Blaise's Diary

Thanks for your responses to this fiction. I'm hurrying to polish up the rest of the chapters because everyone has been so great. There are seven chapters in all.

Disclaimer: I can claim no ownership of the characters or places in this fiction and make no money from this story.


Entry Four

Hermione put a hand on her heart, inhaling a deep nervous breath, and prepared herself to read the last entry in Blaise’s diary. The afternoon sun had now started its descent towards evening and it was nearing the dinner hour. Harry and Ron would wonder where she was when she didn’t show up in the Great Hall on time. But there was no possible way she could close the book in front of her. This was, by far, the most compelling book she had ever opened. Her fingers trembled slightly as she read:


My Dearest Hermione,

Are you surprised, my love? I hope it is a happy surprise and that my boldness in expressing my feelings does not frighten you away. That would be last thing I would wish for.

I know you must be confused. Finding out that someone loves you, and has loved you for a very long time, has given you much to think upon. I do not want you to feel uncomfortable or that I expect anything from you. Perhaps it is selfish on my part, for I could not keep these feelings unknown any longer and my longing has finally driven my secret out into the open. I could not leave Hogwarts forever regretting that I did not try to fulfill my hearts desire.

You, my love, are so beautiful, intelligent and talented. It has been difficult for me to believe that someone like you could possibly want to know someone like me. Perhaps it was my dream, the one you’ve read about, that has caused me to try. Am I a fool for believing such things?

Do not let the intensity of my feelings for you make you afraid. I would never try to push you to do things you did not want to do. I only ask for a chance to be in your presence and talk with you - so you would come to know me better. Will you allow this?

I have arranged a place for us to spend time together this evening if you would agree. Do not fear my motives. They are entirely honorable, despite my reputation with other girls. You are not just any girl to me. You are the one I love.

Think now, Hermione, and decide. Will you give me this night to get to know you? Or do you have no interest in me?

If you decide you do not wish to know me, then leave my diary here, under the tree, and walk away. I will know how you feel and I will not bother you again, though my heart will greatly ache.

If you decide to give me a chance to know you, then turn the page. Here you will see a flower I have drawn. Put your nose to the blossom and inhale its fragrance. Next, close your eyes to dream. I will come to you if you do so, and take you to the special place I have prepared. Do not be afraid. I would never allow any harm to come to you.

I await your decision with a hopeful heart.

All my love to you,

Blaise Zabini




Hermione released the breath she was holding and looked around her carefully. This letter certainly indicated that he would be watching her. She wondered where he was - how close was he? He wanted to meet with her tonight. Goodness! That really didn’t give a girl much time to consider things. Her eyes scanned the letter over again and she sighed, fretting over her thoughts. "He just wants to talk,” she reasoned. “There would be no harm in that, would there?”

But her mind kept going back to his other words, the words that explained the things he thought about doing with her. It was the thought of being in his presence, knowing that he wanted to make love to her, that was unnerving her most. What if he poured on the charm and tried to seduce her? Could she handle it? She had never had the experience of rejecting someone trying to make advances on her. It had never been an issue before.

She ran her fingers over his words again, mired in indecision. “Honorable,” she read out loud. Then she laughed at her silliness and said, “Oh, Hermione, he just wants to talk. You can do that, can’t you?” With a last look around, she turned the page and looked at the beautiful white blossom he had drawn, its scent was already filling nostrils. She lifted the book to her nose and inhaled deeply.


Up above, on the astronomy tower, Blaise’s heart burst with happiness when he saw her lift the diary to her nose and inhale. His eyes were riveted on her as she fell over onto the grass in a deep sleep, the diary falling from her hand. He hoped she would not mind this method introdution.

He made his way down to the ground and strode toward her sleeping form, his heart pounding with happiness as he drew nearer. When he reached her side, he knelt down and gazed at her in wonder. She decided to spend the evening with him! This was too good to be true. He reached out and touched her cheek for the first time, closing his eyes at its soft silky feel. "Thank you, my love, for this chance," he whispered.

Then he took a bundle out from his bag which was wrapped in emerald green cloth. He unwrapped it carefully, revealing a woman’s hair ornament that served as a port key. Gathering Hermione in his arms, he touched the key and they disappeared instantly.


OOOOOOOO


Hermione opened her eyes and found she was on a plush bed, covered in rich maroon velvet. She pushed up on her hands and glanced around at the unfamiliar bedroom. It was adorned in maroon, green and gold, the furnishings obviously opulent and expensive. A window was wide open and soft warm breezes were moving the sheer draperies about.

