Hey! Thanks for the birthday wishes and the reviews! Now, on with the story...
Disclaimer: Riddle me this, readers. If I owned Harry Potter, would I really be working my way through high school while simultaneously trying to get a free ride to medical school by studying the ever-loving shit out of my textbooks and writing every scholarship essay available? Hm...
(Hermione pov)
Day 26: Explosive Screaming and Long-Awaited Silence
If you fall, I'll be there.
-Floor
It was warm wherever I was. I was curled up in what felt like silk, sleep slowly leaving me, making me more aware of my surroundings. I didn't open a single eye, for I was comfortable and didn't want to face the massive hangover that was sure to come. If I opened my eyes, the lights would burn inside them and my head would surely start to spin. But, I still had that pain potion Malfoy gave me... I guess I could just go to the kitchen and grab it...
"Mhmm."
That wasn't me.
I cracked open an eye, hating the way my head started to pound. I then became more aware of my body... and the fact that it didn't feel like I had any clothes on. Hesitantly, I opened both of my eyes and looked down.
I was in a bed with dark green, silk sheets. There was a man lying next to me. And I was naked.
"What-" I whispered, shushing myself when the man stirred.
He had a pillow over his head, the sheets resting low on his hips. His skin was a creamy ivory, and on his shoulder, a tattoo of the letter 'M' lay beautifully etched. I could not see his face or his hair, and frankly, I didn't want to stick around to find out.
This had never happened to me before.
Oh. Dear. Merlin.
I started to hyperventilate as quietly as I could, slowly sliding out of the bed and standing beside it, staring at the mystery man with wide eyes. He groaned and twitched again, making me realize that I needed to leave. I found my clothes scattered on the floor and threw on my dress, putting my underwear on first, grabbing the rest of my things and showving them in my purse. Lastly, I picked up my heels and tiptoed out of them room, not knowing where to go.
I couldn't go outside... the neighbors would see and I'd be he talk of the city. I couldn't apparate... I could feel the house was warded when I tried.
"Please be open, please be open, please be open!" I whispered to myself as I saw he had a floo. I stepped inside and grabbed a handful of floo powder, my inner thoughts pleading with God for the floo to be open. I knew I'd left mine open; I just needed this one favor. I threw the powder down and said my address, nearly screaming in joy when the green flames engulfed me and spat me back out on my light brown carpet.
"Oh Merlin, Ginny!" I cried into her shoulder after I finished telling them of the night's events. Harry sat oppsite us on a chair, holding James and looking like he'd rather cut off his thumbs. "I'm a whore, aren't I?"
"No!" Ginny immediately said. Her hand began to stroke my hair. "You just... made a mistake, is all. It happens to the best of us."
"Normal witches don't get drunk and sleep with a man they can't remember!" I cried.
"How do you know you even... you know... with him?" Harry motioned awkwardly while tucky a sleeping James into the crook of his neck. "If you can't remember, you... er... might not have gotten that far."
"It happened, Harry." I replied. "There's no doubt."
"How do you-?"
Ginny and I exchanged a looked and Harry fell silent, settling for the fact that it was, and always would be, a female thing. I wiped my tears and tried to console myself, telling my myself that it was a stupid, drunken mistake. Everyone does it. I would just forget about the whole thing and carry on as if it never happened.
"One question," Ginny said curiously. "Do you remember that thing I put in your purse? The one with the note?"
"Yes..." I rubbed my eyes and vaguely remembered throwing something along those lines away.
"Is there any chance that you used it?"
My eyes widened.
Shit.
"No!" I cried. Ginny hugged me again and, not being able to take the topic of our conversation a moment longer, Harry took James into the other room to put him down. "What am I going to do?"
"Don't worry," She shushed me. "It'll be fine. From what I heard, you were both drunk, and things like that just don't happen. Besides, that's just an extreme. It was one night of drunken sex; that's it."
I nodded and tried to stop crying.
