Disclaimer: I do not own what is not mine.

Beta love: maireadtbts

She just couldn't believe that her best friends, the two boys – Stupid, stupid boys – she had spent almost all of her life with, the two boys she sacrificed a great deal of her life for, betrayed her like this.

Yes, they did. Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley betrayed Hermione Granger.

Meet us at quidditch practice, they said. You'll have fun with us, they said.

And where are they now? She didn't know where they are exactly, but there are two things she knows for sure; one is that the Chudley Cannons did not have any practice scheduled today and second…

She was pretty sure they set this up.

Set her up.

With Draco sodding Malfoy.

Buggering hell.

"Easy there Granger or the ground might melt." Said the ugly ferret standing at the end of the bench she was currently sitting on.

Hermione just curled her fists on her lap and said nothing. She cannot deal with Malfoy right now, she was just too busy thinking of ways to torture the boys when they least expected it.

"So…" drawled Malfoy "They set us up, didn't they?"

Hermione looked at him incredulously, "Really? That's your observation?" She scoffed. "Astute."

Draco shook his head and sighed. "Ms. Pain-in-the-arse… I" He pointed at himself "Am blaming this all on you." He finished with his finger pointed at her.

Hermione stood up with a start and gaped at Draco. "Me?" She let out a shaky breath "What, pray tell, did I do so wrong as to be here alone with you?"

Draco angrily wiped a hand across his face, obviously controlling the urge to just shake the life out of this stubborn, stubborn, witch in front of him. "They obviously did this because they wanted us to be friends Granger!" he semi-shouted. It had occurred to him that shouting at Hermione was probably not the best thing to do right now. "And I thought you were the brilliant one."

Hermione didn't answer, or can't, because she knew he was right.

After the war, all three of the Golden Trio received a lot of offers in different areas of every possible profession.

Many assumed that Harry and Ron would want to train as Aurors.

To be able to protect the wizarding world from death eaters and the like, to be able to give justice to all… people expected that that was what they would want to do with their lives.

Everyone was surprised that they took the offer to be trained as professional quidditch players.

Everyone… except her.

Hermione knew how quidditch crazy both of the boys are. She knew that their love of the sport wasn't just a phase; it was deeply rooted into them since childhood. And then there's the issue of being robbed of their childhood. Hermione was sure that if that skin-head psychopath haven't resurrected from the bloody grave, they could have had a normal life and they would eventually be quidditch stars.

Besides, they were great at playing. And she wasn't saying that because she loves them, it's a fact.

The only thing that surprised Hermione was, besides the fact that both boys decided to play for Chudley Cannons to quote, "raise them from the ashes!", was that… they made friends with Malfoy… Draco Malfoy.

He didn't play pro-quidditch, no. It was a coincidence that he became the Chudley Cannons' manager/financier. And ever since then the three boys became inseparable.

Literally inseparable.

And while they created this wonderful bond around quidditch, Hermione was Harry and Ron's best friend first so they would never leave her behind just because they created a new best friend out of Draco Malfoy.

And so began the conflict of two relationships.

Ever since Hermione was totally all the way supportive of Harry and Ron's decision to play pro-quidditch that she made it a point to go to every practice. And while she didn't shout to cheer them, her mere presence gave the boys a boost of moral support. That stopped when Draco, insensitive – or maybe just a little bit jealous – prat that he was, said that "It's unprofessional to have your girlfriend in the stands, Ronnie-kins. She's becoming a distraction." After one of their practice sessions when she came down to greet them.

"First of all, I'm not Ronnie-kin's girlfriend." came Hermione's reply. Her voice laced with promise of torture. "And second, it's none of your fucking business ferret. Sod off!"

She never watched their practice again after that.

And while she didn't go to their practices anymore, she still saw the boys and stayed over at their flat but they both made sure to not let Draco and Hermione cross paths. The one time they made a mistake and let the two on the same roof, wands were drawn.

So, long story short, Harry and Ron always made adjustments so that the two wouldn't clash anymore.

And they were just so tired of it.

And so, they arranged for the two to meet each other and probably have a talk. They weren't stupid; they knew that if you just let them be they'll surely just walk away or something. So they pleaded with Draco, being he seemed to be the lesser of the two evils, to make friends with their bushy-haired best friend.

And he promised himself he was going to try hard.

Try hard to make Granger like him.

Because she's his only hope of finding love in a world that hated him.

Because she was the only one who was known to have a thing for underdogs.

And so, as Hermione was about to go, he immediately called her. "Granger, wait!"

She stilled and looked at him. "What do you want?"

He sighed, this was going to be a long day. "Let's… let's talk?" he stepped closer to her. "It is so obvious that they want us to be friends, right?"

Hermione tilted her head. "And why?"

Draco groaned. She knows the answer, but- merlin why do I even like this girl?

"I'm friends with them, you're friends with them. And as much as you hate it we are close with each other, almost as close as you guys are. And I wouldn't know, but I would think it'd be easier if all my friends would like each other!" Draco finished shouting hoping it would make it easier for Hermione to understand.

Hermione crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "I don't have any need, and any reason to like you enough to be your friend."

"Don't you like Harry and Ron enough to like me? For their sake?"

"Maybe…" She shook her head. "Okay! Okay. Fine! Let's give this a try."

They both became silent as they thought of what to say to one another. When the silence was starting to become awkward, Draco snapped his fingers and said, "Just a moment."

Draco ran towards the storage rooms where they kept all of the brooms and other equipments and not a moment longer ran back towards her with two brooms.

She wasn't an expert but she does have two quidditch crazy best friends who, from time to time, excitedly shoves a catalogue of a new broom at her face, and that was enough for her to know that what he was holding was not only the latest but the most expensive broom today.

"I… what… what do you think you're doing?!" She shouted at him. "Are you expecting me to ride that broom?"

Draco flushed lightly. "I just made use of what I had! And this was how I made friends with potty and weasel… with flying."

Hermione's demeanour softened. "Um… okay. It's just that…" she stammered. Not sure how to tell him she was more than impaired at flying.

Draco though, brought about by the constant anger of his father with him for being second to a muggle-born witch, brightened at the realization that the Hermione Granger didn't know how to fly a broom.

One thing! There is one thing I know that she doesn't!

In a moment of childhood impulse, he mocked her. "Don't tell me… You. The perfect Hermione Granger, doesn't know how to fly a broom?"

"What?! No! Of course not! I am more than capable of flying your worthless broom!"

Draco raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You want to ride my broom?"

Hermione flushed and instead of answering back, she stomped towards him and snatched one of the brooms off of his hand.

She mumbled unintelligible things as she continued to stomp her way towards the middle of the pitch.

However, when she reached her destination she stilled and contemplated what she was going to do. I don't have any idea how to properly ride this stupid thing!

She passed their flying lessons back her first year but barely, just because she was the only one who was able to perfect all of the written parts of the curriculum that the other students deigned unimportant.

As she was trying to pull out anything from her mind about how to properly ride a broom Draco came running towards her still holding onto the remaining broom.

Hermione stopped him immediately with one hand. "You stay right there Malfoy."

She turned her back to him and mounted the broom. "I'll show you how to properly ride a broom."

Hermione kicked the ground the way she remembered Madam Hooch instructed them. Surely, she soared slowly albeit ungracefully.

Her knuckles were completely white on the broom handle as the broom soared higher and higher. She felt proud of herself and thought of how this was probably one of the things she thought she would never do all of her life. Besides fighting a psychopath, she thought bitterly.

She felt prouder of herself as she realized she just showed that sodding Drac-wait-Malfoy, that she could fly a broom and she is still better than him.

All of her smugness turned into panic as she realized she was probably hundred feet off the ground and has no knowledge as to how to go down.

Well, go down in one piece that is.

If she really wanted to go down she could just jump off the broom right?

Hermione gripped the end broom handle – if possible – tighter than before and she scanned her brain for something, anything, that might help her now or else she might turn into a bloodied pancake.

And it hit her... aeroplanes!

An amazing muggle contraption, with metals wings and a humongous engine that flies through the air and is used for transferring not only things but also people – a large amount of them – from one place to the other.

A more reasonable thing to fly on than a broom, that's for sure.

Hermione had watched a lot of educational telly series with her father and she had seen some documentaries about aeroplanes and she could remember how they land!

She remembered that each time these aeroplanes land they'd glide left or right depending on where they are about to land.

Yes! That's it! Hermione mentally rejoiced.

Hermione took a huge intake of breath and slowly tilted her body to the left.

It was far, far, too late when she realized that the broom didn't tilt with her.

And as the last inch of her right leg slipped off of the broom all she could think about was Malfoy.

Not in a romantic way.

Not yet anyway.

