Chapter #10- Blaise's Woes

Blaise Zabini sighed as he climbed on to the Hogwarts Express. He hadn't seen Kacy since Christmas and was actually dreading facing her. The thought of her hating his gift kept running in his head. Although Draco had reassured him other wise, he still had the sickening feeling that he had screwed up.

After that first night at Malfoy manor, he had been unsuccessful at convincing himself that his feeling would go away. He realized he wanted her. He wanted her bad. And it scared the shit out of him. He had never experience these feeling before and the thought of being rejected was down frightening.

So when he opened the compartment door to revile Draco and Pansy snuggled together in one of the seats and Kacy reading silently in the corner with the necklace he brought around her neck, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He walked in and smiled at his friends before walking over to Kacy. He ran his hand over the necklace and smirked when she gasped out of surprise.

"Blaise when did you come in." she was so wrapped in her book that she didn't hear him approach.

"Just a second ago." He lifted the necklace off her soft skin. " Is it broken its supposed to change back in forth." He asked staring at the now silver necklace.

"No, I froze it, so it'll stay the same." She smiled.

He sat next to her, slightly leaning into her. His mind was going a mile a minute. She had the necklace on the Slytherin colors and he wasn't sure if it was meant as a gesture to him or if she just liked the colors. If it was directed to him how was he to act now? He had been with plenty of girls before but this seemed so different. For one she was Draco's sister and he could just treat her like she was just some other girl. He sighed deciding he was thinking to much and would just enjoy there closeness well it lasted.

He looked over to his tow best friends who were for some odd reason more openly affectionate than usually. Then, when pansy moved her hand to caress Draco's hair he caught a glimpse of it.

" You didn't" he looked form Pansy's hand to both her and Draco.

Hermione looked up at the three of them. Blaise looked completely taken back and Draco and Pansy love sick.

"Didn't what." She asked

"Look at her hand."

Hermione looked down at Pansy's hand were a silver diamond ring rested. She gasped, following Bliase's example and looking from Pansy to Draco. Then things got really weird. Bliase jumped out of his seat glaring at them.

"We were supposed to come up with something together not you two running off and eloping." She shouted before walking out the compartment slamming the door in his wake.

Hermione stare at the two confused. There was something she was missing. " I'll talk to him." She got up and followed after Blaise.

She found him in a empty compartment all the way in the back of the train. Hermione didn't know what to say to him or about his outburst minutes ago. She walked to him and sat down next to." What was that all about?" she asked softly.

Hermione stiffened visibly when he placed his hand in hers. She wasn't sure what to do or how to act so she keep quiet. Looking down at their hands she noticed hers seemed to fit perfectly with his. She rubbed her thumb in circler motions on his hand trying to soothe him.

They sat there a long time saying nothing before Blaise started. "My step fathers a deatheater." He confessed. Holding her hand tighter when he felt her body tense. "I found one day when we were fencing. That's why we kept you away from him at the party." He sighed closing his eyes. "Draco and Pansy have been destined for each other since birth, luckily they fell in love anyway. After your fathers death Draco was offered the dark mark to replace him. He refused."

" I didn't know that." She said surprised.

" Voldemort was angry to say the least," he chuckled ignoring her comment. " he wanted Draco punished for his disloyalty, and since he couldn't get to him or Narcissa because of Dumbledore protection he decided to hit him were it hurt." He looked Hermione in the eyes. "My mother as always been one to rush into marriage, she only knew him for a week before she owled me asking for congratulations. They've been married only a couple of months, a little after you came, I think."

"Blaise I don't understand." She said rubbing her free hand up and down his arm softly.

He looked away from her." The da- Voldemort wants me to marry Pansy, her father and my mother's husband planned for us to get married the day we got our dark mark." He stood, letting her hand fall as he paced the compartment. "They didn't even talk to me about it. It's not like I wanted to marry Pansy or become a deatheater but we were supposed to come up with a reasonable plan. He'll be so anger when he finds out." He turned to her. " Kacy their my best friends and I don't know what I'd do without them. When Voldemort finds out what they did he'll kill them." He then froze and slumped down in the seat across from her his head in his hands.

Hermione got up and kneeled down in front of him. "Will just make sure he doesn't find out."

He shook his head." No secret stays secret fro long with him. He'll find out."

"We'll then Pansy will move in with us. Dumbledore will protect all of us and if that doesn't work we'll just hide behind Harry." She said thinking of a joke she and Ron would use to cheer Harry up.

Blaise laughed and pulled her into his arms. " What do you mean."

"Well nobody pisses Voldemort off like Harry does, it's a gift really. After seeing him Voldemort will forget completely about Draco and Pansy."

Blaise laughed. "I think your right."