Hey guys, sorry that I'm not too involved to think up a snazzy beginning author's note right now, so boo :p
Anyways, enjoy the chapter! And I just want to say a quick thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter and said that X/Y/Z character was warm and that was why they and A/B/C clicked! That's exactly what I was going for and I'm so glad that's what everyone picked up on!
"And I would give all this and heaven too/ I would give it all if only for a moment/ That I could just understand the meaning of the word you see/ 'Cause I've been scrawling it forever but it never makes sense to me at all/ And it talks to me in tiptoes/ And it sings to me inside/ It cries out in the darkest night and breaks in the morning light…" – Florence + the Machine, "All This and Heaven Too"
Blaise slept with his left arm numb for the entire night. It was a strange yet wonderful feeling, as although it felt like the thing had simply vanished he knew it was still attached and underneath a very lovely young woman who needed him. It was like an entirely different kind of magic that he hadn't even known had existed. Hermione had slept soundly for the rest of the night, even snuggling closer to Blaise's chest and giving a few peaceful sighs in her sleep. Suffice it to say that Blaise's cold, cold Slytherin heart grew three sizes, and then entirely melted every time she did that.
When morning came, and Hermione gained enough consciousness to roll away and curl in on herself, Blaise regained the feeling in his left arm along with a certain chill to his heart. To remedy this, he wrapped the right, non-tingling arm around her waist and dragged her into his chest to bury his face deeply into her hair. He felt her shoulders tense, and patiently waited for her to remember last night's occurrences. Sure enough, she was soon clearing her throat and shifting against him.
"I, err, should explain last night, shouldn't I?" she questioned in lieu of a "good morning" or a "thank you, Blaise, you sexy thing you."
"Only if you want to," he murmured sleepily, his voice deeper and scruffier as he sighed again and wiggled his face deeper into the wild, tangled curls. Did she always smell like sunshine, or was it her soap? Shampoo? Whatever it was, he hoped she never ran out of the stuff.
"During the war…Harry, Ron and I were on the run and hunting Horcruxes," she began, and he felt her fiddling with the hem on the sheets. "Snatchers captured us and took us to…to Malfoy Manor…where Bellatrix – "
"Hermione," Blaise interrupted softly, "You can leave it there, and I'll understand. Also, I kind of heard about it from Draco, like…pfft…four years ago? Sounds about right. Anyway, you don't need to give me the full details until you want to and are absolutely ready."
She instantly relaxed, and wiggled herself around to face him, a curious expression on her face. Blaise countered it with one of his own, adding in a little bit of sleepiness to spice things up. She, on the other hand, looked entirely awake and ready to take on the day. Oh Merlin, she was a morning person, wasn't she? How dreadful. Maybe the marriage wouldn't work after all.
"How are you so…thoughtful?" she asked, staring up and into his eyes. "I don't even need to say something, and you can just automatically tell."
"Well, I would like to say that it's because I know you extremely well, but we both know that's a huge lie," he gave a grin as he flipped onto his back, turning his head to face her as he stretched his arms above him. "I just think about how I would feel if I had to do whatever you're doing, and how I could help you from being uncomfortable or whatever it is."
"And do you think I'm uncomfortable now?" she questioned, propping her head up and looking at him.
"Hmm…" he studied her carefully for a few moments before arching a brow, "No, actually, you aren't. Alright, you little minx, who have you been hopping into beds with?"
She chuckled, laying back down and staring at the ceiling with him, "No one, actually. I just find myself oddly comfortable around you, Blaise. I trust you, for some strange reason."
"Well, whatever reason, I'm glad," he yawned, curling back up underneath the duvet, "After all, we'll be right back here in a few months."
Hermione groaned and covered her head with the duvet, rudely tugging some of the material away from him to do so. "I hate it! I hate that it's my job to do it! I don't want to think about it like it's my life!"
"You could have my mum to do it, she'd have kittens if you asked," he hummed, subtly trying to sneak more and more fabric back to himself.
"But that's just the thing, that'd be rubbish advertising if I didn't plan my own wedding," she huffed, bushy curls reappearing along with a cute little scowl. "I just want it done. Is that too much to ask?"
