Chapter 2

Blaise paced back and forth in anticipation. If all went well today then he would finally have his sister back. He was unsure of what she would be like or if they would get along. What if they didn't get along? What if his sister was someone who he had stood by and watched get bullied by some of the other Slytherins? He had often found that sometime he felt incomplete at school but thought it was simply because he didn't get along with most of his house. It made sense to him now, but he still felt the pure anticipation cause him to feel a tad bit nauseas.

Since the day he had started at Hogwarts it had been that way. The rest of them all cared about blood purity and were very open in their beliefs. But Blaise was different from them. It had never mattered that much to him as it had others. It was for that reason that he was never as close to the rest of his house. But through the years he had grown closer to Draco Malfoy.

He sat down as Draco gave him a pointed look. He had come over for moral support, and because he couldn't bear to be at his house. But Blaise was still glad for his company. He ran his tan hands through his black hair as he felt his whole body quiver with eagerness. The Italian had been known for being calm in most situations, but for some reason he was anything but. It got to the point where he couldn't sit still. So once again he got up and began pacing around the room as he had done earlier.

"Mate calm down. Your sister will come back here soon," Draco said calmly. In all honesty he was almost as anxious as Blaise. Since the war had ended he had been trying to make a name for himself that was separate than that of his father.

It was part of the reason why he had been looking forward to returning to Hogwarts. But the real reason he was nervous was for his friend. He knew that Blaise and his family had suffered a lot through the war, especially with having to give up their daughter for her safety. After all, it had been the fault of his father that Blaise was not given up as well. But as selfish as it sounded, he was happy that his friend had not been, for then Draco never would have met him. The Zabinis had always served as a second family to him and they deserved to be happy.

"Draco what if she hates me? I've never had a sister before, how does one act around their sister? What if she wants nothing to do with our family, or what if she decides that she doesn't want to know me?" Blaise asked nervously.

Draco simply rolled his eyes at this. "Blaise, you're a Zabini, where's your valour? Your sister would have to be a nutcase to not want you in her life. And I've seen you around other girls whom you consider to be a sister; trust me, you'll be fine. And she is probably eager to meet your family, after all, you are the Zabinis. If she is anything like you, then she will want to learn everything about you."

Blaise gave him a tiny smile before stopping his pacing. He sat down and attempted to occupy himself with his hands.

At that point something had caught Draco's eye. On the table was that morning's Daily Prophet. He picked it up and began reading.

Spotted: Lonely Girl at Ministry Party

By Rita Skeeter

Last night the Golden Trio, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley attended the Ministry party for the new Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shaklebolt. While Potter was accompanied by Miss. Ginvera Weasley and Ron by Lavendar Brown, Miss. Granger found herself flying solo for the night. The Golden Girl has previously associated by wizards such as Viktor Krum, Harry Potter, and recently Ron Weasley, although at the party she found herself alone throughout the night. Sources say that Hermione has yet to find a wizard able to keep up with her academic talents.

"Hermione has always been extremely picky when it comes to guys. She feels that she has failed to meet any that outshine the rest of the male population," a source close to the witch says.

Miss. Granger has graced the world as recently being voted as the brightest young witch of her age; as shown through her outstanding efforts through the war. The young beauty has spent most of the summer helping repair the beloved Hogwarts. So who will this young witch be seen with next? If past experiences say anything, it is safe to say that her next catch will be the biggest yet. (For more on Miss. Granger's efforts during the war turn to pg 11…)

Draco rolled his eyes at the article. The "Golden Trio" had been on the front page of the Prophet every day since the war ended. Whether the articles were actually informative or not, there was always some article on them each day.

Not that he minded. Personally, he sort of liked seeing how Granger was doing since war had ended. There was just something about her that made him want to make sure she was okay. He knew it was probably since he felt so guilty about his aunt torturing her, as he felt partly responsible for it.

It had eaten him up inside every single day since it had happened. Before that point he had been on the fence about being a Death Eater. But seeing Hermione there was what changed his mind completely. He wasn't sure why it took her getting tortured to change his mind, but something about her there made him snap. She looked so pure and innocent. She was everything the Light had symbolised, and because of it he knew he could fight against them.

The two of them heard the floo go off. Blaise dumped down his book and stood up nervously. He then calmly walked over to the room where the fireplace was without looking to see if Draco had been following them.

