Blaise paced around his room after he sent the owl off. He regretted writing the letter now. He truly did. He had no idea whether or not Hermione would appreciate it. He's bled his heart out to her and now he was having second thoughts. Hermione… Hermione was something he couldn't predict. He couldn't tell whether she was standoffish because she liked him in a romantic way, or whether it was because she was trying to hide the fact that she wanted him as well.

He was sure that he wanted her. He'd been sure since the first time he'd seen her, fourth year, at the Yule Ball. It had taken him a while however, to realize that he wanted her for more than just a shag. He wanted her for her intelligence, for her wit, for her sarcasm and even for her controlling bossiness.

Hermione fascinated him as no other witch or wizard could. He needed her, he wanted her, he dreamed of waking in the morning wrapped tightly in her loving arms. He wished the dream would become reality, he wished the dream would last forever but he was afraid that it was empty. A cheque that would return as NSF.

He threw himself onto his bed and sighed loudly. It was stupid to think that Hermione Granger, gryffindor extraordinaire, would even think of being with him. He was a Slytherin. He was the enemy. How could even dream of something as pure as her coming to rest with him in something less than perfect? It was impossible.

Blaise wished that he could take the letter back, that he could take it and burn it. That was impossible though, and he knew it. It was sent, she probably already had it. She was probably reading it at this very moment.

For a brief moment Blaise considered standing her up, then passing the note off as a fake that Malfoy wrote to tease her. He dismissed that as soon as he thought it though. It would be mean, and he couldn't do that to his Hermione. Especially not if she actually did choose to meet him. He sat up and smoothed out his hair a little, then glanced outside. The sun was setting and he needed to get out there.

He stood and smoothed out his clothes. He debated changing but decided against it. Hermione had already seen him today, and she would probably think he was stupid if he changed his clothing just for her. So he grabbed his fedora off his desk, threw on an over jacket and walked out of the dungeon.

Blaise made his way quietly through the castle and out the front doors. He walked over the dewy grass feeling more and more nervous. He tried to stop the shaking of his hands by pushing them into his pockets. It didn't work as well as he thought it would, but there wasn't anything to do about it. He slowly made his way over to the rock that looked over the lake and sat down.

He didn't wait long before he heard the approaching of footsteps. A smile spread over his face and he turned to see Hermione standing only feet away from him. She looked beautiful with the moonlight highlighting her brown hair. She smiled tentatively as he motioned her to sit next to him.

"I see you received my letter." He said, quietly, not quite looking at her. Hermione nodded. She couldn't meet his eyes either. They remained silent for a long time, sitting beside each other, neither knowing what to say. Blaise tentatively rested a hand on Hermione's knee. She didn't pull away. "What did you think?"

Finally, she looked at him. Her eyes wide and a little fearful. "I don't know Blaise. I really don't. It's NEWT year and I can't afford a distraction." She said.

He looked at her and his face dropped. "Hermione, please…" he said, trying to reach out to her. He grasped her hand in his.

"No Blaise." She said. Despite her decision earlier, she could not be with him. At least not right now. She hated herself for it, but there could be no other way. She took her hand away from his and stood. "I can't be in a relationship right now. Not with the impending war and all the schoolwork we have. I can't let you distract me." She said.

Blaise didn't know what to say. He knew he had to say something. He couldn't let her get away from him. "Hermione…" he reached out again, but she was too far away to reach. "Please don't do this…"

"Blaise, I have to. I can't be with you. I just can't, ok?" she said. If he'd been looking closely, he would have seen the dampness of her eyes before she turned around and walked away.

Instead of running after her, he slumped down onto his rock defeatedly until it got too cold for him to remain outside. She had broken him.