15 December 2009
Tuesday, 1:00pm

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This is the fifteenth and final meeting of Flying Class.  All term the first years have been learning about brooms, their care, history, and most importantly, the safe practice of riding them.  They'd ridden brooms nearly every single week by doing drills in steering and speed control, and even played some games that tested skills in maneuvering and safe falling.  They must receive a passing grade in this course in order to be allowed to ride the school brooms, bring their own brooms to school the following year, or play Quidditch.  Students who do not pass the course may meet with Madam Hooch in Remedial Flying in the second term, along with older students who have shown one way or another they need a refresher on riding brooms properly.


The weather, as was typical for this time of year, was inclement and so Hooch did as she often had to do and moved the Broomstick Flying Final Examination into the Great Hall.  After lunch had ended, she'd cleared out any lingering students and temporarily vanished all the tables and chairs.  The chamber felt more cavernous than ever and above them rain and snowfall sworled over the enchanted ceiling.

Hooch was ready for them, and dressed in much less gear then they might normally have seen her in.  Gone where here billowing black and white robes and instead she wore only a tight black vest over a white shirt with voluminous long sleeves.  She had a clipboard in her hands and her whistle around her neck.

All the students were standing around her, more or less ready, and she addressed them with tolerance of their nerves.

"You're all going to do just fine.  It shouldn't be any different than the flying you've already had to do all term."

She held the clipboard behind her back and continued.

"Now my little falcons, we will begin today with the practical flying exam, and when you've finished you'll take the written portion.  Your marks today will be combined with your marks all term and that will determine if you pass or fail.  But do your best - the exam today is weighted heavily.  Coasting won't get you far."

She gestured to the obstacle course set up in the open space.

"You'll begin by kicking off high and threading through the high hoops in order.  Then, dip low and weave through the flags as we've practiced before.  Then, under the wickets.  The final portion is a straight-away the length of the hall with a firm, full stop just before you return to me.  Remember, don't touch your feet to the ground, or brush against the obstacles.  Make a nice clean run and keep your head up.

"Any questions?  Then let's begin."

And she called the first name.

---

About one post per student should do as far as completing the obstacle course.  Please post in whatever order you wish, and assume that's the order Hooch called upon you.  Please check your PMs for information about how we'll decide Flying grades.

The only good thing about a patch of inclement weather was the fact that the first years didn't need to bundle up in big, bulky winter wear. Less weight, better balance; maybe their chances of actually passing would go up. Lexi had her broom in hand, a smirk on her face; she was going to rock this exam, she just knew it. Okay, maybe she was being overconfident, but it was better to have confidence than to be lacking of it.

Hooch called her name first, wonderful. It meant the little Gryffindor could just get this thing over with. She waited until she was given the go-ahead from the professor, and then kicked up from the floor and soared up into the air, zooming straight for the hoops. She slipped in and out of them, winding her way around and not touching a single one. She was off to a good start, so far.

She leaned down and rocketed towards the floor, proceeding to the next part of the exam where she began weaving in and out of the flags, only brushing one of them and shaking a bit. She was losing control slowly, but regained it once she cleared the flags. Lexi breathed a sigh of relief  before zipping under the wickets smoothly, pulling back up for her final stretch.

She gave it all she could, body crouched low against the broom, aerodynamic and ecstatic. The wall rushed by next to her until she reached the end of the hall, pulling to a harsh stop and turning towards the group, touching down on the ground. But one foot hit before the other and she went tumbling to the ground. Just her luck, she wasn't even on the broom but the moment she set foot on the floor she tripped. On a flat surface.

Lexi pushed herself off of the ground, cheeks flaming with embarrassment but a fun smile plastered to her face. "Well, that was fun." She said, walking carefully back to the group.

---

A passing grade would be nice, but you can 'Surprise Me, Hooch!'

Noah stood with a tinge of nervousness about him as his turn approached. He had gotten quite a bit better at flying through the courses, however the pressure of this one test was getting to him. How would he fact the other students if he failed and had to retake flying? It was hard enough getting confidence already. His eyes shot up as he heard his name called before letting out a deep breath, mounting his broom.

He mounted the broom and kicked off into the air, gaining his bearings and looking to the hoops. He started to dart to the hoops before slowing down a bit abruptly, trying to keep his speed at a much more careful and manageable pace. Passed through the hoops rather easily, though with each one he would hug a bit closer to his broom to provide a larger cushion of safety which would consequently push him into a small burst of speed.

