Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.

Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. Additionally, there is implied/referenced threat of sexual assault as typical for omegaverse. Feel free to back out if need be.

Author's Note: Fun fact for this fic is that Harini is one of the names that the mother of Shiva uses and also a common name for a type of jasmine that grows in the Punjab. [jazz hands] So something from both James & Lily!

Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Quidditch League (Season 10); RAVEN (2023); MC4A (Spring Year 6)
Individual Challenges: Sandbox (Y); Reader (Y); Cinematic (Y); Gamer (Y); Alpha & Omega; Small Fry; Dreamers (Y) [x2]; Ethnic & Present [x2]; Neurodivergent; Rian-Russo Inversion [x2]; Short Jog; Bucket Listing (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Two Cakes (Y); Claimed; Setting Sail (Y); Outer (Y); Zed Era; Rainbow Connection; Gender Bender (Y); Hold the Mayo (Y)
Team (Position): Wigtown Wanderers (Seeker)
Round (Prompt): Round 10-03 (Strangers)
RAVEN Challenges: Settings [54](Dusk); Items [28](Ceramic Mug); Colors [66](Imperial Purple)
Other MC4A Challenges: SpB [4A](Purple); TrB [5B](White Knight); Ship (Heroic Shadow)[SpBig (Ceramic Mug; Ribbon/Cord); SpMic1 (Omegaverse; Fusion/Crossover); SpMic2 (Black); 2E (Waxing Poetic)]; Chim [Ivy]("God Help the Outcasts" – Hunchback of Notre; Outside; Race Bend); Hunt [Sp WD (Black; Desi); Sp Items (Ceramic Mug; Ribbon/Cord; Toy)]
Representation(s): Desi & Fem Harry Potter/Blaise Zabini; Harry Potter Raises Teddy Lupin; Omegaverse; Autistic & Omega Harry Potter; Alpha Blaise Zabini; Chim Song Prompt
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Not a Lamp; Persistence Still; Pear-Shaped; Wabi Sabi
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: T3 (Tether); Once (Santa Fe)
Word Count: 1395 words

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Stranger Knight
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Blaise had noticed them, of course. A lifetime of watching over his shoulder had left him with the ingrained habit of taking note of every detail around him, including the people. Having been best friends with Tracey and Daphne for the majority of their formative years, he had also developed a protective streak over anyone who seemed potentially vulnerable (and also an appreciation for how vulnerable did not mean incompetent or weak in any way). Not to mention that there were not a lot of ways to avoid at least seeing the neighbors in their little three-story apartment building, not even ones that weren't interested in being anything but strangers who happened to live in the vicinity of each other.

So when a woman with a small child moved into the other flat on his side of the top floor, Blaise noticed them.

He especially noticed the woman. How could he not? She was breathtakingly beautiful with sienna skin and inky black hair that fell down to her hips. For the most part, she kept her hair tightly contained in a thick braid tied with an ever-changing variety of ribbons, but he had seen her folded into one of the turquoise chairs that were tucked between the collection of plant pots on her balcony in the hour before sunrise. Her curls had flowed over her like a riotous waterfall of onyx, freed from its ribbon confinement. Her elegant hands had been curled around a mug of still steaming tea and her face had been turned up towards the sky with its fading stars that he knew would be reflected in her emerald eyes.

Just the memory of seeing her so at peace brought an echo of it to the core of Blaise.

The boy that lived with her was not biologically hers, despite him obviously being hers in every other way. He was much paler than the woman, too much to just be taking after his father. There was nothing Desi in his face whereas the woman could never be mistaken for anything else. He had a heart-shaped face well-suited for the happiness he projected constantly. His eyes were a golden hazel that was very close to the true gold of a contented omega, a beautiful color despite the child's youth.

In the month since the Potters (as the new label on the mailbox for the flat stated) had moved in, Blaise had not been able to get close enough to truly scent the pair. The boy was obviously not anything yet, being so young. In the elevator and hallways, he left only trace scents of sweets and milk, both common to unpresented toddlers. The woman hovered over him while they were out of their flat, a protective shadow watching anyone approaching her pup with clear suspicion in her eyes. Not that Blaise blamed her any. He had seen the way that most people treated omegas in general as well as those believed to be omegas. While considered rare, Blaise had heard of cases where alphas had attacked people with eyes naturally hued like the gold of an omega in heat.

