By Reason Of Birth

As Hermione strode up the walk in front of Blaise’s house, her anger ebbed slightly, making room for the fear that she would be sent back home. If that happened, she would go to Harry’s; she wanted to go to her adopted parents’, but she knew that they would just send her back. They never were ones to walk away from an argument, and they would want her to go back and try to resolve everything. She was still too angry to even consider that, though.

Just before she got to the door, Blaise opened it and held it for her. Once she was inside and the door was closed, he took her overnight bag from her hand, dropped it on the floor, and gathered her in his arms. She melted into him, and the two stood in their embrace until Zarina interrupted a few minutes later. Caoilinn had Flooed to tell her the situation, and she wanted to be sure that Hermione had arrived safely.

“Hello, Zarina,” Hermione said through her sniffles. “I’m very sorry to impose like this, but I was really hoping that I could stay the night. I fought with Brisco, and-”

“It’s quite alright, dear,” Zarina interrupted. “Your mother let me know what’s going on, and you are perfectly welcome to spend the night here. Dipsy is setting up one of the guest rooms for you as we speak. Would you like anything to calm you down? Tea? Cocoa?” She led the teens towards the kitchen, smiling to herself. While she wasn’t happy that Hermione and her parents had rowed, she was delighted that this was the first place Hermione had thought to come.

“Cocoa would be lovely, thank you,” Hermione responded. It didn’t matter the weather, a nice mug of hot cocoa could always manage to soothe her nerves.

While Zarina ordered the drink, as well as a mug for her son and some biscuits, Hermione sat down at the small round table. Blaise pulled up a chair so he was right next to her, and then put his arm around her shoulders so she could rest her head against him.

Zarina sat across from them and rested her hands on the table. “Would you like to talk about it?” she asked.

Hermione had already told Blaise about her reconciliation with Ron, and while he wasn’t happy about it, he supported her decision to stay friends with the redhead, but she reiterated the story to Zarina as the sweets arrived. Then she launched into their meeting that night, and Brisco’s deplorable behaviour towards her friend and the ensuing fight, or rather, how she blew her stack at him.

She was still rather upset, but she felt slightly better after talking about it, and both Zarina and Blaise agreed that Brisco should have treated Ron better, especially since he was the one who had invited him over in the first place.

After a bit of talking about anything other than why she was there, Zarina stood up and took the empty biscuit plate to the sink. “Blaise, if you would show Hermione to her room, the house-elves have already taken up her bag. Also, I had them charm all the entryways so the two of you can only be in the kitchen, the sitting room, and the library together. Every other room will only allow one of you in at a time.”

Blaise’s jaw dropped at the lengths his mother had gone to to make sure they wouldn’t be alone in a bedroom. Instead of commenting, though, he nodded his head and took his and Hermione’s mugs to the sink. He then showed her to her room and left so she could change into her pajamas while he did the same.

They met back up in the sitting room; Blaise sat down on a sofa and Hermione stretched out, resting her head on his lap while he played with her hair.

“You know you have to apologise to your father, right?” Blaise said quietly. When she didn’t say anything, he took his hand from her hair and tilted her face so she was looking at him. “He was wrong in how he treated Weasley, but you could have talked it out rather than blowing up at him and running here instead of facing your problems. Not that I’m not happy you’re here,” he added, a devious smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

“I know,” she sighed, interlocking their fingers and bringing his hand down to her lips. “But really, why is that the Weasleys are considered blood traitors? It can’t be because they didn’t follow Voldemort; that was just an excuse to look down on them.”

It was Blaise’s turn to sigh. “I don’t think you’re going to like the answer,” he told her.

“That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to hear it,” she responded.

“Then let me start by saying that I have never had problems with Muggle-borns; I judge people based on who they are rather than their blood, but being in Slytherin, it’s not something that I generally advertise. Though the Weasleys are purebloods, it is not by breeding, but by chance. They are blood traitors because they would just as soon marry Muggle-borns as purebloods.”

“That is one of the stupidest things I have ever heard in my entire life,” Hermione said as she sat up.

“I told you that you wouldn’t like it,” he said, leaning over and gently kissing her, his hand caressing her cheek.

“That you did,” she said between kisses before she pulled slightly away. “You’re trying to distract me, Blaise Zabini,” she accused.

“Is it working?” he asked with a smirk.

“Nope,” she replied with a sly smile. “Definitely not distracted.”

“Really? What were we talking about then?” he asked, his thumbs running up and down her neck and shoulders.

“We… were talking… about blood,” she answered, gasping as his head lowered to gently trail his tongue after the path he was making with his thumbs.

“Mmmm, then I guess I have to work harder,” he purred into her throat, his breath hot on her skin. He brought his lips back up to hers, and gently licked along the seam of them. She opened for him, and his tongue invaded her mouth. Fleetingly, she wondered how he had become so skilled in the art of kissing before quickly deciding that she didn’t want to know, and lost herself in him.

She leaned back into him, and he smoothly looped his arm under her leg, repositioning her so that she was straddling him. He rested his hands on her arse as her arms encircled his neck, their kiss deepening even further.

His erection pressed against her through their thin cotton bottoms, and he gently rocked his hips to cause more friction. In response, she undulated against him, holding in a moan as his lips left hers and made their way south until he was hunched over, sucking on her hard nipple though her shirt.

Suddenly they were wrenched apart by magic, and the sound of Zarina clearing her throat seemed to reverberate through the room. Hermione immediately covered her face with her hands, having turned beet red in embarrassment, while Blaise gave his mother a disgruntled look.

“I think it’s about time for the two of you to head off to bed. Separate beds,” Zarina pointedly said. She wasn’t in the least bit surprised at what she had walked in on, though. After only having been able to see one another with a chaperone, she would have been more surprised if they hadn’t tried something when they were finally left to their own devices.

“Let me walk you to your room, Hermione,” Blaise said softly, still glaring at his mother.

She nodded her head, and they stood up, holding hands. Hermione followed behind Blaise, her face buried in his back as they passed Zarina, unable to look her boyfriend’s mother in the face after what the woman had just witnessed.


Chapter End Notes:
alrighty, so thanks go to lupie for her betaness and to everyone who's reading and reviewing and all that jazz