Author's note:

So, this story is a modern Muggle AU. Some of the characters would be OOC, especially Draco. If that's not your cup of tea, then I'm sorry.

I'm also changing their year of birth, because the technology around that time was a little outdated, don't you think? So I'm adding ten years to their birth. Just to clarify and avoid confusions.

So yea, I hope you guys like it!

February, 2013

Hermione,

I'm so sorry,
I need to go
I'm so bloody confused and I need some space to figure things out
I'm leaving for Italy as you read this note
Go back to London with your parents, Hermione

Please forgive me,
Blaise

Hermione read the note in her hand for the third time. Tears slowly descended to her cheeks as the words registered in her mind. 'He left' played over and over in her chaotic mind. He left.

It wasn't that she was in love with him. They simply hadn't been together for that long yet for the deep feeling to truly manifest in her heart. But she did care about him. And now, now she just couldn't believe the cheek of the bastard. How dare he?! After a month of seeing each other, he left her for no apparent reason. Not back in his flat, not stayed in the city, not even in the country. No, he ran all the way to Italy.

And it wasn't just the month they spent dating either, it was also three months of pure friendship after they met the first time and five months of wooing until she finally gave in and agreed to go out with him. Those troubles he went through just to get her to agree for a date and he didn't even have the decency of talking about it to her directly. He didn't even give her a call. Oh no, he left her a note; one measly note saying that he needed to figure things out. Well, he better left this country already, before she figured out how to track him down and castrated him.

Hermione had been in Australia for the last two years. She left England immediately after finishing university. Her father had gotten a transfer offer from the company he worked at to one of the countries available for two years. Her parents immediately chose Australia; it's been on their wish list for as long as she remembered—to visit Australia.

Hermione was offered the choice of staying there, in London, or moving with her parents. They wanted her to go of course, but she was an adult, hardly needing her parents to make a decision for her. She thought long and hard about what she wanted, but ultimately decided to join her parents. She'd inherited her parents' eagerness to experience new things.

Besides, there wasn't much left here. She had Harry and Ron, her best friends, but that's as far as it went. No job yet, and no boyfriend. She could still communicate with Harry, Ron, and the rest of the Weasleys; technology was a wonderful thing. So, she packed her suitcase and said goodbye to Harry and the Weasleys.

She settled in Australia, still in her parents' new house, and collected the information on the universities around the city. She wanted to advance her education. She just loved to learn; she read anything and everything. It would just be a waste to just sit around doing nothing for two years or doing underrated jobs because of the lack of qualified degree and/or experience.

Eventually, Hermione decided to go to one of the universities in Brisbane and took mastery in Human Resource (HR) Management. The course would last for two years, that is, if she wasn't lazy. And Hermione Granger certainly wasn't who you would call lazy.

Hermione met Blaise nine months ago. She was enjoying her meal at the little café near her flat when someone walked in hurried steps towards her and suddenly drop down to crawl under her table. She nearly shrieked out of mortification because she was wearing a skirt. She quickly clamped her legs shut and glared at the man. He was holding a finger to his mouth. Right then, a man with arms the size of her thighs came in the café and looked around. She figured he was the one looking for the git under table. Hermione contemplated her options; she could call him out and let him get crushed by the very pissed off looking bloke, or she could simply let him be. She once again stole a glance at the git, then at the human bulldozer. Four seconds and careful deliberations later, she decided that she was in a fairly good mood, so she would just let him be. Satisfied with this, she continued to eat without a care in the world.

Not long after, the man with bulky muscles left the café in a huff. The git then went out from under the table and took a seat before her. She took a good look at him and noticed that he was a handsome guy with dark eyes and hair, olive skin and broad shoulder. He looked to be her age too.

"Thank you, Miss-?" he looked at her quizzically.

"Granger" She said simply.

He smiled. "I'm Blaise Zabini. Thank you Miss Granger, you saved me from a black eye… or a damaged kidney. Did you see his arm?" He joked. From his accent, she figured he was British too.

"I did. What did you do to him anyway?"

"Ah, a fellow British" he stated, smiling. "I flirted with his girlfriend. She was very pretty, you see. I might or might not almost kiss said girlfriend too. In my defense, if I knew she had a boyfriend looking like that, I wouldn't go after her" he said.

"Did you know if she had a boyfriend at all?"

"Well, she did say she was with someone, but she didn't protest much. So I thought, why not? And then the human bulldozer came out of nowhere and next thing I knew, I ran for my life" he recounted, grinning at her. Why not indeed, she thought wryly.

Hermione just rolled her eyes. She knew this kind of guy. She had been a victim of one herself.

"To express my gratitude, how about I pay for the meal?" He offered, nodding at her nearly empty plate and cup of coffee.

