AN: So usually, I update every four days, but yesterday was a perfect excuse not to update as often as I do. If you care, at around 11:30 am a tree in my backyard fell down on the power lines so my whole house was out of power, so no lights, no Internet, no AIR CONDITIONING. My family was baking in my living room until they finally fixed it at around 9:30 at night, which in my opinion, was too late for me to put up the new chapter. I've been meaning to slow down how quickly I put up my chapters anyway. A lot has been going on so the every four days isn't working for me anymore. I'm thinking that now maybe I'll do a post a week. I get over things really quickly, especially if they are about to take over my life and this story is very close to doing that. That's all for now. So I hope you enjoy this chapter!

I stared up at the sun,

Thought of all of the people, places and things I've loved.

I stared up just to see

With all of the faces, you were the one next to me.

Song Inspiration: If I Lose Myself by OneRepublic

Dinner ended twenty minutes ago. Walking into her room, Hermione opened up her blinds to let the light from the falling sun enter her room. She sat on her bed and opened up her Arithmancy books. Five minutes in, she was interrupted by a knock at her window. Squinting, she tried to see who was just beyond the glass, but the sun was shining too brightly. She pushed opened the windows and walked onto the balcony, where she saw Draco Malfoy hovering beside the railing on his broomstick. His hair was tousled from the wind and his cheeks had a foreign pink tint.

"Malfoy, what are you doing?"

"Come for a ride."

She laughed.

"Okay, what's the real reason?"

"Come on, Granger. It's going to get cold in a few weeks and it's the perfect temperature tonight."

She sighed. It was a nice night out.

"I have Arithmancy homework."

His eyes narrowed.

"The same Arithmancy homework that was assigned today and isn't due until two weeks from Thursday?"

"I want to get a head start," she explained, as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

He groaned.

"Granger, do something spontaneous."

"I'm afraid of heights," she mumbled.

"What?"

"I'm afraid of heights, Malfoy! It's not that uncommon, you know!"

He flinched.

"I wasn't saying that. I really couldn't hear you."

"I'm sorry, Malfoy. I always have been and I don't think that'll change because you offer me a ride on the back of your broom."

"Do you trust me?"

She sighed again.

"That's neither here nor there."

"Do you trust me," he asked again, with more conviction.

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Then trust me when I say that you'll be fine. I won't drop you and I won't go too fast. And once you tell me to land, I will."

She stood there thinking it over. She knew he was a skilled flyer and that he wouldn't make a promise he didn't intend on keeping, but this was still Draco Malfoy. He was arrogant and condescending and mean, but nice when he wanted to be. She had homework to get done and not to mention her fear of heights. Everything was shoving her in the direction of saying no, but then she looked at his face.

"Okay."

He looked shocked and relieved for a quick second before he smiled and reached his hand out to help her climb on behind him. Steadying herself behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her forehead against the middle of his back.

"Granger, close your eyes, and I'll tell you when we've landed."

Hermione closed her eyes and took a shaky breath, as she felt the broom take off.

He was right. It was a beautiful day out. She could feel the warm wind displacing her hair. He turned slightly to the right and Hermione could now feel the sun against her skin. Angling her head to the left, she braved opening her eyes. She gasped as the sky looked as if it had exploded with colors.

He slowed the broom.

"Are you okay," he asked.

"Yeah," she replied. It was mostly pink but it was splattered with purples, yellows, and oranges. "It's beautiful up here.

"It gets better, trust me."

After a few minutes, he spoke again.

"Close your eyes again. I'm going to pick up a little speed."

Take us down and we keep trying,

Forty thousand feet, keep flying.

Take us down and we keep trying,

Forty thousand feet, keep flying.

Her eyes fluttered shut and she tightened her arms as they went faster. It was a few more minutes before he told her that they were going to land. She felt the broom stop as Malfoy's legs touched the earth.

"Alright, Granger, we're here."

Her eyes opened and she surveyed the area around her. It was meters and meters of grass on every side. She climbed off the broom and walked a few yards. She was thoroughly unimpressed.

"Malfoy, where are we?"

"The Forbidden Forest."

WHAT?

"What?! Malfoy, you can't be this dumb. Why are we in the middle of the Forbidden Forest?! Do you know how many things are waiting out there to make us their next meal?"

"Relax, Granger. I've been here before. There's a spell or something around it. It's impenetrable."

She continued to look skeptical, but after a few minutes of walking near the perimeter, she believed him.

"Why are we here, Malfoy?"

She watched as he removed a few items from his pockets and they grew slowly into a few blankets and pillows.

"What is this? Some sort of sleep over?"

He smirked.

"Some sort."

By the time he finished setting up the blankets and pillows on the ground, it had become completely dark. He lied down and rested his arms behind his head.

"Come on, Malfoy. Really. What are we doing here?"

"Granger, you ask so many questions."

She glared at him.

He patted the area next to him.

"Come lie down. You won't regret it."

Hermione stood there contemplating whether she should demand him to return her to the castle or just cave. After all, she had agreed to come all this way with him. He didn't force her, but he didn't really have to because a part of her knew she would have said yes to begin with.

"Do you trust me?"

There was the question again. She sighed.

"I thought I already said that I did."

"Then act like it. Stop questioning everything."

