"Good morning, class!"
"Good morning, Madam Hooch!"
Madam Hooch was as straightforward as ever, getting straight to the point.
"Alright, what are you all waiting for?" she snapped. "Everyone stand next to a broom—hurry up, hurry up!"
This class was shared with the Slytherins, so the two houses quickly grouped together. Following Madam Hooch's instructions, the students attempted the takeoff stance.
Lin Mei, however, found himself hesitating.
Flying as a mode of transportation? That was a problem.
He had already decided that riding a broomstick was simply not cool. No matter how much he tried to frame it in his mind as just another tool—like a simple cleaning broom—actually stepping on it made him uncomfortable.
What am I supposed to do? A wizard who can't fly a broom? That'd be a joke for the entire school!
Lin Mei could fly perfectly fine using wind magic, but the broom itself was an issue. He hated how unstable it felt. Worse, it made him dizzy.
Why doesn't anyone else have this side effect?! he thought bitterly.
"Lin Mei?" Madam Hooch's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Why aren't you practicing? Do you need help with something?"
Lin Mei quickly forced a smile. "Oh, nothing, Madam Hooch! I just got a little distracted."
Madam Hooch raised an eyebrow. "I hear you're quite intelligent and pick things up quickly. Surely, you already know how to use a broom? Why don't you demonstrate for the class?"
That was the worst-case scenario.
If he messed up in front of everyone, he'd never live it down.
His mind raced. Think! Think!
Then, an idea hit him.
Instead of actually riding the broom, he could use magic to wrap around it, creating a subtle levitation field. That way, he wouldn't actually be touching the broom—no dizziness. As for flight? He could simply use wind magic to keep himself afloat. It would be far smoother and more stable than the awkward wobbling of a broomstick.
And unless Dumbledore himself examined it closely, no one would notice.
Without hesitation, Lin Mei activated his plan. Using his magic, he created a thin layer of energy around the broom and stepped on.
No dizziness.
It was already half a success.
A moment later, he smoothly lifted off the ground, soaring through the air as if he had perfect control. The students gasped in admiration, and Madam Hooch gave an approving nod. Applause rippled through the group.
Meanwhile, Neville Longbottom followed the original storyline—he panicked, lost control of his broom, and shot into the sky.
"Stop!"
"Come down, Longbottom!"
Madam Hooch pulled out her wand, trying to cast a spell to slow him down, but Neville's erratic flying made it impossible to get a clear shot.
Lin Mei sighed. He couldn't just watch this happen.
Pretending to be an expert flyer, he took off into the air, speeding toward Neville.
"Lin Mei, don't do anything reckless!" Madam Hooch shouted, panic rising in her voice.
But Lin Mei was already in motion. Controlling his flight far better than any first-year should, he adjusted his trajectory and reached Neville just as the boy crashed into a castle wall, fainting on the spot.
Lin Mei grabbed Neville's collar mid-air, preventing him from falling.
"Madam Hooch! Neville seems hurt!" he called down. "I'll take him to the infirmary!"
Madam Hooch hesitated but, seeing Lin Mei's steady control, finally relented. "Alright! I'll meet you there shortly!"
Lin Mei wasted no time. Holding Neville securely, he effortlessly glided down and rushed him to the school infirmary.
When Lin Mei left the infirmary, he immediately overheard excited chatter—Harry had become the youngest Seeker in Gryffindor's history!
That was unexpected. Lin Mei was sure that Neville's memory ball—the original trigger for this event—had still been in his possession.
So how did it still happen?
Turns out, Harry had still clashed with Malfoy, and Professor McGonagall had still noticed his flying skills. Some things were just destined to happen.
"Lin! There you are!"
Harry ran up to him, looking a little nervous.
Lin Mei raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"
"Professor McGonagall invited me to be Gryffindor's new Seeker," Harry explained, scratching his head, "but I think you should take the position instead."
Lin Mei blinked. What?
Ron gawked. "Are you serious, Harry? Do you know how rare this is? You'd be the youngest Seeker in Hogwarts history! And you want to give that up?"
