The green flame faded as I arrived in my home for the first time in many months, I was greeted by my mother pulling me quickly into her arms.
"Blaise, I'm so relieved to see you!" I could hear the stress in my mothers voice, when she let go I could see worry on her face. Narcissa stood just to the side of my mother and she too bore an expression of stress and worry.
"What happened to Blair?" I asked quickly, it was the most important thing on my mind. My father and Draco came into the room from the fire place behind me, Draco moving to quickly embrace his own mother. My parents exchanged quick looks while I waited for someone to answer my question. "What happened!?" I asked again, louder and more impatient, "Where is she?"
"Beauxbatons was attacked." my father said trying to maintain a sound of calm in his voice. "Blair is alright, a little worse for wear, but she is safe." he finished, I let out a breath that I didn't even know I was holding.
"Can I see her?" I asked quickly, attempting to look around for my sister, even though I knew that she wasn't in the room.
"She's in her room, we can go see her now." my father said, but I moved away as quickly as I could towards Blair's room, ahead of the group behind me. When I pushed through the door into my sisters room, it was dimly lit, only a few rays of light pushing through a small crack in the curtains. I sat quickly on her bed beside her scanning over her face to see if there were any injuries that I could see. The nurse must have done a good job because there were no obvious wounds, and she looked almost peaceful. It had been too long since I had seen her, too long since we had really talked. Everyone moved in around me a stood silently a tension easing slowly the longer we stood in the safety of our home together.
"Let's leave her to rest, the questions can be answered in the morning. Draco, Narcissa, please stay, be our guests for tonight." My mother said leading us all out of the room. I stood in the doorway watching my sister sleep, anxious for tomorrow to find out what had happened from her, to make sure for myself that she really was alright. My feelings told me she was fine, but I wanted to hear it from her.
(Blair POV)
I was aware of the quiet of my room before I realized that I was awake, I started to stretch and became aware of a weight pressing down the side of my bed. Slowly I opened my eyes, only to be greeted by my brother's face.
"Blaise?" I questioned groggily, at my words he immediately pulled me up into a tight hug, it was a relief to see him again.
"I was so worried about you. I've been waiting for you to wake up!" he said hurriedly not letting go of me in a hug, I put my arms around his back.
"I'm alright Blaise, I'm alright. Don't worry." I rubbed his back once, smiling at my parents, I finally saw Draco out of the corner of my eye but chose to ignore him for the moment. When he pulled back I finally looked around at everyone, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. the sleep had helped me to relax, I felt refreshed, sore still but much better than I had been before. "Hello Narcissa," I said with a smile giving the blonde woman a smile. She had been my mothers friend for long enough that I was familiar with her, though we didn't talk much, she was a very quiet woman. My eyes moved from Narcissa to her son Draco, who now stood much taller than she, it had been a very long time since I'd really been around Draco. He was taller, more muscular that the wiry kid I remembered, his hair appeared tousled from sleep he must have been up early with Blaise. His steely eyes looked at me with guarded expression, he was, I hated to admit even to myself, handsome.
"Hello Draco." I said finally offering a smile in his direction as well, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly and he nodded at me.
"I'm glad to see you're alright." he said, his voice deep, I could tell he meant what he said.
"Thank you."
"Yes, we have all been quite worried." My father said finally after a moment or two of silence moving closer towards me. "Blair, you won't be returning to Beauxbatons for the next school year." He told me, matter of factly, and it didn't surprise me, it was almost a relief.
"It's alright Father, I figured as much." I told him in honesty, sitting up farther against my pillows resting my hand against Blaise's arm just to keep the connection with my brother, the connection we had both been missing.
"Narcissa I'm glad you could come, I believe we have some things to discuss in my study." Though my fathers words gave nothing away his eyes were easy to read, there was something important, something he didn't want to share me, or Blaise or Draco.
"Father?" Blaise asked, he and father always seemed to be able to communicate quite well without saying much, Father gave him a look I couldn't see, Blaise nodded and the adults began to walk away.
