Come Fly With Me
Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of Harry Potter and the gang. They all belong to JK Rowling.
A/N: Just a little scene that sprung to mind last night. D/Hr warning everyone. As always, comments and criticisms are welcome.
There it was again. The familiar tapping on her window. She was getting to dread that sound at nights. After all, it wasn't normal. Her window was situated in a tower that loomed high over the school. No one should have been able to reach it.
But he did.
It had become a little obsession of his. She wasn't quite sure if she liked it yet. The attention was nice and all. But really, attention had its own time and place. She sighed and tried to focus on her homework. Maybe, just maybe, if she ignored him he would go away.
The tapping got louder and more insistent.
With a frustrated grimace she threw down her quill, frowning when the nib scraped across the parchment, leaving an ugly black line in its wake. She'd have to deal with that later. There was a more pressing problem at hand.
Throwing open the window, she shivered when the cold night air hit her skin. "What is it? I'm trying to study." It was impossible to keep the annoyance out of her voice.
If he heard it he ignored it, "You were ignoring me." It wasn't an accusation, just a simple statement said with a hint of amazement. He was the kind of person who had never been ignored before. "Is your homework really that important?"
"Yes."
"Even more important than me?"
There was no mistaking the look on his face. He was trying to wind her up now. She studied him carefully, noted the dark robes, the silvery blonde hair moving slightly in the wind and the cold grey eyes. A hint of a smirk played upon his lips.
It was actually really hard to stay annoyed at someone who managed to look so damn good in the moonlight. The really frustrating thing was the fact that he knew he looked good too.
"Yes, Malfoy, even more important than you."
He looked at her with that lazy gaze that sent shivers down her spine, "You're lying."
"So what if I am?"
A slow smile formed, "Liars go to hell, Granger."
"Is there a reason for your being here, Malfoy?"
Really, he could be the most irritating person sometimes. She supposed that was why they'd spent close to seven years of their lives sniping at each other.
"There's always a reason."
She waited for him to elaborate but he just sat there, hovering on his broom. Strangely quiet.
"Well?"
He looked at her, his eyes unreadable. But then, they were always unreadable – to her anyway. He was still an enigma, this boy-man who was so used to keeping everything hidden. Not for the first time she wondered about the nature of their relationship. That he cared about her she had no doubt. Sometimes when she caught him looking at her she'd see emotion flash across his face, unguarded one minute, guarded the next.
"You're cold," a slight frown creased his lips, "Go put something warm on."
A command, not a request. That was the way it was with him. He never asked her to do things, he told her. At first she'd resisted this strongly, she still did sometimes. Okay, most times. It was an annoying habit of his, and he never failed to be surprised when she refused to obey him.
"Malfoy…" there was that warning tone in her voice. His grey eyes flitted up to her face. Yes, she was definitely getting annoyed now. That wouldn't do at all.
"Fine." He shifted back on his broom slightly, "Climb on then."
"Excuse me?"
He gave her a look, "You heard me."
"You know I don't fly, Draco."
Yes, her fear of flying was infamous around school. Ever since first year flying lessons she had absolutely refused to get on a broom. That was something he was planning on changing. Tonight, in fact.
"I'm not asking, Granger. I'm telling."
There was something in his tone that boded no argument. If she didn't get on the broom she would definitely piss him off. And a pissed of Draco was like an annoyed Blast-ended Skrewt. Hard to handle.
She sighed, "How about I meet you downstairs?"
"How about you just get on?" There was an irritated note in his voice, he didn't like waiting. He nudged the broom forward so that she could mount it easily. "Now."
It felt a whole lot like a kidnapping to her. She briefly wondered if it was even possible to be kidnapped by ones own boyfriend. "Fine. But if I fall to my death it'll be your fault."
"Don't be melodramatic, Granger. It doesn't suit you."
She felt his arm around her waist, steadying her as she sat. Then he wrapped his cloak around her. "Warmer?" his breath was hot in her ear.
She nodded, sitting like this she could feel the heat from his body and inhale the sharp scent of lime and mint that was so distinctly his. It was easy to forget how high up they were. He reached his arm around her again, pulling her back so she sat against him. "Good."
He nudged the broom forward, slowly gaining speed. She felt the breeze lift her hair from her neck and shivered slightly, leaning into him a little more. "Where exactly are we going?"
"Nowhere and everywhere."
She gripped the broomstick a little tighter, worried that she might fall off. "You don't make much sense, you know that?"
He was quiet for a moment, making lazy arcs with the broom.
Then, "You're not going to fall, Hermione." The arm around her waist tightened, "I won't let you."
And suddenly she felt just that little bit safer. "Draco…"
"Look up."
And she did. She looked up and saw the stars that scattered the night sky. The moon, pale and luminous, emerging from the clouds. Involuntarily, her breath caught in her throat. "Draco…"
"Shhh…" his voice was barely above a whisper. "Don't talk. Just fly with me."
So that's what she did.