Chapter 11

After making a pros and cons lists and pacing her room for the millionth time, Hermione was still at a loss on what to do. Everything had changed, yet nothing had changed. Christmas break had finally arrived and she wasn't ready. Initially, she had been overjoyed at the invitation to go to the Zabini's for Christmas. Now, she wanted nothing more than to stay at Hogwarts. There was too much to consider and she needed space. Blaise and Pansy's feud had hit an all time high and they refused to even look at each other. It had taken all of Draco and Hermione's patience to spend time with either of them, because it was clear that Blaise and Pansy were unhappy.

Things between her and Draco were great. For the first time in her life, Hermione had found a guy who finally understood her. She couldn't help but compare him to Ron, yet Draco went beyond every expectation. He never gave her grief about wanting to study or spend time with Blaise and Pansy. Draco took the time to listen to her when she ranted about this student or that professor, knowing that she didn't want the problem fixed, but that she wanted to vent. Every look, every touch that he gave her had her losing control and she was scared at how fast she was falling for him. Hermione had never been so dependent on anyone before, yet she felt safe and secure around him.

She still hadn't told anyone about the letter that Professor Dumbledore had given her. It had taken her time to process what her biological mother had told her. Could the previous war had been that bad? Whenever an adult mentioned it, it always seemed exaggerated. How could there be such evil and destruction in the world? The fact that Lord Voldemort had returned was beyond frightening. What would she have to deal with in this lifetime if he regained his previous power?

It had taken time before she stopped jumping at every noise or shadow she saw. Draco had noticed, but hadn't brought it up. He probably assumed that it had something to do with Pucey and she hadn't corrected him. Her biological mother had given her a reality check on the danger her identity could present; yet she was stuck. Part of her was curious as to how she really looked like. There was a part of her that yearned to find her biological parents and to become Elizabeth Bristow. Hermione had gone through the library twice and still had not found any mention of her mother nor her father.

She had considered going to Pansy several times, but she was either avoiding Blaise or she was hanging out with Daphne. Hermione also wanted to confide in Draco, but part of her hesitated. It was a miracle that Draco had developed feelings for her, a former muggleborn. It was one thing to change your beliefs, but another one to actively show that your beliefs had changed. Hermione didn't know how hard it had been for Draco. How would he feel if he found out that his inner battle had been all for nothing? She was a pureblood now and Draco wouldn't be disowned if he continued to date her.

"Hermione Granger! If you do not come down this instant, we will miss the train!" Pansy yelled from down the stairs.

With a sigh, Hermione gathered her things to join her friends. It seemed that her decision to confide in the others would be postponed yet again. When she joined her friends, they immediately started walking towards the main entrance. Hermione was surprised to see Blaise and Pansy together without hearing them argue, but they seemed to have settled for giving each other the cold shoulder.

"You told your parents that I was coming, right?" Hermione asked Blaise worried.

"For the last time, they know you are coming and are very excited to meet you. I've told them a lot about you, so much that they probably feel like they already know you, Mia," Blaise answered giving her hand a squeeze.

"You have nothing to worry about. I spend so much time at their house that they've considered me their second son. They are the warmest people that I know," Draco whispered into her ear.

"Don't you two start! I swear you're the couple that gives the rest of us teenagers a bad name," Pansy said as they took the carriage down to the train platform.

"We aren't that bad!" Hermione exclaimed before she saw the look Blaise was giving her, "Okay, we just started dating and we've probably gotten a little carried away. I'll keep in mind to tone it down around others."

"Don't you mean you'll tone it down completely?" Blaise answered giving Draco a distrustful look, "Do I need to give you the talk Draco? As her self-appointed older brother, I have the right."

Draco glared at Blaise and thankfully their carriage had come to a stop. The guys helped the girls out of the carriage and an attendant from the train got their trunks for them. Hermione looked at Pansy to see how she was doing, but she was looking off in the distance, deep in thought. Although her eyes were less baggy, she still seemed tired. Although that didn't quite seem to cover it. There was something different about her, yet Hermione couldn't put her finger on it.

The train ride was uneventful. Draco and Hermione took turns talking to Blaise and Pansy. If Blaise started talking, Pansy would stop and vice versa. It was rather annoying seeing as they were all in the same compartment, but there was nothing else Hermione could do. She had tried everything she could think of to get them to start talking again, but she had been unsuccessful. Hopefully, the Christmas spirit would be enough to thaw the ice between the two. If they didn't start talking soon, their group would crumble and that was the last thing Hermione wanted.

When they arrived on the platform to 9 ¾, Hermione felt her heart sink. Mrs. Weasley was standing on the platform waving at Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and Lavender. As soon as they reached her, she engulfed them into a huge hug and for the first time in a long time, Hermione missed the Weasleys. It felt like a lifetime had passed since their friendship disintegrated. Remembering not to dwell on the past, Hermione focused her attention back on her friends.

