Chapter Two: The Plane Ride
On the sunny morning of July 14th, Hermione and Ginny stepped out of the Taxi-cab. They were at Heathrow Airport; their plane left in three hours. Hermione, as always, was there extremely early to make sure that they were on the plane far before they had to be.
They walked through the front door, dragging their things behind them. It was Ginny's idea to take a plane; she thought it would be more fun to take the muggle way there, instead of ordinary wizarding customs. She had tired of apparating since she had acquired her license for it.
Hermione was quick to agree; she loved flying in planes and couldn't wait. They were both very excited for the competition that was to come, and they had gone shopping immensely over the last three weeks, buying loads of clothes that they did not need.
Hermione had also gotten to see Oliver the week before he had left, two weeks ago. He was different; older and cuter. But she had also seen that there was not much…spark between Ginny and Oliver, but since they looked so happy together, Hermione said nothing for the moment, she only wanted her best friend to be happy.
When they arrived at the metal detector, Hermione took her house keys out of her pocket and her necklace from her neck, and put them in the bowl, then proceeded to walk through the detector. She went through without a hitch, but Ginny had forgotten her locket around her neck, and didn't put it in the bowl. The detector went off and in seconds, she was surrounded by guards.
They grabbed her and pulled her away. Hermione saw the look on her face—terror—and followed them, hoping they weren't going to take liberties with her friend.
The guards led her to a room, where they frisked her. They found her wand and other objects, they started questioning her.
"What is the use of this piece of wood?"
"It's just a stick."
"You could poke someone's eye out with it, are these your intentions?"
"No, why would I want to poke someone's eye out?"
"We don't know what goes through the minds of troubled youths these days!"
"I am not a troubled youth; I only want to go to America."
"And what are your intentions in America?"
"I'm in a beauty pageant."
"What is the use of a stick in a beauty pageant?"
The questioning went on for another hour and Hermione thanked Merlin that she had forced Ginny to arrive earlier.
By the time they got done with the questioning, Hermione was tired, and Ginny was exhausted from their stupid questions. They had finally let her go with her wand, after she had given them no reason that she would want to use it to poke out their eyes. But they would not let her leave with her lighter.
Ginny had a lighter that her older brother had gotten her in Egypt. And they would not let her bring it on the plane.
"Those mean people, why wouldn't they let me bring that? I could bring down the plane with my stick of wood, what would I do with the lighter?" Ginny was complaining about the airport security and rightly so, Hermione probably would have been even angrier than Ginny at this moment.
They finally got on the plane a half hour before lift off and there were barely any people on the plane.
Hermione and Ginny found their seats. Ginny had the window seat and Hermione had the middle. The other person that would be sitting by them was already there. But they seemed to have their head buried in their coat and sleeping very soundly, so Hermione and Ginny tried their best not to disturb him as they found their seats.
Hermione sat down between the stranger and Ginny. The plane began to fill. There were a lot of people on the plane now, and the stewardesses were coming around with the drinking carts. Hermione gladly took a strawberry wine cooler and Ginny got a raspberry one.
The plane filled and in a few moments of turbulence, they were in the air. Hermione was starting to get sick and she didn't think that she could stand sitting in the middle, she needed to look out the window, so she begged Ginny to switch seats with her. Ginny finally gave up her window seat for Hermione and they switched.
They heard a ringing, sounding remarkably like a phone ringing. The man beside them started to stir.
He grabbed in his coat and answered his cell phone.
"What do you want?" they heard the person answer. Hermione thought he sounded a lot younger than she had thought in beginning. She thought she recognized the voice, but she had no idea where she had heard it before. School, maybe?
"I'll be there tomorrow!" he yelled. Wow, he was a little violent. "Yes, tomorrow, I'll see you there. Ok, bye!"
He hung up the phone and shoved it back into his pocket. Then they heard him mutter, "Once a Slytherin, always a Slytherin."
This caught their attention.
Ginny looked at him and then the recognition hit. "Blaise?"
He snapped his head to her, "Who wants to know?" he asked protectively.