What had happened? She remembered sniffing the flower in the diary and now she was here. She strained her memory for some clue when a knock sounded on the door. Hermione quickly swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up straight, saying, “Come in.”

A small, dark-haired woman came bustling in with a big smile on her face. “Hello, I’m Sophia,” she said with a curtsey. “Mr. Zabini has sent me to help you prepare for dinner,” she announced with an Italian accent.

Hermione looked surprised. “Mr. Zabini?” The woman nodded. Oh my, thought Hermione. This must be the special place Blaise mentioned. But this couldn't be Hogwarts. Nothing looked familiar. “Where am I?” Hermione asked, perplexed.

“Mr. Zabini’s home,” the maid replied, scuttling to a large wardrobe across the room. "Near Venice.”

“Venice?” Hermione jumped to her feet. “Italy? I’m in Italy?”

“Yes,” smile the maid. Dresses began floating out of the wardrobe and slowly turning themselves around. “Which dress would you like to wear tonight, miss?”

Hermione looked down at her school clothing and back to the dresses. He wanted her to wear one of those gowns? To dinner? Her stomach flip-flopped nervously as she wrung her hands. She wasn’t sure how safe she was feeling so far from Hogwarts. “I… I have to wear one of those?”

The maid studied Hermione’s expression and said, “Mr. Zabini has chosen these especially for you. It is customary to dress for dinner in the Zabini household.”

“Oh, I see,” Hermione replied. Was she going to meet his parents? This was definitely more than she had expected for an evening of ‘talking.' At least if his family were here, then perhaps she wouldn’t have to worry about being seduced. She looked over the dresses, deciding on a mauve silk as it seemed the only dress without a plunging neckline. She reasoned that she didn't want to give them the wrong impression.

The maid helped her slip into the gown and then sat her at the vanity, putting her hair up in a very pretty arrangment and stringing little pearls throughout it. Hermione felt as if she had been taken back a century when she saw the way she appeared. Perhaps his family is very old world, she considered.

“You look very beautiful,” Sophia chirped when they were finished. “Follow me, please.” She led Hermione into the hallway of the richly adorned house and down a long flight of stairs. The maid pointed to an open door ahead and said, “Have a good evening, miss.” She curtsied and walked away.

Hermione took a deep breath. She expected that Blaise and his family were waiting for her in that room. She patted her hair and tried to walk as elegantly as she could through the door. As soon as she stepped through, the room faded away, and it appeared that she was outside, on top of a large cliff with an enormous balcony on it. Down below the ocean waves hit the rocks with a splash. How lovely, she thought, an enchanted room! She walked further out on to the balcony and looked at the scenery. Resting her hands on the railing of the balcony, she was suddenly aware that she was not alone. Off to the side, leaning against the railing, stood Blaise, dressed to the nines in a black dress robes, and feasting his eyes over every inch of her.

“Oh!” jumped Hermione, placing a hand on her chest. “I didn’t know anyone was here.”

He pushed away from the railing and strode to her, making a small bow. “I didn’t mean to startle you like that. Forgive me.”

They looked at each other in awkward silence for a few moments before Blaise took her hand and placed a gentle kiss on her fingers. “You are so beautiful, Hermione. I am very happy you agreed to speak with me tonight. Thank you.”

He released her hand, yet Hermione still felt the spot where his hot lips touched her. His subtle cologne wafted to her, making her knees weak. He was too handsome for his own good. Hermione made a nervous gesture with her hand. “I certainly did not expect anything like this. How did you bring me to Italy?”

“Port key,” he smiled. “I use it when I want to come home to visit my family.” He studied her face for a moment. “If you are uncomfortable here, we may return any time you wish. Just touch the rose over there.” He pointed to a vase with a single red rose in it. It sat on a pedestal in the center of the balcony. Blaise had wanted her to feel safe, so he made it easy for her to leave if she wished to.

She looked at the rose, feeling slightly better. “How long was I asleep?” she asked.

“About forty minutes,” he answered. “I apologize if you were offended by my method of bringing you here. I wanted to surprise you.”

“You’ve certainly done that,” she grinned. “Is this your family home?”

“One of them. This particular house will be mine when I graduate in a few weeks. It is a gift from my parents.”

“It’s very beautiful. Is your family here?”

“No,” he shook his head slightly. “They live elsewhere.”

Hermione suddenly felt uncomfortable that they were not to be supervised by his family. Her hands fidgeted nervously at this news.

