Ahh, it's been a while, hasn't it? I apologize for the wait-- after returning home I had to sort myself out and then couldn't quite find this story again right away. (But I did have a fantastic trip ;))
That being said, this chapter is for BloodyNessyZabini, for without her lovely inspiration this chapter may have never turned out. Hopefully you're still all out there ready to read more! Love it? Hate me? (You might) Review! :)
-
Hermione couldn't quite recall when she had last lost track of time so completely. NEWTs barreled over her like a herd of elephants and she was left standing on the other side, exhausted but relieved. And without studying to preoccupy her frazzled mind, there was little to stop other details from invading.
Blaise, for instance. After Hermione had gone to see him shortly after spilling the news to Harry and Ron, he hadn't said much. But the next day, five minutes before the end of breakfast, he made to leave the hall. Only, he had stopped at the Gryffindor table , offered Hermione a heart-melting grin and took her hand, escorting her from the hall.
That was all it took. Within the day there were fabrications flying through the school ranging from near truths to astonishing elaborations. Hermione suddenly found she didn't mind.
Apart from the nagging fact that Blaise was presently very well placed to become a Death Eater fresh out of school. And school was as good as done already.
Her hands felt quite tied. Her only option other than finding some way to help him from the predicament– and this thought had only flickered through her mind, before she dismissed it as blasphemy– was aborting the relationship. But she couldn't do that to Blaise. His problems wouldn't be any less, and she couldn't imagine doing that to herself, either.
As far as Blaise himself went, Hermione found that she couldn't be happier, especially now that they were no longer trying to hide the facts. Blaise was amazing.
But again, one of the thoughts that niggled at her mind the most often was that the original scheme had been plotted to keep any excessive attention of the dark side away. And here Blaise was confronted on a personal level with dark association, and Hermione felt a little like she was taunting the beast.
Blaise had sent a return letter to his mother that, though he disliked her choice, she was free to do what she wished, as was he. Technically, Blaise was a full adult wizard, capable of making his own choices. The response had been less than friendly, but Blaise didn't seem particularly worried.
Hermione, on the other hand, was more concerned. She didn't want Blaise to sacrifice his family to maintain neutrality, but the other alternative was that Blaise become a Death Eater, which she obviously wanted even less.
Once she had tried asking Blaise about Draco's stance in the war, but the Italian had just shrugged and changed the subject. Hermione figured it was because her suspicions had been correct all along and he just didn't want her to judge the blond too harshly. Not that she couldn't, though, knowing that she would probably see him in a hood and mask before too long.
The thought made her quite sad, considering she knew what sort of family Draco came from, and it really shouldn't have been all that surprising. But the truth was, since Harry had sent Draco to the hospital wing during Quidditch, she felt an odd sort of attachment to the Slytherin. Something in the neighbourhood of a friendship.
Hermione took a step out the door of the entrance hall, casually strolling to sit near the lake. She leaned back against her favourite tree, exhaling a deep breath. Things were all just going so fast, she just needed some time to relax.
-
School really needed to hurry up and finish. Blaise sighed, running a hand through his thick hair. NEWTs were already finished, what is the point in holding them there any longer? And he couldn't find his bloody quill.
Tossing everything from his bag onto the Slytherin table, Blaise dug furiously for the writing instrument. The hall was nearly empty now, everyone had finished breakfast and moved on. But he had received a letter at breakfast, and chose to respond before he could procrastinate it from his memory.
But not if he couldn't find the damn quill.
Damn it all if he couldn't calm down just a little. He had a slight suspicion he may have been steaming from the ears.
Blaise had originally thought that being seen with Hermione would make people think twice about pegging him as a Death Eater. In hindsight, the plan may have been hasty and short-sighted. Not that it had been a bad plan. The issue with it was that, though he was being seen with Hermione, he was now faced with the very real possibility of being forced into servitude.
Forget rumours when the real facts are right before you.
Ordinarily, his mother couldn't care less what Blaise did with his time, especially when it came to women. But somehow, she had been "informed" that Blaise was seeing a Muggle-born. And somehow, her husband had found out.
