Title: A Slytherin's Tale (Redux)

Author: sweetyspy05

Pairing: R/HG; HP/BZ;

Summary: Blaise doesn't want to get branded and Dumbledore offer his protection: Summer spent at Grimauld Place! What will happen there?

Redux… I've learned my lesson, only chpter posts!

And… Voila!

Chapter one: Searching For Answers

"Professor, can I speak to you?" a voice at the door quietly said. Severus Snape turned to face the door of his potions classroom.

"What can I do for you, Ms. Zabini?" He snapped irritably.

"I have a problem." She almost whispered.

"Well, as you can see, I am in the middle of class. Kindly wait until it is over." He snapped again, turning his back on her.

"Oh but sir-!" She said, this time more urgently but Snape cut her off.

"Ms. Zabini, I have already told you that I will see you later, if you do not leave now I will give you a month's worth of detention, Slytherin or not!"

Blaise flushed with anger and took a minute to calm herself before answering.

"Never mind Professor Snape, it's not that important after all. I can figure it out myself."

And before Snape could respond she ran from the classroom.

When she entered the Prefect's Common Room she slumped into the nearest chair. A moment later Draco Malfoy walked into the room with his not-so-latest latest fling, Pansy Parkinson.

"What's up with you?" He asked, in his usual tone that said he didn't really care. "You look like you're walking towards your own execution."

"Something like that." She muttered. Then, before Draco could ask her more questions, she got up and left the Common Room, giving Draco and Parkinson all the privacy they needed.

She wandered around aimlessly around the school It was a beautiful spring day and Slytherin 6th years always got Friday afternoons off. The only problem was that so did the Gryffindor 6th years so there were always a lot of fights.

Not with Blaise, however. She mostly kept to herself, the only reason she got the respect she wanted was that she hadn't followed all the other Slytherins in following Draco Malfoy's rules and when he got to know her he developed a sort of grudging respect for her. And whoever Draco Malfoy respected every other Slytherin respected. The only thing Draco didn't like was the fact that after spending more time with her, Blaise became Draco's closest friend and confidant.

Not sure of where to go she finally wandered out to the grounds. The first people she saw were a bunch of students. More specifically, Potter, Granger, Weasley, Longbottom, the female Weasley, and the Ravenclaw, Lovegood. Which meant that the younger students were ditching class, very unwise so close to their O.W.L.s. They were an odd group, Blaise decided. Something had happened at the end of last year that had brought them all closer together, but at the same time had changed Potter, made him more distant. She didn't know exactly what had happened at the end of last year when the group had left Hogwarts and had gone to the Ministry, and she really didn't care. Or tried not to. Especially since it involved the "Dark Lord," as her parents referred to him.

It had been quite a shock coming home for the summer and learning that her parents not only supported You-Know-Who, but they were also in his inner circle. But the biggest shock for Blaise was that they fully expected her to join as well! She didn't want anything to do with that monster, but her parents hadn't cared. At first she had been able to avoid them, but know with the letter they had sent her she knew she was in trouble. Tonight at midnight she was to find a way to the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade where she would receive a Portkey to take her home so that You-Know-Who could give her the Dark Mark, and she didn't want it! That's why she had gone to see Professor Snape, because she was hoping he might be able to help her. The way she saw it, he was either a Death Eater or not. If he wasn't then he might be able to offer some protection from Voldemort and from her parents. And if he was… well then maybe he'd just kill her for not following Voldemort and save her from the torture her parents had promised her if she didn't follow their instructions. But now… With Snape not caring she wasn't sure what to do. She knew Snape wasn't the most nicest guy, but he always said that if they had a problem then his door was open to them, Slytherins need to stick together he had said, they should always be able to depend on one another because no one else would and the moment she had needed that help he had acted as if it wasn't important. And ok maybe going during one of his classes wasn't the smartest thing to do but she had been desperate, who else could she turn to? If he had shown a little bit of care, all he really needed to do was threaten his students, and talked to her calmly, the students wouldn't have caused problems, not with him as a professor. Argh! Why was her life so confusing? She looked over to the Gryffindors again, Lucky Bastards, She thought enviously, I bet none of their parents are forcing them to become Death Eaters, all they have to worry about are grades, quidditch and house points, well You-Know-Who too, but they at least have the choice, and it's not like they're being forced to kill innocent people.

