In Which Blaise Attempts to Cheer Hermione up
"Have I just landed on a giant fellytone?" Ginny Weasley yelled hysterically. She had her hand wrapped round Blaise's wrist in a death grip.
"I think it's a television," came Hannah's voice from the kitchen.
"Great," Blaise said sarcastically, "it's almost as if that TELLS ME ANYTHING NEW!" Blaise and Ginny appeared to be panicking.
"Just Apparate off it," said Hermione impatiently, peering through the door while sipping her cocktail. She seemed to have loosened up a rather large amount.
"Oh," Ginny grinned guiltily, "yeah, that would work." She and Blaise appeared on Hermione's couch a minute later, grinning in a slightly embarrassed sort of way.
"So, what does it do?" Ginny asked, eyeing the television with mistrust while Blaise studiously avoided Hermione's eyes.
"Show's porn, apparently," Seamus said offhandly, drifting in with a beer. "At least that's what puffta Boot says." He indicated to Terry who was guiding the delivery men in.
"I resemble that remark," he called irritably over the room.
"You sure do- I think poor Weasley's scarred for life," Seamus grinned and indicated Ron, who went bright red and tried to look like he hadn't heard him.
Hermione didn't seem to be able to cope with the chaos in the lounge and so drifted back into the quieter kitchen, cocktail in hand. Blaise didn't need the poke which Ginny delivered to his ribs to make him go after her. Blaise stood up and smoothed his shirt before walking casually through the lounge and into the kitchen. He blended perfectly into the surroundings; nothing suspicious.
So, naturally everyone knew what he was about to do. And they rather supposed that Hermione's current alcohol consumption would aid the matter.
Hermione was sitting at the table on her own; Theo Hannah and Susan were on the other side of the kitchen chatting. Blaise sat down next to her and attempted conversation.
"Didn't quite turn out the way you were expecting then?" Hermione laughed hollowly.
"I don't know about what I expected but opposite to what I wanted. I don't know who I'm kidding Blaise; I can never pull these things off." She looked up from her cocktail and faced him looking infinitely sad. Blaise's heart broke with that one broken smile she gave him.
"You can do this, Hermione. Circumstance holds you back- this wasn't your fault- Terry said it was Seamus who didn't get the right ingredients for you." Hermione smiled and laughed.
"And the moral of the story is never set Seamus loose in a muggle supermarket." She smiled and looked up at him. "Tell me a bit more about how it isn't my fault. Blaise grinned crookedly, blushing red inside.
"Boot; you didn't make him bring that," he indicated the television. "Bloody scary thing it is too."
"Don't swear," Hermione said automatically- but here words held no conviction.
"You don't have to be here convincing me Blaise Zabini. Why are you?" She looked back up at him from her drink, smiling curiously.
Blaise leaned forward and kissed her.
In Which there isn't Porn
Malfoy seized the television remote and looked at it. He sniffed.
"So, is this like its index?" he asked, attempting to pull a button off it.
"That's the remote, Malfoy; you use it to control the TV. It bears no relevance to magazines. Accept it." Terry replied, yanking the remote out of Malfoy's hands. He pressed a few buttons until the TV came on.
"That's not porn," Ron said matter of factly, staring at the eight o' clock news.
"It could be," Neville reasoned, "what if it's you know, foreplay?" he blushed, but was staring at the television avidly.
"You need to see a therapist, Longbottom."
"And while he does, you can go too, Malfoy," Terry replied. He walked backwards and flumped onto the sofa, still pressing buttons on the remote.
"Hi Ron," he said jovially as he sat next to him. Ron said nothing but kept looking at the television, trying to ignore Terry.
"I'm pretty sure I was promised porn." Malfoy continued stubbornly.
"You were promised nothing," Ron replied irritated. "But I can promise you a bat bogey hex if you like?"
"My prerogative," Ginny shouted from her spot on the floor where she was talking to Harry and Seamus.
Terry seemed to be gradually getting the hang of the remote; the volume was going up and down.
"So," Neville began, "will Blaise work up the nerve?"
Ron snorted, "He's been trying to work up the nerve for about three years. I've always though he was scared of Hermione rather than in love with her.
"PORN!" yelled Malfoy delightedly, pointing at the television.
"That's a documentary, Malfoy," Terry replied, giving him a funny look.
"I could have sworn there was porn," he replied, staring at the TV closely.
"What d'you think would happen if Malfoy ever came across porn magazines?" Neville whispered to Terry.
Terry, however ignored him and turned onto a channel where there were women walking around a city.
"This looks good," he commented, nudging Ron, who flinched.
"Er, yeah," Ron replied, trying to shift onto the floor.
"It's not porn though," Malfoy whined, staring at the women.
The scene changed and the woman went into her house and took off her jacket.
"There you go, Malfoy; porn."
"Has anyone actually seen Hermione or Blaise in the past twenty minutes?" Harry called from the other side of the room. Various people shook their heads.
Ginny grinned, "They must be…busy."
A/N: Hope you enjoyed- please review! As ever, if you're on livejournal this has its own account where it is ongoing! Friend it, say hi!