This was the letter Blaise was now trying to respond to. It wasn't so polite, and he didn't even want to consider showing it to Hermione, let alone telling her that he'd received it. She already worried about him enough, though he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Or so he felt the need to repeat to himself relentlessly.
He found his quill. Cursing loudly as he spilt his ink well on the table, he waved his wand to clean the mess and dropped his head to the table. Things were far too complicated these days.
Not to mention, Draco was getting on his nerves about this Death Eater business. Neutral. It was what he wanted. Everyone else needed to just back off.
Blaise scribbled a reply on the back of the letter he'd received, and took it up to the Owlery, letting a school owl take it, because he knew it would irritate his step-father even more. Then he headed to the lake.
-
Hermione stirred sharply as she heard someone take a patch of grass in her personal space. When she saw it was only Blaise she closed her eyes again, feeling the sun burn down on her face.
"Hey," she murmured, taking his hand.
"Good day," Blaise replied formally. Hermione opened her eyes and tilted her head, eyeing him curiously.
"Greetings, sir," she teased back. He allowed a half smile. "What's on your mind?"
"NEWTs," he replied, quite seriously. "I don't know what I'll do if I don't pull a transfiguration O."
"You will; you knew more than I did studying," she reminded him. "And you aren't fooling me, I know that NEWTs are the last thing on your mind right now."
The stern tone to her voice made Blaise laugh, and he suddenly swooped in, pressing his lips to hers, with more insistence than Hermione would have expected. He deepened the kiss, moving closer, trailing his hands down her back. He maneuvered Hermione to his lap, reaching one hand beneath her shirt. She shuddered at the contact on her bare skin, pulling closer to him.
Suddenly Blaise pulled back, breathing heavy.
"This is not the place," he murmured, a slight smile gracing his lips.
Hermione remained on his lap, running her fingers through his hair absently.
"It's hard to believe we're through with school," she commented, frowning. "Never to come back."
"I'm sure they'd let you come back to teach," Blaise teased, grinning. However, Hermione's eyes clouded over an she became pensive.
"That's a thought," she replied softly. Blaise laughed.
"Let's go to Hogsmeade," he suggested, "they've opened the gates for the day."
"I suppose that sounds like fun," Hermione said, standing. She tugged Blaise's hand to help him to his feet, keeping his hand in hers as they walked back towards the school.
A short distance from the gates, Hermione noticed Harry, Ron and Draco facing one another. She tensed immediately, nodding toward the scene and Blaise raised an eyebrow, leading her over.
"What's going on?" Blaise asked, sidling up next to Draco. He detached himself from Hermione, shoving his hands into his pockets. Neither Harry or Ron were fooled by his casual joining of the blond Slytherin's side.
"Nothing at all, Blaise," Draco replied, smirking. "Just a bit of conversation with my favourite Gryffindors."
"Ron!" Hermione snapped, as the redhead drew out his wand. He tossed Hermione a contemptuous glare, but put his wand back away.
"We were just going to Hogsmeade, Hermione, you coming?" Harry asked, finally tearing his green eyes from Draco's grey ones.
"Oh, I...." she bit her lip, looking to Blaise. He shrugged, smiling. "Sure, I'll come."
"I'll catch up with you later," Blaise promised quietly, ignoring the identical glares thrown his way by Harry and Ron.
As Hermione turned to walk away with her friends, Blaise couldn't stop himself from pulling her back towards him, kissing her deeply, before releasing her. He could feel the heat emanating from Weasley's gaze. Hermione, flustered, waved before walking off. Draco, who was usually the first to make a snide comment every time he caught the two in a liplock, just laughed.
-
Hogsmeade with Harry and Ron had actually been a good idea. After the initial rude remarks about Hermione's choice in companions, the boys had settled down and not mentioned anything else related.
It was as if they were back in third year, enjoying an afternoon off, with the exception that Harry was actually allowed to attend Hogsmeade now. They had joked and laughed the afternoon away, shopping and relaxing. The sobering thought struck Hermione that it very well could be the last time she, Harry and Ron would do this. And so she made the most of it.