But I had done soemthing extremely slutty, in my mind:
1. I got deliriously pished.
2. I had sex with a man I could not remember, in his bed.
3. I left said man's house in the morning before he could see me and before I could see him.
If it sounds like a dog, looks like a dog, and acts like a dog...
"Hermione, honey," Ginny said gently. I wiped my nose sat up straight, tucking my hair behind my ears. "It'll be okay. It was a mistake; I think you're entitled to a few." I had to smile at that. "Harry and I are due for a doctor's appointment; we have to go, but don't dwell on this forever. Go take a bath or something... relax."
"Yeah," I nodded. I hugged her goodbye and did the same with Harry. "I just need to relax."
"Atta girl," Ginny patted my shoulder as she took her son from her husband. "Bye, Hermione!"
"Bye, Hermione," Harry hugged me once more, the whispered in my ear. "We're still on for saturday, right? Ron wants to know... Carmine is getting nervous."
Harry, Ron and I still get together every once in a while to talk. They were my best friends and ever since the war, we sort of lost touch. Now that Ron had a girlfriend, she wanted meet his infamous best friend: me. So, we were doing so on Saturday night. I was a bit miffed that there would be someone intruding in on our time, but if she was to remain a permanent fixture in Ron's life, I needed to meet her.
"We're good," I assured him. "Goodbye, Harry."
He winked and opened the door for his wife, closing it shut and leaving me alone in my flat once more.
I needed a nap.
And a pain potion.
(Draco pov)
I groaned as I thought I felt the bed dip. It was probably nothing- I wouldn't have looked anyway. My head felt like it was being pounded on by a prize dragon tamer. I could hear my owl, Sidda, chirping from her cage in the other room. There was some noise- it sounded like feet shuffling and harsh whispering- but I decided that it would go away. I groaned again and stretched my legs, throwing the pillow off of my head and rolling over.
"Damn," I scratched my stomach and looked around at the disaster that was my room. "What the bloody hell happened?"
My floo just went off, then. Which made me remember.
A black dress, a navel piercing, and a treble clef tattoo... kissing on my kitchen counter... falling on my bed in a mass of tangled limbs... the sounds of pure ecstasy we both made when I pushed into her...
"I need coffee," I scrubbed my face and got out of bed, naked as the day I was born. I reasoned that I would probably scare the house elves, so I threw on a pair of boxers and left the room. Wary because of my pounding head, I walked down the halls and entered my kitchen, stirring a bit of instant coffee in a cup.
Muggles can be awfully ignorant, but they have good ideas sometimes...
The day I discovered muggle instant coffee made my mornings a hell of a lot easier. Instead of struggling to brew fresh coffee, I just heated up my water and stirred in the instant stuff. It didn't taste as good as fresh coffee, but it didn't make me want to throw a chair out the window.
I sat down at the table as Winky, my house elf, came into the room and began to make breakfast. Recently, I had been on this cooking kick where I was fascinated by the art of old-fashioned muggle cooking, but if I didn't let Winky make me at least one meal, she would cry and ask me why I didn't like her. Frankly, it was just easier to let her make breakfast.
"Master Malfoy," She came up behind me and put the plate on the table. "Do you need anything else?"
"No thank you," I nodded my head and picked up my fork, absently spooning the eggs into my mouth.
I thought again about the girl. She was a fantastic lay and her body was wondrous, but I couldn't put a face to that body. She had a piercing, a tattoo, and a very oddly shaped scar on her inner thigh, but her face was a mystery to me. I just couldn't remember. I don't think she said anything- she made many sounds, though- so I didn't have a voice to go on.
Frankly, I can't even remember how I apparated us both here. Maybe I flooed...? I didn't know, but I could only remember bits and pieces. Like how we gradually progressed to my bedroom, how she unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor, and she might have said something... I interpreted it as a moan, but some to think of it, the moan might have been a word...
"Winky will take your plates?" I noticed that all of my eggs were gone when her high voice reached my ears.
"Sure."