Harry looked embarrassed. "I just feel like… I won't do a great job. You saw how Lin flew—he even saved Neville while controlling his broom perfectly. I think he's way more suited for the role."
Ron groaned. "Harry, this is Quidditch. You can't just give away opportunities like that!"
"Sure, I used my own wind magic to fly back there. But if I joined Quidditch, I'd actually have to rely on a broom… and that would be exhausting." Lin Mei sighed inwardly. Still, he didn't let his thoughts show on his face.
Hermione, however, wasn't done with the conversation.
"You won't make a fool of yourself, Harry! You have a family legacy!" she insisted.
"Family legacy?" Harry asked, looking puzzled.
Hermione nodded confidently.
"This girl is too honest," Lin Mei thought, amused. Then, he turned to Harry and explained, "Your father was an exceptional Quidditch player at Hogwarts. That's why Hermione believes you'll be great too."
Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "My dad played Quidditch?"
"And besides," Lin Mei continued, "Professor McGonagall didn't ask me to join the team, did she?"
Harry hesitated. "Well… actually, I made the decision myself. If you're willing, I can recommend you right away."
Lin Mei chuckled and shook his head. "That's kind of you, Harry, but you don't have to do that."
Seeing Harry's confusion, Lin Mei added, "You're not the first to invite me to join Quidditch. Madam Hooch already asked when I was in the infirmary."
Ron's jaw dropped. "Wait, what? And you refused?"
Lin Mei shrugged. "Yeah. I did."
Ron let out a noise of disbelief, but before he could press further, they found themselves heading toward the Great Hall for dinner—only to be stopped by none other than Draco Malfoy and his usual entourage, Crabbe and Goyle.
"Having your last meal, Potter?" Malfoy sneered. "When are you catching the train back to your precious Muggle family?"
Harry's expression hardened. "Now that I'm back on solid ground, I see you've got your courage back, Malfoy."
The two boys locked eyes, tension crackling between them. But with the staff seated at the High Table, neither dared to make a move.
Instead, Malfoy smirked. "I'll take you on anytime, Potter." Then, he added with a smug tilt of his head, "How about tonight? A wizard's duel. Just wands—no physical contact. Or… are you too scared?"
Harry barely had time to react before Ron jumped in.
"Of course, he's not scared! And Lin Mei is his assistant!"
Wait, what?!
Lin Mei blinked. How did I just get dragged into this?!
Malfoy glanced between Crabbe and Goyle, then sneered. "Fine. Crabbe will be my assistant. Midnight, in the trophy room. Be there—if you're brave enough."
With that, he and his goons stalked off toward the Slytherin common room.
Lin Mei turned to Harry, confused. "Uh… what exactly is a wizard's duel?"
"And," he shot Ron a look, "why am I suddenly Harry's assistant?"
"Oh, it's nothing serious," Ron said with a wave of his hand. "If the main duelist loses, the assistant takes over. But don't worry, it's just a couple of sparks—nobody actually gets hurt. I just figured if Malfoy knew you were involved, he'd get nervous and mess up!"
Lin Mei narrowed his eyes. "You mean, you just threw me into this mess for psychological warfare?"
Ron chuckled nervously. "Er… exactly?"
Lin Mei wrapped an arm around Ron's neck and pulled him into a light headlock. "And when were you planning to ask me before signing me up?"
Ron coughed. "W-Well, now that you do know… isn't it a bit too late to say no?"
Before Lin Mei could respond, Hermione huffed, crossing her arms. "Have you three forgotten that wandering the castle at night is against the rules? If Filch catches you, Gryffindor will lose points!"
Ron rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Hermione. This has nothing to do with you. Harry, Lin, let's go!"
Lin Mei sighed. This was not how he expected his night to go.
... hello readers, been sick last week, spent a lot of time in the hospital that's why I haven't been dropping chapters , thought I'd give a bonus for today , anyway, go to my patreon Seasay for more advanced chapters at only a subscription of 5 dollars or if you are generous enough you can pledge to your liking.The fanfic is currently at 150 chapters together with other great fanfics .Kindly support me. Thank you and have a lovely week. I'll get to answer any questions and engage readers .