Malfoy Magic Chapter 4: Maybe He's Crazy, a harry potter fanfic

All things Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling. The storyline is mine. The tune Crazy by Gnarls Barkley is the backdrop for this chapter and belongs exclusively to Gnarls Barkley. This is not a song fic, it is a chapter born of a song. Enjoy.

Chapter Note:

Draco loves Hermione, but after another extremely egregious argument, the volatile pair has separated yet again and Hermione has said she doesn't want him back. Hermione is accepting dates with Caleb Willis and Draco sits in his flat going crazy trying to figure out how to get close enough to turn Hermione away from Caleb and back towards him. Draco needs assistance and enlists a good mate to help him. It will have to be Blaise to the rescue. M (language) Dramione.

I remember when

I remember, I remember when I lost my mind

There was something so pleasant about that place

Even your emotions have an echo in so much space

Malfoy Magic 4: Maybe He's Crazy…..

Since the traumatic day in November when he and Hermione had their worst falling out yet, Draco had done nothing but worry and fret about how to set things right. He had insulted Hermione and grabbed her by the arm as well. His actions had angered Hermione in a way he hadn't ever seen. Because of this, Hermione had sent him packing making it clear he should stay away from her. Draco had to get this fixed. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Getting Hermione to even talk to him would take a mammoth effort and Draco had come up with an incredibly asinine plan. At some point, Draco knew he would have to answer for his choices and face the consequences, but right now his actions were only means to an end.

The asinine thing Draco had done would be called a brilliant business maneuver if it had been done for business reasons, but Draco wasn't thinking about business. He was only thinking about love. Draco's asinine yet brilliant strategy had been to have his solicitors purchase the controlling shares in a small company which really held no interest for him other than it being the workplace of Hermione Granger.

/*/

And when you're out there, without care

Yeah, I was out of touch

But it wasn't because I didn't know enough

I just knew too much

In the months following his and Hermione's last blowout, witches seemed to sense Draco was a single wizard. Draco had witches waiting to eat with him, lay with him and play with him, but he wasn't interested in any witch other than Hermione. He paid little attention to those queuing up to be with him. From the off, Hermione had been different. Instead of trying to get back into Draco's good books, she had taken her diploma and her skills to a lucrative position at the prestigious company Parisian School of Charms and Potions and never looked back.

Along with her position, Hermione had found an admirer. Draco could not live with the fact Granger was consorting with a wizard while she was angry with him. It was a recipe for disaster to have Hermione angry enough to date some random bloke with no thought to his feelings. Draco felt that one date could have been for distraction, but finding out Hermione had gone on second, third and fourth dates had driven Draco spare and he was out of his mind with worry.

Does that make me crazy?

Possibly

Draco sat around his flat wondering on which date this bloke was going to try to kiss her. He wondered on which date the bloke would try to touch her. He wondered on which date Hermione would touch the bloke. Fucking mother fucking fuck. He would kill someone if he found out this bloke was touching his witch, and he would kill Granger if he found out she was touching some bloke. The worst of it was the tosspot wasn't just some random bloke. Hermione was accepting dates with Caleb Willis, Assistant to the President of The Parisian School of Charms and Potions who held a position of some importance and wielded a bit of clout as well.

/*/

And now that you're having the time of your life

Well think twice

That's my only advice

Willis had been trying to get into Granger's good graces from the first day she walked through the door of the bleeding place. Until their argument, she had been keeping Caleb at arms length. Now Granger was accepting dates.

Hermione herself told him she had several dinner dates with Caleb as friends and it was this admission which had set off their last argument. However, in the past several months, Hermione had already gone out with Willis three or four times. As far as Draco was concerned, that was three or four times too many. Caleb might be getting ideas. Even though Draco knew Hermione was not the type to have casual relationships, he felt at some point she would be exposed to the bloke's needs and that scared him.

Draco sat there remembering the sex he had with Granger and definitely didn't want her having it with anyone else. She had been so hot and their sex had been so amazing. If Draco wasn't so downcast he would have been sitting there with a bitch of an erection just thinking how Hermione hadn't hesitated to touch him and how she had clung to him. Therefore, he didn't want some bloke poking a rock hard erection up against his witch because she might want to touch it.