She left me alone with my thoughts. I needed to get to work in an hour to see what kind of damage my temporary replacement for last night had done. I hated when other people touched my cauldrons- I took care to always have extra things stocked and only be gone for 7 hours at a time- but every year, they brought someone in to cover when we were at that party. Last year, the 'professional potions master' spilled a draught I had been working on for three months and it burnt through the first two layers of skin on his foot. Idiot.
No, I'd never make it in an hour. Blaise got high marks in potions, so he would be able to make sure it wasn't a complete disaster when I got there... I should floo him...
(Blaise pov)
"So..." Gwen and I stared at the ceiling, having just woken up.
"Yeah." I responded.
"Are we...?"
"I don't know." I honestly, really didn't know what we were. Did this make us a couple?
"Do you want to be...?"
"Yes." I did.
"Okay."
Gwen leaned into my side, one hand on my chest and the other joined with my own. I sighed; this was better than I thought it would be.
We had met at the bar after Hermione disappeared. As usual, Gwen was talking non-stop, but she looked incredibly sexy. Like, take-me-to-the-bathroom-and-we'll-bang-it-out sexy. Her dress fit snugly on her curves- Merlin, did this woman have curves- and she was wearing 4 inch heels that dug into my arse later that night when we were actually doing the deed. I kissed her at the bar and it just... happened.
We were both actually pretty sober. I'd had one drink, she'd had two. We were aware that we were going home together; I had never been so nervous in my life. And then the strangest thing happened this morning.
Gwen stopped talking.
No, really. I woke up and there was silence. Pure, undisturbed silence.
She was staring at me and smiling, but then she began to kiss me. And then we went for round two, and established just what the hell was going on. But... she didn't start babbling like I'd expected her to. She stopped talking a mile a minute... like a normal person.
I smiled and threw my arms around the woman at my side. Her 5'3" physique was tiny compared to my 6'4", but damn, this woman was wild. The things she did, the sounds she made...
"So..." It was I who started to talk.
"Yes?" I could feel her smiling.
I coughed. "Uh... it's safe to say that I like you," I started off. She smiled wider. "And I think that we should discuss a few things."
"Uh huh," She leaned up and smirked at me, giving me a wonderous view. "Like?"
"Like what this is," I leaned up on my elbows, her dark, curly hair swaying as she had to lean back. "What we are."
"I think that's fairly clear," I leaned forward until I had sucessfully pinned her to the bed. "I am a woman, you are a man. Self explanatory, really."
"Very funny," I kissed her once. "I meant, what we are to each other." I took a hand and ran it through her curls. "Do you want this?"
This time, she pushed me over and straddled my hips. "More than you know."
"It's settled, then," I pulled her down and looked in those beautiful, brown eyes. "I am going to take you on a date, Miss Green. And romance the hell out of you."
"I look forward to it, Mr. Zabini," She kissed me many times, stopping to roll us back over. "And you should know, I'm not easy to please."
"I didn't hear you complaining last night," I smirked. "Or this morning, for that matter."
"I'm a very good pretender," Her smile was broad and teasing.
"Well then," I was sure that my smile matched hers. "I'll just have to kick it up a notch."
She laughed loudly and arched her back, her head digging into the pillows as her body shook under mine. I laughed with her; it was damn contagious. I liked the way her lips curved when she smiled, how her chest heaved when she laughed, how her eyes had that special glint when you really got her going.
This Gwen... where has she been hiding? At work, it's all talk and giggles a mile a minute. But not here. Here, in her bed, she was herself. She was this wild, sexual, mysterious woman- a woman in every sense of the word- and I wondered why she bothered with the high-strung act. If the past 14 hours were anything to go on, I liked this Gwen better. A hell of a lot better.
Two hours later, when we were satiated and dressing for work, I just watched her. I had a feeling she was doing this on purpose, but when she shimmied into her skirt and slowly clasped her bra, I almost threw her back on the bed and called in sick for work. Because when you have a beautiful woman, a bed, and absolutely no surgeries or consults to do, the idea is bloody inviting. But, alas, I needed to go. Gwen had 4 consults today and it would do no good for me to sit at home.
"Coming?"
