Chapter 8: Beautiful Disaster

The next morning, Hermione spent more time getting ready than she normally did. She took time to smooth out her hair, using her own mixture of Sleekeazy and Muggle hair products. It had been a summer project one year. Though it had been more for fun and research, she was glad she had mastered an "antidote" for her frizz-fest that was called hair. Being able to style herself had given her a level of self-confidence she hadn't possessed in her younger years when it came to outward appearances. Typically, Hermione was more concerned about what was in someone's head and their heart, however, this morning she felt the urge to look extra nice. Giving herself a final once over in the mirror, she decided she actually did look quite pretty. The touch of makeup she had applied enhanced the chocolate flavor of her eyes and the hint of color she had placed on her lips made they appear fuller. She had never considered herself a beauty like Ginny or Fleur, but she was pleased with her result.

She waited for her roommate. Now that they were officially friends, she didn't see a reason for them not to walk together to the Great Hall each morning. When he exited his bedroom, she beamed. He was wearing his school robes, same as any other day, but today he looked better. His hair seemed to shine with a new healthy glow, which contrasted against the dark colors of his clothes and made the emerald of his house colors more vibrant. It was clear he had had a good night's sleep. The dark rings under his eyes had lessened and his head wasn't hanging down. There was a change in Malfoy, a lightness to his movements, as if a huge weight had been removed from his shoulders. He smiled back at her and together they wished Glanmore a good day and departed.

"The Practice Pitch is available this afternoon. Are you up for another flying lesson?" He asked as they walked down to breakfast.

"Won't one of the house teams be using it?"

"We're in luck. Weaselette scored the full pitch for today's practice."

"Weaselette? Can't you call her Ginny?"

He pretended to think it over for a minute, before shaking his head. "Doesn't have quite the same ring to it."

"You're never going to get any friends acting like that."

"I don't need any other friends. I have you; a one witch army."

Hermione felt her heart skip a beat at that. His words were so effortless and honest. She glanced over at him. He was smiling to himself. It had been years since she had seen him look so content. The way his lips turned up and the light in his eyes altered his normally dreary appearance. The dark brooding Draco Malfoy was gone. He had morphed into a satisfied, nearly cheerful version of his former self. Attributing his good mood to their friendship, she tried once again suggesting he reach out to some of his classmates. If he had more friends, he was likely to keep up with his current mood.

"Why don't you try talking to someone at the Slytherin table this morning?"

"Why?"

"For something new." Hermione shrugged, behaving as if it wasn't a big deal. Perhaps if she made it more of his idea than her own, he would heed her suggestion.

"I don't like any of them," he replied. "And none of them like me."

"What about Astoria? She's nice."

He rolled his eyes. "Daphne is a beast. She was always hanging around Pansy. Her younger sister probably suffers the same poor judgement."

"How do you know if you've never talked to her outside Prefect meetings?"

"Case and point, she's dating Flaccus."

"And here I was, wondering why you needed a friend."

"Ha, ha, Granger, very funny."

"Just think about it, ok?" She said pausing before they went into the Great Hall. "See you in Potions?"

"You mean the class formally known as the Slug Club?"

"There is no more Slug Club," Hermione reminded him.

After classes had resumed post the Second War, McGonagall had disbanded private clubs such as Slughorn's due to the favoritism it displayed among the students. The Headmistress prefered to keep all the students on an equal playing field. Many thought it had to due with Kingsley's "Unity" campaign, but Hermione had a feeling it had more to due with the fact that Slughorn had taken an interest in Tom Riddle. It was that interested that had made Slughorn provide the Dark Lord with the knowledge on how to create horocruxes.

"You're still one of his favorites," Malfoy commented. She heard a hint of jealously in his tone. "See you there."

They each headed off to their own house tables. As he walked away, Hermione immediately missed his company. She surreptitiously watched him. He took his normal seat at the end of the table. Though she was both delighted and surprised that he had extended the olive branch to her, she wasn't sure why he wouldn't do the same for others. His ability to look beyond their past history and her blood status, showed how much he had matured as a person. She knew if others could see him as the thoughtful, funny wizard he was, he'd have no issue making lasting friendships with those around him. She just couldn't understand why he didn't want that.

