Neville was still terrified.
But Vincent’s steady gaze never wavered.
Trusting his friend, Neville asked, “Are you sure?” several more times before finally climbing onto the broomstick.
He wrapped himself around it as though he were hugging a tree trunk.
“Grip the broom with your legs… lean forward a little… don’t let go…”
“Relax,” Vincent called from below.
The broom trembled slightly as it rose into the air.
Whether it was the wind shaking the broom or Neville shaking from fear was impossible to tell.
Slowly…
The broom climbed higher than Vincent’s head.
“I… I think…”
“So far, it’s okay…”
Without warning—
The broom lurched violently.
A sudden gust blasted across the field.
Neville shot upward like a cork fired from a bottle.
Just like before…
Vincent had expected this.
Neville’s first flight in canon had ended exactly the same way.
Neville’s face turned deathly pale.
Twenty feet above the ground, his grip finally failed.
He fell.
But Vincent had been prepared from the very beginning.
“Trust me. I’ll be watching you.”
Those hadn’t been empty words.
From the moment Neville took off, Vincent had held his wand tightly, never taking his eyes off him for even a second.
The instant Neville began to fall, Vincent thrust out his wand.
“Softening Charm!”
A beam of light struck the tall grass below.
The thick grass instantly softened, weaving together into a broad, springy cushion.
Neville landed with a muffled whump.
“…Huh?”
He cautiously opened one eye.
Then the other.
“It…”
“It doesn’t hurt!”
He scrambled to his feet.
“Vincent!”
“You saved me again!”
Vincent smiled.
“I told you.”
“You’d be fine.”
He walked over and picked up the fallen broomstick.
“Flying is something every Hogwarts student has to learn.”
“If you don’t practice now…”
“You’ll have to learn during your first Flying lesson.”
“Madam Hooch has to watch an entire class at once.”
“If someone falls unexpectedly, she might not be able to reach them immediately.”
“And…”
He paused before continuing.
“There will always be students who learn faster than everyone else.”
“Some of them may even laugh at those who struggle.”
“Someone would probably stand up for you.”
“But…”
“Wouldn’t it be better if we became the ones helping others instead?”
Instead of the ones needing help.
Neville’s eyes gradually brightened.
“…You’re right.”
He nodded firmly.
“You’re absolutely right!”
He grabbed his broomstick again.
“I’ll keep practicing!”
“You watch me again!”
His hands no longer trembled.
The fear remained…
But now it was no longer enough to stop him.
To Neville, Vincent’s confidence had become contagious.
If Vincent believed he could do it…
Then perhaps he really could.
Neville flew again.
And again.
And again.
He still crashed almost every attempt.
Landing remained his greatest weakness.
However…
Each flight lasted longer than the last.
Every time he fell, Vincent calmly transformed the grass beneath him into another enormous cushion.
By the end of the afternoon, Neville hadn’t suffered so much as a bruise.
Finally, after another awkward landing, Neville collapsed onto the soft grass, breathing heavily.
He looked toward Vincent.
“I’ve been practicing the whole time.”
“You should have a turn too.”
“I can’t make cushions as quickly as you…”
“But I can transform this whole patch of grass first.”
“That way you won’t get hurt.”
Before Vincent could refuse, Neville had already begun casting Transfiguration spells across the clearing.
Vincent smiled helplessly.
It would have been rude to waste his friend’s kindness.
Besides…
He needed the practice too.
Watching Neville had allowed Vincent to memorize the basic techniques of broom flight.
Actually mounting one himself, however…
…was another matter entirely.
The broom slowly lifted off the ground.
Vincent suddenly felt as though he’d been handed the controls to a vehicle without ever taking a driving lesson.
Eleven-year-olds flying without instructors…
Wizarding education is certainly…
bold.
His first takeoff ended with a fall.
So did the second.
Gradually, though…
The movements began to feel natural.
Unlike Neville, Vincent learned how to guide himself safely onto the prepared grass cushions.
Within only a handful of attempts, he could take off, circle the field, and land without incident.
He couldn’t help comparing himself to Harry Potter.
Harry’s very first Flying lesson had included a dramatic high-speed dive to catch Neville’s Remembrall.
That kind of instinctive talent was extraordinary.
Vincent clearly didn’t possess that level of natural ability.
Still…
He wasn’t bad either.
Above average.
Just nowhere near Harry.
That seemed like a fair assessment.
He suddenly remembered something.
If Neville no longer lost control of his broom during Flying lessons…
Then Harry might never have the chance to impress Professor McGonagall by catching the Remembrall.
Vincent smiled to himself.
If necessary…
I’ll simply create another opportunity for her to notice Harry’s flying talent.
By late afternoon, Neville could finally fly steadily.
The two boys rode side by side above the open grassland.
The breeze rushed past them.
The endless sea of green stretched all the way to the horizon.
“I need to remember this place!”
Neville laughed excitedly.
“Then when I learn Apparition, I can come straight here!”
Seeing Vincent glance over curiously, Neville explained,
“My grandmother says experienced witches and wizards always memorize wide-open places first.”
“It’s much safer.”
“You won’t Apparate into a wall…”
“Or into a pond…”
“Or accidentally appear inside a Muggle’s living room.”
Then his excitement faded.
“…Although Apparition isn’t taught until sixth year.”
“I wonder…”
“Will I even make it that far?”
“What if everyone thinks I’m too stupid?”
“What if they decide they don’t want me at Hogwarts anymore?”
“I…”
“I really don’t want to be expelled…”
Vincent sighed inwardly.
Neville’s confidence still had a long way to go.
Two months.
Only two months remained before Hogwarts.
Even now, Vincent still found it difficult to believe it was real.
Soon…
He would begin the life he had once only imagined.
By then, if everything proceeded smoothly…
His Animagus transformation should also be complete.
Flying through the sky today had made him reconsider one thing.
Originally, he had hoped his Animagus form would be a bird.
After all…
Birds could fly.
But now he understood broomsticks fulfilled that role perfectly well.
Besides…
Birds attracted attention.
In castles…
Cities…
And crowded wizarding villages…
A bird circling overhead wasn’t nearly as inconspicuous as people imagined.
If given the choice…
He would much rather become a small, agile land animal.
Something quick.
Quiet.
And easy to overlook.
Unfortunately…
That choice wasn’t his to make.
An Animagus form reflected the wizard’s inner nature.
When the time came…
Only one animal would answer.
As he drifted over the rolling grasslands, Vincent found himself wondering.
What animal am I destined to become?
Below him, the endless green fields swayed gently in the afternoon breeze.
Unlike Neville, Vincent wasn’t thinking about sixth-year Apparition.
He had a much more immediate concern.
The instructions for becoming an Animagus recommended performing the first transformation in a spacious, secluded location.
This meadow…
…would be perfect.
Just then, Neville wobbled again.
Without hesitation, Vincent flicked his wand.
Another soft grass cushion blossomed beneath his friend.
By now…
Casting precise Transfiguration spells while flying had become almost effortless.