Title: Distracted (5/6)

Author: granger2malfoy

Pairing: Blaise/Hermione

Rating: Teen

Disclaimer: Not mine… But I get dibs on Blaise.

A/N: Sorry, I have not continued this in a while. Forever and The Given Choices have taken a lot of the little time I have to write.

Summary: Hermione Granger, the know-it-all of Gryffindor, and Blaise Zabini, the quiet Slytherin, have much in common must go through many barriers to see each other for what they really are.

Chapter Five – The Cat is Out of the Bag

Hermione entered her private Head Girl room that was just a few portraits down from the entrance of the Gryffindor common room. Her head was throbbing and she was thoroughly pissed off. The last past two hours were spent doing rounds with Malfoy and they had been bickering the whole time. Oh how he had always managed to push her buttons like no one else had ever been able to do in her entire life! Ideas of weighing the consequences of turning him into a ferret did not seem so bad by time the rounds were finished.

Silently she shrugged off her school robe and threw it onto the near by chair in her small sitting room. A soft meow caught her attention for the same chair. Hermione walked to the chair and lifted the discarded robe up as she realized there was a familiar cat under it. A bright smile crept on her lips at the sight of the black cat that was becoming a weekly visitor. Some time a month ago, after its first arrival in the library with her first note from her secret admirer, the feline had showed it in her rooms and she figured that Crookshanks must've shown the cat how to get in.

"Well, it seems you have come back yet again. I just might have to make you a guard cat," she commented as she tucked the cat into the crook of her arm. The robe went to the back of the chair as the Head Girl carried the cat into her bedroom and placed it on her bed. The soft creature went to its 'spot' at the foot of her bed and watched her get ready for the next day as it had every Thursday for the past three weeks. Whenever she had patrol with the Slytherin Prince, the cat had always been waiting for her and stayed for about hour till she was about to change for bed.

Hermione sorted through her schoolbooks for the next days schedule and filled her bag with needed quills and blank parchment. She glanced over the to cat who was just sitting there watching her and she walked over to give it some attention. As she sat down next to the beautiful cat, she said, "Well, if you are going to be my occasional guard cat, I need to see if you can scare off intruders."

The cat got to its paws quickly, lowered it head and growled softly. It was quite cute but not at all scary. Hermione smirked and stated, "I think my bunny slippers just ran for cover. I think you can do better than that. Try again."

The black cat arched it back, hissed loudly and made its hair stand up on end. A surprised look came from the girl as she fell off her bed. A proud puss looked over the edge at her and she started laughing. Suddenly, a couple, hard knocks came through her open door from her portrait opening. Hermione got to her feet, walked through her sitting room and opened the portrait to a mad looking Ron and Harry.

"Hey guys, what's wrong?" she asked but didn't move to invite them in. It was late and she really didn't want company, well other than the quiet, playful cat.

Harry spoke first as he held the heirloom map in his clenched fist. "What in Merlin's name is he doing in there?"

Hermione was extremely confused as she slowly replied, "Just sitting on the bed. Why do you care?"

Ron gawked at her then to Harry and then looked back to her as he croaked, "A sneaky, no good Slytherin is sitting on your bed and you are asking why do we care."

"Slytherin? What are you talking about? Its just a cat," she explained but she very confused.

Harry unrolled the parchment and point to her room where the dot 'Blaise Zabini'. Oh that is something I didn't see coming.

Hermione bit her bottom lip as she began to process the information. A look of pure cunning came on her lips and she spoke more loudly than before, "I'm sorry guys. I'll help you go over your Charms essay tomorrow. I am feeling rather tired tonight."

She winked at both of them and they glanced back at each other before Harry mouthed, "Are you sure?"

Hermione nodded with a wicked smile as Ron said loudly, "Okay, good night, Mione. See you tomorrow."

Slowly Hermione closed the portrait with her two best friends still looking unsure but not protesting. Thoughts came to her with each step to her room, to her crush, to her secret admirer, and to the cunning young man that had snatched her heart.

Once in her room, the cat, Blaise in Animagus-form, watched her as she entered. Without calling attention to it, she shut the door behind her and whispered a charm to ensure that he was not going anywhere for a while. Hermione stretched as she began talking, "It's been a long day. You know I really wished you could tell me who your master was."

She turned her back to the cat as she began to pull her teal tee shirt out of her jeans. In the mirror across the room, Hermione watched his eyes on her but the form of the cat completely frozen. With a quick tug, her shirt went off, the Blaise's head looked in the direction of the door in a panic and then back to her. Under her shirt, she wore a plain white sports bra that didn't reveal more than a bikini but still it was more skin than he had ever seen on her.

To Be Continued