Hey guys! Um, still no song requests, *cough,awkward,cough*, so please please please could you recommend some songs for me. For now, just listen to Viva la Vida by Coldplay because it's my favourite song ever. Thanks to Malibu Baybreeze, I know you are looking forward to the plot unfurling its lovely petals, so just hang in there! Because I have got a hell of a plot planned out. If you look carefully in this chapter, very carefully, you might find some hints. This chapter is in Blaise's POV, and I am very much looking forward to you all meeting the new character in this chapter, it's going to get exciting! Please leave a review or PM me or something, and I hope you enjoy the story! BTW, there are some dark bits coming up.
Beep-beep, beep-beep, beep-beep
Blaise was woken suddenly by the harsh blaring of his alarm clock. Grunting, he rolled over and buried his head in his pillow, wishing the alarm clock would spontaneously combust. When logic returned to his sleep-addled brain, he realised that this was not going to happen.
He turned over and slammed his fist down on the offending alarm, causing it to fall over. He swiftly buried himself down into the duvet once more and tried to return to sleep. The only consolation was that he knew Draco would be going through this as well.
Ten minutes, Blaise had almost succeeded into falling back to sleep when loud barking woke him up again.
Damn, I forgot Lucius' habit of ensuring Draco got up.
Lucius owned several hounds, more like wolves really, that he would take around the estate on horseback to exercise. Before that, though, his two favourites were trained to run up and down Draco and Blaise's corridor barking their heads off.
They were called Perseus and Hercules after Greek demigods, and they were very ferocious indeed. Not to people they knew- they were like kittens to people they liked. No, it was strangers and intruders that they turned on, transforming into ferocious wolves.
They were massive, bigger than ordinary wolves with russet fur and green eyes. They were an exclusive breed to the Malfoys, bred to be hunters, guards, protectors and friends. They both liked Blaise, and he liked them.
He thought of Hermione, and wondered if she would like them. She probably would, but she seemed more like a cat person. She would soon meet them.
He lay staring at the ceiling, listening to the barking. Suddenly it changed to menacing growling which was accompanied by a startled feminine shriek.
"Shit!" Blaise swore and leapt out of bed. Perseus and Hercules had not yet met Hermione, meaning that they would treat her as a criminal.
Dashing into the hallway he saw a terrified Hermione backed into the wall staring at the two massive dogs that came up to her waist. She was in a defensive position, but karate wouldn't do much good against two wolf-dogs trained to kill.
"Hercules! Perseus!" he yelled at them, "Sit you bloody hounds!"
They immediately turned to Blaise and sat down, wagging their tales. Blaise smiled apologetically at Hermione.
"Guess you haven't been properly introduced to the beasts; sorry about that."
Hermione let out a breath and eyed the dogs cautiously. "They won't do that again, will they?" she asked hesitantly.
"Nah, we just have to show them you are part of the 'pack'. Approach me slowly."
She did as she was told, edging carefully around the two dogs who were growling low at her. When she reached Blaise, he held his hand out to her.
"Shake it firmly, that will show them you aren't a threat. Then hold a hand out palm up for them to sniff, they should be fine after that."
She nodded and shook his hand, and then held her hand out cautiously for the dogs to sniff. They did, and then they had they looked up at her with wagging tails and tongues lolling out of their mouths in doggy grins.
Blaise chuckled, "They go from puppies to wolves in an instant! That one with the white-tipped tail is Hercules and the one with the black-tipped ear is Perseus. Boys, this is Hermione." He said, gesturing to her.
They looked at him with such seriousness in their eyes that Blaise heard Hermione giggle and reach out to pat them on the head. "Do you like dogs?" he asked her.
"Yes," she replied, "but I prefer cats to be honest. But I still think dogs are interesting. What breed are these?"
"They are a mix of wolf, Alsatian, Collie and some other things. They have been bred for centuries and are unique to the Malfoys. They are used for hunting and guarding mostly, but I think Lucius likes the 'manliness' of owning them. Where is he anyway?" he asked, turning his head around. Lucius should have taken them out by now.
"Don't know," replied Hermione, "but it would have been nice of him to warn me in advance about those brutes; they nearly scared me to death with all their barking!"
"They're trained to do that, it's to make sure Draco and I get up. Doesn't usually work, If I hadn't heard you I would have probably gone back to sleep!"
Hermione smiled shyly, "Thanks, by the way, I have no experience with dogs!"
Blaise grinned at her and slung an arm around her shoulders. "No problem! Come on; let's enlist their help getting Draco up!"