I was snapped out of my fantasy as I turned to see her at the door, smiling at me like she'd just met Merlin himself and stretching her hand towards me. Not needing to be asked twice, I walked over, took her hand, and kissed her deeply on the mouth, stopping when she let out a small moan.
"Tomorrow after work," I said huskily, her hot breath on my cheek. "I'm going to take you out." Her hand squeezed my ass as her eyebrows shot up suggestively. "And maybe, if you're up for it, I'll take you back to my place for desert."
"Oh, I'm up for it," She backed away and began to walk down the hall, swinging her hips back and forth. "I've always loved chocolate."
Chocolate? What the bloody hell does that have to do with-
"Oh, I see!" I ran down the hall, laughing as I grabbed my coat and hurried after her. "That wasn't funny!"
"It's true!" She stopped at her front door. "I like dark chocolate the best."
"Okay, quit it," I chuckled. I opened the door for her and stepped out into the sunlight, walking down her cobblestone path toward the street.
"I'm not doing anything!" She laughed. "I like mint chocolate, too."
I was confused "Okay, what does that stand for?"
"It doesn't stand for anything," She gave me a 'duh' look. "It means a like chocolate, I prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate, and I like the chocolate that comes with that minty swirl. What is it supposed to stand for?"
Oh wow.
"Er... nothing," I coughed. I stuffed my hands into my pockets as we walked down the street.
All of a sudden, Gwen started to laugh like she'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. We had to stop so she could catch her breath and wipe her eyes, all while several people were stopping on the street to stare at the girl who was apparently having a nervous breakdown. I awkwardly patted her back and waited for her to find her sanity again. Eventually, she did, and we kept walking.
"Mind telling me why you just lost it back there?"
She smiled and shook her head. "I really didn't mean the whole chocolate thing in that way. And now I get it. And your facial expression! Priceless!"
"Ha ha, very funny." I smirked. "Let me ask you a question."
"Shoot."
"Why do you act so differently at work?" Her smile faded. "I mean, you're so different now compared to what you act like. Why?"
She pursed her lips. "I went through a bad break-up last year. He told me I didn't communicate enough, that I never did anything to impress him, or that I wasn't like the other gossiping girls. It made realize a few things... I thought guys liked the giggly, feminine girls. Not girls who burp and stare at you first thing in the morning."
"Trust me, I find burping and staring a lot sexier than talking non-stop," I chuckled.
"Oh thank Merlin," She let out a breath, her smile returning. "My face was starting to hurt. Do you know how much effort it takes to talk like that? If this hadn't happened, I'd have run out of things to talk about in approximately three days."
I had to laugh at that. I looked forward to getting to know her better- mentally as well as physically- and I was glad there was more than just the giggles. She was a beautiful, interesting, unpredictable woman as far as I could tell, and this would be fun.
Jus as we were walking through the doors of the hospital, Someone shoved into me and I felt hot liquid pour down my back.
"Holy shit!" I gasped, throwing off my coat and frantically trying to cool off my burning skin.
"Oomph!" And- this was turning out to be a wonderful work day- Campbell stood behind me with and empty cup in his hand. "I'm late and- Oh, Zabini."
"Yeah, Zabini!" I yelled. "Are you completely mad?"
"Blaise, calm down-" Gwen tried to say.
"No, you're mad. It was an accident and I won't apologize for it." Campbell crossed his arms over his chest and smirked.
"You bloody well should! You threw hot coffee on my back, you wanker!" Gwen had taken to dabbing my back with her hankerchief.
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." He had that bloody holier-than-thou look on his face. "You have no proof."
"Why, I oughta-"
"Blaise!"
Hermione walked toward me with an angry look on her face, directed at Campell, and put her hand on my shoulder.
"This is not the time, nor place." She said gently, her eyes darting back and forth bewteen Gwen and I. "Just... walk away. He's not worth it."
"Listen to your girlfriend, Zabini," Campbell said.
Oh, that's it!
