Monday dawned with an almost electric promise.
The castle corridors thrummed with chatter—first‑years trading tales of weekend exploits, seasoned students reminding novices which staircases actually went upstairs, and others that had traps on them.
For Cassius, it meant something far more concrete than gossip or rumors—it meant flying lesson day.
He found himself standing among the mixed company of first‑year Gryffindors and Slytherins in the courtyard beyond Hogwarts, grassy patches dotted with broomsticks laying in two rows opposite one another.
The wind sighed over the Black Lake in the distance, and an expectant tension lay in the air.
Ron Weasley stood confidently by his broom, red hair ruffling.
"I nearly crashed into a muggle helicopter doing a loop last summer," he was bragging loudly, to a half‑amused, half‑disbelieving crowd. "Came so close i nearly bounced off of it scaring the muggle inside."
Malfoy, nearby, smirked. "Please. My father took me on a flight last year and we almost crashed into one of those muggle planes at it flew across the country, good thing we dove when we did or we might have been in breech of the decree."
Cassius suppressed a soft chuckle.
The lie was thick if measured in miles.
Neither had real aerial skill, but both loved to spin phantom feats.
Getting close enough to a helicopter would result in such tubulence that would toss you right off your broom, and flying high enough to encounter a plane, you'd feeze, and suffocate to death.
He merely watched, expression reserved, waiting.
He had already taken the precaution of crouching beside his broom.
Quietly as it looked like he was simply tying his shoe, he pulled a couple branches from the broom, using simple reparo's as one hand rested on his holstered wand.
Within moments a broom that would be chaotic, slow, and downright dangerous was brought up to its origional standards.
He next carved a simple sigil into the handle of the broom, a means to help out another student later on.
At this moment the teach arrived.
Madam Rolanda Hooch swept in, short grey hair and catlike eyes contrasting against one another, but the Peeeeeeeee' of her whistle quickly drew everyones attention.
"Good Morning Class."
""Good Morning Madam Hooch""
"Welcome to your first flying lesson, well what are you waiting for everyone step up to the left side of your broomstick, raise your right hand and say up!"
Her voice had that brisk, no-nonsense crack to it.
The students scrambled.
Cassius, Malfoy, and Potter were the only ones whose brooms lifted neatly into their palms the instant Hooch spoke.
Broom remained stagnant not moving at all, while others lolled about rolling on the ground.
Others lazily lifted from the ground before eventually settling into the hand of the caster.
Ron's broom jolted upward at last—then bucked violently and slammed him in the face.
There was a collective gasp, followed by muffled laughter.
Ron sat blinking, his nose reddened, his raised hand frozen above his broom.
Ultimately causing him to be one of the few who chose the humiliation of simply picking up the broom the 'muggleway'.
"Now once you've got hold of your broom, i want you to mount it, grip it tightly, we dont want you sliding off the end. When i blow my whistle i want you to kick off from the ground hard, hover for a moment and then lean forward slightly and touch back down again."
Cassius stood with calm competence, resting his fingers along the broom's wood—feeling its weight, confirming the calmness the broom now exuded compared to the turmoil before.
The class collectively mounted their broom all looking to the madam for her signal.
"On my whistle 3.. 2.. 1... Tweeeeeee"
At once all present kicked off and rose, though only Harry and Cassius did so entirely free of worry or wobble.
Within seconds everyone was back on the ground, with more than a few faces looking like they wished they could stay there.
"Alright good job, next we'll let you fly around on your own a little, but no going higher than five meters!"
With that said the students didnt wait, kicking off on after the other zipping into the sky, well ok the air as no one was willing to disregards the madams word and lose their house points in the process.
Ron's brag quickly came apart as he could just barely make his broom move forward all while he looked like he was going to cry out of fear.
Malfoy was doing better but only just, managing to make his broom fly straight but certainly nothing one could call a genius.
Harry on the other hand was unrestrained, getting a taste of true freedom for the first time, and quickly going to his broom full speed zipping about.
Cassius on the other hand was even worse.
with his modified broom, his speed was double potters
but he didnt simply employ speed, he started by pulling off high risk turns, causing those watching to groan in displeasure as he was mere inches from becoming a permenant fixture in the walls.
Then after getting approval to fly higher, Cassius took to the skys and began performing one arial acrobatic movement on his broom after another.
"Holy-Was that just a wronski feint!"
"That was a Woollongong Shimmy!"
Move after move was performed to the stunned eyes of the students and the gleaming eyes of Madam Hooch.
Her love of the game of quidditch is legendary and to find such a talent was simply amazing, plus considering that the other houses decided the boys fate on whether he'd be playing this year, while they might shy away due to his skills, they also wouldnt be able to resist putting him in his place by defeating him even if it is 7-1.
Cassius on the otherhand cannot wait, the main reason he showcased his flying skill just now was not only to humble harry who'd just discovered what he thinks is talent, but also to provoke the students into wanting him to play.
doing so would allow him to be a first year with their own broom unlike the others, and in doing that he could bring out his ulitmate weapon, the custom broomstick his Arcanum was developing, a broom far surpassing even what the Firebolt supreme could provide.