He led them to Draco's door, motioning for them to be very quiet. With an evil grin, he told Hermione his master plan. "Okay, here's what we will do. I will open the door very slowly whilst you hold the dog's collars. When I tell you to, release them!"
Hermione nodded and held on tightly to their collars watching as Blaise edged the door open. The room was dark and he could just make out the shape of a person in the bed.
"Okay… Now!" he whispered and Hermione released the hounds. They immediately sprinted into the room yapping and leapt on the bed. There was a startled shriek and the sound of a body hitting the floor with a thump.
Blaise and Hermione ran to the side of the bed to see a very astonished Draco twisted in his sheets on the floor with two massive dogs clambering all over him.
"Bloody hell Zabini! Do you want to give me a heart attack?" Draco yelled shoving the dogs off of him and struggling to stand up. Blaise grinned at him.
"Come on Malfoy, it was bloody funny! Look, even Hermione is laughing!"
It was true; she was trying very hard not to burst out laughing. Under an angry gaze from Draco, she gave an awkward cough. "Sorry, but that shriek should have been caught on camera!"
He glared at her even more furiously, causing Blaise to chuckle. His friend was too easy to rile up. "The whole 'angry stare' thing doesn't very well work with hair like that, Malfoy."
Draco's appearance was very disgruntled; he was bare-chested with a pair of rumpled black slacks and his hair was sticking out at very odd angles.
"What I want to know," Blaise continued, "is how someone with such carefully done hair during the day can have bed hair like that!"
"Piss off, Zabini!" Draco grumbled, shoving Perseus to the side.
"It's not nearly as bad as my bed hair," Hermione said, "it looks like bed hair during the day!"
"True, but it suits you. Malfoy here looks ridiculous with even a single hair out of place. What I really wish to see, though, is Lucius with bed hair!"
They all giggled at the mental image of the cool, composed man with messy.
Walking over to the curtains and yanking them open, Draco spoke, "I'm his son, and even I don't know what it looks like! Would give away everything to see it, though."
"It has to be hereditary; maybe we should hide a camera in your parents' room and see!" Blaise sniggered, turning to Hermione. "What about you, Hermione? Did that monster on top of your head come from your Mum or Dad?"
Hermione suddenly stiffened and stopped laughing, looking as if she was deep in thought. "My Mum or Dad," she echoed softly. Blaise looked at Draco seeing if he knew what was going on, but he just shrugged. Blaise realised he must have struck a nerve and he quickly tried to smooth it over.
"Wouldn't be surprised if it came from a caveman! Do you even use conditioner?" he teased her lightly, hoping that she wasn't too upset.
She snapped out of her quiet demeanour and mock-frowned at him, "Of course I do! And you, Blaise Zabini, are the only caveman here! Now, before I was so rudely interrupted by those wolves, I was on my way to the library. I think I shall go there now. I'll see you later."
She walked towards the door, but briefly turned back; "Oh, and Draco, put a shirt on." She left.
Draco chuckled lowly, "You do realise, Zabini, that by 'put a shirt on' she was really complimenting my excellent physique!" he puffed his chest out and smirked at Blaise.
Blaise rolled his eyes and chucked a pillow at his friend. "We might have to buy your ego some bigger clothes, it really is getting fat!" Blaise dodged a pillow flying at his head and put his hands up in defence.
"Alright, alright! I take it back!" he said.
"Seriously, though," Draco said pulling on a shirt, "does anything about Hermione strike you as suspicious?"
Blaise shrugged, "No, not really, what makes you think that?"
Draco frowned and chewed his lip in thought, "She has first-rate fighting skills, she knows multiple languages, she has a glowing report from Beauxbatons and she won against my father in a battle of wits. She just seems too perfect. And she clammed up when you mentioned her parents, what's that about?"
Blaise shook his head; the only other competent female Draco knew was his mother. "I think you're over-thinking it, mate. She might just be a bit of an over-achiever. As for her parents, both of us know what family problems are like. What makes her any different?"
Sitting down in a chair, Draco rubbed his chin in thought, "I was always taught not to trust the perfect; it's always too good to be true. She's smart, pretty, witty and knows how to hold her own in a fight."
"Same could be said for you, Malfoy. You're so pretty, your identical twin is Barbie."
"Poor, Zabini, I expect better insults than that."
"Seriously though, she's everything you are in a slightly smaller package. You just don't know 'ideal' comes in female packages as the only other females you know are silly air-heads."
Draco snorted, "True. I guess you're right about Hermione. If you think she's so 'ideal' why don't you make a move on her?"