Blaise noticed her discomfort and said, “Hermione, I meant what I wrote. I wish only to get to know you, speak with you. I just wanted a place where we would not be disturbed by others.”

“Of course,” she nervously laughed. “It’s quite fine, very nice, in fact. Thank you for bringing me here.” She didn’t want to seem scared so she tried to put on a brave face and summon up her Gryffindor courage.

“I know you have not had dinner, yet,” Blaise said. “I have had something prepared for us. Will you join me?” He held out his hand and waited for her response.

“Yes, thank you,” she replied, placing her hand in his. His warm fingers closed around hers and she secretly thrilled at the contact.

He smiled in relief, leading her to a small elegant table set for two. Similar to Hogwarts, the meal magically appeared before them after Blaise had guided her to her seat and pushed her chair in for her.

“This looks wonderful,” she smiled. She truly was hungry, and the smell of the food made her stomach growl.

He smiled in return, pouring some wine into her glass. “This wine is from one of our vineyards,” he told her. “I hope you like it.”

She took a sip and nodded, “It’s very good.”

They ate in awkward silence, sneaking covert glances at one another. Blaise was so happy to finally be with her alone. He was so amazed she was here, that he was forgetting all the things he had planned to say to her. Finally he said, “I’ve never brought anyone here before. It’s always been my private retreat.”

“I can see how you’d want to come here to be alone. It’s lovely.”

“But I don’t always want to be alone,” he added, truthfully. Those words seemed to make Hermione nervous. “Hermione, I hope you believe I did not bring you here to seduce you.”

She smiled nervously and took another sip of wine, wondering if she wouldn't mind a little seduction after all. There was something so very magnetic about Blaise. “Yes, I understand that. I’m just not use to… well… being with someone alone. I’ve never really dated much.”

Blaise nodded in understanding. He already knew that piece of information, however. It pleased him that she had not had a boyfriend, more than she knew. “You can trust me,” Blaise told her.

There was more awkward silence as the meal was finished and it disappeared from the table. Hermione had a question on the tip of her tongue for quite a while now, but she had been hesitant to ask it. Finally, after a few glasses of wine, she was feeling a bit bolder. “Blaise?”

“Yes?” He looked at her hopefully. He was hoping she would ask him something. He did not want to be the type of man who sat and talked about himself all evening, so he had politely waited for her to talk.

“Why haven’t you… well… approached me before - if you felt so strongly about me? I don’t believe I’m that frightening of a person. I do enjoy meeting new people."

“I was afraid of what you may think of me. But you know this from my diary,” he answered.

“Yes, but why would you think I wouldn’t like you?” Hermione asked, bravely.

“Do you like me?” he asked, surprised.

She saw the hopeful look in his eyes and she wondered if she should have said her question in that way. “I… well… I have heard only good things about you,” she replied, carefully. Many of the things she had heard were about how good he was in bed, but she definitely wasn’t about to mention that!

“You have?” he said in surprise. He thought about this for a few moments. “But what is your own opinion?”

Oh boy, Hermione fidgeted, what is my opinion? “From what I know of you in our short acquaintance today, I would say that you’re very kind, sweet and romantic.”

“That’s it?” Blaise asked. “Anything else?”

“What do you want to know?” she replied, embarrassed. That she felt hot and bothered by his very presence? That he smelled so good, she wanted to lick desert off his body? Some things were not appropriate to say - yet.

“Do you like how I look? Do I appeal to you?” he asked, bluntly.

Hermione looked away, blushing. This conversation was getting into dangerous territory. “You are very… nice looking,” she managed to say, her mouth feeling dry.

“Nice?” he asked. He saw how uncomfortable she was growing so he amended, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be so direct.”

The truth was Hermione was growing very attracted to him after reading his journal and discovering how passionate and romantic he was. She definitely thought he was gorgeous, but she had always felt that way. Becoming a boy-crazy groupie was never her style.

“It’s all right Blaise,” she replied. “I’m sorry I don’t know how to speak of such things- not much practice, I suppose,” she smiled and shrugged. "I'm not blind, however. You are very attractive."

Blaise's smile widened.

“Hermione, would you like to dance with me,” he asked as ballroom music began to fill the air.

She definitely didn’t expect him to change the subject so quickly. Now he wanted to dance? She suspected he was just as nervous as she was, and this thought gave her solace.

Blaise stood and put his hand out to her. She placed her hand in his and watched as his warm fingers once again closed over hers. Their eyes met for a moment, both with slight, shy smiles. He helped her up and swept her into his arms, starting the waltz immediately.

