Rebecca Clearwater POV
"Well first years you have all done well to make it here," Madame Hooch began, her golden bird-like eyes scanning our faces one by one. The June sun beat down on us, making the flying field shimmer with heat. "We'll go on round of the grades each student is aiming for, the grades as you most likely know are as follow: Outstanding, Exceeds Expectations, Acceptable, Poor, Dreadful and Troll. Anything less than Acceptable will be an immediate failure, depending on what grade you want your exam will change accordingly."
She paced in front of us, her robes billowing slightly in the summer breeze. My palms were already sweaty, and we hadn't even started yet.
"If you want an Outstanding, you'll need to complete the following maneuvers, rolling, making a complete rotation while maintaining direction during the flight; loop the loop, flying in a swift and precise 360 degree circle while maintaining direction; and diving, flying in a quick, spiral-like motion. If you want an Exceeds Expectations, you'll have to perform fast laps, meaning you have to complete a lap under 40 seconds, and weaving, making quick turns while keeping your broom steady. As for Acceptable, you'll have to summon your broom, mount it, take off and land. You'll have three laps to do all of these depending on what you choose. Now those of you who want an Outstanding step forward."
I glanced around nervously, wiping my sweaty palms on my robes. Several students stepped forward, mainly those who were part of the Quidditch teams like Roger or Dominic. To my surprise, Bell also stepped forward.
She wasn't on the Gryffindor team—they'd turned her down because they needed to communicate during games, which was difficult for her—but she was easily one of the best fliers in our year. She'd confided in me once that flying was one of the few things that made her feel completely free. Without sound to distract her, she could focus entirely on the sensation of movement.
They lined up at their assigned spots, brooms laid carefully beside them. At Madame Hooch's whistle, they all called out in near-perfect unison:
"Up!"
Every broom shot upward, snapping into their owners' hands with a crisp sound that echoed across the field. I watched as they mounted and kicked off, soaring into the air with practiced ease.
As the Outstanding aspirants zipped through the air, performing increasingly complex maneuvers, I turned my attention to the golden-haired boy standing beside me.
"So are you nervous?" I asked, studying him closely. Felix had been acting strangely for months now. He'd nearly stopped his obsessive attempts to steal the Ravenclaw doorknocker, something that had been practically his defining trait since day one. When asked about it, he'd muttered something about the Aurors still patrolling the halls, which made a certain amount of sense—who would want to be caught stealing school property when the Sorting Hat had already gone missing? Still, something felt off.
"A bit," he replied with a nervous smile that somehow didn't quite reach his eyes. It looked forced, as if he was mimicking an emotion he'd seen rather than actually feeling it.
"You're going for Exceeds Expectations, right?" he asked, his golden eyes meeting mine.
I nodded. "You're going for Acceptable, right?"
He nodded in response. I was about to offer some words of encouragement—Felix's disastrous relationship with brooms was legendary in our year—but Madame Hooch's voice cut through the air before I could speak.
"Good job, leave your brooms in their place. First years who wish for Exceeds Expectations, come on up."
My heart jumped into my throat as I moved forward. The grass seemed unnaturally green beneath my feet as I approached the row of school brooms. Choosing one that looked relatively new (or at least, less battered than the others), I stood beside it and took a deep breath.
"Up!" I commanded, trying to put as much confidence into my voice as possible.
The broom quivered for a moment—a hesitation that made my heart sink—before shooting up into my waiting palm. The smooth wood felt warm against my skin, almost alive. With what I hoped was a graceful motion, I mounted it and waited for Madame Hooch's next instruction.
"On my whistle, kick off from the ground, hard," she instructed. "Remember, you'll need to complete at least one of your laps in under 40 seconds for an Exceeds Expectations grade. Those attempting weaving will find the markers set up around the field. You may begin your maneuvers at any point during your three laps."
The shrill blast of her whistle sent us all skyward. The sudden rush of air against my face was exhilarating, making my earlier nervousness fade away. The ground dropped beneath me as I climbed to a good height for speed.
I leaned forward, gripping the broom handle tightly as I urged it to go faster. The first lap was purely about speed—I needed to prove I could complete it within the time limit. The wind whistled past my ears as I took the first turn, banking slightly to maintain my momentum.
"Thirty-five seconds!" Madame Hooch's voice called from below as I completed the first lap. Relief flooded through me—I was on track.
For the second lap, I focused on the weaving maneuver. Colorful markers floated at varying heights across the field, creating a complex path that required quick, precise turns. I approached the first one, a floating red ring, and pulled my broom handle sharply to the right, feeling the g-force tug at my body as I executed the turn.