He had been her first sexual experience and his mind that made Hermione his witch. She belonged to him and he wanted to make sure there weren't any other dicks poking around in what he considered his pussy. Draco was well aware Hermione didn't consider it his pussy. In fact, she probably wasn't considering him at all. That was what kept Draco pacing the floor all hours of the night. His witch was walking around thinking she was single. Well, technically she was single, but she had shagged him and to Draco's way of thinking, this meant she belonged to him. Draco stopped his pacing when he realized his thought process was just going around in convoluted circles.

/*/

Come on now

Who do you

Who do you think you are?

Ha ha ha

Bless your soul

You really think you're in control?

Well

Draco's mind moved from Hermione to Trixie. Trixie was one of those witches who tried everything to catch his attention, but unlike others, she was useful. Trixie's sister Layne worked at Parisian with Hermione and was more than willing to share office gossip with her sister who then spewed it all to Draco. Draco hadn't shagged Trixie, he just kept her around for the gossip she provided and didn't care one iota for her or her private parts. Trixie always had news because neither Layne nor her sidekick Elsa cared for Hermione simply because Caleb had taken an immediate fancy to her after ignoring them.

The first time Trixie relayed information about Hermione, Draco had destroyed an entire room and done so much damage he had to call in a wizarding restoration crew. The restoration had cost him a fair few galleons, but it wouldn't be the last room Draco destroyed allegedly because of Hermione.

The one thing which kept Draco somewhat grounded was the gossips hadn't reported any sexual activity or overnight stays between Hermione and Willis. The lack of this kind of news bolstered Draco who believed Hermione and Willis weren't shagging only because Layne and Elsa were watching Hermione so closely they knew Willis hadn't got much closer than a walk to her door.

/*/

Does that make me crazy?

Possibly

Draco knew he had to get control of the situation before it came down to the point of shagging. If Hermione and Willis became intimate, he would have lost. It was then Draco admitted he had been running around with his head up his arse for too long and needed to make a move. The whole situation was driving him crazy. So, in a moment of clarity, Draco did what any enterprising wizard would have done. He circumvented the middle man by having his solicitors very quietly purchase controlling shares of Parisian. It had been done so quietly that CB Elson probably didn't know Draco owned more shares than him.

As controlling shareholder, all Draco had to do was implement a plan. It wasn't as simple as walking into the company, taking over and firing Caleb on the spot because Hermione would hex him into the stratosphere. He didn't want that. He was trying to get Hermione back not drive her further away. Whatever he was going to do, had to be done quietly…and quickly in order to keep Hermione and the fucking git from going on a fifth date.

Draco knew his way around witches and believed Hermione's next date could be a turning point. Caleb might not get to shag, but he could possibly get to touch skin. It was rule number two in wizard dating 101. A wizard could try to touch skin if the witch was willing. Draco had just made that bullshite rule up, but it was thoughts like that which kept him pulling his hair out. He thought the only reason Caleb hadn't gotten to skin yet was because Hermione did things in her own good time. Draco didn't want that time to come.

/*/

Draco hadn't told anyone except Blaise about his purchase of the Parisian shares and even then he hadn't revealed the reason. As he pondered his next move, Draco realized Blaise was exactly the wizard he needed to help him run a bit of interference. With that in mind, Draco immediately sent an owl asking Blaise to stop by the flat as soon as possible. Then he had waited and paced and paced and waited to hear from Blaise. It wasn't until 11:00 am the next day that Blaise Zabini flooed directly into his living room.

Blaise had taken one look at Draco. "What the fuck man? Are you trying to emulate Mundungus Fletcher? You look like a beggar. What's going on?"

Draco shrugged. "Blaise mate I'm in trouble."

Blaise had immediately become concerned. His mate did have the look of a wizard in trouble. In fact, Draco looked like a wizard possessed. Blaise poured them both a drink before asking Draco for an explanation. "Don't sit there like an arse Draco. If I'm to help you, I need to know exactly what's going on."

Draco downed his drink in one and began his explanation starting back at Hogwarts. He explained everything, especially how his feelings for Hermione had grown exponentially.

At one point, Blaise jumped up growling, "Now I know what our stupid argument in potions was about. You were warning me away from Granger."