She declined of course. She didn't know him, and she wasn't in the habit of letting a stranger pay for her meals. She just wanted to go home and had a nice bubble bath, while reading the new novel she just bought at the bookstore near the café. But the guy, Blaise, insisted. As he said, she saved him from a certain damaged kidney. He then ordered a light meal for himself and ate while talking to her. He asked which part of England she came from, what she was doing in Australia, and such.

Since that day, they met regularly at least once a week. At first, he would just randomly show up when Hermione was at the café or the bookstore. He claimed he just saw Hermione and decided to join her. But after the fourth time, they made an appointment for lunch the next day. They usually just had lunch at the café. Hermione didn't mind, he was fun to be around, if a little flirtatious. Well, he was a womanizer. He flirted with every woman he met and had a date with different women every few days. Not her business though.

They were having their usual lunch, when Blaise looked at her seriously and said, "Go on a date with me."

Hermione stopped pushing her food around her plate and looked up. She didn't know what to make of it, thinking that surely he was joking. She waited for him to snicker at her stunned face, telling her that she looked silly—anything, but he kept staring at her intently, giving her the impression that he was indeed serious.

"What?" she asked.

"Go out with me, Hermione. Let me take you to a dinner," he took her hand, "I like you. I'd like to see if we work just as well in a romantic sense" he finished, still staring at her.

When she was absolutely sure that he was serious, she gave a flat no. Just a couple of weeks ago, he went on a date with a busty redhead he met at a bar. A week before that, a tall blonde. And so the list went on and on. They even needed to reschedule their meeting a few times because Blaise stupidly promised the women a lunch date on their assigned get together. So of course Hermione didn't want to be on the long list of Blaise-Zabini's-love-trap victim.

Although if she thought about it, he seemed a bit off this past few weeks. His date was far in between and he hadn't even mention any woman in about two weeks. A few times she caught him looking at her strangely. She didn't pay it any mind though, just chalked it up as his usual Blaise Zabini's oddness.

She certainly wasn't the kind of woman Blaise normally went on dates with. Sure, Hermione knew she was pretty. She wasn't vain, but not insecure either.

She didn't have the hourglass figure, but she certainly was no board. She had the right proportion in every body part. Her breasts and arse weren't overly large, but they definitely weren't lacking. She was petite, but with a pair of toned and long, slender legs. Her curly brown hair that in her early years looked wild and had a life of its own, now had become beautiful, gentle waves that reached her hip—the effect of the intense treatment she took and extra care she was still taking. Her chocolate eyes gave her an innocent look. Her cute button nose and slightly pouty lips were well proportioned. Add those with the small splattering of freckles on the bridge of her nose, and people easily call her beautiful.

Still, she didn't see herself as Blaise's kind of girl. She was just a bookworm who didn't wear tight and minimal clothing, couldn't flirt to save her life, and didn't do casual dating. She was a virgin for Heaven's sake. She bet none of his conquest was a virgin.

Hermione wasn't a prude by any means, and didn't mean to wait for marriage either. She just wanted to be completely and utterly in love with the man she eventually gave all of herself to. She didn't want to repeat the last incident where she got her heart broken by some arsehole who only was after her knickers. Luckily, she caught him before it was too late. The damage was already done, though. It was hard for her to trust men after that. Especially this kind of man.

After that afternoon, Blaise proved to be very persistent indeed. He stopped going on dates with every women he met, completely. He still met Hermione regularly and was constantly asking her for a date. She was flattered—Blaise Zabini was surely what they considered a catch. But she always said no, she just didn't want to pick up pieces after he inevitably broke her heart.

Eventually though, it was his persistence and determination that won Hermione over. He stopped his womanizing ways, was being a complete gentleman, and she couldn't say she didn't enjoy the attention he gave her. All this time, she held him at arms length because she didn't want to fall for him. But her guards were slowly broken down by him and she knew it.

"Go on a date with me," he asked her one day—though nowadays, it sounded more like a command. Always the same sentence every day.

"Why?" she cocked her head to the side, studying him. She never before asked him why, always changed the subject immediately or just rolled her eyes.

"Why what?" He asked back, confused.

"Why Blaise, why do you want to go on a date with a bookworm like me? Why are you so determined? Why don't you just go back chasing those bimbos who are so desperate for your attention they want to kill me with their eyes every time they see me with you? Just why?"

He snickered a little at the last part—and after considering the question, he looked down at her, taking her right hand and began explaining, "Hermione, I was always serious when I asked you for a date. I've been attracted to you since our earlier meetings. You are different from those bimbos you were talking about. Just like a breath of fresh air for a guy like me," he took a deep breath, before continuing "Please Hermione, give me chance. I'd like to see where this goes. I'll prove to you that we can be good together," he looked at her expectantly.

