Disclaimer: Oh yeah, JKR gave me the rights to Harry Potter last night so everything is mine now…In my dream last night. MY PLOT! ()() (Be nice or I'll send my rabid bunny after you) (0.0)
Chapter 8- Second Chances
Breathing. The thing that brings life to everything that is alive, yet one of the many things that most people take for granted in their everyday lives.
They had come for her to take her away, not allowing him to go with her in the ambulance since he wasn't immediate family. So Blaise managed to find another way to get to the hospital and was now sitting in the emergency rooms' waiting room, face in his hands, just waiting for them to come out and tell him whether the woman he loved had or hadn't made it through surgery.
"Blaise?"
He looked up and into the tear-stricken faces of Hermione's parents. He got up and just looked at them a moment before enveloping Mrs. Granger as they both let the tears fall.
"What happened, Blaise? Are you ok? The hospital called saying that there had been a shooting at the place where the prom was and that Hermione had been injured." Mr. Granger said after the two in the embrace had calmed their tears.
"I'm fine, just got grazed." He said, pointing to his right side. "I…I don't know how it happened." He sniffed as the three of them sat down. "One minute, Hermione and I were dancing and I…" he paused, not sure if he should tell his girlfriend's parents that the two of them were in love just after five months of seeing each other.
"You, what? Blaise, what did you tell her?"
"I told her that I was in love with her. But I didn't actually get to finish because that is when the guy started shooting into the crowd. When everyone got up from falling to the floor as a reflex, I looked around and there was Hermione…on the ground…" the memory of the sight caused him to dissolve in tears again.
"It should have been me. I should have protected her…I should have…"
"Blaise," Hermione's mom said, interrupting his wailing guilt trip by placing a hand on his arm. "It's not your fault. There's nothing you could have done. What's happened has happened. Just be glad that you didn't get injured yourself. Hermione will definitely make it through this. I think that Hermione wouldn't forgive you if you had gotten yourself hurt also. She's definitely strong enough and has more things and people to live for than you know."
"I know, but I'm so scared. Hermione means more to me than anyone, other than my parents, could ever mean to me. I really can't picture a life with out her. What if she doesn't make it?"
"She will. Don't lose faith just yet."
'They really think she'll be okay. I hope that they're right.' Blaise thought to himself half an hour later after her parents had sorted everything out with the hospital. As he looked around, he saw some of his fellow classmate's parents, including the Malfoy's.
"Mr. and Mrs. Granger?" Echoed a voice, breaking the silence that had befallen the three of them with in the cavernous room, startling them.
"That's us, how's Hermione?"
"Well, Mr. Granger, Hermione's out of surgery, which was a success and she's in recovery. She's very lucky, a few inches to the left or right and she might not have made it. Another account to her survival was told to me by the paramedics. They said that when they arrived, this young man, here," he said, pointing at Blaise, "was applying pressure to keep the bleeding to a minimum. You saved her life, son."
Shaking themselves out of the state of surprise and gratitude when the doctor told them that, Mr. Granger spoke up. "When can we see her?"
"Now. She should be leaving recovery soon. I thought you might want to be in her room when she wakes up which may be in the next couple of hours."
"Thank you, doctor."
"You're welcome Mrs. Granger. Follow me and I will take you to her room. I'm sorry son, family only right now." He said to Blaise as he started to follow Hermione's parents to the room.
"Oh its ok doctor, Blaise can come."
"No, it's alright Mrs. Granger. I'll wait out here." Blaise responded. "You need some time alone with Hermione."
"Thank you Blaise. For everything. Are you going to wait out here or get a ride home?"
"My mom's coming to pick me up. I called her when I went to the restroom before the doctor came out."
"Alright sweetheart. We'll keep you informed about Hermione's condition."
TWO MONTHS LATER…
"…Today is a day that signifies the end of one point in our lives, and the beginning of another. But as we move forward into this next portion of our lives, we must reflect on years past, especially this past year. Reflection has a sense of finality, right after an incident, which can help us move on, to a bright future just waiting for everyone to grab a hold of."