"Are your parents going to be here to greet us?" Hermione asked Blaise and looked at Draco when he started to laugh.

"I'm fairly certain that Mrs. Weasley is the only parent that still comes to pick her children up. We will be meeting Blaise's parents at his manor. It is only an apparition away, but seeing as you've never been, you'll have to side along with me," Draco explained as he grabbed her hand and gently squeezed it.

Without any warning, she felt the compression that came along with apparition until she suddenly felt cold. Opening her eyes, Hermione was in awe of her surroundings. Hermione and Draco were standing at the end of the Zabini's driveway and the manor was beautiful. The grey, stone mansion was magnificence and was surrounding by a large terrace. It looked even more magnificent with the snow falling softly around it. She couldn't begin to imagine how beautiful such a sight would look like in the summer. Looking around, Hermione was confused.

"Where are Blaise and Pansy?" she asked before Draco twirled her into a hug.

"They've apparated inside already. I wanted you to see the manor from the outside and I wanted to spend a moment alone with you," he said as he lifted her chin and kissed her lips softly.

"I appreciate your consideration," Hermione laughed before leaning in to kiss him once more.

When their lips touched, the whole world fell away and there was only him. Him and his hands and his lips. Her body hummed wherever he put his hands and she wanted more. Hermione lifted her hands so she could bring his face closer to hers as she deepened the kiss. Far too soon, Draco pulled away before kissing her forehead.

"If I get a thank you like that, I will be considerate more often," he joked as he grabbed her hand and led her up the driveway.

"If you keep saying things like that after I thank you, I'll consider thanking you less often," Hermione retorted back as she felt her nerves return, "Do you think they saw that?"

"No, they'll be too busy fussing over Blaise and Pansy to notice we haven't arrived yet," Draco answered as he opened the door and walked into the manor.

The exterior could not have prepared Hermione for the interior of the lavish manor. There was a long stairwell that connected to the main entrance. The floor was a dark hardwood and the walls were varying shades of beige and grey. Their manor seemed relatively open as she could see a sitting room immediately on the right hand side. There was a hallway on her left that she wasn't sure what it led to.

"Draco!" a woman gushed as she wrapped her arms around Draco and gave him a hug; "I was worried when I didn't see you with Blaise and Pansy."

"I just wanted to show Hermione what your home looked like from the outside, Mamma," Draco responded as he stepped away from Mrs. Zabini.

"Well I can see what kept you. Miss Granger it is a pleasure to meet you," Mr. Zabini said as he stepped forward to shake her hand.

"Mr. Zabini, the pleasure is all mine and feel free to call me Hermione," she answered as she shook his hand.

"Welcome to our home, Hermione. Now I picked a room for you, but if you're not satisfied, I can move you to a different room," Mrs. Zabini said as she wrapped an arm around Hermione and led her up the stairs, "I will let my sons and daughter show you around the manor after you've settled in. Magic is permitted in the house as long as nothing is destroyed. Feel free to eat breakfast or lunch at your leisure. The only rule that my husband Pietro and I have is that we have a family dinner together every night at six. We will be throwing a ball to celebrate the holiday, but I'm sure Pansy will fill you in on everything you need to know and more. The house elf in charge is Peachy. If you need anything, he is always available. Ah, we've arrived already to your room. Do you have any questions?"

Hermione could do nothing but stare at Blaise's mother. She had so much energy and had said so much that Hermione was still processing everything. Although Mrs. Zabini reminded her a little bit of Mrs. Weasley in character, they looked completely different. Mrs. Zabini was a tall, slender woman with curly, dark brown hair and dark eyes. Her olive skin was tanned and she wore a beautiful white dress. She was a beautiful woman.

"Not at the moment, Mrs. Zabini," Hermione replied smiling politely.

"Please call me Lucia," Mrs. Zabini said as she released her hold on Hermione, "I should let you get settled in. I will see you tomorrow morning."

When Lucia had disappeared down the hallway, Hermione opened the door to her room for the next couple of weeks. It was beautiful. There were a couple of large windows that let in the natural winter sunlight. At the center of the room was a king bed with various shades of purple bedding that looked so comfortable, Hermione would probably never want to leave the confines of the bed in the morning. By one of the windows was a small oak desk that she could already see herself using for her assignments. There were a couple of doors that were shut, so Hermione set out to explore what was behind them. The first opened into a connecting bathroom. The second opened into a walk in closet where all her clothes were already neatly hung.