Upon finishing he pointed down and started to dip down towards the flags, a smile appearing on the Ravenclaw's face. The whipping air and movement was starting to get exhilarating, and the nervousness from before was amplifying this adrenaline. He weaved through the flags, his turns a bit wide and one coming close to  full spin, but was able to make it through without major difficulty.  He moved to fly under the wickets, returning to the strategy of making himself small on the broom, which once again led to a faster than anticipated pace.

He continued this this time, however, as he was able to maneuver into the straight away, continuing to slowly accelerate as he went. The excitement was getting to him again, and the fact that he had the speeding walls of the greats hall to compare his speed to rather than open air made it seem like he was traveling all the faster. He grinned at the exhilaration before looking up and realizing the problem with this: the Great Hall didn't continue on forever as the outside did.

He pulled up hard on his broom, causing him to decelerate very quickly and clumsily, finally coming to a stop before he drifted down to the ground. He looked embarrassed by the shoddy end to his test and gave a half hearted chuckle to try and cover himself as he mooved back to the group of students.

Paetyn really wasn’t sure why he even bothered coming to the Flying examination. It wasn’t like the other classes, where if he did poorly, there was a whole other semester to pick it up and do better. If he failed this exam (and he was sure he was going to) he’d have to take a happy helpful remediation course next term, which wasn’t exactly something he looked forward to. Paetyn didn’t like flying, and another semester of it seemed like pure torture.

He stood in the great hall amongst his peers and started shaking slightly. The pressure to do well was overwhelming and Paetyn was starting to crack. The first and second kids went and Paetyn started sweating. Hooch’s calling seemed to be random and she wasn’t even telling them how they did when they finished. The Huffler seemed to think that could be a good thing though, he didn’t want the entire populace of the first years to know that he made a ‘T’…

When Hooch did, indeed, call his name next, the poor guy closed his eyes a swallowed hard before stepping forward, gripping the broom in his hands so tightly his knuckles were white. With a look of pure determination on his face, Paetyn swung his leg over the broom and kicked off swiftly, trying not to think about anything except for the hoops in front of him.

He was going extremely slowly, Hooch hadn’t said anything about speed, after all… or had she? And Paetyn just didn’t hear it over the pounding in his ears? Worrying about forgetting something, Paetyn took a quick look back at their instructor and when he looked back up, he was headed straight for the wall! He’d missed like two hoops. “Merlin’s undies!” He yelled, pulling his broom hard to get back on course.

He clipped every flag as he tried to slalom through, and clipped the last one a bit too hard and went spinning uncontrollably across the hall! Unable to get control of his broom, the first year threw up his hands and screamed as loud as he could. Bad idea. Without his hands on the broom, there was nothing but his legs to keep him seated and he flipped upside down. Clinging tightly with his thighs, Paetyn scrambled to grab the broom handle, to save himself from falling, if nothing else. When he finally managed, the broom had stopped spinning, but was heading straight for the wall, and he certainly didn’t have time to stop it.

With a loud ”CRACK” the broom splintered down the middle as it made impact with the hard walls of the hall. The broom gave a last shudder as it fell leisurely to the ground, much like a leaf falling in an autumn breeze, with Paetyn clinging along for the ride. He looked sheepishly up at Hooch when he landed, before burying his red face in his hands and bawling like a baby, running straight toward the exit.

Wow.  I didn't think anybody would do that badly.   I guess he's going to have to take the class over.

Blossom was still looking at the door Paetyn had run out when Hooch called his name.  It made him jump
just a little.  He took his place in front of her and tried to clear his mind.

He'd been riding the old broom since the beginning of the year.  He'd figured out most of its quirks.  It liked to turn to the left when flying straight, unless he kept a firm hand on it.  It was sluggish in sharp right turns and the brakes were touchy and it randomly lost power.  He'd eaten his share of grass in the beginning but he'd never let it stop him.  It was time for him to show Hooch and the others what he'd learned.

"Up!"

The broom popped up like a jack-in-the-box and Blossom threw his leg over it.   Hooch wanted a high kick off?  He was going to give her one.  He let out a cry as he kicked off as hard as he could.

Speed was less important that precision but Blossom wanted both.  He shot through the hoops like an arrow.  If they were supposed to show their ability, wasn't control of their speed as important as their ability to steer?


The flags were harder.  He hoops hadn't moved.  The flags fluttered as he passed.  He was certain he'd clipped one but it was too late to change that.   It was time for the wickets.

He shot under them like a crochet ball, tucked low against his broom.  It was harder to steer but there was less chance of him hitting the wickets or the floor.