"You-"
"Just shut your mouth!" Hermione exploded before I could. Campbell flinched back in fear as Hermione poked her finger in his chest. "You're so damn childish, Arthur! You poke and poke and poke until people just want to strangle you! Whatever you did to Blaise is one thing, but tormenting him like this is damn near cruel! Blaise may be participating in this stupid game you two have going, but 'accidentally' pouring coffee on his back is too far! For Merlin's sake, get a life, do your job, do anything, but don't keep messing with him and wasting each other's time! Now just go!"
Bloody hell...
Arthur looked like a freshly kicked puppy.
"But I-"
"Really? You're going to try and justify yourself?" Hermione snarled at him. "And another thing: I am not his girlfriend! Get that in your head! Now, if the next thing that comes out of your mouth isn't an apology for this, then I suggest you turn around and walk away! Because, I swear to Merlin, I am about to lose it with you two's constant bickering!"
"If this isn't her losing, I'd hate to see when that happens," I murmured to Gwen.
Hermione heard. "Do you want to apologize, too?" She looked at me harshly.
Arthur and I both remained quiet.
"I thought not! Now both of you, either make amends or ignore each other! I can't take it anymore!"
Arthur and I gave each other a harsh nod.
"Zabini," He said.
"Campbell," I replied. And with that, he turned around and walked farther down the hallway, out of sight. I turned to my best friend. "I'm sorry... what was that?"
"And you!" She shouted, grabbing my shirt and pulling me down. "You are going to tell me right now what he did to you!"
I swear, I could see her face heating up and steam start to roll down her ears.
"Fine," I said quickly, taking her hand off my shirt. "I'll see you later, Gwen."
"Um... alright..." She waved at us awkwardly and walked away, not understanding a thing that just went on.
That makes two of us.
"Well?" Hermione began to tap her foot impatiently.
"Come outside," She followed me out the doors and we sat on a bench. "When I tell you, don't you dare look at me like I'm some heartbroken little puppy. It doesn't even matter anymore. It just matters because he hasn't apologized and he hasn't let me do the same."
"Get on with it," Hermione warned.
I sighed. "Hetookmygirl," I said quickly and lowly.
"Sorry? Didn't quite catch that, Zabini."
"He took my girl, okay!" I said exasperatedly. "He snatched her right from under me and broke her heart and I know he only did it because I wanted her! He didn't even like her that much! It hurt so badly at the time... you should have seen her. Clara... she was so torn up. She was a virgin, you know? And he took her on all the dates, romanced her with all the pretty things... and then he told me about them just to get to me. And two months later, when they'd finally done it, he dumped her because there was nothing else he could do to make me angrier."
"That..." She sat with her hands folded, staring at the trees. "Why did he do it?"
"Oh, that's the really sick part." I laughed humorlessly. "When we were kids, the year before I went to Hogwarts and his parents sent him to some private school, I took one of his toys and threw it in the river next to my house. I was an obnoxious little brat, but ever since then, he's hated me; sworn to take my things and ruin them. I always thought that, maybe, there was something about that toy that was special. But he's never let me apologize for it and I honestly don't want to, now. Clara suffered needlessly because of him, and I don't know why he didn't just get over it and accept my apology."
Hermione sat, her mouth opening and closing several times before she looked at with the pleading eyes. I sighed heavily and leaned back on the bench, spreading my legs farther apart unconsciously and staring at the people walking inside.
"Fine... go ahead," I rolled my eyes.
"Oh, Blaise, honey!" Hermione threw her arms around me and slowly rocked back and forth.
Kill me now.
"That... that's so sad," She stuttered. "I'm sorry... I wouldn't have almost made you apologize if I knew."
"Are you crying?" I asked incredulousy.
"No," She snapped. "I just... had a bad night, is all."
"Alright?" I said it more as a question than a statement. She nodded and let go of me. "Well... I better get working. Things to do, bones to fix... potions to order..."
"Yeah, sure. I need to get going anyway." Hermione stood up first and waited for me to follow. "Um... lunch?"
"Yeah, sure," I nodded. "See you then."
