SUMMARY
How exactly do Draco and Hermione feel about each other? After Draco saves Hermione's life on a class trip, things start to get complicated. Will the adventures (and misadventures) they have while being forced to work together change their feelings? Sometimes the best relationships are the ones you never saw coming.
Some people who didn't actually come back for an 8th year are here, like Ron and Harry! Enjoy!
The grounds of Hogwarts looked exceptionally stunning this fall. From above, the lake was smooth as glass, reflecting the silvery grey sky. Nearby, the Forbidden Forest was a patchwork of crimson, gold, and deep green leaves.
Unfortunately, Hermione was unable to enjoy the view. She was flying on her broom, too afraid to look down.
Hermione had been thrilled when McGonagall had announced a special trip to Paris for those who had missed seventh year due to "unfortunate circumstances". She was so excited to go and learn, especially since Harry, Ron and Ginny were coming as well.
Hermione watched as Harry, Ron, Ginny and Dean reached the forest at the edge of the lake. They were so far ahead of the rest of the group that they were playing some sort of game, spinning and flipping and dodging between the trees on their brooms.
"Show offs", Hermione muttered, perfectly content to stay at the back of the group with Lavender and Neville, who were almost as bad at flying as she was. Lavender, for her part, seemed to be enjoying it.
"Isn't flying across the lake fun?" Lavender squealed, tilting dangerously on her broom.
I'd rather swim across the lake and take my chances with the Giant Squid, Hermione thought glumly. She wrapped her hands tighter around the broom and tried not to think about the possibility of falling.
The only people behind them were Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, who were only slow because they had been joking around the entire trip. Hermione turned to watch as Blaise pulled an apple out of his pocket, and lobbed it out over the lake. Draco chased it, pulling into a dive so sharp that it made Hermione's stomach swoop just watching it. He caught the apple just before it hit the water, shooting upwards and letting out out a whoop of triumph, before tossing the apple for Blaise.
Next to Hermione, Lavender sighed. She had been watching Draco as well. "He's pretty good. I wonder if he would teach me how to do that. He might, you know. I reckon he's gotten nicer."
Hermione blinked. Lavender was right in saying that Draco had changed, Hermione thought. Still, she wouldn't be going around asking him for lessons. Just because Malfoy no longer went out of his way to be rude, didn't excuse the fact that he was a former (reluctant) Death Eater, nor that he had been rude to her and her friends for the past seven years.
After a few more terrifyingly eventful minutes of flying, in which Lavender sneezed and lost control of her broom, and in which Hermione accidentally sent her broom in a nosedive towards the water, they finally reached the other side of the lake. Hermione let out a sigh of relief as she hovered for a moment, taking in the view. From her height above the treetops she could see the train station, and just beyond that she had a beautiful view of the peaked roofs of Hogsmede. It wouldn't take long to reach the Hogwarts Express, and Hermione was very much looking forward to having her feet planted firmly on the ground. She shivered as a chilly autumn wind gusted past; it was so strong that she had to clutch onto her broom with both hands. Her skinny jeans and thin burgundy sweater did little to keep her warm.
Hermione was too concentrated on staying upright to notice that the gust of wind had caused Neville to completely lose control of his broom. She heard a shout and turned to look just as the tip of his broom slammed against her ribs. She felt herself slipping backwards and struggled to right herself, her hands scrabbling for purchase on the shiny handle. Her stomach dropped as her legs slipped to dangle off the back tail of the broom. The broom tilted even more under her weight as Hermione slid even farther back. She was going to fall. Desperately, she reached her right hand up and managed to close her fist around the tail twigs of the broom. She held on as tightly as she could, her knuckles white, her legs dangling, and her heart beating like thunder in her chest. She was too panicked to even scream. Below her, the ground was very, very far away and the broom twigs were just barely managing to support her. She reached her free hand for her back pocket. If only she could grab her wand she could –
CRACK
The tail twigs snapped. And Hermione was falling. She screamed and flailed her arms, as if doing so could slow her descent. But the ground kept getting closer, closer, closer, and the trees didn't look very welcoming either. She was so close now that she could count out the individual leaves on the oak tree that she was about to splatter onto.
