AN: Thank you for all the support! It is very deeply appreciated!

Hermione kicked her her legs, desperate for any kind of guidance. So much of her energy had been expended trying to fly that it had never occurred to her that she needed to land. Her whole fear of heights originated with a fear of breaking every bone in her body due to a bad landing. If she did not think of something quickly, her body would go downwards, and she'd be lucky to emerge with only a few bruises.

Would panicking make her fall faster? Severus never told her as much, but it stood to reason that panicking could cause one to fall. So far she was in the air. That could change if she couldn't calm herself and think of a way to land without dying.

"Focus on staying above ground," Severus began in a calm voice.

"Trust me, I'm doing nothing but trying to stay above the ground," she snapped.

"Yes, but you're not listening to your magic."

"What the hell is listening to my magic?"

"Stop trying to control everything. Let your magic go through you and guide your body," he continued.

"Go through me?"

"Yes, quiet your thoughts and feel how your magic is coursing through your body, keeping you in the air."

She stilled her body and felt her magic radiating throughout her body, keeping her above the ground. It was as if she was basking in a soft breeze beside the Great Lake. In her mind were images of watching the waves lap on the shore, and the feel of the cool water against the toes in her right leg. It was a moment she never wanted to end.

"Okay," she choked. "I'm focused."

"Good," he continued. "Now focus on going forward."

"Forward?" She looked ahead of her. Never before had a freshly cleaned chalkboard appeared so intimidating, or painful. If going forward was anything like going up, she would lurch. One wrong move and her skull would be broken against the wall.

"Yes, imagine going forward."

She began to imagine going past the desk in front of her. Her body flung itself towards the front row of seats. She curled her body and closed her eyes. No, she didn't want to go forward and feel the full force of the wall.

"I can't do this," her heart was racing.

"Yes you can."

She squeezed her eyes shut as her muscles tightened.

"Hermione, do you trust me?" his voice was firm.

"Yes," she squeaked, not opening her eyes.

"Then you have to listen to me," he continued, his voice becoming louder as it drew closer. "I'm not going to allow you to be injured. All you have to do is trust me and use your magic."

She opened her eyes. Severus was floating in front of her with a small smile.

"I'm going to hit the blackboard and fall," she panicked as she felt her body lower.

"No you won't," he replied.

"I'm going to fall!" She yelled as her body jerked half a meter downwards.

"Hermione," he grabbed her arm, preventing her tumble. "I'm here."

Her lower lip quivered.

"I'm not going to let you fall or hit anything while you are in the air," he answered. "Trust me."

"I do trust you," she replied. "But I don't trust myself. I'm new at this, and nothing is coming intuitively. I'm used to reading a book for information. Now, I'm in the air and I have no idea what to do."

"That's not true," he answered. "You're still in the air, meaning you know how to control your magic enough to self-levitate."

"I'm only upright because you're grabbing me."

"I'm only holding your arm," he answered. "You're floating on your own."

Her eyes fell on the desk below her. He released her hand, eliciting a yelp. Still, she did not slam into the ground.

"Here," he floated in front of her. "Fly towards me."

"Won't I hurt you if I ram into you too hard?"

"No."

"Are you certain? I don't want you to slam against the wall because I collided into you too quickly."

"You won't do that."

"Yes, I could hurt you badly."

"You can't hurt me any worse than any Death Eater or Order member has."

She cocked her head, wondering how he could think that was a comfort.

"Float to me," he gestured for her to come closer. "Trust your magic and me to guide you."

"I trust you more than myself," she breathed before willing her body forward. Again, it jerked and accelerated. Before panic could well within her, Severus stopped her from going too far. Somehow, he managed not to move a centimeter while still holding onto her body.

"See," he answered. "I'm fine."

"Yes, you are," she smiled as she felt the heat of her body against hers. "You are."

"Now," he flew above her and went in front of her. "Fly towards me again."

"I, uh, don't know how to turn around."

"Listen to your body and you'll know what to do."

This proved not to be the best advice. Once she turned, the sensation of her magic coursing through her evaporated. Before she could consider her next movement, her body lowered.

Before she could cry out, she was in Severus' arms. He rubbed her back. "I apologize. I forgot how much magic was involved in turning."

