Here is the next chapter. Please enjoy it and read and review love Hannah xxx
Blaise paced his room nervously. Was this a joke? Clarisse loved jokes. Sometimes she'd tell him someone very important was coming for dinner as a joke and then it would be one of his friends. Was she being a smart ass now? Would it turn out that it was a girl in his year? Was it Parkinson? He visibly shuddered at that thought. He sure hoped it wasn't Parkinson. He knew his mother though and he knew she'd always give him choices. If he didn't want to do it he'd never be forced to do it. Hearing today that Draco of all people was to marry Susan Bones was a surprise. She was one of the lightest families out there as was he of course. His mother had always insisted that despite her personal opinions they always publicly do everything as lightly as they could. It was for this reason that no one could ever claim they looked good. He was stunned then as his personal elf Tops came in. "Sir Madam Zabini has asked me to tell you to dress semi-formally and to tell you that this is not one of her usual jokes" he said before Blaise thanked him and he left again.
Now he knew for sure it wasn't another joke as she would only ever do that if it wasn't a joke. He decided to wear some dark jeans with swede boots on his lower half. For his upper half he decided to wear a casual shirt and navy blue blazer. He wondered who she'd be. Would he like her? Would she be pretty? Would she want him solely for his money? That had happened once before and he didn't want a repeat of it. Someone had lied and said they wanted him but that it wasn't for his money when secretly it was. He spritzed some Joop on his neck and wrists. He took a deep breath and headed downstairs. This was it the night his life could change forever. He joined his mother by the floo and she gave him a nervous smile. Clearly she was thinking the same as he was. The floo lit up and Pandora came through first. He eyed her in shock she was gorgeous but wasn't she a little older? Clarisse saw his expression and laughed to the confusion of Pandora.
"Wait Blaise please" she said barely keeping it together. She about just managed to not burst out laughing there and then. Pandora eyed the fireplace in ire. Where in the hell was she? They then heard a noise in the living room and rushed in to see Astrid walk gracefully from that fireplace instead of the usual one. Pandora was mortified but hid it well. Blaise saw Astrid and his mouth went dry. She was so hot. He didn't know her at all and he loved that fact.
"Blaise il uomo meet Miss Astrid Black" Clarisse said as he stepped forward and took her hand in his brushing his lips across the back of it. She blushed heavily and smiled at him.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Black!" he said as she blushed even further. She was incapable of speaking right now. He was too gorgeous. She merely nodded her head and then cleared her throat.
"Mr Zabini the pleasure is mine but you may call me Astrid" she said as he realised it was his turn to blush now.
"Ok then but you must call me Blaise" he said as they moved into the bar room where they were all served drinks by Clarisse's elf Hops. Astrid asked for Champagne and Blaise was impressed. The other girl had asked for the most expensive drink they had and then proceeded to drink the entire bottle. It was like two hundred galleons a bottle. Blaise and Astrid talked a lot and even shared a dance and then they all sat down at the table which was now in the middle of the room.
"Ok you've had a chance to meet and discuss things. Now before we go any further I must state that the last girl who wanted to be the wife of Blaise was only interested in his money. She lied and said she wasn't but we soon found out about it and stopped things at once. She wasn't nearly as pretty as you Astrid. Also she didn't have nearly as much as you did either. I just wanted to put that out there in case you thought we might have behaved warily tonight!" Clarisse said as Astrid nodded.
"Clarisse that is understandable so don't worry about it. I noticed you were both cautious but it's ok. You have nothing to fear from me. I have more than enough of my own money and to be honest if I wanted money alone I could choose anyone but I don't want that. Blaise is everything I could ever want in a husband. I do however have conditions I will not budge on!" she said seriously as Clarisse looked relieved and then a bit wary again.
"Tell us of your conditions and then we will go from there as I know Blaise himself has conditions too!" she said as Astrid smiled at him. I'd say he does she thought with smirk.
"Well my conditions are that everything in the marriage it to be equal. I will work wherever I choose to do so and together we will decide where to live whether in my manor or his. When it comes to having children I am open minded but I would seriously prefer to have more than one child in my future. I refuse to have children before I am twenty one years old. If there is infidelity on the side of Blaise the marriage will end forthwith and these are all of my conditions!" she said as Blaise gasped.
"Astrid you don't need to fear about infidelity from me and I know I don't need to fear about it from you either. My conditions are that you never purchase anything new for any home we live in without telling me about it first. Who knows I may not like it or may have better taste myself. We will inevitably get invites to balls but my conditions are that if I say I do not feel like attending you will not force me to go and vice versa. Sometimes there are a lot of balls in the year and you realistically don't always feel like going to them. Also you will explain to me in great detail what you want, when you want it and how you are feeling. I cannot guess and you are not entitled to get angry at me for getting it wrong because inevitably I will do so on occasion. Also as is the tradition with Zabini weddings it will be a lavish and large affair!" he said as she regarded him seriously for a moment and then laughed. He was being so cute.
