Chapter Four
"What d'you want now?" Blaise asked rudely as he slammed the door to his car. Lucius Malfoy looked down at him in dismay.
"He wishes to see you."
"Well, that's obvious. What does He want, then? And why the hell aren't you dead yet?" Malfoy sneered at Blaise and struck him with his hand.
"Follow me." Blaise, holding his cheek, glared at Malfoy and tracked him throughout the Manor. They entered the living room, where Draco was leaning against a table and Voldemort was somewhere in the shadows.
"Have you forgotten your side of the deal, Zabini? For your sake, I hope not. You bring us the Weasley Girl; you get your sister and brother back. Simple as that," Voldemort said.
"Yes, well, the 'Weasley Girl' has family, too, which consists of a mother, father and several brothers, who all hate you, and the Malfoys, not to mention all the other Death Eaters in the whole fucking world... I really wouldn't be all that surprised if they slit your throat the Muggle way."
"They don't know that you're a Death Eater, now do they?"
"I'm not!"
"Why do you bear the Mark, then?"
"BECAUSE LUCIUS AND DRACO BLOODY HELD ME DOWN IN SEVENTH YEAR!" Blaise snapped. "If it wasn't by my own free will, I'm not a Death Eater. Why do you need that Weasley in particular, anyway?"
"Because she's vulnerable," Draco spoke up, "to your apparent 'charm'. She can tell us the names of everyone in the Order." He smirked at Blaise. "Really, now, you've gotten so soft. You wouldn't have hesitated in Hogwarts if the Dark Lord needed you."
"Yeah, well, things change. People change." Draco's smirk faded.
"Leave us, father. Lord." When the two of them were alone, Blaise lunged at Draco. Finding his throat, he floored him.
"Where are they?" Draco kicked Blaise off of him and backed away.
"Not even I know that, and I'm right up there with my father in the –" Blaise held Draco in an arm lock and slammed his head onto the table.
"Watch yourself, Malfoy, because when I get Marie and Joseph out…" He leaned in. "I'm going after you." Blaise left without another word and sped back to work. Draco wiped blood off of his lip and scoffed.
"Filthy mudblood lover." He pivoted on his heel and turned back to the fire; his blond hair unkempt after his fight with his former best friend and housemate.
KATHERINE BELL: PREGNANT AND HITCHED!
The question is… whose baby is it? Marcus Flint, leading Chaser and Captain of the Tutshill Tornadoes, or Oliver Wood, the Youngest 'Most Valuable Keeper' in the Quidditch League?
Earlier this week, Katie Bell was found in Greece. She says that the infamous Weasley Twins, Fred and George, threw her in a disappearing closet in their home. True or False?
Rumor has it that Oliver Wood is staying in the Weasley's Household.
Oliver threw the newspaper down onto the coffee table and sighed. Hermione sat down beside him.
"Are you okay?" she asked. Oliver leaned down, dug his face into his hands and let out a frustrated yell.
"It might be mine!" he groaned, slapped his knees and stood up. Hermione bit her lip.
"…Well… when's the last time you did it…?" Oliver looked up to the ceiling in thought.
"Um… The night before I left for Belgium, I think," he replied. Hermione smiled.
"I had Angie and 'Licia go undercover," she said in that know-it-all voice Oliver always teased her about. "Since they're, eh… 'Katie's Friends'. She's a month, meaning it happened while you were in Belgium." Oliver sighed in relief, then groaned again.
"Argh, she's getting married!" Hermione looked at him for a moment.
"…You still like her?"
"Well… kind of?" Just then, the twins apparated into the house.
"Oliver! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the stadium!" Fred exclaimed, tripping over the couch as he backed away from him.
"…Manager said that practice was cancelled for today… why?" The doorbell rang.
"Uh… hold on…" George slipped past Hermione to answer the door.
"So, George, where's this party?"
"What party?" Oliver asked. Hermione narrowed her eyes at the twins.
"You didn't!"
"We didn't!" Fred protested. A group of girls came into the living room with George running after them, arms outstretched and babbling.
