This is my first story, all sorts of constructive criticism accepted.
Summary: Learning to fly isn't all that bad... Hermione seems to think Blaise Zabini is a better teacher than Madame Hooch (but you didn't hear that...)
Rating: T to be on the safe side.
Disclaimer: Anything you recognise isn't mine.
Chapter 1: Just Relax.
Hermione Granger sat in the stands of the newly rebuilt Quidditch pitch; the war had somehow demolished most of it. Harry, Ron and Ginny were flying around with pitch with Luna Lovegood, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan and Neville Longbottom. She was having trouble not looking down at the ground; it was bad enough being up high in the stands, let alone a broom! She didn't know how her friends could stand it.
After sitting and flat out refusing Ron's offers to teach her how to fly, she heard footsteps. Lowering her gaze to the seat next to her, she smiled at Blaise Zabini. Hermione and Blaise were now good friends, the war severing any unfriendliness between the two; they had been in each other's classes for years.
"Hi, Blaise. What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, smiling up at the comical, slightly chubby Blaise.
"Oh, nothing, just here to see my lovely Gryffindor Princess," He said, waggling his eyebrows at Hermione. She really liked Blaise, for four years she had him in her classes. But she hadn't told anyone.
"Oh, is my knight in shining armour here to rescue me from the terrible dragon?" She asked dramatically, placing her hands over her heart and pretending to swoon in her seat.
"Nope, I'm here to teach you how to fly!" He exclaimed, his bubbly grin on his dark-skinned face.
Hermione looked up in fright. "What?!"
"You heard. Now get on the broom." Blaise commanded, though he was still smiling. He held his Firebolt out to her, tilting his head as if to say, 'I dare you.'
Hermione sank back into her seat, looking up at the grinning Blaise. "I. Am. Not. Going. To. Fly." She stood up and poked Blaise in the chest to emphasise her words. "Ever."
Blaise kept grinning. "You know you want to." He said flirtatiously. Hermione froze, and then said with an air of defeat, "Fine. You win. But I get to teach you how to knit." She said darkly as she grabbed his Firebolt and placed it between her legs. She felt Blaise hop on behind her.
She froze again; she could feel him rubbing up against her. "Just relax," Hermione felt Blaise's hot breath tickle her ear. "Just relax." She let go of her rigid muscles, and she melted into Blaise. He placed his arms around her to grab hold of the broom.
"You ready?" He whispered his breath warm and ticklish again. "As ready as I'll ever be." She replied, and as she felt Blaise kick off, she turned so that her head was against Blaise's chest and her eyes were closed.
"Open your eyes, Mione," He said, and Hermione reluctantly opened her cinnamon eyes and looked up into Blaise's near black ones. Seeing his smile reflected in his eyes, she looked around. It was breathtaking, it really was. She could see the lake, the mountains, the forest, her friends playing Quidditch, even Hogsmeade.
"I thought the same thing when I first went flying," Blaise said, and she noticed him watching her. She smiled. "Thank you Blaise. It's beautiful up here." She felt a slight pressure on her shoulder and looked down. Blaises chin was resting on her shoulder and his hands were sliding down the broom handle to hers. "Just relax," he told her again.
His hands met hers.
His eyes connected with hers.
For a long moment, they sat there, allowing the electricity the felt to flow to every inch of them.
His lips connected with hers.
For a second Hermione could remember nothing. Time had stopped. She was kissing Blaise, they were sitting on a broomstick... and his lips were like nothing Hermione had ever tasted. She had wanted him so badly, that when she finally had him, she wanted nothing else.
When they surfaced for air, they noticed it was getting dark. Smiling shyly at each other, Blaise led Hermione's hands, steering the broom, until they were almost at the castle doors. Looking over at the Quidditch pitch, she saw all of her friends still playing. She touched down with Blaise and hopped off the broom with a spring in her step.
They looked at each other momentarily, before Hermione all but jumped on Blaise and was attacking his lips with her own. Time had stopped again. They pulled apart, breathing heavily. Blaise's cheeks were flushed, and Hermione was sure hers were as well. She couldn't remember ever feeling this contented, yet feeling like she wanted to jump, scream, run, do things with Blaise she had only ever thought she could think about.
So instead she hugged him, and whispering into his ear, said "Thank you Blaise. For everything. I'll talk to you straight after dinner," She promised, kissed him quickly on the lips and ran inside, all the way up to her Head Girl's dorm. At that moment, she was glad she had a portrait door and passageway leading right to the Head boy's dorm, which happened to be... Blaise Zabini.
Throwing herself on her bed, she sat and thought about how good her life was. Good grades, the war was over, and now. Just this afternoon she had been afraid to fly, to just jump on a broom. But
now she could do that, and all thanks to a boy... a boy who she had thought about constantly for four years.
She got changed into her 'inside clothes' – the clothes she wore inside the slightly warmer castle than the grounds – and brushed her hair. She practically flew down the seven floors to the Great Hall for dinner. She pushed open the doors and sat down next to Ginny, and across from Harry and Ron, the three having obviously just come back from the Quidditch pitch, with their warmer clothes still on and their cheeks pink.
They chatted for a bit while eating, Hermione not mentioning it to any of them what had happened practically right above them while they were immersed in their game.
Hermione looked up and met Blaise's eyes. He winked at Hermione. Her heart felt like it was about to burst and melt at the same time. This must have shown because Ginny looked concernedly at her and said "Hermione, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, just 'girl stuff' going on right now." She said, feigning PMS.
Dinner finished five minutes later, and Hermione got squished up against someone familiar in the mad scramble to leave the great hall.
"Fancy seeing you here." She turned, meeting Blaise's eyes once again. "Ypu wanted to talk?"
Hermione smiled up at him. She had an idea. "Yeah, meet me in my room in about an hour."
Blaise winked at her again, then whispered seductively in her ear, "Oh, getting a bit kinky there aren't we?"
Hermione gave him a smile and elbowed him in the ribs. "Fine, I'll come fully dressed." Laughing, Hermione left the hall and ran up past Ginny, Ron and Harry without waiting for them, causing them to think something was wrong with her.
"What's up with her then?" Ron asked, in an annoyed voice.
Seriously, Ron, she's got girl trouble, don't get involved." Ginny said in a patronising voice.
Hermione, however was getting ready for the night ahead, she was sure Blaise would love it.
