Flying fixes everything. [Draco]

[Brielle Temple]

Running her fingers through her hair Brielle Temple forced herself to take a deep breath. She was stressing, and that's all there was too it. Or at least that's what she kept telling herself. So why couldn't she make herself believe that? It's okay. I'm okay. She ran her fingers idly over her Hazel and Dragon Heartstring wand. There was so much going on in her life. Brielle felt like a giant stone was pushing down on her. Her big brown eyes glistened with tears, and she didn't bother to swipe them away.

Earlier her mother Rosalyn had written her to inform her that her Abuelo Javier had taken ill. Brielle knew he'd get better so that wasn't why she was upset. It was more of the fact that she missed him. And the fact that she'd had yet another nightmare last night, more vivid than ever. School was crazy with OWLs coming up and whatnot. Brielle had never felt more useless and disconnected from everything than she did right now.

Sighing, she stood up and walked over to her dresser. She knew she needed to get some air and clear her head. Brie changed out of her school uniform and into some clothes more suitable for flying. She pulled her wavy hair up into a ponytail with a green ribbon. Brielle sighed when she glanced in the mirror. It seemed like nothing that she did was good enough. Her world was crumpling around her.

Five minutes later Brielle Temple was out on the Quidditch Pitch, holding her Firebolt II. She mounted her broom and kicked off the ground. The wind blew fiercely. Brielle's eyes were watering, and she was content to blame it on the wind even if that was far from the truth.

Brielle sped around the pitch a couple of times to warm up. Then she moved on to practicing her dives. Occasionally, she'd close her eyes and try to meet her target by using her intuition. Still, it wasn't enough to cheer her up. Her vision was starting to blur from tears. Brielle moved on to practicing figure eights and air rolls. Why is everything out here always so easy? Why can't life be that way? Biting her lip, Brie decided to practice zig zags. Those always gave her trouble. She put all of her emotions into what she was doing, until she felt connected to her broom.

There was a spark of determination blazing behind her teary eyes. The wind had robbed her hair of it's ponytail. It now hung in loose curls around her face and past her shoulders. Brielle worked on flight patterns until she felt dizzy. Taking a break, she hovered high above the pitch. She put a hand to her head, which felt like it was spinning. When Brielle looked down, she noticed someone standing on the ground, watching her. I wonder how long they've been there?

[Draco Malfoy]

Flying was one thing that relieved Draco of his stress. Being astride a broom was the most amazing thing he could think of. The ecstasy of it was simply amazing. Not to mention that Draco was a talented flyer. That certainly helped the feeling of being in the air by alot. But of course, people still beat him in that field too.

Draco Malfoy decided to practice some new moves that he had heard about, and seen. They were things he had to attempt before teaching his team them. Of course, he always went to Professional Quidditch Matches throughout the United Kingdom area, it was simple fact that he did. Why not go? It was an amazing sport, and really the only actual sport wizards could play.

And so, Draco walked from the corridors, for he had been in class previously, to his dorms. The walks was somewhat long, not to mention he had to wait for the staircases, as they changed on him quite often. Just his luck to do so, as well. Annoyed, he finally entered his common room and walked to the door concealing their dorm areas.

Entering the single room that housed the current Head Boy, the position of the single room was only available when a male Head of House was present and wished to sleep in the common room or when the Head Boy was in Slytherin, he sat on the bed. With a long sigh, he ran his hand through his platinum blonde hair. A trait that he inherited from both sides, his hair was a bright color, and often attracted attention. Although, some brown streaks had found their way there.

He quickly changed into more comfortable robes for flying, grabbing his broom, the newest model, the Firebolt II. Of course, Draco had the newest things in Quidditch gear. He usually got the best, and it was of no surprise when he got it before the beginning of this year. Really, he had hoped so. The Nimbus 2001 had been getting older, and now he had a better broom than even Potter.

With a long-suffering sigh, he meandered his way towards the Pitch. Upon arriving, he noticed another person flying. He shrugged and walked to the middle of the Pitch. He watched the person for a bit. She had been practicing moves, most of them simple, a couple of them harder. When she flew right by him, he noticed tears in her eyes. He also noticed that it was a female, and she was his Keeper.

He watched her start zig-zagging her way across the Pitch. He knew that she should do those in moderation, but she soon stopped, placing one of her hands to her head. Then, she seemed to notice him. Draco grinned and mounted his broom, tacking off and quickly stopping next to her. The Firebolt II's braking was superb and top-notch. "Hey! You're my Keeper! Uhm, Brielle Temple, right?" He didn't see her much out of Quidditch Practice, although being in the same House. But she was a 5th year, if he remembered correctly. "How are you?"