"Mum?" I asked knowing that father wouldn't tell me if he thought it would keep me safe.
"Just stay with Blaise and Draco darling, Lulu will bring you some breakfast wherever you are." She told me, her smile was calming, and though there was a fear behind it, I simply agreed and watched as the three adults moved from my room and out of sight, leaving both Draco and Blaise behind.
"Tell me what happened." Blaise said though he spared a glance towards Draco behind him. "Draco sit in that chair over there." Blaise instructed Draco who began to shuffle that way.
"Wait Blaise, let me get dressed, let me just wake up and then I'll tell you everything." I smiled softly, I saw his mouth press into a tight line for a moment, he never was very patient.
"But…"
"I'm not going anywhere, let's meet in the sunroom for breakfast, I'll be fast." I said, though my move to get up was hindered by pain and I winced at the sharpness of the feeling.
"Are you alright?" he asked quickly moving forward to try and help in some way.
"Yes, yes I'm alright, just a little sore! I'm fine I promise." I said reassuring him, he stood and looked at me warily, he didn't trust that I was better yet and I could tell. "I didn't even get hurt that bad!"
"Sure, sure. You put on a brave face."
"I am brave." I said "It's not just a face." I laughed and he shook his head
"Alright, fine let's go Draco." Blaise stood and moved for the door, "I'll tell Lulu breakfast in the sunroom."
"Thanks!" I smiled standing fully and stretching completely, the door to my room clicked shut and let out a soft sigh, it was so nice to see my brother again. Draco was civil, I knew I had to stop holding his childhood against him but it was a hard thing to do when I'd let my own stubborn resentment stretch out so long and expand so wide. Gingerly I moved across the room to the windows pushing the curtains back and letting the sunlight stream in. My summer holidays had started early, in any other circumstance I might have been pleased, but the circumstances that led to it were not in any way what I would have wanted.
Fully dressed and humming I pushed out of my room and moved toward the sun room to meet my brother for breakfast. As promised I had gone as quickly as possible so they wouldn't have to wait long. Upon entering the sun room, the light came in from all of the many windows, the room was so warm, I had always loved this room, when I was young my mother had often brought me here to play while she read or planned. Blaise sprung up from his seat immediately looking almost anxious.
"For heaven's sake Blaise, sit down. Like I said, I'm fine!" I rolled my eyes though his actions were touching, it was nice to know he did care. As he'd grown older he'd become more like father, less willing to share his feelings. More quiet, and held back, I wasn't sure if it was a good thing.
"Lulu brought the breakfast, sit here." Blaise pointed to the seat beside him at the little table in the sunshine.
"Thanks."
"We're sorry about Beauxbatons." Draco said quickly as soon as I had sat down, it was odd and rushed, he seemed almost awkward.
"Don't worry about it, I don't mind. I don't even remember why I wanted to go there in the first place." I replied smiling widely enjoying the opportunity to be with my brother for a while. I was sure I would be heading to Hogwarts at the beginning of the next school year, which was only one summer holiday away.
"What? Really? You nearly threw a fit to go to that school, if I remember right." Blaise said incredulous shaking his head.
"You do remember right, I know I did. But I didn't have many friends there anyways so I'm not too bothered." I finished pulling the plate of eggs, bacon and toast closer to me.
"Why didn't you have friends?" the question didn't come from my brother, it came from Draco, his voice was rich, deep and quite pleasant. Tilting my head I just stared at him curiously, it was an odd thing to ask.
"That's a funny thing to ask." I finally replied, though I wasn't offended just curious, I was old enough now to try and see past his mistakes, at least that's what I was telling myself.
"I just mean, you're a Zabini, a pureblood, a beautiful pureblood no less, anyone should be lucky to be your friend." he said, I had watched Blaise give him a funny look when he'd called me beautiful, and I was surprised myself, but didn't read too much into it. I was Blaise's picky, nerdy, younger (by barely five minutes) sister, he thought nothing of me.
"Blood status doesn't really mean much Draco, it's what you know, who you are that counts." I said rather pointedly, I hoped it didn't sound rude. Both Draco and my brother stared at me as if I had grown an extra head.