"Morning," she greeted her friends. Ginny smiled and Romilda gave a quick wave, before turning back to a conversation further down the table. Sitting down next to Ginny, Hermione noticed Romilda was talking to a witch she recognized from their year.

"Who's that?"

Ginny made a face. "Felicity Drehotz."

"You don't like her," Hermione observed.

"Romilda fancies her. She's hoping she'll ask her to the ball, but..." Ginny glanced over at the two girls. "I don't think the feeling is mutual."

"Poor Romilda."

"Felicity is very materialistic and concerned about what others think," Ginny continued, passing Hermione the biscuits for her breakfast plate. "I don't see them together."

"Sometimes opposites attract," Hermione commented, thanking her as she took a fresh biscuit out of the basket.

"Maybe."

The owls began filtering in with the morning mail. Ginny's mood immediately perked up, as a letter with Harry's familiar scrawl descended towards her. Hermione was pleased to find she received one as well. Taking a bit of her biscuit, she unfolded the letter.

Hermione,

See, I told you I would write.

Hope you are doing alright after yesterdays business with Ron. I had a go at him after we got back last night. He is now avoiding me. I don't want to get in the middle of your relationship. Things already feel awkward. Maybe you both just need some time apart. Once we get a few cases under our belt and you have joined us at the Ministry, things will go back to normal. Ron was never good with change, you know.

Ginny tells me that you are learning to fly as part of a new requirement. Let me know if you need any tips. That was probably the only class I ever beat you in.

Neville says hi and hopes you'll join us once you ace all your N.E.W.T.S. He also asked if I could pass along a message to Hannah Abbott. (Apparently, he fancies her.) He'd like her to know that since he isn't a student anymore, he won't be allowed to attend the ball but looks forward to seeing her over the Christmas holiday.

Hang in there,
Harry

She smiled to herself, pleased to know she still had one of her original best friends. Harry was clearly trying to play mediator between her and Ron. She understood his predicament. His two best friends were in a messy quarrel. He was stuck between them, the two people he had grown up with over the last eight years, the same two people who had stayed by him and risked their lives on countless adventures. She didn't want him to be burdened by the situation. Still, Hermione doubted Ron would forgive her for rejecting his proposal. He was very proud and tended to hold a grudge.

A few years back when Viktor had owled her VIP tickets to see one of his games in Bulgaria, she had invited Ron, but he had turned it down, complaining that Viktor obviously wanted something from her if he was sending her such expensive passes. They had gotten into a huge fight about it and she had promptly given the tickets to Seamus and Dean to enjoy in her place. She had had to apologize profusely to Viktor for the incident, which sparked another squabble with her friend. Looking back on it now, she realized how often her and Ron had disagreed.

Maybe Ginny had a point. Maybe opposites didn't always attract. She scanned the room, noticing Astoria and Quinton sitting together at the Hufflepuff table with Doris and Albert. The four were talking happily together and no one was paying them any mind, as if it was natural for a Gryffindor and a Slytherin to be dating and even more normal for them to be seated at a different house table. As her eyes moved across the room, she stalled on one particular Slytherin sitting by himself at the end of his house table. He had not gotten any mail, though not surprising considering his current family situation. He looked content, though lonely. She wondered if she asked him to sit with her tomorrow morning if he would.

All his movements were purposeful and yet graceful at the same time. Even the way he picked up his knife to apply jelly to his biscuit was one fluid motion. When she watched him fly, she was always in awe of how he could maneuver about the sky without a care in the world. He made it look effortless. Malfoy was skilled. She, on the other hand, was jerk and unsure. Most of the time, she was so stuck in her own mind space that she forgot where she was going or what was around her. She was undoubtedly one of the clumsiest witches in the castle. She recalled how she had fallen the night Malfoy had caught her at the Prefects meeting. It was one example of how ungraceful she could be. She allowed her eyes to linger on him for a moment more, before she started to pen a reply to Harry.

She decided opposites definitely did attract.

