Getting over my own fears...

[Chantelle]

Chantelle had awoken in the Ravenclaw dorms that morning with the sun peeking through the windows and shining onto the tiny girl's face, making her grey eyes flutter open into a squint.

However, the brunette couldn't simply turn over and try and go back to sleep. Channy had made herself a promise, and it was a promise she was going to keep to. Since she first got on a broom and fell off, spraining her arm, she hadn't dared soar into the air again, but then guilt came. The previous year, Damon had bought her a Nimbus 2003, and it still lay unused in her trunk.

Getting up, the young girl pulled on a blue jumper and some scruffy jeans before heading down to the pitch, her broom held in shaky hands. Why did she think she could do this? Chantelle had almost backed out four times on the way, but eventually, the pitch stood before her, the six goal posts, three on either side. The sun shone down promising a nice day, and Chantelle was suddenly overtaken with nerves. There was no way she could do this, no way at all.

[Kezaa (retired)]

"Yknow, you're gonna get wrinkles on your face if you keep worrying like that." a clear, cool voice of a male rang out gently, about 20 feet or so away. Turned to the side was a seemingly young teenage boy, wearing a long blue coat that reached the backs of his knees and a shabbily fitted uniform. His crookedly placed head boy badge glinted in the rising light of the sun, and his brilliant blonde hair matched the color of the sun to almost a complete hue. He tilted his head towards the young student, his sapphiric blue eyes gleaming with promise. Today was going to be a new and exciting day.

Kezaa had woke up from his appartment in Hogsmeade earler that morning to come and make his rounds about MH, which had unfortunately been neglecting. He was so preoccupied with his studies as of late, that he hardly had time for anything anymore. He just hoped that nothing was wrong around the campus since his watched had thinned so much.

Kez had passed through the Pitch when he noticed the small girl poised nervously over her broom, as if she were afraid it would catapult her through one of the Quiddich goals. He shook his head with a sympathetic smile on his face, and merely hoped that he was able to help. He had played Quiddich himself, but that was quite a while ago.

[Chantelle]

Chantelle had quite visably jumped as a voice was heard behind her. Spinning around quickly, the brunette noticed a boy standing a bit away, looking slightly amused. She instantly recognised the blonde haired boy as Kezaa, the Head Boy of MH, and her face paled. The Head Boy was talking to.. her? A stupid little second year who most people pushed to one side as she walked through crowded corridors?

Shaking herself mentally, Channy stopped thinking and looked towards him, opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish until she eventually came out with: "Sor-So-Sorry... We-Were y-y-you...?" Her voice as usual was almost silent, but filled with nerves. Meeting people was most definately not her forte.

[Kezaa (retired)]

Kezaa could not help but stiffle a giggle at this girl, completely disregarding his advice unintentionally. He could not see how anyone here could be intimidated by him in anyway, as he was known for being perhaps the most laid back of all the faculty of the school. There was less than a handful of people in the entire area that had even seen him act in his polar opposite personality, but it was a rare event indeed.

He gently pushed his hands in his pocket, his dissheveled necktie jsut barely hanging around the loose and lazy knot it was tied in. It was almost as if he was attacked by a rabid wardrobe. Stopping in front of her, the sun formed a faint ring around his head as he smiled gently.

"I was just making my rounds. And it seems like you're a lot more afraid of this thing than you should be."

[Chantelle]

Chantelle clenched her hands slightly to stop herself from shaking as Kezaa walked closer. The tiny girl, standing at four foot nine, had promised that she would get out and try and meet more people, but for some reason she found the same reaction came over her whenever anything like this occured.

Looking down at the broom, and feeling a little reassured that he was friendly by his gentle, warm smile, Channy gave a little nod. "I-I fell o-off las-last time," she explained quietly, her grey eyes not daring to look up. The brunette, despite much coaxing off her flying teacher, had never got over the fear no matter how much she tried.

[Kezaa (retired)]

Kez nodded at her shaky explanation and nodded, as if actually needing time to take it in. He then bent down, taking a squat in front of her so that the short girl would be able to see him better. Afterall, kids usually were less tense when they didn't have to have someone so high up looking so far down on them.

"Well, that's a pretty nice broom there, and beginners usually don't get such fancy brooms like that when they're first time flyers. Since you at least have enough experience to have fallen off, all I need to do is help you get back on, right?"