"Oh, my God! There he is! Oliver Wood!" Oliver's eyes grew wide and stared as the four girls advanced on him.
"Uh oh." Placing his hands in front of him, he backed away slowly, eventually gaining speed and bolted up to his room with Hermione and Fred on his heels.
"You have to understand, Oliver!" Fred started saying. "Me and George want you to be happy again!"
"SO YOU GIVE ME A SURPRISE BACHLEOR PARTY… ON YOUR SISTER'S BIRTHDAY?" Oliver demanded from inside his locked room. "FRED!"
"You can try!" he reasoned. "…And Ginny's at work! These are all very nice and respectful people!" Oliver opened his door.
"One of them, I saw, happens to be a pole dancer from that one club we went to a couple nights ago! That's not respectful! And how dare you give Ginny the shift on her birthday!"
"How many girls are coming, Fred?" Hermione asked. Fred fidgeted around.
"Um… fifteen?"
"FRED WEASLEY!" Oliver roared.
"You'll come down, though, right?" he squeaked. Oliver looked to Hermione, who shrugged and took a look down the staircase as the doorbell rang again. Oliver sighed and glanced out the window.
"Might as well make the most of it. But Hermione has to be there with me!" he added quickly. Hermione glared at Oliver as he grinned. "You're suffering along with me, love." Ignoring Fred's 'thank you's', Hermione and Oliver went back down the stairs. "At least with you here, I'll have someone educated to talk to," he murmured in her ear. His breath tickled Hermione's neck and she giggled slightly. Oliver laughed. "Oh, dear Merlin, the world's coming to an end. Hermione Granger giggled."
"Yes… well, you have that effect on a lot of –" Hermione stopped herself from saying anymore. Oliver looked at her sideways before being pulled away by George.
"This is –"
"Antoinette, yeah. Next. –No, I know this one, too. Janet. Yeah. Next."
"This one is Andrea!" George said proudly. "My second cousin, twice removed from my mother's side, orphaned, lived on the street for a bit, got a job at the Ministry and –"
"Shut up, George," Andrea snapped. "I have a boyfriend. I only came because you wanted me to."
"You have a ruddy boyfriend?" Oliver bit down a laugh as he watched the two of them fight. Fred and George made him meet new people for the next two hours, until George got into another fight with Andrea. Oliver took this as an opportunity to escape. Avoiding Fred, George and Lee who was in on the party as well, he made it to the yard and jumped over the fence.
"Accio broomstick," he ordered. A broomstick – not his – came flying from the house with Hermione still holding onto it.
"Aaaaaaaahh!" The broom and Hermione fell in a heap at Oliver's feet.
"Um… wrong broom. Sorry. Accio Firebolt two-thousand!" Oliver's broomstick flew out of the house and stopped obediently at the height of Oliver's torso. He helped Hermione stand up and smiled. "Fly away with me?" Hermione hesitantly climbed onto the broom in front of Oliver. "I'll help you steer."
"Okay," Hermione said quietly. Oliver placed one hand on Hermione's growing stomach and the other on the part of the broomstick in front of Hermione.
"Hands on the handle, where my hand is." When he felt Hermione's hands close in on his, he let go of the broom and her stomach and put his hands atop Hermione's. "Lean forward to accelerate." As they gained speed and height, Hermione squealed and closed her eyes, burying her face in Oliver's chest. Oliver laughed lightly and took control. "You can swing your legs over the side now. I'm going at a steady speed. Open your eyes, don't be scared." Hermione did as she was told as Oliver guided her with words. "There."
Hermione relaxed a little and leaned against Oliver as he flew. With him she felt safe.
"Where are we going?" Hermione asked.
"Don't know. We'll see where the wind takes us." Oliver hovered more than a thousand feet in the air and let the wind float them away from everything. "What'll you be naming your child?" he asked.
"I haven't really thought of it… I like Lynn for a girl and Lucas for a boy, though." Oliver nodded.
