Chapter Eleven.

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Hermione was sitting on her sofa with Harry, sharing his bottle of Firewhiskey when the floo roared to life and Draco stepped out. The other two expected Slytherins hadn't arrived yet and Hermione found herself inexplicably nervous. She remembered Marcus Flint from school and he had never said a nice word to her, so she was wondering how he would react to learn that Blaise was living with her and that he and Draco were such good friends with her and Harry.

"Granger, you look stressed." Draco greeted.

"Charming." She frowned, "Whatever happened to 'you look nice', huh?"

In truth, she was feeling incredibly anxious and she couldn't discern any plausible reason for it. She found it irritating that her emotions seems to have a mind of their own and she had little to no control over them. She had only suffered anxiety during exam periods, but never at a time when she should be calm. She had no reason to be feeling like this.

"Calm down. Theo and Marcus know that we're all friends." Draco reassured and grinned at Blaise when he entered the living room.

"They know I live here and you're my best friend." Blaise said, dropping a kiss to the crown of her head. "Stop worrying, lovely."

"I'm not worried." She growled, glaring at Harry when he snorted.

She didn't get a chance to tell Harry off before the floo roared again and she turned to see the most attractive man she had seen in a long time. He was tall, tanned and dressed in a fitted dark grey shirt that clung onto his obviously well defined muscles. His hair was brown and brushed back and Hermione could see a slight curl towards the ends. On his face there was a light dusting of stubble and his eyes were the deepest, most expressive blue Hermione had ever seen. And that mouth... Realising she had been staring at the newest guest with her jaw dropped, she jumped up suddenly.

"I'll uh... Be right back?" She stammered, practically running into the kitchen.

Christ. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she was fighting the instinct to run. She was taking deep breaths, trying to gather herself when she heard the door to the kitchen open. Her head was spinning and she struggled to catch her breath.

"What's wrong?" Blaise asked, seeing her fraught state.

Hermione just shook her head and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She felt hands gently press onto her shoulders and they guided her towards the table and into a chair. Blaise kneeled in front of her, taking both of her hands in his.

"Breath with me, Hermione." He said, "In...Out...In...Out."

Hermione did as he said and her breathing soon evened out, though her heart had not calmed at all. She shook his hands off of hers and covered her face. Hearing him sigh, she looked up at him.

"Do not make me give you a calming draught, Hermione." Blaise said as he entered the kitchen behind her. "Why are you so nervous?"

"I'm just feeling really anxious tonight, Blaise." She sighed, shrugging. "I think I might just head off to bed, do you mind?"

"Of course not. I can kick them out if you want?" He asked and Hermione shook her head, smiling at him.

"Don't be stupid." She said tiptoeing and kissing his cheek, "Goodnight, Blaise. Can you say goodnight to... Everyone for me?" She gestured towards the living room and he nodded.

Hermione walked to her bedroom and closed the door behind her, sighing. She had been feeling anxious all night. The stress was weighing down on her and she hated it. Was this a new symptom of depression that she hadn't dealt with before? She had read about anxiety and depression being closely linked, but she hadn't had much experience with the first. Making a mental note to talk to Julia about it on Monday, she crawled into bed and pulled the covers up over her head, tuning out the hum of conversation from her living room.

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"Where'd Hermione go?" Harry asked when Blaise walked back into the living room and took his seat on the sofa.

"She went to bed, told me to tell you all goodnight." Blaise shrugged, frowning, "I don't think she's feeling too good tonight."

"Is she still taking her... uh... Aunty Dee?" Harry asked, realising that she might not want Theo or Marcus, who had arrived while he had been calming Hermione down in the kitchen, to know about her depression and Blaise nodded. "Hopefully she'll feel better in the morning."

"What's wrong with her?" Marcus grunted, never having been known for his tact.

Blaise looked first at Draco who shrugged, then he looked at Harry. Harry smiled and nodded and Blaise knew what he was thinking. Having more people to keep her spirits up would allow her to heal better. Her circle of friends consisted of him, Harry and Draco. Perhaps Theo and Marcus could be good for her. What Blaise knew that Harry didn't know, though, was that Theo had a particular soft spot for the woman, which was one of the reasons he had invited him here tonight in the first place. Perhaps it would be better if Marcus didn't know though...

"Theo? Potter?" Blaise asked and the two looked at him.

He gestured to the kitchen with a nod of his head and got up, hearing them rise and follow behind him. He knew that Draco would know what was going on and would keep Marcus suitably distracted.

"What's up with Granger?" Theo asked, barely masked concern on his face.

"Hermione has depression." Harry blurted, and Blaise rolled his eyes.

"Nicely said, Potter." He sighed, leaning back on the counter and turning to Theo, "But yes, she does suffer from depression. She's attempted suicide before and is on an anti-depressant potion. She's been struggling, basically."

"Why are you telling me this?" Theo asked, confused.

"Because I trust you." Blaise said, shrugging, "And I know that you still harbour a soft spot for her."

"You fancy Hermione?" Harry interrupted, staring wide eyed at Theo who shrugged.

"For a long time, yeah." He said simply before turning to his friend. Blaise laughed at the impression of a fish that Harry was doing. "What can I do to help?"