Feb 26
4pm

It was finally a clear day, but windy.  And Frank and Aoife, having both passed flying, had got the requisite permission to take out a pair of school brooms.  Madam Hooch had seemed a little hesitant with these two, but with clear instructions to stay well clear of any trees and not to disturb the delicate turf of the Quidditch pitch, she'd given them a key to the broom cupboard.

"Thank you, Madam Hooch!"  Frank breathlessly nodded and backed away from the old flying coach, trying not to bolt off disrespectfully.  He was jogging by the time he hit Hogwarts castle's mighty front doors (which was good, because they needed quite a bit of oomph to get moving), and he and Aoife Moffett broke into a gleeful run down the cobbled stone path ways that led from the castle to the Quidditch Pitch.

It was cold, but it didn't seem to bother Frank.  He was gasping for breath as they reached the door to the Quidditch locker rooms and the equipment closet.  His cold hands fussed with the big key in the cold wet lock, but it wouldn't budge.

He stood back and looked over at Aoife.  "This the right place?"

"I think we followed the directions right." Aoife replied. She had passed flying with no real distinction; so that, coupled with the fact that flying took place outdoors meant that Aoife was on board for some practice with Frank. She had smiled brightly when Madam Hooch had given them the key. She enjoyed it when people trusted her.

"Maybe the lock sticks...But wouldn't she have mentioned that?" Aoife looked around. She didn't see anyone around who could point the two in the right direction. What to do, what to do...

Frank bit his lip in thought.  It would suck to come all this way to do some flying and get stopped up by a stupid key!  But there weren't any teachers or big kids around to help - they'd have to sort this out or run all the way back to the castle. 

"No, we can figure this out..."  He held the key between his palms and blew warm breath onto it.  Maybe it was just cold.  He leaned forward and did the same to the lock, getting almost close enough to kiss it and - it jumped and giggled!

Frank jumped back himself, startled at the sudden motion of the previously motionless metal lock.  He looked at Aoife with a nervous grin.  Then, daringly, he darted in to blow on it once more. 

"tickles...!"

Smiling now, Frank said, "it spoke!"   Then he turned back to the lock.

"Look here...lock.  We've got the key, so open up, will you?"

"What's this? The lock asked. Neither of you look like Madam Hooch...Why should I let you in? You could have stolen that key for all I know! The lock exclaimed.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Aoife yelled back. "Madam Hooch said we could have the key. All we want to do is get brooms and fly!"

"A likely story missy, and you? What is your excuse young man?" The lock asked, turning its focus on Frank.

It was the first talking lock Frank had ever seen, and it's funny little grouchy voice and its snappy retort to Aoife.  He laughed, marveled and happily flummoxed.  If the lock wouldn't take the key, then what?!

"Me?"  He straightened up his posture like he might for a teacher or his mother.  "Erm, yea, we've passed Flying and we're allowed to use school brooms.  It's the truth."

"Yes well, you can say that, but how am I supposed to know it's true! You could be anyone.  You could be a goblin for all I know.  Can't see a thing."

What! It had to be joking! But where there's a wand there's a way!  They'd learned it in Charms before Halloween:

"Alohomora!"

The lock wiggled and twitched and began to make a metallic grinding noise.

"Nice try, Mr. Goblin! I'm no common keyhole, you know.  Don't insult me with that little trick!"

Frank again scoffed in surprise.  He was beginning to get bothered now.  As entertaining as this clever little lock was, he had been really set on flying some with Aoife! 

"Hey! You open up now, you hear me?"  And with that, Frank tried the key again, with more effort this time.  The lock made some muffled noises but Frank leaned into turning it as hard as he could.  And click! It sprung open.

"Plagh!"  The lock spat the key out on the ground. 

"Fine! If you want to fly so bad, take the brooms you little goblins! The lock yelled, embarrassed that it has been outdone by a "goblin".

"Madam Hooch will be enraged that I let two ugly goblins steal her brooms." The lock sounded sad now. But Aoife just looked angry now.

"How are we ugly? You can't even see us!" She said, her voice slightly raised.

"Your voice is plenty ugly, so your face must match!" The lock replied.

With a loud grunt and stomping feet, Aoife went into the locker rooms before looking around. No brooms to be found so far, but this looked like a big locker room. Not like the one at Primary School.

Frank stuck the key safely in his pocket as he and Aoife crept into the locker room where all the brooms were kept.  Usually the only people in here were the older students, the ones who were the stars of the Quidditch team.  Old metal lockers were nestled into cubby holes, and the exposed rafters above showed peaks of the grey blue sky in the high high windows.  Feathers on the ground seemed to indicate that owls roosted here sometimes.

Frank made his way between rows of benches worn smooth by a couple hundred years of frustrated, sweaty bums.  And there at the end was a large cupboard.

"This is it," he said, and undid the latch.  The doors creaked open and a few brooms fell out and clattered to the ground at his feet.  The brooms inside were mostly racked up neatly, or hung from the top.  There was a layer of fallen twigs at the bottom of the cabinet, and nearby a whole shelf of broom care products.

Frank was looking for the broom of his dreams.  The 2009 Blast Off.  But of course that was a top-of-the-line broom, very expensive, and the chances that Hogwarts invested in something so fine were pretty low.  He had to settle for something more basic.  He picked a broom that looked new-ish.

As he waited for Aoife to find one she liked, he hopped in place.  He was so eager to begin! 

Aoife looked around in amazement as they entered the locker room. She had been half interested in trying out for Quidditch, but she doubted it would happen since she wasn't much of a flyer so far.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door to the broom cupboard opening and some brooms falling to the floor. Aoife saw a Moontrimmer and smiled. She loved going high up into the air and from what she had read, the Moontrimmer could suit her needs. She quickly picked it up before smiling at Frank.

"Race you to the pitch!" She exclaimed before dashing off and out of the locker room, but she wasn't very fast truth be told. Her strongest parts were her arms.

"And don't come back!" The lock yelled at Aoife as she ran past the door.

Sorry for the delay!

Frank and Aoife sprinted out of the locker room, brooms in hand, their student cloaks whipping at their heels.  Frank ran right to the center of the pitch, where Madam Hooch released the balls for every match.  Just like in class, he dropped his broom to his right side and then held his hand over the shaft.

"Up!"

Frank was quite chuffed when it sprang up into his hand, levitating steadily.  He looked at Aoife and laughed, amused and suddenly a little nervous.  It'd be the first time he'd gotten to fly without any grown-ups or older kids around.  He swung his leg over and tucked his left leg up.  He felt the cushioning charm beneath him and the broom accept his weight. 

He must have been leaning forward because he immediately began to drift.  Instinctively, he over-corrected by yanking the handle back.  The broomstick wobbled and stopped up short and Frank nearly fell off.  He looked at Aoife again and laughed nervously.  He needed to get the hang of this again!