"Hermione!"

Hermione turned in the hallway, stiffening as Blaise came storming up to her.

"Blaise, hi– aah!"

Blaise grabbed her arm and tugged her down the hall into an empty classroom, shoving the door shut behind them. He advanced on her, looking furious, and Hermione instinctively stepped back, running into a desk. She squirmed up and onto it, just to get away another few inches from Blaise's fury. She could feel her chest tighten in apprehension, making it harder to breathe.

She'd never seen Blaise angry like this before.

Ever.

"What," he said, his voice dangerous, "did you do?"

Hermione nibbled her lip, weighing her words.

"I'm not quite sure I know what you're talking about," she said carefully. "I've done many things recently."

Blaise's eyes sharpened.

"Draco Malfoy is unconscious in the Hospital Wing due to magical exhaustion," he said, his voice like a whip. "Everyone saw you leave the common room together last night. And Susan Bones saw you come running up the stairs with him last night, unconscious in your arms."

Well, of course she'd gone running to the Hospital Wing – Hermione hadn't known what had happened to Draco, only that his hand had dropped hers as he fell forward, his eyes rolling back in his head, the ritual done. She'd been worried he'd somehow started using his life force as well as his magic, and she'd been terrified he could be dying right in front of her.

"That's ridiculous," Hermione shot back. "I could never carry Draco – I'm not strong enough. I partially-levitated him there, sure – but I certainly wasn't cradling him in my arms."

Blaise rolled his eyes.

"That's what you choose to focus on?" he demanded. "That?"

Hermione paused.

"Err–"

"Madame Pomfrey is in a fuss, demanding to know what Draco was doing that drained his magic so completely," Blaise told her. "Snape is deflecting, saying Draco just pushed himself too far with his studies, which we all know is complete crap. And Draco, unconscious, has a cut on his hand…"

Blaise snatched her left wrist, too quick for Hermione to get away.

"…one that somehow matches yours."

Hermione could feel his eyes searing on the scar on her palm. She'd been so frantic she hadn't had time to heal it properly.

Hermione bit her lip. "And…?"

Blaise's eyes were dark, though he seemed less angry, now.

"Some of us in Slytherin know you were messing around with Ritual Magic," he told her. "Malfoy was showing off his seax to us yesterday, as well as the powdered silver he got. And now, he's mysteriously in the Hospital Wing, nearly all of his magic gone."

"It'll regenerate," Hermione said uncertainly. "It just… it might take a while."

Blaise's eyes met hers, his gaze like fire.

"You did Ritual Magic," he said. "With Draco Malfoy."

Hermione bit her lip.

"Yes," she admitted. "I did."

Blaise let out a roar.

"I can't believe this!"

He clenched his fists over his eyes, storming around the room. Hermione drew back, almost afraid, as he stomped around, angry. She'd never seen Blaise like this.

"I can't believe you did Ritual Magic with Malfoy!" he exclaimed. "I can't believe you would–"

"It was supposed to be safe," Hermione objected. "If Draco hadn't been trying to–"

"–do such a thing without me!"

Hermione paused.

"Wait," she said. "What?"

"Did you think I was joking when I said I wanted to join your coven?" Blaise demanded, furious. "When we talked about it in Flourish and Blotts?"

Hermione's mind was scrambling to catch up, and she daren't admit that she had thought he was joking with his remarks.

"Well, I wasn't," Blaise said. He glared at her. "Next time you do Ritual Magic, I want in."

Hermione blinked at him slowly.

"Let me get this straight," she said. "You're not mad that Draco nearly drained his magic and is unconscious in the Hospital Wing…"

Blaise snorted. "Why would I care about that?"

"…but you're upset that I did Ritual Magic with him, and not you."

For the first time, Blaise's anger faltered.

"It sounds different, when you put it like that," he said, frustrated. "This isn't about me being jealous. This is about me telling you I wanted in your coven, and you doing Ritual Magic with Draco Malfoy anyway instead of with me. When I'm supposed to be one of your best friends!"

"It is about you being jealous," Hermione said, standing up and straightening her robes. "But that's okay."

She took a step towards Blaise, whose eyes widened.

"Hermione, what-?"

"You are one of my best friends," Hermione told him, laying her hand on his chest and looking up at him. She gave him a fond smile, almost affectionate. "You are, Blaise. Draco is not."

Blaise searched her eyes for any trace of falsehood. Hermione kept her expression open, inviting him to read.

"The ritual with Draco was a favor to him," she told Blaise. "His father had forbidden him from talking to me because I'm not viewed as his equal. It wasn't until we did The Fallen Foe that he could, because magic had judged me to be his equal."

Comprehension was filtering into Blaise's eyes, his expression changing, and Hermione continued.

"I didn't want my year to be filled up with more 'downfall to Weasley' nonsense, not after I realized how that ritual was controlling and guiding us," she said. "But if Draco and I broke the seam and dissolved the grudge, he wouldn't be allowed to talk to me again. We had to do another ritual as equals that would linger, so he could talk to me as per usual."

Blaise looked suspicious. "He couldn't just go against what his father said?"

"That's what I said." Hermione sighed. "But his father… Lucius Malfoy believes in cruel methods of rule enforcement. And I couldn't ask Draco to suffer for me."

Blaise looked mad for a moment, then sighed.

"And now?" he asked.

"Now, Draco is in the Hospital Wing for being a fool," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "I told him to pull back his magic when he was running low, and that I'd match him. Instead, he was determined to prove himself the stronger of the two of us – with literally everything he could."

"He thought he was magically stronger than you?" Blaise began to laugh, his chuckles rumbling under Hermione's hand on his chest. "He seriously thought he could beat you?"

"I don't know why," Hermione groused, shifting to take a step back. "I was only about halfway empty when his magic gave out."

Blaise laughed again, before moving and catching Hermione's hand as she pulled it away.

"Hermione."

Hermione stopped, her breath in her throat, as Blaise's molten gaze locked onto hers.

"I want in, the next time you're doing Ritual Magic," he told her, his voice low. He turned her hand over in his, holding it. "Regardless of what you're doing. I want to be part of your standing coven, those who cast Ritual Magic with you."

Hermione watched as he rubbed his thumb along the back of her hand, before her eyes flickered up to him.

"I did have an idea…" she admitted. "It'll take some research and more investigation, but in a month or so, maybe," she offered, "I should have something we can try…?"

It was incredible, Hermione realized, the way his brilliant smile took her breath away – just the way his mother's had that day in Carkitt Market. Her heart skipped a beat. Had Blaise ever smiled at her like this before?

"Then," Blaise murmured, lifting her hand to his lips and pressing them to the back of it, his eyes glittering, "I will be very much looking forward to it, Hermione."