In the kitchen they saw Petunia, Vernon, and Dudley looking with fear at the ceiling, wondering what the horrible shrieking and noise was.
"What's going on up there, boy?" Vernon growled.
"Nothing that concerns you uncle," Harry answered.
"Mum?" Dudley looked at his mother.
"Yes?"
"Piers and Malcolm and me are a going to the school today to hang out with Preston Myers and his friends, that okay?"
"Of course Duddey, anything you want," Petunia nodded.
Harry and Ron and Vireo took a seat on the couch, which had reverted for some reason, probably the spell's time setting had run out.
Vireo yipped and looked piteously at Harry. "He must be hungry," Harry said, he stood and went into the kitchen. He rummaged around and found a part of a steak Petunia hadn't finished a few nights ago. He took it out and began cutting it into small pieces to give Vireo. Vernon gave him a dirty look but didn't say anything.
It was a little while later, Vireo was halfway through his steak, that Draco limped silently downstairs looking a little ruffled. Petunia stood and reached out for him but he quickly moved away from her.
"How is he?" Ron asked.
"Exhausted, he's fallen asleep in my room," Draco said, he sat on the couch on the other side of Harry.
"What was that?" Harry asked, offering another piece to the puppy.
"That? You mean Blaise's outburst?" Draco looked down at his shoes. "I'll only tell you what is required as background. Blaise should tell you the rest when he wakes up."
"Of course," Harry really just wanted to know what was happening with their roomy.
"First off, I know Blaise's father better than he does," Draco said. "Balthazar isn't a kind man, not to his sons at least. He has two daughters, Cora and Adiana; they live with him in Venice while his wife Cecile and the boys, Jaque, Jonah and Blaise all lived either in Rome or in Wiltshire on the land near my family home. Balthazar really doesn't appreciate his sons. Well, no, he really just doesn't appreciate Blaise. Jay and Jonah are on his good side, why Blaise isn't I don't know but he's not. It caused a great deal of tension between Blaise and all of his siblings when he was growing up. Jay and he, though they're more loving now, used to tear at each other every day. Blaise still hasn't grown out of his abandonment. He's normally pretty good about not caring or at least turning a blind eye to it all, but the picture caused him to loose that control.
"He saw his father as a man who loved him, who adored him but was too caught up in the pressure of Death Eater-ness and work to see them much. He convinced himself of that. But then, Jay and Jonah would go to Venice to see their sisters and father and Blaise would stay in Wiltshire. It broke him, well, it was a bunch of things that did it.
"He destroyed his room, everything, for the first time when he was seven. I was there that day, I was the only one who helped him. Blaise, you may not see it, is an incredible actor. For someone who's been hurt so much to act normal at all is impressive." Draco sighed, "At least I've convinced myself he's acting. But sometimes I think maybe he convinces himself that his father still just gets too caught up in the pressure of Death Eater-ness and work to see him much. That scares me, really it does."
"You can't be serious," Ron whispered, stunned.
"I am," Draco nodded sadly.
"How can a man be so cruel to his son?"
"I really don't know," Draco shrugged, "even my father was better to me than Balthazar was to Blaise. It's sick and wrong."
"I can't imagine if my dad had been nice to everyone but me," Ron said, his brow creased as he frowned, disliking the thought.
It wasn't until half past noon that Blaise made his way downstairs. He looked significantly different. His eyes were bloodshot and purple bags sat below them. His lips were dry and his hair disheveled. The cut above his eyebrow was scabbing and he fingered it lightly as he entered.
There was quiet from the wizards as he sat down and ordered a mug of black coffee from the elf.
"Blaise?"
"Yes?" His voice was a hollow whisper.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked.
"In a little while," Blaise responded, he didn't sound like he meant it though.
"We're here for you, you know that right?" Ron said taking a seat next to Blaise.
"I'll be…better, later," he said. "You're not mad at me or anything, right?" he asked them all.
"No, you must have had a reason for all that, we're willing to listen if you want to tell us," Harry said, deciding it'd be better to let Blaise say everything he wanted instead of worrying about what Draco may or may not have said.
Blaise nodded mutely. He drank most of the tea and then ran a hand through his messy hair.
"I thought for a very long time, that Balthazar hated me. He sent gifts to Jaque and Jonah or he floo'd them out to see him. Never with me. I sent him letters, photos, pictures I'd done in primary school art class, anything to try and make him notice me. He didn't though, never once. I saw him and he refused to even look at me. I was amazed by him, his eyes, his hair, his stance, his voice. He just walked by me like I wasn't there. He even kissed Jonah and told him how big he'd gotten since last they saw each other. I'd never seen my father before then, but a boy who was two had seen him more often.