Then came the straight run.  Blossom turned and put on all the speed the broom had in it.  He felt the brakes start to slip and pulled up hard, making the broom stand straight up in the air.  He came to a stop close enough to touch the wall and his face was white as a sheet when he landed in front of Madame Hooch.  He tried not to wobble as he walked back to his place in line.

That was a little too close for comfort.  If I hadn't pulled up, I would have wrecked worse than Harper.

Hooch watched and made notes on her clipboard as Lexi McGee, that poor young werewolf girl made her run.  Luckily, lycanthropy had about zero affect on broomstick flying and she performed admirably.  A little rushed which made her waver on her control, and she could stand to use her body more, rather than her arms, to steer, but a perfectly acceptable novice performance.

"Well done, Miss McGee," Hooch said as she recovered from her stumble.  "Have a seat at the table and hand it in on your way out."  Madam Hooch handed her the short written exam which had questions about broom care, Quidditch rules, and some of the more important bits about broom history and how brooms were made.

Each student would be handed the same exam once their flight was completed, and once they were done they were free to go.  Or stick around and watch quietly until all had gone.

Next was Noah Archer who never seemed to settle.  Always...twitchy somehow.  But that was what it was to be eleven.  Sorting things out.  And today was no exception.  He seemed quite nervous, but boarded his broomstick all the same and gave a solid, if not somewhat spastic effort.  Poor lad muddled up the ending and Hooch was sure that was all he'd think about.

"Chin up, Mr. Archer.  Here you are."  She knew the sorts like Noah and his fellow Ravenclaws could very possibly be cheered up by the written portion.

"Next! Paetyn Harper."

Oh dear.  Hooch watched with personal and professional dismay as the poor Hufflepuff completely dismantled himself in a blaze of horrible.   It looked like he'd taken a joint lesson with Noriko Wakahis and Eirene Antonopoulos!  He'd have done better, she thought in dismay, if he'd never touched a broom before!  Everyone winced and shuddered when Paetyn collided with the wall, totaling his mount.  Hooch trotted over after him, but he was already running out of the room in tears.

"Harper!  Harp-!  Merlin's bones..."  she turned to one of the two students who'd already finished.   "Will one of you go get him, please?" 

It was quick work to clean up the shattered broom with a bit of magic, to clear the course. 

"He'll be fine," she said to the rest, although her tone wasn't as reassuring as she wanted it to be.  But she didn't want them all thinking they were cursed and fail likewise. 

"Blossom Rose, you're up!"

What happened next was a picture-perfect run of the course save a few wobbles she wouldn't have faulted Victor Krum.  Good for Blossom, shaking off their collective trauma and setting the day's luck to rights. 

"Thank you, Mr. Rose.  Here you are."  She handed him his written portion and then called out the next name.

Noah received the test gratefully and began to scribble away right as he sat down. It wasn't long, however, before Paetyn's incident transpired. He winced as the boy started to run from the room, head snapping over to Madam Hooch upon the request for either he or Lexi to go after him. He looked to Lexi for a moment before staring down at his test. He felt an urge to just wait for Lexi to run off after him, but the desire to go after him as well started to nag at him. He tried reading one of the questions again, but his focus was too split to fully grip what was being asked.

He gave a small sigh before pushing himself up from the table and looking to the door. He hesitated for a moment before running out towards Paetyn., his robes swaying behind him.

Jack began to examine the course; long, wavy, and "easy". Coming out of his trance, Jack saw Lexi fly quickly through the course. Then Archer then... Paetyn. Seeing him wipe out made Jack feel less confident about the course. Watching is fellow house mate run crying made Jack feel less confident about passing.

Then after seeing Blossom do well with an old broom Jack's name was called. "Great" he thought. Flying wasn't his strong spot but it wasn't hard to do. It just took...practice. Jack awaited for Hooch's nod then almost jutted back from how fast he took off. seeing the first hoop approach Jack ducked, almost hitting his head, and approached the second. He continued until he jetted through the last hoop. Jack saw the first flag below and realized he went to fast "Oops" was all he said then back tracked to the flags. Wiggling through each one was easy but Jack got to careless near the end and nicked the last flag. "Woops." He began to get a little red due to 2 careless mistakes but pressed on. The final portion was the wickets...fun. Jack actually didn't space out or get careless for the last part and even sped back to everyone. He decided to jump/slide off his broom 4 feet above the ground and it looked really cool until the back popped up in his hand and bonked him in the back of the head. Jack laughed it off and clumsily walked back to the crowd.