She gave a loud sigh. She needed to be alone right now. The only problem was that there aren't really many places she could go to be alone except for empty classrooms, but those were always dusty and she was allergic to dust. The only real place she would be alone in was the forbidden forest. The problem wasn't that it was dangerous, she had been in it count less times at night when she had been bored, the problem was that since it was daylight she could easily be caught by that damned Hagrid, the groundskeeper. But there was nothing else for it, she'd just have to be real careful.

She made it in without any problems, except for Granger who had seen her at the last minute but it didn't look like she would say anything. She was in the forest, but not in the deeper part so that the sun still shone through. There was a clearing up ahead that she visited frequently so that she could read her muggle books without being harassed by her fellow Slytherins. Except, when she reached it she found that it wasn't deserted as usual. Professor Firenze was there, but he didn't seem to be doing anything, simply roving. She moved closer to the clearing, and when she was at the edge Firenze noticed her.

"Good day Blaise Zabini." He said in his usual greeting.

"Good day Firenze." she responded, not having a surname he had told his students to call him by his first. "What are you doing here? I thought you had been, well, banned?" She asked curiously.

"My herd considers the lands closest to the school as the school grounds, they will not come so close to the edge where they can be seen, I am safe here." He answered quietly.

"Oh." Blaise answered, not sure of what else to say.

"What about you Blaise Zabini? What brings you to the Dark Forrest?" He asked her, using her full name as he did with any student no matter how many times he had said before.

"Nothing. Just looking for a place to be alone."

"I seem to have disturbed you're sanctuary."

"Not at all, I should think that a centaur has the right before a human when regarding a forest, especially when it's forbidden to me." She said.

There was silence for several minutes before Blaise decided to leave.

"Well, I'm gonna go finish my Herbology essay Firenze, bye."

"Good bye Blaise Zabini, I'll see you in class."

"Yes sir." She turned and left the forest.

With nothing else to do she headed back to the common room, hoping that Draco and Parkinson were safely hidden in Draco's room.

Draco and Parkinson had not, in fact, gone to a more private room, and when Blaise had walked back into the common room, she had found the pair in a very compromising situation.

"Dear Merlin!" She had gasped when she had walked in, turning around very quickly so that her back faced them.

"You've got fucked up timing, Zabini, do you know that?" Draco said lazily from behind her.

"Why can't you two horny little dogs do that in your own room? They're private for a reason, you know!" She demanded angrily.

"And where's the fun in that?" Draco asked in a humorous tone.

"Honestly, Malfoy. What if it had been one of the Gryffindor brats? Then what would you have done?"

"Hex them straight to hell." Draco answered automatically. Parkinson passed Blaise without a glance to her and left the common room. Blaise scowled and turned to find Draco laying on the couch.

"Right, Malfoy, like you have the balls for that. I saw what happened last time you pissed off Granger, got a hand across your face for your efforts didn't you?" She said. Draco growled angrily before answering.

"That was then, this is now."

"Right." She answered flopping down on the nearest chair.

"So what was with you earlier? You seemed off." He said with a raised eyebrow.

"Draco, I've been off since I came into this school." She said point blank.

"That's your fault. If you take the time to be more social people will see that you're just a normal Slytherin."

"Normal Slytherin?" She said skeptically. "Draco, do you not hear what you're saying?"

"Ok, maybe normal was to strong a word, but at least people wouldn't see you as an anti-social, muggle book reading, don't care about house points, goody two shoe Slytherin who doesn't hate muggles and mudbloods."

"But I am an anti-social, muggle book reading, don't care about house points, goody two shoe Slytherin who doesn't hate muggles and mudbloods, Draco you know that. And don't say mudblood, that's very rude. Oh, and actually, the goody two shoe stuff is dragon shit, just cause I don't get into fights with everyone doesn't mean I'm a goody-goody, I just like to be left alone."

"Doesn't it get lonely?"

"What?"

"Being alone."

"No. There's a difference between being alone and being lonely, and I am just alone."

"If you say so."

"I do."

"Well, seeing as how it's just the two of us here, fancy a game of chess?"

"Why not, I got the time."

"When do you go to get initiated?"

"That's for me to know, now let's go I wanna kick your ass!" She said enthusiastically.

"Not a chance in hell Zabini."

"Wanna bet?"

"How much?"

"30 galleons."

"You're on!"