A/N: I started off trying to think of a good THr OneShot, but when I started, this is what came out. Voila, it's another random moment of insanity, my first ever story in this ship. Don't Avada me if this stinks, since I don't know Blaise Zabini as well as I do other characters, and this was harder for me to write than say, Draco or Tom. It's kind of pointless. Anyway, read on.

Summary: Oneshot BZ/HG 'Their eyes met across the dance floor, and everything just seemed to freeze. He didn't smile; he just looked her silently up and down, his face blank, before someone shifted to stand in front of him, and she thought she would never see him again.'

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Bite me.

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Blink

He was everything that she had wished for for years. All those times when Ginny had talked about her many boyfriends. All those awkward moments when Harry let it slip that Ron had a date. All those ministry balls that she had to attend for her job but never had a date. It was as if he had come out of a mail order catalogue, and when she was most lonely and upset, there he was. It was like one of the cheesy romance novels that she hid under her bed, when the crowd cleared and the light streamed in through the window and landed across his face. Their eyes met across the dance floor, and everything just seemed to freeze.

Now Hermione Granger wasn't a fool, and she didn't fall for all of the dreamy love stories that her old school mates used to rant about. She knew that an adult relationship took hard work, and that nothing was easy as it was in fairy tales. He didn't smile; he just looked her silently up and down, his face blank, before someone shifted to stand in front of him, and a coworker from the hospital came to ask her opinion on the decorations, and she thought she would never see him again. Later on, when she was at home in bed she wondered if she had just made him up out of desperation. Then she dismissed the image of the dark haired man completely, and rolled over to go to sleep.

A month later she had all but forgot about him, and went once again dateless to yet another charity ball that was being held to benefit the Children's Wing of St. Mungos. As a major healer in the department, she was required to attend, but spent the evening leaning against the balcony of the second floor, over looking the festivities below. The deck ran all the way around the room, and it wasn't crowded, but Hermione had difficulty seeing across to the other side, thanks to the dark lighting. She closed her eyes, feeling tired and groggy; annoyed that she was yet again dateless. She didn't have the time to date, but she still wished she had Ginny's flexible hours. However, being a healer was what she wanted to do.

When she opened them again, her eyes were drawn to a flicker of movement from across the room. Leaning over the balcony, his arms crossed and hands gripping the metal rail, was the man she had dreamed of and dismissed as a figure of her imagination. He was looking down, his face drawn and also fatigued, and she stared shamelessly at his bent figure, her eyes devouring the soft blue velvet of his formal dress robes. His hair was dark and curly, though not like the tight mass of springs that made up her mother's brillow pad of locks, and Hermione mildly wondered why he seemed familiar. Surely she had never met this man before, he was striking in his ability to blend into the shadows around him.

As if sensing her watchful leer, he looked up, and startled her by staring back, his eyes curious. She couldn't see their color from so far away, but she could guess that they were gray like the rest of his appearance. Frowning, she blinked.

He had disappeared.

Now sure that she had simply made this mysterious character up, Hermione focused on work, and skipped the next benefit she was invited to. This was a common ailment for single women, and it wasn't hard for her to diagnose that she was simply missing having a boyfriend. She allowed Ginny to set her up on a blind date with a teammate of Ron's, named Carl. Unfortunately, she couldn't help but compare his buzz cut blond hair to her stranger, whom she had taken to calling her 'Imaginary Boyfriend'. Even though her date had been a bust, Hermione kept at it, and went to lunch with her assistant Michael.

Yet, half a year later at the annual Ministry of Magic New Year's Eve Ball, which Harry had invited her to, she was unescorted. She wasn't bothered. She hated New Years anyway. It was just another chance to compare your present to your past, and see how much you had accomplished; or more importantly, to gossip about who didn't have a beau to kiss at midnight. Hermione sipped a flute of champagne by the doors, watching halfheartedly as Harry danced with Ginny by the stage. Ron waved to her happily as Luna Lovegood smiled vaguely in the direction of his ear.

She set her empty glass down on a passing tray, carried by a house elf, and shivered. It was cold near the doors, and she pulled her wrap around her shoulders, hiccupping slightly. The count down was starting, and, downhearted for reasons she couldn't fathom, she turned to leave. But someone was blocking her path. Looking up hesitantly, she saw him, swathed in robes of black silk. He looked down at her, seeming startled, before smiling hesitantly and saying quietly,

"Hello." She started, having spent months wondering what he would have sounded like if he had been real. But he was real, and warmth radiated from him as if he were a stovetop. His voice was deep, sending shivers up her arms and down the back of her neck. Hermione gulped, feeling small. Suddenly, his face changed, showing his surprise. His eyes wide, he added, "Granger?" She frowned; considering how he could know her if she had no idea of his identity. Nervous, she responded,

"Yes? Have I met you before?" The man smirked, although the expression wasn't threatening or cocky, just amused. Behind her, her companions were reaching twenty seconds, but they paid no notice.

"I suppose it's reasonable that you don't recognize me, I was never very noticeable during school." Her brows furrowed, she bit down on her lower lip, as he waited patiently for her to place him. He smiled as her jaw dropped.

"Zabini?" she asked, her voice breathy and hoarse. 15.

"Have I changed that much?" It was safe to say that he had. The teenager she had known from afar had been lanky and silent, completely different from the tall, handsome, charming man in front of her. She smiled curiously. He continued. "Although you've changed more than I have, I hardly placed you without your stack of books and two bodyguards." She rolled her eyes coyly, before crossing her arms playfully. 10.

"Excuse me, but I remember you as brooding in the corner, with a vocabulary consisting of 'yes' and 'no'." He laughed softly, the sound sending warmth across her skin, replacing the chill. 5.

"That's fair. But now that the war's over, there's no need to hide behind silence, and one can step over the lines drawn by house rivalries," he replied. She bit her lip, still feeling dazed. His eyes were blue. Blaise sighed as the crowd yelled "One!" before they broke out into yells. Hermione rolled her eyes at the immaturity of it all, before shrugging and yelling over the crowd,

"It's silly, isn't it!" He nodded, before placing his hand on her shoulder, the velvet of her dress brushing against his fingers. Surprised, Hermione looked up inquiringly, and blinked. Then he kissed her.

It was sudden, and yet even though it was little more than a peck, it seemed like she could feel her life. The world seemed to shift underfoot, and the roar of the partygoers faded as if someone had pushed the mute button. His lips were warm and soft, and she gasped as he pulled away. He looked nervous.

"Happy New Year, Granger," he whispered, and Hermione nodded in bewilderment.

"Yeah, uh…" she gulped anxiously. He still hadn't moved his hand. "Zabini?" she asked. He looked up from the ground. "Why did you just kiss me?"

"It was New Years, I just figured-," he faded off, unsure. Hermione smiled at his self-consciousness, before he blinked. She kissed him again.

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A/N: Totally pointless, I know. Eh, shoot me, I'm bored. Worth a review?

Final Word Count: 1490