Draco nodded.

"Fuck me. How did I miss that?" Blaise sputtered.

Draco remained silent as Blaise ranted. "You're an idiot. So, after you and Granger had the argument you just totally ignored each other for the rest of the year?"

Draco nodded his head again.

The entire last two quarters of final year suddenly became clear to Blaise. Draco moping around ignoring Granger, but sneaking looks whenever she wasn't looking. Blaise cursed his own self absorption. He had been so wrapped up in Pansy he hadn't noticed his friend going through withdrawal. Shite. Sympathetically, Blaise told Draco. "I wasn't there for you then, but I'm here for you now. How can I help?"

Draco then rose out of his funk long enough to remind Blaise of his stock purchase in the company where Hermione worked.

"I remember Draco. How will this help you?"

But before Draco explained the plan he had one more thing to tell Blaise. With a deep sigh, Draco explained about tracking Hermione down and the resulting next argument.

"This isn't good Draco. Maybe Granger isn't the witch for you. Perhaps you'd do well to forget her and move on."

Draco jumped up shouting with spittle flying all over the place. "She and I have had a rocky start, but she is the witch for me. The only witch for me. I require your assistance Blaise, not your judgment. I already have a plan."

Blaise listened and sipped his drink, but said nothing as he didn't need another spittle bath or another telling off. Draco explained the little he knew about Caleb Willis and everything he knew about Hermione and Willis.

As matters became clearer, Blaise realized Draco Malfoy had gone spare because a witch had rejected him and moved on. Granted the witch was the famous Hermione Granger, but Blaise still didn't understand how Draco could let himself get like this. The fastidious Draco Malfoy even had an unwashed odor about himself which really concerned Blaise as Draco hadn't ever been anything but immaculate.

/*/

They had finished the first drink so Blaise got up for refills. "Why am I fetching drinks Draco? Where are your house elves?"

"I've sent them to take care of Malfoy Manor." Replied Draco.

"Draco." Blaise chided. "You need at least one elf here to care for you."

"You're wrong Blaise. I am quite capable of caring for myself."

"Look at the state of you! This is bullshite Draco. You are nowhere near taking care of yourself."

Suddenly out of nowhere, Draco blurted out. "It isn't feasible for me to appear at Parisian but you can."

/*/

I think you're crazy

Just like me

"What? What are you on about? What does Parisian have do with me?"

Draco repeated himself and elaborated. "For obvious reasons, it isn't feasible for me to appear at Parisian, but no one would suspect anything if you turned up there. I would like for you to take a position at Parisian to insert yourself between Hermione and that wanker Willis."

Even though Blaise was a wizard always ready for a bit of treachery, this bit astounded him. "Have you truly lost your mind? I already have a company to run. Are you seriously considering this?"

Draco nodded as he explained, "I don't know what else to do. I can't let Hermione fall into the clutches of that bloke without taking measures to stop him."

For the next two minutes, the silence in the room was deafening. Then, for the sake of his friend, Blaise agreed to give it a try, but cautioned Draco not to expect too much reminding him that Granger wasn't all that fond of his Slytherin arse.

"All I'm asking is you give it a try." Draco replied.

"I've said I'd give it a try, but there is one condition."

Draco stared Blaise in the face waiting for him to continue.

"I will help you Draco, but I insist you take a shower. You stink."

Draco had smiled.

"Don't smile." Blaise retorted. "The great Draco Malfoy stinks. Please go take a shower and we will discuss your need for a house elf when you are cleaned up."

Without saying a word, Draco rose from his chair and headed for his bathroom to shower. To his way of thinking, a shower wasn't too much to ask, especially if Blaise was agreeing to help him.

For the first time in weeks, a genuine smile settled on Draco's face.

/*/

My heroes had the heart

To live the life I wanna live

And all I remember is thinking

I wanna be like them

Mmmm

When Draco returned from the shower, Blaise had a quip ready. "You smell a little better. Not much, but a little better."

Another genuine smile passed over Draco's face.

Blaise also added. "Please get a house elf in here to clean up this sty. What the fuck is up with you Draco? Come on. If your father wasn't already dead, he'd keel over in mortification."