Blaise chuckled and threw a pillow at him, which he swiftly returned. "I knew this would creep into the conversation at some point. She's not really my type; I prefer the real firecrackers. She strikes me as more your type, why don't you make a move?"
"She is a firecracker, she just downplays it. And as for making a move, I have a girlfriend remember!"
Blaise scrunched his nose in distaste, "Pansy isn't a girlfriend, she's an accessory your Dad picked out for you. All boobs and no brains."
"Boobs are good…" Draco defended weakly, causing Blaise to snort.
"Please, we both know you despise Pansy. She does have a nice rack, but she has no idea how to use it tastefully. The whole thrusting her nipples out in a tiny top is hot for about five minutes, and then it just looks cheap. I have more taste than that Draco; I like a woman who manages to be subtle. So do you."
Draco shook his head, "You know me better than I know myself. For a girl with high breeding, you would think she had some classiness."
"Tell me about it, it's like she were a common whore."
"You really don't like her, do you?"
"No, of course I don't."
"So you won't be too mad if I say she's coming later for afternoon tea?"
Blaise groaned and sat down, shoving his head in his hands. His day was looking very bleak indeed. Why Draco didn't just ditch Pansy, he really didn't know.
"Why?" he mumbled, glaring at Draco.
"I didn't know what to expect with the whole tutor thing. If it ended up being somebody awful; a quick shag might have helped ease the frustration. Wasn't expecting Hermione to be so… well, good."
Blaise sniggered, "Bet you're really regretting inviting Pansy over!"
"Piss off, Zabini!"
Blaise was walking down the hall to the library after having gone riding with Draco. He planned to do some reading before Hermione's lessons started, maybe that would help take his mind off of Pansy.
He remembered Draco's suspicions of Hermione, and somehow they were making a bit more sense to him now. It was odd how she had gone all quiet when he had mentioned her parents. It was similar to how he reacted when asked about his parents.
He suddenly stopped, realisation hitting him like a ton of bricks. Could it be possible that he and Hermione shared a, similar, background?
When Blaise was about seven, eleven years ago, his father suddenly became abusive and cruel towards his mother. The screaming would keep him up for hours at night, and only when he heard the slamming of the front door would he go to his mother.
She was always curled up in a ball on the floor, surrounded with blood, glass and ripped clothing. He would always hold her close, silently promising that one day he would do something about it. He couldn't have called the police, as his father was in not-so-legal job and if he went down; he would have taken his mother down as well.
He tried to stop him when he was nine. The screaming was louder than usual and he had ran into his parents' bedroom and tried to fight his father off of his mother. He was not strong enough, and he had the scars to prove it.
He decided to start training to fight; he knew Draco was as well. For years he perfected his fighting skills, until he decided he was ready.
One night when he was fourteen, just as the screaming began; he marched into the room and did what had to be done in order to save his mother. It had worked; and his mother was free.
He wondered if Hermione had been in a similar position to him, or even worse, a similar position to his mother. It would explain her fighting skills and her want to lose herself in books.
Turning around, he decided to voice his concerns to Draco.
He arrived in the living room, where Draco was, and related his worries to him in a hushed tone.
Draco frowned, and shook his head, "It would make sense, but I don't think so. I haven't seen any scars or anything on her; and she's too nice. People who have experienced abuse either become quiet and introverted or try to escape the memories by running to the four corners of the earth, like your…" Draco paused, and eyed Blaise apologetically.
Blaise painted his features into a carefully controlled mask and glared at Draco. "Like my Mother."
Since Blaise was fourteen, his mother would randomly go on a holiday for months on end without so much as leaving a note. Apart from the occasional postcard and odd birthday present; Blaise hardly ever saw his mother.
"I think it's a bit of an extreme theory, mate. I can see why you would think that, but I don't think it really fits."
Blaise nodded, "I suppose you're right, but let's just be careful what we say to her.
"Agreed. Why don't we go-" Draco was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing.
"Shit," he swore, "that'll be Pansy. Bloody hell, she has to be three hours early, we're about to start lessons! Talk about pushy…" he grumbled getting up.
"Well, you must lie in the bed you made!" Blaise grinned, causing Draco to punch him in the arm rather hard.
"Drakey-poooooo!" a shrill voice shrieked from the hall, causing Draco to cringe and swear again. Blaise smirked and followed Draco into the hall where Pansy was waiting.
She was wearing an impossibly short skirt with knee-high white socks and black stilettos. Her top consisted of a strip of fabric across her breasts with see-through lace barely covering her midriff. The neckline plunged so low it basically wasn't there at all, showing off her cleavage. She was wearing tonnes of eyeliner and red lipstick and a silly blue bow in her hair.
