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potterobsessionist · 05-11-2017, 05:24 PM

Text Cut: Individual replies <3

Text Cut: Kyle

WELL, WELL, WELL.

The first student was a quiet small one. Haraldur lifted his head to smile at the boy and did a little finger-wiggle as a wave when he hovered past him.

”Good afternoon Mr. Erikson.” No need to be shy, little one.

And yes, he had spent the last few weeks studying their names. He was quite proud of it.

Text Cut: Tenacius

The second student to arrive was older than the quiet firstie. Haraldur recognized this one as one of the prefects from the house that matched his favorite red feathers. ”Mr. Salander! Welcome to flying class.” He seemed excited.

That was good, people excited about flying was good people. Totally unbiased opinion, of course.

Text Cut: Olivia

He might have dozed off a little. Not a lot. But like… A little. The sound of clapping hands made Haraldur raise his head and look around him until he spotted the new arrival.

”Ah, miss Phillips!” The applaud made his eyes twinkle, there was no denying that. He did love to be applauded. ”Good afternoon to you.” He also clapped his hands together as he soared past her with a large grin, probably looking like a clapping seal. But yay for applauds.

Text Cut: Kimi

Haraldur stopped clapping his hands as another student showed up. ”Good afternoon to you too, Mr. Kovalainen. Having a good day, I hope?”

Of course everyone there was having a good day. It was flying day after all.

Text Cut: Rooney

Ah, the Head Boy! ”Mr Bronwyn!” Haraldur exclaimed as he hovered closer to the young Ravenclaw. Yeah, personal space had never really been his thing. ”Welcome to flying class!” Isn’t life grand? Isn’t flying just the best thing in the universe?

Text Cut: Olivia

Haraldur moved away from the Head Boy and hovered towards the new arrival. ”Hello to YOU, Miss Holden. Welcome to flying class.” Did she look a bit cautious? There seemed to be very mixed feelings from the students about flying in the air on a stick. Odd.

…

Maybe he should have picked a different subject for the first class… ANYWAY. He smiled at Miss Holden before moving to the next student who just arrived to the pitch.

Text Cut: Théodore

Haraldur courtisied the young boy with a smile. His titles confused him as well, if it were up to him they would just skip the titles and go straight to ‘HEY YOU’. But apparently that wasn’t “appropriate”.

”Good afternoon Mr. Montmorency. Ready to kick off into the air soon?” Because all of them would be flying around up there in the air soon. SOOON.

Text Cut: Abraham

A skipping little one! Haraldur hovered over to the new addition to the group and felt his excitement almost match the young boy’s. He did love passionate flyers. ”Mr. Botros! How delightful of you to join us. Hope you’re ready for flying class.” He seemed ready. And well… Ready or not, class would be starting soon.

Text Cut: Jessa

”Hello to you, Miss Cambridge!” He hovered past her and noticed the excited twinkle in her eye. He had that too. All the excitement. Because today was the best day, today was flying day.

”Not today, I’m afraid miss. But I wouldn’t rule it out in the coming lessons.” Maybe he should roll around and actually mount the broom properly but he was soooo comfy up there.

Nah, he’d stay on his back.

Text Cut: Zarina

Haraldur hovered away from Miss Cambridge to greet another student. ”Miss. Carraro! Welcome, welcome, hello, hello, hi. Hope you’re excited for class, we’ll be starting in just a few minutes.” And she seemed eager to get up in the air. Good, good GOOD.

Text Cut: Stasya

Haraldur squinted up into the sky whilst keeping an eye on the students. Just so they wouldn’t get the tower of cauldrons on top of them. Ahem. A line in his native language made him jerk his head up. Had he dozed off and flown back to Iceland in his sleep? Not that anything similar had happened in the past…

No.

It was a little student. ”Miss Dalgaard-Volkova!” The flying instructor beamed as he hovered closer to her. ”Góðan blessaðan daginn!” He smiled adoringly at her. Was it favorism? Was it allowed to give out points just for pure language skills? He decided against it but was very tempted indeed. ”Velkomin.” He nodded. ”Velkomin.”

Text Cut: Derfael

As he hovered away from young Miss Dalgaard-Volkova who apparently knew Icelandic he heard another excited voice. ”Ah, Mr. Ashburry-Hawthorne, it really is a good day isn’t?” The flying instructor mused before realizing the young boy was actually up in the air next to him. "Well, look at you go.” He gave him an approving nod before imagining all the students up in the air before they were given instructions. It was a bad idea.

”Ahem. Maybe you should return to the ground for now, son. There will plenty of time for flying once class starts.” Which should be any moment now.

Haraldur turned his attention to the new student who joined the group…

Text Cut: Daisy

”Hello to you, Miss Carden. Welcome to flying class.” Haraldur gave her broom a curious glance and gave the Slytherin an approving nod. ”Good choice.” It didn’t look like it was from the north but still, a good choice indeed. He was curious to find out how it would look in the air.