"Leave the bloody dead Death Eater out of this." Draco snapped. "I don't need a fucking house elf Zabini. I'm fine on my own."

Blaise had exploded, "You're fine? You're living in filth. You haven't been bathing and the flat looks as though a bomb went off. You're fine? If Granger saw you like this, she'd vomit then turn tail and run."

That statement had immediately sunk in. "There might be some issues, but I will sort them out straightaway."

Blaise realized that was the best he could hope for and turned his full attention to Draco's plan.

/*/

Ever since I was little

Ever since I was little, it looked like fun

And as no coincidence I've come

And I can die when I'm done

Draco was glad Blaise had finished going on about baths, pig sties and house elves so they could finally get to his plan. His head had been pounding for the past three days because he couldn't stop worrying about Hermione. Well not so much Hermione as she could take care of herself. Draco had a bloody headache worrying about Willis getting close enough to Granger to get into her knickers. The possibility never left his mind and had become an obsession. Now he had a plan to dislodge fucking Willis from Hermione's life and was about to move forward with it.

Draco's plan allowed Blaise to do whatever necessary as long as he didn't touch or try to date Granger himself and managed to keep Hermione and Willis apart. Blaise was handsome, rich and could charm the knickers off any witch so Draco didn't want him trying to charm Hermione. That was not part of the plan. It would be a daunting task, but Blaise was just dodgy enough to pull it off. He'd figure it out.

Blaise shook Draco out of his reverie. "What are you thinking?"

"Alright then. Here's the plan. I'm going to use my authority as majority shareholder to install you as Vice President at Parisian straightaway. You will then have a position higher than Assistant to the President Caleb Willis."

Blaise nodded in agreement. "The plan sounds good so far. I'll need to take some time off from my company, but I have an outstanding staff who will see to everything while I'm off on this lark. I won't worry about that."

Draco was chuffed to hear Blaise say that. "I will have my solicitors draw up a parchment stating that the controlling shareholder (Draco would not be named) has requested Mr. Blaise Zabini be installed as Vice President to insure his investment in the business is fully protected."

And that's exactly what Draco had done. He owled in the request to his solicitors and within the hour received a response. Draco was informed that papers were being drawn up and C B Elson, President of Parisian would be notified within the hour. The message also stated they would keep Draco apprised.

After receiving his solicitor's message, Draco had another drink and relaxed. Blaise, not so much. The more Draco talked, the more skeptical Blaise had become. It was clear that being without Granger had driven Draco over the edge. Blaise was now silently hoping he hadn't agreed to do something foolish. Moreover, he hoped Draco wasn't going to do anything foolish.

/*/

I think you're crazy

Just like me

Approximately an hour later, Draco's solicitors owled him a copy of everything that had been sent to C B Elson. In addition, they had enclosed a copy of the request for Blaise to start work the coming Thursday.

Draco was happy. He was more than happy. He was ecstatic. Blaise was set to step in and separate Hermione and Willis for good.

/*/

It was only Tuesday, but there were things that needed to be done before Thursday. Draco told Blaise to buy whatever he needed and put everything on the Malfoy account.

Blaise bristled at Draco's request. "I have proper clothes Malfoy. Blaise Zabini always has been and always will be properly dressed no matter what the occasion."

"I just want to be sure you are in the best business attire possible," replied Draco.

Blaise didn't make any further comments, but Draco realized he may have overstepped. In order to clarify the plan, Draco next explained to Blaise the do's and don'ts of his vision.

Do keep Hermione and Willis apart when possible.

Do interfere if Willis asks Hermione out.

Do befriend Willis.

Do befriend the bints on staff.

Do report to me what is happening.

That had covered the do's.

Blaise had been pretty sure he knew what the don'ts encompassed, but he listened anyway as Draco ticked them off.

Don't flirt with Hermione.

Don't ask Hermione out.

Don't touch Hermione.

Don't comment on Hermione's hair.

Much to Draco's consternation Blaise had laughed out loud at the last bit. In a thunderous bellow, Blaise shouted. "Don't comment on her hair? Are you mad Draco? Are we back at Hogwarts? I'm going along with your fucking plan because I gave you my word, but do not presume you'll be running my show. I will be there in the thick of it and do as I see fit. If I feel the need to comment on Granger's hair, I will. Understood?"