Hermione was grateful for his sure movements, letting him lead as she contemplated how wonderful it felt to be dancing with him. Her skin tingled where his hands touched her and her fingers on his shoulder enjoyed the sensation of his hair tickling.

Soon they were smiling and laughing as they spun around the balcony, happy that the dance had broken the nervous barrier that had been between them. Faster and faster they spun, and Hermione was beginning to feel a bit dizzy. She stumbled and started falling but Blaise pulled her up, holding her against his heated torso as he stopped to steady her.

“Oh, sorry!” she apologized, feeling like a clumsy fool.

He looked at her, amused, and purred, “I’m not.”

It made her blush when she realized he was talking about how close he was holding her against his body. Excitement lit her belly and she felt she must of reddened at least three shades darker. They were both breathing hard and gazing into one another's eyes. Blaise had not loosened his hold around her one bit.

Oh, please, just kiss me, Hermione’s mind screamed, her heart racing in excitement.

Blaise watched her, waiting for her to make any indication. He wanted it to be her decision - as he had promised her he did not bring her here to seduce. If she pulled away, then he would let her go easily. But, if she wanted more…

Blaise waited for her slightest movement, drowning in her eyes.

Her mouth fell open in a breathless manner and her gaze fell to his lips. It was all the signal Blaise needed. He brought his lips down to hers and began his slow, maddening assault on her senses.

Hermione made a small moan and tightened her hold around his neck. Blaise brought her more fully against him, deepening the kiss to a new level. His tongue caressed hers, drugging her with languid pleasure. She was relieved he held her so tightly because her legs felt rubbery and weak as all her senses pulsed with pleasure. He was so warm and strong, and he smelt so delicious. Hermione wanted to melt right into him.

It seemed the kiss went on forever. Hermione was lost in a world yet unexplored to her. The strength of his arms around her, the feel of his hard, hot body against hers, and his wicked lips and tongue, working magic. When the long kiss ended, foreheads pressed together and breathing hard, Blaise declared, “I love you, Hermione.” Her brown eyes connected with his and she backed away slightly. She didn’t know what to say. This was all too soon for love talk.

Blaise seemed to realize this. “You do not have to say anything. I know you are just getting to know me. I needed to say it to you - so you know how much it means to me to be with you like this. I want to be part of your life, Hermione, if you will allow it. I want you to be mine and I want to be yours.” He looked at her and waited for her reaction. “Will you allow me to date you more? I would like you to get to know me and, perhaps…, someday… you can feel something for me.”

Hermione’s senses were overwhelmed. She had never felt like this before. This beautiful man was declaring his love for her, and it felt so wonderful to be in his arms. She wanted much more of his kisses. “I would like to get to know you, Blaise, very much so.” She pulled his head back down to hers, feeling him smile against her lips, as they began another long, deep kiss.

Standing on the balcony, kissing, Hermione was enjoying the sensation of his hands gently caressing her. She became more aware of how her body was reacting to him, feeling something very needy building in her lower regions. It was maddening how her body had a mind of its own and she shifted her feet just enough to find one leg in between his, pressing her pelvis further onto to him for relief.

Blaise groaned at her innocent. Did she realize her hip was now pressing onto his straining erection? He didn’t want to push things too far with her, and he tried to shift himself out of dangerous territory, but she moved back again, pressing herself against him in her need. His arms tightened around her and his lust grew as her hip continued to press up against his hard member. Merlin! Automatically, he bent his leg, the one which rested between hers and brought it up against her needy core. He would not deny her if that is what she wanted.

Hermione groaned at the contact and a new kind of nervous flutter filled her belly. She realized both of them were breathing very hard into each other’s mouths and the kiss was becoming ever more desperate.

Suddenly Blaise broke away from her, panting, “No!” He held her at arms length, restraining himself from going any further, painful as it was.

Hermione looked at him with confusion and need. Why did he have to pull away?

“I will not have you thinking I have brought you here for sex,” he declared. “I want much more than that, Hermione.”

Her mind was a jumble of lust and confusion. “Blaise… I… “

OOOOOOOO


A/N Well, dear readers, should she jump him or should she be grateful that he is such a gentleman and decide to let him court her the old fashioned way? Either way, Blaise will love her. I know what I would do, but I was a lusty little wench at seventeen. LOL

Let me know if you want to have a hot and heavy last chapter or should it be sweet and chaste? Give me your opinion and I’ll go with the majority. Thanks!