Kez got up and walked behind her, stretching his arms out to meet with her tiny hands, helping her secure a firmer grip on it. "I used to fly a broom myself, and I was always so clumbsy with it. You would think all brooms were out to get me." he chuckled with a hint of reminescence.

[Chantelle]

Channy nodded once, still feeling a little shaky. A smile came to her lips as Kezaa described how clumsy he was on brooms. Somehow, the tiny girl felt that he was being almost empathetic with her. Looking down at her broom, she could see that the blonde boy was right. It was a nice broom. How she hoped she wouldn't mess it up like she had the school's broomstick when she borrowed it off Kelly.

Her face paled again at the thought of that day. What was she doing? How could she even think of getting back on a broom?

"I-I-I can't," she whispered, suddenly sounding more panicked than ever, and stepping off her broom, dropping it in a frantic state.

[Kezaa (retired)]

The little girl froze in place, as if something horrible had occured to her. He glanced over to her, looking almost ready to bundle up at her knees and start crying.

"What's wrong?" he asked, slightly perplexed but nonetheless concerned.

[Chantelle]

Chantelle shook her head, small blue sparks starting to appear in her hair, threatening to jump off at any second. Her eyes started to turn a bright shade of blue, similar to that of the sparks.

As some of the little bright blue sparks jumped off and to the floor, the brunette jumped back, startled. "I-I'll b-b-b-break it!" she stuttered, her now blue eyes wider than ever.

[Kezaa (retired)]

Kezaa snapped up, poised protectively. Was this girl going to combust? His eyes widened nervously as he very gradually, very cautiously inched his way toward her. He then bent down and scooped her in his arms, stroking her hair gently.

"Ssshhhh...." he crooned, leaning close to her ear and feeling the intense heat radiating from her body. The light streaming from her eyes was particularly troubling, as he was unsure he had seen such phenomena from any student, especially one so young. The sparks blasting from the tips of her hair razed at his palms, but did not scathe them as it would any normal humans.

"Its okay, little one. What's your name?"

[Chantelle]

How had this happened all over again? How had sheallowed herself to get so panicky? How? as Kezaa wrapped his arms around her and tried to calm her down, she still shook with fear and a fresh wave of sparks flew off, making the tiny girl jump once more.

After a few minutes of soothing words being spoken in her ear, the sparks stopped as she calmed down again, and her eyes returned to their usual grey colour, a few almost silent tears falling from them.

"Ch-Chan-Chantelle," she answered, her hicupping voice only a whisper.

[Kezaa (retired)]

Kez pulled back, just enough to look at her squinting eyes, now streaming with tears. He raised an index finger and helped catch some of the tears as he smiled sweetly still to the little girl.

"Chantelle? That's a real pretty name, love. Now tell me, what's the problem now? I promise the broom won't bite. It knows I'lll bite back twice as hard if it harms a hair on your pretty head." he said with a chuckle and ruffled the girl's brunette hair, baiting at her eyes for a hint of a smile.

[Chantelle]

A small, shy laugh came from Chantelle at Kezaa's words. Maybe brooms weren't so bad... As she looked down at her own Nimbus, something struck her hard. All it was was a piece of wood with some bristles in the end and a charm to make it fly.

"Really?" she asked, wiping away a few more tears, a small smile still on her face as she looked up from the floor again.

[Kezaa (retired)]

"You better believe it." Kezaa said with a brotherly grin as he picked up the broom and held it out to Chantelle. His smile emplored her to trust him, as well as herself.

"Go ahead and give it another try. I'll stay right under you to catch you if you fall. How's that sound?" he offered, hoping she would try and turn this into something fun, as it should be.

[Chantelle]

"Sounds good," Channy replied, the weak smile still on her face. As she held her hand above the broom, the tiny girl brought the wand to her hand as her flying teacher had taught her to... this was where she usually froze. This was where she would chicken out.

A small intake of breath was the only sound as she mounted the broom once more. It seemed to shake under her hands... or maybe it was her hands shaking on top of the broom, she was unsure.

Taking some deep breaths, the brunette girl rose into the air shakily, trying to gain her balance on the broom as she rose that tiny bit higher. "It's working!"