Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or world, everything belongs to JKR, etc. etc.
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Chapter 3
Hermione wasn't really sure what to think. She'd spent the last few hours being given a full, detailed history on the Zabini line by her "mother", Cassia Zabini. It all felt so right, so perfect. She felt the hole in her heart being filled. But it also felt so wrong to just discard her muggle family like this. Sure, they didn't even know the difference, being obliviated and all, but she thought she still ought to owe them some degree of loyalty...
The Zabini matriarch was nothing like she imagined. From the stories, she'd expected a cold-hearted woman with no morality, but in reality, she'd been born to a warm, yet calculating woman with the deepest of love for her family. From what she'd gathered, none of her and Blaise's step-fathers were ever really in the picture to start with. Even their father was dead. Despite being assured that Cassia had not, in fact, murdered each of her ex-husbands, she thought it best to not ask too many questions on the matter.
In the end, she'd felt oddly at home, and agreed to stay for a week at the Zabini mansion. While they'd been talking, she started noticing distinct similarities between her and Blaise. For one, their identically warm-toned skin. Not to mention their matching unruly dark curls and honey-coloured eyes. Blaise was slightly more tanned than her, but that was probably from the last year he admitted to having spent in the Italian countryside with Cassia. They also seemed to share the same thirst for knowledge, but while hers was more potions and arithmancy focused, Blaise seemed quite drawn to transfiguration.
Around 9 or 10 pm, Hermione felt her adrenaline wearing off and asked Blaise to show her to a guest room.
"I actually had a room made up for you, dear", Cassia said tentatively.
"-And before you ask, Hermione, I've heard about your pursuits and while our house-elves are not paid, they're all perfectly happy and always treated well. Feel free to ask any of them", Blaise cut in.
"That's alright, Blaise. I think I'll just head to bed for the night", Hermione responded wearily. "Could you just show me to my room?".
"Of course", he said, lightly gripping her forearm and leading her out of the main living room, after they'd wished Cassia a good night.
They wrapped through multiple long hallways with expansive windows and detailed decorations before finally reaching a short corridor with 4 gilden doors. Blaise pointed to the first door on the left, saying: "This one's mine, I'll be in there if you need anything. The other three are empty, my friends usually stay in them when they visit over breaks. Mother is in a different wing, so I doubt you'll often see her around this end of the manor". Then, he steered her back around and they walked back around the corner they'd just come from. A minute later they'd come to another short corridor with identical doors, and Blaise pointed once again to the first door on the left. "This one will be yours. If you ever have friends stay over, the other three rooms are made-up and they're free to occupy whichever they like".
Blaise then held open the door for her, and they stepped inside.
Hermione looked around in awe. It was much larger than she would've ever imagined. There was a large queen-sized bed in the center, underneath a large window. The bed was dressed in deep purple satin, with two large matching pillows and a lighter mauve blanket draped over the end. There was also a deep purple ottoman by the foot of the bed, over which a matching set of purple satin pyjamas lay, as well as a purple satin nightgown. "Reckon she thinks I'd like purple?", Hermione joked.
"I think the only picture of you she's ever really seen is the one they put in the prophet from the Yule Ball, honestly. Probably just based it off your dress", he said with a laugh. "She showed the article to me yesterday and asked if I thought you'd prefer pink or purple".
"I think it's beautiful", Hermione said, continuing to look around the room. She opened a door on the right side of the room and was surprised at the expansive washroom that lay behind it. There was both a large bath and a modestly sized shower with deep navy tiling, as well as extensive countertop space and a large mirror. Going back into the main room, she tried the door on the opposite side of the room. This one held a large walk-in closet that was painfully bare, though Hermione would've been more uncomfortable if she'd been supplied with clothes.
"Mum mentioned wanting to take you shopping to fill the closet for when you stay over here, which she said she'd love for you to do whenever you'd like", Blaise said, hovering in the doorway.
"That's really quite thoughtful, but I'll be going back to school soon", Hermione replied, closing the door to the closet and sitting down hesitantly in an armchair by the bed.
"Oh, are you going back to Hogwarts for an 8th year, then?", he asked. "I suppose that doesn't surprise me, knowing you. I'd like to get my N.E.W.T. certifications, but right now I think I'd really be better applied trying to jump straight into an industry".
Hermione looked at him with a smile. They were definitely more alike than she'd ever thought at Hogwarts.
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The next morning, Hermione woke up nestled deep in her satin blankets, to the sound of someone rapping on her door.
"Blaise, wake up. Zabini if you don't answer this goddamn door in 5 seconds I'm coming in", an exasperated male voice sounded from outside her door, accompanied by heavy knocks that almost shook her door.
"Stop-", Hermione tried to say, leaping out of bed and grabbing her wand before the unknown man barged in.
However it was too late, because not a breath later Draco Malfoy strode into her room and immediately froze. He walked in on the formidable sight of Hermione Granger- Zabini?- with her wand pointed straight at him. Or, it would've been formidable if she wasn't scantily clad in a short, purple satin nightgown with her curls haphazardly ruffled from a long night's rest.
