If I told you I had 12000 words that needed to be written (to an A grade quality) for school, would you forgive me for this horrendously long break I've had? I haven't even made it an extra-specially long chapter, I am sorry.
Nocturne Alley was not the most ideal location for him. Having spent most of his youth idolising evil, and living in the shadow of his wannabe-Deatheater friends, Nocturne Alley posed the ultimate temptation. It was how he imagined a sex-addict might feel if they were forced to live in a brothel. The pull of the Dark Arts was harder to ignore then he'd first imagined. Blaise had already found himself eyeing the wares in the Specialty shop downstairs, and had had to force himself upstairs.
His apartment had become exactly as he had hoped; a sanctuary for the good guys. It was rare that he ate alone. More often than not, Draco or Hermione came to visit, or Blaise would go to the Weasley's. Since all her children left home, Molly Weasley had grown to love Blaise's visits, and who was he to deny them to her?
"Molly!" Blaise called out, knocking on the door to The Burrow. "Molly, it's Blaise!"
The door was wrenched open, but it wasn't Molly stood before him. Ginny Weasley's eyes were streaming with tears as she glared at him. "Can I help you?"
He gawped at her. She rolled her eyes and went to shut the door. "Wait - wait a second." Blaise caught the door with his foot. "Are you alright?"
Ginny sniffed, and held the door open. As he passed her, she gestured to the front room. Blaise sat on the squashy sofa, and patted the space beside him.
Ginny began to cry again, and he wrapped an arm around her. "Come on, Gin. What's wrong?" Ginny sobbed, and Blaise rocked her gently.
"Oh, Blaise, how good to see you." Molly bustled in, carrying a tea tray. "Ginny dear, how are you feeling."
"Please, Molly, tell me what's wrong."
Molly sighed sadly and sat in her husband's chair. "Ginny… Ginny lost the baby." Her daughter began to bawl, and hid her face in her hands.
"She had a miscarriage." Molly breathed.
Blaise pulled Ginny in towards him and stroked her hair. "I'm so sorry."
Mollt stood up, and straightened out her skirts. "Blaise dear, would you come and help me make some tea?"
"But you just…"
"Please, Blaise."
She pulled him out to the busy kitchen, where the washing cleaned itself noisily in the sink. "Blaise, Harry's gone."
"Gone… what do you mean, gone?"
Molly breathed heavily and crossed her arms across her chest. "I mean Ginny told him about the miscarriage and walked out."
Little James came running clumsily into the kitchen. He squealed upon seeing Blaise, and Blaise swept him up and threw him into the air before catching him and holding him close.
Blaise's turned back to Molly and heaved a sigh. "Well, that's noble of him."
Molly nodded wearily, and stepped forwards to stoke her grandson's hair. "I don't know which has upset Ginny more, losing her baby or her husband. And Merlin only knows where he's gone."
They stood together, James burbling away to himself, blissfully unaware, and both considered where Harry Potter could have disappeared to, and listened to the mournful cries of his wife. Blaise felt out of touch, as he was sure the Harry Potter he knew would never walk out on his wife after she had lost a child.
Understanding it was for the best, Blaise bid the Weasley women farewell.
He apparated back to bottom of Nocturne Alley and began the slow walk up the cobblestones to the very top where the Specialty Shop stood. As he walked, he considered Ginny Weasley, and the psychology behind her husband's disappearing act. He could think of nothing about her that could drive a man away, particularly when she was so sad and so helpless.
"Potter must just be a nut job." He muttered.
Draco was waiting for him in his apartment. Arms folded as he sat, statue still, upon Blaise's cream leather sofa. Blaise cleared his throat. "Not that I'm not pleased to see you, Dra, but just why are you sat in my apartment when I am not here?" He tried to keep his tone light, but the weight of the evening still seemed evident in his words.
Draco sprang up and grinned. "Hermione and I were just wondering where you were this evening, we hadn't heard from you all day."
Blaise chuckled hollowly, flicked his wand and caught one of the two bottles of Firewhiskey it summoned from the kitchen. "I'm a grown-up now, Draco. If I don't contact you for twenty-four hours, the chances are, I will be ok."
"Need I remind you that the last time I didn't hear from you in twenty-four hours, that one day extended to a week, and then a month, then a year, and the five years."
Blaise shrugged. "And I was ok."
"That's not the point, Zabini," Draco took a swig of his own drink. "That's not the point."
The drank their whiskey in silence until Blaise disposed of the empty bottles by simply waving his wand. "Neat trick." Draco commented.
"You learn all sorts in Ibiza." Blaise smirked.
"Ibiza, eh?" Draco laughed, "Trust you."
Blaise's smile faltered. Trust you. It was that mantra that had always followed him whenever he had chosen to do anything impetuous or daring. Trust you to be so selfish.
"Draco, have you seen Potter at all today?" His tone was serious, and Draco's eyes narrowed.
"No, I haven't. Why do you ask?"
Blaise sighed. "He's gone. Walked out on Ginny."
Draco straightened up, looking confused. "What do you mean? Isn't Ginny pregnant?"
"Not anymore." Blaise said flatly. "She had a miscarriage."
Draco grabbed his arm and apparated them both to his own home. Hermione looked up from a writing desk as they appeared. Blaise had never even taken the time to ask what she was doing with her life now. Whatever it was, it looked important. Small reading glasses were perched on her nose, and she pulled them off as she focussed on the two men who were suddenly in her room.
"Hello, Blaise, we wondered where you'd got to."
Draco flew across the room to his wife's side. He gripped her by the shoulders and Blaise was momentarily terrified as he shook her roughly. "Hermione," Draco's voice was calm, a complete contrast to the brutality of his actions. "Have you seen Harry today?"
Hermione shook her head frantically, her eyes revealing the tiny fear she had of her husband that still remained, left over from their last couple of years at school when the older Slytherins had uncontrollably off the rails.
Draco seemed to recognise Hermione's expression, her quickened breathing, her flushed cheeks, as he breathed out slowly, and let go of her shoulders.
He did not apologise to her, Blaise noticed, instead he just nodded. He hadn't known Draco had such anger issues.
"Why do you need to find Harry? Isn't he with Ginny?" Hermione directed her question to Blaise.
"He's… he's sort of disappeared." Draco murmured, with the obvious intent of not alarming her.
Hermione laughed lightly. "Draco, It's Harry. He vanishes every other week, you know what he's like." She playfully narrowed her eyes at Blaise. "You must have been giving him tips."
"No, Hermione, it's not like that." Draco cut across her. "Hermione, Ginny lost the baby."
The was a moments shocked silence before Hermione finally spoke. "Baby James? How did she lose him? That kid's never let out of their sight."
"Not that baby. The one that was inside her." Blaise explained calmly. "She had a miscarriage."
Hermione sunk back slowly into her chair, absent mindedly running her fingers across her face.
When she spoke, her voice was faint, and tears trickled down her cheeks.
"We have to find Harry."
Hmmm I know where I want this to go, but I'm not entirely sure how popular it'll be. Give me your thoughts and I will make more of an effort to update sooner!
JustADoll
xxx