Text Cut: Emmeline

This one was younger than Miss Carden and quieter. The flying instructor returned her smile with one of his own. ”Good afternoon, Miss Sparkes.” He greeted her as he watched her joing ranks with some of the older students. What a nice little tradition that the older kids looked after the cubs.

Text Cut: Levi

A ‘sir’ steered his attention away from the young Gryffindor girl to one of the older students. ”Mr. Kenning, welcome, welcome! Hope you’re ready for an afternoon up in the air.” He mused as he gently hovered past him, clasping his hands on top of his chest. Ah, life. Ah, flying. What a wonderful little evening they all would have together.

Text Cut: Melbourne

The newly appointed flying instructor hovered past Mr. Kenning towards the new arrival. She immediately started chatting with her classmates so he hovered in a little circle around her waiting for an opportunity to say something. He puffed some air and decided to just go for it.

”MISS SORIN-WARD.” He exclaimed, to get her attention. ”Good afternoon to you.” Yup. That was it. That’s all he wanted. He gave her a smile and then hovered away from the small group towards the next arriving student…

Text Cut: Skylar

Hey! He knew this one. And not just by studying her name but he’d actually met this student. Haraldur smiled as he watched her join Miss Carden. ”Good afternoon, Miss Diggory.” He nodded. ”Finally time for flying class, hope you’re ready.” Not that he doubted it.

Text Cut: Henry

Haraldur was just about to fly to the front of the class when the last student joined them. The flying instructor would have been more than surprised if this particular Hufflepuff hadn't shown up for class.

"There you are, Mr. Whittebrook. You're just in time!"

Alrighty, it was time to get started.

As the last student arrived, Mr. Baldvinsson was eager to start the lesson. Aiming his wand towards the large metal gates to the pitch, they swung closed.

”Welcome everyone, to the first flying lesson of the term!” A small pause for dramatic effect, and/or insertion of applauds. When none happened he quickly continued. ”My name is Haraldur Ingimar Njord Baldvinsson. That’s Mr. Baldvinsson or professor Baldvinsson, whichever you prefer. I am the new Groundskeeper and Flying Instructor at Hogwarts.” Still no applauds?

Tough crowd.

”Those of you who do not own a broom of your own and all firsties, you may now choose one of the school brooms if you haven't already.” As around half of the students did so he kept a careful watch on them. ”There’s enough for everyone, no fighting. They’re all in perfectly good shape.”

Or you know. They should be. Aaaanyway.

Haraldur leaned on his broom and he began slowly drifting, hovering just a few feet above the ground. Circling the crowd of students he continued when everyone had settled down again. ”I am not familiar with the flying skills of Hogwarts students since 2043. I don’t know how talented you are, I don’t know which house has won the most Quidditch Cups and I don’t know what you know of the art of flying.”

The new instructor came to a stop in front of the small group again. ”But I am curious to find out.” His light blue eyes shone with obvious excitement. ”All those experienced and confident enough on their brooms…” He grinned. ”Why don’t you show me?”

He reached for his wand inside his robes and flicked it towards the trunk of hula hoops. The hoops flew away from the students, positioning themselves high up in the air, spread all over the pitch. ”Fly through the hoops to get to the other side of the pitch. Note that the hoops will move in the air. In order to complete this challenge you must fly through all of them and reach the other side. Miss one and you must go back to start over."

He paused for a second, giving them a moment to process this. "There are cauldrons on the other side of the pitch. Once you get there, retrieve one cauldron each and return back here where you started. On your way back, do not fly through the hoops again. Let’s not collide with each other, hmm? As always, play fair and no shoving.” Please, students. Let's work together not to flood the hospital wing after lesson one.

Haraldur narrowed his eyes at the young children, because young they all were, to show them just how serious he was with this. Any roughness would be dealt with accordingly. He had eyes in the back of his neck, he did.

Well.

Sort of.

”On my command…” He grabbed the horn hanging around his neck and put it to his lips. It gave off a dull but loud sound. That's your cue experienced flyers!

And off they went. Haraldur turned around and waved his arms for the students lingering behind to get closer. ”Gather around, gather around.” He waited for them to waddle closer before he continued.

”Place your broom on the ground next to you and hold out your dominant hand above it. With authority and feeling, command your broom to your hand by saying ‘Up!’”

For the first time that afternoon he dismounted his broom and dropped it to the grass to hold his right hand outstretched over it. ”Up.” Immediately the broom left the ground and flew up to his hand.

He looked back at the students. "Now, don't be discouraged if it doesn't move on the first few tries. You need to befriend the broom before it obeys you. Keep doing this until your broom is in your hand. Once grabbed, mount the broom and take a firm grip on holding your hands like so.” He swung one leg over the broom, mounted correctly for the first time that lesson and placed his right hand above his left, angling the broomstick slightly so the first time flyers could see how to hold it.