"I told myself it wasn't my fault, and that someday he would come and I would spend months in Venice with him. When he was away I convinced myself he truly cared but he was always preoccupied by the Dark Lord or something. I refused to believe he didn't care. One Christmas even Cecile went. I was left sitting in the parlor looking at the fireplace, ready to go until the elves put out the fire so I couldn't. They took the floo powder and I was stranded here in England, alone, while my family was down in Italy." Harry saw a tear slid from the corner of his eye, "I was seven then," another tear appeared, "and this... this incredible rage overtook me and I decimated my entire room. Everything was destroyed. When my mother came back she asked me why I'd done it. I told her because I was left here." Blaise laughed darkly, "You know what she said? She told me I remained because I'd asked to. She told me that I had preferred to stay alone in England while they had a family holiday.
"I didn't understand. I still don't. I saw a portrait of my father in a hall once and he looked loving, he was standing with my mother and they had a baby in arms and a toddler sitting nearby. Jay and Adiana," he said with disdain and another tear appeared, "were there, held by him, adored by him. There was a painting of him with Jonah and Cora," these names too were said spitefully while a fourth tear rolled down. It glittered prettily though the story was anything but, "when they were a year old. But never was there anything to prove he knew I existed.
"Once. Once!" Blaise held up one index finger to illustrate. "He looked at me, from the corner of his eye while passing to my mother on their anniversary when he came up for a visit. He just looked and sneered and walked away. I was twelve. I yelled for him to look at me, right at him, I yelled, he didn't flinch, didn't look, didn't even reference me." Blaise took a pause and let two more tears fall, "I had no way to express this horrible rejection. I destroyed myself, my physical realm, my friends," he glanced at Draco who just smiled reassuringly, "I fought with my brothers and my mother. I distanced myself and continued destroying things, like I felt destroyed inside. I am sorry." A few more tears before Blaise regained himself a little and stopped them.
There was a long silence.
"I don't blame you for anything that happened, to the room or anything that happened to you. You shouldn't blame yourself either," Harry said, he'd chosen these words and said them over and over in his head to make sure they sounded right.
"I'm not upset about the room either. I am upset about what your father did to you though. You're better than that sort of treatment," Ron said.
Blaise looked at them and gave them a weak smile and then he looked at Draco.
"I forgave you almost ten years ago," the blonde said.
The Italian stood hastily, almost as though something had scared him, "I really- I just-"
Harry reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, "Calm down Blaise, we're here for you."
"I wish I wasn't so messed up," he seated himself heavily.
"You can't be blamed for any of this," Ron said.
Another silence fell, this one more comfortable. "I'm going to take a nap," Blaise paused, "I'm fine, just tired."
They let him go back upstairs.
"Will he really be okay?" Harry looked after him.
"Blaise seems weak right now, but he'll recover."
"What did he mean after destroying his friends?" Ron asked, eyes trained on the blonde.
Draco was quiet, gathering his words, "During fourth year he acted out a lot more than other times. He's what the medi-wizards refer to as 'magically bi-polar.' He goes through times when his magic is very strong and other times when he's virtually unable to do anything requiring magic. That affects his moods a lot. During fourth year he had a stretch of about two months where it appeared he was squib. No magic, not a pip of it. So he got angry. He completely destroyed our dorm, everything, Nott had to completely replace his wardrobe thereafter. I, stupidly, came in while was a still…angry and got a good punch to the eye. We scuffled for a bit, I came out worse than he."
"You got your arse kicked by Blaise?" Ron clarified.
"Yes, I did," Draco nodded. He rolled up his sleeve and showed them a deep old scar running from the inside of his elbow halfway down his inner forearm. "Blaise did that with a piece of shattered glass."
"You stayed friends with him?"
"Of course, I've survived worse, besides, I've got a nice scar and an excuse to make Blaise do anything."
The boys chuckled.
"Who's driving today?" Draco asked.
"I am," Ron said. They would go to the drive without Blaise, let him rest and relax and recoup.
"This ought to be amusing," Harry said, implying Ron would be a wretched driver.
"Oi, just remember what happened when Blaise drove a few days ago," Ron said. "No way could I be worse."
:A few days ago when Blaise drove:
"Okay," Mr. Erikson sat gingerly in the seat. The last time he'd been with this group had been Draco's turn and he had yet to recover.
Blaise started the engine, causing the instructor to flinch. He shifted into first and they pulled out of the lot.
"Ease forward," Erikson had relaxed as they came to a stop sign and Blaise hadn't messed up yet. Ron and Harry and Draco were smushed in the back, bored with the "good" driver.
The Slytherin did as instructed and then a black car pulled up beside them. The driver leaned out his window and shouted to them.
"Oi, race ya', poofter," he was challenging them.
"Ignore them Mr. Zabini," Erikson said.
"You couldn't win with a rocket engine in that thing," Blaise called back. He was in a speed demon mood. The car skidded away, speeding across the four-way stop. Blasie bared his teeth at them, up-shifted and flew after them. Erikson let out a squeal and clutched at his seat. They gained quickly on the car as it wove dangerously through traffic. They ran at least four stop signs and a few traffic signals before they suddenly swerved onto a side street. They sped past houses and other cars and then screamed back onto the main road, just ahead of the car. They flew through a traffic signal just as a cop came and tracked them down. Blaise pulled away down a residential street, gambling that the cop would follow the other guy and he won.