She walked away and I just knew that she was feeling sorry for me. I never told her in the first because... well, because she was a female. Hell, Draco knew and he gave me a pat on the back, told me to cheer up, and went on his way. There were no sympathetic hugs or alomst crying sessions. Men didn't do such things and I was glad for it. Even though Hermione was never the girly type, she still had her giggly, crying, extremely feminine moments.
"Move! Get out of the way!" I heard frantic yelling from down the hall.
On instinct from working here for so long, I backed up against the wall as 4 men and women pushed a bed towards the elevator. Promblem was, I recognized the man in the bed who was having a seizure. Second problem, Campbell was one of the men pushing the bed. Third problem, from what Draco had told me, Hermione was going to be SO pissed when she found out.
Steer clear of that mine field, Blaise. Self preservation.
"Alrighty, then," I began to whistle nervously and walk farther down the hall, pleading that something would come on along to occupy my time. I mean, it wasn't like I was asking for someone to crack their skull open... but couldn't there just be a kid with a broken finger? Or maybe a toe? Something keep my mind off of the whole Campbell thing...
"Dr. Zabini!" I was called on my a frantic intern who was running towards me at lightning speed.
"Hm?" I asked.
"There's a man in the trauma room... he's cut his left leg clean off, sir." This intern looked like he was about to vomit.
"That's not really an orthopedic problem. I think Dr. Blair is in her office, she's better equipped to-"
"Sir, you don't understand," He cut in. He then pulled a pair of scrubs out of his coat and handed it to me. "His girlfriend has his leg. In a plastic bag."
My eyes widened and I'm pretty sure my heart skipped a beat.
Severed leg... a completely discontected bone...
"Get Dr. Blair," I grabbed the scrubs and began running down the hall to the bathroom. "Tell her it's urgent!"
"Yes sir!" The intern ran the other way.
I hastily changed into the pale blue scrubs and threw my clothes behind a nurse's station. I grabbed a mask and gloves on the way downstairs, hesitant to apparate because I didn't kno where everyone was. When I got to the trauma room. I saw a crying, stuttering girl with a human leg inside a plastic bag in her hands, an intern trying to calm her, and a man whose severed leg was gushing out blood like a river.
"Dr. Zabini!" I saw Dr. Blair in the throng of people. "Could really use an extra set of hands!"
"Yeah, I bet!" I ran over and took a look at the leg, seeing the sharp edges of the bone stump. I turned to the crying woman. "Sweetheart, I need you to give me that bag."
"Is he going to be okay!" She clutched the bag to her chest.
"He's going to be fine," I said gently. "If you give me the bag, we're going to fix him up, good as new. Now, let me have it, and then you can tell...?" I motioned to te intern standing next to her.
"Kelly," She filled in.
"You can tell Kelly what happened," I put my hand out and, after a look of hesitation, she dropped the bag in my hand. "Thank you. Now get her out of here."
The two left and I handed the leg to a nurse, telling her to get started on getitng the debris out of the leg. It would do no good to attach it and then have to cut it off again because he had an infection.
"Heart rate's dropping! He's lost too much blood!" Dr. Blair shouted. "Start blood replenshing potions and procoagulant drugs; we have to move!"
A fresh wave of blood gushed out of his leg as we put the rails up on his bed and began to head towards surgery.
I could feel my heart pounding. Adrenaline coursing through my veins, anxious breaths, the feeling of a person's life in your hands, one tiny movement of a hand being the only thing that could kill or save them...
Merlin, I love my job.
A/N: So... things didn't really go as planned for this chapter. I had only planned on Blaise's part to have him in a fourth of the chapter and have Draco tell most of it, but Draco was being quiet today. I'm sorry if I didn't reply to all of the review, but I do everything but write from my phone and it gets a bit confusing. So, to all of the people I missed and to my guest reviewers, thank you. Starting now, we're going to speed it up and get more focused on the bet. I appreciate your reviews and if you have any questions, feel free to pm me. Every so often, I'll have little projects going on with my stories, so be sure to check my profile often. Thanks! Leave me your thoughts! -Nikki a.k.a.- Twipotterfreak28