"But I can go forward," her lips curled up as he flew with her to her wheelchair. "And I can fly. That-that's more than I could do yesterday!"

"It is," he set her in the wheelchair.

"I can do it, and," pain radiated from her leg into the rest of her body. She bit her tongue as her entire body recoiled as if hit by several crucitases.

"Hermione," Severus paled.

Her entire body felt as if it had been engulfed by a fiendfyre. Everything in her wanted to cry out, but not a sound emerged.

"Hermione," Severus called.

"I," the pain subsided, concentrating itself on her left leg. "What just happened?"

"Flight uses quite a bit of magic." He shook his head. "I had hoped this would not have happened to you, but I may have been mistaken with how your magic would interact with the residual dark magic in your leg."

"So will I hurt like this after every time I fly?" She flinched as the pain in her left leg intensified.

"I can only speak for myself, but for the first dozen or so flights, my magic was exhausted."

Hermione's body grew heavy, her muscles drooping into each other.

"I knew there was a chance it could happen to you, but neither of us accounted for the amount of dark magic in your body." He put his head into his hands.

"You told me earlier intense pain was a possibility."

"Yes, but if it causes you that much pain we may need to consider ways of relieving your pain, or lessening the magical overload."

"But I can still fly?"

"Only if that is what you desire."

"I was terrified when I was in the air," she replied.

He exhaled. "I know. Perhaps I pushed you too hard..."

"But I was empowered too," her lips curled upwards. "For the first time in years, my leg wasn't impacting my mobility. You and I could both move forward at the same speed. It's been years since I could keep up with anyone without using a wheelchair."

"Are you saying you want to fly again?" He raised his head.

"Yes," she hissed before rubbing her spasming leg. "I want to work through these flying lessons until they do not hurt, or at least until I adjust to the pain."

"If you are like me, it will take some time for your body to adjust to the magic you use. Of course, we cannot account for the amount of dark magic within you although," he rubbed his chin. "I had a fair amount of dark magic within me already from Voldemort's curses, though they did not interact with my body as yours does. If my magic could adjust to flight, there's no reason yours could not as well."

"I want to continue doing this," she massaged her leg harder. "I want this job, and I want to prove to myself that I can do things other witches and wizards cannot do."

"Fine," he stood straighter. "Although we will wait at least two more days."

"Why? Shouldn't we build on our momentum?"

"If this were any other kind of magic, I would suggest doing so. Still, we are dealing with advanced magic, which exhausts anyone. One should be monitored after expending such magic to allow them to recover, and make sure there are no complications."

"What kinds of complications do you fear?"

"You could turn into a half-kneazle, half human hybrid."

"Well, that isn't anything I haven't faced before," she frowned.

"I know," he smirked.

She scowled as he chuckled. "If I wasn't so grateful to you for teaching me to fly, I would run over your foot right now."

"And if you did so, I would show my memory of you in that state to the entire school."

"Shit you did see me like that," she shook her head. "You were so professional about the whole thing too."

"I occluded the entire time," he admitted. "That was the most amusing potions mishap I had the pleasure of handling. I cannot say that I remained professional once I returned to my quarters."

"Do you ever see me as that?" She asked in a quiet voice. "Do you see me as an incompetent fool who would recklessly mistake a cat hair for that of another person."

"Never," he answered as his eyes softened. "I see you as a strong, capable woman who had a typical potions accident."

"Did you ever have such a mishap?"

"Due to my own error, no, although James did attempt to turn me into a frog with a potion, causing me to develop frog legs and slimy skin for a few days."

"That was cruel."

"You are the only person who believes so." The humor died from his eyes.

"You deserved better than what life as given you," she took his hand and rubbed it. "You deserve the feeling I felt when I fly."

"Believe me, I have that feeling when I'm with you."

"You do?"

He nodded. "You are the one person who has always allowed me to be myself. Regardless of what happens, I need you in my life."

"I need you in my life too," she squeezed his hand.

They stood in the classroom, taking comfort from each other. Perhaps she struggled to turn and could not land on her own, but Hermione could fly. With Severus, she could fly.

It was the greatest gift fate had ever given her.