"Draco!" she cooed, tottering towards him in her heels. Draco looked like he was going to step back, so Blaise gave him a 'friendly' shove forward.
"Bastard!" he heard Draco mutter under his breath.
"Draco," Pansy simpered, "doesn't this skirt simply look fabulous? I bought it just for you yesterday, along with the heels. Tell me I look gorgeous! Because I do, don't I Blaise darling?" she said, winking at Blaise causing him to retch a little bit.
"Anyway, I was thinking we could, you know," she said trailing a finger across his chest, "go somewhere a little more private to… who is that?" she asked, sounding disgusted.
Both boys turned to see Hermione standing with an expression of shock on her face. Draco took the opportunity to leap way from Pansy.
"Are you cheating on me, Draco?" Pansy blubbed, "How could you? After everything I've done for you!" a few fat tears rolled down her chubby cheeks and she fanned her face dramatically.
"Calm down, Pansy," Draco snapped, "this is my new tutor, Hermione. Hermione, this is my girlfriend Pansy Parkinson."
Hermione stared at him incredulously. "That's your girlfriend?"
Pansy scowled, all tears gone, and stalked up to Hermione. "What do you mean by that?"
"I simply though Draco's girlfriend would have a little more, well, elegance."
Blaise snorted with laughter at Hermione's bluntness, Draco stared at her in pleased shock, and Pansy looked ready to explode.
"Excuse me, but I happen to be a very high-class lady with all the beauty, style and sophistication in the world! My looks far excel yours, with your bushy hair and raggedy jumper; you look like a common street rat! I will not have some little bitch low-life tell me I have no elegance! Draco, defend me!" she sighed dramatically like a very over-dramatic damsel in distress.
All throughout her rant, Hermione stared at her with amusement. "Did you hurt yourself, using words longer than two syllables?"
Pansy gasped and went red with fury. "How dare you insult me like that! I bet you don't know any long words!"
"Hippopotamonstrosisquipadaliophobia, something you probably have." Hermione responded easily. Blaise couldn't help but marvel at how cool and collected she was compared to Pansy. It was certainly much more attractive, and he could see Draco though the same.
"You just made that up, it isn't a real word!" Pansy yelled.
"Sure it is, it means having a fear of long words."
Pansy sneered and looked at her nails, "Just as I thought, all you can do is spout facts. Do you think any boy will ever like that?"
Blaise heard Draco cough slightly, and saw him subtly raise his hand behind Pansy's back. Apparently Hermione saw as well, because she laughed out loud.
"I wouldn't ask that question Pansy; I think the answer might surprise you."
Pansy scowled deeply, "I highly doubt that, little miss ugly, I highly doubt that!" She flounced towards Draco, leaving Hermione smirking behind her.
Blaise chuckled deeply, Hermione really was witty. Judging by the look on Pansy's face, she clearly thought she had won but everyone else in the room knew that Hermione was the real victor. Apart from Pansy herself, of course.
"Draco, darling, should we go upstairs?" Pansy asked coyly, winding her arms around Draco's shoulders.
"Actually," Draco said slipping out from under her arms, "I'm supposed to start my lessons now. You should probably go."
"What lessons?" Complained Pansy, stomping her foot. Blaise could see that there was a full blown temper tantrum in the imminent future. Sighing, he decided that it was time to take control of the situation.
"Pansy, I need to talk with you for a moment, it's important. Can you come with me please?" he asked.
Pansy seemed to consider it for a moment, but then nodded. "Fine, but it better be good."
As Blaise was leading Pansy out of the room, Draco leaned in, "Thanks mate, she was close to blowing there." Blaise rolled his eyes at his friend, "You owe me big, Malfoy!" he hissed, and then proceeded to lead Pansy out of the room. He needed to think of a subject fast, if he didn't and Pansy threw a tantrum then Draco would have hell to pay.
He led Pansy into one of the sitting rooms, and she spread herself out on one of the sofas, patting next to her for Blaise to join her. He decided he would prefer to stand.
"So, what is so important?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Blaise racked his brains for something to say.
"Um, well, it's actually about Draco." He stuttered, not entirely sure where he was going with that.
"What about him?" she asked calmly, although he could detect the hint of a threat in her voice. He wasn't scared of her particularly, but if he was going to get out of this alive he knew that his only option was flattery.
"Well, you see, I think that Hermione might actually like him a bit, and might try to make a move on him. H would definitely choose you because we all know you're prettier, but we should probably nip this potential competition in the bud before it blooms." He was lying through his teeth and he knew it, but this was his only option.