Draco tapped the tip of his quill against his desk. Potions seemed to be dragging along at an agonizingly slow pace. Professor Slughorn was reviewing the difficulty of brewing Felix Felicis. Draco had been studying Potions since his early childhood. Lucius had insisted on it, bringing in private tutors to ensure his son was able to expertly craft several of the most complex (and usually dark) potions known in their world. Liquid Luck had been a potion he had mastered in his fifth year at Hogwarts. He pretended to take notes, while constantly checking the time.

Since he had woken up, he had been waiting for the afternoon. It was a countdown to when classes ended. He had requested the Practice Pitch a few weeks ago, wanting a reason to be able to practice flying with Granger. This morning, he had claimed they could use it because the Gryffindor team was practicing on the actual field. That was only partially true. Weaselette had reserved the official field but only after he had secured the Practice Pitch. Lately, he had been feeling as though the only time that mattered was the time he spent with Granger. All the other moments of the day were a blur, as if he was on auto-pilot.

When their last class of the day, Arithmancy, finally came to an end he could hardly contain his excitement. He just about jogged back to their dormitory to get changed for their changed into his practice gear, making sure to grab his gloves. As he dressed, he wondered what it would be like to fly with Granger. He had no reason to have her ride with him. It was a problem that he had been trying to work out. Since she had willingly embraced him, he wanted to feel that closeness and warmth again. Ideally, he wanted to take her for another flight so he could share more of his world with her while also getting her alone and away from the distractions of the castle. The only issue was that she knew how to fly properly on her own. He had been too good at his teachings. There was no logical reason for her to ride with him.

The castle held too many bad memories for him. Each corridor, classroom, and stairwell reminded him of a time where he had been a different person. The reflections of that boy, because that was what he had been at the time, were painful to relive. He wanted to create new memories, better ones. Being around Granger had that affect on him. She made him want to be good. She didn't even have to say it. Just watching her, hearing her voice, and seeing how kindly she treated him and everyone around them made him yearn to be gracious. If he could become even half as decent as she was, maybe he stood a chance.

He heard the door open, as she returned from class. A minute later, he heard her enter and close her bedroom door, presumably to get changed to meet him. He stood in front of his full length mirror. He had filled out in recent years, building lean muscle with his constant Quidditch playing. During his time at home, he worked out. It was a hobby that kept him busy and away from Lucius, making it a win-win scenario. Without layers of gel in his hair, it had been trimmed to better enhance his strong jawline. Many witches had remarked how handsome he was. Their opinions didn't matter. Only one person's view of him held any weight. Sighing, he stepped out into the common area.

"Ready, Teach?" Granger asked, as she came out. He noticed she was wearing jeans, a jumper, and boots. She was casual in comparison to his more traditional getup. He momentarily contemplated changing. Jeans did look more comfortable.

"Sure," he answered, deciding he was fine the way he was. He didn't want to lose any more time.

"Great!"

"How does Hooch think you are fairing?" he asked, as they walked out of the castle.

"She's been surprised by my abilities, especially since the last time I saw her was first year when I could barely get my broom to adhere to my summoning command."

Draco chuckled as he remembered her attempts. It was one of the only times he had seen her not master a skill right away. The only other time he had seen her so flustered in class was sixth year during Slughorn's potions assignment to create Draught of Living Death. For once, Potter had excelled beyond his best friend, who had appeared so frazzled by the end of class, Draco had thought she might have a breakdown. However, she had been curious and rather interested in the complexity of the potion. As she discussed it with Slughorn and Potter, she had returned to her normal level of Know-It-All status.

"How is Muggle Studies going?"

"Professor Durian has me helping out some of the other students since I'm progress so well."

She flashed him a smile. "Must be due to your excellent tutor."

"Maybe I'm just a natural," he shot back, watching her smile fade. Then a sly grin appeared on her lips.

"Maybe or maybe your father should hear about this," she taunted, bringing up his infamous line from younger days.

"Think you're funny, do you?"

"Very."

"Alright then, you asked for it." He placed his broom down before lunging at her, wrapping his arms around her waist to pick her up and spin her around. He gave her one twirl, then began tickling her mercilessly.

