A/N: Thanks again to Batmarcus for reviewing. I think he's the lone reader of this fic.

Chapter 4

Draco arrived on time, but Riley Frost didn't. She arrived at the Quidditch pitch two minutes later. Just to prove a point – though exactly what that point was, she had no idea.

"So, what do I need to know?" He asked, skipping the small talk; she appreciated that. Let's keep this strictly business, she thought.

"First of all, wear these," She tossed him a pair of ear plugs, "Drown out the noise. Focus on what you see rather than what you hear. The snitch is golden, not true? On a sunny day it will reflect the sun, but on a cloudy or rainy day you need to wear a magnetic watch. Snitches are magnets, despite it being gold, and will either be drawn towards it or be repelled by it."

"A magnetic watch? Where would I acquire one of these things? It's the twentieth century, Frost, not the seventh." He sneered at her.

"No need to be such a little bitch about it," The brunette snarled at him, "We're also wizards, in case you forgot, so pull up your big girl panties and use your wand." She mounted her broom and kicked off. She let the broom shoot her straight into the sky, the icy wind blowing her loose hair away from her face. She pulled the broom to a stop at the top, right in the middle of a fluffy cloud, before shooting straight towards Draco. He saw her just in a knick of time and dodged sideways.

He hadn't put the plugs in yet, he was looking for her.

"Always be aware of what's going on around you," The Slytherin girl said, "You're the seeker – you're also a flying target for the beaters and dirty chasers. So never get too comfy on your precious little broom. I also advise keeping an eye on your opponent and faux diving a few times, just for the heck of it."

"I am an excellent flyer," Draco said once she finished her rambling, "But I can't control a broom like you just did. You stopped immediately, you didn't even slow down."

"That's because I'm the boss and the broom knows it," She offered with a smile, "But it has to do with reflexes mostly. Don't use big movements, just use your wrists to tug the broom into what you want it to do. Try it."

He shot off to the sky and she followed, shouting instructions, but her voice was swept away by the wind rushing past them. He finally came to a stop high above the ground, and she saw him lose his nerve at being so high up.

"No, Malfoy, think of a pink bunny," She reached out and gripped his shoulder, "A fucking pink one, okay?"

He looked at her like she had lost her mind, "A pink bunny? What the…"

"Or green, if you prefer," She said, willing her broom to descend, and Draco's followed, "With silver stripes. I like green, it's such an earthly colour. Isn't green a pretty colour?"

"I prefer blue, it reminds me of the sky," He looked up, but the sky was still a bit dark, the sun hadn't risen yet, "It reminds me of freedom."

"Are you not free, Draco?" She asked, keeping him distracted as they descended. He met her eyes before glancing at his broom handle. They started to descend faster, the green grass nearing them.

"Can I trust you, Frost?" He asked softly. Suddenly they stopped, but she didn't allow the broom to jerk to a stop.

"Draco, I just guided you the ground from a very scary height," She took her hand off his shoulder, "I think it's okay to trust me not to kill you."

Draco looked down at the ground and made a strange strangling sound in surprise – they were hovering only a few inches off the ground!

He grinned at her. She was taken aback – Draco Malfoy was smiling and meaning it. What the hell had happened to her idea of normality? She glanced at the sky to see if there really were pink bunnies there.

"Again, and this time, block the wind around your head so I can hear you." He said, flying into the sky again. She laughed and followed. He didn't go as high as he had previously.

They spent a good hour on flying alone. Draco's face was flushed and he was breathing heavily, but he didn't seem to mind.

"I forgot that I loved to fly," He admitted when they landed, "It's the best sensation in the world, don't you agree?"

"Yes, but nobody seemed to share that sentiment with me," Riley sighed dramatically, "Well, now I have a flying buddy." She put her broom on her shoulders, Draco liked to keep it in his hand. They fell into stride next to one another.

"You want to do this again?" Draco asked, and she couldn't decipher his expression. She couldn't normally read anyone's expression but Pansy's, mostly because she wasn't paying attention to others.

But here she was paying attention, and made a mental note to do it more often.

"Oh, I thought you wanted flying tips," She teased him, "But if not, then okay…"

"No, you misunderstand, what I meant is… you're not going to give up on me?" His eyes were abnormally large, she thought, and she thought she saw a slight trace of hope flicker somewhere on his face.

"No, Draco, you actually understand my obsession," She replied, "I'm never giving up flying again."

"You're one of a kind," He said, and she wasn't sure if it was a compliment or not, "I would like to keep these sessions a secret, if you don't mind." He tried to sound nonchalant, but was failing miserably. She frowned, she had known this was coming, why was she disappointed?

"Frost," A voice called, and she looked around. Colin Creevey. She had a weird sensation swoop in her stomach: she wanted to groan, but at the same time her heart fluttered. What the hell? "Can I have a word?"

"See you." Malfoy said, going on without her. She didn't want him to leave; she didn't want to be alone with Creevey.

Emotions were confusing in general.

"What do you want?" She demanded, swinging her broom down from her shoulders and gripping it in her hand; ready to hit him over the if necessary.

"I want to know if I can write to you again," He smiled adorably at her, "Come on, it won't do you any harm."

"You can do as you wish, Creevey, I just don't guarantee a reply," She started to walk back to the castle.

"Come on, please? I have this massive crush on you, and I don't know anything about you, except that you admire my balls."

"Why were you out here so early?" She avoided his balls too – she wished she'd never said it, he was now using it against her.

"I'm always up this early – I like to take photos of this place. There's always a new angle or an interesting creature to find here." He shrugged. She nodded thoughtfully.

"I have to go, I'll see you around." She didn't look at him and ran like the hounds of hell were at her heels.

She then rushed to the dungeons and found Pansy. It had been a very interesting morning. Pansy told her to go take a shower and then return, she didn't want a stinky friend.

. . .

A/N: Meh. Review?