A/N: Long overdue is this chapter, but I accidentally deleted it and had to start from scratch so DON'T HATE ME. Anyways, love all my supporters. Shall we continue? The first part of this may seem pointless, but I promise it has to do with something down the road. Maybe a couple things. ALSO PLEASE REVIEW. I like to know how I'm doing and if I'm going down a path you guys don't like.

The Snake and The Hand: One Step Forward.

Hardly anything had happened since the morning in his bed. Draco had harassed him for a good while about it, until Blaise hexed him with a tail and threatened to tell his mother about him snogging a Mudblood. Drunk or not. That seemed to quiet down his arrogance quite a bit, and the small jabs stopped coming. Blaise could barely wrap his own mind around his feelings for Luna- he certainly didn't need Draco's misguiding light to take him down the wrong path like he had done many times before.

However, Luna's path was certainly not necessarily the safest option, either.

That's meant in the most abstract way. Their original paths, before the war were both equally dangerous. They both fought, Blaise had certainly killed. Luna might even of had too as well. No, it wasn't about their solitary paths- it was about their paths merging together. His mother would die from shock, most likely. It was well instilled into him at a young age to find money and power. The more the better. Happiness didn't matter, access to a wizard or witch's Gringotts account was all the happiness anybody could ask for. Gain power, become influential. Become feared, respected. Mostly feared. To take what he wanted and never ask for it.

Luna was... none of that. Aside from her being a pureblood witch, she was certainly not from money, held no social status. Perhaps right now she was more powerful and influential than him, but that was only because of the way the war had ended. Had his side come out on top, he'd more politically powerful than she could ever hope to be. Regardless, he assumed she couldn't care less about social standings. That much was clear from how she had carried herself around the school prior to the war. She remained unchanged and he was a chameleon.

That sounded right. He continued to do what he needed to do to keep himself living a comfortable life. And right now, that life was anything but Azkaban. Was that the reason he was feeling this way towards Luna? Because she was the one that his freedom lied on? Having never experienced the sensation of these types of feelings before, he mused that for quite sometime.

Was he genuinely interested in her or was this his sick need to get ahead?

They had currently been seated in the long abandoned corridor that was frequently haunted by the ghost of Ravenclaw herself. Luna seemed to have quite the bond with the untrusting ghost. For a while, Helena would appear to greet Luna and call Blaise a snake before disappearing. It wasn't until Luna had pointed out that Blaise had never once come here with the intention of asking for anything from Helena did her visits extend. At first, she barely paid mind to Blaise- hardly even giving him a greeting when they would come to 'study' here. Which, he didn't mind. He'd like to think of himself above being friendly with a ghost, regardless if that was one of Luna's main prerogatives.

But more recently, Helena would address him. It was generally a criticism. Blaise tried not to get too annoyed as Luna would always be peering through her, eyes whimsical and excited and with that stupid smile. As if she wanted the pair to get along. So, Blaise would try his very best to not bite out a sarcastic reply or say something venomous that would cause Helena to flee. But today...

"Blaise, I'll be back right away! I have to run to the lavatory~" Luna's contented voice drifted into his thoughts and pulled him back to reality. He looked over to her.

"Hurry up." And with that, she popped to her feet and quickly disappeared from sight. It was just Helena and Blaise now- and for a moment he thought it was weird that she chose to stick around when she could just pop back in when Luna had returned. His eyes fell back on the potions book he had been pretending to read.

"You have feelings for her." Helena was looking down at him, expectantly. Blaise's eyes widened and shot up to the transparent being.

"U- wh- n- what?!" So caught off guard and so unlike him, Blaise could only splutter. There was no way she could know that for sure. His eyes narrowed as he quickly reigned in his thoughts and emotions. "I have to be with her at all times, or I go to Azkaban." Rowena offered him a cold smirk.

"You are aware what Ravenclaws are known for, yes?" She had begun floating towards him, fully expecting him to own up to what was so painfully obvious to the rest of the world. Her eyes drifted to the entrance Luna had just skipped out of. "Luna isn't like most of them in that house, her heart is pure and full of compassion. And while she is astonishingly intelligent, she lacks..." Helena trailed off, searching for the word.

"Common sense." Blaise finished, knowing full and well how naive Luna could be when it came to social interactions, especially those of the opposite sex. Helena hummed in response and continued.

