Harry Potter: From Little Wizard to White Lord

Flying must be one of humanity's deepest dreams.

At first, Vaughn hadn't felt particularly excited. But the moment he actually mounted the broom and soared into the sky, he couldn't help but let out a shout of pure exhilaration.

The rush of wind against his robes, the ground falling away beneath him, the thrill of slicing through the air, it was enough to make him forget every care in the world.

After asking Madam Hooch for permission, Vaughn and Harry flew a few laps around the Quidditch pitch together.

By the time they returned, Ron, Draco, and the others had managed to get off the ground too. Only a few stragglers remained on the field.

One of them was Neville.

Madam Hooch had been patiently coaching him on broom grip and posture, but poor Neville just couldn't seem to get the hang of it. His Remembrall flashed like a disco ball against his chest, as if mocking his forgetfulness.

Draco and his goons burst into raucous laughter.

Ron and Seamus tried to stand up for Neville, stepping in to confront the Slytherins. Harry flew over to join them.

At that moment, Neville somehow managed to lift off, hovering uncertainly in the air. His face suddenly went pale.

He'd forgotten something again.

With a wobble, he tipped sideways and plummeted.

Madam Hooch had already drawn her wand, prepared for such a situation, but before she could cast a spell, two voices rang out from above.

"Impedimenta!"

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Two spells struck Neville in mid-air, freezing him five feet off the ground, limbs flailing like a starfish.

His face was covered in tears and snot from the wind and panic, but at least he hadn't faceplanted.

"Well done, Mr. Weasley. Five points to Slytherin!" Madam Hooch exhaled with relief, quickly lowering Neville to the ground. The poor boy was trembling all over, barely aware of where he was.

Worried about his mental state, Madam Hooch gave a few hurried instructions and then whisked Neville off to the hospital wing.

The moment she disappeared, Draco became even more obnoxious. He circled Harry on his broom, jeering loudly.

"Did you see that, Potter? Oh, Mummy, I'm so scared - oops, my bad, I forgot. Longbottom doesn't have a mummy or daddy!"

That crossed a line.

Harry's expression darkened with fury.

Even Vaughn had to take a second to marvel at how Malfoy's brain worked or didn't. How did he manage to say something so vile without a single thought?

Harry slammed into Malfoy mid-air. Ron whooped from below, cheering him on.

They'd both been itching to clock Malfoy for weeks.

Now they were in the air, no teachers in sight, and Crabbe and Goyle were clinging to their brooms like frightened chickens. The opportunity was perfect.

Malfoy clearly realized he was outmatched. With a shout, he zipped away toward the castle, Harry hot on his tail.

"HARRY! HARRY!" Hermione shouted, clearly panicked. She shot a glare at Ron and turned to Vaughn. "Please! Stop them before the professors see! If they get caught, both Gryffindor and Slytherin are done for!"

Vaughn had been thinking about following them anyway, just to watch the drama unfold. He gave a quick nod and took off after the boys.

By the time he caught up, Harry and Malfoy had already flown a full loop around the spires of Hogwarts, weaving between the towers like dragonflies.

Even then, Malfoy couldn't shut his mouth. "Come on, Potter! Is that all you've got? Or did you forget to eat breakfast?"

Then, with a nasty grin, he added, "You and Longbottom must be best friends. No parents, right? A perfect match!"

Vaughn groaned. Honestly, he was tempted to cast something nasty on Malfoy himself. That boy had a gift, a terrible one.

Harry let out a furious roar and surged forward. The collision was sudden and brutal, knocking Malfoy clean off his broom.

Almost instantly, Harry regretted it.

He hadn't meant to kill the idiot.

He spun around and dove, catching Draco just in time.

But their combined weight was too much for the old school broom.

With a wheeze of smoke, the broomstick gave up entirely, and the two boys tumbled downward.

Just as they were about ten feet from the ground, screaming and clutching each other in terror, two spells shot out from opposite directions.

"Impedimenta!"

"Aresto Momentum!"

Harry and Malfoy froze in midair, still gripping each other like baby koalas.

Vaughn quickly followed up with a levitation charm, floating them gently toward an open window in a nearby tower. He slowed his broom and gave a respectful nod to the person leaning out the window.

"Good afternoon, Professor McGonagall."

Her face was absolutely thunderous.

"Good afternoon? There is nothing good about it, Mr. Weasley!" she snapped. "If you hadn't arrived when you did, and if this hadn't happened just outside my office..."

She was visibly shaking, clenching her wand so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"These two imbeciles could've ended up in the hospital for a month!"

She took a deep breath, then glared down at Harry and Malfoy, still awkwardly entangled on the floor.

"I've never seen anything so reckless in my entire teaching career. First years, first years - brawling midair during flying lessons! Completely ignoring classroom rules! Nearly causing a major accident!"

Then she turned back to Vaughn, her voice tight.

"Mr. Weasley, while you also broke the rules, your quick thinking saved lives today. Twenty points to Slytherin."

"Now return to class and report everything to Madam Hooch."

"Yes, Professor."

Vaughn kicked off and flew away, still able to hear McGonagall's furious rant echoing behind him.

It was the first time he'd ever seen her that angry.

"Way more dramatic than the original story," Vaughn muttered. "I wonder if she'll still let Harry join the Quidditch team after this..."

He hadn't planned to interfere with Harry's fate. Vaughn liked to act from his own perspective and let things play out naturally.

For instance, he'd helped Neville not because of some master plan, but simply because he liked the kid.

As for Harry and Malfoy, their clash had always been inevitable. Malfoy's foul mouth was even worse than Vaughn remembered.

Unless Vaughn wanted to babysit Harry full-time and keep Malfoy on a tight leash, their conflict was bound to explode sooner or later.

Back at the Quidditch pitch, Vaughn gave a sheepish shake of his head to Hermione, who had been waiting anxiously.

He explained what had happened.

Hermione's face turned deathly pale.

After making sure Harry wasn't hurt, she started trembling all over.

"I knew it! I knew they'd cause trouble!"

Ron, now thoroughly panicked, leaned toward Vaughn. "You don't think Harry's gonna be expelled, do you?"

Hermione rounded on him furiously. "Now you're scared? You were the one egging him on! Just wait, even if he doesn't get expelled, Gryffindor's house points are doomed!"

Ron, uncharacteristically, didn't argue back.

After class ended, they all rushed off to check the house point hourglasses.

Gryffindor had lost sixty points. Slytherin had lost forty.

Vaughn, however, had gained twenty.

It turned out that while Malfoy had provoked Harry, he hadn't attacked. It was Harry's reckless action that almost caused a disaster.

The result? A forty-point gap between the houses. Hermione looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown.

Later that evening, Harry finally returned, bringing news that Professor McGonagall had still recruited him for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

Not that it helped much.

Hermione refused to speak to him. Harry didn't look thrilled either.

Because with the good news came the bad, he and Draco were getting detention. Together.