As we prepared to leave my mother took one last look around my small office and sniffed. "By your age your grandfather was practically the Italian minister for magic, that was when things were run properly, none of this equality nonsense. Look where your muggle sympathies have got you Blaise." She took one last disdainful look around at my office with its piles of paperwork spilling over my desk and the painting of Hermione I did in 7th yr, and said with contempt. "You should be ashamed of yourself; your grandfather would be spinning in his grave." With that she swept out of the office, with the house elf hurrying behind her. I shut the door and followed her, it was not long before I caught up as she did not know the way, she did not ask for help only looked expectantly with her nose in the air.

Indignantly I thought to myself, who was she to get all high and mighty when the only thing she did was socialise with other like minded pureblood fanatics, living off the money her father and multiple husbands had bequeathed to her. She did not even know who my father was, that's why I took her name not his, she didn't know it. Lets just say some of my mothers relationships overlapped a little, the poor besotted fools she called husbands were generally too 'ill' to notice her eying up her next candidates. She wasn't faithful to them even when they were new and exciting, it's a miracle I was the only child she had, for both her and her potential offspring. My mother was a skilful Legilimens, as were many of the Dark Lord's followers, and she had used it many times on me to see if I deserved one of the punishments she loved to give. Thankfully at that moment her thoughts were elsewhere and therefore she did not hear the bitter hatred in my thoughts, she was my mother and I loved her unconditionally but loathed her at the same time.

We reached the main hall and made our way to the nearest fireplace, it was the end of the day and as it was a Friday there was a long queue of tired looking witches and wizards. My mother swept passed all of them with an air of superiority and took a pinch of floo powder as if it was filthy and she couldn't bring herself to touch it and dropped it into the fire. Again she turned to look at me expectantly and I told her the name of her cottage, with in seconds she was gone without so much as a backwards glance. I turned and apologised to all the disgruntled members of the queue that we had just jumped then quickly followed my mother.

When I arrived, Hermione was out and so was Art so I assumed she had taken her for a walk. I said a quiet thank you as I knew my mother hated any non conventional familiars, particularly of the owner of said familiar was her son. With the same expression as she had worn as she looked around my office, my mother walked from room to room. She looked offended at the size of the room she had to stay in "Is this it?" she asked rather rudely, I looked at the meagre room we had to offer and sighed. There was no way she would be willing to sleep here, particularly as it was covered in ginger fur, the bed being Crookshanks' favourite place to sleep when he wished to be left alone. There was just enough room in the bed for me and Hermione to share if worst came to worst, it would only be for a few months I suppose. I sighed again and led her to our room, "Will this do?" I asked in a tired voice. She surveyed the spotless room critically and finally she replied "I suppose it will have to do." Very annoyed now, I said in a cold voice "Well I'll leave you to unpack" and left the room. I got downstairs and made myself a cup of coffee, I had jus sat down when Hermione came bounding in, she rushed up to greet me and before I could warn her she said an enthusiastic hello and began kissing me.

Happily I rushed into the house, cheered up by my walk and the fact that I had the whole weekend to relax and very pleased that Blaise was home early. I saw him take a sip of his usual cup of afternoon coffee, Blaise had no less than nine cops of coffee in a day to survive, he put it on the table and collapsed onto the sofa. I grinned as I imagined the surprise he would get when I sat on his lap and began to kiss him. He had had a hard day, just like me, I could tell. A walk had been all I needed to wind down and forget about the stresses of the day, now I would take particular pleasure in reducing Blaise's anxiety levels. I muttered a rushed greeting and with in seconds was on his lap running my hands through his hair and passionately pressing his lips against my own. I did not get the enthusiastic reply I hoped for and was jus about to break off and ask what was wrong when I heard I shriek "Just what do you think you are doing!?" I jumped and turned in the direction of the voice. On the stairs was a woman whose face I had seen in The Daily Prophet on countless occasions, that of Valentina Zabini. I had known that eventually I would meet her, I also knew that she was extremely prejudiced and was very keen to make a good impression, this was not a good start. I quickly tried to rectify my mistake by apologising "Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were here, your visit was unexpected." Blaise shot me an apologetic look and muttered under his breath so that his mother couldn't hear "Sorry I tried to warn you."

"Who asked you to speak mudblood? To be honest I expected not better of you but Blaise, do you have no self respect? Firstly you are living with this filth, and now you are carrying on with her as if I didn't exist. Did I teach you nothing? Do you have no humility?"

"Sorry mother." He said quietly.

"Speak up boy, do you have an explanation for your abominable conduct?" Blaise was silent and looked at the floor, like a child being reprimanded.

"Well?" she demanded "Do you have nothing to say for yourself?" By this point I decided it was time for me to speak up. "I'm very sorry Ms. Zabini, it wasn't Blaise' fault it was mine, I--" she interrupted before I had time to finish my explanation.

"How dare you speak to me in such an insolent manner, you should respect those better than you, you are nothing but a mudblood who has bewitched my son. I will be damned if I put up with it any longer, Blaise this must end here, right now." I was furious but before I could say anything she swept upstairs again leaving me and Blaise in awkward silence.

I remained quiet for a few minutes while the anger subsided enough for me to regain the power of speech. Blaise was still looking at the floor meekly but he was shaking, he looked up and I saw that anger was the reason for his trembling, his eyes were full of it. He spoke and broke the silence, his voice too was full of the same fury that I felt, except his was laced with sadness and bitterness "She's in trouble and I could hardly refuse to help her. It's only temporary no longer than a couple of months, and she will ignore you after a while, after she sees you are not going to leave me. You aren't going to leave me are you?" The anger immediately subsided as I saw the worry in his eyes.

"No of course I wont Blaise, I would never do that."

"I just thought you might not be able to cope with her, she's so cruel and what you just saw was only the half of it."

"Blaise, I love you, your mother is not going to change that." I sat down next to him and gave his hand a squeeze, I knew what his childhood had been like and I knew what his silence meant. He remembering it all, a pained look flashed across his face and I snuggled against his shoulder. We stayed like that for a few minutes, comfortable in each other's company with no need to move. Finally I turned my head to his and whispered in his ear "Be strong, you can do it Blaise." he looked in to my eyes and smiled.

"I won't let her break us up Hermione."

"I know."