However, her flying skills were indeed superb.
Even when Draco "interfered" from the front in such an intimate manner, the broom still flew with unusually steady flight.
Scrope, who is leading the way, is currently experiencing the longest and most agonizing period of his life.
From the moment Draco turned and hugged Hermione, the entire House-elf entered a state of high alert, adhering to the principles of "see no evil, hear no evil, do no evil."
Its small body was taut and straight, and it dared not look back at all, only daring to steal a quick glance behind it out of the corner of its eye when the broom turned a corner.
After determining the approximate location, it immediately shrank back in fright and continued to play the role of a flying piece of wood.
It flew very carefully, not even daring to exceed the speed of the two people behind it, and simply led the way silently.
As the towering silhouette of Hogwarts Castle became increasingly clear in the night, nearing their usual landing spot,
Scrope whispered a barely audible reminder towards the rear, "Sir... Madam... almost there..."
The address was like a thunderclap, making Hermione so embarrassed that she almost snapped the broom handle on the spot. The word "Madam" kept echoing in the wind, leaving her mind blank for a moment.
The broom landed smoothly at the designated spot.
Almost at the moment of contact with the ground,
Scrope deftly placed the broom on a nearby abandoned old wooden crate, without even catching his breath.
It then shrank back and vanished in Apparition, its speed as fast as if its tail had been set on fire.
Draco glanced at the empty corner and silently commented in his mind: This House-elf is quite sensible.
When Hermione saw that the only "outsider," Scrope, had run away, she panicked even more, her face turning so red it was almost bleeding.
Only one thought occupied her mind: to escape this incredibly embarrassing and nerve-wracking scene at lightning speed!
She wanted to jump off the broom and escape Draco's embrace, but the moment she moved, the arms around her waist didn't loosen; instead, they tightened even more.
Draco held her tightly in his arms, face to face with her, showing no intention of letting her go.
"Trying to run?" he laughed. "Too late, Miss Granger. Once you're on my broom, you don't think you can get off so easily."
Hermione froze in his arms, her hands still gripping the broom handle tightly. She tried to struggle, but found she couldn't break free from his strong arms. She was both ashamed and anxious.
" Draco! Let go... This is already Hogwarts area, students or professors will see us--"
"So what if I saw?" Draco repeated his earlier statement. "It's perfectly normal for me to hug my girlfriend."
Hermione's face was burning hot, and she opened her mouth to yell at him, but when she looked into those eyes so close to hers, even the strength to glare at him softened, and she finally let out a helpless snort.
The broom lay still on the grass, and the two remained in the same embracing position, facing each other.
A gentle night breeze stirred her disheveled hair, dispelling the last vestiges of her reason. All that remained was the sound of their intertwined heartbeats, exceptionally clear in the still night.
Hermione's cheeks were still burning, and the feeling of being held in his arms made her thoughts almost a jumbled mess.
She finally loosened her grip on the broom handle, her voice trembling slightly.
"I'm not in charge anymore... It's too late, we need to hurry back, or we'll really get caught by the professor on night patrol."
Draco showed no sign of letting go; instead, he intensified his efforts, lowering his head slightly and affectionately nuzzling the wind-blown stray hairs on her forehead with his nose.
Draco's breath brushed against Hermione's skin, sending a shiver down her spine. Then, a wicked grin spread across his face. "Trying to leave? Sure! Give me a kiss, and I'll let you go."
Hermione froze instantly, her eyelashes trembling violently, completely betraying her inner panic.
She didn't dare to hesitate, or rather, she was afraid that if she hesitated any longer, she would completely melt into his arms.
She tilted her head back quickly, almost with a "bump," and her soft lips lightly touched the corner of his lips.
It was as fast as a gust of wind, and it was gone in an instant.
Before I even had a chance to feel the slightly cool touch,
Hermione hurriedly shrank back, lowered her head again, and wished she could bury her face in her collar.
"... Is that alright?" Her voice was so soft it seemed to be swallowed by the wind, yet it carried a faint hint of sweetness.
Draco's eyes held a happy and satisfied smile.
He kept his word and released his arms from her waist as promised, then nimbly jumped off the broom himself.
After landing, he casually waved his wand and retrieved the broom that Scrope had hastily placed on the old wooden box.
Having done all this, he had just looked up when he saw a scene that made him burst out laughing—
Hermione was almost panicking when she pointed the tip of her wand, and the broom beneath her suddenly shot up from the ground.
Without looking back, she dashed frantically toward Hogwarts Castle like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on.
She was so embarrassed that she didn't even have time to say goodbye; all she wanted to do was escape from this place where the air felt hot, and escape from the man who made her heart race uncontrollably.
Draco watched the figure fleeing rapidly into the night, growing smaller and smaller, and couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.
He then mounted his broom, squeezed it between his legs, and sped off like an arrow.
The night wind swept through his platinum blond hair and fluttered his robes.
He gazed at the figure ahead, which, though flying very fast, was not actually trying to shake him off, and his smile deepened.
He raised his voice, his clear tone piercing the night wind as he shouted forward:
" Granger--! Why are you running! Wait for me--!"
The figure ahead seemed to pause for a moment, its flight path even slightly skewed.
The figure in front flew even faster, but didn't really shake him off; she just kept looking back, too ashamed to do so.
Two brooms, one in front of the other, sliced through the quiet night sky, Depulso towards the dimly lit castle.
Hermione's feelings at this moment were actually extremely complicated.
She wasn't afraid of flying, nor was she truly uncomfortable with Draco's tight embrace, but this was the first time they had flown together in such an intimate position.
Adding to that the feather-light kiss she'd just received, her mind was completely blank, with only one thought remaining.
That means staying here.
She was about to be unable to hide all the turmoil in her heart.
So she fled.
It's not about escaping Draco!
Instead, it was to escape the overwhelming excitement that was about to overwhelm me!
Hermione flew frantically over Hogwarts Castle, where the familiar towers and lights were right in front of her.
But instead of navigating her broom directly to the terrace near the Gryffindor Tower as usual, she did not do so.
She gripped the broom handle, hovering in the air beside the castle, where the moonlight and distant lights provided a soft glow.
The night breeze ruffled the curls on her forehead and the hem of her robe, but her heart was still pounding wildly.
She clearly "escaped," so why...?