Quiet Slytherin
"Blaise you are staring again," Draco whispered sharply at his friend as they ate dinner in the Great Hall.
"What are you talking about?" Blaise questions innocently, "I'm not staring at anything."
"Don't play dumb with me Zabini," Draco responds, "You know exactly what I am talking and who I caught you staring at. You may have everybody else fooled but I have known you long enough that you cannot hide anything from my. I am your best friend so do not even try."
Blaise just smirked at his friend but otherwise refused to respond to him deciding to go back to eating his food.
"Mate why don't you just try I don't know talking to the girl?" Draco comments, "In my experience that is a whole lot more effective then pining from afar."
"First of all I am not pining," he responds, "and secondly no, just no."
"So you admit that there is a girl and you were staring," the blonde smirks in triumph.
"Back off Malfoy," Blaise growls back.
"Oh come on mate I don't see what the problem is," Draco says in exasperation, "All you have to do is go up to her and start talking. It is really a very simple process."
"Why do you care so much?" Blaise snaps back, "What does it matter to you? I thought you would be happy that I have decided to avoid her because you hate her and you two are arch enemies."
"I care because you are my best friend and I want to see you happy," Draco tells him seriously, "Sure I have never gotten along with her but I don't hate her. Ok maybe I have claimed to at some points but since the end of the war we have reached a truce. I apologized to her and she decided to grace me with her forgiveness. You have to love the Gryffindor's and their ability to believe the best in people."
"You apologized to her?" Blaise asked in surprise, "When did you do that?"
"When I realized that you had feelings for her," he replied, "And just how strong those feelings truly were. I did not want my past with her and her friends to affect her response to you. So I manned up and swallowed my pride for you so you had better man up and at least talk to the girl. As you know Malfoy's do not apologize but I did for you."
"Mate I didn't know you did that," Blaise said in awe, "I still don't think that I could do that. I just never have been the person to approach people and start a conversation. That has always been you. I'm just the quiet Slytherin. People think that I do it to be mysterious but in all actuality it is because I don't like attention so I hang back in the shadows and just observe everyone."
"I know that," his friend says, "but I also know the real you. The one that comes out when you get comfortable around people and I think that you need to at least try talking to her."
"I don't know," Blaise replies glancing at the girl in question.
"You will grow a pair and talk to her," Draco says with a smirk, "Or I will tell Granger how you feel about her."
"You wouldn't?" Blaise asks going very pale.
"You know that I will," he says with a growing smirk.
"Bloody hell you would," Blaise whispers, "Fine she will be in the library later studying and working on her homework so I will do it then."
"Know her schedule and study habits by heart already?" Draco teases.
Blaise decided that it would be best not to say anything else and settled on just glaring at him as his best option.
Later that day Blaise was sitting at his spot in the library where he was out of the way and go unnoticed as he watched Hermione work. He was currently trying to gain the courage to approach her and it was not going very well. All of a sudden Draco is sitting from him.
"Are you going over there?" Draco questions.
"I'm working on it," Blaise replies.
"You are either going over there right now," Draco informs him, "Or I am. You better make your decision fast."
"Fine," Blaise snaps, "Sometimes I really hate you. Do you know that?"
"Aw, Blaise," Draco says putting his hand over his heart dramatically, "You wound me deeply."
"Bloody annoying ferret," Blaise mumbles as he heads over to Hermione's table.
"Good luck," Draco calls after him waiting to make sure Blaise held up his end of their agreement.
The closer Blaise got to Hermione the more nervous he became. He finally reached her table and decided to just sit in the seat across from her.
She looked up in surprise at the intrusion but at seeing who it was she gave him a cautious and uncertain smile before saying, "Hello Zabini."
"Granger," he replied trying to act calm but is slightly surprised that she even knows his name.
"Is there something I can do for you?" She asks.
"No," he responds unable to reply in anything then one word sentences. He did not know what else to say or do and really just wanted to run away and never show his face to her again. He looked back the way he came and saw Draco watching him so he knew that if he did leave Draco would come right over and spill his secret to Hermione. He finally looked back at the girl in question and she was looking at him confused.
"Oh Alright," She said before going back to her work.
He now felt like an idiot sitting across from her just watching her work. Sure he spent a lot of his time doing this already but she didn't know that and it felt less creepy when he could pretend that he was occupied doing something else. Now he was trapped and did not know what to do next. So he just sat there.
After a couple of minutes Hermione glanced up at him and saw that he was still looking at her. She ducked her head down trying to hide her blush. She had no idea what was going on and why the quiet Slytherin was currently sitting across from her and watching her intently. She was becoming very insecure about his examination.
