Hermione was feeling nervous again as she and Draco stood up in front of the students. It was only the older students but the room was full to bursting. Hermione knew that the names of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy were bound to attract attention and just about every student from the top three year groups seemed to be here. There were a group of 7th year girls right at the front who were giggling and staring at Draco. He gave them a little wave and they erupted into more giggles and chatter.

"Oh please!" Hermione grumbled and Draco turned to look at her.

"Just pleasing my fans," he said but he was grinning.

Hermione groaned and shook her head. "Merlin, you're annoying."

Professor McGonagall had stood up and cleared her throat and the room went quiet.

"Good Morning," she said, her cool eyes surveying the room. "I am very pleased with the interest being shown this morning. I am going to let Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger do most of the talking so if you would please give them a warm welcome..."

The room erupted into applause and both Hermione and Draco stood up. After a moment Draco sat back down, leaving Hermione standing facing the crowd of students alone.

"Good Morning," she said, trying to look and sound as at ease as Neville had done. "Anyone who knew me at school," Hermione indicated Draco and Professor McGonagall, "is probably very surprised by what I do for a living. In fact, I'm quite surprised myself!" A murmur of laughter went around the room. "When you are at school it is very difficult to decide what you might like to do when you leave. Working for yourself may sound like a great option but it doesn't come without problems."

Hermione continued her prepared speech, giving the students an overview of her work and what it involved. When she had finished, Draco stood and addressed the room, talking about his work at the Ministry. Hermione watched him with interest because she had expected him to show-off, boasting about his heroism and generally being his over confident self but he surprised her. He was confident, his mannerisms and general easy going charm made him charismatic, every eye and ear in the room glued to what he was saying but his actual words sounded factual, realistic and almost self depreciating. He was also funny, making the entire room laugh several times and when he was applauded at the end, Hermione found herself joining in willingly.

Professor McGonagall stood again. "Thank you," she said to Draco and Hermione before turning to the students. "We now have time for some questions so anyone who would like to ask, please raise your hand." She scanned the room and pointed to a rather large boy, three rows from the front.

"Terence?"

Terence stood up and shuffled nervously. "This is to Mr Malfoy," he said. "Have you ever had to use an unforgivable curse during your work?"

Hermione watched Draco's expression because this was a question that would have to be answered carefully. It wouldn't be good to let the students think that it was acceptable to use an unforgivable curse, even in the line of Draco's work.

"I have had to use one," Draco said and Hermione narrowed her eyes, not sure he should be telling the students this. She hoped vehemently that he wasn't going to chose this moment to start boasting. A buzz of conversation went around the room and Draco paused for a moment before continuing. "However, we are not authorised to do so, in fact we are told very specifically not to. The skill of being an Auror doesn't lie in throwing curses around. The main skill we use is one of negotiation, surveillance and prevention. I know that the impression given may be that an being an Auror is a very exciting job and sometimes it is, but it is also very demanding. It requires patience and control and these are as important as the exciting stuff."

Terence sat down and Hermione was again impressed with Draco's answer. It had been spot on - truthful but also cautionary. Professor McGonagall chose another student. The girl was tall and standing right at the back as there weren't enough seats. "Penelope?"

Penelope stepped a bit closer and raised her voice. "Miss Granger - how can you truly understand how to make a broom react and fly if you can't fly yourself?"

"Penelope is Ravenclaw's seeker," Professor McGonagall explained and Hermione smiled.

"It's a good question and one Mr Malfoy asked me recently as well," Hermione answered. "I think my ability to make brooms react comes from my understanding of magic and my interest in that. Mr Potter has every experience with flying and he is very specific when he requires certain brooms to do certain things. I then convert his request into a magical charm." Hermione put her head to one side. "I rely on our customers to tell us if I'm getting it right or not."

"Tara?" Professor McGonagall selected one of the 7th year girls that Draco had waved at earlier. She was a pretty girl with beautiful, long, golden hair and she spoke quietly. Hermione wasn't fooled into thinking her shy however because her eyes were brazen, never leaving Draco's face for one moment as she spoke.

"My question is for Mr Malfoy - were you not tempted to use your charisma, business acumen and stunning looks to concentrate on running your own business empire?"

Another wave of voices went round the room at the tone and words of her question. Hermione narrowed her eyes at the girl because this was a thinly disguised attempt at flirting with Draco. She awaited his reaction, remembering his comment about pleasing his fans earlier.

"Thank you for the compliments, Tara, " Draco answered the young girl. "However, looks and charisma have very little to do with running a business. I think to make a business successful you have to have real love of the thing you do - in Miss Granger's case not the actual product but how it is made to work. I never had a proper interest in anything that could be made into a business and the chance for me to be an Auror was exactly what I wanted." Draco paused for the briefest of moments, his head lowered slightly, his eyes looking up at the students from under his lashes. "If I'm totally honest I saw a career as an Auror to rectify some of my past wrong doings - to prove to everyone that I had really changed and that I did know right from wrong. Hopefully, I am starting to break the association with the Malfoy name and being on the wrong side."

