Chapter Five
Morning dawned brightly. Hermione stretched on her designated bed and yawned. Then pain shot through her bones as one by one they cracked. She found herself smiling at this pain, it felt good to have this kind of pain, instead of the pain that had greeted her the morning before.
She hauled herself out of bed and rummaged through her clothes, finding a nice pair of jeans and a top. Then she pulled on a jacket, hiding her arms from view. She still had purple bruises from the incident and didn't want anyone to see them.
Hermione peeked her head out her door and searched the corridor for anyone she could find to lead her around the mansion. And, just on as if on cue, Blaise came sauntering around the corner of the hall.
"Good morning." He said cheerfully. "How are you on this wonderfully lovely morning?" She blinked at him and raised an eyebrow, before muttering her own hesitant greetings.
"Blaise, stop scaring the girl. She's just woken up." His mother scolded coming down the hall after him. "Hello Hermione, are you hungry?"
In truth, Hermione wasn't hungry at all. In fact, she felt sick at the thought of food, no matter how good it would taste. She nodded her head with a fake smile in tact and followed the two Zabini's down to the kitchen as they chattered animatedly to her.
When they reached the kitchen, Mrs. Zabini pulled on an apron and began gathering ingredients from the cupboards. Hermione shot Blaise a questioning look.
He shrugged. "She likes to cook. And she's good at it, too." He whispered. "Wait until she starts singing, that's a laugh." He snickered.
Hermione smiled and seated herself at the kitchen table as Mrs. Zabini mixed. True to Blaise' word, she began singing opera at the top of her lungs. Hermione had to grin at this. It was rather amusing as Maria danced around the kitchen, cooking muggle pancakes and singing Italian opera.
"There you go." Mrs. Zabini sang, pushing a large plate of pancakes into the middle of the table. She then plopped herself down across from Blaise and they both began digging in.
When Hermione hadn't moved to eat anything, Maria looked up at her with concern. "Aren't you going to eat, dear?" She seemed so motherly, that Hermione almost smiled.
"I-I'm not hungry." She grimaced at her own tone of coldness. "I'm sorry. It does smell and look wonderful, but I'm not really very hungry." Blaise looked at her oddly, before he frowned.
"You've got to eat something, Granger. It's no good for you to go hungry. Such a waste." He said, trying to tempt her with food.
"I'm not feeling well." She told them both, looking away.
"Are you alright, Hermione?" Maria asked concerned. "Do you need to see a doctor?"
"No, no, I'm just not feeling very well. It will pass. I get it all the time." She lied.
"Oh, alright, if you're sure." She said, casting a look at Blaise that clearly told him she knew something was wrong.
Just then, the door opened and Draco Malfoy waltzed in, looking as if he owned the place. Hermione almost snorted at this thought.
He sat down next to Maria and greeted her with a kiss on the hand and a saucy wink. "How are you today, love?" he asked.
Maria snorted lightly. "Same as always, Draco. And how are you on this fine day, dear?" He made a face at the name.
"Please, you sound like Weasley's mother." He remarked. "Well, I'm in a bad mood, due to, ah, circumstances." He gave Blaise a pointed look when he said this. Blaise simply smirked.
Maria raised her eyebrows but said nothing more on the matter; instead choosing to make light conversation with Hermione. "Oh, Hermione, why are you wearing a jumper? It's not cold." She asked.
Hermione coloured. "I, um, I felt the need to cover up." She said, rubbing her arms to make the point. "There are things I'd rather not have seen." She cast a worried look at the two boys sitting at the table with her.
"Oh, but Hermione, you looked so lovely in that yellow sundress and that green one, too." She gushed. "You must wear one today. I'll not have you looking like you're dying from the cold."
Hermione sighed with a small smile. "Alright, Mrs. Zabini. But I can't promise it'll stay clean. I always seem to get my good clothes dirty."
"It's Maria, honey." She said with a grin of triumph. She then looked at the clock and stood abruptly. "Oh dear, I'm late. Sorry darlings, I've got a meeting with a new designer." She said, kissing each of them on the cheek. "Have a good day, and don't forget, you got dancing lessons today at three." She ran out the door, gracefully hurried.
The boys looked at one another with a look of impending doom. "Bloody dance lessons." Blaise muttered.
"Tell me again, Blaise, why do I have to take these lessons with you?" Draco asked, annoyed.
"Because you're my best mate, and you'll do anything my mother says, because you're in love with her." He deadpanned.
At this point, Hermione let out a small giggle and their eyes turned to her. She was attempting to keep her mouth closed, and refrain from smiling or bursting out laughing.
"You think this is funny, Granger?" Draco asked.
Blaise grinned. "We'll see how funny it is when you're forced to take them with us." He said with a devious smirk on his features.
Her smile faded. "Oh, no. I don't dance." She said quickly.
"Neither do we." Draco said, his own smirk becoming prominent. "But we have to anyway… just to please that wonderful woman that is Maria." He told her.
She smiled slightly. "Is Draco Malfoy in love?"
Blaise snorted. "Better not be with my mother." He told them, sending a pointed look to Draco. "I'd rather not have my best friend as my step-dad."
