Chapter 4

Draco, as ever, was 10 minutes early and waiting for Hermione. 10 more minutes passed, 20 minutes. Where was she? When he had sat there a whole hour he decided to go in and find her. Locking the brooms back away he started searching with the room he had been discovered in the day before.

It wasn't a long search because that's where he found her, practising. He made his presence known and, blocking the only exit, he proceeded to talk.

"Hermione" he offered, walking towards her "We need to talk"

"Do we?"

"Yes, you missed flying practice"

"This was more important"

"What you'd get a T just so you can do some more fancy moves in private"

"I need to, I need to defend myself"

"What so you can go to pieces next time you're approached?"

She glared at him and turned to gather her belongings.

"Look, I have a plan" he tried again. "Talk to me, you tell me what's going on, teach me some of this voodoo defency stuff, and I'll teach you to fly and I'll help you with you know..." he trailed off.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I want to help" and then as an after thought he added "Because I can't stop thinking about you. I'm worried someone's hurting you."

She sighed. "Ok" she agreed, "But..."

"Look we'll take it one step at a time ok?"

"Ok" she agrees again, And then the last thing Drace ever expected, Hermiones arms were around him and she was embracing him. His body tingled, his heart raced, his navel jerked.

"I'm so sorry" he gasped, pulling away from her mortified "I just can't control in"

"It's ok" she whispered "Maybe we can work on that too?" Dracos heart leapt.

They agreed that Hermione would teach Draco on Tuesday and Thursday lunchtimes, while they continued her flying lessons on those evenings. She would even allow Draco to sit in and watch her practice sessions.

Dracos first self defence lesson did not go as he had hoped. He now felt as if he were to look in to a mirror he would see a walking talking black and blue bruise. He had not been very successful at Hermiones attacks, had fallen off balance many times, had been unable to hit Hermione with any strength and had generally spent more time on the floor than on his feet.

Hermione however found it easy to floor Draco and with it her confidence to a turn for the better. That was how she found herself that evening gripping hold of Draco tightly around the middle as he flew the two of them gently, a couple of feet above the ground, around the Quidditch pitch on his broom.

Draco had decided that getting her on any broom was an improvement, even if he had to be on the same broom to ensure her safety. She was even laughing when they dismounted and made their way together back up to the castle.