"What are you working on?" Blaise finally got the courage to ask.
"The essay that we were assigned for transfiguration," she replies.
"The one due in two weeks?" He questions.
"Yes," she says, "I don't like procrastinating."
"Neither do I," he explains, "That is why I was going to offer my assistance if you needed it since I have already finished mine."
"Oh," she exclaims slightly surprised, "Well if I find that I need any assistance I will ask you. Thank you."
She went back to work and Blaise start was again at a loss but at least he made an effort. He looked back at Draco to see if it was enough and if he was free to leave without there being any repercussions. Draco just shook his head with a smile on his face signaling that Blaise's attempt was not good enough for him. He must have been glaring at Draco longer then he thought because the next thing he knew Hermione was trying to get his attention.
"You do know that you don't have to sit here right?" Hermione questions, "You can leave whenever you want."
"I wish it was that simple," he mumbled back.
"Do you two have a bet?" she asks, "Or maybe this is some kind of dare?"
"It is nothing like that," he replies quickly, "I have been planning on coming to talk to you for quite some time actually."
"Really?" she asks surprised, "Then I am glad that you finally did."
"So am I," he responds, "Draco is the one that actually gave me the push that I needed to finally do it."
"Is that why you keeps glaring at him?" she teases.
"Yes actually," he informs her, "let's just say he used very Slytherin tactics to finally get me to man up as he likes to put it."
"Bad mouthing your own house?" she asks with a raised brow.
"While I may be a Slytherin that does not mean I like my own was being used against me," he explains.
"That I can understand," Hermione agrees, "What exactly did he do to convince you?"
"He figured out a secret and planned on revealing it," he reveals.
"Secret?" she asks, "What does that have to do with you talking to me? Do I get to know this secret?"
"Maybe," he replies stiffly, "If you are lucky. Draco told me he apologized to you. I also wanted to say that I am sorry for everything."
"What do you mean?" she asks, "You have nothing to apologize for. You never did anything to me."
"Exactly," he says sadly, "I never did anything. I should have done something or said something to help or protect you but I never did."
"Blaise," she comforts him, "We were kids you didn't know any better and at least you were never one of my tormentors."
He just looked at her in shock.
"What?" she asks.
"You called me Blaise," he replied in amazement.
"Is that all?" she laughs, "I thought something was wrong. Do you not want me to call you by your name?"
"No!" he exclaims, "I mean of course I want you to. I just never expected you to know my name let alone to ever call me by it."
She smiles sweetly at him with a bit of a blush rising on her cheeks, "Of course I know your name. All the girls know the mysterious and handsome Slytherin."
"Handsome?" he said surprised and the smirked, "You think I'm handsome?"
Hermione turned bright red realizing what she had said and started sputtering in response.
"It's alright love," he says with a wink, "I think that you are beautiful."
"Don't mock me," she says indignantly.
"I would never mock you," he replies, "especially not about your beauty."
Hermione became even more flustered and impossibly redder in embarrassment, unsure if he truly was being as serious as he seemed to be. Next thing they knew Draco was standing next to their table.
"Blaise it is not nice to embarrass people like this. Poor Granger looks like she is about to explode," Draco says, "Now you have been taking much too long. Granger, Blaise has had a crush on you for the longest time. Have fun you two love birds."
They both looked at him in shock as he walked away extremely proud of himself. After a few minutes of silence they looked at each other again. Now Blaise had a blush on his dark skin.
Now it was Hermione's turn to smirk and tease him with, "So you have a crush on me?"
He refused to answer or make eye contact with her.
"Well that's good because I like you too," she says with a smile and Blaise's head snapped up to look at her, "Would you like to accompany to Hogsmeade this weekend?"
All Blaise could do was nod his head in response as with his mouth hanging open in shock. Hermione giggled while she grabbed her stuff. She moved next to him and bent to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.
Before she walked away she said, "Always the quiet Slytherin. See you later Blaise."
He was not sure how long he stayed there with a stupid grin on his face. He was still in that same position when Draco came looking for him when he had yet to show up in their dorm.
"You alright there mate?" he asked patting Blaise on the back to get him to snap out of his daze.
"Never better," Blaise replied dreamily, "I have date with Hermione this weekend."
"You are welcome," Draco says.
This made Blaise remember just what Draco had done and his look of bliss turned into a scary smirk promising revenge. Draco decided that would be a very good time to run.
AN: Hope you enjoyed. Please review! I'm not sure if there will be more added. Not sure what else could be added but let me know if you want more. If you liked this story you should check out my other ones!