Draco apologized admitting he didn't know what had gotten into him lately as he seemed to speak without thinking when it came down to Hermione.

/*/

Does that make me crazy?

Possibly

As around the bend as Draco had gone, he still realized Hermione was not his witch…..yet. The fact Hermione belonged to him in his mind only caused cold chills to run through his body. Perhaps Willis was thinking the same way. Perhaps Willis thought Hermione was his witch. The thought of Hermione being Willis' witch caused Draco to sink back into himself once more.

"All right. All right." Blaise stated as he saw Draco slipping back into the blank stare which had met him when he first arrived. "I won't comment on Granger's hair unless absolutely necessary."

"Fine," replied Draco. "With that sorted, there is just one more thing I need to ask of you. I'll need you to familiarize yourself with the inner workings of The Parisian School of Charms and Potions. If you are to be in a senior position, you should know what's what within the company."

Blaise promised he would study up. He made Draco smile when he quipped. "I'll get company information straight from The Assistant to the President."

Draco received another owl from his solicitors informing him that Mr. Blaise Zabini should report to C B Elson on Thursday and either Mr. Elson or his assistant Caleb Willis would see to him.

With the plan now in place, Blaise said goodnight to Draco and flooed home. Draco remained seated where he was and began to feel the stress and anxiety slowly leaving his body.

/*/

Maybe I'm crazy

Maybe you're crazy

Maybe we're crazy

Probably

Draco sat on his couch for the next forty minutes mulling things over. One of the first things he had to do was clear that bint Trixie out of his life. He didn't need her anymore because he would be getting all his information first hand from Blaise. Besides, when Hermione came back, she would hex him into eternity if some slag showed up at his door asking to be let in. If that happened, Hermione was sure to walk away from him.….again.

So Draco had put first things first and sent a message to Trixie. He wrote:

Thank you for your time. I have no wish to see you again so there will be no need for further contact.

Draco Malfoy.

The message sounded a little harsh, but Draco didn't care. He was trying to clear a path for Hermione. Trixie was in the way. She had been a means to an end and they had come to the end. Draco sent the owl straight off then he went to take another shower grumbling along the way. "Malfoys may slip into a funk from time to time, but Malfoys did not stink."

/*/

Mid afternoon on Thursday found an immaculately dressed Blaise Zabini being led around the offices of Parisian School of Charms and Potions by a perturbed Caleb Willis who was upset at not being advised a new Vice President was coming aboard. He had only found out when Mr. Zabini appeared at his office door. Caleb was introducing Blaise to the staff of witches and the witches were just about hanging off Blaise's arm vying for his attention.

When he and Blaise reached Hermione's office, she stood up and came around her desk to greet Blaise. "Blaise, so nice to see you. What are you doing here?"

Caleb was surprised Hermione knew the new Vice President and had been even more surprised when Blaise kissed the back of Hermione's hand.

Blaise could hear a lot of grumbling coming from the direction of the staff when he kissed the back of Hermione's hand. Smiling to himself, Blaise realized there would be quite few opportunities at Parisian for a wizard such as himself.

Caleb, who recognized competition when he saw it commented. "Small world isn't it. How do you and Hermione know each other?"

Blaise let Hermione explain they had attended Hogwarts together for seven years and was chuffed as he watched Caleb's face fall. After Hermione's explanation, Caleb immediately tried to steer Blaise off in another direction. It was obvious Caleb wanted Blaise to go in any direction as long as it was away from Hermione. However, Blaise recognized exactly what Caleb meant to do and his Slytherin roots wouldn't allow any bloke to get the better of him., so he sat down in one of the chairs in front of Hermione's desk.

Once Blaise sat his arse in the chair, Caleb was at a loss of what to do next and had stood there looking foolish. It was clear Caleb wasn't about to order the Vice President around. Caleb had been standing in the same spot for several minutes when Blaise made a statement. "I know you must have work to do Caleb. I'll catch up with you later."

Caleb's only alternative was to leave. However, before stepping out of the door, he reminded Hermione he would see her that evening.

