Harry seized three heavy looking broomsticks from the nearest pile of junk and threw one to Ron and one to Hermione. She grabbed at it and it started to slip through her fingers from her loose and shaky grip. Hermione clutched it to her chest as Ron and Harry mounted theirs and flew up into the rafters.

"Come on Hermione," shouted Ron, "you can do it," whilst Hermione looked timidly at the heavy broomstick that lay in her hands.

"You need to come" pleaded Harry, who knew that Hermione had been scared of flying a broomstick since their first lesson with Madam Hooch. "You're going to die if you do not come with us!"

Then behind her, Hermione heard a whimpering coming from a pile of junk about 15 feet above her. She turned around and all she could see was a figure clutching onto a limp body on top of the mountain of broken furniture. Then she heard it again, but it was louder because she was facing the figure. Instantly she recognised the melodic yet strangled voice of Draco Malfoy. Without realising, Hermione had leaped onto the broomstick, and with all her might, she forced it to take her over to where Draco was crouched on the pile and junk.

When Hermione first had a proper look at Draco, she winced. His body was covered in burns and bruises from trying to get away from the fire which was still getting closer to them. His normally pure face was covered in dirt and cuts, lessening what was a beautiful face. However, this didn't matter because when Draco and Hermione locked eyes, they couldn't even force themselves to look away from each other. Finally after looking into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, Draco gently yet firmly took Hermione's arm and said "let me do this, I know that you have never liked flying a broomstick. Let me fly and you can ride behind me."

So after mounting the broomstick, Draco helped Hermione up and pulled her arms around his waist. "Hold on, I don't want you to fall off" he said to her as they slowly started to rise over the flaming piles of old furniture.

"I would never let go of you." Hermione whispered into his ear as they flew to the entrance of the Room of Requirement.

.

They reached the door and dismounted in the entranceway, facing each other as the doors slammed shut next to them. Without warning, Draco seized Hermione and kissed her full on the mouth, gripping her as close to him as humanly possible. Eventually, Draco and Hermione's faces broke away but they were still clutching onto each other.

"W..Why?" Hermione gently and cautiously said, breaking the silence between them. "Why me?"

"It has always been you Hermione" Draco whispered in her ear as he leaned his head against her shoulder.

At this moment, Harry and Ron come round the corner and stopped abruptly, both with looks of dismay and confusion written all over their faces.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" shouted Ron at Hermione, who was seriously failing to hide sheepish grin that was spreading across her face whilst her and Draco untangled themselves from each other. "You cannot be serious? Malfoy? Malfoy who is a death eater? Malfoy who is buddies with Voldemort?"

"Leave it Ron," Harry quietly said to Ron, but still loud enough for Hermione and Draco to hear.

"No I will not bloody leave it! What are you thinking Hermione? Are you seriously with him?"

Instead of replying, Hermione gave him a withering look, and was then lead away by Draco, down the corridor towards some classrooms.