This one just came out of nowhere, I started writing it to be one idea and then it changed and as I continued writing it just became this and half way through I finally came up with an idea haha. I guess it's a touch different to previous ones but it's probably one of my favourites. It's a Blaise/Hermione chapter and there is no real time zone other than it being set in the seventh year and their both heads. Heck I don't even know if it even fits in with the others it's just a random one shot where Hermione explains something.

Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters. I don't make any money and this is just all for fun.

Please Review :)


It was quiet too quiet, and when it was quiet in the Heads Common room Hermione worried, the first time it had been quiet in the Heads' Common room Blaise had decided to play a nasty prank on her, it had taken nearly a week and a visit to Fred and George to remove the blue from her hair. The second time it was quiet Blaise had come down with quite a nasty cold and had been bed ridden for several days, she would never admit it but she had missed the obnoxious Italian Slytherin. The third time it was quiet Blaise had been in the hospital wing after a nasty accident in the Slytherin VS Hufflepuff match. The fourth time it had been quiet was when Draco had been over and she had walked into see the two Slytherins standing on a table cowering from a very angry squirrel. How they had gotten a squirrel into the Head's Common room she didn't know but had yet dare to ask.

Looking around she saw nothing out of the ordinary in the main room. She knew he was in because Blaise's favourite pair of shoes was in the doorway and he always wore those shoes.

"Blaise," she heard nothing and frowned, she knew she had to check around, the last thing she wanted was to find him laid out on the floor splattering blood everywhere. "Blaise?" she cried once more but yet she still heard nothing. Pushing open the bathroom door she saw nothing she hurried over to his bedroom door and pushed that open, but he wasn't inside there either. There was only one room left and she knew that he knew he was forbidden to go in there but under the door in her bedroom, the light was on.

Her eyes slanted and her nostrils flared he was not allowed to be in her bedroom no matter what. She pushed open the door and was about to yell at him when she noticed he was sat on her window seat staring out of the window. Something was defiantly wrong and her angry words melted away on her tongue. "Zabini is everything okay?" she cautiously took a step forward but the Italian didn't turn nor react to her words, he continued to stare out of the window. She was at a loss, for once in her life she didn't know what to do.

"Have you ever wished you could freeze time?" his words held no emotion and she walked towards him and sat on the window seat beside him.

She didn't know where this was going but answered his question, "many times I have wished I could freeze time and re-do it but I know what it's like to feel as though time has frozen and it's never been pleasant." She hoped her answer was the one he was looking for.

"You ever regretted something Granger?" now he looked at her and she was taken in by his pain filled eyes. She had grown to his eyes being filled with mischief and life but now she was looking into the eyes of a man who seemed to have aged significantly over night.

"Yes," her answer was almost a whisper as the images of her regrets flooded her mind. Never telling her parents the truth about the war, all her arguments with Sirius and never been able to truly apologise for what she had said. She regretted how she thought of Luna and she regretted judging people because of who they were before even getting to know them.

"Have you any regrets?" she shivered as Blaise stared at her or was it through her, his gaze was penetrating but also terrifying. Slowly he lowered his eyes from hers, down to his arm; he unbuttoned the cuff and rolled up the sleeve. Her eyes gazed at the mark, she had never looked at it all that closely but she found it rather ironic that the two image signified so much. A skull had always meant bad things even in the Muggle world a skull on an item had symbolised danger something not to be touched. In the Wizarding world the skull still held the same beliefs. Tom Riddle had been dangerous so what a better way to show that then with a skull, the snake was an insignia of himself. In his earlier days, the ability to talk to snakes was rare nobody else could do this so it was destiny that he'd been placed in Slytherin. The snake had symbolised Lord Voldermort.

"May I touch it?" she didn't know why she wanted to, she knew she should want to back away and demand him to roll down his sleeve but she couldn't - the dark mark had intrigued her like a complex ruin in her Ancient Ruins class.

Blaise said nothing but nodded watching as her pale fingers contrasted against his darker skin. He shivered as her fingers glided across the blackened outlines of the mark. He was transfixed, never had he seen anyone willing to touch the dark mark and to think the person touching it was Hermione Granger a Muggleborn, it blew his mind.

Her eyes looked into his "does it hurt?"

"Not anymore," she nodded and removed her hand from his arm and giving his larger rougher one a squeeze.

"Granger why do we regret things?" her breath caught in her throat as she looked at him, never had she heard such a feeling from Blaise Zabini, it was like a disguised cry for help. The war hadn't been easy for anyone and even though she had thought for the light she had never thought how the young generation of Deatheaters truly felt.

"As we grow older our perception on life changes and the things we did are seen in a different light. Sometimes our conscience comes into play and we regret things because we feel guilty. Sometimes we regret decisions because you find yourself foolish and you wish you had followed a different path. We should go through our lives with no regrets because at the time we chose to do them; however a regret is something we never really forget because we spend the majority of our lives wishing we did something else. Everything we do shapes who we are and who'll we become, some paths are better to walk on than others but we don't know that until we have walked on it.

"I wish I never joined the Deatheaters."

"I bet many agree with you, back when he first came into power what he did was very secretive. Majority of Purebloods thought being a Deatheater was a bit of fun, scaring a couple of Muggles and looking scary but it was only when they joined did they know the severity of it and there was no way out. When he fell we all believed him to be gone so guards were dropped and secrets were spilt. When he returned his mission changed, he wanted Harry and he would kill anyone who got in his way, it was then that the Deatheater's opinions truly changed."

Blaise nodded and smiled before looking out of the window. Hermione followed his line of vision and smiled, sat on a rock beside a tree looking towards Black Lake sat Pansy Parkinson and Ron Weasley. A space was visible between them but Hermione could clearly see there was no animosity surrounding them. A sense of pride washed over her as she looked at the red-head. If anyone was to hold a grudge then it was Ron, the war had caused them all to grow up and she finally saw it in Ron.

"Zabini, why did you chose to sit in my room and look out of my window?"

"I prefer the view out of your window to my window," he said simple never taking his eyes away from the scene.

"You know you can charm your window to show what ever part of the grounds you like?" he raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"I know," Hermione said nothing and smiled continuing to sit beside Blaise and look out of the window. They all had regrets and Hermione decided she would try a little harder with Blaise Zabini after all she didn't want to leave Hogwarts with the regret of never attempting to be his friend.