"Still, she's quite fond of you." Blaise remained silent, watching the ghost intently. It was nice to hear those words, even he had to admit. If it were true or not... that was another story. That would mean he had to believe this ghost was able to look into his and her thoughts. "It's obvious to me, as Luna befriended me in her first year at Hogwarts. I can see the slight differences in her behavior around you. Though, as I've previously mentioned. She's quite pure."

"And what makes you think I'm interested?" His response was quick.

"Aside from your current body language?" Helena pinned him with a gaze that mimicked Luna's when she had finally found the answer to a question she had long been seeking. He frowned. Fucking Ravenclaws. "I've never come across a Slytherin without a nasty bite- yet no matter how hard I push you or insult you, you keep as calm as you can. I know that's for Luna's sake and not mine." Blaise scrunched up his nose in annoyance.

"I hate know-it-all Ravenclaws like you," he muttered, running a hand down his face as he let out an exasperated sigh. "And if I do care about her? What am I supposed to do about it? She's oblivious to that stuff."

Helena only smiled knowingly, beginning to float away from him. "Perhaps you should ask yourself that." And with that she was gone, disappearing into the stone wall before him. He clenched his fists in frustration.

What the fuck did that mean?

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/

Luna had taken quite sometime to return, and for a moment Blaise got a bit worried, until he saw the bright ball of energy skipping back into the room. He assumed she got distracted by some other ghost or creature currently wandering the halls. When she made no mention about Helena, Blaise spoke.

"She left, I don't know if she'll come back..." his gaze fell on Luna, who was looking down at him with a small smile- still silent. What would I do normally? He let out a slow breath. He knew exactly what he would do normally. So why was she different? Why was she enticing this sense of uneasiness out of him. He frowned. No more thinking, Helena had said she was fond of him. That took some of the risk out of the equation. Reaching up, his fingers curled around her wrist and he drug her down to him. His other hand caught her face, steadying it as he crashed his lips against hers. She fell to her hands and knees, straddling one of his outstretched legs.

For a moment, there was nothing. They were still and Blaise was beginning to sweat as a sense of failure crept over him. But, she slowly kissed back, her soft lips mashing gently against his. He was taken back by her ability for a moment, shocked because this was most likely her first kiss. Perhaps she had been waiting for this too. Blaise resisted the urge to growl, instead his fingers entwined with her blonde locks and he deepened the kiss. His tongue swiped across her bottom lip, asking for the entrance that she graciously allowed. His heart was pounding as he began to explore her mouth.

It went on for a good while- and maybe that hadn't been part of anybody's plan. Blaise's hand had began to roam her back and sides, working their way down to Luna's ass. As they reached their destination, instead of filling with a handful of flesh, he felt three potion bottles. He smirked against her lips, removing them all as he pulled away slightly to tease her.

"Don't these belong in your satchel," he chuckled lightly as waved the three viles- one full and two empty- in front of their faces. Luna's eyes widened and she snatched them away quickly and back peddled. Blaise furrowed his brows. "Luna-" His eyes widened as they scanned her porcelain skin.

Luna did not have freckles. He growled.

"Always so handsy," the voice that came from Luna's mouth was not her own. Blaise's eyes narrowed as anger ripped through his chest, he stood.

"Where is she, Ginny?" He honestly didn't have time for her games, Luna had been gone for close to an hour now and- Ginny grabbed his wrist, her actual form slowly beginning to regain its composure.

"Sorry, but I'm supposed to distract you for just a bit longer..." Blaise ripped his wrist from her grip and nearly snarled at her. But, the small Weasley was a few steps ahead of him and before he knew it, she had tackled him. Being the youngest in a family of all boys fell in her favor right now. That and the element of surprise. Blaise glared up her, ready to throw her off and go look for Luna. However, she was too quick, and the remaining vial full of a purplish substance was poured in it's entirety on his head. The fumes consumed him, orange and vanilla- so overwhelmingly so he could feel his consciousness slipping away.

The last thing he saw was Ginny, smirking down at him.

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/

Draco and Hermione were certainly not making out in the Library after hours. No, they were certainly not slamming each other into shelf after shelf, releasing all the sexual tension that had began to build since this year started. Hell, even before this year had started.

Both of them had come to the realization that they had been skirting around this fate for years. Call them star crossed lovers, the average Romeo and Juliet. So as far as anyone was concerned, his family or her friends, Draco did not have his hand under Hermione's shirt and was not groping her breast over the lacy fabric of her bra. They separated breathlessly, their chests heaving as they eyed each other with a deep want. Draco leaned back in, his lips grazing against her ear as he whispered.

