Meeting their match chapter 32:
Blaise walked with his hand in Gellert's as they followed his mother to the hospital wing. He was still annoyed with her and her meddling and stupid bothersome comments that had no place in his current situation, but keeping his distance from Gellert wouldn't make that any easier and probably more difficult somehow so he didn't bother. The mother in question didn't speak again until they were nearly at the hospital wing when her steps slowed and she turned to peer back at them.
"Pomfrey, the resident healer, isn't aware of your identity, Gellert, so I told her you're a family friend who is staying with us," she said. "I don't believe Pomfrey is on the wrong side of things, particularly, but that isn't an indication that she should be aware of such delicate information either."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and led the way into the hospital wing, opening the door with an imperious flick of her wand. Before long Gellert's blood had been drawn and the two were free to go. Madam Pomfrey promised to have the results as well as whatever supplements may be needed to Gellert by breakfast and Sabra planned to wait until the tests were run to personally reclaim the blood herself. The process should take less than an hour, but Blaise was still surprised his mum would sit about and wait for that long with nothing to do. Surprised and oddly grateful, so he gave her a brief hug and murmur of thanks upon departing the hospital wing.
"Lets see if Dumbledore is in his office," Blaise told Gellert once they were out of the hospital wing. "I'd like to get the sorting hat into our hands for a bit so we can study it and he'll need to hand it over. If he isn't around, we'll look for Snape. He can probably get the hat for us or at least track down Dumbledore."
Luckily for them, the headmaster was in, though he looked none too pleased to see them. Gellert remained quiet while Blaise talked, only smirking slightly at the headmaster of Hogwarts with a wild amused sparkle in his eyes. The expression made Blaise want to grab him and snog the hell out of him there and then. Once more he was amazed at the impact Gellert had on him. .hell! "Headmaster. We'd like very much to study the sorting hat. We feel the opportunity to study its enchantments could be useful to the work we're doing."
"I don't see why not," Dumbledore answered after a few seconds of consideration.
"I've truly always wanted to study the sorting hat, but never had a legitimate reason before," Blaise said honestly, unable to hide his excitement on the matter. To get his hands on something enchanted by the founders...something Slytherin himself had put his talents into, it was truly an amazing opportunity for someone with Blaise's interest in enchantments.
"Had you asked to examine the hat I certainly would have allowed it, Mr. Zabini," Albus Dumbledore replied with a slight look of bemused amusement on his bearded countenance. "Well,"Blaise said, surprised and floundering a bit to hide as much. "Well thank you, Headmaster."
z"I'll just get the hat now," Albus said and ducked back into his office without inviting them to follow. Likely he didn't want them to see precisely where it was, Blaise silently speculated. That hardly mattered so long as they could examine it, he supposed. Soon the headmaster was back, sorting hat in hand. He passed it over to Blaise and said, "You may have it until dinner time. I will collect it then and if you require it again, I shall let you borrow it. I need to reclaim it each night, though, as were anything to befall it beyond anyone's control I would be responsible."
Blaise nodded and thanked Dumbledore, while wondering what could happen to the hat at night were it not locked up in the headmaster's office. Could Voldemort spirit it away while they were sleeping? Hopefully not but who wanted that responsibility, Blaise supposed as he and Gellert turned to go.
"Where would you like to study the hat," Blaise asked Gellert as they navigated the stairs leading away from Dumbledore's office.
Gellert smirked again in that way that made Blaise want to snog both of them breathless. "The dining hall seems suitable. Then we'll be there when he comes to collect it later. We wouldn't want to lose track of time and send him into fits of worry were we elsewhere, after all."