Hermione looked at Draco with a new sense of trust, a new sense of respect.
Draco looked at her with a devilish smirk. "Care to go a bit higher?" he said softly, an awkward grin falling over his features.
"I don't know. . ." Hermione looked up at him doubtfully.
"C'mon, you can handle it! I know you can."
Simply the sound of his voice made Hermione feel daring. "Oh, alright," she muttered agreeably.
Carefully she mounted her broom just as Draco had shown her. Draco mounted his and said, "Watch me first and then try." he pushed off gain on his feet, then tilted the handle of his broom slightly upward. He shot up into the air, slowly, elegantly. He seemed to glide with the broom, effortlessly flowing through the air. He turned so that the wind whipped his pale hair from his face, and Hermione found herself feeling very dizzy.
He lowered back down to the ground, landing beside her.
"You make it look so easily," she said quietly, suddenly feeling awkward and gangly in his presence. He looked as if he was made for soaring through the sky.
"It's just practice, Granger. With practice, you could become Gryfinndor's number one player."
"Nah, it takes talent too. You and. . . Harry have talent," Hermione said quickly, noticing Draco's grimace at her words. She should have known better than to mention Harry and Draco in the same sentence.
"What if I fall?" Hermione said suddenly, looking up at the sky.
"You won't fall. Of course you won't fall," Draco said harshly. He knew that if he could make her believe that she wouldn't fall, Hermione would have less a chance of actually falling.
Impulsively Hermione reached out her hand."Will you fly up with me?" she asked shyly. After a slight hesitation, he took her hand and interlaced his fingers in hers carefully.
"So you won't fall," he added quickly. It would be my fault if she fell, and she could get hurt. If she got hurt, I would most likely be punished. Therefore I am holding Hermione's hand for my own personal gain, Draco tried to reassure himself. Somehow it didn't work as well as last time. "Okay, push off on 3. 1. . .2. . .3!"
Suddenly they were off the ground, moving upward at a pace much faster than Hermione liked. Up and up they drifted, into the seemingly endless sky. Soon Draco pulled his broom straight, and Hermione imitated him. They hovered slightly below the highest turrets of the mansion., and Hermione could see the entire manor. A ways beyond the west wood, horses galloped freely, their manes swishing in the wind. Hermione saw where the north wood ended, and where the blackberry patch lie. To the East there was a river sparkling and leaping in the morning light. From up above the world, everything seemed small and insignificant. It was almost as if she had left all her worries down on the ground. All that mattered was her and Draco. Her and Draco and the wind that carried them.
"Are you ready?" Draco called above the wind. He had been observing her expressions of delight. He had decided to give her a surprise.
"Ready for what?" she asked, giving him a smile that shone brighter than the sparkling morning light. Draco found himself oddly tongue-tied, and instead of answering, he pushed his broom forward. Hermione, who had been maintaining a death grip on Draco's hand, had no choice but to follow. She pushed her broom forward, keeping right beside him. Draco started off slowly, but gradually picked up his speed. Soon everything was a blur, and Hermione gave a surprised little gasp. They were soaring faster and higher with every moment, soaring above even the tallest peaks of the mansion, and her heart pounded wildly. She felt finally free, free of everything , free of anything. Her spirit soared and suddenly there was no ground, there was no life, there was nothing. All that she saw was a blur, where everything melded together into one. Draco was the only thing that she could see clearly. Suddenly it struck her why Harry and Ron loved quidditch so much. There was no equal to this feeling of flying, and she knew it. It was a way to let go and to be free, a way to forget everything except the fresh morning air whipping across your face.
Hermione felt Draco slow, and soon they were drifting back towards the ground. When they reached the earth, Draco hopped off his broomstick and helped Hermione down. Only then did he unclasp their hands.
Hermione's cheeks were flushed and her brown eyes sparkled with excitement. Small wisps of hair framed her face. In his heart, Draco realized that she was exquisitely beautiful. Even if he refused to let himself see it.