Tara, who hadn't quite got the reply she had wanted, sat down abruptly and there was a small round of applause. Hermione joined in, shocked and very pleasantly pleased with Draco's reply. What had happened to the obnoxious, overbearing idiot who had been parading around their wing for the past few days?

"Final question - Sara-Louise?" Professor McGonagall indicated a small, dark skinned girl near the door.

"Yes - this is to both. While you were at Hogwarts what did you learn that has benefited you the most since leaving and what do you wish you had done but didn't?"

"Excellent question!" Professor McGonagall commented.

Hermione nodded to Draco, indicating that he could go first. Draco appeared to think for a minute and then he bestowed his breathtaking smile on the room. "Well, the thing that benefited me the most was definitely the excellent tuition of the professors, which I had absolutely no appreciation of while I was here!" He glanced over at Professor McGonagall who smiled at him. "The thing I wish I had done is won the Quidditch cup!" He again glanced at Professor McGonagall who now rolled her eyes at his less than studious answer. "Oh and maybe been the best student at Hogwarts every now and again instead of the second best, behind Miss Granger."

Hermione who had been having an internal debate with herself about how honest her answer should be had her attention caught as Draco said her name. She couldn't help but smile at his compliment and she replied to that first. "I think you were third sometimes actually..." Laughter filled the room and Hermione hardly dare look at Draco because everyone's amusement really was at his expense. He was probably fuming at her. She dared a glance and he was sitting back in his chair, surveying the room and if she wasn't mistaken there was a smile playing around his lips.

"Sorry," she said to him, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I hope I'm allowed to say that two things benefited me most at school? I learnt that although studying is supremely important, sometimes actions speak louder than words and the best way to deal with some problems is to face them full on. My other choice are the friendships I made, some of which have stayed with me to this day and are invaluable. The thing I wished I had done at school is learn to fly."

She saw Draco's head turn swiftly towards her out of the corner of her eye but she kept facing the students.

"You could learn now." One of the students called.

"I'll teach you!" Another voice called and the room burst into laughter again.

"Thank you," Hermione smiled. She took a breath, knowing she was about to make rather a large confession. Somehow, Draco's surprising honesty had seemed to trigger within her the need to do the same. "But actually, I can fly now, I meant I just wished I had learnt it at school..."

"What?" Draco had turned to look at her, his face showing his surprise.

"I was taught to fly by a friend, so apart from enjoying making the brooms fly, I do know how it feels to ride them."

The room burst into applause again and Professor McGonagall stood up. "Thank you, everyone. Please leave quietly as I believe the other lecture is still in progress." She came over and thanked Hermione and Draco for the doing the lecture.

"Miss Granger's talk of learning to fly has actually given me an idea," Professor McGonagall said and she smiled at Draco. "I was wondering if you and Mr Potter would like to give a master class in the art of flying. I'm sure the students would enjoy being taught by you both."

Draco nodded and made no comment about being paired with Harry. Hermione excused herself and started walking back towards the castle. Professor McGonagall's idea was a good one - the students would be clamouring for a master class from Draco and Harry. She was glad she'd confessed to being able to fly - although she had no intention of ever telling them the real story behind her new skill.

"Granger!" Hermione heard Draco calling her and sighed. She stopped and turned around to find him sprinting towards her. He stopped when he got close and she raised her eyebrows at him questioningly.

"What?"

"I knew there was more yours and Potter's relationship," Draco said. He was a bit windswept from running to catch her up, his cheeks slightly pink and Hermione found herself staring at him.

"I told you we're friends."

"And yet he persuaded you onto a broom?" Draco pressed her for an answer.

"Actually, no he didn't."

"Who then? Not Weasley? Merlin help you if he's taught you to fly!" Hermione ignored him and turned away, walking back to the castle again and then she felt him alongside her. "I know who it was," he said. "Weaslette! Of course - it's obvious. Now, if she taught you then I expect you to be bloody good."

Hermione stopped walking and turned to him. "Why are you in any way interested?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know - I just can't imagine you on a broomstick."

"Do you imagine me a lot then?" Hermione questioned him with a smirk he would have been proud of.

"You wish!"

"Actually, no I don't," Hermione said.

"McGonagall's flying master class idea is genius. You could come and be an example of how someone who hates flying can be reformed with the right teacher," Draco's expression didn't tell her if he was being serious or not.

"Not gonna happen."

"Why not? Don't you want to help the less able students?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You can't manipulate me, Malfoy - I know you too well!" She started walking again and this time he didn't follow her. She was a few steps away when he spoke again.

"Take my word for it, Granger - I'll get you on a broom before we leave here or my name isn't Malfoy."

So - Hermione can fly! Let me know what you thought. x