When she made the deduction that the house elves must have put them away, Hermione felt annoyed that she had decided to come here for the holidays. Blaise did swear that his parents didn't believe in blood status, yet they had house elves. It was just as bad in Hermione's opinion. Although a little voice inside her head was nagging at her that Hogwarts also had house elves too. Hermione walked to the bed and relaxed on it. She knew that this house elf issue was going to be just the beginning of things she wasn't used to. Hermione had only stayed at the Weasleys', but she had a feeling that although both families were both purebloods, her stay at the Zabinis was going to be a sharp learning curve. Snuggling further into the covers, she let herself fall asleep.

Pansy could walk around the Zabini manor with her eyes closed and would know exactly where she was. She had grown up here along with Blaise and Draco and it felt more like home than Parkinson manor. Growing up, her house elf was the one in charge of raising her. Her mother had gotten pregnant because it was the latest trend and as soon as it went out of style, her mother had handed Pansy over to her house elf Smiley so that her mother could attend the most exclusive pureblood events and banquets. Her father was never around as he was always conducting business all over Europe. Pansy remembered feeling lonely as a child, but that all changed when she met Blaise. Her and Blaise had gotten along from the start and as soon as his mother had caught wind of Pansy's home life, Lucia had offered Pansy an indefinite invitation to Zabini manor.

That was why she found herself in the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate. There had been so much going on in her life that it was a relief to just let it go and relax even if it was just for a moment. The house elves were away tending to their duties around the house so she was alone in the kitchen. She wondered what Draco and Hermione were doing, but realized that they were either with each other or with Blaise. Pansy didn't want to interrupt them if they were alone together and wasn't in the mood to deal with Blaise. The train ride home was unbearable enough; she couldn't imagine what spending even more time with him would be like.

"I thought I would find you here," Lucia said as she entered the kitchen.

"You found me," Pansy said with a smile, "Is Hermione settled in?"

"Yes she is. The poor girl, I think I frightened her with my enthusiasm. It has been such a long time since I have seen Draco this happy and from everything Blaise has told me, I was excited to finally meet her," she said as she made herself a cup of tea before joining Pansy at the table, "Now would you like to tell me what's wrong or am I going to have to guess?"

"You have always been able to read me better than anyone," Pansy laughed, "I don't even know where to start."

"How about the beginning? I find that is usually the best place to start," Lucia said smiling.

Before Pansy even had the opportunity to think, she told Lucia everything. Pansy had told her the crush she used to have on Draco, her relationship with Adrian and what he had put her through, how Draco and Blaise had saved her, how close she had become to Blaise, and finally, Adrian's return. Pansy had expected Lucia to become angry at how Pansy had treated Blaise, but Lucia simply listened without judgment. In fact, Lucia seemed just as sad as Pansy was.

"And now I can't even be in the same room as Blaise. We're either arguing or giving each other the cold shoulder and what's worse is that Draco and Hermione are caught in the middle. They haven't sided with either of us, but sometimes it feels like they have sided with Blaise. I know I'm being ridiculous, but I just wish they would understand why I need to protect Blaise from Adrian," Pansy ranted.

"Could I offer you some advice?" Lucia asked gently.

Pansy sighed, "I would appreciate any advice you could give me. I'm truly at a loss."

"My son is very stubborn. I'm afraid he takes after me in that regard. Now I understand why you're not with my son. You want to protect him, because you love him. And unlike Adrian and Draco, you're truly in love with my son which is why you're so scared of losing him. My advice is to not lose him. It is rare to find love in this world and when we do find it, we need to hold onto it with everything that we have. We can make all the plans that we want, but life seldom listens to what we have to say.

"Adrian does pose a real threat, but are you not already risking Blaise, Draco, and Hermione's lives by being their friend? Shouldn't Blaise make the decision as to whether he wants to be with you and risk the danger or be without you and safe? There is a war brewing and soon, no one will be truly safe. Instead of pushing your loved ones away, this is the time you hold onto them so that you can spend every last moment with them that you can. I'm not saying that Blaise is the love of your life, but I think you should do everything you can to find out if he is.

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but simply telling you what I've learned in my lifetime. At the end of the day, this is your decision to make. I will love you either way," Lucia said as she kissed Pansy's cheek and left her to her thoughts.

Lucia had given her a lot to think about and she was scared. What if she had made the wrong choice and had forever driven Blaise away? Deciding that it was getting late and she was weary from the train ride, Pansy put her mug away and retired to her bedroom. There was a great deal to think about and perhaps she would have her answer in the light of day.

Surprise! I know I haven't written anything for this story in forever, but I had lost my inspiration. I was just moving my furniture where I came across a notebook where I wrote this story and BAM! My inspiration returned. I'm aware that my writing style has changed a little bit, but I'm still going to try to continue this story regardless. This chapter is a bit of a tipping point for Hermione and Pansy and the next chapter will give light to some decisions they have made.

I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know your thoughts!

Love, Alexa