Graduation Day for Roseburg High School was a very solemn affair. When the key note speaker finished, the warm breeze blowing his comb-over straight up in the air, he spoke to the gathered crowd on the football field about remembering those whom hadn't made it past prom, naming them, then adding a moment of silence at the end before remembering the students that were still alive. Blaise was lost in his thoughts when she was suddenly brought back when he heard students being called.
"Cassandra N. Gibbs."
"Jimmy D. Gillante'."
"Hermione J. Granger."
Many eyes followed Hermione as she made her way up the ramps to the stage on her crutches. She smiled at the principal as she handed Hermione her diploma. Hermione smiled at the crowds as her parents and her aunt and uncle, who came all the way from England, cheered their hearts out.
Forty-five minutes later, it was Blaise's turn. Hermione watched her life saver intently with love-filled eyes as he followed the line towards the stage.
"Jesse J. Warner."
"Blaise A. Zabini."
"Stephanie R. Zimmerman."
After Stephanie had exited the stage and took her seat, the valedictorian stood up in front of her fellow graduating class, a broad smile on her face as she began to end the ceremony that was thirteen years in waiting.
"…May we always celebrate life with the loved ones here and always celebrate lives lost. Congratulations, my fellow classmates, we made it!"
With those final words said, four hundred caps were thrown up into the air with raucous celebration from both the newly graduated seniors and their friends and family.
"Well, I guess Congratulations are in order. You managed to make it through high school. If I remember right, you were so afraid that you wouldn't be up to par, but look a you now." Came the unmistakable drawl of Draco Malfoy.
"Congratulations yourself, Draco. I would say the same to you, but you also have seemed to hold things together just fine."
"Yeah, well, what's there to say? We're both stronger than we both thought, right?"
"That sounds about right. Well, I have to go look for my girlfriend before she leaves."
"Good idea, Blaise. Enjoy your time with the girl you love, because you never know when one day she will be gone forever." Draco replied, immense pain evident in his voice as he bowed his head in attempt to hide his weakness from the boy in front of him.
In a split second decision, Blaise closed the gap between them and embraced his old friend in a warm hug, taking Draco by surprise.
"Good luck, Draco. See you around."
"You too, Blaise. Now, go and find your girlfriend." Giving him one last smile, Blaise turned around and started craning his neck over the crowd, looking for the bushy haired head of his girlfriend.
"I do hope that whoever you're looking for is right behind you."
"Most definitely." Blaise replied as he turned around to hug Hermione. "Taking loads of pictures with your friends since this may be your last chance?"
"Yup, and I was saving the best for last."
"I love you, Hermione."
"I love you too, Blaise."
As they leaned down to kiss and their lips met, there was a flash and the sound of the shutter whirl of a picture being taken.
"Oh my God! That was the most perfect picture!" Said Molly excitedly. "You two just have to be the most perfect couple in our class."
"I hope that you plan on sending us a copy of that picture each…Right Molly?"
"Of course, Hermione!"
"Good, because I need to find the most perfect frame…"
"So we can remember, from looking at it, our senior year at Roseburg High."
Fifteen years later
"What are you looking at, Blaise?"
"Just the picture that Molly took of you and I after graduation. Seeing this picture again reminded me of tall the things that had happened that year."
"We will never forget any of it, I'm sure." Hermione said as she wrapped her arms around his neck as he sat and reminisced about everything that had happened. "Are you ready to go to our fifteen year class reunion?"
"Yes, is the sitter here?"
"Yeah, Molly's daughter is here. I had a nice chat with Molly while Rebecca put Jake and Lily to bed."
Blaise nodded in acknowledgement before lapsing into silence. When Hermione noticed this, she put her head on his right shoulder, looking at him.
"Can we visit the graves this weekend?" Blaise asked, looking out through the windows in their living room.
"Of course. I've been meaning to go up there for a while anyways."
"I love you, Mrs. Hermione Zabini."
"I love you too, Mr. Blaise Zabini."
FIN
Well, I hope you liked it, because I know that I had fun writing it. Please review so that I know if I did good to your liking or not. It's like giving me cookies!