"Could elope," Blaise suggested, waggling his eyebrows at her before donning a sing-song voice, "Wouldn't have to do wo-ork!"
She snorted, dragging her palms across her face, "Too late, I've booked things with McGonagall and my parents, and I've already notified a dress shoppe to be prepared for my arrival on a Saturday."
"Want me to go with you to it?" he asked softly.
"No!" she frowned at him as he looked at her in surprise, "It's bad luck for the groom to see the dress before the wedding day." At his blank stare, she sheepishly amended, "Muggle superstition."
"Okay, so who all will go with you?" he asked with a grin.
"Oh…Luna, Ginny, my mother…perhaps your family as well," she hummed in thought, and he blinked at how easily his family was included. "And then we could also pick out bridesmaid dresses, and a flower girl dress for Lia…tell me, would your sister be opposed to being a bridesmaid?"
His mouth dropped open and he gaped at her before pouncing, wrapping them both up in the duvet and hugging her tightly, "Thank the heavens for you, Hermione Granger! Oh, thank you, Merlin, for trading the naggy shrew out for this magnificent bookworm!"
Hermione cracked up, giggling as he wiggled in closer and closer for body heat and that sunshine smell, "Blaise, stop being silly! I was actually asking!"
"I know! And that's the brilliant part!" he crowed, finally settling his chin on her shoulder and sighing. "Evangeline would love it, and Lia would adore you for life if she were flower girl."
"Oh, well, I was thinking of having three flower girls." At this, Blaise lifted his head and blinked owlishly at her before she explained. "Bill and Fleur Weasley have two little girls, Victoire and Dominique. They'd be heartbroken if they weren't flower girls as well, and I find it rude if Lia weren't flower girl in her own brother's wedding. And Teddy Lupin, Professor Lupin's son, I was thinking of him as ring bearer, if that's alright?"
"It all sounds perfect," he admitted, giving her a dazzling grin that made her blush a deep crimson.
During breakfast Hermione had tried to awkwardly give an explanation to Evangeline, Simone and Damiana about last night and had been promptly shot down and informed that it was her business, and she didn't need to go about sharing it until she was absolutely comfortable in doing so. He could tell that Hermione was warmed as to how amazing his family was, and beamed back at her before giving his attention back to Lia as she tried to feed him scrambled eggs and not drop it in the floor.
Over breakfast, it was decided that Evangeline and Simone would go clothes shopping with Hermione early in the day, before the tourists got out and about, and Blaise would stay at how to help Damiana with a few things while also spend time with Lia, who particularly hated early morning shopping trips, especially when they did not involve toys.
Once the three women were off and Lia was sufficiently distracted, Blaise found himself being stared down by his grandmother. This went on for a few minutes, Blaise being too scared to ask what it was all about, before Damiana seemed to determine something with a nod of her head, and beckoned Blaise to follow her. They traipsed their way up to her bedroom, which was the largest bedroom in the house. She stepped from the sitting area and into her closet area, pulling out a few worn, wooden boxes with tiny useless latches and setting them on the bed.
"Pick one," she insisted, and once Blaise gave her a questioning look she sighed, rolled her eyes, and began to lift the lids to each box.
There were rows upon rows of rings. Some were large and grandeur, others were simple yet probably still expensive. Once the three boxes were opened for him to see, Damiana even wiggled her ring off of her finger and settled it on the lid of one.
"Pick a ring for that girl, Blaise," she demanded, and he gaped openly at her. "Arranged marriage or not, she deserves a ring. And, if yesterday was anything to go by, you are in love with her already. If not, you're close. Pick out a ring."
"I…are these all the rings that have ever been in the family?" he questioned, looking at all of them.
"All in the Zabini, anyway," she waved her hand idly, "My maiden name carried along thousands of rings to choose from. Which are all in my vault, if you want to look at those."
Blaise picked up his grandmother's ring, gently pushing it back onto her proper finger, and placed her hand in both of his. He gave the strong-willed woman in front of him a soft smile, and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you for accepting her, Grandmother. But, Hermione's…too special. I want to give her a ring that's just as unique as she is, and I want it to be entirely hers." He lifted her hand and gave her a pointed stare, "Just like this is entirely yours."
