Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury books, Scholastic books and Warner Brothers have that pleasure. I am merely borrowing them.

Chapter Four: Flying High

Harry snatched his broom and rushed back down the stairs his heart hammering against his ribs. There won't be enough time! He stopped by a window, flung it open, and he was out. The wind cut through him stinging the exposed skin of his face and fingers. Merlin, it's cold. He must not think about the freezing temperatures or the glacial wind biting at him. He had to put everything else from his mind and just focus on getting the Slytherin down safe. Concentrate.

Snape and Lupin's eyes were fixed on the strangely surreal sight before them. Draco's robes and clothes lay in a heap on the snow laden ground. The boy was soaring high above the crowd below. Some of the younger students were snickering and pointing, others, mostly Slytherins, were horrified yet could not look away.

"DRACO! Bloody hell!" Snape pointed his wand at his throat. "Sonorus. Draco, come down here at once!"

Snape's hair and robes were lifted by the breeze as the boy swooped down. "Sod off!" The Potions Master reached out a hand but Draco was too quick. He shot straight up until he was level with the turrets.

"Draco, you must land now!" Snape used the tone reserved for making first years wet themselves.

In answer Draco rose higher. A strong gust pulled him to the side causing the spectators to gasp. Draco felt euphoric yet very aware of his surroundings, the height giving him a whole new perspective. He teasingly darted between the branches of the Whomping Willow narrowly avoiding being struck by a thrashing limb. He swooped lower spotting the red hair of Head Boy Ron Weasley. Grinning, he dove down causing students to scatter and startling Ron causing him to totter backward landing with a dull thump in the snow. Up he flew again.

"Look, there's someone else!" Heller pointed toward the quickly flying figure, jet robes fluttering behind him, as he separated himself from the shadows of the castle.

"It's Harry!" Whooped Ron, causing a murmur to rise in the ranks of the Gryffindors.

"POTTER!" Snape growled his wand at the ready.

"It's okay, Severus. Harry will take care of this…problem." Lupin's face brightened at the sight of Harry rapidly overtaking Draco.

Scowling deeply, Snape cast a frosty glance over his shoulder, sardonic retort frozen on his lips as he saw Dumbledore approach.

The Headmaster's pale blue eye assessed the situation, a small frown creasing his brow. "Ah, I see our Harry is there as well. Good. Good."

Snape stood quietly seething.

"Professor Lupin, please ask Professor McGonagall to find a substitute for Professor Snape's afternoon classes. Tell her I will seek her out and explain things later." Dumbledore looked at the student body assembled, "…Also, please see the students into the Great Hall. I believe lunch awaits." A wellspring of complaints flowed around them at the suggestion.

"Come now, all of you." Lupin slowly corralled the students back inside, shutting the doors soundlessly after one last glance. Remaining outside were Snape, Dumbledore and the two aerialists.

Draco climbed higher. Nothing can ruin this day. He saw Harry zooming toward him. Bloody Hell! "Potter, go away!"

"Malfoy, come down now." Harry's lips were getting numb already from the cold; he felt tingling in his fingers and nose. He was going to end this as soon as was humanly possible.

"Sod off, Golden Boy." Frosty puffs of air accentuated each word. Draco soared higher.

"Wait, Malfoy, knock it off!" Draco turned and stopped. They hovered, facing each other, many meters from the ground. "Malfoy, we need to land. It's freezing out here." A violent shudder passed through Harry's body causing him to tighten his grip on the firebolt.

"What? I hadn't noticed…" He took one alabaster hand off his broom to point at Harry, "If you want to land feel free." Another draft and he wobbled on the broom. Laughing, he held on again and spun in a circle.

Up close Harry could see that he was wearing white boxers, thank Merlin, but nothing else. His skin was white and waxy. "Malfoy you'll freeze to death."

"I will not. I am a MALFOY!" Saying this he flung up both arms holding onto the broom with only the strength of his thighs.

Dumbledore and Snape continued to watch the scene, frozen in horror. They now both had their wands out, ready to assist.

"Fine!" Harry agreed. "You're a Malfoy. W-Where are your c-clothes?" The cold was getting to him. Focus!

"They slow me down. Wind resistance, you know. You should t-try it. It is liberating. I think I will shave my head, too. I have read that any small thing can slow a p-person down." Draco continued speaking without stopping for breath. Harry could feel spittle spraying his face from the sheer force of the prattle streaming from the Slytherin's mouth.

Harry put up a hand to stop the jabbering. "Let's talk d-down there." He pointed at the ground.

"D-Down there?" Draco mocked, mimicking the point as well.

"Yes, down there."

He smiled slyly. It made Harry's heart sink. "Potter, you think you can catch anything, right?"

Harry swallowed, feeling an ominous foreboding, something he had come to trust over the years. "I guess I'm pretty good, better than most. What are you driving at?"

"You want me down there, correct?" Draco spoke to Harry like he was speaking to a child, a retarded child.

"Yes…"

"Than catch me Golden Boy!" With that, Draco did a handspring off the back of the broom like performing a tricky dive into a pool of shimmering water. The only problem was there was no water, only the hard cold earth.

Next Chapter: Falling

Author's notes: From here on in it's going to get pretty angsty and wild for a while, please review and tell me what you think! I will be posting every Wednesday. If you want to know when it is up hit Author Alert in the left corner or email me and I'll let you know. My email is listed in my profile page.

Arafel2: I guess you could say that! Thanks for reviewing!

Ryo Akuinen : Thanks for the encouraging words!

Terin Kail: The vial will show up again later, Draco's "problems" are unrelated. Thanks for reviewing!

Shania Maxwell : Thanks for reviewing!