Ironic, Hermione thought, that I would survive the War only to be killed by falling off my broom. She closed her eyes.
Suddenly, an arm wrapped around Hermione's middle with such force that it knocked the breath out of her in a sharp gasp. Her eyes flew open. Whoever they were, they were slowing her fall. But, Hermione realized with a jolt, they weren't slowing fast enough. They crashed into the tree canopy a tangle of limbs, the branches breaking painfully under their combined weight. Branches scratched at Hermione's arms and legs as she tumbled through them, until the earth rushed up to greet her and she slammed against the dirt. Hard.
Hermione lay still, her ears ringing and her eyes closed, struggling to process what had just happened. Her entire body ached. Who had saved her? And why was the ground so warm? Blearily, she lifted her head and cracked open her eyes. She wasn't lying on the ground at all.
She was lying on Draco Malfoy.
Hermione sat up with a jolt, still on top of him. He wasn't moving. His eyes were closed. Her heart lurched. Draco looked almost like a fallen angel, so silvery-pale in comparison to the dark earth. She leaned closer to him, her unbound hair falling in a curtain around his face. Was he okay? He didn't always look that pale, did he? She remembered the CPR basics she'd taught herself last summer, when she was on the run with Harry and Ron. Was she supposed to check his heartbeat or his breathing first? Trying to stop herself from panicking, she leaned down and pressed her ear against his chest.
Please be okay, Hermione thought. Please, please, please don't let me be the one to have killed you after you came to save me, though I have no idea why you would do that. Please just wake up and be back to your usual annoying, arrogant—
"Granger, what the hell are you doing?" snapped a cold voice. Hermione sat back up with surprise. She felt her face going red as she stared down at Draco. His blue eyes were icy when they met her own, so startling in contrast to his pale face.
"Er well… I mean it was… you were on the ground and you weren't moving… I mean, I was just checking if you were all right," she stammered.
"You have a wand, you know, and I would have thought you of all people knew healing spells," Malfoy said, with a crooked smile. "But for some reason you thought the solution was to straddle me and lie on my chest?" Hermione looked down, and realised that she was still sitting with her legs pressed against either side of his hips.
She jumped up, embarrassed. It wasn't the first time she had forgotten about her wand in a panic.
"Must you always be so arrogant! I was just making sure you were okay!" Hermione said angrily, reaching for her wand, "Besides its your fault, you didn't need to come save me in the first place!"
"How could that be my fault?" Malfoy got to his feet and snatched his wand from the ground, "You were the one who was idiotic enough to fall off a stationary broom!"
They were both standing now, their wands out and aimed at each other's chests.
"Why save me in the first place then, if you hold me in such high regard?" Hermione sneered, her voice dripping sarcasm.
"Obviously if I hadn't—"
"That is enough!" barked the stern voice of Professor McGonagall, landing between them. The rest of the class had finally gathered and were hovering above the clearing watching the scene unfold.
"Are you two all right?" she asked her voice soft. Hermione and Draco nodded.
"Well in that case I have half a mind to kick you off the trip for such behaviour!" McGonagall yelled, her nostrils flaring. "However, I will be giving you two one more chance." she paused, and seemed to consider something before continuing. "You two will work together to write me... twenty-four inches of parchment on what you have learned about the wizarding history of France, due at the end of the trip!"
"Twenty-four inches?" Malfoy said incredulously, "And I have to work with her? You can't be serious professor!"
"Malfoy is right," Hermione said, "I would much rather write twenty-four inches of parchment by myself than work with him."
"I don't want to hear any more of your nonsense!" McGonagall snapped. "If I don't see you two working together and setting aside your differences then you will not be allowed on my trip!"
Thank you so much for reading the first chapter. I've already started work on the next chapter! JPlease please please leave me a review I would love to know what you think, or if you have any suggestions or comments! Follow or favourite if you really like it! Thanks – Ellie