”When you’ve got your broom, mounted it and found a comfortable way to hold your hands safely in place you will start with a hover. Lean slightly forward and kick off gently from the ground. Hover for a few moments before touching back down to the ground by carefully leaning back. Watch this.” He kicked off, into a small hover and touched back down with ease.

”Piece of cake!” He turned so his back leaned against the broomstick again and levitated slightly. Ah, comfortable position. ”Now, it’s your turn to give it a go. The ground does have a cushioning charm... Not that you will need it. I'll be right here, should you need me."

"On my command…”

The horn sounded for the second time. That's your cue first time flyers!

OOC: Wow! What a turn up! I’m so happy *emotional* I know it's a lot of text (please, I know) but bear with me on this. Instructions for the mini-activity are as follows:

Experienced flyers: Mount your broom, fly through the enchanted hoops in the sky over to the other side of the pitch. Pick up a cauldron and fly back, along the side of the pitch. Land safely to where you started from.

First time fliers: Take a broom, stand next to it, hold your dominant hand above it and say ‘Up’ with authority. Once broom is grabbed, mount it, place your hands on the broom and kick off lightly from the ground into a hover. Touch back down by leaning back slightly. Practice this process a few times.

We will be moving on in approximately 36 hours, which means you have until Saturday 13th of May, 7 am GMT+2/1 am EDT

Haraldur and I will be around during all this time for questions and assistance or just... You know. Watching you guys. As always, PM me if there's any questions. <3

