The night that Harry, Ron and Hermione escaped Malfoy Manor -
"Blaise!" Draco gasped.
Blaise barely heard the gasping, broken voice of his best friend coming from the main hall of The Zabini Chateau. His mother was out, with her latest conquest; a council member. She was hedging her bets, behind closed doors, in case the dark lord should fall.
"Draco? Dear Merlin what happened?" Blaise grasped him by his arm pits just in time to stop him falling to the floor. There was blood, lots of blood. "Is it yours?" He asked, he could never be sure, not with the Dark lord residing in Malfoy Manor these past months.
"No" Draco shuddered
He steadily sat Draco down on his mother's imported rug, she would kill him but needs must.
"Granger" Draco muttered and Blaise paled, sadness filling his big brown eyes. He had feared this would happen.
"What happened to Granger?" he asked. She was dead, Blaise was almost sure. It was only a matter of time before the golden trio were and he knew that Granger's death would be what finally sent Draco over the edge.
"She…tortured her, in front of me, she scarred her. Mudblood. I didn't stop her. I couldn't stop it." Draco was shaking. His words made little sense to Blaise.
"Who tortured her?" He raised his wand to the hall, bringing up the wards in full force, nobody was getting through until he knew what had happened tonight. "Who tortured her Draco?" he shouted, praying it was Narcissa or someone who would have held back…as best they could.
"Aunt Bella"
Blaise felt sick. Granger was certainly dead.
"Is she alive?"
"No" Draco muttered.
Blaise closed his eyes, realisation setting in, Draco would never recover, he knew it. His best friend was gone…
"The house elf brought the chandelier down on her, I don't give a fuck though she deserved to die and at least …Granger's. Alive."
"So Granger is safe?"
"She got out if that's what you mean but no Blaise…she's not fucking safe. Nobody is safe anymore."
Blaise squared his shoulders and sat down beside his best friend with a thud. The time had come, as he had always known it would. All the nights Draco spent brooding in front of the fire in the Slytherin common room, all the days he sat silent in class staring down at the table, all the horrible hurtful words which spewed from his mouth. Nobody else had seen it, Blaise was sure of that, but he had. The awkward brushes in the corridor, the look Draco displayed when he was watching her and thought that nobody was watching him. Blaise saw parts of Draco nobody else ever had. Oh and that damn Yule ball, well that had been the icing on the shit cake that was Draco's infatuation with Hermione Jean Granger. When Draco had finally told Blaise how he'd obliviated her on the steps by the black lake, Blaise had thought it couldn't possible get any worse. Yet…here they stood.
"What are you going to do?" Blaise asked.
"There's nothing I can do, it's too late."
"She's alive, isn't she?"
"Yes."
"Then it's not too late." Blaise had lost patience. "What if we win?" He quizzed, demanding an answer and realising, all too suddenly, that for both winning that had become the worry. He was no longer requesting an answer he was demanding one. This had to be dealt with!
"Then we win"
"…and you'll watch them kill Granger?" Draco winced but Blaise pushed on "Watch her bleed to death in agony, at your feet?"
"Don't" Draco looked like he was about to vomit on the imported rug.
"No, you have to face this. Her death will be the kind part though wont it? What they'll do to her first will be the real torture. Who will take her first do you think?…I'd bet your father would relish new ways to make the Mudblood scream the name Malfo.."
"STOP" Draco shouted, his hand crossed his chest as he heaved twice but managed to pull himself back from the brink. His eyes filled with rage, "Don't say that! Don't you ever fucking say that!"
"It's true though" Blaise was stung with guilt but he had to say it "You won't stand by and watch Draco, you'll get yourself killed. You'll get us all killed."
Wet grey streaks trailed the harsh angles of Draco's face "You don't understand!" his wand was grasped in his hand, like a cornered animal in head lights.
Blaise took a deep breath, "Say it!"
"No" Draco snarled
"Admit it Draco!" Blaise shouted, he wasn't giving in.
"No"
"Yes" Blaise raised his wand,
"I'm in love with her" Draco growled, defeated and silence filled the small space between them. Blaise nodded, watching the almightly Draco Malfoy crumple in a heap on the floor. His hand rubbed his back softly.
"I know mate" Blaise said, "You're in love with her so whatever happens we'll save her."
"How?" Draco asked.
"No idea, but we'll find a way."
"You'd do that…for a…mudblood?" Draco chocked on the word.
"I'd be careful calling the future Mrs Malfoy that mate." Blaise said.