Relenting, Hermione finally decided to walk over to the blanket. As her head touched the pillow, her eyes surveyed the sky and widened. The sky was flooded with stars, more than she had time to count. They shone bright and twinkled perfectly. She relaxed and looked to see if she could find any familiar constellations.

"What do you think," Malfoy said from beside her.

If I lose myself tonight,

It'll be by your side.

I lose myself tonight...

If I lose myself tonight,

It'll be you and I.

Lose myself tonight...

"Malfoy, it's amazing. How'd you find this place?"

"I've been coming into the Forbidden Forest since last year, and about a week ago, I found this place. You can't go through the Forest, but you have to come from above, so it gave me another reason to use my broom."

"This would be amazing for an Astronomy lesson."

He laughed.

"Leave it to you to make this into a class discussion."

"Really, Malfoy. Look," she said as she pointed at a particular constellation. "There's Cassiopeia. Right next to her is Cepheus, her husband, and a few stars over just like your aunt, her daughter, Andromeda."

"How do you know all of this?"

"It's easier to remember when you know their stories."

"What are their stories," he asked as he turned his head towards her.

She turned on her side to face him.

"Cassiopeia was the queen of Aethiopia. She use to boast that her daughter, Andromeda, was prettier than Poseidon's daughter, Nereids, so he sent a sea monster to attack Aethiopia."

She took a dramatic pause.

"Come on, Granger, I'm dying here," Malfoy said sardonically.

She laughed.

"Okay, okay. So in order to save Aethiopia, Cassiopeia and her husband, Cepheus chained Andromeda to a rock near the ocean so that the sea monster could devour her in a sort of sacrifice, but thank Merlin for Perseus."

"Who's Perseus?"

"Be patient," she jokingly scolded. "Perseus was the son of Zeus, one of the many sons of Zeus. He saved Andromeda from the rock and killed the sea monster. Cepheus's brother, Phineus, expected to marry Andromeda, but Perseus became her husband when he used Medusa's head to turn Phineus and his men to stone."

"So where is Perseus's constellation?"

Hermione turned on her back to look at the sky. After a few seconds, she conceded.

"Honestly, Malfoy. I know it's somewhere in this area, but I couldn't tell you which stars make it up exactly."

"Wow. Something Hermione Granger doesn't know?"

She glared at him.

"Don't worry, Granger. It's bound to happen to the best of us. I won't tell."

She went to change the subject from her error.

"I see your namesake."

"Where?"

She traced the outline with her finger.

"You see it?"

She looked over while his eyes searched the sky. He shook his head no. Moving her head closer to his, she grabbed his hand and outlined the constellation again, using his pointer finger. After, she dropped his hand.

"Do you see it now?"

"Yeah, I do. What's the story behind that one?"

"Well one of the dragons, Ladon, was given the job of guarding Hesperides's golden apples, and these apples were special because they gave immortality. Hercules was told to steal the apples and the dragon was killed in the process."

"Oh."

Hermione thought he sounded a bit disappointed.

"It was a noble death," she added.

"I'm sure it was."

Silence engulfed them, and after a few minutes, Hermione glanced over and saw Malfoy's eyes closed.

"Malfoy, why'd you bring me here," she whispered.

"What," he mumbled, as his eyes popped open.

"Why'd you invite me here with you?"

This time, Malfoy turned to face her.

"I'm not completely sure. When I first saw this, I was going to be completely selfish and pray that no one found it, but what's the point of having something so great if you can't share it with someone. Plus, I wasn't completely sure who would appreciate this as much as I would, but then I saw you in the Astronomy tower last night."

Her turned her head towards him in shock.

"Malfoy, that was you?!"

"Yeah," he laughed. "I was trying to be stealth."

"Stealth?! More like stalking! I thought I had a creep on my hands."

"Don't worry, Granger. It was nothing like that. I just didn't want to disturb you."

"Well, thanks for the thought, Malfoy. I've never seen anything like this."

"Plus, it gave me an excuse to see you besides in our meetings."

She narrowed her eyes but her lips had an skyward quirk.

"You do remember that we share a Heads' common room, right?"

"A common room that you're never in."

She laughed.

"Someone sounds slighted, but I'll make more of an effort to stay in the common room."

Malfoy looked a bit hesitant before he leaned down and claimed Hermione's lips. She stiffened before she relaxed into the kiss and put her arms around his neck. He pulled away after a few seconds.

She was breathless.

"What was that for," she asked between breaths.

"Just call it a bit of an incentive."

She pushed him to lie on his back again before she kissed him again. When she pulled away, she moved down to lie on his chest.

"What was that for," he repeated her earlier question as he wrapped his arm around her back.

She shrugged.

"I felt like it."

She didn't really remember what happened after that, but she knew she dozed off against his chest. The warm rays from the early morning sun woke her up as they showered her face in light. She lifted her head from Draco's chest and saw him sleeping peacefully. She took the chance to admire his features. His hair looked brighter, whiter in the sunlight and his skin was completely smooth. His nose was slightly pointy, but his lips were pink and full. She leaned down to place a quick kiss against his lips before she whispered his name.

"Draco, it's time to wake up."

He wrinkled his nose and groaned.

"Come on, Malfoy," she tried again, as she placed a kiss against his cheek. "I can't kiss you properly if you're still asleep."

His eyes fluttered open and he smiled.

I woke up with the sun,

Thought of all of the people, places and things I've loved.

I woke up just to see

With all of the faces, you were the one next to me.