"Malfoy!" she screamed, but she had a hard time getting his name out in between her bursts of laughter.

"Who's funny now?" he asked, not letting her go.

"Y-you! You are!"

"That's right," he agreed smugly, releasing her.

Draco walked over to where he had left his broom, kneeling down to pick it up off the grass. That's when she ran a counter-attack. Granger had probably meant to shove him off balance or at the very least surprise him. What occurred instead was her completely tackling him to the ground. She landed on top of him. Her face planted squarely between his shoulder blames, while he sprawled across the grass.

"Sorry," she apologized, her breath running down his neck and causing him to be unable to think straight. "That wasn't my intention."

"Oh really?" he taunted, rolling over suddenly so she fell into the grass next to him.

She ignored his attempts to get a rise out of her. "If someone would have told me six months ago that I would be here having flying lessons and having tickle fights with you, I would have thought they were under the Imperius curse."

"Likewise, Granger." Smiling, she giggled to herself, running her palms over the grass in front of her. "What?"

"It's crazy, isn't it?"

"What?"

"This. Us. Life."

"I've seen crazy," he told her. "This isn't it." Her face fell slightly at his serious tone. He cleared his throat. "But I'm sure Potter and Weasel would agree with you...after they hexed me into oblivion."

"I don't want to talk about them right now."

Draco felt a surge of satisfaction at her statement. She wanted to talk about him and her, but not her best friends? He had to believe that was a step in the right direction. "Me either."

"So what are we learning today?" she asked, her smile back.

"You," he smirked, "are learning how to dive. Allow me to demonstrate."

Draco mounted his broom. He carefully navigated upwards, above the height they normally flew at, then dipping the broom handle forward began his dive. As he dove, he kept himself in control, dropping slowly from his initial height, so Granger could watch his form and handling. When he was only a few yards above the pitch, he leveled out and came in for a landing.

"Impressive."

"The trick is to take it slow at first, until you are comfortable with how your broom handles. Simple, right?" he asked her. Granger was clutching her practice broom so hard that her knuckles were white. "We could always try something else if you're scared."

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not scared."

She brushed past him, purposely colliding her shoulder with his chest. Mounting her broom, she flashing him a daring glare before taking off. Chuckling, he followed. They weaved around each other a couple of times, climbing up to the height he had demonstrated his dive from. Draco had seen the concern in her eyes. He was sure she wouldn't attempt the dive today. Perhaps his problem had an easy resolution. He could suggest that she ride with him on his next dive, so he could not only demonstrate for her, but also get close to her.

He was imagining her arms wrapped around her, her cheek resting on his back as she leaned into him. Or he could make her sit up front and have her steer. That would be better, he grinned to himself. That way he could envelope her body with his, keeping his arms against hers to show her how to maneuver. She'd be very close to him then. He'd be able to breathe in her scent and if he ducked his head down far enough, he could-

"Malfoy!"

Her voice cried out, startling him from his fantasy. The second he saw her plummeting, he was off, begging whatever gods existed that he would get to her before she hit the ground.

Hermione felt the air striking at her as she hurtled towards the grass. Her screams were ripped from her throat due to the velocity of her descent.

Suddenly, Malfoy appeared, swooping down with open arms that hauled her off her broomstick. Everything happened so fast. One second she was falling, the next he had her in his lap. She pad no attention to the proximity or awkwardness of their positioning. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her body was shaking uncontrollably. She curled her arms around him, clutching to him and burying her face in his chest. He steered them to the start of the Practice Pitch, carefully lowering them to the field.

"What were you thinking, Granger?" he roared, the second their his feet touched the ground.

"I was practicing the dive," she snapped, jumping off his broom to stand next to him.

"You went too fast!"

"I know that now!"

"Were you even paying attention earlier?"

"Of course!"

"Really, then what do I make of that?" he gestured to where the practice broom's shattered remnants were scattered about the lawn.