The truth was, Hermione respected him more for his determination on asking her out. Five months was no short time to woo someone. And it didn't hurt that he was very good looking. Maybe she even felt slight affection to him. All those reason combined, and Hermione blurted a yes. She just hoped this one didn't end up in disaster.

They went on their first date three days later. It was the standard date, they had a dinner at a restaurant—a very grand restaurant. It was nice. Just nice. Truthfully, she was a little disappointed. It was like he didn't know her at all. Those bimbos might be a little too happy with dinner in an upscale restaurant, but not her. Everyone who knew her would know that Hermione Granger didn't like anything excessive. She preferred their favorite little café to a massive restaurant. Not to mention she felt inadequate about her appearance even though Blaise assured her that she looked pretty. But Hermione was patient. She didn't want to write him off because of one "just nice" date.

Thankfully though, Blaise seemed to put more thought into the date the longer they were together. Last week, they went to the beach where they first met and had a simple picnic in a secluded corner, watching sunset. It was great, and Hermione started to think that it was good they gave it a go, because she liked him a lot. If given enough time, she thought she could fall in love with him.

In hindsight, she could clearly see some cracks in the wall which she previously overlooked because she thought they were happy. He would do something sweet, and then froze and got closed off, like he was emotionally stopping himself from becoming too close to her. She knew from what he told her that he had never been in a serious relationship before. It was because of his mother, who liked to play with men's heart and didn't give Blaise enough love, making him think that all women were the same and he had to guard himself from them. Until he met Hermione, that is. Like he said, she was different. Now she just hoped she wasn't used as his lab rat at his relationship attempt.

They were looking at little girl playing hide and seek with her father at the park. Her father obviously didn't try that hard, and Hermione smiled when the girl found her father and then he swung her around before putting her on his shoulder, making the little girl laugh. The scene was very sweet.

"Aren't they just adorable, Blaise? Nothing is quite as precious as a baby girl and their daddy" Hermione said, still smiling.

"Yes," he answered simply, smiling too, but his focus was the girl beside him. He then kissed her on the forehead and then froze, like he didn't mean to, and didn't quite know what to do next. She wouldn't be surprised if this was the first time he did things like this with a woman. He kissed, he snogged, he had sex. He didn't smile and kissed a girl's forehead in an innocent way. Hermione decided to set his nerves at ease and just smiled at him.

Again:

"Blaise, do you want to meet my parents?"

He immediately stopped playing with his phone and tensed up, "What? Why?"

"As my boyfriend, of course. You are, aren't you?" she asked hesitantly. It only made him tensed up some more.

"Yes.. Uh, yes of course. But I don't know why I should be meeting your parents now. Isn't it a little early?"

"Well, we've known each other long enough. And you certainly pursued me for a while before I gave you an okay," she answered, still hesitant. "Besides, we're moving back to England in two weeks Blaise, why wouldn't my parents want to meet the guy their daughter brought back home?"

"I don't know, Hermione. Maybe we should wait for a bit before meeting your parents. I still think it's too early is all," he said with uncomfortable look on his handsome face, trying and failing to reassure her—and maybe himself.

"Okay," she said simply, and then went to busy herself tidying her files on the table to mask her disappointment.

It wasn't that different from the topic of his mother. Whenever she asked about her to Blaise, he immediately changed the subject. He never wanted to talk about her. She just gathered from their many conversations that she was a cold mother towards Blaise. She also was called the Black Widow—her husbands from every marriage were mysteriously mixed up in accidents and passed away, leaving her with mountains of money.

Last night, they ordered a take out and had a quiet night-in in her flat. It was the first time Blaise came into her flat. Usually he just picked her up for a date or drove her home.

They had been talking about moving back to England the past few weeks. Before Hermione said yes to the date offer, she told Blaise that she probably was going to move back to England with parents shortly. Her father's contract here was ending and she just finished her mastery. He said it was okay. He said he was going back with her since England was his home too and it wasn't like he had a job here. He was just travelling when he met her. Later, when he decided to pursue her, he figured he would stay a few more months. This was the fifth country he visited. His mother were so loaded from her many marriages, he didn't need to work a day in his life.

The night was perfect, she thought. They ate dinner and were talking about their plan to go back to London in just a few days. The atmosphere was intimate, meaning warm and comfortable. They talked well past midnight, and then fell asleep on the couch.