[Brielle Temple]

Right. Mental note to self, zig zagging should be practiced in moderation. Brielle felt herself sway a bit on her broom. It was funny how flying was so intoxicating - in more ways than one. Eventually the world stopped spinning and a goofy smile spread across Brielle's face. It disappeared almost as quickly when she remembered that someone else was there. Brie peeked between her fingers in time to see a somewhat familiar blonde head that was now zooming up towards her.

A small frown danced across Brielle's face. She seemed to have a talent for looking a mess whenever people found her. Seconds later there was someone floating next to her. Of all people. Brielle tried to replace the frown on her face with a smile, but she didn't have much luck. Still, her mood improved somewhat when she reminded herself that one of her enemies could have came out here instead of her Quidditch captain. At least she didn't have to waste energy on an argument.

At least her eyes weren't overflowing with tears anymore. It was still obvious that she'd been crying, but it was an improvement. The corners of her mouth twitched in the upward direction for a brief second when Draco spoke. She was so used to seeing him in a less cheerful mood, but then again, Brielle supposed she'd be like that too if she saw that prat known as Harry Potter and his followers any more than she did.

"Yes, I'm Brielle Temple." Sniffing a bit, Brielle let her eyes drift to Draco's broom. "And hello to you too. The second edition Firebolts are just lovely, aren't they?" She redirected her eves down to the ground, noticing for the first time just how high up she was. Her old Cleansweep 11 had been so unsteady that she could feel it once she got above the second goal hoop. Obviously, the Firebolt II was constructed way better. A bitter laugh escaped Brielle at his last question. "Do you want and honest answer? Or a proper one?" Brielle's Spanish accent was in full swing now, her anger recharged. "Sorry" she said in a softer but somehow sharper voice. "I'm not trying to be rude."

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco's eyes watched her as he flew to her. She seemed...worried. Well, at least, out of sorts. He wondered what was wrong, but didn't press on it. He did not wish to be concerned with other people's personal lives, it was somewhat rude, really.

A ghost of a smile flicked across his lips before disappeared. "Well, I'm glad I got your name right. Else I would be quite a disgrace to my team, would I not? To forget my Keeper's name." A light chuckle escaped from his mouth. A glint of laughter showed in his eyes.

"Ah, yes. The Firebolt II is extremely well made. It beats my old Nimbus 2001 by a good bit. And now my broom is better than the Golden Boy's once again." He told her sincerely. For two years, well, two and three quarters or such some like, he had a better broom than him. But then, he was sent a Firebolt from some person, and Draco was left with his 2001, no matter his whinings to his father.

But her next words changed the mood to a somber one. An honest answer, or a proper one? He assumed that it meant she was in a bad mood, not to mention she had been crying before. Her anger then got the best of her, and her voice rose, her voice full of rage and pride. But her voice changed to a softer one. "No, it is I who owes you an apology. I did not mean to get you angry." If some idiot from another house had been riding, they probably would have dropped from their broom at his words, for they would be shocking to any others. He was generally rude to those of other Houses, but Slytherins were allowed the rarity of his nicer side, and even his smile. "But I would like an honest answer, for it would explain your tears." With his words, he reached over and wiped a tear from her cheek.

[Brielle Temple]

Brielle couldn't help but to smile at that one. "I dunno, I'd be pretty hurt if you hadn't known my name" she said in a playful tone. "Especially since some of those idiotic little Hufflepuffs have taken to calling me the big scary snake." She laughed halfheartedly. "Which is absolutely strange if you really think about it." Brielle was one of the smallest in her year, and as for the scary part, well that didn't make much sense either. Calling her scary was like saying cotton was spiky. At least in her mind.

A big smirk crossed Brielle's face and for a moment her eyes glittered with malice. "You must be so happy." At least Brielle would have been if she was in his place. Harry Potter seemed to have so much going for him, and it just irritated Brielle.

It seemed as if Brie had a talent for putting her foot in her mouth these days. I need to fix that before the holiday. I shan't let my family see me act like this. Brielle glanced at Draco from under her eyelashes, waiting for his reaction. When it came she was completely caught off guard. She tensed up a bit, feeling like she deserved much worse. His last action made Brielle wish she could melt.

She'd spent so much time trying not to be a burden to other people, bottling her emotions up inside of her. Brielle gave Draco a meaningful look, showing she was sincerely grateful. "I just feel so worthless these days. It's like I can't do anything right." She spoke in a soft voice, looking at the ground below her. "My Abuelo is ill, and all my mother can do is complain about the house elves, or get angry with me over small things." Brielle paused to take a breath. "I'm dead terrified of O.W.Ls. And all I hear from my family is how I should be worried about my future. It's just too much." She buried her face in her hands. "And I'm tired of smiling and pretending like everything is okay." Her last words were spoken in a whisper, and she was unsure if Draco could hear them or not.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco chuckled. "Aw, you don't like being called a big scary snake?" He inquired, his tone playful, a smirk upon his lips. "Well, maybe not big, but you don't like being a scary snake?" His tone was still playful. She was small, but that was good in a Keeper. It meant she would go faster, and quicker to catch the Quaffle.

"Of course that makes me happy. Anything to beat that conceited Golden Boy" Ugh, just saying his name made Draco shudder. He couldn't wait to murder Potter in Quidditch. Oh, that glorious day couldn't come any faster. That, and besting Granger, were things he wanted to achieve. Those were things that would be great things to look at in his life.

Draco listened, his smirk gone. "I'm sorry, Brielle. I can promise you that you're not worthless. You are probably the best Keeper the team's had in my time as a Slytherin. You have much talent." On the word Abuelo, Draco looked thoughtful for a moment. The word was unfamiliar, but he could tell it was Spanish. Then he remembered. It meant grandfather. Of course. "I'm sure your grandfather is fine. He'll get better, I'm sure. And, I think that your mother is just worried about him, which is why she is complaining over those small things."

Her rant went on for a good bit, but Draco was willing to listen to every word. At the part about OWLs, he cracked a smile. "The OWLs really aren't that hard. The only person who didn't pass them was Crabbe and Goyle, I'm sure you've heard of them. They don't know a head from a foot, and you're smart enough to know about Quidditch, so I'm sure you'll be fine." His smile slid off at her whispered words. Yes, Draco heard them. Sure, they were soft, but he had good hearing. "Then don't pretend. I'm sure you've many friends to help you. You don't have to look like everythings fine. Well, at least as long as you are with fellow Slytherins. Contrary to popular belief, we have feelings too, and also go through hard times." Flying right next to her, he gave her an akward, one-armed hug. "You'll be fine, I promise." He told her, a sympathetic smile on his lips.

[Brielle Temple]

"If I'm scary, then Cornish Pixies are huge and frightening monsters!" Brielle exclaimed, her tone thick with sarcasm. "I suppose it's flattering though." She smiled as she thought about her aunt's favorite saying. Looks can be deceiving. "And that's so true," she whispered, thinking aloud. Brie smirked at Draco and tilted her head. She'd always found the animosity between Harry and Draco interesting. In her five years at Hogwarts Brielle hadn't found an enemy to that magnitude. Still, Brielle felt for Draco. She personally didn't think Harry Potter had an ounce of talent, and that everything he did successfully was thanks to dumb luck.

Brielle willed herself not to tear up again as the conversation turned back to her. It was comforting to hear Draco compliment her, but it felt even better knowing that he'd actually listened. Brie felt like she'd kept her emotions bottled up inside for so long, and it was nice to let them out. She was thankful for his sense of reason too. Deep down, she knew her mother was simply a selfish woman. But it was nice to have a sensible reason, something that she could believe for at least awhile.

"I'm sure you're right then, since you promise." Brielle's voice stayed soft, but her eyes started to light up again. "And thank you Draco. For listening, for everything really." She breathed a small sigh of relief. Letting everything out made her feel better. Brielle glanced down at the ground, noticing that she was higher up than before. "Well, I don't know about you but I did come out here to fly!" Brielle laughed. "And I need help with some of those harder sequences too." Brie knew she had a lot to get used to with her new broom. A small and goofy side smile spread across her face. "Catch me if you can!" With that she dropped straight for the ground, leaving her worries, and her stomach behind her.

[Draco Malfoy]

A chuckle escaped Draco’s lips at Brielle’s words. “Oh, don’t you know? There’s a new breed of Cornish Pixies, they are large and quite frightening, and those old small ones are extinct now.” He told her, grinning. “Hm...if you say so, then it shall be so.” He told her, his eyebrow raising, a smirk on his lips. He found that he enjoyed teasing her somewhat. Also, she needed to lighten up, she seemed down.

A small smile lighted his lips after her kind words. “Of course I’m right, I’m me, aren’t I? And you are welcome, Brielle. I’m not the great arrogant monster many believe I am.” He told her. Then the mood changed completely. Brielle brightened up, and then spoke of flying. “Well, I also planned on flying.” He told her, smirking. “Do you now?” He inquired. Then she was off. Draco let out a bark of laughter and sped after her. He grinned, the two brooms were matched. They were the same, and had the same speeds. But the level of talent and experience made all the difference. He had been playing Quidditch, and riding brooms, longer than Brielle, and it showed. He quickly sped after her, using his maneuvers. Finally, he caught up to her and touched her lightly on the shoulder. “You’re it!” He shouted, already speeding off in another direction.