It wasn't paranoia if the danger was real.

Of course, Blaise watching them from afar whenever they went out probably wasn't helping ease his new neighbor into the neighborhood. If pressed, he would not call what he was doing stalking. He just wasn't certain if Daphne and Tracey wouldn't call it that, even as his best friends and knowing he wasn't the type of alpha who would force himself on anyone.

For all of his watching, it was actually a coincidence that Blaise happened to be walking back from the grocer about half a block behind the woman and child. She was resplendent in her imperial purple kameez and blue jeans. The ribbons woven through her hair were shades of the same purple hue with a single one of the same crimson as the phoenixes embroidered along the kameez's hem. The little boy was eying Blaise sleepily over her shoulder as she carried him towards their apartment building.

It was only because he had a rough idea of their schedule that Blaise knew that they were likely coming from the park three blocks back. They would have stayed longer than they normally did, as the sun was setting and the shadows were quickly growing long. Shadows weren't a problem for him, but he was an alpha and a man. Blaise knew that the woman preferred to be at least inside of the apartment building by this time of day.

At the center of their street, there was an alley that ran between two of the buildings. It was barely wide enough for the garbage truck to pass with the dumpsters along one side. Many people from the apartment buildings on their street and the one on the other side used it as a shortcut. It wasn't the most pleasant-smelling path, but it did save time. This late in the afternoon, it was also almost completely shrouded in darkness.

Blaise watched as the woman and child drew close to the mouth of the alley. He was about to slow his pace to keep a fair distance between them, when he felt the wind shifted enough that brought the scent of not only what must be the woman and pup but also something more worrisome. The distinctive scent of multiple alphas on the hunt immediately stirred Blaise's protective instincts. He cast his gaze towards the shadows of the alley, and he saw the group slowly begin to creep towards the woman.

The gang was made up of five men, all burly alphas. Their faces were distorted by the darkness. They moved like predators, silent and sure. The woman pressed one hand against the back of the child's head, obviously scared at the threat, but she didn't try to run. That was probably for the best. Running would have only incited a chase, which would not end well for the woman that he could now tell was an unbonded omega.

Blaise picked up the pace so that he caught up with the woman. He knew that he was an intimidating figure, being both tall and broad-shouldered. He moved with an easy grace to place himself between the woman and the alphas. He knew that no matter how tempting the target, the presence of a witness likely to instigate a challenge would deter a potential attack. Most likely, the gang would back down if they saw him, and he was right.

The five men shuffled back into the alley, leaving the three of them be.

Blaise turned to the woman and the child. Both were looking at him with equally wide eyes. He didn't need his nose to know that his presence was making them nervous. He could read it in the slight tremble of the woman's hand against the boy's hair. He smiled and wiggled the fingers of one hand at them.

"It's alright," he said softly, in a voice that was calm and reassuring. "I'm Blaise. I'm in the flat next to you."

"I've seen you," the woman stated in an odd tone. Blaise blinked in surprise. He recognized that lack of inflection. Tracey sounded the same way whenever she was tired or overwhelmed. "I'm Harini. This is my godchild, Teddy."

"I'm four!" the toddler declared, clearly over his own fear. He held up one hand to show the number of fingers to match his declaration. The movement caused him to drop the stuffed frog he had been holding.

Blaise darted closer to grab it before it could reach the ground. Teddy accepted it back with a grin that showed off his tiny teeth. Harini smiled at Blaise gratefully. It made his stomach flutter like it was suddenly full of butterflies.

"Would you like to come over for some ice cream?" Blaise asked, deciding that he had to take the chance of being more than strangers with his beautiful neighbor. "I would really appreciate the help eating it."

Harini hesitated, but Teddy's eyes lit up. He turned a pleading look towards his guardian, his bottom lip trembling just the tiniest bit. She sighed, knowing she was being played, and then nodded. The three of them walked away from the alley's mouth and towards their building.

It felt a lot like they were also walking towards destiny.