As the three finally crashed at the Three Broomsticks, laden with purchases, reality fell upon them. The truth remained that they were in the midst of a war. One which felt as if it were already at its peak, just waiting for something to break before it would completely fall upon them.
As the sun began to set, and the sky began to darken, they decided to go back to the school. But as Hermione stepped out into the main street after the boys, she was suddenly ambushed from behind by a dark-haired figure, arms wrapped around her torso. She jumped and her scream was muffled by a hand.
"Calm down," a voice murmured in her ear, the hot breath making her melt as she recognized the voice.
Spinning around in his arms, she gave Blaise a playful glare.
"You scared me," she admitted and Blaise grinned, evidently proud of himself.
"Hermione, are you coming?" Harry was standing nearby, looking irate. Ron was some distance away, red in the face, even in the dark.
"She'll catch up later," Blaise replied, not looking away from Hermione. "You had her all day, Potter..." His words trailed off and Hermione shivered, not from the cold.
"I didn't ask you, Zabini," Harry responded flatly.
"Harry, I'll be back in a bit," Hermione said, moving herself away from Blaise's intoxicating closeness. "Really, I'll be fine."
"We just care about you, Herms," Harry sighed.
"As if I don't?" Blaise scoffed, and Harry finally looked at him. "If you think I don't care about Hermione, you haven't got the slightest clue."
There was a tense pause, before Harry nodded and turned away, without another word.
"Come, I've got to show you something," Blaise murmured, pulling Hermione along behind him. He led her to a dark alleyway between two shops, through to a back lot which appeared to be under construction. There was a wire fence surrounding the lot, with ominous pictures depicting what might happen to people caught trespassing.
"Blaise, where are we–" Hermione began, but was cut off.
"Shh," he whispered, drawing his wand. "Don't want to be caught, do you?"
"This is a bad idea," she hissed, clenching Blaise's hand tighter. He tapped his wand on a particular section of the fence and it fell away. He walked through and Hermione followed, trying to determine whether or not she was crazy.
There was a small, square, non-descript building in the lot, otherwise surrounded by open field. Blaise gestured to one side of the building, which had a rope ladder up to the roof.
"You're insane," she murmured. "You go first."
Blaise grinned, shrugging, before quickly scaling to the top of the building. Gritting her teeth and gathering her nerves, Hermione went after him.
The building was taller than it looked and Hermione was shocked to see the roof overlooked most of Hogsmeade. She sat next to Blaise, and he wrapped an arm around her waist as she observed the scenery.
"This is amazing, Blaise," she said softly, and he grinned.
"So next time you'll trust me when I take you somewhere?" Hermione smiled.
"Yes, although we are still trespassing," she reminded him.
"The property belongs to a friend. He won't do anything," Blaise explained. She sighed, defeated. She laid down, resting her head on Blaise's chest as he joined her.
"This reminds me of that first night," Hermione said, closing her eyes. "Feels like such a long time ago."
"Yes," Blaise agreed, pensive. "How amused will you be if I get a better transfiguration score than my tutor?" Said tutor just laughed, reaching up to tilt Blaise's face to hers, and she pressed her lips to his.
When Blaise responded, deepening the kiss, Hermione felt her mind unravel, forgetting her worries and cares, her fears of the war. Suddenly all that mattered was that she was here, and so was he. And Hermione kissed him harder, running her hands up his back, for he was somehow above her.
Everywhere Blaise touched felt on fire, and Hermione was hardly breathing, and she knew at that moment that she would do anything for him, follow him anywhere...
"Someone out 'ere?" A voice shouted into the darkness, and Hermione felt as if a large bucket of ice water had suddenly been dumped over her. She blushed, remembering where they were.
"We'd better get going," Blaise murmured, his eyes narrowed. "We're late as it is."
"Late for what?" Hermione questioned, following as he started back down the rope ladder.
"You'll see," he called up. As Hermione stumbled off the last rung of the ladder in her haste, Blaise pulled her to him, staring into her eyes. He looked as if he were about to say something, when the voice called out again.