"Save it for the charity benefit, Windell," Hooch lightly scolded Jack Windell as he came off his run with a little swagger and comedy routine.  There were giggles both nervous and otherwise at his casual way of accomplishing the test, but he'd done just fine. 

A bit reckless, he was, and lacked control.  Seemed a little at odds with  his broom, but he'd made it through gainfully. 

"Next!"

Alice heard Hooch call her name, but she stood there, frozen in fear. Her name didn't even register the first time. This was different than the quidditch game. This wasn't for points, this was for a.. A grade! Hooch called her name and Alice snapped back into reality. "Sorry! Yes! Present!" Alice got on her broom, and took a deep breath. It was going to be alright. Just like the quiddich game. Although, in the quidditch game, she wasn't swerving in hoops, and other things, nothing like that!

Alice flew to the first hoop, where she slowly meandered her way through it. She went a little quicker through the second hoop, and by the last hoop, she was flying at a very regular speed.

Next were the flags, she slowed down, and snatched each flag. Alice had gotten progressively better at quidditch, through her match, and her other practices.

Last were the wickets. She swerved under the wickets, until the last one, in which she bonked her head. Alice shook it off, as her cheeks began to flush red. She came down to a stop in front of Hooch, in which she hopped off her broom, still blushing from the wicket incident. She didn't do as bad as she expected.

---

I'd love for Alice to pass, but please, surprise me hooch!

Annette gulped, her flying final was here. Grasping her broom until her knuckles turned white, Anni waited for her name to be called. When it finally did, she was determind to pass. "Here" she said through her teeth. Ignoring all other students, Lotusorder called her broom. "Up!" It snapped into place, with a nice sounding thwack! straddling the broom, Nette pushed off. Passing through the hoops with ease, Annette became more confident.

You can do this, you can do this, you can do this....

She wove through the flags, grabbing all of them, but catching her hair on one when she flew too high. He quickly untangled it as she continued and went above and under the wickets, keeping close contact to the giant "U"'s. On the second to last wicket, her foot was at such an angle when it grazed the side of the wicket, Annette's broom jerked to the right. "EEK!" She panicked, stopping the broom abruptly, looking down, but ahead just enough to pass over the last wicket, stop again, and head back to Madam Hooch.

Nette dismounted. "oops"

He hadn't expected the written test, so Blossom hadn't studied.  He was hoping that he'd be able to pull off a pass on this section of his test.  Most of the questions were common sense but there were some details he just couldn't remember being taught. 

What year had flying carpets been banned?

Who invented the hover charm?

His heart sank.  He was going to have to repeat the flying course because he hadn't studied.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Rico hopped up at the calling of his name. He swooped through the hoops with utter and fantastic ease, he grabbed all of the flags between his fingers, looking at all of the different colors as flew threw the wickets, up and down, under and over. It was child's play, he would be sure to make the Slytherin Team next year.

He stopped cleanly and cruised back to Madam Hooch. He sat down next to Blossom. "Good job." He whispered, dipping his quill in ink. Rico wrote down all of the short answer questions and the True and False. Putting the quill back into the inkwell, Rico was finished first. He passed in his written exam and sat down on the floor to watch his sister.

Mercedes, sporting more natural colors in the past few months, had her hair in a fishtail braid, brown streaks woven into the regular jet black. She was feeling confident on this one, flying, she could do it in her sleep, it was the written part she was worried about.

She passed the obstacle course with "flying colors"[1] and sat down to complete the written test. How the heck was she supposed to know what year the first pegasus was ridden? But that was it, the only one she thought she had gotten wrong, the rest, were easy.

1.	heh heh punny

Despite the sturm und drang of poor Harper's defeat, the rest of the class was proceeding smoothly.  It seemed that any personality or quirk she'd observed in their regular classes was intensified when they were put on the spot and had to perform their basic stills.  The venue was different, there was more pressure, and instead of all flying together, they must now fly solo.  Unnerving, but a part of life.  And most of them were stepping up admirably.

In her own practice shorthand, Hooch made marks on her parchment with jabby, short strokes of her quill as she evaluated Alice Hunter's nervous progress, or Annette Lotusorder's frantic handling of the wickets.  Nothing life-ruining, of course, but enough to give Hooch a moment's pause. 

The Posada twins were called up one after the other.  Rico was as usual a strutting showman, and Mercedes showing equal prowess and much less pomp.

"Very good."

"Nice work."

"Thank you, Mr Posada."

"Well done, Mercedes."

They were quickly working their way through the list.