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Chapter Three: Sinister Slytherins

After discussing certain plans with Hermione in the library earlier on that afternoon, Blaise headed to the Slytherin common room. He hadn't gotten around to asking Hermione why she was so obsessed with making the couples work. But after hearing some of her far-fetched and just plain crazy attempts to get Ron and Pansy together, he'd decided he didn't want to know.

Blaise found Draco lounging in a green armchair by the fire. He seemed to be pretty deep in thought. Blaise smiled as an idea struck him. He slowly crept forward, standing right behind Malfoy's shoulder and brought his lips just a few inches from Draco's ear. "Hey, pretty boy. What 'cha thinking about?"

Draco spun around so fast Blaise didn't have a chance to dodge the oncoming punch.

"Bloody hell! What was that for?!" Blaise pressed a finger to his cheek, wincing.

Draco shrugged. "You should know better than to sneak up on me. Anyways what were you doing out so late?"

Blaise glared at Draco. "I don't see how that concerns you after you punched me in the face!"

The blonde plopped back on the chair. "Suit yourself."

A few third years sat in the corner, staring wide-eyed at the scene before them. Blaise shot them a furious scowl and watched them scurry to their respective dormitories. He took the armchair opposite Draco's and stared into the fire, remembering his conversation with Hermione. Blaise chuckled; the bookworm was way in over her head. But that was why he was going to help her.

"What's so funny?" Draco asked with a raised brow.

Blaise was tempted to show him the cold-shoulder, but the pull to see Draco's reaction to Hermione's harebrained scheme was greater. He grinned wolfishly as he relayed the plot to Draco.

"That has to be just about the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Draco chuckled. "And this was Granger's idea?"

"Uh-huh, she even asked me to help out."

"So are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you going to help her?"

Blaise stared at Draco, was he . . . ? No, this was Draco Malfoy. There was no way. "Yeah, I am."

Draco nodded as if confirming something. Then a sinister smirk spread across his handsome features. Suddenly Blaise had a bad feeling.

O-o-O

Hermione was on her way to Potions when someone bumped into her, sending her crashing to the floor along with her books. She gathered her books, stood, and opened her mouth to tell the person off. "Malfoy?"

"Watch where you're going, Granger." The blonde brushed an imaginary speck of dust off his shoulder.

"I could say the same to you," Hermione glared. It was then she noticed that Malfoy had indeed changed. His pointed face had grown into hard aristocratic features and those cold grey eyes sent chills down her spine. She wondered what Lavender and Parvati saw in this so-called "Slytherin Sex God". There was nothing special about him. He looked worse than he did before. His skin was paler than it was when he was a child. And that hideous smirk thinned his pink lips.

"Now if you're done checking me out, Granger, could you please move?"

Pft, checking him out? As if. She was about to tell Malfoy exactly what she thought of him when Malfoy pushed past her, knocking her to the ground twice in the same day.

"Slimy, bouncy ferret," Hermione muttered loud enough for Malfoy to hear. To her immense anger, he didn't turn around.

"Hey, bookworm. Uh, what are you doing on the floor?" Blaise appeared next to Hermione, scooping up her books in one hand.

"Man-slut!" she greeted enthusiastically, putting aside her unpleasant encounter with Malfoy. Hermione had been going over Blaise's suggestions last night and couldn't wait to tell him about initiating the next part of her-now their-plan.

"Shhh," Blaise whispered, looking around to see if anyone heard. A few sixth year girls giggled halfway down the hall. Great, he thought bitterly until one of them sent a wink his way. Blaise smirked in reply, he was getting laid tonight!

"Uh, Blaise? A little help?" Hermione asked. She was stuck in an awkward heap on the floor; the heel of Blaise's shoe pinning her skirt to the ground.

Blaise glanced down at her. "What?" he asked, annoyed that Hermione had distracted him from his flirting.

"If you could kindly remove your foot, then perhaps I would be able to get off the ground by myself," Hermione suggested sweetly, noticing the annoyed way Blaise looked at her with.

"Oh sorry about that." Blaise stepped to the side, offering Hermione his hand. She took it and he pulled her up with a little too much force; she crashed into his chest.

"Oof," Hermione mumbled into the fabric of Blaise's black vest.

"Blaise what are you doing with her?" Pansy asked, staring pointedly at the arms encircling Hermione. She had just been on her way to Potions when this horrific scene greeted her.

"This isn't what it looks like, Pans."

"It never is," and with that she left, flicking her long blonde hair over her shoulder.

Hermione and Blaise quickly spread apart before anyone else caught them in such an intimate position. "Well that was . . . "

"Awkward?" Hermione supplied helpfully.

"Yeah."

They glanced at each other and then looked away quickly. Blaise had never expected Hermione to feel so . . . well, so soft.

"Blaise? Blaise!" Hermione finally smacked the attractive Slytherin lightly on the cheek.

"Owww, woman! What was that for?"

Hermione blinked. "I only hit you lightly."

Blaise blanched. Was she serious? He felt bad for Draco. If that had only been a light smack, he didn't even want to know how a forceful smack to the cheek would feel. "Right. We'd better head to Potions before we're late."

Snape sneered at Hermione when she entered the class alongside Blaise. She'd only missed being late by a minute. Not wanting to give Snape a chance to dock points from Gryffindor, Hermione hurried to her seat next to Pansy. The girl barely acknowledged Hermione as she slid into the seat.

Hermione knew there was nothing she could do to advance her plan on Pansy's side, without making the Slytherin too suspicious. After all when did Hermione ever willingly engage in a conversation with Pansy Parkinson? Uh, never. She'd have to trust Blaise to go through on his part.

Snape left instructions on the board and Hermione hastened to finish the potion, with only minimum help from Pansy.

O-o-O

After Potions, Hermione left with Ron and Harry who were deep in conversation about Quidditch. She glanced back at Blaise. He was arguing with Pansy about something. Just then Pansy caught her stare and glared at her.

"I don't know why you're spending so much time with a Gryffindor, especially that Mud-bookworm," Pansy corrected herself.

Blaise smiled. "You know the war has really changed us. Look at you and Draco; both of you don't even call Granger a Mudblood anymore."

Pansy stiffened and narrowed her blue eyes. "That doesn't mean she isn't one."

"Someone sounds jealous."

"Blaise, I'm serious. No one might have said anything to you, but they're starting to think you like that bushy-haired know-it-all. Next thing you know, you might even go pledging your allegiance to Harry Potter. Just because we don't flaunt our distaste for Granger and her kind, doesn't mean it's not there."

Blaise sighed; maybe there were things that the war couldn't change after all. "What do you want me to do? It's not like I'm in love with Granger or anything. I don't see the harm in engaging her in conversation."

Pansy didn't look convinced. "Be careful, Blaise. Not everyone shares your way of thinking."

Blaise ran a hand through his short black hair. It was like he was committing a crime the way Pansy went about it. But he knew what she said was true. There were lots of scars left from the war-and not just among the Gryffindors. It wasn't as if he hadn't heard what his fellow Slytherins were whispering behind his back.

"Zabini, how long are you going to stand around like an idiot? There's work to be done."

Blaise snorted, it was so unlike Malfoy to be concerned about work. Come to think of it, not all Slytherins were untouched by the war. Draco Malfoy had even changed, subtly. But it was a change nonetheless.

"Coming Malfoy."


I still have to write the next chapter, since my inspiration flew away. But I'll update as soon as I can.