Author's Note: I had intended to complete this story after the second chapter, but I figure what the hell, and I decided to write another chapter. So I hope you enjoy. And again I ask you to keep in mind that this whole thing was conceived pre- Half Blood Prince.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters.

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"Hermione, Blaise Zabini is staring at you rather intently. Have something to share with the class?" Ginny asked her friend. Hermione flushed slightly and turned to see dark brown eyes peering at her from behind a shock of dark hair.

"Nervous?" he mouthed to her. Hermione tried unsuccessfully to suppress a smile and turned back to her breakfast.

"And what, pray tell, was that all about?" asked Ginny. Hermione thought hard before answering. Ginny was her best girl friend, and it wasn't as if she could blurt something like this out to Harry and Ron. She was absolutely dying to share her experience with someone. The whole story spilled out.

"And then I just walked out," she finished breathlessly. The red head stared at her with wide eyes.

"Blaise Zabini kissed you, then you kissed him, and now you're flirting in the Great Hall at breakfast. Do you have any idea how lucky you are Hermione?"

"He is rather handsome isn't he?" Hermione stated more than asked.

"Gorgeous is more like it! And most of the girls at Hogwarts would murder to be in your position."

"I know," Hermione said with a sigh. "I feel so confident when I'm around him, like I'm a whole different person. But what about his loyalties? Do you think he's set to join up with you-know-who?"

Ginny shook her head. "I don't reckon so. From what I've heard all his mother does is collect husbands, but I suppose his father… But if he were, why would he have kissed you? Sorry."

"No I understand what you mean. So what should I do?"

Blaise watched the entire exchange from the Slytherin table. He knew exactly what Hermione was telling the youngest Weasley, and what they were now debating. He smiled to himself and decided he would have to find Granger later to continue their little game, and maybe set the record straight about a few things.

Hermione was still trying to decide what to do when Blaise beat her to the punch. She was walking down a relatively deserted corridor when someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into a deep alcove. She found herself face to face with none other than Blaise Zabini.

"Hello Granger, fancy meeting you here," he said with a smile.

"Oh yeah, fancy meeting you in the dark hole you pulled me into," she responded wryly.

"You think it's too dark? Well then, that can be fixed. Lumos." He muttered the simple spell and a little more light appeared. "Better?"

"Much. Now why exactly did you pull me in here?" Hermione asked.

Blaise's smile grew infinitely as he contemplated his answer. "To ravish you of course."

Hermione looked at him from beneath raised eyebrows and he laughed. "Ok, not to ravish you. I decided I wanted to continue our little game and find out why you kissed me."

Hermione gave him a rather evil smirk. "Well, either because you looked sexy when you were rambling on, or because I just really wanted you to shut up."

"Ouch, that's not playing fair."

"You started it Zabini."

Blaise winced. "Let's dispense with the formalities shall we?"

"Alright, you started it Blaise."

His eyes lit up at her sarcastic remark. "Now that's more like it, Hermione." Before she knew it he swooped down and captured her lips. She smiled against his mouth.

"Now who's shutting who up?" she asked.

"I'm not sure." He brushed feather light kisses up her cheek to her ear and whispered, "I'm not a Death Eater. I don't intend to be. Just so you know I'm not planning to attack you at any minute."

"Good to know, why do you hang out with gits like Malfoy then?"

Blaise shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do, plus it's what's expected."

"Well, you're not doing what's expected now are you?" she asked before kissing him lightly.

"No, I'm certainly not." He bent and kissed her again, painfully slowly. He pulled her closer as the kiss deepened. She fisted her hands in his hair.

"What are we doing?" she asked when they came up for air.

"No idea. Chalk it up to hormones?"

"Works for me." She pulled him down again and they picked up right where they left off. They were locked in what could have only been called a heated embrace when a sneering voice made Blaise's hand tighten convulsively in Hermione's hair and at her back.

"Well, well, well, Hermione Granger caught in quite the compromising position, and in some dark corner right in the corridors no less," Draco Malfoy said acidly. "And who's the unfortunate guy caught with the mudblood Gryffind…. Blaise!"

After the word mudblood, Blaise had turned to say something, but Malfoy's reaction had stopped him in his tracks.

"Hello Draco, how was lunch with Pansy?"

"I… you…with… Merlin you…and her…" Draco looked as if he was about to vomit at their feet. "You…just… bloody hell Blaise, she's…" Malfoy couldn't seem to get the words out he was so disgusted. He eventually yelled in frustration and went storming off towards the dungeons.

It was completely silent in Hermione and Blaise's little alcove for a few minutes. However, it wasn't long before they both just couldn't hold it in anymore. Both of them burst into hysterical laughter, leaning against each other to keep from falling.

"Can you believe the look on his face? He looked worse than Ron after the slug incident second year."

"That look will stay with me forever; it'll keep me laughing for years."

When their laughter finally died they sat in comfortable quiet for a bit.

"So, want to continue under the pretense of uncontrollable teenage hormones?" Blaise asked as her absently played with one of Hermione's curls.

"I'm game if you are." He smiled and pulled her closer.

"Just call us the hormone parade."

Hermione's laughter rang out through the halls before it was silenced once again by Blaise capturing her lips in a fiery kiss.

"Hormone parade indeed," she murmured.

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