Fly With Me

Every pair of eyes in the room stood boring holes in her head, every pair but one. Draco Malfoy stood leaning against the bulletin board, admiring his nail beds. “He probably gets them done every other week”, mused Hermione, momentarily distracted from the task in front of her. 

“Take a picture, Granger. It will last longer. And then maybe, you can concentrate on the task”, said Malfoy. A red tinge graced Hermione’s cheeks as a fit of cough made its way up her throat. “Shut up Malfoy! Not everyone is harbouring some secret crush on you.” “Are you sure, Granger? Look around.”, he dragged out. “Sto being a -”

“Just take one slip and move forward Hermione. I would like to go back to playing another round sometime soon if you don’t mind”, a voice interjected Hermione’s before she could go on a rant about how much of a prat Malfoy was.

“Alright, fine. I am sorry. It's just that Malfoy gets on my nerves sometimes”, Hermione said while continuing to look intently at the board. “So do you Hermione, but I am not complaining.”, Ron muttered but Hermione ignored him and concentrated on the problem at hand. A problem that presented itself in the form of having to decide between flying and studying divination. Exactly the two things that Hermione Granger, the greatest witch of her age, head girl of the Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, student extraordinaire, and bearer of the order of merlin - first-class, hated with a passion. Or maybe feared. 

Hermione let out a breath of air, her lips turning into a pout while her foot continued to tap at a dizzying speed. As she weighed the pros and cons of her options, she thought back to how she got herself entangled in this mess. 

In a moment of sheer spontaneity, Hermione had let Harry and Ron drag her to one of the 8th year’s monthly games, albeit after a lot of curses and promises to visit the new Goblin’s History museum in Hogsmeade with her. It had seemed like a good bargain then. But now, she wasn’t so sure. Right now, she just wanted to kill Draco Malfoy, slowly and painfully, if possible. 

Today’s game was Would You Rather. But it wasn’t that easy. Not only did one have to choose one dare but they also had to complete it. And Draco Malfoy, ex - archnemesis of Hermione Granger, had chosen the worst possible options -  flying on a broomstick for or assisting Professor Trelawney in her next class.

With the amount of time Hermione was taking, everyone would think she was in some kind of a dilemma. Oh, how right they were. For a dilemma, is exactly what it was!! She didn’t trust a piece of stick protruding into the most intimate parts of her being to carry her over a height of 10 feet. Let alone a total of 50 feet. But if she spent another second in the presence of Trelawney, then she might as well end up killing her and go to Azkaban, the wizarding prison. And that wasn’t in the plans for Hermione Granger after her graduation. The worst that the broom could do was make her fall, and probably break a few bones, but Trelawney!! Trelawney would definitely drive her insane.

It was very clear to Hermione what her choice was going to be. But that doesn't mean she disliked it any less. With shaking hands, she reached forward and plucked the card with ‘fly for two hours’ written on it. This was shocking news, at least to the people who knew her. They knew how incredibly afraid she was of flying and thought that she would definitely pick divination over flying. Surely, she could handle Trelawney for a few hours instead of risking her life?

“Oh finally, let's get on to the next round.” Murmurs broke out in the common room as people began going back to their assigned seats. But Hermione stood still. And when she found everyone staring at her yet again, she tried to make a quick retreat by saying “I think I will go now. Enough for today. I need to finish my essay for transfiguration.” As she turned to go back to her room, a voice boomed behind her. “Stop right there, Granger. Where do you think you are going? You have to complete your dare, or did you forget?”Hermione came to an abrupt halt and turned around on wobbly feet. “Wait, what? Right now? I have to do it right now?” Hermione looked around frantically to find everyone giving her the ‘Did you hit your head somewhere, Mione’ look. 