"What are you talking about Blair, blood status is everything. Don't you remember what we've been taught." Blaise said.
"There's more to life than ridiculous prejudices based on things we can't even control." I responded finally taking a richly fulfilling bit of breakfast. I had been so fascinated with my muggle studies class, and had many discussions and thoughts about the pure blood problem. Over my years at Beauxbatons I had reached a point of disagreement with my family assertions of the importance of our blood status.
"I wouldn't say such things around our parents." Blaise said, slowly though not angry, seeming more confused by my words than anything.
"You're wrong Blair, being of pure blood magical descent is everything. My father…"
"I don't care what your father says Draco, you're wrong, it's a primitive notion." I said cutting him off harsher than I had intended, he scowled at me.
"You're just as insufferable as I remember." he snapped, and I grew indignant at his words.
"You're one to talk." I said glaring back at him.
"What's the difference between us and them Draco, really what's the difference?" I asked, trying to prove a point, but trying to be more gentle, I knew I would have to get along at least a little with Draco if I were to spend more time around my brother.
"Our families have had magical blood for centuries." Blaise said matter of factly, Draco nodded in agreement.
"But are you better at magic? Are you some how smarter, or more skilled? Do they have to work harder at it than you do?" I asked, knowing the answers already.
"Where did you get these ideas?" Draco asked, while Blaise thought about my question.
"From myself, from learning, from being around not only pureblood but halfblooded and muggleborns." I said, wishing I could just eat my food, it would be a long time before I could sway their views, if I ever could. "Why do you think the way you do?" I asked.
"Because that's what I've been taught and that's how it's always been." Draco answered but even he seemed to almost question the reasoning, he knew it wasn't a good enough answer. I didn't continue the conversation it was enough for now, enough to just state my point, both boys sat in silence for a minute, no doubt thinking about what had transpired.
"Anyway it doesn't matter, I'm just glad you're safe. Tell me what happened?" Blaise broke the silence in a way that made me smile a smile that faded some as I recalled the attack.
"Well I had just gotten your letter when I noticed people coming up to the castle, they were cloaked and it was dark, it seemed odd but I didn't have any real reason to be suspicious, well except for your weird letter." I said with a pause, he gave me an almost sheepish look.
"Yeah I don't know I just had a weird feeling, I felt like you were in trouble, I don't' know how to explain it. Any way keep going" he said, he and Draco both staring at me intently.
"I heard the screams and the explosions and so I ran towards it, hoping I could help and…"
"You ran towards the screams? Are you serious!? You could have gotten yourself killed!" Blaise exclaimed sounding upset and worried, even though it was in the past.
"I did, more people could have died if I hadn't, you can't run from people when they need help." I said strongly, my hand was quivering at the memory, the fear the adrenaline of the night.
"No you should have kept yourself safe."
"I'm alright Blaise, but it was death eaters. They came on orders from Voldemort."
"AGH! Shut up! Don't say his name!" Blaise yelled, I saw Draco tense at the mention of his name.
"It's just a name, don't be ridiculous, but they almost used the cruciatus curse on me." I said my voice fading out at the thought, their eyes went wide, Blaise put his hand on mine. "The reason they didn't was because I was a Zabini." I said casting my eyes down at the thought that my family name meant something to the likes of death eaters.
"I'm so glad you're okay."
"He's back Blaise, I just know it."
"He's not, that's just crazy talk. He's not back." Draco said dismissing my words, but there was worry in his voice and I could hear it. The way he looked in that moment, a bit of fear in his blue eyes and yet strong still was appealing.
"Maybe what Harry Potter said is true, maybe he is back." I said, at the mention of Potter's name both my brother and Draco shared a look I didn't understand.
"Come off it Blair, it was just a one off attack, we're just glad you're alright, aren't we Draco?" Blaise said nudging Draco.