It sounded as though Caleb was marking his territory so Blaise retaliated. "Could you put the engagement off until another time Caleb? CB has insisted I get a feel for the Vice Presidency. I would like Hermione to assist me. CB spoke very highly of her and I feel she will be invaluable to me."

When Caleb made a sound which sounded suspiciously like a grumble, Blaise stood and inquired if his request would cause a problem.

Hermione made a tiny frown in Caleb's direction as she quickly interceded telling Blaise his request would not be a problem. The frown had come and gone swiftly, but had not escaped Blaise's notice.

Caleb nodded at Hermione and Blaise before leaving the office without another word.

/*/

Once Caleb left the office, Blaise asked Hermione what she had been up to?

"I got this position right out of Hogwarts." Hermione explained. "Minerva and Kingsley put in a word."

Blaise laughed heartily as he found it highly amusing that Minerva and Kingsley had looked out for the Gryffindor Princess.

Hermione hit Blaise across the arm without thinking and had immediately apologized, but Blaise assured her they didn't have to stand on ceremony when they were alone. He also wanted to mention Draco just to gauge Hermione's reaction, but decided to wait not wanting to ruin the plan before it even got started.

/*/

Blaise and Hermione went over company business and practices for three hours, after which, Blaise insisted on taking Hermione to dinner admitting he felt badly over the cancellation of her evening with Caleb.

Without realizing it, Hermione walked right into it. "My engagement with Caleb was nothing more than dinner and maybe a drink or two. Caleb is just a friendly distraction to take my mind off-." Hermione didn't finish the sentence. Instead, she went about gathering her robes, wand and purse.

Blaise wondered what Hermione needed to get off her mind. A little tickling in the back of his head told him he already knew the answer. If it was what he thought, he would kill Draco Malfoy, but for now he would play along. Glancing at his school mate, Blaise quietly suggested Caleb seemed to think he had a claim on her asking if she and Caleb were in a relationship.

"You know better than that." Hermione cheeked. "Nobody claims The Golden Girl. The Golden Girl does her own claiming."

Blaise had laughed. He knew Granger well enough to know she spoke the truth.

Grabbing Hermione by the hand, Blaise led her to the apparition point where out of the corner of his eye he could see Caleb skulking around. Just to be arbitrary, Blaise waved in Caleb's direction. "Goodnight Willis."

While Hermione had her back turned, Blaise pulled a smirk on his face thinking Willis is fucking with not one but two Slytherins and would be the one to come off the worse for it.

He and Hermione enjoyed a lovely dinner along with some red wine, after which, Blaise escorted Hermione to her door. "What is your normal time of arrival most mornings."

"I am normally at my desk by 7:30."

"You will be working with me for the next four weeks," advised Blaise. "I will have your things moved to the office outside mine. If things go as well as I expect, you will receive a promotion and pay rise at the end of the four weeks."

Hermione was dumbfounded. "What a stroke of luck. I will do my utmost to live up to your expectations."

"That goes without saying Granger. Goodnight."

Blaise laughed at how surprised Hermione had been. If she only knew, the wizard who loved her was behind it all.

From Hermione's flat, Blaise flooed directly to Draco's flat to go over every bit of the day.

/*/

Draco listened quietly as Blaise went over his day especially savoring the part where Blaise had pulled rank on Willis and squashed his plans with Hermione.

"According to Granger," explained Blaise. "Caleb is nothing more than a friendly distraction." He did not mention there was something or someone else on Hermione's mind because he didn't want his brother Slytherin to cut his own throat in despair. He would stick to the plan and let things play out as planned.

With his daily report delivered, Blaise headed out. On his way to the floo Blaise threw out a comment. "I kissed Hermione's hand. It was in the line of duty, but I thought you should know."

Although Draco looked menacing, his only reply was acceptable. "Thanks for doing this Blaise."

/*/

Blaise's tenure at The Parisian School of Charms and Potions was going smoothly. Although Caleb had been a little bent out of shape to find Hermione moved, he hadn't commented to either Hermione or Blaise. As planned, Blaise continued to interfere whenever Caleb tried to plan something with Hermione.

