Chapter 127: Excitement Before Flying Lessons
Early the next morning, the dormitory was buzzing with noise, and Alexander Smith, who usually maintained a consistent sleep routine, was drawn out of his slumber by the unusual commotion.
Normally, he was the first to rise, but today was completely different. What had changed? Could it be because of Harry and Neville?
The two had gone to bed early the previous night, likely due to the recent wave of gossip surrounding them.
As for Ron, that eccentric character, he had reacted a little awkwardly at first, but then… his behavior had become downright bizarre.
Faced with all the questions and teasing from the others, he merely blushed faintly around the ears and firmly insisted that his name wasn't "Ronnie Weasley," but Ron or Ronald. Occasionally, when he felt bored, he would go out of his way to defend himself, Harry, and Neville.
Regarding Draco Malfoy, Ron clearly thought the boy was strange. And being both a Malfoy and a Slytherin, Ron always responded vaguely whenever people brought him up. Ironically, this only made curious students speculate further — some even began to wonder whether Rita Skeeter's article had left something out, and if Ron secretly had a good opinion of Malfoy.
That said, Ron really did live up to the depiction in Skeeter's report — passionate, generous, and loyal.
He'd gone to bed at a normal hour, along with the Ravenclaw trio: Michael, Anthony, and Terry.
Harry and Neville, having turned in early, must've also woken early.
Something big must've happened — something exciting enough to make everyone forget the tension caused by yesterday's gossip and get swept up in the moment.
As for Alexander, his natural instincts while asleep always leaned toward peace and quiet. He had subconsciously cast minor magic to block out any noise he didn't want to hear.
In the real world, only a second had passed before Alexander finished thinking everything through.
Sure enough, he was roused fully by Ron's loud, excited voice: their first flying lesson was scheduled for 1 p.m. tomorrow — Friday.
The more informed students had already discovered that a notice had been posted in both the Gryffindor and Slytherin common rooms: their flying lesson would take place this Thursday at 3:30 in the afternoon.
Until now, no one had been sure when the first flying class would actually begin. But now that the schedule was confirmed, the first-year eaglets couldn't contain their excitement — even though their turn wasn't until tomorrow.
The whole day's mood was lifted by that collective anticipation.
Even during History of Magic in the morning, fewer students nodded off than usual. They whispered constantly to each other about Quidditch, brooms, and flying techniques.
During lunch, Harry found himself discussing Quidditch with Seamus, who sat beside him. Seamus claimed he'd spent much of his childhood zipping around the Irish countryside on a broomstick.
Ron eagerly joined in, recalling a time he nearly collided with a hang glider while riding Charlie's old broom. Neville didn't say much, but the occasional smile on his face made it clear he was finally free of yesterday's gloomy thoughts.
Even Draco Malfoy was unusually cheerful. Sitting across from Alexander at the Ravenclaw table, he no longer looked bitter or aloof. Perhaps due to his flying lesson that afternoon, he had started boasting loudly — telling long, exaggerated stories in which he was always the main hero.
To Alexander, these tales were amusing. They were clearly fabricated by someone with little understanding of the Muggle world — a blend of misunderstandings and secondhand stories — but charming in their own way.
That's where Alexander's real identity as a time traveler gave him an advantage.
> "Draco Malfoy has his charms. His stories are fun, but the endings always suck," Alexander thought, stroking his chin. "He keeps escaping from a Muggle helicopter. Every single time. If only he weren't raised in a wizarding family that looks down on Muggles… He'd be so much more creative."
Then again, Ron's stories were even more outrageous — and yet equally enjoyable.
Alexander could see clearly that both Draco and Ron were huge fans of Doraemon. Ironically, they didn't dare directly plagiarize the stories. But other first-years had no such hesitation — Alexander began to hear tales lifted straight from Doraemon come out of less creative mouths.
To him, it was funny.
> "You're not even changing the structure," he thought. "That's my creation. At least Ron puts some effort in. And Malfoy adds his own flair."
Sure enough, it didn't take long before some of the brighter students caught on — they recognized the source material and called the others out.
Harry, meanwhile, was having a great day. Everything around him felt wonderful… until he spotted Dudley sitting at the Hufflepuff table.
In that moment, Harry's happy mood took a nosedive.
He'd forgotten something very important — his flying lessons were scheduled with Hufflepuff.
Worse still, Friday morning's Potions class was also shared with Hufflepuff.
Worst of all, Snape would probably single him out again — offering backhanded compliments that somehow made him feel like the class idiot.
To be honest, Harry had started to wonder whether Professor Snape gave Malfoy such elegant, restrained praise only to turn around and humiliate him in comparison.
"Harry, you okay?" Ron asked, noticing his sudden silence.
"Yeah… just realized our flying lesson tomorrow is with Hufflepuff," Harry said with a sigh.
When Harry had first heard about flying lessons, he was as excited as any other first-year. But he hadn't been overly fixated on it. After all, weren't all magical lessons exciting?
But then Roger Davies had mentioned that James Potter, Harry's father, was once the star Seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. That had changed everything.
Harry had even gone to the trophy room to see his father's name engraved on the old plaques. Suddenly, flying felt different. Special.
It could be compared to Potions — the subject Alexander had once said Lily Evans excelled at.
But unlike Potions, Harry had never had the chance to try flying. At home, Aunt Petunia wouldn't even let him order a bamboo dragonfly toy by mail.
"Ron, what if I completely mess up tomorrow?" Harry said gloomily. "What if I ride the broom wrong and make a fool of myself in front of Dudley? I'll be the laughingstock of Hogwarts."
Ron shrugged. "Honestly, I'm more worried about Dudley. That guy's huge. Who knows if a broom can even lift him off the ground."
At that, Alexander quietly chuckled, watching the scene with amusement.
> "Turning Dudley Dursley into a wizard was one of my best decisions," he thought smugly.
"Oh, poor Harry. Hahahahahaha…"
And with that, the excitement about flying lessons continued to fill the castle — though for some, it came with a hint of dread.
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