"Yes we are." he said, I pursed my lips, wishing they understood, or agreed, I just knew Voldemort was back, and while the thought was terrifying it had to be addressed, we had to fight him. The thought that my parents could be sucked back into his circle by force, I couldn't imagine them going willingly back into that kind of hell.
"Will you be going to Hogwarts then?" Draco asked trying to change the subject to a lighter safer subject.
"Of course where else would I go?" I asked turning more of my attention to breakfast, talking now between bites of food.
"How is your breakfast miss?" Lulu asked shyly from the door as another other house elf, Snitch entered into the room quietly, probably to see if we needed anything removed.
"Wonderful thank you, Lulu." I smiled at the small creatures they both bowed low then scurried out of the room with muttered 'your welcome young mistress.'
"You are ever a surprise." Draco shook his head, smiling at me in a way he never had before, it was almost strange. With Draco everything was hot and cold, he could be kind, I had experienced it, but I had also experienced the side of him that I couldn't stand. Though things had hinted there was a gentleman hiding inside of him, deep inside of him. At the lull in conversation, both Draco and Blaise dug eagerly into their own food, not bothering with many manners, their actions made me giggle. They both to looked up at me pausing momentarily from eating the food piled in front of them in larger portions that my own.
"What?" Blaise asked a bit of egg falling out of his mouth as he spoke while Draco had paused with a piece of bacon halfway to his mouth.
"Nothing it's just, well I've never seen you both look like such pigs, really if mother or father were here." At the thought I giggled again, then shook my head and returned once more to my food. After several minutes of companionable silence with the exception of the clink of forks on the plates and chewing noises coming from the boys, we all had finally finished breakfast. "LULU!" Blaise yelled, his yell wasn't meant to be rude, he had always yelled he didn't quite understand that the elves could hear if you when simply spoke normally. The elves would always appear shaking when ever he yelled.
"Blaise." I scolded, "there isn't any need to yell they can hear you just fine." I finished just in time as the elf appeared cowering.
"Y…yes young master Blaise." The poor elf stuttered ringing the small sack she wore, it made me sad to see her in such a state but my parents wouldn't free her and I knew the wrath I would have faced had I tried to give her any kind of clothing and subsequently freed her. Smiling kindly I set my plate on Draco's and stacked Blaise's as well.
"No need to be frightened, Blaise here is just being a moron." I said, trying to calm the poor thing down, ignoring the disgruntled 'HEY!' from beside me.
"Here you go." I told the elf offering the plates stacked neatly together, Lulu stopped the nervous twisting of the shirt and took the plates from my hand bearing a tentative smile.
"Thank…thank you young Mistress." Her words where followed with a crack as he disappeared.
"Do you always have to do that?" Blaise asked sounding slightly annoyed, though I could tell he was trying not to, since the scare last night.
"Maybe I do." I said standing and moving toward the window of the sun room to look out over the grounds. The sunlight shone on the green grass and the trees swayed in the wind it was beautiful, and all I wanted was to be out in the sun alone with my thoughts.
"What are you thinking Blair?" Blaise asked after a moment.
"Nothing, I just want to go outside" I said making my way toward the door to leave them alone with themselves. We'd had a lot of heavy conversation and I felt badly for it. With the time spent at different schools and away it seemed we had almost grown up in different directions, with different influences and it was hard to not notice the disparity between our ideals.
"Blair." Blaise called before I was all the way out the door, I paused looking back at him.
"Yes?" I questioned.
"Don't go to far, don't be too long."
"I won't." I said and then I was in the warm breeze the door shut behind me. Just allowing myself to wander was a luxury that I hadn't had in a while, school was too busy for that sort of thing, and so I wandered until I found myself at the wooden swing that Lulu had put up for me when I was a little girl. My father had been too busy when I asked, or had just forgotten and Blaise and Draco wouldn't let me play with them and I had always sat under the tree and cried, until Lulu put up my swing. She had enchanted it for a while so that no one but me could swing on it. Pictures of Draco and Blaise being flipped off into the grass had be rolling in tears, it was a long time before Lulu let them swing on it, with my permission of course. I had spent countless summer hours swinging and reading by the tree, it was my own space in the acres of land that surrounded our manor home.