This could actually turn out in his favour, if he played his cards right. If he could become an 'insider' with Pansy, he could figure out how to break them up. Heaven knows both he and Draco hated her, but Lucius and chosen her for Draco and he didn't want to argue with his Father.
"Hmm, I think you may be right Blaise. That little know-it-all was far too bold. We should definitely put that little bitch in her place, what do you suppose we do?"
Blaise cringed at her predatory tone. Sure, he was manipulative and cunning as well, but unlike Pansy he tended to resist evil scheming. Draco wasn't opposed to plotting; but Blaise kept it to a minimum.
"Sabotage, I think. Make her look bad in front of Draco." He said, making a mental note to warn both Draco and Hermione about this. If they all knew about it they could work together.
"I like it. You know, Draco has a cunning side too," she purred, getting up and walking towards him, "but he so rarely shares it with me. And plotting is so fun as well." He pouted, running her hands over his chest. Blaise nearly threw up in his mouth. Forget Draco having hell to pay; he owed Blaise the whole bloody universe now.
"I think you and I are much more alike, think of all the fun we could have together, Blaise." She said, raising her eyebrows suggestively. Blaise resisted snorting, out of Draco and him Draco was the cunning one. And as for 'having fun' with Pansy; he would rather sleep with a vulture.
"No," he said firmly, "I have Draco's best interests at heart and I wouldn't betray him like that. Sorry."
Pansy sighed, "Shame, but oh well. What should we do with that Hermione slut then?"
"Why don't you go home now, whilst I find out exactly what her intentions are. When I have more information, I'll call you. Deal?"
Pansy grinned, and Blaise thought it would be how a snake would grin to a mouse. "Deal, I look forward to our future encounters, Blaise."
"Likewise. See you later." He said, seeing her out of the Manor. Before she left, she turned and kissed him right on the lips before winking and sashaying of to her red convertible.
"Draco fucking Malfoy, you owe me so much I'll still be collecting when you are dead and underground!" Blaise bellowed, stomping into the library. Both Hermione and Draco looked up from the table, but where Hermione was grimacing at his foul language Draco was grinning like a wolf.
"What happened, Zabini?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.
"To cut a long story short; she now thinks I'm plotting with her to publicly humiliate Hermione for trying it on with you, and then the bloody little slut tried it on with me! She fucking kissed me, Malfoy!"
Amidst Draco's roars of laughter, Blaise heard Hermione ask "Publicly humiliate me? What did I ever do to you, Blaise?" she said sarcastically.
"Nothing, I'm not actually going to let her do anything. It's just a cover for my real plan to split her and Draco up. Neither of us can stand the little cow."
Suddenly Draco went serious. "We've discussed this, Blaise. I can't break up with her because of my bloody Father."
"Yes, but she can still break up with you. Come on, mate. You can do so much better than her!" he pleaded.
Draco rolled his eyes and turned to Hermione. "What do you think, Rivers?"
Hermione shrugged and glared at Blaise, "As long as there is no publicly humiliating me, I'm fine with getting rid of her. Just don't do anything to her; I don't want a murder on my hands."
Draco sighed, "Alright Blaise, get her to break up with me. But jut be warned, if she has set her sights on you; then she won't give up easily. Get ready for some massive advances and some tiny clothes!"
Hermione snorted, "I would expect that your father would have chosen someone with a little more sophistication! Why'd he choose her?"
"Basically," Draco said, "about eleven years ago my Father, Blaise's father, Pansy's father and all of our friend's fathers suddenly got really close. It was weird, because they all changed as well. Some of them became alcoholic and abusive, and some became quite cold and detached. My Father was amongst the latter. None of us know why"
Hermione paled slightly, "Wait, did you say eleven years ago? They suddenly without reason became abusive?"
Draco nodded, but Blaise knew he was lying about them having no idea why. Both he and Draco knew exactly why, but they couldn't exactly tell Hermione that particular secret.
Seeing as the mood was rather sombre; Blaise decided to change the subject. "So, what language are we learning first?"
"French," replied Hermione, "so that both you and Draco can learn it at the same time."
Blaise nodded and joined them at the table. Hermione handed him a sheet with lots of verbs on it. "There are three main verb structures, the ER, the IR and the RE verbs. Those are listed there. Basically any verb with any one of those endings follows those particular endings. The rest are the irregulars, I want you to learn them as quickly as possible."
Both boys nodded, and Hermione continued. "Good, now as for the regular verb stems I prepared this sheet of all the most common ones…"
XXX
Blaise stretched out on Draco's bed and sighed deeply. They had just finished lessons for that day and since it was a Wednesday they had to go to supper in formal clothes. They had a few hours before that, though.