"Just me, Billy," he called back across the lot. He walked back toward the fence where they'd come through, and Hermione was shocked to see Billy Jenks, the barkeep of the pub she'd visited not long ago.
He looked stern, but Blaise didn't seem to be taking him very seriously.
"I told ye boys not to come out 'ere unless ye let me know first," he said to Blaise, folding his arms. "For all I know ye're a thief breaking into me brewery." He gestured at the building they'd just been on the roof of.
"Of course, next time," Blaise brushed it off. Billy turned to her, suddenly noticing that she was also there.
"And Miss Granger! 'Ow are ye, then?" Hermione almost laughed as Blaise's eyebrows flew toward his hairline in shock.
"I'm great, Billy, and you?" she asked politely, smiling.
"Just fine," the old barkeep scoffed. "So long as I can keep the scoundrels from me land." He looked pointedly at Blaise who held up his hands defensively. Hermione laughed and took one of his hands, sliding hers into it.
"Ah, ye solved yer issues then?" Billy asked knowingly, observing the pair.
"Of course," Hermione grinned up at Blaise, who was still looking confused, the cogs in his brain whirring.
"Good, good," Billy grumbled, "and I've got me bar to keep." With that he walked back through a door in the back of what Hermione now recognized to be his pub.
"How do you know Billy?" Blaise hissed, his hand tightening as he led Hermione to the front door.
"I met him a while back," Hermione said elusively. At Blaise's pointed glare, she sighed. "Oh fine, I was in the village anyway and decided to research what it was you and Draco keep giving me to drink. Quite enlightening, it was."
Blaise froze, his eyes wide. His expression was trapped between amusement and uncertainty.
"At the party, definitely wasn't my idea. I didn't even know Malfoy was going to give you any until I saw you drinking it." Hermione laughed, leaning into him.
"I know, I'm not upset. With you." She flicked her eyebrows, "Malfoy, on the other hand..." Blaise laughed.
"I'll have to warn him you're on the rampage. He is my best mate, after all," Blaise reasoned, walking through the doors. Hermione was shocked to see how full the bar was, mostly with Slytherins. Both times she had been here previously, it was daytime, and now it seemed almost completely different.
Almost instantly Blaise nudged Hermione to point out that Draco was at the bar, getting himself a drink.
"I'll deal with him later," she confided, as she and Blaise also walked over to get drinks. Billy refused to allow Hermione to pay, though he had no problem taking Blaise's money, still upset with him for breaking into the lot. Blaise was scandalized at the fact that Hermione, too, had been trespassing and her drink had been free.
Before Hermione realized, she was socializing and chatting with the other students – most of whom were in Slytherin. She lost track of time and realized too late they were all out past curfew.
Really, she reasoned to herself, most of the students she would have potentially had to worry about patrolling the halls were here, so there was little need to patrol anyway.
At one point in the evening, Blaise had been dragged off by some of the Slytherin girls, and Hermione had chosen to stay seated, relaxing. But it wasn't more than two minutes before the seat which had formerly been Blaise's became occupied by Malfoy.
"You haven't seen Lavender lately, have you?" he asked, appearing at her side.
"No, why?" Hermione questioned. She hadn't in fact seen Lavender all night. Draco shrugged.
"She said she might stop by," he murmured, noncommital.
"Well surely you don't get concerned over whether or not a girl is around, Malfoy," Hermione teased. "This is suspicious, there must be something going on." She crouched in her seat, looking around conspicuously, attempting to discover something hidden in the Slytherin's behaviour.
He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.
"Not that it's your business, but I suppose I've bothered you and Blaise enough to tell you. We've been spending time together, that's all." Draco looked, fidgeting with a loose strand on his shirt sleeve.
"Spending time? Not shagging?" Hermione was genuinely shocked, though she was going to milk the opportunity for all it was worth; he never fidgeted. She recalled seeing Lavender leaving the hospital wing when Draco was bedridden and it suddenly made more sense. "Well, I'm proud of you, Malfoy."