Blaise began to notice a perceptible change in Caleb's attitude towards Hermione. On the Wednesday of Hermione's second week in training, Blaise followed the sound of raised voices to find Caleb growling directly in Hermione's face. Blaise hadn't heard Caleb's exact words, but the imposing manner he was using on Hermione was unacceptable.

Furious with Caleb over his manner and conduct, Blaise asked through clenched lips. "Is there was a problem."

"There has been a misunderstanding." Hermione quickly replied.

Nodding his head as though he understood, Blaise asked Hermione to return to her office. As soon as Hermione was out of earshot, Blaise lit into Caleb. "You're a fucking little tosspot who is trying to impose his will on a witch and I won't have it."

Caleb had spluttered. "It wasn't like that."

"I don't care what it was like." Blaise snarled. "If I catch you mistreating any of the witches at Parisian, I will have your arse and your job as well." Blaise had then walked away leaving Caleb standing in the hall.

Blaise passed Hermione's desk without commenting on what he'd seen. However, before he could seat himself, Hermione knocked on his door.

Once Hermione seated herself, she apologized for Caleb, but Blaise immediately held up his hand to stop her. "It's not your place to apologize for the prat. He was bang out of order and owes you an apology."

With her face a fiery red and looking as though she was on the verge of tears, Hermione nodded and began again. "Caleb thinks you and I are in a relationship."

Blaise looked away from Hermione in case she did cry. He could duel with the best of them, but was no match for a witch's tears. Then again, he was dealing with Hermione Granger. She may have looked to be on the verge of tears, but none fell.

"You may have been right when you said Caleb thinks he has a claim on me." Hermione admitted."

Blaise who didn't want to get any farther into this particular conversation advised Hermione to go home for the day and they would start fresh in the morning.

Hermione hadn't wanted to go home, but Blaise insisted.

/*/

Blaise knew Hermione felt badly about what had transpired and hoping to cheer her up called to see if he could bring some takeaway around to her flat.

Hermione hesitated for a few seconds before inviting Blaise to come round.

Blaise brought Italian takeaway along with a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine. He had been surprised when Hermione answered the door wearing jeans and a tee which read, Witches Use Wands. Blaise immediately turned on the charm as he stood there in the doorway. "You look good in muggle clothes Hermione." However, as soon as the words were out of his mouth, Blaise had a vision of Draco's scowling face looming before him.

Hermione invited him to come on through telling him to put the takeaway and wine on the kitchen table. Blaise looked around the flat which he decided was a cute little place with just enough room for Granger and perhaps a one-off every now and again. And like before, Blaise envisioned a scowling Draco glaring at him.

After serving the food, Hermione had gone on and on about how good the food tasted while Blaise sat there thinking she needed to get out more often.

They had wine with their food. After they finished, Hermione brought the remaining wine into the living room where they finished off the red and started on the white. After her second glass of white, Hermione was a little more than tipsy when she asked Blaise if he wanted to hear a story.

"Will it embarrass either you or I?" Questioned Blaise.

Hermione had a ready reply. "The story won't embarrass you or me, but it might embarrass Draco."

What? Blaise sat up ramrod straight. The witch Draco loved was going to tell a story which might embarrass him. What the fuck?

/*/

Hermione started even farther back than where Draco had started. Hermione Granger had fallen in love with Draco Malfoy long before the accidental shag.

Hermione began laying herself bare about her love for Draco while at the other end of town the git Malfoy was driving himself crazy because he didn't know how to prove his love for her. Blaise couldn't believe what he was hearing. All this shite was happening because two fucking idiots couldn't manage their pride for two seconds. Blaise continued to listen even though he knew the story back to front by now. He comforted Hermione as best he could (without touching her). Blaise listened as Hermione related how she had tried to forget Draco as he had forgotten her admitting she hadn't succeeded. Blaise listened when she told him she was afraid of ending up an old maid because she couldn't see anyone other than Draco. Blaise thought if he had a heart it would probably be breaking right now, but he didn't, so whatever.

Then, almost between words, Hermione had laid her head back against the couch and fallen asleep. Blaise took the glass out of Hermione's hand, placed it on the table and covered Hermione's shoulders with a little coverlet he found on the back of a chair.

Blaise finished his glass of white wine and apparated directly to Draco's house.

I think you're crazy

Just like him