05-11-2017, 05:24 PM	#29 (permalink)
potterobsessionist DMAC & MO Doxy Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Sweden [GMT+1] Posts: 5,865 Diagon Alley Proprietor: Stella Marie Reed Daily Prophet News Reporter	a bit of madness is key \| miss chanandler bong \| those cunning folks use any means Text Cut: Individual replies <3 Text Cut: Kyle Quote: Originally Posted by Zellanna Kyle made his way down by the pitch, a little worried. He had never flown before, and to be honest he was a little afraid of heights. His older siblings never seemed to have a problem with it, however. On approaching, he wasn't sure if he should get a broom right off the bat, or if he should wait for the professor to tell them to pick one up. He decided to wait to be on the safe side. The hula hoops and the cauldrons made him wonder what their lesson would be about. Would they have to fly by and pick them up? Toss a hula hoop over someone else? He shook his head. It did no good to theorize just yet. He didn't have all the data he needed to come up with a decent hypothesis. WELL, WELL, WELL. The first student was a quiet small one. Haraldur lifted his head to smile at the boy and did a little finger-wiggle as a wave when he hovered past him. ”Good afternoon Mr. Erikson.” No need to be shy, little one. And yes, he had spent the last few weeks studying their names. He was quite proud of it. Text Cut: Tenacius Quote: Originally Posted by Steelsheen Flying classes. Now here's something and someone that appreciates contraptions hovering off the ground. The Curly Top zoomed for the pitch, his awesome broom in hand. "Goodafternoon Professor...." he began as he spotted the man just chilling on his broom. Haha his kinda Prof really. But oh the hoola hoops and the CAULDRONS are spotted. Yep they were. A grin that showed he could barely contain his excitement graced the young man's features. Are they gonna be playing what he thinks they would be playing? Ohboyohboyohboy..... The second student to arrive was older than the quiet firstie. Haraldur recognized this one as one of the prefects from the house that matched his favorite red feathers. ”Mr. Salander! Welcome to flying class.” He seemed excited. That was good, people excited about flying was good people. Totally unbiased opinion, of course. Text Cut: Olivia Quote: Originally Posted by Govoni Olivia had been very curious about the strange Groundskeeper. Not only a Groundskeeper...but also the Flying instructor? He was a burly man, and it amazed her that he could instruct them about brooms... but there he was in the sky; balancing perfectly along one. It was a rather charming sight, and the blonde found herself applauding. Literally applauding. Her hands were loudly slapping together at the graceful display, and Liv happened to know a thing or two about "graceful displays". She was a ballerina, after all. "Bravo, sir. Bravo!" Also, no school brooms necessary for her! Olivia had been gifted one by her professional quidditch player father. It was league standard and everything. One of her prized possessions, if she really put thought into it. That was normal, right? For a person to consider their broom a "prized possession"? Ahem, in preparation for the lesson, Liv had trimmed its twigs and everything the night before (just as her dad had taught her). So, it (and she) were ready to go. Oh!... And there was a lone ickle (Zellana) already present (and an Ace, but she knew Ace and that was completely different). It would've been terribly rude not to approach and try to make some type of small talk...right? Merlin, the blonde didn't want anyone to assume she was rude. Especially not any of the younger kids. "Hello! ....Are you excited?" He might have dozed off a little. Not a lot. But like… A little. The sound of clapping hands made Haraldur raise his head and look around him until he spotted the new arrival. ”Ah, miss Phillips!” The applaud made his eyes twinkle, there was no denying that. He did love to be applauded. ”Good afternoon to you.” He also clapped his hands together as he soared past her with a large grin, probably looking like a clapping seal. But yay for applauds. Text Cut: Kimi Quote: Originally Posted by Saz Hale Kimi made his way out to where the flying lesson was going to be held and said "Good afternoon Professor" Kimi stood and waited patiently for the lesson to begin Haraldur stopped clapping his hands as another student showed up. ”Good afternoon to you too, Mr. Kovalainen. Having a good day, I hope?” Of course everyone there was having a good day. It was flying day after all. Text Cut: Rooney Quote: Originally Posted by Shanners Rooney greeted their new Flying Professor with a smile and also a wave, considering that he was sure to get a crick in his neck if he continued with a conversation with someone already in the air, especially when it seemed that they were lying down on the broom. Yikes. Was that really the impression they should have been giving the younger students about the art of broom handling? Roo thought not and hoped that none of his Ravenclaws dared to copy, they'd get stern looks for weeks. Especially if Miss Jessa Cambridge stepped outta safety guidelines. He collected one of the school brooms for himself, thinking nothing of the fact he was a seventh year without his own broom. He didn't need one and much preferred the gift of new books and cauldrons over something he would get no use out of. Rooney wasn't a leisurely flyer. He took part in classes and that was about it. And speaking of cauldrons....was...that a stack of them..? Ah, the Head Boy! ”Mr Bronwyn!” Haraldur exclaimed as he hovered closer to the young Ravenclaw. Yeah, personal space had never really been his thing. ”Welcome to flying class!” Isn’t life grand? Isn’t flying just the best thing in the universe? Text Cut: Olivia Quote: Originally Posted by Watson With broom in hand, Olivia Holden reluctantly walked down to the Quidditch Pitch. Flying was definitely not one of her strongest suits and she wasn't prepared to show how awful she was to the rest of her classmates, especially Matt and Ace. They'd probably make fun of her for it. While she had been practicing, Olivia knew that her level wasn't too great so she walked