"Oh, fine," he murmured, rolling his eyes. "Now you'll never let me live this down. What about you and Blaise? School's nearly over, you two have big plans?"
"Not really," she replied, biting her lip. "We've talked a little, but didn't determine much. I think Blaise is hesitant to say anything about the future when he doesn't know how even the next month will turn out."
"He said as much to me as well," Draco agreed. He shook his head. "This is all bullshit."
"Couldn't agree more." Hermione frowned, playing with a stray curl. "I'm afraid for him. He's got so much pressure on him and he's determined to deal with it all on his own."
"That's how Blaise has always been," the blond said quietly, glancing around. "When he decides he can't carry the world, he'll tell you. He might be so brave as to ask for help. I've offered, no doubt you've offered, but he won't accept any help until he hits the bottom."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Hermione whispered. "That we won't be able to help him back up, that it'll be too late." There was a tense pause. Both seemed to remember they were at a bar, lights flashing and music pumping.
"It won't be," Draco finally said, decisively. "And speaking of Blaise, I hear you've found out the key to Black Magic." He was grinning and Hermione shook her head, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Yes, what did you do to me that night?" She almost wasn't sure she wanted to know.
"Nothing intentionally harmful, I assure you," he breezed, eyes glinting. "It was more like a gift to Blaise."
"You didn't make me –" Hermione cut off the sentence, blushing furiously.
"He's a man, Hermione. We've got needs," Draco murmured.
"You are unbelievable," she hissed, eyes narrowed. "And you failed, by the way. Blaise knew what you were up to and stopped before... you know." She was suddenly glad for the darkness so he couldn't see how crimson her face was.
"You're kidding," he commented, leaning back in his seat. "Blaise refuses to tell me anything about you. So you two still haven't–"
Hermione shook her head anxiously.
"Wow." He exhaled a deep breath. "I'd be one irritable son-of-a-bitch by now."
"Does Blaise usually? Rather, before me and him...?" Hermione was having great difficulty stringing her sentences together.
"Do you really want to know the answer to that question?" Draco raised an eyebrow, looking at her with an odd expression.
"No," she said in a quiet voice, though her imagination instantly filled the silence with what she expected was to be the answer.
"Of course, he does fancy you quite a lot more than anyone else I've ever seen him with," the blond continued thoughtfully. Hermione felt a warmth flood her being at his words.
Suddenly Draco winced, instinctively grabbing at his left forearm.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked with mild curiosity. He hastily let go of his arm. Hermione paused, and the warmth that had filled her only moments before turned to ice.
"Just fine," he muttered, looking away from her.
Hermione furrowed her brow, grabbed the Slytherin's arm and yanked up his sleeve. She saw only a corner of the mark, before releasing his arm, recoiling as if she'd been burnt. He roughly pulled his sleeve back down, glaring at her.
"What is that vile mark doing on your arm, Malfoy?" she asked quietly, attempting to keep her voice even.
"Not your business," he murmured. He met her gaze, then, and there was something in it, pleading, confused, but she tore her eyes from his.
"Like hell you aren't. You know, I had honestly believed there was something different in you," she hissed, running from him before the hot tears could spill from her eyes. Her brain was whirring out of control, she wanted to scream, punch something, she didn't know what she wanted–
"Where are you going?" Blaise jumped in front of her as she made a beeline to the door, grabbing her by the arms.
"I don't know," she muttered, attempting to pull away from him. She pawed angrily at the tears spilling over her cheeks.
"What happened?" When he received no answer, he bent to look into her eyes. "Talk to me."
"Okay, tell me why Malfoy's got that bloody awful snake on his arm," she hissed, angrily. Blaise's grip loosened and he blinked.
"I can't." He looked defeated. Hermione laughed, once, deliriously.
"Great, I'll just be off then, shall I?" She ripped away from Blaise, storming out of the bar. He was closely after her.
"Hermione, you can't tell anyone," he whispered urgently. "I'll tell you someday, I promise."
She looked at him, his soft brown eyes, and all she could do was shake her head. She left back to the school, and supposed Blaise knew better than to try to stop her, because he didn't follow.