Disclaimer: Belongs to JK Rowling. Just mucking around.

Not Playing Anymore

Chapter Six

"What should we do tonight?" Draco asked her, as they sat together on the common room sofa.

"I don't know, we could just stay here in the common room," Hermione suggested.

"I have a better idea," he said, putting his hand out in the air, and casting a soundless spell, Hermione could hear something flying towards them, turning around she spotted the broom that they had bought in Hogsmeade on the weekend.

"You know," Hermione said jumping up, "I have an assignment that's due for Professor Flitwick' class, I probably should finish that. Yeah, that's what I need to do."

"Hermione," Draco began, getting up and grabbing the broom, "Hermione love, you said that this was a fear that you needed to get rid of, right?" She nodded, "Well then the only way to get rid of it is to do it."

She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking over what he said, she reopened them and looked at him, "Alright," she said, with a nervous smile, "Let me go get changed, then we'll go," she said, before heading up the stairs to her room. She was right. A school skirt wasn't the best thing to fly in.

Draco went to sit back down, but then he remembered that he got her something while they were in the Quaffle Hut, so he quickly went upstairs to his room and grabbed it out of his cupboard. Shoving it in his pocket when he heard Hermione coming out of her room.

Moving out onto the landing, "You ready?" he asked.

She gave a quick nod of her head, and he took her hand and they began to walk down to the Quidditch pitch, thankfully no teams had the pitch on Tuesday nights, so they wouldn't be discovered. As they were Head boy and girl, they wouldn't get into any trouble, but he just didn't feel that Hermione would like an audience.

After they managed to get to the pitch without coming across any other students or teachers, "I got you something," Draco said, reaching into his pocket.

Hermione beamed at him, "What is it?"

"Well, when we were in the shop the other day getting your broom, I saw them and thought they would come in very handy," he said, handing her the little package.

Hermione smiled, as she unwrapped the package, in it she found a pair of gloves, in a very familiar colour. "The colour…" she whispered.

"It's the same colour as the dress that you wore to the Yule Ball," Draco expanded, "I thought they'd come in handy when you are flying, they will give you a better grip of the broom."

Draco shifted nervously on his feet as she continued to look over the gloves, "If you don't like them, I'm sure the store has a return policy…"

He stopped speaking as she leapt at him, throwing her arms around his neck, "Thankyou," she whispered, "I love them."

"That's good," Draco choked out, not from emotion. She was constricting his throat, "Hermione hun…I can't breath."

"Oh," she said, jumping back, "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," he said, rubbing his neck, "So lets get to this lesson."

Ten minutes later they had covered the basics once again, that Hermione had forgotten since first year, and now Draco was trying to get her to hop on.

"Hermione," Draco said patiently, "You are only going to be two feet at the most off the ground, there is really nothing to be worried about, and I'm going to be walking right beside you. You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

She was chewing on her lip, staring at the broom in her hand and then up at him, and doing it again, just as he went to speak again, "Okay," she said shakily.

She moved the broom into position between her legs and then she started to hover in the air, bringing the broom into vertical alignment, hovering about two and a half feet off the ground.

He looked up at her face, and saw that she had screwed her eyes shut, not looking at all at what she was doing. "You can open your eyes," he said softly.

She opened her eyes, and looked down and gasped, as she saw her position, her grip on the stick tightened. "Just relax," he said softly again, turning and beginning to walk slowly in the other direction.

"Draco!" Hermione exclaimed, "Where are you going?"

"For a walk," he said calmly, "Why don't you follow?" He suggested, "What did you think of that quiz in Transfiguration last week?" He asked, as he heard her turn and begin to follow him, "I thought it was easy."

"Easy?" She remarked, as she drew level with him, "It was okay, some questions were hard, but then she has given us harder assignments in the past," she stated, not noticing at all that she was flying at a nice pace, next to him briskly walking across the pitch, "Nothing at all like the quiz that we had in Arithmancy on Friday, that was a challenge."

Time fell by quickly for the pair, and before they knew it the next Hogsmeade weekend was upon them, with Draco and Neville still planning on watching the match at the Hogs Head. No amount of very persuasive arguing – snogging, from Hermione could convince Draco not to go, and save her from spending the afternoon with Luna. Not that Hermione didn't like Luna. She just didn't think she could handle a whole afternoon with her.

So the day dawned bright as per usual for a spring Hogsmeade visit, but Hermione was not in the mood to savour it.

"Hermione?" Draco tried to talk to her as they walked down to the village where they were meeting the others, she just turned the other way, she wasn't mad at him, she was just enjoying having him scramble around trying to get on her good side again.

He gave up after about five minutes, and Hermione was disappointed, if she had to spend the whole afternoon with Luna, she could have at least had more fun prior to getting there. So they made the rest of the way in silence.

"Hi Neville," she greeted as they got to where they were, "Hello Luna," she said turning to face her.

"Hello Hermione, Draco," Luna said, "We are going to have so much fun today!" She enthused, "While the boys watch their sweaty men play-fight we are going to go hunting!"

"Hunting?" Hermione asked weakly. "For what?"

"For Wily Willyschnaps of course," she said, like it was the most normal thing in the world, "They are rumoured to be in these parts, they are a cousin of the Sleepy Silicoden, be interesting to see if there is any around."

Neville met Draco' eyes, and they both managed to hold in their laughter, at the expression on Hermione' face.

"Well," Neville said rubbing his hands together, "We should get going, want to get a good spot in the pub," he gave Luna a kiss on the cheek, and Hermione a comforting smile.

Draco leant over and whispered, "Have fun, hunting," in her ear, and then he and Neville walked off, chuckling.

"They sure do enjoy their sports," Luna said, "Do you want to go to the bookstore or something before we set out?"

"Sure," Hermione said, and they started walking through the streets.

Two Hours Later….

Hermione was sitting with Luna in front of Honeydukes, waiting for their match to finish and them come to meet them. She to her great surprise had actually had a nice time with Luna. Luna had given up on the hunt not long after they set out, so they had spent most of their time window shopping and talking. It was so nice for Hermione to have an intelligent conversation with another girl, sometimes about Luna' weird and wacky beliefs but about other things as well, the girls in her house and year were a bit shallow, so it was a pleasant change.

They both looked up as they heard a ruckus coming from down the street, both of their mouths fell open as they saw their boyfriends making there way towards them. Drunk.

"Hey Herms," Draco slurred as he got to them, throwing an arm around her, "How have you been, that was an absolutely corking match, you should have came."

She looked over at Luna and saw her dealing with a Neville who was in the same state as Draco, turning to Blaise, who stood as steady as ever, raising an eyebrow.

"Only Butterbeer I swear," He said earnestly, "Probably ten gallons of the stuff, but just Butterbeer, I don't think they ate either."

"Drake," Hermione turned and saw Neville moving on shaky legs towards them, "When we get back to the school…I'll show you my sticker album, full of wrestlers…it's so cool."

"Sounds good Nev," Draco slurred, "Let's go now," He said, stepping away from Hermione, and putting his arm around his shoulders, "Did I tell you about the time I went to a match in London?" And they started walking back to the school, stumbling over the stones on the road. It would have been funny, if it weren't so pathetic. Two nearly grown men drunk on Butterbeer.

"Sing it with me Nev," they heard Draco yell.

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, teach us something please…" came their two combined voices, ringing through the streets of Hogsmeade, their increasingly embarrassed girlfriends, rushing after them.

♥ Well the plot-bunnies have run away from this story, and I so hope that they come back. Till then, I don't know! I'll try and write for it, but I don't know how good they will be. We shall see...