"Let's go back to common room." Hermione whined quietly, unable to ignore the throbbing sensation beneath her robes. She pushed his hand out from under her shirt and grabbed it.

"Okay," she replied breathlessly, before dragging him from the library and in the direction of one of their beds. They were not running, they were simply walking quickly.

However, neither of them had expected to see a sleeping Luna Lovegood, leaned up against the wall near the opening to their common room. She was snoring lightly, clearly in a peaceful sleep. While this might of been normal of Luna prior to this year- there would be absolutely no way Blaise would tolerate her sleeping in the hallway. He would of at least dumped her in the common room. They both knew that. Speaking of Blaise... Both their eyes scanned the surrounding area, noticing that the Italian was nowhere to be seen. They glanced towards each other, before Hermione moved towards Luna and knelt beside her.

"Luna," she prodded gently, shaking her a bit. A small groan escaped her, but quite easily, her eyes fluttered open. They focused on the face in front of her and it was obvious she was a bit groggy.

"Hermione," she muttered, her eyes falling past her to Draco to which she nodded. Her eyes then obviously searched elsewhere, confusing befalling her expression.

"Where is Blaise?"

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/

That night had passed dreadfully slow. The group had decided after much debate to wait it out. Perhaps a situation like Draco had befallen Blaise. They were afraid to get him in trouble. Everybody agreed that they didn't want to see him sentenced to Azkaban. But when Blaise had yet to return the next morning, everybody was worried. It was even written on Luna's face, a rarity. She was far more pale than normal, bags hung under her eyes. Her chest was constantly clenched with a dreaful feeling she recognized from the war.

As soon as she could, she had left the common room and headed for the Great Hall. Perhaps he would be there, before she had to speak to the headmistress. Before it became a question of his well-being. So for now, all she could do was pray for his safety rather than his fate with their justice system.

The hall was bustling with people, loud and fast. Luna's eyes desperately scanned the crowd, looking for his familiar face. Relief flooded her emotions when she spotted him and without a care what she looked like, Luna bee-lined directly towards him. She studded to a halt next to him, her gaze falling to her redheaded friend on the other side of him..

"Good morning, Ginny." She flashed her a bright smile before her eyes fixed on Blaise's head. "You worried us quite a bit, Blaise Zabini, when you didn't return last night. I'm glad to see you in one piece." she said happily, grateful that Blaise was safe and in good hands. All that worry for no reason. Blaise had picked his head up from Ginny's direction- giving her an incredulous stare. Luna's smile faltered for once. He hadn't looked at her like that in months.

"And? Don't concern yourself with my business." His voice was cold, harsh. Luna took a step back, obviously shocked. Ginny remained silent, thankful Luna didn't seem to catch on to what happened last night in the slightest.

"I have to, Blaise. You're my responsibility." Her response was matter-of-fact and her gaze caught his stoic glare.

"Not anymore. As of last night, I no longer have to put up with you." He sent a scorching laugh in her direction, before he turned away from her. She felt as though she were being burned. "McGonnagal put me as Ginny's partner. My request. Do you get it? Good. So do me a favor, and never show yourself in front of me again."

The words hung in the air for a moment like a red, neon sign. Luna blinked, but all her body would do was silently nod and turn away from the pair. Her legs, somehow, carried her quickly out of the Great Hall to the empty corridor outside like there was an angry crumple horned snorkack chasing after her. She ran. She ran as hard as she could, out towards the grounds. This feeling was certainly new to her, she was unable to deny the ripping pain that was tearing across her chest. She heaved a few struggled breaths, her legs buckling underneath her until she crumpled to her knees in the dirt just outside the greenhouses. Her eyes burned.

He had been cold to her before. People had said far worse things to her, done far worse things to her. During those times, she was able to keep a smile on her face as she truly didn't care what others thought of her. However, it was becoming very apparent to Luna in this moment that she did care, very much, what Blaise Zabini thought of her. Her hands clutched her shirt above her chest as tears bubbled out of her eyes. She had not expected this twist of fate. It felt much like a knife. She had only prayed for his safety, and he was certainly safe.

He was safe, alive. Why did it feel like she was mourning his death?

a/n: A little angst. Let me know what you think! No Ginny is not the main villian here, hahaha- she isn't even a villian. This is her just not coping well after the war. She's going through a phase. Tehe.