Seeing this, Draco withdrew the Wind Charm, hoping to calm the airflow so that Hermione could gradually slow down.
Without the aid of the Wind Charm, Hermione, accustomed to strong winds and speed, instantly lost her balance.
The broom suddenly tilted and began to fly erratically and uncontrollably.
"Ah--!"
Hermione screamed, her wrists gripping the broom frantically, but she couldn't pull it back from its erratic direction.
He crashed straight into the Quidditch practice post standing in the arena, broom in hand.
Everything happened so fast that Draco didn't even have time to utter any first aid spells.
His only reaction was to use all his strength to hug Hermione tightly, holding her firmly in his arms.
The two of them, along with the broom, fell heavily to the ground.
Fortunately, the entire field was covered with thick, soft mats, which cushioned most of the impact.
However, due to inertia, they still clung to each other and rolled around several times on the soft mat before finally stopping.
The moment he landed, Draco felt dizzy and his vision blurred.
After a while, I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them again, slowly focusing my gaze.
As the blurry light and shadows dissipated, the first thing that came into clear view was Hermione, her face pale, standing right next to him.
Ignoring his dizziness and discomfort, Draco immediately spoke, urgently asking:
" Minmin, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"
This offhand expression of concern instantly shattered Hermione's feelings of guilt and lingering fear.
She was clearly protected very well and was completely unharmed.
But seeing Draco, who was dizzy from protecting her, she could no longer hold back her tears, which instantly burst forth.
Hermione didn't say anything, but suddenly reached out and hugged Draco's neck tightly, burying her face in his neck.
She cried, her whole body trembling slightly, and her warm tears quickly soaked his collar.
Draco thought she was terrified, his heart tightened, and he immediately reached out and hugged her even tighter.
With his other hand, he gently patted her back, whispering soothing words.
"It's okay, it's okay... I'm here, don't be afraid, it's all over, it doesn't hurt at all, right?"
After a long while, Hermione finally stopped crying, and the two sat up facing each other.
She hung her head, her voice muffled, with a slight nasal tone from crying:
"I'm sorry... It was my recklessness that caused this accident; I flew so fast."
Draco gently wiped away the remaining tears from the corner of her eye and said easily, "It's okay, we're all fine, isn't that enough?"
Hermione raised her reddened eyes, still scrutinizing him with concern, and asked, "Are you really alright?"
Draco suddenly frowned, and said with feigned seriousness, "It seems... there really is a problem."
Hermione panicked instantly and rushed forward, frantically checking his arms, shoulders, and forehead.
Her voice tightened with anxiety. "Where does it hurt? Did you bump into something? Does anything hurt?"
But she saw the smile hidden in Draco's eyes; he didn't look injured at all.
Hermione frowned, her little face hardening, and said, "You're injured and you're still laughing!"
"I'm not hurt," Draco said innocently, shrugging his shoulders.
Hermione was even more puzzled and asked, "Then why did you say there was a problem?"
Draco leaned closer, grinning mischievously as he whispered in her ear:
"My neck was just choked a bit too tightly, and I'm having trouble breathing... Miss Granger, would you like me to have some artificial respiration?"
Hermione's cheeks flushed bright red. She raised her hand and lightly punched him, saying, "Ugh! What kind of time is this to be joking around! You really don't have any other questions?"
Draco patted his chest confidently and said, "Don't worry, with my physique, I could do it ten more times and be completely unharmed."
Hermione said, still shaken, "I don't want to fall again."
Draco raised an eyebrow, teasing her deliberately, "Really? You're too scared to keep practicing after just one fall?"
"No, I'm not!" Hermione retorted, looking up. "I'm just tired. I'll practice again next time."
"That's more like it," Draco laughed, "You're the brave Gryffindor Minmin, what's a little mistake like this?"
Hermione looked at him, then suddenly gave a soft hum, gazing at him with an all-knowing look and saying:
"Don't worry, I'll keep practicing... Anyway, you'll still be able to take advantage of me later."
Draco burst out laughing on the spot, never expecting that his little scheme would be seen through so easily by this clever little witch.
But he wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, he said matter-of-factly, "She's my wife anyway. What's wrong with hugging her, getting close to her, and taking advantage of her?"
Hermione rolled her eyes at him helplessly, her cheeks still flushed.
Draco looked at her and suddenly asked, "Do you want to play Quidditch?"
Hermione paused, then asked, puzzled, "Why are you asking this?"
Draco boasted, "Our Minmin has such a high talent for flying. If you also participated in Quidditch, wouldn't you be invincible as a couple?"
Hermione's face flushed instantly at his direct yet ambiguous words, but she stubbornly insisted:
"Who said you and your spouse would play together... Stop talking nonsense! But... Quidditch isn't out of the question, I'll talk about it after I've mastered it."
She wouldn't admit it, but a glint of light appeared in her eyes, clearly indicating that she was truly smitten.
Draco said dreamily, "Then we'll go on the field together, team up to win the game, stand at the highest point, and enjoy the cheers and adoration of everyone at Hogwarts. How awesome would that be?"
Hermione felt a warmth creep into her heart at his description, but she stubbornly turned her face away, muttering softly:
"Who wants to show off with you... Besides, I'm not even flying steadily yet, what if I hold you back?"
Draco held her small hand firmly in his palm. "With me here, you'll never hold me back."
"I'll practice with you until you become the most dazzling player on the field."
Hermione rolled her eyes at him and scolded, "Stop saying such flirtatious things."
As she spoke, she remembered the practical problem, looked seriously at Draco, and asked, "Then... what about the original team members? It's not good to just squeeze them out."
That is a problem.
Draco stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up, and he said:
"How about we form a Quidditch second team? That way, when someone gets injured or we're short-handed, the second team can step in without affecting the original roster."
Hermione paused for a moment, then smiled, her eyes crinkling.
"Only someone like you could come up with such an idea... But it does sound quite interesting."
She gently leaned against his shoulder and said:
"That's settled then. No slacking off in training, and no more deliberately scaring me."
Draco smiled, reached out, and gently ruffled her hair, saying with concern, "Don't worry, I won't do anything reckless."
"But our academic superstar, Miss Hermione, is juggling studying and flying practice all at once. I'm really worried your body won't be able to handle it."