quietly down to the Pitch. Then she saw the Professor casually lying on his back. What? Ummm... He looked relaxed. "Hello Professor!" she said with a small smile, trying to seem as upbeat as possible whilst the death of her reputation loomed in front of her. Just smile. The Professor seemed chill. Maybe this class would be chill? Clutching her broom a little closer, she glanced around the crowd to find Ace already ready to go. Well someone was ready for an exciting class. She headed towards him before her eye was caught by the set of hula hoops and..... cauldrons? She blinked. Hmm... What were they going to be doing today? She headed towards Ace and a few others (Olivia and Zellana). "Hey! How's it going?" she said with a small wave. Haraldur moved away from the Head Boy and hovered towards the new arrival. ”Hello to YOU, Miss Holden. Welcome to flying class.” Did she look a bit cautious? There seemed to be very mixed feelings from the students about flying in the air on a stick. Odd. … Maybe he should have picked a different subject for the first class… ANYWAY. He smiled at Miss Holden before moving to the next student who just arrived to the pitch. Text Cut: Théodore Quote: Originally Posted by oh its Erik ok Flying Théo was excited to get back in the air and with his own broom this time and it wasn't too cold and well Théo was ready. It also looked like the Groundskeeper or where you suppose to call him a Professor. The second year was confused by that. Well he was ready for the lesson or ready to see someone do something wrong and call them out. Whichever. "Hi Ground....Professor" Yeah he was just going to find a place to stand. Haraldur courtisied the young boy with a smile. His titles confused him as well, if it were up to him they would just skip the titles and go straight to ‘HEY YOU’. But apparently that wasn’t “appropriate”. ”Good afternoon Mr. Montmorency. Ready to kick off into the air soon?” Because all of them would be flying around up there in the air soon. SOOON. Text Cut: Abraham Quote: Originally Posted by Felixir If there was one class that made Abey feel all warm and fuzzy inside - even though it made him freezing cold and BRRRRRR on the outside - it was flying. THIS was something he KNEW how to DO. Even Defence Against the Dark Arts and Charms and Transfiguration had aspects to them that Abey struggled with, but not flying. This class was ALL practical, and it was something Abey had been doing since he could hold onto a broom, which meant it was something he could DO. And - AND - he had proved himself capable too, this last summer. He had proved he was TEAM-worthy when it came to flying. AND. ANNNDDNDNDNDNNDNDDDDDDD, THIS year he wasn't a first year anymore, which meant his OWN BROOM. But better than anything else, this class was taking place outside. Abey had his problems with outside, mainly the fact that it was always so cold, but being inside the castle had started to make him feel jittery. For reasons. Out to the pitch he strolled - practically skipped - to join the growing crowd of students. Abey scanned everyone's faces, looking for the old man face which belonged to the profes-... uhh... groundskeeper? Professor? ... That One Guy. It was actually only a few moments before he thought to look to the skies, and saw him hovering up there... like that. "Cool!" Abey exclaimed, before hop-skip-jumping over to Théo - broom in hand - and giving him a nudge. "Betcha I can stay on my broom like that for longer than you can," he declared, pointing up at... That One Guy, and flashing his friend a characteristic toothy grin. A skipping little one! Haraldur hovered over to the new addition to the group and felt his excitement almost match the young boy’s. He did love passionate flyers. ”Mr. Botros! How delightful of you to join us. Hope you’re ready for flying class.” He seemed ready. And well… Ready or not, class would be starting soon. Text Cut: Jessa Quote: Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo Oh boy oh boy oh boy! Jessa was excited about flying, honestly. The girl had never been bad at flying, not with the help she'd gotten from her father and her sister sometimes when she wasn't ridiculously busy but what made her excited was the fact she and Cameron had been PRACTISING. Soon she'd be doing wild things like the Professor. Did anyone else see him flying on his back like that?? Of course they did, he wasn't invisible. "Can you do that too, Rooney??" The young girl asked, coming to a stop by the side of her Prefect. Her eyes were wide with wonder as she watched the man hover about. "Hello Professor. Will you be teaching us that today?" Yes she saw the hoops and yes she saw the cauldrons, but what REALLY interested her was the fancy broom tricks the Professor quite clearly knew. Jessa leaned against her broom, glad Cameron had suggested she bring it this year. The school brooms were fine, but she happened to like the one she'd received for her birthday better. Olivia got a wave, as did Theo but really......riding on your back! How soon could she try? ”Hello to you, Miss Cambridge!” He hovered past her and noticed the excited twinkle in her eye. He had that too. All the excitement. Because today was the best day, today was flying day. ”Not today, I’m afraid miss. But I wouldn’t rule it out in the coming lessons.” Maybe he should roll around and actually mount the broom properly but he was soooo comfy up there. Nah, he’d stay on his back. Text Cut: Zarina Quote: Originally Posted by Expecto-Penguin Time for a flying lesson!? SCHWEEETTTTT This slytherin was really excited for this lesson. She was itching to go flying on a broom and experience the fresh air. Her family couldn't afford to get her a broom this term, Zae knew she needed to borrow a broom from the class. As she walked down to the huge field and felt the september breeze, Zae noticed other classmates were here. They seemed to be around her age. She didn't feel alone. Zae saw the Professor and gave a polite nod and said, "Hello Professor.." He seemed to be an odd sort but let's see if he can teach her how to fly. Zarina found an empty spot to stand and waited for instruction. Haraldur hovered away from Miss Cambridge to greet another