A/N: Finally, a chance to update. xx

Hermione watched Blaise as he tried to de-crypt her statement.

He was struggling. She smiled at him wryly, feeling somewhat guilty that she was keeping him in the game.

"Let me get this straight, you want to brew your own version of blue blood? How is that even possible?" he questioned, pushing off the door and walking up to her. She had failed to notice how scruffy he looked.

Hermione suddenly felt stupid for seeking him out.

"I didn't mean to interrupt you and Daphne," she offered, playing with the edges of the rolled up contract in her hand.

"You didn't," he stated dismissively. "Are you trying to avoid my question?" his eyes narrowed.

She shook her head. "No, I'm running on intuition here, it's my only chance to set things straight." His scrutinising gaze was making her second guess her motives for coming here.

"I see you're about as cryptic as a Malfoy. I guess you have every reason to ask me since it was my screw up that caused this...connection...for lack of a better word." His faced scrunched up in distaste. If only he knew what really had transpired between her and Malfoy. "Anyway, who am I to refuse the Head Girl's request?"

Hermione exhaled in relief.

"But, answer me this, are you sure it's worth the effort?"

"Yes," she said quickly, the back of her eyelids filling with images of Malfoy pressed up against her as she blinked. She needed to negate her reaction to him, and soon. She was falling into unchartered territory and she had to get out before she drowned.

"Malfoy's version of blue blood is just that, a version. His blood. The blood of his slave. I want to try mixing my own, except it won't be so 'blue'. It will be the antithesis. My blood." Clearly she had not really given it that much thought. It sounded a lot more far fetched that it had been in her head. Hermione pursed her lips, frowning at her eplanation.

Blaise looked at her like she had grown a second head, clearly not convinced. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't exactly have a slave that calls you master. How do you expect to complete it?"

She paused momentarily, realising she would need to ask the help of a house elf. It went against every grain of her beliefs.

"I think I have it covered," she hinted uncertainly. After all, she was working on a mere inclination, one that had arisen from a figurative loophole.

Hermione glanced at the contract in her hand, the one founded on the l'etat d'esprit potion with his 'blue blood'. It had specifically referred to one particular brew by default. The one they had both taken. All she had to do was create a variation, have Malfoy drink it, and voila, he would be in 'breach'. Ignorant to the truth, he would be forced to resign as Head Boy.

But, she was not about to confess her motivations to Blaise. "Sounds good in theory, I'm almost intrigued to see you try," he interrupted her thought process.

"Almost?" she questioned his trepidation, shifting her weight from one leg to the other.

"Think about it Hermione, do you really want to meddle any further? It could turn even uglier."

"Since when do you consider the consequences?" she retorted, irritated by his uncharacteristic rationalising. My, how the tables had turned.

He shrugged, "I'm not trying to rain on your parade, you have my curiosity peaked, so I'm in. We should probably get started tonight. It's going to take a month. I'll make a start on the potion; hopefully you know what you're doing with the blue blood. We'll need it in three weeks."

She nodded. He gave her a small smile, before walking over to his book bag. He was so obliging, and thoughtful, and such a contrast to Malfoy. He turned to her, confused to see her unmoved and pensive. "Unless...you want to hang out here?" he raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"I don't think that would go down well," she uttered quickly, realising she had been staring. She grabbed the pile of books from his desk that she suspected needed returning.

"Suit yourself, but I'm beginning to feel like you just want me for my brains."

Hermione stiffened and laughed nervously. The Slytherin let out a low chuckle. "Relax, Hermione, I was kidding," he shot her that dazzling smile. Ugh, she was not handling herself well at all. He walked up to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

A slight shiver ran down her spine. She frowned at the reaction.

"Seriously Hermione, maybe you should rethink this whole thing, you don't seem like yourself." Was that concern in his voice? Blaise reached for the stack of books in her hold and took them from her, placing them on the desk as she frowned back at him, unnerved by his sincerity. Her stomach flipped as he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward his bed.

She sat, reluctantly.

"Hermione, if you want my help, I need to know something." He dropped in his book bag and sat down next to her leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. She remained silent, her eyes focused on the poster of Puddlemere United above his desk. She knew where this was going, Draco had probably already told Blaise and he just probably wanted to confirm it.

"Has Draco hurt you?"

"What? No!" she exclaimed, agape. "What makes you think that, anyway?"

He eyed her carefully. "You seem different. And, well...we know Draco hasn't exactly been himself lately, but he's normally more vocal about everything, including his qualms about the Head Girl."

"That's a nice way of putting it," she voiced bitterly.

He gave her wry smile as he sat up. "Draco is expected to act a certain way, you've never had that burden, but lately, you seem...conflicted."

"No, I've just had the burden of my blood heritage," Hermione stood up, irate that he felt the need to psychoanalyse. She was not conflicted.