"Good names. Lynn Granger, Lucas Granger… but what happens if you get twins? Two boys or two girls? Back up names or what?" Hermione shrugged.
"It's too early for that, I'm only three months."
"You would want to have everything planned, though, right? You don't want to be too laid-back about these things. Having a little one in your life is a big step, Hermione, especially without a partner."
"I'll survive. I'm currently living in a house of nine men, if you didn't notice."
"Eight, actually. I think I'll move back to my house… It isn't sanitary, though… should I hire someone to clean it, or something?" Hermione laughed.
"I'll help, if you want." Oliver shook his head and smirked.
"I'll get Percy and Harry to help out. There are things in my house ladies shouldn't see." Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Have I mentioned I live with nine men?"
"Eight," Oliver corrected smugly, then looked down. "Should we stop here? I think we've traveled a city or two. We could get something to eat, if you'd like, I still have some Muggle money on me."
"And what exactly will you do with the broomstick?" Oliver shrugged.
"I could add it to the collection of 'em up your arse." Hermione opened her mouth.
"Excuse me?" Oliver grinned.
"Sorry. I'm used to being around ladies that can take jokes." Hermione slapped his arm. Oliver laughed.
"Okay, better hang on. I'm landing in that alley over there. This broom's compact. It's part of my new contract," Oliver explained before Hermione could ask him what he was going to do with it again.
As Oliver touched back to the ground, he held onto Hermione, knowing how insecure she was about broom riding. He laughed.
"You can let go, now."
"Oh, come on, just get in, Ginny."
"Not now, Blaise, I need to bus home."
"I'll drive you there, come on! Would you rather bumping into Finnigan again?" Ginny paused for a moment. Blaise stopped his car and waited for Ginny to get in. He smiled. "Can you wait until, like, midnight? I need to go to work."
"Zabini!" He shrugged and drove off.
"Come with me?" Blaise stopped at a red light.
"Do I have a choice? I'm not even wearing the proper clubbing clothes." Blaise smirked that Slytherin smirk, reached into the back seat of his convertible and dropped a box on Ginny's lap.
"Happy birthday," he said, planting his velvety lips on Ginny's cheek. And stepped on the pedal, ignoring the bewildered look on her quickly-reddening face.
"H – h – how…?"
"My second job is with the Ministry," Blaise explained. "I work part-time with your brother. You can change in the club… by the way, I'm not working today." Ginny raised her eyebrows at Blaise, who grinned at her and parked the car in front of Atlantis. When she didn't get out of the car, Blaise sighed. "Come on; think of it as your birthday party."
"With one person."
"Yes, but that one person is Blaise Zabini." He reached over the car door. Ginny grasped his hand. Blaise smiled as she stood up on the passenger's seat. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her up and over. "Nick's bartending with a couple of girls tonight. Ignore the girls. They get bitchy with any other female I bring."
"I'm Ginny Weasley, not 'any other female' you bring," Ginny retorted. She opened the box. "This is waaay too revealing."
"You're a witch. Use your bloody imagination," Blaise whispered as they flipped their ID's to the bouncers. Blaise led Ginny to the washrooms and was about to step in with her when she stopped him.
"Nuh uh," she said with a hand on his chest. Blaise rolled his eyes and motioned around the washroom.
"Look. No one cares." All around them, drunken couples were pushing the other against the wall. "I'm your personal bodyguard for the next ten minutes it takes you to change."
Wearing the jeans and low-cut top Blaise had given her for her birthday, Ginny walked out while fixing the strap of her bra. Blaise took her image in.
"…Wow. You didn't even adjust anything."
"Yes, I did. The waist of the jeans was too tight. I'm not a bloody size three." Blaise shrugged, took Ginny's hand and led her to the bar.
"You can leave your clothes behind here. Want anything?"
"Vodka seven orange. You better not try anything if I get pissed…" Blaise laughed out loud.
"I wouldn't! I'm a Slytherin, sure, but I don't sink that low. Just make sure I don't get pissed myself." As Blaise got himself a coke and rum, Nick stood up on top of the counter and put a microphone to his lips.