"That was amazing!" Hermione said suddenly, smiling up at him. "The scenery was gorgeous! There were horses and the mansion and the river, and then there was you, and. . ." realizing what she had said, Hermione cut off, bowing her head and biting her lip. Her cheeks went a lovely shade of crimson. Hoping beyond hope that he had not realized what she had meant, she added, "You're a great teacher, Draco. You really are."
There was silence after that, and Draco had heard quite clearly what she had said. He, however, refused to believe it. There's no way she likes me, Draco thought positively. The day my father works for Dumbledore is the day Hermione Granger likes me. Similar thoughts flew through Hermione's head, She decided to wait for Draco to speak.
"Would you . . . would you like to come upstairs?" Draco asked slowly. Hermione regarded him with a keen eye, wondering exactly how he had meant that.
"I would like that," she said quietly. "I haven't seen your room."
For the first time, Draco smiled directly at her. A true smile. She felt like a deer caught in the headlights, but somehow managed to make her feet move beside him as they walked towards the mansion. Hermione had the oddest feeling that her heart was stilling soaring through the sky.
_** ** ** ** **_
A few minutes later Draco and Hermione stepped into his room. The walls were forest green and darkened the whole mood of the room. On the far side was a huge window, thrown open to let the breeze in. A huge bed, draped in dark green silk took up the far corner of the room. She also noticed a large ebony dresser on the side of the room, but it wasn't the dresser itself that drew her attention. It was the small wooden box on the top of the dresser that had caught her eye. She idly wandered over to it and fingered the edge. Draco remembered his father doing the same thing a time ago, and frowned in confusion.
"A beautiful box," Hermione said, her voice sounding oddly mechanical. At the same time she knew that it wasn't beautiful; there was something odd about it, and although something itched in the back of her mind she could not place it.
"Yes," Draco agreed, still frowning in confusion. The box was plain and perfectly ordinary, but he suddenly felt as if they were being watched. He whirled around to face the doorway but of course it was empty. He turned back to Hermione, who had her fingers at the edge of the box.
"Don't open it," Draco said suddenly. "I don't like it." He strode over and picked up the box, quickly placing it in his closet and shutting the door. Hermione suddenly seemed to come back to smile, a smile creeping onto her face. "I like your room," she commented, "it looks like a princes' room." She laughed and sat on the edge of his bed.
"A week ago you would have scowled at that, but now you jut smile," Hermione commented lightly, observing his expression closely.
"A hell of a lot has happened in the past week," Draco said softly, sitting down next to her on his bed. He turned to look at her, his fair eyes meeting her dark ones. Hermione felt her mouth go dry, but carefully wet her lips.
"It's almost as if. . ." Hermione stared into his eyes, being drawn further into the deep blue irises. "Almost as if. . ." Hermione completely lost her train of thought and gave in to staring back at his deep blue eyes. As he leaned in closer, she parted her lips to meet his. When they were not an inch apart, someone pounded on Draco's door. Hermione jumped and would have screamed had not Draco clamped his hand over her mouth.
"Draco," came Narcissa's pure, undisturbed voice, "there are some people here to see you."
Hermione looked around desperately for a hiding spot, and her eyes fell on the large closet all the way across the room. Draco motioned for her to hide in there as the doorknob turned. When Hermione was only halfway across the room, the door opened.
"Pansy!" Draco exploded, his voice full of forced joy. Pansy's attention was focused solely on Draco and she didn't even notice the young woman sprinting behind her across the room.
Draco's face crumpled in horror as Crabbe and Goyle, who were trying to enter the room, collided with Hermione's petite figure. They both let out clumsy grunts, and Pansy turned around to see Hermione sprawled on the ground at her feet, and her dark eyes flashed.
((A.N. Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle all in one!! What are they gonna say about Hermione?! Tell me what you think in a review, I need your opinion for the next chapter!))