student. ”Miss. Carraro! Welcome, welcome, hello, hello, hi. Hope you’re excited for class, we’ll be starting in just a few minutes.” And she seemed eager to get up in the air. Good, good GOOD. Text Cut: Stasya Quote: Originally Posted by SilverTiger Most of the lessons weren’t really anything that got Stasya too nervous, even if half of them she wasn’t entirely confident about yet. Mostly because she hadn’t had a wand before so she was still getting used to it, but flying was something else entirely. She’d never flown. She couldn’t remember if she knew anyone who had, even. Mama didn’t. Gobstones didn’t involve flying after all, and she hadn’t seen papa on a broom either. It had made her approach the grounds near the Quidditch pitch hesitantly, if still with a high level of curiosity. It never hurt to try something at least once, plus she figured there would be much less chance of anything involving creatures than there was in lessons like Potions. She’d try, anyway. It helped when she saw that there were people she recognized already there, as she’d walked through the open gate to the pitch. Ace, Théo, a couple other Gryffindors…And Liv. She’d somewhat made a beeline for the older girl, stopping kind of between her and one of the brooms lying on the ground before she gave her and Kyle a smile. “Hi!” Oh, and the head boy too, since he was nearby. He’d gotten a smile too. Then she had looked up, noticing Abey’s gesture upward, and saw the groundskeeper hovering around, balanced entirely on his back on the broom. Hopefully they weren’t going to be expected to do that. She was oh so tempted to ask, but instead she let herself give in to a different temptation. One that she wasn’t sure the groundskeeper knew about her, or anyone else really. “Góðan daginn,” she called up to him. Mama had taught her a little bit of her native language, just like papa had taught her a little bit of Russian. Haraldur squinted up into the sky whilst keeping an eye on the students. Just so they wouldn’t get the tower of cauldrons on top of them. Ahem. A line in his native language made him jerk his head up. Had he dozed off and flown back to Iceland in his sleep? Not that anything similar had happened in the past… No. It was a little student. ”Miss Dalgaard-Volkova!” The flying instructor beamed as he hovered closer to her. ”Góðan blessaðan daginn!” He smiled adoringly at her. Was it favorism? Was it allowed to give out points just for pure language skills? He decided against it but was very tempted indeed. ”Velkomin.” He nodded. ”Velkomin.” Text Cut: Derfael Quote: Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie Perfect day for flying. Is it not? IT IS INDEEDY! Best part about it was that he was a SECOND year now and SECOND years got to bring their own brooms because SECOND years were not first years and SECOND years had permission. Derf was honestly tempted to just fly down to the pitch from the castle on HIS OWN BROOM but had refrained. Dad had warned him about not doing that and practicing a bit of patience...but it was REALLY REALLY HARD when he was itching like he had had ants in his pants to STAAAAART. A thought that was only intensified when he arrived and saw the groundskeeper already up on his broom LOOKING SUPER NEAT AND COOL! Confident and eager, Derf mounted his broom without a second thought and pushed off the pitch with a grin wider than the Cheshire cat's. Swerving and performing an accidental and sloppy figure eight in his haste, the Hufflepuff glided along beside the groundskeeper. "GOOD DAY, SIR!" he chirped. The SECOND year was TOTALLY handling his broom with care, see? He had read the rules! He knew! NOT A TOY! As he hovered away from young Miss Dalgaard-Volkova who apparently knew Icelandic he heard another excited voice. ”Ah, Mr. Ashburry-Hawthorne, it really is a good day isn’t?” The flying instructor mused before realizing the young boy was actually up in the air next to him. "Well, look at you go.” He gave him an approving nod before imagining all the students up in the air before they were given instructions. It was a bad idea. ”Ahem. Maybe you should return to the ground for now, son. There will plenty of time for flying once class starts.” Which should be any moment now. Haraldur turned his attention to the new student who joined the group… Text Cut: Daisy Quote: Originally Posted by Crayola To be perfectly, completely honest, Daisy didn't particularly need this lesson. Especially if first years were going to be around too, which meant that a good thirty minutes of the lesson would be spent explaining just how to get on a broomstick and start flying. It wasn't normal for her to walk into a lesson feeling like she wouldn't learn anything, but flying was different. This, she knew how to do. After all, being able to fly a broomstick was kind of a pre-requisite to being in the U-17 Quidditch team. .... had she ever mentioned that? Still, it was a couple hours more of practise and that never hurt, especially when all of a sudden her schedule was pretty occupied. Daisy would adjust it, maybe even drop a few things, but the problem was that she simply didn't want to. Well. She said problem. Top of the line broomstick on her shoulder, Daisy walked past the groundskeeper and chuckled. "Hello, Sir." That was a way to hover around, she supposed. Not one she had ever tried, yet, but she might just start doing that. Oh, look. She learned something new. Kind of, anyway. Shaking her head in amusement, she made her way towards a slightly empty area of the ground and finally looked around. Derfael was flying already, there was a tower of cauldrons swinging about ... Hogwarts. It truly was never boring. ”Hello to you, Miss Carden. Welcome to flying class.” Haraldur gave her broom a curious glance and gave the Slytherin an approving nod. ”Good choice.” It didn’t look like it was from the north but still, a good choice indeed. He was curious to find out how it would look in the air. Text Cut: Emmeline Quote: Originally Posted by NifflerFan Flying was something Emmeline had a little experience with, though she wasn't supposed to have and she wasn't very good. She had maybe, sort of, borrowed her big brother's broom and flown around the countryside sometimes. She