She gave her grandson a warm smile and kissed him on the cheek, combing her fingers through his hair and finding so much of her lost son in him. "When do you plan on shopping? Lia and I would be happy to accompany you, or I would be happy to watch her while you went to find something for her."
He gave an incredulous laugh, shutting the lids on the boxes and putting them away, "Do you want this done today? Why are you so suddenly adamant about me putting a ring on her finger?"
"The lady is too beautiful to go wandering around Italy without a ring," she quipped easily, and watched in amusement as Blaise froze and gaped at her.
"Oh my Merlin, Grandmother, I have to go find one today," he urged, watching her chuckle at him, "Can you watch - ?"
"Yes, go, and go to Guillermo's first, I told him to be awaiting you," she waved him off.
He backpedaled, looking at her curiously, "When did you do this?"
"Last night, after dinner," she sniffed indignantly before shooing him away, "Go! Now! And be sure you give it to her in some romantic setting! Start off the chain of right things in all of this mess with that ring!"
And so Blaise nodded, marching down the staircase, patting Lia on the head on his way out, and marched along the streets of Wizarding Italy until he found Guillermo's Jewelry Shop. Guillermo was an old, old family friend, and had seen many young wizards come to find the perfect ring for their sweetie. He was as important in these wizards' lives as Ollivander, and he took immense pride in what he did. He was a tanned, portly man with a big grin and tiny little eyes hidden under his bushy eyebrows, but he crafted the most spectacular engagement and wedding rings.
"Blaise! Your grandmother warned me you might be coming!" he cheered, and Blaise let out a sigh of relief. "Now, what were you looking to find? Big and fancy or pretty and simple?"
Oh, now he actually had to make a decision. He wanted to find one that Hermione would fall in love with and want to wear day after day, so he doubted a big, flashy ring would impress her much. He also didn't want it to be simple, as he did want to show her that he cared about impressing her. Somewhere in between, hopefully.
So he spent three hours at Guillermo's, the two working hard to discover what to find for her. Guillermo brought plenty of example rings, trying to find a happy medium. While he was worried that he was bothering and frustrating the older man, he was pleased to find that he considered it a wonderful challenge.
"Well, there you go, Blaise," he settled the little black box into his hand. "I'll owl you the wedding band a week before the wedding, alright?"
"That sounds great, thank you so much, Guillermo," he sighed, parking the box into his pocket. "How much do I owe you?"
"Oh, no-no-no," he frowned, hands on his rotund waist. "Zabinis don't pay here. Your grandmother settled me with my wife, and I made her ring for free, just like I'll do for any Zabini man or woman. By the way – is your sister seeing anyone?"
Blaise laughed, smoothing his hair down, "Not that I know of, and you've got quite a few years to wait for Lia."
"Ahh, she'll be my son's project then," he grinned, patting his chest heartily, "He's taking over the business. Happily, actually. Couldn't be prouder!"
"That's wonderful, Guillermo. Thank you again, but I think I need to be heading back to meet up with her and my family," he shook the man's hand, and after a promise of telling him how the proposal went, cheerily walked back to his grandmother's house, patting the lump in his pocket every now and again.
"Blaise! What took you so long?" Evangeline greeted with a huff and a glare, crossing her arms over her chest and frowning at him. The effect was marginally ruined due to the fluorescent pink bikini she had on and the ridiculous orange flip-flops adorning her feet, so he only quirked an eyebrow at her and settled his hands in his pockets, thumb brushing against the black velvet of the box. "I was elected to wait here for you! Everyone else is down at the beach, come on!"
He sighed and nodded, following her out and slipping through every back way and alley that the two knew from their childhood. There was a small Wizarding beach with wards to bounce Muggles off and away, just a little piece of sand for the community to share. He easily found his family, as Simone was nestled in the sand with Lia and helping her to build a sandcastle, Damiana in a lounge chair and watching the two work and giving encouragements. Evangeline quickly found some friends, and bustled over to gossip in loud, giggly Italian.
"Hello," Blaise said to his mother as he began unbuttoning his white shirt and rolling the cuffs up, causing the three nestled there to look up and squint from the sun directly behind him. "How was shopping?"
