Chapter 146: A Flight Class Full of Mishaps

Xiven's words shook Elshiona a little, but ultimately failed to persuade her to go home and rest immediately.

Elshiona told Xiven that her condition was still fair for now, and she could wait until the symptoms of the blood curse worsened before going home to recuperate.

After saying this, she bid farewell to Xiven and hurried away from the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

"Hey, how come you two were whispering to each other as soon as class ended?" Abraxas looked at Xiven and Elshiona, teasingly asking. "What were you talking about? Care to share it with us?"

"We weren't talking about much. What about you guys, what are you up to?" Xiven immediately changed the subject.

He turned back to look at Abu, only to see Mobley being grabbed by the hood of his school robes, wearing an expression as if life had lost all meaning. Gomez stood next to the two of them, looking at Mobley with a pitiful expression.

"Xiven, save me! Abraxas here is trying to drag me to the Quidditch pitch!" Seeing Xiven turn around, Mobley cried out loudly as if he had spotted a savior.

Hearing his shout, Xiven suddenly realized that there was only one class this afternoon, and the remaining time was entirely free to spend as they pleased.

Xiven glanced at the utterly despairing Mobley and asked, "What's going on? It's not the first or second time Abu has wanted to drag you along to Quidditch. Why such a strong reaction this particular time?"

"The two of them placed a bet before class, wagering on whether you would be called upon by the professor during the lecture. The one who loses has to grant the other person a favor," Gomez quietly explained from the side.

Hearing the origin of the matter, Xiven looked at Mobley with sympathetic eyes, gave his shoulder a heavy pat, and said, "Hang in there, Mobley. A bet is a bet—even if you have to crawl on your knees, you must fulfill it!"

Mobley's expression grew even more lifeless.

Abu triumphantly yanked on Mobley's hat, then looked at Xiven and asked, "So, are you coming along, Xiven?"

Xiven raised his eyes to look out the window. It was the comfortable, clear-skied weather characteristic of the approaching autumn.

"Going out for a bit of exercise doesn't sound bad at all!" Xiven smiled and nodded.

...

The sky was clear and bright. The late-summer and early-autumn breeze blew away the summer heat without feeling chilly; it was exceptionally refreshing, rustling the green grass on the ground.

Walking across the lawn on the north side of the castle, Abraxas carried his Comet 180, in high spirits as he boasted to the other three, talking animatedly about the Slytherin Quidditch team's tryouts.

"The Slytherin Quidditch team is holding tryouts for new members this weekend. I've waited far too long for this day!" he said excitedly.

"Then I wish you a successful selection!" Xiven smiled and offered his well wishes.

Just then, Mobley suddenly pointed toward an open space and cried out in surprise, "Look over there, isn't that Professor Prenton?"

Abu, Professor Prenton's fanatical admirer, immediately rushed over, only to find that it was the first-year students having their flying lesson.

A group of young wizards was standing on the lawn, cadencedly shouting "Up" at the broomsticks before them.

"Before we know it, a year has passed. I feel a strange sense of nostalgia!" Xiven looked at those young faces and sighed. "That incident back then when Mobley couldn't control his broom and almost fell to his death was truly unforgettable."

Mobley's face immediately darkened as he said, "I think you could easily have left out that last sentence!"

At this moment, Professor Prenton seemed to spot Abu holding his flying broomstick and waved at him.

"That's Mr. Malfoy over there, right? Are you heading to the Quidditch pitch right now?" Professor Prenton said to Abu with a handsome smile on his face.

Seeing the superstar Professor Prenton speak to him on his own initiative, Abu was so excited he almost screamed, and hurriedly nodded in response.

"That's perfect. You can come and demonstrate the basics of flying to these new young wizards," Professor Prenton said to the four of them, seemingly on a whim.

Abu agreed without a moment's hesitation, rushing to accept. He mounted his Comet 180 with a flourish and flew above the first-year students.

"Very good, a splendid movement!" Professor Prenton applauded, then looked at the new students standing nearby and said, "Did you all see that? Flying should look just like this."

Subsequently, the professor looked at the three of them still standing on the ground and asked, "Can any of you execute a complete takeoff sequence? Starting from summoning the flying broomstick."

Among the remaining three, Professor Prenton first glanced at Mobley, immediately remembered the flying accident from the previous year, and shook his head with a solemn expression.

Then he looked at Gomez, only to realize he had little impression of this young wizard. Finally, his gaze rested on Xiven's face.

"You there, student, why don't you come and give everyone a demonstration." The professor clearly didn't remember Xiven's name and could only use "student" as a substitute.

Xiven shrugged, took his flying broomstick—the Silver Arrow—out from his pocket-watch space, and gently placed it on the ground.

In fact, Xiven had originally forgotten that second-year students were allowed to bring flying brooms to Hogwarts. But after learning about it from Abu, he had secretly opened a dimensional gateway and retrieved the broom from his room at home. Since then, the Silver Arrow had remained inside his pocket-watch space.

Amidst the expectant gazes of the new students, Xiven looked at the flying broom glowing silver in the sunlight and whispered:

"Up."

The Silver Arrow flew lightly into Xiven's hand.

Xiven held the broom loosely in front of him, lifted his leg to straddle it, and then pushed off the ground with both feet, soaring away from the lawn.

Finally, he hovered beside Abu.

"A very standard movement!" Professor Prenton led the new students in applause once again.

"Now that you've seen the demonstrations from the two senior students, the next time belongs to you."

"Remember, you may only fly within the area I have designated and at a height of no more than ten feet. Anyone who violates the rules will be punished," the professor said. This warning was much the same as the one Xiven and the others had heard the previous year.

As the professor's voice trailed off, Xiven saw Riddle mount his broom first, taking off into the air with great ease.

"Look everyone, the first student to successfully take off has appeared!" Professor Prenton said with satisfaction. "Three points to Slytherin!"

"Flying quite well, aren't you, Riddle!" Xiven waved at Riddle in the air and said with a smile.

Riddle smiled and nodded back at Xiven.

This was his first time flying in the air, and he felt quite exhilarated. In this state, he no longer maintained his usual deliberate elegance, but instead displayed a sense of unrestrained and unbridled conceit.

However, a sudden and unexpected mishap occurred with Riddle's broom—

The flying broomstick he was riding suddenly began to shake violently!