A laugh made its way out of Draco’s throat and everyone stared in wonder. “Of course not, Granger. You still have three more hours to go. We did say that all the dares will begin at 12 am, didn’t we?”, drawled Malfoy, one eyebrow curled up mockingly. “Ah.. yes. Of course.” Never one to back down from a challenge, Hermione, kindled by her Gryffindor spirit, sat back down in her seat and resumed the game, successfully hiding from the world just how afraid she was. From everyone but one - Draco Malfoy. 

The rest of the night passed smoothly and Hermione didn’t have to open her lips again. But every time Hermione felt herself drowning in fear, she found Draco Malfoy next to her, handing her a glass of butterbeer or just some cheese and crackers. In her trance, Hermoine failed to recognize the absurdity of the situation.

As the clock in the great hall chimed to 12 am, the common room to life. Some stood up and went back to their rooms, some wore their coats and trudged out of the common room and some stayed behind to watch the drama unfold. Draco Malfoy made his way across the room to where Hermione sat with her drink and offered her his arm. “Someone has to make sure you don’t die tonight Granger, and since I was the one who gave you this dare, I shall be your guide.”, he said. “Since when are you such a gentleman, Malfoy?”, Hermione pronounced, already taking her coat and making her way towards the quidditch field. “I was always the gentleman in school Granger. Maybe if you had ever taken your head out of the huge monstrosity that you call a book, you would have noticed. Tough luck on your part, I guess. But I have decided to accompany you tonight and nothing you say can change my mind. Besides, who else will teach you how to ride a broom huh?” “I have plenty of people I can ask for help, Malfoy. I could just ask Harry, or Ron, or Ginny. She’s the best player Hogwarts has seen in a decade.” “ Can you now, Granger? As far as I am sure, pothead and weaselbee have dares of their own, and where weaselette is concerned, she’s in her seventh year, or did you forget that? She has a curfew.” Knowing she had just lost, Hermione just hummed and continued down the same path. Besides, she was glad that it was him who was accompanying her, for he was one of the best players in the school. And if she were to fall off a broomstick, she would rather have someone proficient near her. But it's not like she was going to tell him THAT.

The walk to the quidditch pitch was quiet. Hermione mentally prepared herself for the dare. “Wait here till I get us brooms.”, said Malfoy with an air of finality before walking away towards the shed. A cool breeze blew past Hermione and she wrapped her cardigan around herself tighter. Her fingers wrapped around her arms and her eyes scanned the dark quidditch pitch. Obedient as she was, Hermione had her share of mischief, and that was why she knew exactly where to seat herself till her companion came back with the invitation to her death. Hermione walked towards the Slytherin stands, climbed the stairs, and came to a halt on the 7th floor window. She sat comfortably on the sill and looked outside. Hogwarts had always been majestic. But it was an entirely new sight at night. The astronomy tower stood proud with the moonlight shining over it. She looked to her left and saw the black lake simmering, moonlight playing with the light ripples caused probably by the giant squid’s movement under the water. She had been so immersed in the beauty of the place she calls home that she almost forgot she was here to fly and not take a break from her life as she usually did. Almost. Hermione saw a figure walking towards the stands from her far-right and immediately made her way downstairs. She didn’t want Malfoy to know about her secret place. It was tormenting enough that she had to live in the same common area as him. 

Hermione had just stabilized her breathing after running when Malfoy came into view and drawled “I thought you ran away, Granger. I was about to dispatch a search party for you.” Hermione scowled but maintained her composure. She did not need to be more anxious than she already was. She was going to be airborne for 2 hours for merlin’s sake and this boy had nothing better to do than to tease her. What a shame! “Let's get going, Malfoy. I want to get done with it.” “Your wish is my command, milady!”, said Malfoy mockingly. 