Draco dropped all of his books on his desk loudly, causing Blaise to jump and scowl. "Take it easy, mate, don't break the desk!"
Draco grinned apologetically. "Sorry, my brain is just slightly frazzled after that. She doesn't do things half way, does she?"
"Nope," Blaise agreed, "and you have to learn three languages from her, good luck mate."
"Why does my Father even want me to learn all those languages anyway?" asked Draco, plonking himself down on a chair.
Blaise sighed again, this time sorrowfully. "You know why, Draco. I expect it's for the same reason you were trained like and assassin and had one of the best businessmen in the world tutor you. If my father were still alive, he would probably have me on a similar course to you."
"You really think he's going to force me to work for… them?"
"I'm afraid so, mate. You know too much about it to do something else, they would have to erase your memories if you did. I somehow think that killing you would be easier, though." Blaise said, looking at his friend.
"I envy Hermione, you know. I bet she has loving supporting parents who tell her she can be anything she wants to be. She's not forced into a life of crime, she has a choice."
"If it's any consolation, they'll want me as well." Said Blaise, "They demand employing the children of current members, it's basically guaranteed loyalty. Remember that Mark bloke who wouldn't hand over his child; he got punished quite badly. If you try to run, the same could happen to Lucius."
Draco nodded, "Yeah, but it's not particularly my Father I would be worried about. It's more my Mother, I couldn't let anything happen to her. Just like you, I feel I have to protect her. Father just shows cold indifference to both of us."
Blaise blanched slightly at the mention of his mother. This was dangerous territory for him, and he decided swiftly to change the topic.
"Anyway, what are you wearing to dinner?"
Draco laughed loudly, "You sound like Pansy, obsessed with clothes. Just trousers, a shirt and a tie. No offense, mate, but if you want to talk clothes go and find Hermione. Though I doubt she cares much for that, either."
"True," Blaise agreed, "I think she'd prefer talking about books."
Draco chuckled and started tossing a rugby ball up in the air. "What do you want to do? Maybe we could practice fencing?"
Blaise nodded, "Yeah, alright. Let me just grab some sports clothes."
After they had trained, they grabbed some swords from the weapons room and made their way outside. They were just walking down the path to the field when they bumped into Narcissa. She smiled lightly at them, "Hello, boys. Are you going to do some sword fighting?"
At their eager nods, she chuckled. "Just be careful; I want both of you all in one piece for dinner. I don't want you to be late either, so watch the time, okay? And remember it's formal dress, so please wear something smart!"
Blaise aw Draco roll his eyes at his mother, "Yes, yes, we will. Can we go now?"
Narcissa shook her head good-naturedly, "Go on then."
As they walked out onto the field, Draco turned to Blaise, "I swear she still treats me like I'm five!" he muttered. "True, but in many ways you are." Blaise replied.
"En guarde, my friend, in both meanings of the phrase!"
For an hour they sparred until they were both thoroughly exhausted and covered in tiny scratches and bruises, but otherwise alright.
"Whew," said Draco, "I need a shower! And so do you, come on."
They walked back to their separate rooms, bantering happily. Before they reached their rooms, however, they passed Hermione's room where she was talking on the phone to somebody.
"Come on!" hissed Draco, "Let's see what she is saying!"
Blaise sighed but leant his head against the door with Draco, where they heard a one sided conversation between Hermione and one of her friends.
"…that's good…umhm…Yeah, I know…So, how's Danny?...I am so not obsessive!...You couldn't be more wrong…No, Ginny, no don't jump to conclusions…Don't you dare…Fine! I like him, okay? Happy now?…No he doesn't…How can my love life be better than yours if I don't even have one?...Oh, I'm sorry, I thought Harry really liked you…Might be a problem considering I'm here…No, Ginny, I haven't even been here for three full days!...Please don't guilt trip me…Fine, I'll ask. But you owe me…Yep…You too. Bye."
They pulled away from the doorway as she stopped talking. Draco turned to Blaise, "Alright, so she like a boy called Danny, her friend Ginny obviously had some love issues with I guy called Harry and wants to come over. This Ginny is also obviously a really sassy firecracker who likes getting her own way but she is very loyal to those she considers her friends and would do anything for them. Kind of like you, really."
Blaise raised his eyebrows; sometimes he forgot how perceptive his friend was. "And you got all of that from loose snippets of a conversation? And since when was I a sassy firecracker?"