"Well if you want to look at it that way, Draco is not any different, just on the opposite end of the spectrum," Blaise countered.

"And, you?" Hermione asked flatly.

He shrugged, standing up.

"I'm just here for the ride, but you're being awfully defensive about something that is common knowledge."

"I just don't see how Draco's behaviour can be excused because he is expected to act like a superior bigot, one that struts about like he controls the hallways. That's a load of shit that you Slytherins thrive on." Hermione started pacing, her mind reeling, failing to register her slip up at calling him 'Draco'. "You should've seen how a bunch of fifth year girls reacted to me when I said I had business in the Slytherin dorms, like I had no such right to enter because 'Draco looks after Slytherin's business'," she mocked. "I rightfully earned my badge, but for you lot it's just a meaningless trophy, unless you're the Head Boy." Her breaths were ragged as her anger surfaced.

Blaise remained silent. "So, he has hurt you, then," he stated, rather than asked.

"No!" she yelled, unable to control the fat tears that began rolling down her cheeks. "No! I won't let him!" she whimpered, sniffling as she wiped away the evidence of her emotions hastily. She turned away from Blaise trying to regain composure, ashamed that she had broken down in front of him.

She gasped as she felt his hands on her shoulders, gripping her enough to turn her around, her eyes wide at his determined, yet soft expression.

"Hermione, you've always had my respect, I might not have showed it until recently, but it's always been there, with or without your Head Girl status. As for those girls, they're just jealous, because of that very reason. You are respected." His eyes bore into hers, ensuring she registered every word as his grip on her shoulders loosened.

She didn't know what made her do it, perhaps it was his blatant admission of what she had been longing to hear, but Hermione leant it and gently pressed her lips to his.

She could tell Blaise was surprised, as he froze at her movements. Slowly, he submitted, bringing his hands down around her waist and pulling her against him as she tangled her fingers through his thick hair and granted his tongue access. It was sweet, warm, and comforting. His mouth explored hers with a longing that she was unfamiliar with, his hands trailing down to her hips as he led her back to his bed, sitting down on the edge and pulling her onto him.

There she was, straddling Blaise, on his bed, and he was suddenly kissing the life out of her. She had never felt so emotionally needy as she did right now. There was no potion induced lust to drive her into physical submission.

She had complete control, and it was liberating.

Hermione leaned into him, pushing him onto his back. His mouth was rougher than Malfoy's, his stubble grazing against her skin, as he left her mouth, rolling them over and kissing down her neck, running his tongue over her pulse before sucking gently.

A small moan escaped her lips.

"I've wanted to do this for a while," he murmured against her, as he trailed kisses down her décolleté.

"Do what?" she challenged playfully.

"Worship you," he breathed as he lifted her shirt, planting kisses on her bare stomach, all the way up to her breasts. The thin material of her bra did little to conceal her arousal as his mouth took advantage of her state. He was doing all sorts of delicious things to her body and she was in no state to refuse him, reacting to his touch.

Sparks of arousal hit her abdomen.

Hermione felt the Slytherin's fingers crawl underneath her skirt, caressing her thighs as he pushed the material up to her hip. She was unsure where he was going with this given he was still fully clothed, but he tugged at her panties gently, his fingers curling over the waistband as he pulled them down while he kissed his way down to her stomach once again.

He suddenly broke contact and she lifted herself onto her elbows to seek out his gaze. His mouth was dangerously low to her...well...she was not used to having anyone at eye level down there! She inhaled uncertainly.

"What are you – " There was no need to ask as she felt his tongue tentatively slide its way up to her most sensitive spot.

"Oh," she moaned out loud in surprise as his mouth closed over her nub and he sucked gently, while his fingers teased her opening. She had never imagined having someone do that to her, it was so, well, personal! And, his tongue, the way it curled its way into her, teasing her, drawing whimpers of pleasure from her mouth, it was indescribable!

Her heart rate doubled as her nerve endings reacted to his attentive caresses that froze every thought coursing through her mind. She could not withhold her reaction, and she was certain he would taste it, as her hands grabbed onto the sheets of his bed, and she bucked her hips involuntarily at his relentless pursuit to 'worship' her.

Blaise Zabini had just pleasured Hermione Granger into a state that was almost as effective as being confounded, and all she could do was pant and blush, lying almost paralysed from the release.

Finally, she regained her breath and brought her hands to her skirt, straightening it over her legs in an act of delayed modesty as she caught Blaise watching her from her periphery. He had moved next to her, lying on his side, his head propped up by his hand.

Now what?

This wasn't anything like the aftermath with Malfoy; Blaise clearly wasn't going to insult her, or wait for her to fall asleep before running off. It almost made her feel uneasy, almost. For the most part, she took it to mean that he was not suddenly repulsed by her, or her reaction.