Hermione was happy when she woke up in the morning. When she saw that Blaise wasn't with her, she thought nothing of it. When she called his name and he didn't come or even answer, she was confused—didn't he want to stay for breakfast? But when she saw the note on the coffee table she had initially overlooked and then quickly read it, the confusion turned into a mix of anger and sadness. Italy, she thought over and over. Italy, his mother's home.

She didn't know what to think. She thought they were good together, she thought he was sure of his feelings for her. It was him who excessively chasing her, after all, not the other way around. You are different, he said. Different my arse. He was just sore that she was actively rejecting him, she thought viciously. Ugh, she felt so stupid. And what she hated the most was people making her feel stupid. He better made himself scarce from now on, or he would know why you just didn't mess with Hermione Granger's heart. God, she was glad they hadn't gone all the way in their relationship yet, she could dance on the dinner table right now. At least it was a victory for her. Not that she was thinking about it, because she certainly didn't feel love for him yet. She was just happy to avoid the complete heartbreak and regret on her part.

Now she just couldn't stop crying either. Again, it wasn't just him. It was every failed relationship she had with men in general. She just couldn't find the right man for herself. It was always something or the other. Back in school, Hermione and Ron tried their hands on relationship. It was working for a while. They were content. It wasn't until a couple of months later, that they noticed they lacked something. What it was, they didn't know. Eventually though, Hermione noticed what Ginny and Neville had but wasn't present in her own relationship. It was passion. They acted more like best friends they had always been, than as lovers. They were comfortable—too comfortable—but they weren't passionate. They weren't even passionate when they were shouting angrily to each other. Those were just a bunch of hurtful words they chose specifically, knowing it would hurt the other. For weeks, she mulled the idea over in her head, and when she was certain that their relationship had dwindled into nothing and got too mundane, she decided that she had to end things before their years of friendship became unsalvageable.

After only five months of dating, she finally upped and told him she wanted to breakup. She was relieved when he said that he felt the same way. She thought she was going to lose Ron, but apparently, they stayed the best of friends (when she wasn't nagging him about this or that and he wasn't being an insensitive prat).

In university, she met Viktor Krum, a transfer student from Bulgaria. He was handsome, had a stocky build and played rugby. He was sweet enough, but it was anything but serious between them. He was just there for three months. They parted ways and promised to keep communication. Now though, there wasn't any communication either. They just grew distant.

The third was a year after Viktor. Still in university, he was her senior. His name was David. He was a good looking guy with blue eyes and dark hair. Popular too. She didn't know what he saw in her. Usually, she was just a bookworm and a nerd for the guys in school and college—she wasn't exciting enough. But somehow, this popular guy gave her his attention. He sat with her in the library and walked her to class. She was flattered of course. And her innocent mind rejected it when Ginny said he was a bad news. After only four months of dating him, she fancied herself falling in love with him and decided to give him something. Not her virginity, she still wasn't sure and wasn't confident enough for that, but maybe a third base. She decided to go to his flat and surprise him, wearing a little black dress and a pair of black, five inches stiletto she bought for the special occasion. Because it would be special, at least for her. She had never done anything like this before.

It was him who made her speechless, though. When she was in front of his flat, she heard moaning. Maybe they were in the living room sofa because you could hear them from the outside. She decided to knock, even when her heart felt like breaking because who knew, it could be his friends, coming over and decided to do the dirty deed there.

They didn't open the door, maybe they didn't hear it over their own moaning and groaning, or they just didn't care. She then tried to grab the handle and open it, and was shocked that it worked. Apparently, they were in such a hurry, they didn't lock the door. The sight that greeted her was horrid. She couldn't remember it without feeling ill. Her boyfriend was naked and wrapped around an equally naked, leggy blonde.

The fight after that was not pretty. He was mocking her because she thought he was going to hold back when she didn't give him any. The blonde woman stood there, looking awkward in just her lingerie, not sure what to do. There were a lot of tears on her part. After that, she ran back home and cried herself to sleep. The next day, Ginny came with ice cream and a stack of comedy movies. She was grateful Ginny didn't say I told you so. She should have listened to Ginny.

After all of this, she thought she was going to stop dating, just waiting for Mr. Right. And it sort of worked, until Blaise came at least. She resisted, she really did. But he was so determined until she finally gave in. And now this, this utter bullshit about figuring things out. She couldn't help feeling like a failure, the girl no man wanted—but no, she couldn't think like that. If Ginny and Harry, or even Ron, heard she said something like that about herself, they would smack her upside the head for sure. She smiled, remembering her best friends. God, she missed them. She quickly dried her tears and checked the flat for some important things that couldn't be left.

She was packed, ready to leave the next day. Initially, she was going to take a different flight from her parents because she was going with Blaise who hadn't met her parents yet. Now though, it seemed like she needed to book the same flight as her parents'. Damn him!