Malfoy stared for a minute, one foot in the room, before clearing his throat, "Granger. Interesting to see you here. What are you, shagging my best mate?", he said with a smirk.
"You're disgusting. Get out or I'll hex you into next year", she spat, her wand still gripped firmly in her right hand. "Blaise isn't here, and no I am most certainly not shagging my brother, that's nauseating".
"Your-", Malfoy coughed. "I'm sorry, Granger, did you say your brother?".
"Long story, Malfoy. Now get out".
"Gladly. I like the purple by the way", he said with another smirk. Hermione turned a furious shade of red as she watched Malfoy turn on his heel and leave, shutting the heavy, gilden door behind him. A few minutes later she heard loud knocking and shouting once again, this time presumably on Blaise's actual door, as it definitely was not on her own.
She forced herself to breathe, calming her nerves and setting down her wand. That was not the way a girl wanted to wake up after the couple of days Hermione had had. Figuring this was as good a time as any to get dressed, Hermione pulled on the flowy summer dress and sandals that the house-elves had presumably delivered during the night.
Walking into her in-suite washroom, she gave herself a once-over in the mirror. Her hair had evened out somewhat over the years, with the correct products and spells. It was no longer as frizzy, but definitely just as curly and untamed as it had been in her first year. She tried to pin a few pieces back with yesterday's pins, hoping to look somewhat presentable.
After washing up, Hermione stepped out into the hallway warily. She hoped Malfoy had left. Blaise had poor taste in friends. Oh Merlin, my friends, she thought to herself. In the hustle and bustle of the previous day's events, she'd never even thought to tell her friends what was going on. They probably had no idea anything was out of the ordinary. As she walked down the corridor, trying to find the dining room for breakfast, she promised herself that she would try to owl them today.
With a quick look around, Hermione realized she was doing a poor job of finding where she was going. With a sigh, she turned around and tried to at least find her way back to her room. A few seconds later she managed to find what looked like Blaise's hallway, and smartly knocked on the door. "Blaise? Are you in there?".
"Come in", she heard Blaise call from somewhere inside. She pushed open the door to find a very disgruntled-looking Draco Malfoy sitting with her brother in a pair of armchairs by his bed. Blaise's room seemed to be very similarly done-up to hers, but in a deep navy blue. He also had assorted books and knick-knacks resting on the shelves. "Hermione, I heard you had a bit of a run-in with Draco… I'm sorry, he's a right twat and still has trouble finding my room in the manor".
"Well if every corridor didn't look the same in this blaster manor, maybe I wouldn't have to go barging in on random mud- witches", he said angrily, catching himself from saying the word he'd said so many times when they were in school.
Hermione angrily bit back a retort before Blaise cut in...
"May I remind you, Draco, that my sister is not, in fact, a muggle-born, and if you ever call her that disgusting word you so nearly said, I will curse your bits off and throw you out of my home", Blaise said sharply. Hermione looked at him in mild surprise. She knew he'd never been one of the Slytherins that harassed those of less "pure" blood, but she didn't know he particularly cared one way or the other.
I suppose he could also just be protecting me, she thought. Either way, she was rather satisfied with his response, and also with Malfoy's admonished look.
"My apologies, Granger. I- My behaviour this morning has been unacceptable and your mother would be ashamed to see it in her home", Malfoy said with a surprising level of sincerity, as he looked her directly in the eyes. Was it possible that he'd matured in the last year she hadn't seen him?
"Blaise, would it be possible to obtain breakfast? I'm rather hungry", Hermione said, breaking away from eye contact with the sharp blond and turning her attention to her brother.
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A couple of hours later, Hermione found herself in Paris, of all places, shopping for a new wardrobe with her mother. Dra- Malfoy had left shortly after they'd gone down for breakfast, and she'd gladly accepted her mother's offer to get her mind off of things.
"Ms. Zabini, thank you for this trip, I know how hard it can be to travel internationally through the ministry lately", Hermione said, giving her mother a warm smile.
"Hermione, dear, please call me mum. I'd really like us to get to know each other better before you and Blaise leave for school", her mother replied somewhat sternly. "And this outing has been my utmost pleasure. I haven't been shopping in too long, and Blaise was never one to have much interest in it".
"Mum, is Blaise close with Malfoy- Draco, I mean, not Lucius…?, Hermione asked tentatively.
"Oh yes, Draco's a lovely boy, always hanging around the manor. He's had a difficult home life, especially with Lucius in Azkaban now, and Narcissa so cooped-up. She was ordered to stay in the manor for one year following the final battle, you know", her mother replied, with a curious glance. "Is he causing you trouble, dear?".
"No, he's been fine… We just had a rough history in school, I guess you could say", Hermione responded.
"Draco has changed a lot since he was a boy. Consider giving him a chance to show he's not as close-minded as he once was", she said knowingly. "A war can change a man, you know".
With that, the two women entered a small Parisian boutique and the conversation was shelved for another time.
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