Not until she was pretty sure that she was about to fall gruesomely to the ground, her precious brain all over the place, did she suddenly feel a strong arm encircle her waist

It was dramatic really.

And as soon as she smelled that distinctive fresh cologne of Draco Malfoy, she also realized that the arm on her waist slid up towards her... breasts.

"What the hell Malfoy! Get your arms off of my breasts!" Hermione shrieked.

Draco groaned not only due to Hermione's weight on his arm but also because of what she said. "Really Granger? You're more worried that I'm touching your breasts than falling from this height? You have to sort your priorities!" he shouted at her.

"They're not even that big!" he said as an afterthought.

Hermione shrieked and flailed and Draco found it harder to hold on to her.

"You want me to let go of your breasts now don't you?" He shouted and before Hermione could answer he took his arms off of her.

Hermione didn't let out a sound and closed her eyes but not a moment later Draco grabbed her arm and she didn't say anything else as he gently placed her on the ground.

Draco dismounted the broom and looked at Hermione who had her arms circled around her and her head down.

Draco quickly placed the broom on the ground and went to Hermione.

He squatted down a bit to try and take a peek at her face. "Hey... are you alri-"

He was cut-off when Hermione suddenly burst into life and started hitting him while shouting either 'I thought I was going to die!' or 'Why'd you let me go?!'. Draco let her hit him for a few seconds but then he got annoyed and grabbed both of her wrists mid-air.

"You are insane!" He shouted. "You were the one who said 'let go'!"

"Did you really think I meant it!?" Hermione shouted back. "You were about to let me die!"

Draco stepped backed at that and abruptly let Hermione's wrist go. "I would never do that." He said not shouting anymore. If anything his voice became sullen.

"I will never let you die Hermione."

That silenced Hermione all of the sudden and she just realized how utterly stubborn she was being. "I-I'm sorry Malf-Draco."

Draco looked up at the sky and took a deep breath yet again. "It's alright... Just... let's start over."

"Okay. Let's try again." Hermione cleared her throat. "So Draco what are you doing with that-" she pointed at the forgotten broom on the ground. "-broom?"

Draco looked at the broom and back at Hermione. "Well Hermione, I was thinking that I could... teach you how to ride a broom?" he grinned.

Hermione laughed at that. Really, really laughed. "Okay... okay Draco." Hermione wiped some tears of joy out of her eyes. "Teach me how to ride a broom."

Draco held out his hand to her and she took it without saying anything. They went to retrieve the broom and Draco mounted and signalled for Hermione to mount it too.

"What? No broom for me?" She asked.

"No, you've broken one already. And I think it's best if I ride with you." He said smiling at her.

Hermione blushed and looked down. Oh Merlin... Draco's body... so close to me...

"Hermione?" She shook her head. Get it together Hermione! She squared her shoulders and took Draco's outstretched hand and mounted the broom as well.

She could feel Draco's chest on her back and she was engulfed by that fresh cologne scent yet again.

Draco leaned closer towards Hermione's ear and said, his voice cheerful, "Are you ready?"

Hermione involuntarily shivered and nodded, not wanting to open her mouth to answer because she didn't think she'd be capable of saying anything more than 'Yes, take me now please.'.

Draco kicked the ground and they soared into the sky.

Draco continuously uttered instructions that sounded like it directly came from their book Quidditch Through the Ages.

Little did Hermione know that Draco's mouth was running on auto-pilot because he couldn't think of anything other than how perfectly Hermione fit next to him and how her hair smelled like the fresh flowers that bloomed in his mother's garden and how he didn't want this to be a one time thing.

And will Hermione be his girlfriend?

And little did Draco know that Hermione was thinking the same thing.

As they landed gently back at the quidditch pitch they both got off of the broom and were now standing awkwardly like silly teenagers.

"So, Her-Hermione... did you learn anything?" Draco said hesitantly.

"I... yes. No. I mean.." Hermione stammered.

"I could teach you again?" Draco smiled at her warmly but she could still see the hesitation in his gray eyes.

Hermione smiled back, "You could."

Draco, in a bold move, asked "Like me now, Hermione?"

Hermione looked at him through her lashes, her most cunning smile plastered on her face. "You could teach me?"

~ Fin ~

A/N:Hi! Sooooo this story was inspired by a picture I saw at Pinterest while scrolling through the Dramione tag.

Here's the link, just delete those annoying spaces: www. pinterest pin / 541628292665930503 /

And here's the artist: icetoffee . tumblr . com

Thank you for reading! :)