wasn't so good at landing, so maybe the professor could help? Or was practically crashing how you were supposed to land with brooms? She smiled as she saw the professor was lying down on his broom -- cool -- and Derf was zooming around on his too. Looking around, she moved over to Stasya and the other kids she was standing with. She wanted to sit/fly/whatever with some big kids this time, because she was kind of nervous. It would be embarrassing to almost-crash in front of everyone, and big kids knew A LOT. "Hi!" I'm Emmeline," she told the people standing near Stasya that she didn't know. This one was younger than Miss Carden and quieter. The flying instructor returned her smile with one of his own. ”Good afternoon, Miss Sparkes.” He greeted her as he watched her joing ranks with some of the older students. What a nice little tradition that the older kids looked after the cubs. Text Cut: Levi Quote: Originally Posted by Oesed No school broom for this one; the parents had finally set their foot down and given all four Kennings with their very own. He was fairly sure he was right when he thought Takeru's arrival had a lot to do with it, but it wasn't like he'd been given a lot of choice in the matter. Executive decisions were done a lot at home,anyway. Just because they irritated the everything out of him did not mean he wasn't used to them. Besides, there was surely nothing wrong with a broomstick of his own. ...It was really just a matter of principle, though. Once again, he'd been robbed of yet another decision. He was well aware there was a certain element of dramatic and over-reaction happening here, at least. "Sir." The new groundskeeper seemed to be admiring the clouds or something. "Hello." The old man looked very comfortable, which Levi supposed at least one of them was. He was an alright flyer at best, but flying had never come that easily for the boy; it required more focus than he thought it deserved, which was exactly why the second he turned seventeen he'd take his apparition test and say GOODBYE to flying forever. No reason to continue to perfect something he didn't even like. Anyway. He waved at Olivia, the head boy, a Gryffindor girl whose name he was pretty sure was also Olivia, Cambridge, the other younger human beings. He went to stand next to Daisy, touched his shoulder to hers in greeting. "The good news is that it isn't really windy." At least the weather was being thoughtful. A ‘sir’ steered his attention away from the young Gryffindor girl to one of the older students. ”Mr. Kenning, welcome, welcome! Hope you’re ready for an afternoon up in the air.” He mused as he gently hovered past him, clasping his hands on top of his chest. Ah, life. Ah, flying. What a wonderful little evening they all would have together. Text Cut: Melbourne Quote: Originally Posted by Optimist.Prime Ground Professor? That was a new one, Melbourne chuckled when she overheard Théo’s words…that, was one heck of a greeting. Still, the Gryffindor couldn’t help but grin when she spotted all of her friends and classmates that were already there. Mel looked over when she heard Stasya’s words…was that Swedish? No, the accent was slightly different from anything ”…that was good day right? It…sounds a –lot like what my great-gran used to say whenever we visited her in Sweden,” Mel explained with a grin…at least, that was what she had thought Stasya had said. Mel’s fingers were tightly clutched around her broom…HERs, it wasn’t amazing or anything but it was her very own broom and that was just brilliant. ”Hey Levi,” Mel grinned over to the Kenning boy before glancing at his broom, ”I like the broom” she commented while inwardly adding that she hoped he didn’t lose it…after all it looked sturdier than most of the school brooms…it was then, after greeting Levi that Mel finished as she looked at the cauldrons and hoolahoops. ”…I have a feeling those Cauldrons aren’t for Creaothceann,” Mel pretended to dramatically sigh as she took a moment to lightly bop her friend Tenacius on the shoulder to the bristles of her broom. ”it’s a shame…I do wonder how long we’d all last collecting falling rocks in cauldrons” yep…dangerous games were always fun yeah? The newly appointed flying instructor hovered past Mr. Kenning towards the new arrival. She immediately started chatting with her classmates so he hovered in a little circle around her waiting for an opportunity to say something. He puffed some air and decided to just go for it. ”MISS SORIN-WARD.” He exclaimed, to get her attention. ”Good afternoon to you.” Yup. That was it. That’s all he wanted. He gave her a smile and then hovered away from the small group towards the next arriving student… Text Cut: Skylar Quote: Originally Posted by PhoenixRising Even though this wasn't going to feel like a lesson to Skylar, she was still stoked to be attending because of any opportunity to be flying at Hogwarts would work to simulate what experience it might be to fly for her house team. Plus practice so she could hopefully make the U-17 team next summer, which would be amazing. Approaching she smiled when she saw the way the groundskeeper was balancing on his broom and had to admit she was very impressed with that ability. She would have to try that herself should she grow bored of ordinary flying. Not wanting to distract him for heaven forbid he lose his balance, Skylar approached to stand next to Daisy, figuring the older girl would offer steady competition for whatever today's lesson held in store for them. Hey! He knew this one. And not just by studying her name but he’d actually met this student. Haraldur smiled as he watched her join Miss Carden. ”Good afternoon, Miss Diggory.” He nodded. ”Finally time for flying class, hope you’re ready.” Not that he doubted it. Text Cut: Henry Quote: Originally Posted by emjay Obviously Henry didn't need a flying lesson. He was very experienced with a broom. But he thought it was also obvious that he loved flying and wouldn't miss a chance to go flying, even if it was under the guise of a class. So he was here with his treasured broom, making his way onto the pitch and into the designated class area. "Hi, Mr. B!" he called towards the lounging instructor, and he gave the man a wave