Simone, wearing a simple and modest one piece with a woven cover up, picked up her hand to shield her eyes. "What is with that girl of yours? Everything she picked up was black, grey and very seldom was it white." He chuckled, grinning down at them as Damiana conjured sunglasses and handed them to her daughter-in-law. Simone flashed her a grateful smile and settled them on to look up at her son. "Anyway, Evangeline and I helped get some color into her wardrobe, or at the very least some white." She lowered the glasses a bit, settling a very Slytherin-smirk on her face. "And where have you been, my son?"
He ignored the question and settled with a grin instead, "Where is Hermione, anyway?"
Simone waved to a lone figure on the beach, and he gave her a grateful nod before moving to it. He stumbled once he caught sight of Hermione in a white bikini, the bottoms attempting to be shorts, but still yet. He gulped a few times, glared at Evangeline and her snickering friends, and moved to her side as she settled her face against the sunlight and let the wind ripple through her hair.
"I thought you don't tan?" he asked, sitting down beside her and propping himself up by his arms behind him, like she was doing.
"I burn and then I tan," she answered with a peaceful sigh, "My summer before fourth year in France was dreadful, but I got a wicked tan out of it."
He chuckled, sighing with her and staring out at the waves alongside her. "You look very nice, by the way."
"Thank you," she gave a smug little grin, "This was actually the most modest bathing suit I could find, especially compared to the ones your sister tried to get for me." She sat up straighter and frowned at him, "Did you know your family insisted on paying for everything for me?"
"No, I didn't, but I'd be peeved if they didn't," he said, seeing her glare and then feeling the need to explain. "Pureblood custom. If your fiance's family doesn't pay for something they suggested or invited you to, it means they don't like you. So, they like you, and you shouldn't feel offended by it. They probably didn't even think twice about it."
She relaxed a bit, wiggling her toes into the sand and sighing again. He took this opportunity to glance over her, noticing scars littering her body, but then getting distracted by her body itself. He swallowed noisily, fiddled with his shirt collar before deciding that the direct sunlight at noon was hot enough, and pulled the shirt off with one swift motion. He caught Hermione glancing over at him and decided not to say anything, although he was sure that he would get a sweet blush out of her.
"It's beautiful here," she sighed wistfully, dropping onto her elbows and tilting her head back, "I can't believe you practically grew up here."
"I know," he stated smugly, earning a snort from her. "It's really like it popped out of a fairytale, isn't it?"
"I wouldn't say fairytale as much as a chick flick, but yeah," she agreed before noticing his confused stare. She chuckled, sitting up again and motioning with her hands. "Muggles have movies, right? They're kind of like plays, and each movie is a moving picture with sounds. They tell a story. They are also referred to as 'flicks' by some, and a story that is full of cheesy romance is referred to a 'chick flick.' Make sense?"
"Sort of," he nodded along slowly, "What's your favorite 'chick flick'?" He tried the term out slowly, and was rewarding with a small grin before she pouted.
"I'm not into many chick flicks, but I remember seeing one three times because of my mother, aunt and cousin wanting me to see it in theatres with each of them. What was it again..?" she murmured to herself before snorting and giving a grin, "When in Rome."
He chuckled, "Speaking of which, we're going to go sight-seeing tomorrow. Rome, Sicily, the countryside, Verona – which I think you'll love."
"Verona?" she echoed with a massive grin.
"Yup," he grinned back, popping the 'p,' "But for today, we're going out to eat an early dinner together and then we'll be free to go do whatever. However, you will need me as your chaperone. The boys and men of Italy are not to be trusted with such a pretty woman in their midst."
"Oh, darn," she said monotonously, with the smallest of blushes, before snorting, "I'd be very alright with just coming back to the beach, if that's alright with you?"
"Sounds perfect," he smiled back.
After a few more hours of playing in the sand with Lia and glaring at a smirking Evangeline, Blaise and Hermione were surprised when his family insisted on going out to eat together, and that they would see them either tonight or in the morning. Once the group had split apart and Hermione had settled into a light purple sleeveless dress that went over her bikini and some sandals, they walked along the canals and talked about anything and everything they could think of. Blaise introduced Hermione to a few people that he knew either himself or through his grandmother, and the two finally settled on eating at a restaurant with a balcony that overlooked a canal. Hermione watched the people riding the gondolas with a small smile, shaking her head and muttering how silly it seemed as Blaise watched her and grinned. They ate light and talked eagerly about anything and everything, staring off with simple things before coming around to the bigger things.