The second marker, a yellow hoop, required a quick dive followed by a sharp ascent. My stomach lurched pleasantly as I dropped and then pulled up, threading through the hoop with inches to spare. The third and fourth markers demanded similar precision, and by the time I'd navigated them all, sweat was beading on my forehead despite the cooling air at this height.
As I began my third and final lap, I decided to push myself a little further. I'd already demonstrated the required skills, but finishing strong would surely impress Madame Hooch. Leaning so far forward that I was nearly flat against the broom handle, I urged more speed from the broom.
The landscape below blurred as I raced around the final curve, the wind making my eyes water. With a final burst of speed, I completed the third lap and began my descent, trying to make it as controlled and smooth as possible.
My feet touched down on the grass with a satisfying little bump, and I dismounted, legs slightly wobbly from the adrenaline of the flight. Looking up, I caught Madame Hooch's approving nod.
It was most likely directed at our entire group but I still felt something resembling joy rise in my chest, after all I had worked myself to the bone, I wasn't great at flying or anything else for that matter, I was above average and so to keep up with actual geniuses I worked harder than most.
"Good luck," I said as I passed Felix, who was preparing to take his place for the Acceptable assessment. He just nodded at my words, his expression unreadable.
"Those who want Acceptable, come on up," Madame Hooch called.
Felix and the remaining students approached the waiting brooms. I watched intently as Felix positioned himself beside his chosen broom. His relationship with flying had been disastrous all year—the only class where he didn't excel. Even with a practice broom, he'd struggled to maintain control, listing to the left and occasionally spinning in unintended circles that left him green-faced and wobbly.
"Up!" he called firmly.
To my absolute shock, the broom shot straight into his hand without hesitation. There was no wobbling, no reluctance—just perfect obedience. Felix mounted it with surprising grace, his posture perfect as he waited for the signal to kick off.
When Madame Hooch's whistle blew, he pushed off from the ground with a smooth motion, rising steadily into the air. His broom didn't veer to the left, didn't wobble, didn't do any of the things that had plagued him all year. Instead, he flew a clean, controlled circuit of the field, his turns precise and his altitude steady.
My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Felix Serendipity, who had once flown straight into the Ravenclaw Tower because he couldn't figure out how to turn, was now gliding through the air with the casual ease of someone who'd been doing it for years.
Who the hell was this!!
Where was Felix!
Had he been taken by something!
Was this a monster of some kind that had taken his form!
Felix Serendipity POV
"Achoo," I sneezed into the room.
"Hey don't get snot on me!"
I looked down at the sorting hat, a few of its threads were hanging weirdly.
"Weird I never sneeze, maybe someone was talking bad about me."
"I don't care just don't get snot on me!"
"Yeah, yeah I know. Seriously you are too much like Jarvey it feels like he's still here."
As I said that I thought of the rest of Hogwarts outside of this room.
"It should be exam time right now, I wonder how well Ice-Felix is doing, I mean I already learnt everything in the first year curriculum by like my third month and it has most of my memories so it should be fine, I've even felt the magic it used each class, the only one I'm kind of scared of is flying after all while I knew all the theory for some reason brooms just didn't like me, but who cares about that next year flying class is optional so I won't take it after all I can already fly on my own."
"Are you talking to yourself again."
"Why of course not, I'm talking to you," I said with a smile as I looked down at the hat. "Though I will have to get out of here soon, I'll just leave the simulacrum in here, thankfully I'm able to use the demiplane magic. Either way let's not talk about demiplane, after all I'm getting close so let's try to create a sentient object shall we." I finished with a smile.
I turned away from the Sorting Hat, surveying my workshop. Hundreds of my failed attempts lay scattered across the Room of Requirement's expanded floor—pointed hats which I had made with transfiguration, of every color and material imaginable.
But I wasn't discouraged.
After all with each failed hat, with each failed charm, I got a little closer a little better, and now I could feel it I was close. Maybe it wouldn't be today or maybe it wouldn't be tomorrow but it would be soon of that I was sure.
A/N: Welp the first year ends like this, well actually I need one more chap which is gonna just be closing a few loose ends and him going back home after all Ice-Felix isn't gonna take his place at home, but since I have already written once how they go back home I'll just leave it with him entering the carriage and the next chaps will be about summer. I don't really have anything for him to do during summer aside from studying the sorting hat and him getting a patent for the Jarvey radios so we'll most likely skip most of it, but I did think of something so I'm gonna post a small poll.
1. Skip most of the summer and go back into the second year in like three or four chaps.
2. Add some slice of life, maybe going with Louise or catching up with Drake in his parent's house expose him to the wizarding families or some other stuff which I was gonna sprinkle across the years.