and cheerful grin. Did everyone see that balance? Sign of a skilled flyer there. It was only a given that he look for his teammates for this class and, upon spotting Carden, headed over in that direction, giving her, Levi, and Skylar cheery waves as they were standing next to her. "Hey, guys!" Did he hear talk of Creaothceann? Henry's eyes fell on the stack of cauldrons as he thought over the prospect. Haraldur was just about to fly to the front of the class when the last student joined them. The flying instructor would have been more than surprised if this particular Hufflepuff hadn't shown up for class. "There you are, Mr. Whittebrook. You're just in time!" Alrighty, it was time to get started. As the last student arrived, Mr. Baldvinsson was eager to start the lesson. Aiming his wand towards the large metal gates to the pitch, they swung closed. ”Welcome everyone, to the first flying lesson of the term!” A small pause for dramatic effect, and/or insertion of applauds. When none happened he quickly continued. ”My name is Haraldur Ingimar Njord Baldvinsson. That’s Mr. Baldvinsson or professor Baldvinsson, whichever you prefer. I am the new Groundskeeper and Flying Instructor at Hogwarts.” Still no applauds? Tough crowd. ”Those of you who do not own a broom of your own and all firsties, you may now choose one of the school brooms if you haven't already.” As around half of the students did so he kept a careful watch on them. ”There’s enough for everyone, no fighting. They’re all in perfectly good shape.” Or you know. They should be. Aaaanyway. Haraldur leaned on his broom and he began slowly drifting, hovering just a few feet above the ground. Circling the crowd of students he continued when everyone had settled down again. ”I am not familiar with the flying skills of Hogwarts students since 2043. I don’t know how talented you are, I don’t know which house has won the most Quidditch Cups and I don’t know what you know of the art of flying.” The new instructor came to a stop in front of the small group again. ”But I am curious to find out.” His light blue eyes shone with obvious excitement. ”All those experienced and confident enough on their brooms…” He grinned. ”Why don’t you show me?” He reached for his wand inside his robes and flicked it towards the trunk of hula hoops. The hoops flew away from the students, positioning themselves high up in the air, spread all over the pitch. ”Fly through the hoops to get to the other side of the pitch. Note that the hoops will move in the air. In order to complete this challenge you must fly through all of them and reach the other side. Miss one and you must go back to start over." He paused for a second, giving them a moment to process this. "There are cauldrons on the other side of the pitch. Once you get there, retrieve one cauldron each and return back here where you started. On your way back, do not fly through the hoops again. Let’s not collide with each other, hmm? As always, play fair and no shoving.” Please, students. Let's work together not to flood the hospital wing after lesson one. Haraldur narrowed his eyes at the young children, because young they all were, to show them just how serious he was with this. Any roughness would be dealt with accordingly. He had eyes in the back of his neck, he did. Well. Sort of. ”On my command…” He grabbed the horn hanging around his neck and put it to his lips. It gave off a dull but loud sound. That's your cue experienced flyers! And off they went. Haraldur turned around and waved his arms for the students lingering behind to get closer. ”Gather around, gather around.” He waited for them to waddle closer before he continued. ”Place your broom on the ground next to you and hold out your dominant hand above it. With authority and feeling, command your broom to your hand by saying ‘Up!’” For the first time that afternoon he dismounted his broom and dropped it to the grass to hold his right hand outstretched over it. ”Up.” Immediately the broom left the ground and flew up to his hand. He looked back at the students. "Now, don't be discouraged if it doesn't move on the first few tries. You need to befriend the broom before it obeys you. Keep doing this until your broom is in your hand. Once grabbed, mount the broom and take a firm grip on holding your hands like so.” He swung one leg over the broom, mounted correctly for the first time that lesson and placed his right hand above his left, angling the broomstick slightly so the first time flyers could see how to hold it. ”When you’ve got your broom, mounted it and found a comfortable way to hold your hands safely in place you will start with a hover. Lean slightly forward and kick off gently from the ground. Hover for a few moments before touching back down to the ground by carefully leaning back. Watch this.” He kicked off, into a small hover and touched back down with ease. ”Piece of cake!” He turned so his back leaned against the broomstick again and levitated slightly. Ah, comfortable position. *”Now, it’s your turn to give it a go. The ground does* have a cushioning charm... Not that you will need it. I'll be right here, should you need me." "On my command…” The horn sounded for the second time. That's your cue first time flyers! OOC:** Wow! What a turn up! I’m so happy emotional I know it's a lot of text (please, I know) but bear with me on this. Instructions for the mini-activity are as follows: Experienced flyers: Mount your broom, fly through the enchanted hoops in the sky over to the other side of the pitch. Pick up a cauldron and fly back, along the side of the pitch. Land safely to where you started from. First time fliers: Take a broom, stand next to it, hold your dominant hand above it and say ‘Up’ with authority. Once broom is grabbed, mount it, place your hands on the broom and kick off lightly from the ground into a hover. Touch back down by leaning back slightly. Practice this process a few times. We will be moving on in approximately 36 hours, which means you have until Saturday 13th of May, 7 am GMT+2/1 am EDT Haraldur and I will be around during all this time for questions and assistance or just... You know. Watching you guys. As always, PM me if there's any questions. <3 __________________