Draco laughed and pulled Blaise down into a head-lock, "You can definitely be sassy when you want to be, and as for being a firecracker you like your girls to be firecrackers. I imagine Hermione and I might have to do some match-making!"
Struggling, Blaise managed to escape from Draco's arm, "Just you try, you git. Just you try! Anyway; you're the sassy one, not me! You can be like a little princess who's lost her tiara!" Blaise grinned, and took off running just as Draco aimed to clobber him.
"I'll get you for that, you bloody git!" Draco hollered. Blaise grinned like a shark, game on!
"Should we escort Hermione to the dining hall? I don't think she knows the way." Asked Draco, as they lounged in his room.
Blaise shrugged, "Sure, we'll pick her up on the way there."
They were both dressed nicely ready for dinner. Blaise had opted for black trousers and jacket with a white shirt and emerald tie. Draco had gone for exactly the same only his shirt was a dark green and he had decided to forgo a tie and instead had the top couple of buttons undone to reveal his signature necklaces.
Blaise was busy massaging his knee, as he had fallen straight on it when Draco had eventually caught and tackled him. To be fair; he had almost given Draco a black eye. They were both constantly covered in bruises and scrapes, so it wasn't that big a deal.
Suddenly, Blaise's phone rang from inside his jacket pocket. He groaned when he saw the caller ID: Pansy, but then smirked when he saw the photo he had registered for her name: an overweight pug.
"Pansy," He greeted through gnashing teeth, "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he saw Draco silently laughing and fought the urge to actually give him a black eye.
"Blaise, what have you found out about that Rivers girl? Has she made any moves on Draco?" she asked in her nasally voice.
"Unless the teachings of French verbs are to be considered sexual: no. You'll have to give me more time, Pansy." The woman really was insufferable; they only decided on this a couple of hours ago!
"I've given you plenty of time, Blaise. I want you to find her weaknesses. Next time I call, I expect results!" she demanded. Blaise gritted his teeth, "Goodbye, Pansy."
"Oh, and Blaise," she added in a sultry voice, "think about my offer. I think you would find me highly… satisfactory. Goodbye."
"When hell freezes over," Blaise muttered as he chucked his phone on the bed, "twice!"
Draco laughed, "I warned you about her advances; this wouldn't be the first time she's attempted to cheat on me. Many times, she's succeeded."
Blaise looked at Draco incredulously, "If you know she's cheated on you, mate, break up with her!"
"Can't, Father would skin me."
"Then I think it's high time that you stuck the middle finger up at that old coot and get with a girl you actually like. Pansy probably doesn't even like you; why not just go behind her back? I highly doubt she would care."
Draco squeezed the bridge of his nose, "Would you do that to a woman? Even one as annoying as Pansy?"
Blaise sighed, he was absolutely right. Even if their fathers hadn't taken the time to raise them properly, their mothers had. And both of those women had drummed it into them to respect any and all women.
"I guess you have a point, mate. But it still doesn't stop the fact that Pansy is a heinous bitch!"
Draco laughed humourlessly and got up. "I suppose we should go to dinner. Come on, let's go get Hermione."
They met Hermione on the way to her room; she had apparently come to ask them the way. Blaise had to admit she looked lovely. She was wearing a pink sleeveless skater dress with a lacy décolletage and a white satin bow around her middle. She had white ballet flats and she had curled her hair nicely so it hung in smooth ringlets around her shoulders. A white flower with pink tips was pinning it up at the back in a half-do. She was wearing light, natural make-up that enhanced her natural beauty instead of covering it. All in all, she looked very pretty.
He noticed that apparently Draco thought the same, as he heard him gulp. Blaise grinned; whilst Hermione was pretty she wasn't his type. Draco however…
"Oh, good, it's you two." She said, nodding towards them, "I was just coming to ask you the way, but we can walk together now."
"Sure," said Draco linking her arm in his, "wouldn't want you getting lost."
Blaise chuckled, Hermione was exactly Draco's type; but Draco was a stubborn git. If he felt like he was being pressured towards an opinion or emotion, he would refuse to go along with it. Blaise shook his head; he knew Draco would have to figure it out for himself.
Blaise linked his arm through Hermione's other arm and the three made their way towards the dining room. Before they actually entered Blaise noticed Draco subtly unlinking his arm from Hermione's; he didn't want his father to see.
As they walked into the room, Lucius nodded appraisingly at Blaise and Hermione's dress choice; but thinned his lips a bit at Draco's more casual option. He didn't bother commenting though; some battles weren't worth fighting.