As Blaise walked through the door he found himself staring in the face at a witch with curly brunette hair and tan skin. The girl looked identical to him, and he had a feeling inside that it was his sister. It was hard to explain, but he had a feeling inside of him like he was finally complete.

But that wasn't the only thing he knew. No matter how much she looked like him, he knew that this girl was none other than Hermione Granger.


As Hermione flooed to the manor, she had no idea what she should expect. She stared at the grand foyer in front of her. While she knew that the room merely served the purpose to greet guests, it was still one of the most extravagant rooms she had seen in her life.

The room had an arched ceiling filled with beautiful designs of what she presumed to be the family's history. "Your family," she corrected herself mentally. Around the room were many decorative magical items, such as goblets and tiaras. "Her family must have had a lot of prominent people," she thought in awe.

As she stepped out of the fireplace, she was immediately tackled into a hug but a brunette boy. Shocked as she was, she returned the hug whole heartedly. She didn't need to see his face to know that the boy was Blaise. She just knew inside.

But saying she wasn't shocked wouldn't be true. The boy she knew in school had never been as emotional about his feelings. So seeing him hug her with so much emotion filled her with happiness.

As he pulled away, he gave her a smile. "Hi Hermione," he said.

She looked at him shocked. "You recognise me?" she asked curiously. She knew that she looked different than she had from before the spell had worn off.

He scoffed. "I'd recognise you anywhere," he said with a laugh. "I've missed you Hermione. While I might have just come into the knowledge that I have a sister, it feels as if I've known my entire life. Hermione, welcome home."

She smiled at him. "I was a bit nervous about coming here," she said honestly.

He looked taken aback when she told him that. "Why?" he asked her.

"I was afraid that you might not like me," she said sheepishly. "And that you might not want a sister."

He laughed when he heard this. When she looked at him curiously, he explained. "I was afraid of the exact same thing," he told her with a smile.

Seeing her still standing near the fireplace, he grabbed her hand and led her to the sitting room.

Upon her entry she found herself staring into the grey eyes of Draco Malfoy. Stunned by his presence, she acted instinctively. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at him. "What are you doing here Malfoy?" She asked him coldly. She knew he had been ruled innocent after the war along with his mother. But she didn't buy it. He had watched her get tortured at the hand of his aunt without even flinching.

"Hermione, it's okay," Blaise said as he saw the scene in front of him.

Draco simply looked at her sadly. It was an emotion she had never seen worn on his face, and she was unsure how to react to it.

But she did not waver. She kept her wand on him without looking away. The look on his face made her want to drop her arm, but the shear memory made her unable to do so.

Blaise must have known this, for he slowly lowered her arm. "Hermione, Draco is here as my guest. He has changed since the war and is not the same person he was back then," he told her soothingly.

She continued to glare at him as he got up from the place that he was sitting. "Hermione I was meaning to talk to you since that day, but it never seemed right. I want to apologise to you for that, but I know that it is a lot for me to ask for you to forgive me. But since I'm going to be here all summer with you, I was hoping that we could try and get along," he said sincerely.

She eyed him suspiciously, trying to find the slightest hint that he might not have been truthful with his words. But she soon figured out that he was completely honest. She hesitated before replying. "I still don't trust you Malfoy, but I'm willing to get along with you because we need to both stay here." She wanted to protest and to tell him that she can never forgive him. But she just moved into the manor and was relunctant to create a scene.

He smiled at her widely. "Thank you Hermione," he told her.

"Since when do you call me Hermione?" she asked him curiously. It was odd thing to hear coming from him.

He smirked at her. "Well I can't exactly call you Granger anymore can I?"

She hadn't thought about that. She was still unsure about whether she would be changing her surname to Zabini. But the pure love she had received from her biological family was one that she couldn't just ignore. While the Grangers raised her and made her the person that she is today, she felt a connection to the Zabinis that she couldn't explain. She had barely known them for more than a few hours, but she felt as if she had known them her entire life.

She huffed and turned her attention back to her brother. "Brother," she thought. "That word feels so strange to use." She knew that it would take her sometime getting used to this new family, but she was excited to get to know them and be a part of it. This summer was going to be one of the most exciting ones of her life and she didn't even know it.