Author's Note: This flashback is from Ch. 10 and takes place towards the end of their fifth year at Hogwarts. It's one of my personal favorites (:

Midnight Flight

"I really, really don't want to do this, Draco."

"If you really didn't want to, you wouldn't be here."

Hermione folded her arms across her chest. "I'm only here because you said you'd wait all night if I didn't come."

"Well, you're here already. Come on."

She looked at the broom.

It was way past midnight, and they were standing on the Quidditch pitch. The sky was free of clouds, and the moon and stars shone brightly.

"Honestly, I'm an awful flier, and I'm afraid of heights, and I—" she babbled.

Draco scowled. "Oh, quit whining. I thought you were supposed to be brave."

"You can't say that I belong in Slytherin one day and then criticize me for not acting like a Gryffindor the next, Draco."

He just laughed, amused. "Sure I can. Hop on."

"I'm gonna kill you," Hermione grumbled.

She mounted the broom in front of Draco, and he reached around in front of her to grip the handle. He kicked off, and Hermione squeezed her eyes shut, sitting stiffly.

"Relax, Hermione," Draco whispered in her ear. "Open your eyes."

"No. If I see how high up we are, I'm going to scream."

"We aren't even that high up," he reassured her.

Hermione cracked her eye open a bit and gasped. They had to be at least fifty feet high. She held back a scream and whimpered, "This isn't that high?"

Draco chuckled and squeezed her with his upper arms, his hands still tightly grasping the handle of the broom. "Don't worry, Hermione. You can't fall when you're in my arms."

She just shook her head, closing her eyes again. Not being able to see just how high they were made her feel better.

"Wanna see how fast we can go?" she heard him ask.

"I'd really rather—"

Draco suddenly leaned forward, shoving her forward against the broom, and her last word came out in a scream.

"—NOOOOOOOOOOTT!"

He was laughing in her ear as they bolted forward. Then he gave the broom an upward tug, and they started climbing upward, higher and higher.

"Stop—stop—STOP! We're gonna fall—we're gonna die!"

"Relax," said Draco as he pulled level and slowed the broom to a stop.

Hermione was staring down now—she couldn't stop imagining how dreadful it'd be to fall from this height. The Quidditch pitch looked like a small oval to her.

"Stop looking down," Draco said in her ear, still sounding amused.

"I can't."

Draco's left hand released the broom, and Hermione squealed, making him laugh again. She thought they'd fall, but they stayed steady. He used his free hand to tilt her chin upward and lowered his voice.

"Look at the stars from here."

His hand went back to its original position on the broom, and she felt safer. She let her eyes wander across the night sky, taking in the sparkling flecks that stood out from the surrounding blackness. Each star had a little halo of light surrounding it, something she hadn't ever taken the time to notice before. Or maybe it was just because she'd never looked at the stars from so close up.

"They're… beautiful," she said.

"Now tell me, would you ever get a view like this from down below?"

Hermione glanced to her right and noticed that they were hovering higher up than the Astronomy Tower.

"Hermione?" Draco said inquiringly.

She'd relaxed considerably, leaning back on him.

"I haven't ever been this high up before," she said.

Draco laughed yet again. She enjoyed that sound—she'd heard it so many times this night, but it still didn't seem enough.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, easing the broom forward a little.

Hermione giggled. "You sound like Aladdin."

"Who's that?"

"Never mind. Um, no. I don't trust you at all."

She could practically hear his smirk as he replied, "Aw, too bad."

Suddenly, the broom handle turned downward, and Hermione screamed as they plummeted down. The ground, which had seemed too dangerously far away before, was now rushing up to meet them, coming closer and closer far too quickly for her comfort. She felt like her heart had leapt into her throat, and she couldn't stop screaming.

Just as she decided that they'd hit the ground for sure, Draco tugged up on the handle, and they were level again. Hermione finally stopped screaming, gasping for air. Draco whooped excitedly.

"Damn, that's even more fun with an extra person on board. Let's do it again!"

"No—no way!"

"I was kidding. We should probably hurry up and get inside. I wouldn't be surprised if your screams woke up half the castle."

Hermione blushed furiously. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek as he flew them upward, around to the other side of the castle.

"I'll drop you off at your window," he said.

They reached it within seconds, and she pulled out her wand to open the window. She climbed in, terrified of losing her footing and falling to her death. Something told her Draco would have been able to catch her.

When she was inside, he drifted even closer to the window and pulled her over to taste her lips.

"I wish you could stay," she whispered, looking into his eyes.

Draco smiled. "Next time."

Hermione pouted. "I don't even know when we'll get to see each other again."

"Double Potions tomorrow, silly."

She shook her head. "You know what I mean. We've only got a few weeks left."

Draco leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. "If we can't meet again this term, I'll fly by your window on the last night, all right? I promise."

"I want you to come whether or not we see each other before the term ends."

"Whatever you want."

"Don't you dare forget."

"I won't."

They shared another brief kiss, and he zoomed away from the window, darkness enveloping him as he got farther away until he was just a dark shape. Then he rounded the next tower and disappeared from sight.