She slowly sat up, fixing her shirt and running her hands over her hair as her eyes caught sight of the Puddlemere United poster. Her eyes stared widely at the door as a horrific, potentially coronary inducing, thought rushed through her head.

"Blaise!" she practically yelped. "Someone might have heard!" The daunting realisation caused an adrenaline rush as she jumped off the bed in flight. She caught sight of her panties on the edge of the bed, and blushed as she grabbed them.

"Hermione, will you please calm down?" Blaise replied casually, amusement written all over his face.

"How can I calm down? Everyone in your common room knows I'm in here!" her face was flustered with panic. Yet, his apparent enjoyment of her state of flux did not dissipate.

He began chuckling.

"Blaise, this is NOT funny!" She slipped her panties on as discreetly and swiftly as possible, praying to Merlin that she would not lose her balance in the process.

"Yes it is," he stood up, his eyes sparkling with thorough delight. He walked over to her, rubbing her arms, trying to calm her down. "You're forgetting one thing. We're in the Slytherin dorms; the muffliato and silencio are standard."

She exhaled like she had just surfaced from a gruelling dive, leaning into his hold as she tried to calm her heart rate once again. Her body was going haywire.

"Seriously, Hermione, I like it better when you don't think so much," he whispered in her ear. They burned up at his innuendo and she pulled back, unable to stare him in the eye. After all, he had just been privy to her most private parts!

"I think we better head out to the library though, don't want Daphne getting all suspicious," he quipped, downplaying her discomfort. She smiled slightly, appreciating his efforts.

"Uhm, is this not kind of...well...weird?" she asked suddenly, as he grabbed his book bag once more, before walking over to his desk to collect the stack of books. He turned to her, the pile in his arms, and her contract on the top. Her eyes immediately focused on it.

"Why should it be weird?" he asked, seemingly confused, as he passed her the books, grinning. She took them from him, and he leaned over and pecked her on the lips.

The simple kiss was utterly endearing.

That thought was quickly quashed by the fact that his lips had been elsewhere only moments earlier. She scrunched her face slightly at the thought.

It suddenly dawned on her. Boys had no issue distinguishing business from pleasure. They did what they wanted, when they wanted, without an ounce of consideration of the consequences. As far as they were concerned, most things were taken in stride, especially if they could be qualified. She frowned at the realisation, glancing down at the contract perched on top of the pile, mocking her. She grabbed it, shoving it in her pocket as Blaise turned his back to her and moved to the door.

Hermione followed him out of the snake den, into the cold common room. She had certainly failed to keep her guard up, the misguided threats of the Slytherin girls blooming to mind as the portrait of snakes shut behind them. She decided it was best not to dwell on this one. There had been an attraction between her and Blaise for some time, and he had acted on it in his territory, which she had knowingly entered.

She should have known better. Then again, she smiled slightly at the memory of it before furrowing her brow. Was it strange that she hadn't felt the need to return the favour, or that he didn't expect her to? She felt the heat rise to her cheeks as a flash of a blonde Head body, eyes lust filled and determined, invaded her mind.

And, what on earth was the heavy feeling building in her stomach, churning like she had just betrayed her best friend?

Ugh! She sighed out loud, earning a look from Blaise who led her toward the Slytherin dorm entrance, in a roundabout fashion, to avoid the clusters of Slytherins moping about.

She mentally scolded herself. 'Be a man, Hermione,' she joked. After all, Malfoy seemed to separate his 'need' for her physically, from his true disposition.

Hermione and Blaise were clearly lost in their own thoughts as they walked in silence toward the library.

"You're not going to avoid me because of what happened?" he asked suddenly. She looked at him questioningly. Shouldn't she be asking him that? 'Ah, the scruples of intimacy,' she thought wryly.

"Shouldn't I be doing the opposite?" she challenged, attempting a light-hearted tackle of the issue. He smiled; she could see a smug satisfaction creeping into his expression. Clearly she had said the right thing, caressing his ego when it came to girls.

She was learning, and quickly.

"Think we can do it again sometime?" She picked up on the mischief in his voice.

"If I didn't have these books in my hand, I'd -"

"Have another go at it?" he teased, raising an eyebrow.

"I was going to say, elbow you, but you never know," she played along. He chuckled.

They entered the library, where she dropped Blaise's books at Madame Pince's empty desk. She was relieved to avoid any uninviting scrutiny that she was with yet another Slytherin.

"Brewing time?" he directed. Hermione nodded discretely as a bunch of third years walked past.

The unexpected Slytherin and the Head Girl were engaging in yet another voluntary exercise. Too bad she had failed to notice the faint red glow of the rolled up parchment tucked into her hip pocket.

Some revelations and some trepidations. Ohh, what shall follow? And, will Hermione be able to get through the month! As for Blaise/Hermione action, don't hate me! It serves its purpose! xo