Draco sighed. "She'd never be interested in me, anyway. I'm too immature for a woman with her tastes."
Blaise crinkled his nose up. "Oh Merlin, don't get me onto her tastes. She's dated so many men, and all of them have been idiots. In the name of Circe, she's insane with the men she brings home; they all try to act all… fatherly." He grimaced. Hermione laughed.
Draco smirked. "Well, Blaise I guess we should start spending some quality time together, then." He joked. "After all…"
"Don't even say it, mate. She's not interested." Blaise cut him off with a thwack over the head. "You're just… too young."
"And the fact that I'm devilishly handsome couldn't sway her?" Draco retorted. "All I can do is try."
"Good god." Hermione muttered to herself with a laugh. "You're both nuts."
They both grinned at one another, feeling accomplished as Hermione finally took a pancake into her mouth.
"So anyway, about these dance lessons…" Blaise began.
The three of them stood at the doorway to the Zabini Ballroom. Hermione stood at least a pace away from them both, still uncomfortable. Blaise looked to them both fearfully and opened the double doors that led to their doom.
Their doom came in the form of a very attractive witch by the name of Helena. She welcomed them with open arms and kissed each boy on the cheek in a flirty way, before turning to Hermione with a questioning glance. "And who are you?" She asked snootily in her French accent.
"This is Mia." Blaise said, casting a worried expression at Draco. "She'll be staying with us for a while."
"A cousin, perhaps?" Helena asked with distaste.
"No, just a friend… we figured she could be a dance partner for one of us, while you have the other, rather than alternate." Draco cut in.
"Alright. But she cannot dance in jeans. I will not allow it." She eyed said jeans with more distaste. "Go, change, now." She instructed.
Hermione glanced at Blaise who nodded, and ran off to change. She came back a few minutes later wearing a green halter neck dress that flowed out at her hips. This dress also made Draco and Blaise gape, much to the displeasure of Helena.
"Come now, into position. Draco, darling," she purred. "You'll dance with me." He gracefully got into position and Blaise looked at Hermione awkwardly.
"Shall we?" he asked with a nervous laugh. She nodded, her cheeks colouring. He pulled her to him by the waist, careful not to touch her too much, fearing that she was still slightly scared of him. Her hand slid onto his well muscled shoulder and he took her free one.
The music went on and Hermione watched as Draco and Helena started moving. She tried to copy Helena's movements, but kept stepping in the wrong place, or her timing would be off. Eventually, Helena had had enough.
"Stop!" She cried, breaking away from Draco. "You are horrible!" She exclaimed, coming up to Hermione. She was very close and Hermione let go of Blaise to take a step back.
"I'm sorry." She said. "I-I just need help, that's all. I'm not very good."
Helena came closer again. "You-you should never dance!"
Hermione was trembling now, as Helena went on and on, raising her arms in the air violently as she looked on angrily at Hermione. Every time Hermione tried to defend herself, she would be cut off by incessant ranting from the dance teacher.
Draco finally snapped to his senses and marched up to Helena, who was putting Hermione in near tears by now. He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. "Look at yourself!" He yelled at her. "Look what you're doing to her! She's nearly crying because she doesn't know how to dance. It's not her fault. Leave here, and don't come back." He snarled.
Helena huffed. "Fine. Call me when this hussy is gone. Then we can dance." She bit out, glaring at Hermione.
"She is not a hussy." Blaise defended. "If anyone's a hussy, it's you." He said as she left, slamming the doors behind her.
Hermione had found the wall, and slid down the floor, tears finally spilling over. She looked down at her feet, splayed out in front of her.
"G-Granger, are you alright?" Draco asked timidly.
She shook her head, refusing to look up. Blaise approached her and sat next to her. "Ignore her, she was just jealous that you got to dance with the hot Italian that I am." He remarked.
She sniffed. "Viktor was right." Hermione croaked. "I'm hopeless…"
Both Slytherins looked at each other, sharing a look. "You're not hopeless, Granger. There are just some things that the mighty Hermione Granger can't do. It's not the end of the world." Draco said.
"Besides, people like that don't deserve to have their opinions heard." Blaise added.
She looked up at them both, a small smile on her lips. "Thank you." She whispered, resting her head on Blaise's shoulder. "I'm sorry you lost your dance teacher." She said.
Blaise snorted. "Mum will get us a new one. This is a torture we can't avoid, unfortunately."
Hermione laughed a little. "Someone help me up; I really need to get out of this thing." She said, holding her hands out. Blaise pulled her up seconds after he got up from his position.
"Oh, but it looks so good, Granger. You suit green." Draco smirked.
"Really now?" She asked. "Well just don't expect me to be your poster girl." She said, sniffing the air in mock snobbery.
"No way, Granger, you're way too Gryffindor." He told her.
She glared at him playfully. "Lucky for you, Malfoy. Or you'd have rivalry for the Slytherin crown."
"Who said he had it in the first place?" Blaise cut in with a grin.
"Well, it certainly doesn't belong to you, clearly." Draco said, smirking once again. "I think we all know who it belongs to." He told them, puffing out his chest, which Blaise promptly hit. Draco gave an indignant "hey!" and Blaise sprinted down the hall, leaving Draco to go after him with a groan.