on the potato.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him and continued, "My wrist is broken, but Mrs. Hodge said that Mrs. Pomfrey at the university hospital can heal the bone in one night."

"We'll go see him after we finish eating," Ron said, taking a sip of water to clear his head. "We also have some good news to tell him."

"What good news!" Hermione said irritably. "Is it that you guys are fighting with the Slytherins?!"

"But we won!" Ron and Harry proudly raised their heads.

The Ravenclaw eaglets exchanged glances, wondering why Gryffindor and Slytherin lessons were so exciting.

"Of course I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about Harry joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Uh oh!" Ron said, then covered his mouth as if he had let something slip.

Harry quickly explained to Lian and the others, "I told you it's okay. Just don't let the Slytherins know. Wood said—our team captain—is going to use me as a secret weapon."

"What?!" Edgar nearly threw his fork. "First year?! That's impossible! Isn't it a rule at school..."

"I know, I know," Harry said, his face slightly flushed. "But Professor McGonagall said... the circumstances are special."

Just as he hesitated, considering how to say it, Ron chimed in, "Didn't you see? This morning, Malfoy stole Neville's Memory Orb and threw it away. Harry chased after him on his broomstick, pulled off a Lannski feint, and scooped the orb up with a somersault. It was such a cool move!"

"Yes, she almost broke her neck!" Hermione added.

"I didn't know what feint was at the time," Harry said, seemingly oblivious to Hermione's sarcasm, "it was just an instinctive action that Professor McGonagall happened to see."

"Bro, I have to say you're so cool! How did you do that?" Kayson exclaimed in admiration.

"Actually, this is my first time flying on a broomstick, and I found..." Harry's face was flushed, clearly still immersed in the joy of flying, "The sky isn't that scary. As long as you're willing to go with the air currents, you can travel freely."

"Talent! This is talent!" Ron declared, defining his friend's talent.

Hermione didn't refute this time, but nodded thoughtfully: "That does match some ancient records of flight meditation. Norse Valkyries are said to have mastered Pegasus by resonating with air currents."

Just as Julien was about to speak and offer a few words of praise, Harry suddenly lowered his voice, "It's a pity I didn't knock that Malfoy down and let him taste the bitterness of a broken arm!"

"What! You did this on purpose?!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise.

"We should have run him over, preferably broken his nose too!" Ron gritted his teeth. "It's all that Rozier's fault!"

"Rozier? Elizabeth Rozier? What does she have to do with me?" Julien asked curiously.

"It didn't crash," Harry shook his head. "Just as Malfoy was about to fall, Rozier flew over and grabbed him. The movement... was incredibly fast and incredibly steady."

"Although I don't have a good impression of Slytherins either, I have to say that we owe a debt to Rozier today," Hermione said. "Without her, you would have been in serious trouble. And she just walked away after saving them. She neither acknowledged Malfoy's thanks nor got involved in the subsequent argument between the two houses."

Ron immediately scoffed, "Tch! They're all birds of a feather! I've heard the Rozier family and the Malfoy family are very close. Both families have followed two generations of Dark Lords; how could they possibly be good people?"

Julien paused for a few seconds, then slowly spoke: "So Elizabeth's intervention under those circumstances shows that her flying ability is also excellent, and... she didn't take credit, nor did she participate in the subsequent fight with you. This shows that she at least has basic judgment and... restraint."

"You're actually speaking up for Slytherin?" Ron's eyes widened.

Hermione looked at Julien, her eyes filled with a hint of confusion and something else entirely: "Elizabeth? Are you that familiar with her?"

"Julien, she's Rozier—you might not know, but her family has a history of producing countless dark wizards!" Ron continued.

Julien put down his knife and fork, his tone calm: "I'm not defending anyone. I'm just saying, judge by actions, not intentions. Saving someone is saving someone, no matter how complicated the motives. If we deny all of a person's bright actions just because they come from a dark background, then what's the difference between us and those pure-blood madmen who only care about bloodlines?"

The auditorium fell silent for a moment. Even Kayson forgot to brag.

Hermione opened her mouth as if to refute, but in the end she just pursed her lips and lowered her head to chop the carrot.

She wasn't unreasonable; in fact, she understood reason better than most. It's just that Julien's way of addressing Rozier just now seemed...

Harry seemed thoughtful: "Actually... she seems a bit different from the other Slytherins. Aside from looking a bit arrogant, she never hangs out with the Malfoys and the others, and she's very quiet in class."

"The quietest snake is the most dangerous!" Ron muttered.