Supper was a nice enough affair, Blaise thought, with the exception of an argument between himself and Draco about football. Football had always been a sore topic between them, as Draco was a staunch fan of Manchester United whilst Blaise loved Chelsea. It had ended when Hermione had yelled that rugby won against football any day and they should shut up. It then turned to a conversation between Lucius and Hermione about which rugby team was the best.
After dinner, Blaise and Draco walked Hermione back to her room.
"Goodnight, guys, see you tomorrow." She said.
"Okay, just one second," Draco said, "if you had to choose between Man United and Chelsea, who would you choose? My entire friendship with you is riding on this."
Hermione grinned, "Arsenal."
"Well, it's better than saying Chelsea." Draco shrugged, "Goodnight, Hermione."
She was just about to shut the door when Draco stopped her, "One more thing Rivers, you don't look entirely terrible tonight."
"Thanks?" Hermione asked, as she watched him walk down the corridor and around the corner. Blaise chuckled; Draco really was a slimy git.
He turned to Hermione, "By the way, 'not entirely terrible' is boy-ish for 'totally hot'."
Hermione blushed slightly, "Thanks, Blaise. Don't tell Draco, but Chelsea is actually better." She closed the door whilst Blaise was doing a silent celebratory dance.
He whistled as he walked to his room, in a very good mood. When he went into his room he saw Draco sitting on a chair massaging his temples.
"What's up, mate?" Blaise asked, genuinely concerned for his friend.
"It's Hermione, after seeing her tonight I think I like her a bit too much, do you know what I mean?"
Blaise grinned like a shark, "I knew it. I just knew it! Why don't you ask her out?"
"Chill, Zabini, I've only known her for a couple of days. And anyway, I'm dating Pansy bloody Parkinson because my git of a Father can't understand that I would actually like to make my own choice about these kinds of things!" Draco yelled, pacing up and down his room.
"Calm down, mate." Blaise soothed, standing up and grabbing on to Draco's arm. "Just sleep it off, and we'll talk about your 'git of a father' tomorrow, okay?"
Draco nodded and sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. "It's a cursed life we live, Zabini. I've been forced to do and think things that aren't right. I've been trained as a bloody assassin and been taught how to brew the most dangerous drugs in the world. I can kill a man in twenty seven different ways with my hands alone and I've been trained to completely shut off my emotions. I've killed a man, Zabini, we both have. I'm a fucking murderer and if my father gets is way I will continue to be a murderer and a thief and hell knows what else.
"Then suddenly this girl, this happy, care-free girl full of light shows up in my life, and the feeling is indescribable. She makes me feel good, just by being in the same room. I want to share her light, but I know if I do I will eventually drain it away. I can't do that. I couldn't tell her what I am, what I will be. She would never understand."
Blaise stood with his mouth open at his friend's speech. Draco very rarely, if ever, opened up his feelings towards anybody. He had built a steel wall around his heart, and nobody so far had been able to penetrate it.
Suddenly, Blaise realised that his gentle, slightly mischievous, match-making plans between Hermione and Draco needed to change. If Hermione could make a dent in Draco's armour just by being herself, then she could achieve great things if she opened her heart to Draco.
His friend was in pain, they were both in pain, they had been exposed to a world of hate from a very young age and they couldn't escape it; not on their own. They both needed to realise that they could escape this life and live one of happiness and meaning, but neither knew how.
Blaise sighed, "Come on mate, let's get you to bed. We can focus on fighting our demons in the morning, they can wait."
"No," mumbled Draco, "We wait. That's all we ever bloody do, wait. Wait for them to blacken our souls completely and suck our happiness away. They hide, lying beneath the surface, poisoning our existence. I know what you are thinking, Blaise, don't try to set me up with Hermione. All that will happen is she will get hurt. I don't want that for her."
Blaise nodded seriously, "Alright, mate. If it's what you truly want then I won't meddle. Goodnight, Draco."
As he walked out of Draco's room, he realised that he probably didn't even have to try anything; Draco and Hermione had enough chemistry to get together on their own, however opposed to it Draco was.
Blaise knew that Draco was wrong; he wouldn't drain Hermione's light, Hermione's light would drown his darkness. Because no darkness could ever outshine the light.
There you have it, folks! Please tell me what you think of Pansy, personally I quite like her. Well, I don't like her I just find her stupidness hilarious! Please recommend songs, and also any images for this story. I will accept drawn or photo edited pictures, please send them to goldensnake333 no capitals no spaces. I hope you enjoyed it! Remember, if you don't want me to delete 'the water's sweet but blood is thicker' tell me or I will get rid of it. Bye;)
GoldieXx