"I know it's you, why are you here?" Ginny asked.
"Who are you?" he asked hesitantly.
"It's me, ass. Ginny."
"Ginny?"
"Weasley."
"Oh! You look…different," Blaise said softly.
"Can someone please explain to me what is going on?" Hermione put in.
"Who are you?" Blaise asked Hermione.
"I'm Hermione Granger, who are you?" Hermione asked him.
"Blaise…Zabini, didn't we already go over this?"
"I've never seen you before," Hermione said.
"I was in your year, Miss Head Girl. At least Draco knew everyone in our year," he said sardonically.
"Yeah, but only because he slept with them all!" she yelled. "Ask him their name and he couldn't tell you!"
"Well, he knew your name," he smiled.
"Shut up!" Hermione said with a groan and pulled out her book, trying to block out Blaise talking.
Ginny gave Hermione a quizzical look and turned back to Blaise, "So…"
Ginny and Blaise had a great conversation over the duration of the plane ride, and Hermione kept to herself, trying to get what Blaise had said out of her mind.
Yes, it was true! Could she really help that he lived right next door to him and he was so devilishly handsome. She had given in to him, she had. She hated it now, she hated that she had ever given her body over to Draco Malfoy, of all people. She hated him and herself for ever doing something like that.
She knew that he had bragged, obviously even having some sort of bet going, a bet to see if he could get the prudish Head Girl into bed. And he had. He had seduced her in every way possible, and with him being so perfect and always there, how could she really resist?
"Hermione…HERMIONE!"
Hermione was snapped out of her daze of thinking about her one—great—time with Draco.
"What Ginny?" Hermione asked.
"Hermione, we're flying over the strip," Ginny said, pointing out the window.
Hermione looked out the window to see all the lights down below her. It was night time when they were arriving, so they could see all of it in the darkness. It was beautiful. She had always heard of the sight, and she had always wanted to see it, but now that she was here, she could see why Vegas was a great tourist attraction.
Ginny was eager to see it too and she pushed Hermione out of the way. Blaise was leaning over as well, and Hermione was amazed that he was still there and awake, that he hadn't tired of Ginny's rambling on yet. But, even if he was a Slytherin, he seemed like a nice guy.
They landed a couple minutes later. After they landed they went to baggage claim to get their luggage. When they got outside they hailed a cab.
"So, where are you two staying?" Blaise asked.
"Oh, we're staying at the Green Dragon," Ginny said before Hermione could talk.
"Really? That's where I'm staying too. We can share a cab then, eh?" Blaise asked.
"Yes, we can," Ginny answered in sort of a wistful way.
"Ginny, YOU'RE ENGAGED!" Hermione yelled.
"You're engaged?" Blaise asked sadly.
"I'm engaged?" Ginny asked, confused for a moment.
"Yes, Ginny. You are engaged to Oliver Wood. You know the guy who plays for Puddlemere United. He's a nice guy," Hermione said, trying to mock Ginny.
"I'm sorry Blaise, I should have told you. I sort of forgot. I actually really did forget. But with this huge rock…" absently she started playing with her ring, "you would think that a girl would remember that she is about to be married."
"Its ok, I should have noticed the 'huge rock'. I'm sorry that I bothered you," Blaise said sadly, hailing a cab.
"We can still share a cab," Ginny said desperately.
"I don't know if that is the best idea," Hermione said.
"Yeah, Ginny," Blaise agreed, wary of an angry Hermione. "Maybe I'll see you later. We are staying at the same hotel," Blaise smiled, before getting in the cab and driving off.
"Hermione, why did you have to tell him that I'm engaged?" Ginny asked.
"Because you are!"
"That doesn't matter, 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.' Plus, Oliver is gone for the month. He'll never know."
"Ginny, you know that isn't true. Now lets go, its dark and I'm tired," Hermione said, hailing a cab and putting her luggage in the car.
A/N: Yea! My first chapter. Hope you all liked it, it gets better, chapter 4 is the best. Okay, and 5.