Chapter Eight
"You're right…I know…are you ready?" Hermione said, standing up.
"Yeah…I have everything. They should get here soon," Blaise said, putting his backpack
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Hey…I thought you guys were getting along?" Blaise said, pulling out his wand.
"Which guys?" Hermione said, brandishing her wand. The cauldron appeared on the table, and a flame was lit underneath.
"You and them. Parkinson, Colesone, Mirtasa…and Malfoy."
Hermione snorted. "It's impossible to get along with a Malfoy. You of all people should know that."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Blaise said, locking his eyes on hers. Hermione looked at him harshly. His eyes flashed.
"You know quite well Blaise. I don't know what happened between you two, but he told me the truth, alright?"
"The truth about what, Granger? Enlighten me."
"About the fact that you aren't really friends. Look, it's not my business, and I am only going to ask once. What happened? Everyone thinks you two best friends. He says it's not true, and you said the only reason you talked to him is because he is the most intelligent guy around. What is the truth?" Hermione asked.
"The truth?" Blaise said. He became silent. "Don't act as if you don't know the truth Hermione. Don't act like you don't hear what people say about my family and me. Malfoy, well he's right for once in his pathetic life. We aren't friends, we never were. We grew up together, and he was jealous. He knew what I was – what I am! And he wanted it. But he couldn't have been more wrong! No one deserves this; no one who has this…this damn diseasewants it! I want to be rid of it. I'm sick of people pretending to know who I am, or what I am, or what the hell I've gone through. So stop pretending, Hermione. You know what I am!" Blaise yelled. Hermione's eyes were filled with tears. He had moved towards her, and she back into the wall.
"I – I don't! I don't know what you are Blaise. Why don't you just tell me?" she whispered, tears falling down her face.
"Because! Damnit, Granger…" he stopped. "Because everyone who finds out turns away. Because everyone who realizes what they are dealing with never wants to see me again. And those who do not shun me want what I have, without even knowing the hell it brings. I am not normal Hermione. I am not just a wizard."
Hermione looked at Blaise with tear-filled eyes. "Then what are you?" she whispered.
Blaise looked at her for a very long time. "I – I…I am a…a Sortiarmus." Hermione's eyes widened.
"You…you can't be. The last of the Sortiarmus died in the First War. That was over five hundred years ago…" Hermione trembled.
"No…no. That's where everyone is mistaken. Three survived. And I am one of their descendents. I'm sure you know, Hermione. The Sortiarm powers are instilled in every other generation. Once my parents realized what I was, they refused to have any other children. They were quite reluctant to send me to school knowing…knowing what I could do. But I had to be educated. They wanted their life for me; the life of the Dark Side. The life they had. But as soon as I was old enough, when I realized what that meant, I declined. My parents disowned me when I was thirteen. I am no longer their son or heir. But not that it matters. I have more power in my finger than both of their wands combined. After we graduate Hermione, no one will ever see me again. Voldemort will not find me, because I am more powerful than he thinks. He wants me on his side. But I am on no ones side. I am going to vanish, I am going to disappear and when I die, the Sortiarmus shall die with me. My parents may have rejected me, and I may not be their heir, but I am the last remaining heir of the Sortiarm. The clan will perish with me." He laughed cruelly.
"You can't do that Blaise. You can't just disappear, and never be seen again! It's –It's not fair. Not to the people who…who…who care about you. You don't have to join the Dark Side! You could be good, Blaise. You could use your powers to help our side! You'd be remembered as the one good Sortiarmus! Don't you understand?" Hermione said, tears falling steadily down her face.
"DAMNIT HERMIONE!" Blaise yelled. "Don't you understand? I am not safe here, in this world, where they can find me. As powerful as I may be, I am no match for Voldemort's methods! He has ways of making you do things that you don't want to do. He can make me do his bidding, regardless of my powers. I cannot stay here. As long as I do…the longer I do, the people I care about aren't safe…" Blaise looked at her grippingly. "You're not safe…" he whispered.
