Quite the Catch

MarcusxHermione; DracoxLuna

Rated T

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Quite the Catch

Chapter 1

The encounters Hermione Granger had with Marcus Flint while at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had been few and far in between. So much so that she could count them on one hand. Usually the encounter involved Draco Malfoy and him goading her best friends Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, sometimes even at her own expense. However, there was one such encounter that would change her life concerning the so-called troll of Slytherin House. And that encounter occurred during her Second Year.

Hermione walked through the corridors and up the many flights of stairs inside of Hogwarts, intent on finding a place to study and practice her magic. Usually the Second Year Gryffindor would be studying in the library, but she found her study space to contain both Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode, her female tormentors of Slytherin. She didn't know what they were doing there, and she didn't want to know. For all she knew, they could have been waiting for her to show up to curse her or something. Deciding to not give them the satisfaction of even getting the chance to see her, she had quickly left the library and headed back for the stairs. She could always go back to Gryffindor Tower and study in the dorm, but she wanted to be by her lonesome. And as for her best friends, Ron and Harry were currently enthralled in a new edition of Seeker Weekly, and thus hadn't even acknowledged her when she told them she was leaving to study. As she climbed the stairs, a thought occurred to her that she could study in a place that was sure to be deserted at the moment. And that place was the Astronomy Tower.

Hurrying up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower, Hermione grinned finding that there was no one present. Moving to take a seat against the wall next to the railing overlooking the Hogwarts grounds and courtyard, the little brunette set about taking out her notes, quill and ink, books, and wand, and began studying away. It was rather very peaceful up in the Astronomy Tower, but there was also a wind up there was well that rustled her parchment papers. She had placed the few that she needed under books to keep them from flying away, the ones she didn't she placed back in her schoolbag. While she was busy studying for Charms, one very important parchment of notes slid out from under her ink bottle due to a very strong wind that passed through the tower, fluttering towards the edge of the railing.

"Oh no!" Hermione cried before hurrying to her feet, running after her fly away notes. Reaching the railing she reached out for the parchment, her fingers grazing the notes but unable to grab it. Unfortunately, she reached out a bit too far and ended up leaning forward over the railing. She slid over the railing and before she knew it, she was plummeting towards the courtyard. As the wind howled in her ear as she fell to her what was surely to be her death, all Hermione could think to do in that moment was scream.

Marcus Flint didn't feel more at ease or free as he did than when he was flying. The wind howling in his ears and caressing his face, fluttering in his hair, it was the best moments of his partially miserable life. He admittedly liked being at Hogwarts, as it kept him away from his overbearing, Pureblood supremacist father. He imagined he would end up just like him if it wasn't for his mother influencing him in a good way. While his father preached about Purebloods being better than Halfbloods and Mudbloods, and how Mudbloods and Squibs should be eradicated from society, his mother taught him that witches and wizards of lesser blood (especially Muggleborns) were people as well, some being as strong if not stronger than some Purebloods. She was always kind to them as well whenever not in the sight of his father, and he himself tried to keep her lessons in mind.

When he and the Slytherin Quidditch team had been confronted for taking the Gryffindor team's practice slot to train their new Seeker, he hadn't been bothered. However, it had quickly escalated upon the Gryffindor team, especially Potter, Weasley, and Granger finding out Draco was the new Seeker, even more so when it was revealed their new Nimbus 2001 broomsticks had been gifts from the boy's father, Lucius Malfoy. Yes, he had been bribed to allow Draco on the team with the promise of new brooms, but that didn't deny the fact that Draco did have talent as a Seeker. He imagined he could even give Potter a run for his money if he could keep his petty feelings out of the way. Draco then had to gloat how his father could afford the best brooms for him and the team, prompting Granger to quickly insinuate that he had bought his way into the team and thus had no talent in a rather haughty tone of voice. Marcus himself would have smirked at how she had taken a jab at Draco, but Draco's retort to her caused him not to. He had called the Gryffindor girl a Mudblood, and a filthy one at that. He could still remember the tense silence that hung in the air following his words, everyone knowing that was a hit below the belt whether they believed it or not. The obvious hurt on the little brunette's face still flashed in his head whenever he passed by her bushy head in the corridors.

Shaking his head he continued flying above the grounds of Hogwarts, enjoying his time to himself above the ground. He watched many students walking to class together or studying in the courtyard or by the Great Lake. He could even see the Giant Squid pop out of the water for a brief moment before submerging itself again. Marcus flew back towards the castle and had just flown by the Astronomy Tower when he heard a loud, high pitched scream.

Looking back behind him, he saw a female student falling from the Astronomy Tower to the ground below. Quickly maneuvering his broom, Marcus turned around and raced for the girl in a downward slant dive. Mere feet above the ground he straightened up and caught the girl with his left arm, using his right one to steer his broom to keep from crashing against the stone castle. Tiny arms wrapped around him and held tightly as he continued to fly, soon slowing down and coming to a stop at the edge of the courtyard.

"Are you alright?" Marcus asked as he looked down at the girl holding onto him for dear life.

Upon seeing the bushy brown hair and Gryffindor crest on her uniform, as well as the brown eyes and large front teeth peeking out from her panting parted lips, he immediately knew who it was that had nearly fallen to her death. It was Hermine Granger.

Author's Note: This is another unconventional pairing that I've found myself rather fond of and want to take a shot at. I've had this story idea in my head for about two or three months now and am now writing it out. I hope you all give this story a chance and stay tuned for more of Marcus and Hermione's story. Also, thanks so much to my brother for taking the time to create the cover art for this story; thanks Buggo! Love, SehunsBae37.