Hermione snatched her broom from the ground and called it up towards her. Nothing. She tried again. Yet nothing. Blush made its way up her neck and her breathing became labored. Not wanting to be embarrassed in front of Malfoy, Hermione tried once again and to her mortification, she received no response. Yet again. She looked towards her right to find a grinning Malfoy. Her stomach fluttered for a second but she pushed it back from her mind. “You have to trust the broom, Granger. Guide it. Don’t command. The brooms have pride of their own. If you try to take control over them, they will throw you off. If you really want it to follow your orders, you have to trust it and let it carry you. Stay calm and try again. Tell it to come to you. Say ‘up’ softly and wait. Try again, Granger.” Hermione diverted her eyes from him and tried again. “Up”, she said softly. The broom shook and lay back down. “Softer.” “Up”, she said softly again. The broom wooshed into Hermione’s hands and she grinned. Smiling because she had managed to summon a broom just fine for the first time in her life. “Hold it tight and mount it.”, a voice said and Hermione did as she was told. “You good, Granger?” “Yes.” “Good. Let's get going. Lean forward a bit and kick the ground softly. Remember to kick softly okay?” Hermione balanced both of her hands in front of her and with her eyes concentrated towards the handle of the broom, she kicked the ground. And she flew. “Great job, Granger. Just hold on tight and lean forward to get it moving. Use your body weight to guide it across the sky, Granger. You know physics, right? It's simple.” Hermione was surprised to hear the word Physics from Malfoy’s mouth. It was a muggle subject and she did not expect him to know anything about it, let alone use it in flying. She leaned forward even further and tried moving left and right. After maneuvering the broom successfully for 3 rounds, she distinctly heard Malfoy call out to her “Not so bad after all, is it?” “No, not so bad.”, she whispered before flying even further. Hermione was glad that she was such a good learner and an intelligent witch. She had taken two doses of the calming drought before coming here without anyone seeing. She knew that if she were to show up here without anything, she would faint the moment she laid her eyes on the broom. 

Hermione smiled triumphantly and moved her hands to the right. She had little time to think, for the next thing she knew, she was falling. Falling from a height of 100 feet. A scream tore from her throat and her eyes clenched involuntarily. Malfoy, who had been keeping an eye on Hermione, saw exactly the moment she pulled too hard and was already dashing towards her before he heard her scream. His heart pounded in his chest and adrenaline rushed through his veins. “ I am coming, Hermione!!” he screamed and went into a steep fall at a distance of 5 meters from where she was falling. He made an abrupt pull and stabilized the broom. He was ready. He was under Hermione and he would catch her. He will not let anything happen to her. He counted and at 1..2..3...He had Hermione wrapped tightly in his arms. He pulled her to himself and whispered continuously in her ears as she sobbed. “You are okay. You're okay, Hermione. You are safe. Nothing is going to happen to you. I am here. I am right here. You are okay, Hermione.” As Malfoy continued to whisper in her ears, Hermione clung to Draco Malfoy for dear life, her head tucked safely into his chest and arms wrapped around his ripped torso. After a few minutes, her sobs receded and Hermione looked directly into the eyes of Draco Malfoy. “I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.”, she whispered and Draco’s eyes softened. “I am sorry, love. I didn’t think you’d fall. In the last few months, I have been teaching you, you have done brilliantly. And I just wanted to apologize for what happened in the charms class today. You won’t let me explain and I thought this was the only way I could get you alone. I am sorry, love. I am really really sorry.” 

Tears leaked from Hermione’s eyes yet again and she hugged Draco once again. “You should have just told me, Draco. I would have listened to you.” “I am sorry, Hermione. I really am.”

It's fine, Draco. Just don’t do anything like that again.” “I won’t. I promise.”

“Just one question though. Why did you choose Flying and Trelawney of all the things that you could have gotten me to do?”

A wicked smirk graced his face. “To get you out of the common room, of course. I knew you would never pick Trelawney. And what better way to spend a Saturday night than flying with my girlfriend in my arms, huh Ms. Granger?”, he said as he sped to the other side of the pitch with Hermione squealing in his embrace. 

Maybe, just maybe, the monthly games weren’t all that bad after all.