"I knew I would find you here." Draco's voice startled me out of my own memories as I sat on the swing.
"How?" I asked, I was less curious about how he knew and more curious about why he had come.
"You always came here." He said slowly, I was a little surprised he had noticed and remembered, he was never here for me.
"I did, but you never did, why are you here now?" I asked.
"I…I….I feel like I need to apologize for the child I was, for how mean to you I was." he said his blue eyes not leaving mine, his blonde hair was tousled by the wind. I watered him curiously, this was a moment that my twelve year old self had dreamed of, though at twelve knew I would have told him to shove off and probably give him a sharp kick.
"We were children Draco, it's in the past." I said quietly looking up at him from my spot on the swing, he had gotten so tall when had that happened, muscular and tall it shouldn't have surprised me but it did.
"Still, I was cruel to you and you didn't deserve it." He said.
"It's alright, I forgive you." I said, "I do want…"
"Blair! Draco! I thought I might find you out here!" Blaise came running up, interrupting me before I could ask Draco any questions. The conversation was something I had needed though I didn't know how much. Draco and I looked at each other shyly for a moment an awkwardness had fallen at Blaise's interruption, we hadn't really ever been alone together.
"I'm here." I responded to Blaise.
"Mother and Father are looking for you, we had better head back to the house." Blaise said then he gave both Draco and I an odd look. "What are you two doing out here together?"
"Nothing." Draco said quickly, I was just remembering the time we pushed Blair out of that swing, Draco said laughing. "Do you remember all the grass in her hair and the dirt."
"I do! I remember the dumb swing always throwing us off too!" Blaise said, Draco had lapsed back into his teasing self. We started to walk back together, and Draco and Blaise began to tease me again, I thought I would have handled it better but I started to silently fume as they made joke after joke at my expense. "You be quiet Draco Malfoy or I'll…"
"You'll what?" he questioned sarcastically
"I'll push you into the pond." I snapped as we neared the pond closer to the house.
"You couldn't if you tried!" he laughed and I had had it and I turned and shoved him as hard as I could. A satisfied smile crossed my face as he stumbled back into the pond a satisfying splash followed his blonde hair being submerged in pond water. Blaise broke into hysterical laughter, and I was surprised at the smirk Draco bore as he came up from the water. I should have seen it coming but he was quicker than I was, probably from years of Quiddich. He jumped out and shoved me into the water as I screamed, the pond water was cold and disgusting, I came up spluttering.
"Anything else to say little pond scum." he said too pretentiously.
"Yes, you're a git." I snapped, "Blaise, help me out!" Blaise reached down and helped me out of the water, and I stormed away followed by their laughter. Draco was the same, and so was Blaise, they would never change.
"My Darling, What happened?" my mother asked both her and Narcissa where looking at me slightly concerned, I was still angry though I tried not to show it.
"Ask him!" I snarled whipping around and pointing my finger directly at Draco, he just smirked tossing his own blonde hair to the side my father and Blaise laughed. Ignoring Draco and the laughter I put my chin in the air and walked into the house still dripping. Once in my room I locked the door and glared at my reflection in the floor length mirror. My hair was wet and brown pond water dripped off the ends down onto the floor. My clothes were filthy and I snatched at some algae that had lodged it's self into my hair.
"UGH!" I let out an exasperated sigh throwing my hands up at that moment I didn't care what I had to do so long as I didn't see Draco again for at least twenty four hours. In my opinion, even with his apology, he hadn't matured in the slightest from when we were younger. Getting ready again took longer because I had to reason to hurry, but once I was satisfied I had no more of the pond left on me I went to find my parents. Blaise had said they were looking for me, I wondered if there was any more news on the attack at the school. Despite Draco's childish antics I was excited to be at Hogwarts with the both of them, I would be safer with them there, it would be nice to be around people I knew, to have friends at school again, if I could call them that. There was so much promise, and yet a shadow seemed to weigh down those thoughts, if the dark lord was back, would any of us be safe anywhere?