"Do the Weasleys know yet?" Blaise asked quietly, and Hermione sighed and frowned as she rubbed the spot between her eyebrows as the skin crinkled there.
"I've been waiting until I go to the next Weasley family dinner, and with work I hadn't had time to go to one," she answered as she idly pushed around a tomato on her plate. Apparently she hated them in salads, so Blaise quietly speared it and popped it into his own mouth with a smile, happy to see her grin back at him. "I was wondering the best way to do it, and I was wondering…if you would like to come with me?"
He blinked, settling down his fork and reaching across the table to grasp her hand, "Hermione, I would love to come, but…I'm worried about what they'll think of me. I wasn't a Death Eater, no, but I was a Slytherin, and some seem to think those things are one and the same. I don't want an upstart as soon as we walk through the door, and I certainly don't want to run the risk of your friends thinking…"
"Thinking..?" she echoed, leaning closer to him and watching as his tongue darted out to lick his lips nervously.
"I don't want your friends to get angry at you because of me, thinking that you've switched sides and are now going to go around harping about You-Know-Who," he sighed, looking up at her with big, sad eyes.
"Oh, Blaise," she squeezed his hand, "You're not a Death Eater, and I will vouch for that forever. There's nothing wrong with being a Slytherin, and it's high time the Weasleys learn that. If any of them get angry at you, I'll get angry right back. You're important to me, Blaise, and you don't deserve to have such negativity from my friends. Hell, even Draco Malfoy tolerates me now. If they don't behave, I can throw that in their face, along with not being invited to the wedding." At his raised eyebrows, she rolled her eyes and gave a grin, "Blaise, really. It's your wedding too, and you don't deserve to be uncomfortable or left out because of their bad manners."
"Oh sweet Merlin, you're perfect," he sighed, enjoying her bell-like laugh after that.
The two ate and chatted idly, enjoying the company and settling out when the both of them could find time to go to the Burrow. Blaise paid for the bill while Hermione covered the tip, and they walked back to the beach closer together and laughed at each other's stories and jokes. Once back at the nearly deserted beach, Hermione shed her shoes and dress and dropped right back onto the sand, Blaise seating himself next to her, each with an arm behind each other's back.
He watched as Hermione stared contentedly out over the sunset on the ocean, marveling the deep orange light it cast upon her and the pink and purple sky behind her, and thought it was as good a time as any to do this.
"Hermione," he called, and nearly swore when she turned that lovely smile onto him. "I know that things with us are kind of backward and weird, but I still want to do somethings properly." At her arched eyebrow, he gave a small and readjusted to balance on one knee, take the box out of his pocket, and flick it open to her. Her eyes widened and she gaped back at him, still looking extremely lovely to him. "Hermione, would you please accept this ring?"
She gave a small laugh, blushing furiously and nodding, and Blaise happily reclaimed his position next to her and settled the ring onto her finger. It was silver, with a thin band that looked like dozens of strands weaving together into delicate designs, small diamonds nestled in together as the ring thickened on the top and gave a nice shape to the whole thing. Hermione admired it with something akin to awe before leaning against him and kissing his cheek.
"Thank you, Blaise," she whispered to him, her thick eyelashes unknowingly batting back at him. "It's lovely. You're lovely."
"Oh, darling," he sighed, stretching a grin out for her, "I'm not a mirror."
She chuckled, still leaning into him, and the two stared out at the sunset together as the waves crashed against the shoreline and the pinks and purples gave way to the dark blue and little pinpricks of silver stars.
Phew! That one took too long to write too! I hate how, one way or another, something always gets in the way of me being able to write. Maybe now that I'm living at home, I can find more time.
Also! I'm turning nineteen on December 31st, and for some reason I'm strangely excited! It's very doubtful I'll be able to update again before then, which is why I'm letting you know now because I'm just so! Fucking! Excited! Aah!
Please leave a review, you little darlings you! And I'll see you next chapter! *Markiplier voice* Bye-bye~!