Unfortunately for Harry, Malfoy is a worse bully than Dudley. Slytherin and Gryffindor have joint flying lessons, and the boys come face to face with each other. Everyone is obsessed with Quidditch, and the students chat about their flying experience. Harry, Hermione, and Neville are the most nervous about flying.

Later that week, Neville receives a package from his grandmother. The gift is a Remembrall, a ball that becomes red when its owner has forgotten something. In this comedic moment, Neville holds up the red ball and declares that he’s forgotten what it was he was supposed to remember. Malfoy steals the Remembrall, but Professor McGonagall quickly demands that he return it to Neville. At flying lessons that day, Madam Hooch instructs the students to hover their hands over the assigned brooms and say, “Up!” Only a handful of students, including Harry, manages to get their broom to rise. Madam Hooch teaches the children how to mount and take off on their brooms. Harry wonders if “perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid” (116).

Neville has an accident, falls off his broom, and breaks his wrist. Hooch takes Neville to the infirmary while ordering everyone else to stay off their brooms.