"What was that, Zabini?"
"I was in the mood, 'sides, I won't let a bastard like him call me a poofter and get away with it," Blaise said. Erikson was twitching, Blaise then drove without any regard to any rules back to the lot in front of the driving school and parked in the middle of two spots.
:End Flashback:
"I don't know, Blaise was doing perfectly well until he got challenged, then he stopped caring," Draco said. "Caring is the key."
"You're one to talk, you hit one-fifty!"
"So? If I'd had a better place to drive I could have gone for two," Draco brushed them off.
The week Draco drove none of the other boys had gotten to drive. Nor the week Blaise had driven. Harry had begun to feel they would never get licenses. Ron got wide eyed. "I never want to be near you when you get on the speed-way."
Draco blew him a raspberry.
Ron blew one in return and they stayed there with their tongues stuck out at each other for a moment.
"You're both immature," Harry said.
They turned their heads to him and maintained their tongue insult, now directed to him. In return Harry rolled his eyes and left them to go up to the lounge and watch some television.
He reached the top floor and saw Blaise standing in his room holding a photo whose frame had been destroyed. Harry knocked on the door, alerting Blaise to his presence.
"Hey," Harry smiled and walked forward, stepping over the large, visible glace pieces.
"Hey," Blaise showed him the picture. It was Blaise, a year or two younger, standing next to a tall guy with gold eyes and a goofy expression. "That's Jay."
"I can tell you two are brothers," Harry laughed and looked closer. The photo-Jay swung an arm over Blaise's shoulder and put him in a head-lock.
"Yes, we became close, despite my resentment of him," Blaise said lightly.
"You are going to be okay, right?"
"Of course, of course," he assured him lightly, he waved off the deeply concerned look in Blaise's eyes.
Harry thought for a long time about his limited knowledge of what made the Italian happy. Shopping, clothes, Draco, smoking and getting pampered were the only things Harry knew of.
"I have an idea," Harry said, he plopped himself down on the floor after eyeing the spot for large glass chunks.
"Yeah?" Blaise looked at him.
"We both know Ron is…less than fashionable, right?"
Blaise got a suspicious look, "yes?"
"Would you like to give him a make-over?" Harry grinned foolishly.
Blaise got a very excited look about him, "You mean it?"
"Yeah, Ron will go for it," Harry said.
"He hasn't agreed yet?"
"Not technically no," Harry allowed.
Blaise became a little mischievous looking, "We'll kidnap him then."
"That's not lega-" Harry was cut off when Blaise stood.
"Thanks for helping Harry," Blaise gave him a smirk and left the destroyed room.
:Downstairs:
"Hey," Blaise walked in to see Ron and Draco arm wrestling over the kitchen table.
"Hey," Ron grunted as he strained to regain the upper hand in the match.
Blaise walked casually to Draco and said something in what sounded like Italian but could very well have been something else. Draco's eyes widened and he tensed his bicep and brought Ron down.
Harry walked into the room and was just able to blink before he was grabbed and dragged out the front door. Snape was just getting out of his car with what looked like their school books. Blaise grabbed him too, dragged him back to the car. He and Draco threw Ron and Harry in the back, climbed in and told Snape to drive.
The older man looked at them oddly then noticed Blaise was holding a pen in a threatening manner. He turned on the engine to the Porsche and backed out of the drive-way. Draco was sitting in between Harry and Ron brandishing a fountain pen at Ron who looked ready to pee himself.
So it went that they kidnapped Ronal Weasely.
Arr, Captain Slashy 'ere. I was sailin' the seas again fer a while and I'm sorry that I couldn't update while away. Hope yeh all understand. I was seein' Shakespeare in Oregon, near the California border.
I've got a very fun chapter comin' up, the more yeh review the sooner it'll come up (after bein' reviewed by the wonderful first mate o' the SS Man-Love Anime Monster).
That be all the knews I have for yeh…except :holds up Draco's booty:
I was able to capture this.
Draco: Dammit I want my arse back!
Captain Slashy: Well yer not gettin' it. I stole it fair and…'eh…round I guess.
Draco: It's part of my anatomy, give it here!
Ron: See what happens when you put people in birdcages:he's still in there by the way:
Harry: Gosh, Captain, if you have Draco's booty, that means he and I can't shag. Then where would this fic- er…ship be going?
Captain Slashy:ponders this: okay, I'll give it back, but yeh have to do as I say. Okay?
Draco: Fine. But give me my booty.
Captain Slashy:returns stolen booty:
Ron: Could I have mine back too please?
Blaise: NEVER:thieves Ron's booty and runs off wielding a sword:
Ron: Dammit:hops after Blaise: