Okay before you read the story, I just want to inform you that this is my first Harry Potter fanfic, so I'm sorry if it's not up to everyone's standards. But I do hope you all like it. :D Without further ado, here is Only Hope.


"Please…don't go!" A small boy with platinum blonde hair cried out.

"Begging is for mudbloods, Draco," A tall man with steel eyes replied coldly before stalking out, slamming the door behind him. The boy turned around to see his mother clinging to the stair banister, sobbing.

"Draco!" The scene before Draco Malfoy's eyes was growing hazy, and starting to blur. "Draco! Wake up man, we have quidditch training!" The boy in the dream reached out for his mother, but was robbed of that comfort when Draco awoke fully.

"Geroff me Blaise!" Draco growled at the boy who was shaking him rudely by the shoulders, interrupting his dream. 'Which is probably a good thing,' he thought with gratitude, but Draco was not a morning person and did not feel like showing his emotions to the other boy. He'd be dreaming the same dream every night for the past year…ever since his father walked out on his family…

"Well I'm sorry but you know Chris will kick our asses if we're late again!" Blaise said in the most unapologetic manner.

"Chris is… Chris is…" but Draco couldn't finish. In truth Chris was the best quidditch captain Slytherin had seen in years, and Draco felt disloyal to bad mouth him. With much grumbling and groaning Draco rose from his bed to get ready for a gruelling training session. As he showered without much thought, and trudged down the stairs in a state of sleepiness, Draco bumped into someone.

"Oh!" the girl said in surprise, as her books flew everywhere.

"I'm sorry," Draco said drowsily. "I wasn't watching where I was going." He began to pick up the books. After picking up two, he looked around and saw at least six others. 'Now who do I know that carries around this many books?' Draco thought uncomprehendingly. "Hermione!" Draco shouted, dropping her books like a hot potato. Hermione had been staring off into the distance, apparently deep in thought. Draco's shout brought her mind back to reality.

"Draco!" She said in disgust. Before any more could be said, Draco stalked off down the stairs.

"What a jerk," Hermione said under her breath. She sighed as she looked at her books strewn everywhere. As she extended a hand to pick up "Hogwarts: A History" (the latest edition) a tanned hand touched hers. Hermione looked up only to be lost in the most beautiful pair of brown eyes. They had such depth, such clarity, and yet such…mystery…

"Would you like some help?" Blaise Zabini asked, his deep voice sending Hermione's heart thumping wildly. She could only nod. So they both picked up her books, which, I have to say, took quite some time.

"Where're you headed?" Blaise asked, sending shivers down Hermione's spine.

"Oh…Just…Around…" She managed to say.

"Same," Blaise said, a smile gracing his lips. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," Hermione answered, returning the smile with one of her own.


"Blaise!" Draco called to the brunette, running to catch up with him.

"Oh…Hi Draco," Blaise said, grinning at his best friend.

"Woah…" Draco breathed, taking a step back. Why was Blaise so cheerful? What happened to the always-brooding Blaise?

"Who are you and what have you done with my friend?" Draco looked Blaise over suspiciously, checking to see that it was really him.

Blaise laughed. "Nothing!" he said still chuckling. "It's me. How was quidditch training?" Draco narrowed his eyes in further suspicion.

"That's right, you weren't there. Why is that exactly?" Draco said, circling Blaise like a lion circles his prey.

"I went to the sick bay, I wasn't feeling too well."

"Well, you look fine now," Draco shot at him.

"Amazing what that nurse can do, ain't it Drake? But now, I have to go," Blaise waved to Draco before walking off in the direction of the library.

'Something is up with that boy,' Draco thought to himself, but before he could further ponder about it, something or rather someone, latched themselves onto his arm.

"Draco dahlink!" A high-pitched female voice drawled in his ear, before laughing a laugh that sounded like a round of gunshots being fired. Draco grimaced.

"Get off me Pansy," He growled. Pansy pouted, making her lip gloss run onto her chin, making her look like she was drooling.Draco almost laughed at the thought. Almost.

"Draco, we never spend any time together! I have needs you know! Feelings too!" Pansy whined. Draco shuddered at the thought of spending time with his ex girlfriend.

"Pansy. We're not going out anymore. This relationship ended last year," Draco said in a bored tone.

Seeing that the heavily made up girl was about to argue, Draco cut her off. "Get-over-it," Draco told her through clenched teeth. He then turned his back on her and walked off. 'Freaking hell, that woman never leaves me alone!' Draco thought resentfully. A memory flooded into his mind.

Flashback

"Pansy get away from me," Draco growled to a teary eyed girl. The girl ran off. "I'm telling you, that girl never seems able to leave me alone!" Draco complained turning to his companion, Blaise Zabini.

"Draco, you're lucky to even have a girl," Blaise said, and something flicked over his face. But before Draco could read further into it, it was gone and Blaise's face was back to it's usual unreadable self.

"Well, if you opened up a little more," Draco said timidly, knowing that this was a sensitive topic for his friend.

"If I opened up, you'd all be sorry," Blaise said somewhat coldly before retreating to the Slytherin common room.

End Flashback


Hermione flopped onto her bed, sighing with happiness. 'Blaise Zabini! Who knew?' She thought. At that moment, a certain red headed female walked into the room.

"Alright. Fess up!" Ginny Weasley exclaimed, her eyes twinkling.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Hermione said blushing madly.

Ginny cocked an eyebrow. Hermione knew that her best friend would weasel (no pun intended) it out of her sooner or later, so she spilled the beans about her afternoon with Blaise Zabini. She told Ginny about how they walked around the school, hand in hand, talking about everything. Blaise turned out to actually be intelligent, and the twodebated over philosophical issues all afternoon. For Hermione, that was romance heaven.

"Blaise ey?" Ginny said thoughtfully. "Well, he's a looker! Gotta give ya that," Ginny winked at Hermione, and Hermione blushed.

"I don't think it meant anything though. It was only one afternoon," Hermione said disappointedly. She could already feel herself starting to go into that post date mortem. 'Well okay it wasn't really a date but it sure felt like it!' Hermione thought. Anyway, she was going into that state where a girl questions and doubts everything that happened on the date. If it was all too wonderful too have happened. Or if it she just imagined it. Of if…the doubts were endless!

"'Mione," Ginny said in a warning tone, seeing a frown on her friend's face. She knew what she was thinking. "I'm sure it was wonderful!"

"Yeah…who knew that a Slytherin could be so nice? And sweet? And wonderful…" Hermione said dreamily. 'Uh oh…She's hooked. Well I'll just have to suss out this Blaise character,' Ginny thought decisively.

"Well I have to go study, see you late 'Mione," Ginny waved goodbye to her wavy haired friend, and as she walked out the door she saw Hermione gazing dreamily out their dorm window.

Ginny made her way down to the Hogwart's library, hoping to catch up on her homework. As she passed through the entrance and quickly scanned the room for the best study desk, she noticed a certain someone sitting near the 'Z' section. 'Hmm, I said I would suss him out but I don't know him well enough to just go up to him…hmm…' Ginny pondered but her question was answered for her. At that moment Draco Malfoy sat down next to Blaise. Ginny snuck through the back isles and up through the 'Y' section to get a good vantage point. She settled herself behind some books on an old wizard professor and began eavesdropping on the two males.

"Blaise, I know you weren't sick yesterday, so where were you really?" Draco asked, whispering to the brunette.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the other boy answered, not even looking up from his book. Draco's eyes glinted. He hated when people lied to him. Heck, he'd had enough from his family to last him a lifetime.

"Fine. Don't tell your best friend you know, just keep him in the dark he doesn't care," Draco said pouting.

"Well as long as 'he' doesn't care, can 'he' leave me alone? I'm trying to study," Blaise said rudely, still not glancing up from his book. Ginny winced from the harshness in his voice. 'I wonder what made him so secretive and closed that he would dismiss his best friend like that?' Ginny thought, horrified. If Hermione did that to her she would simply cry.

"Fine with me," Draco whispered, his voice venomous with anger. Draco left the vicinity, glaring at everyone who looked at him. Only once Draco had reached the doors, did Blaise look up. He sighed. 'I always seem to drive everyone I love away,' he thought sadly. Ginny noticed a pained look cross his face. She felt pity for him. At that moment Blaise glanced up towards Ginny, as if feeling her gaze at him. Ginny hurriedly occupied herself with some books, and Blaise narrowed his eyes. 'She looks familiar,' Blaise thought, but didn't remember where he knew her from, so he just shrugged his shoulders and went back studying. Ginny left the library with a lot to think about.


Draco stormed into the Slytherin Common room, fuming. 'How DARE he!' Draco thought savagely, pacing in front of the fireplace. 'How dare he reprimand me, ME! Draco Malfoy! And we're BEST friends!' Draco was not one to feel emotions, other than anger and hatred, but Blaise was a sensitive spot for him. They'd been through so much. Only Blaise knew Draco's horrible secrets… Draco flung himself down onto the battered couch that had suffered many spells from Slytherins play fighting. There he fell into an uneasy sleep, dreaming once more of his past.

'Mummy, it's going to be alright…isn't it?' A younger version of Draco asked. He looked to be about ten years old, and his eyes were gleaming with unshed tears. 'He'll come back this time, won't he?'

At the pleading tone in her son's voice, Narcissa Malfoy just burst into tears. Draco hugged her once, and then retreated upstairs to his room. He proceeded to throw things as hard as he could at the walls of his bedroom screaming all the while. He picked up a photo frame that held a picture of Narcissa, Draco and another man in it. This man had dark brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. Draco had almost thrown it, but then suddenly snatched it close to his heart. The tears that had been threatening the whole night spilled over and made treks down Draco's perfect skin…

Draco awoke in a sweat. A dark form sat in front of him, and Draco immediately reached for his wand.

"It's only me, Drake," A deep voice sounded from the shadowed face. Draco was relieved, but that relief quickly turned to anger.

"I have nothing to say to you," Draco said, his grey eyes glinting with fury. Blaise leaned forward in the light, and Draco was surprised to see that his face was wet with what looked like tears.

"I'm really sorry Draco, but…It's just…it's hard, y'know? I have so much stuff to deal with, I just can't handle anymore," Blaise whispered, his voice thick with emotion. The blonde was confused. Questions flooded Draco's mind. What was Blaise talking about? What stuff did he have to deal with? And did this have anything to do with what Blaise really did when he skipped Quidditch? Draco stared hard into Blaise's face. In it, he saw sadness, hatred, confusion and grief…yet there was also joy. Such a mixture of emotions…Draco felt sorry for the younger boy, and also guilty. He had relied so heavily on Blaise, not realising that the brunette would have his own problems.

"Tell me about it," Draco said quietly. Blaise looked at Draco wistfully, wanting to tell him everything, wanting to tell him the truth.

"I've said too much," he whispered and left for his dorm. Draco just sat there in confusion, left to ponder his own thoughts.


Okay! How was it? I hope you all liked it! And sorry if some of the things I've said, or described people as don't match up with the actual Harry Potter descriptions or things. Anyways, please review! And I'd appreciate any constructive criticism anyone has to offer…but I don't want flames…no flamey! LoL. Thanks to anyone who reads it.