"A'ight, check it -" Blaise shook his head and pulled Nick down by the collar.
"Why do you talk like that? You are a white and European man. Act it."
"…Fine. All right, who's up for a little… competition?" There was a loud ripple of screams from the people on the dance floor. "The couple who can come up with the dirtiest-"
"Oh, no," Blaise laughed.
"-dancing to go along with this song…"
"Oh, no," Blaise repeated as Ludacris's 'Lick You from Your Head to Your Toe' came on.
"…WILL GET TWO TICKETS FOR YOU AND YOUR PARTNER– sponsored by Luda himself – TO THE LUDACRIS CONCERT COMING BY IN OCTOBER!"
"I've never been to a Muggle concert!" Ginny whispered excitedly. "Come on, Blaise!"
"What!" But Ginny was already dancing away. Blaise sighed and followed her. He had one plan: to keep his feet planted on the floor in one place.
"OH, YEAH!" Nick's voice called over the music. "COME ON, BLAISE!" Blaise turned around from where he was facing Ginny and glared at Nick. Ginny, on the other hand, took this as the opportunity to surprise him. She traced his cheek down to his feet at the chorus of the song. Startled, Blaise turned his attention back to the redhead who was grinning at him.
"How am I doing?" she asked.
"Um…" Blaise looked down to the growing tent in his pants. "Rather good, I'd think…" Ginny giggled as Nick announced the winners. "The competitions are rigged, anyway," Blaise said when the 'Dirtiest Couple' was announced.
"We would have won if you weren't just standing there, looking down at your –"
"That's enough, that's enough," Blaise said with a smile and led Ginny off the dance floor. "How's your birthday party so far?" Ginny smiled and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.
"One of the best," she said. A tinge of pink came across Blaise's cheeks and he looked down at his feet. "What time is it?"
" Ten thirty. Wanna go now?"
"Do you?"
"It's your birthday party." Ginny picked up her things from behind the bar counter.
"Let's go, then." The car drive back to the Burrow consisted of giggling, laughing and Snape imitations. "I had a really good time, Blaise," Ginny said quietly. Blaise smiled, leaned in and kissed Ginny softly against the lips.
"Doing anything tomorrow?"
"I'll let you know. See you!"
"Not if I see you first!" Ginny looked at him weird. "…Yeah… that sounded a lot cooler in my head…" Blaise trailed off. Ginny laughed and kissed his cheek.
"Bye."
Oliver and Hermione, who were just coming back from their flying, saw the whole thing, looked at each other and landed on the roof as Blaise drove away.
"Was that Zabini? Slytherin Zabini?" Hermione asked. Oliver nodded.
"Looked like him. Come on, let's creep back in." Hermione opened her mouth. "And don't worry! I'll talk to Ginny later." As they climbed down from the roof and into the hall of the seventh floor, they hugged each other goodnight and went their separate ways. After getting changed, Oliver knocked on Ginny's door.
After an hour of assuring Oliver that Zabini was all right and things weren't moving too fast, Oliver placed a hand on Ginny's shoulder.
"You know I'm just watching out for you, right?" Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Yes, daddy." Oliver grinned.
"Good." He ruffled Ginny's bright red hair and was about to leave when Ginny called out,
"So how was your date with Hermione?"
"It wasn't a date. It was merely a meeting of two people to share their thoughts about how bloody annoying it is to be cheated on. Go to bed, squirt."
"Squirt? You haven't called me that since I was a second year."
"Yeah, well, I've decided to call you that again. Goodnight."
"Night, Ollie."
As Oliver lay in bed, he couldn't help thinking …we didn't even talk about Katie, Flint or Krum…
A/N:
Thus, the end of chapter four! ANYONE READ THE HBP? SOO GOOD! But it was shorter! THAT'S A CRIME!
Thank ya…
Be11011
Charlie K:Have you checked my favorites? Baby.rap has a nice collection of fics, too, but I think she's stopped writing… I'll message her if I get the chance to.
RnR!