Hermione felt her adrenaline wearing off. The sight of the destroyed broomstick sobered her. Fear set in retroactively. She knew she had been too high. She had known her angle was off, but she had wanted to prove to him that she was an expert flyer. She had been too stubborn to admit she wasn't ready. When the speed picked up beyond her comfort level, she had froze, unable to pull up. If it hadn't been for Malfoy's quick reflexes, she would have been a crumpled corpse aside of the broom. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from crying.

"Granger," Malfoy said softly. She dared herself to look up at him. His anger was gone. There was another emotion etched onto his face: Fear. "You could have been hurt."

"I know," she replied quietly, dropping her eyes, feeling ashamed of herself for acting so petty.

"Come here." He let his broom fall to the ground, pulling her to his chest. His left hand wrapped around her waist, keeping her close while the other reached up to tuck her hair back. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her forehead against his chest. She couldn't be sure, but it felt as though he planted a kiss in her hair, before he rested his chin on the top of her head. "Please do not do anything like that ever again," he told her, his words a whisper into her hair. It sounded more like he was begging than demanding.

They stood there together in that position out on the field for some time. Hermione felt her racing heartbeat slow. Her trembling hands calmed. Malfoy began massaging her back. His touch was soothing. It reminded her of when she was a young child and her father had consoled her after a bad dream. He had rubbed her back until she had fallen asleep. There was a familiar comfort to his circular motions. The warmth he expressed coaxed her to pull her face out of his chest so she could look up at him. Malfoy raised his head off her hair, leaning back to see her.

Hermione found them in the same position as they had been in the previous night. Before Ginny interrupted, she found herself thinking, somewhat bitterly. She found her eyes focusing on his lips. They looked smooth, just a light touch of pink. She felt herself being drawn in. There was a slight twisting in her stomach, a rush of excitement, and her arms broke out in Goosebumps. Her attraction to him was becoming an overpowering force. It hampered her mental clarity, causing her to stand paralyzed. At that moment, even if she could have moved, she wasn't sure she wanted to. She wanted to lean in, tilt her face up and taste those lips.

Catching herself in her thoughts, she bit her lip. She couldn't be thinking that. She couldn't be feeling that way toward Draco Malfoy. Less than twenty-four hours ago, her boyfriend had proposed to her and she had turned him down. Now she was already lusting after the Slytherin Prince. No, Hermione, she chided herself, do not fall for the embodiment of the Bad-Boy type. You're just friends, she reminded herself.

"I think that's enough for today," he said, his eyes never straying from hers. His words released her from her frozen state. "Let's head back inside." She nodded wordlessly, following his lead back up to the castle.

Neither noticed the red-haired witch by the equipment shed who had seen the whole exchange.

A/N: I really struggled with this chapter. I had so many ideas and I kept going back and forth on a few points. I almost have chapter 9 done, so I should be able to update soon if you are all still there...

arnoldloveshelga7 - BTW, I love your handle!
SavingAngel8 - I did not have a particular cologne in mind, but I'm sure you could Google?
nellaine824 - I love "For Good". I just went to see Wicked again this summer on Broadway. It's amazing and I felt that Hermione would connect with Elphaba's character.
Richeily Perez - Hope this still is stored under your favorites. Thanks for the love from Venezuela!
pgodrichboggs - So this wasn't as much hand clenching as it was 'I'll beat you to a bloody pulp for leering at my girl', but I hope it will do :)
Elsa007 - Hermione was always the adult in the group. I feel it is only natural for her character to have matured after the war. If anyone deserves some peace, it's her.
KariA 16 - Don't beat me to the punch with your Christmas prediction! We will be seeing one of my favorite (and underrated) secondary characters for that chapter.
caprubia - So confession, I wasn't sure what a slow burn was until I looked it up. I've been so out of the fanfic world for the last couple of years. Embarrassing! But yes, it fits that description so that you for the education.
Sage McMae - More cuteness coming your way
cmheiney - My favorite ship too. And did you see it was Tom's birthday on the 22nd?
lasvegasskye - Or as GoGo Tomago would say 'Woman Up'
Rayah19 - You are welcome! Thanks for the review.
ktester2016 - Thank you! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last one.
Nichole87 - Thanks for finding and reviewing this story. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.