Quarrels & Loves

A Lesson of Faith

Summary: As head boy and girl, Draco and Hermione develop a strange sort of study system together that quickly becomes a routine. When Draco finds out Hermione barely passed first year flying lessons, however, he quickly makes sure to add flying lessons into their odd routine.

Hermione could not say she hated him. She wanted to and she regularly did when talking with Ron and Harry, but she could not honestly say she hated Draco Malfoy. After testifying at his trial and having to meet with him for the entire train ride to Hogwarts, it was kind of difficult to not notice how he had changed. He was still a prick and she wasn't sure she'd ever forget what he'd done in the past, but he seemed to be making a genuine effort to get along with her.

Only two weeks into the year and they had already come up with some sort of combined study session on weeknights. Hermione wasn't daft. She knew Draco was right behind her in marks and having him as a study partner was probably the best thing she could do for her education. That didn't mean that the first night he suggested it went very well however.

She was rather embarrassed to say she may have cussed him out for attempting to be her friend as if the past hadn't happened. While Draco hadn't yelled back at her, he had informed her he was trying very hard to be a better person and that if she continued to view him as his old self, then really she was no better than the others who called him a Death Eater. Hermione had taken his comments to heart and tried much harder after that to get to know the new Draco Malfoy whom she was now living with.

Now, Hermione set aside the time to study with him each night and review the homework they'd each done during the day. Draco was surprisingly witty and easy to talk to which is how she found herself admitting halfway through their Tuesday night study session that she had barely passed their flying course in first year.

Draco stared at her for several seconds before realising it was not a joke. Then he laughed.

"Oh shit, Granger," he laughed, leaning back in his seat, homework long forgotten. "You're serious."

"Of course I'm serious, Malfoy," she said, her cheeks burning. "I hated the class and refuse to ride a broom even now. Besides, I don't need one if I can apparate."

"No, no, no," Draco said, waving a hand as he attempted to calm down. "This is the greatest thing I've ever heard."

Hermione huffed and glared at him before trying to return to her homework, grumbling about how her misery really shouldn't cause him such joy. It was when Draco sat up straight and stared at her like he'd just had an epiphany that Hermione really began to regret saying anything.

"I'm going to teach you how to ride a broom," he announced. Hermione's eyes widened and she shook her head quickly. "Yes, I will. It's the one thing I can do that you can't, so I'm going to teach you."

"Absolutely not," Hermione refused. Draco just smirked at her and leaned back in his seat.

"After class, meet me at the quidditch field," he told her. Hermione glared at him, already deciding she would do no such thing. "And if you don't, I'll tell Blaise."

Apparently she would be doing such a thing.

* * * * *

Hermione was not proud to admit she was scared as she walked up to the quidditch field. Logically, she knew there was really no reason, but she couldn't help it. She'd seen Harry's broom cursed before and heard horror stories about faulty brooms. To her, they simply didn't seem like a reliable transportation method. She definitely didn't understand why wizards bothered with them when apparation and Floo networks were available options.