Hermione, who had been looking down this entire time, looked up. Her eyes looked with his. Another tear streamed down her face. Blaise lifted his hand and wiped the tear away. His hand lingered on her cheek. He pushed her hair behind her ear, and his hand moved down to just below her jaw. Hermione was vaguely aware that she was gripping his other hand. Blaise moved forward until his lips touched hers. Hermione felt her entire body go numb. She had never felt anything like this before. She suddenly became aware that she had released Blaise's hand, and the fact that it was now on her waist. She put her hand on his shoulder. Blaise pushed her gently further against the wall and deepened the kiss. Hermione's mind had frozen. She could not think, and little did she know that she was having the same affect on Blaise. She felt Blaise's hand on her side, just a little under her shirt. Removing her hand from his shoulder, she took his hand again and broke the kiss.
"I'm sorry –" he whispered.
"Don't be. Please…don't be," Hermione said, smiling at him.
Blaise looked at her. She was perfect. He leaned forward again and placed a sweet, lingering kiss on her lips.
"They'll be here soon," Hermione said, while his lips were still on hers.
"I don't want them to come," he said in a joking whine. He put his forehead on hers.
"They are going to come regardless," she giggled.
"I know," he sighed. "But I still don't want them to." And just as he leaned over to kiss her again, the portrait opened and in clambered Draco Malfoy.
Luckily, Blaise moved away fast enough that Draco didn't see their position. Hermione was now standing slightly behind Blaise, her hand still in his. She squeezed it and gently let it go. Blaise glanced at her quickly, a smirk playing across his face.
Draco looked between Hermione and Blaise, but noticed nothing. Pansy, Juliette, and Freddie clambered in behind him. Each already had their wand drawn.
Hermione circled around the small coffee table they were using. She took her place next to the cauldron. Draco approached and lit the fire under the table, which already had a hole in it for the flames. Blaise had somehow maneuvered himself and was standing next to Hermione now. While the other four were preoccupied opening the books and taking out the ingredients, Blaise gave Hermione's free hand a quick squeeze, resulting in her giving him a falsely sharp look. And so it went for the rest of the evening; Hermione would look up to find Blaise staring at her and then quickly look away. He would grab her hand for a brief moment and then let go as she was pouring in some unidentifiable liquid, or run a finger across her back as she softly said an incantation, causing shivers to run down her spine. It was a tantalizing game he was playing, but Hermione found it adorable. Occasionally she would steal a glance at him as well. Once, as she looked up from the book, she took a moment to look at him. His dark bangs just barely swept the top of his tan forehead. His blue eyes were illuminated by light of the fire, so the flicker he had usually had was magnified immensely. He looked somewhat angelic. Hermione's heart nearly stopped as an emotion she had never felt surged through her body. But it was gone as soon as it had come, and Hermione looked back to the book. Each member of the team was reading a book that was relevant somehow to the creation of this highly complicated potion. There were books on the incantations, books on the ingredients and their origins, why certain things were needed, and books on when to add them. Each element that went into making the potion had been carefully scattered into twelve books that the five Slytherin students had somehow managed to get a hold of.
"We have to add the phoenix tears and the boomslang skin," Juliette said suddenly. Everybody looked up. The potion was pulsating in a dark green color. She was right.
"Who has the incantation book?" Draco said quickly.
"I do. I'll do it," Blaise said, standing up and positioning himself over the cauldron. Juliette handed Hermione the pipette filled with the tears while she pulled apart to shreds of the boomslang skin. On the count of three, the girls dumped the ingredients into the bubbling tub. Hermione looked up at Blaise expectantly.
He smiled quickly at her and looked back down at the book. Hermione stared back into the liquid. Blaise read for a moment, pointed his wand at the cauldron, and then spoke. "Is quisnam imbibo is vadum non vigoratus is mos subsisto in eternus poena suus mens mos abolesco quod suus tergum mos exuro in abyssus."
Hermione looked back up at Blaise and then all the color drained from her face. The severity of the incantation had not hit her until now. And now might be too late.
His eyes had grown dark.
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He who drinks this shall not heal he will remain in eternal pain his mind will vanish and his skin will burn in hell (I think LOL)
Hey guys sorry I took so long! It wasn't writers block…just laziness )
LunaLovegoss: They might be about Blaise…they might not be. I wont ruin that one. LOL
Kneeling roses: haha…loser! LOL…hope you like this one too.