"Blaise of course I will. Don't worry I'll always explain what I mean. For example if I am angry for some reason and I tell you to go ahead and just do whatever it is don't ever do it. It will be wrong and I will be annoyed. So what do you say then? Do I pass the test?" she asked cheekily as he blushed.
"Hell yes! I mean I am sorry mother but yes Astrid you do indeed pass the test. Let's sign the contracts now. What shall the bride price be mother?" he asked his mother who chuckled at his antics.
"We want one million galleons and one of your properties Miss Black. In return you would get the same from us. Blaise has his own manor like you do. We are a fair and equal family so everything which is given is returned in the like vein. Ms Black does that suit you?" she asked Pandora who smiled at her. She started to think heavily about it until Astrid glared at her and she smirked.
"Yes that's fine. Let's all sign now!" she said as they did so. A selection of boxes was brought forth by Hops who stood to one side with a huge smile on her face. The boxes were put in front of Astrid who didn't know what to do.
"Reach inside to your magical core Astrid and let some of it out. It will tell you which box is the perfect one for you!" Clarisse said as she did so. A few minutes later she opened her eyes a box shooting into her hand. She opened the box and gasped. There inside was an engagement ring which was silver in colour. It was covered in diamonds and the main stone in the centre of it was a teal sapphire. It looked divine. Blaise slipped it on her finger with joy as they shared a gentle kiss her toes curling in pleasure.
They had decided to marry in one months' time. The war was dangerous and they couldn't be safe enough. It was very fast indeed but weddings in a time of war usually were. They returned home that night and Astrid squealed in joy regarding the ring on her finger she had told both Blaise and Clarisse where she lived. They had agreed after they married they would live in her house before going off to school together. Once she had been sorted it would be decided where they would live whilst in school. That night Astrid used her new sex toy whilst thinking of Blaise and exploded so hard so quickly. It was definitely true that men felt great but women felt way more intense. The next morning Blaise decided to pop over and visit her loving what he was seeing of the house so far. Dobby rushed in and woke up Astrid who was furious at being woken up but didn't complain to Dobby as that would have been unfair. She'd need to find out what was wrong first.
"Dobby what's the matter. Is it mum? Is she alright?" she asked in rapid succession panicking her head off.
"No Miss your mother is fine but Blaise Zabini is downstairs to see you!" he responded as she groaned aloud. He had the world's worst timing ever.
"Tell him I'll be there in a few minutes!" she said rolling out of bed. She felt so sick today. What in the hell was wrong with her. She shrieked as she saw blood on her sheets and cleaned them. So this was a period then? No wonder Hermione had always been such a bitch. This was hell on earth. She quickly cleaned up and dressed leaving her hair down and slipping into some slippers. She asked Dobby for a hot chocolate when she got there. Blaise was in a casual tracksuit being served some tea and cakes by Kreacher.
"Astrid! I hope you don't mind me calling over. It's just I was so excited to see where I'll be living. I don't even know the time. I am sorry did I wake you?" he asked nervously as all of her anger dissipated right there. He'd looked too cute.
"It's ok Blaise. I don't know the time and yes you did wake me but its ok. I have women's troubles today and I'm not a morning person so please forgive me if I snap at you!" she said as he laughed loudly.
"Actually minus the women's troubles I'm the same. I was just too excited to sleep one moment longer today. I wanted to see where I'll be living once I'm married!" he said as she grunted in pain from a cramp and then sighed as Kreacher brought her a pain relief potion. She took the potion and instantly felt better or at least better then she had felt. Dobby arrived then with the hot chocolate to make her feel wonderful. She finished the hot chocolate and then showed Blaise around whilst holding his hand and felt electric. Elsewhere Susan Bones was shocked she'd be marrying Draco Malfoy. She had never much thought about him but the she'd learned he was now the Lord Malfoy and the idea of marrying a lord was hotter than hell. She herself had gotten an engagement ring which was shaped like a coiling silver snake except the eyes were two blue sapphires. She was delighted with it.
Hannah Abbott and her parents had agreed that she should marry Neville Longbottom. Neville had since gotten a new wand since one of the elves had accidentally broken his old one. Augusta had been furious but was the one on the receiving end of the ire when they had gone to Ollivanders. He had gone to get Neville a new wand and proclaimed that when a witch or wizard uses the wand of someone else for so long their core becomes blocked off because it fears it is being attacked and cannot function properly. When Neville had gotten the new wand and done some spell casting with it and instructed by Ollivander his core had broken free and it had been amazing. He was now ten times better than he had been and his memory was now much better. Blaise had agreed not to do anything to Hermione or Ron unless they did something first. He was even advised to ignore Ron totally as it would annoy him the most and he would get in the most trouble for it. When he had been informed that he wouldn't need to do anything and Ron would get himself in trouble because he couldn't stand Slytherins of any kind and was not good at hiding his opinions. She had never been more right as they would find out at school. It was an interesting day for the couples all round.