One More Time

*

“Hermione?” Blaise knocked on the door to Hermione’s flat carefully. When no one answered, he looked down at the note in his hand.

Blaise, come to my flat, please, it read in a handwriting he was quite familiar with. He frowned as he reread the note and knocked on the door again.

“Hermione!” he called through the door. “Are you in there?” He paused, listening closely. There was no response and he sighed. He glanced out the window at the end of the hallway, only seeing the pitch black sky. It was around eleven o’clock at night, early for Blaise.

He paused another second before reaching for the doorknob and turning it. To his surprise, it was unlocked and he went in. The apartment was dark except for a lamp sitting on a table next to the couch in the living room.

He followed the light, wondering why she had called him. He found Hermione sitting on the couch, still done up from the night. Her hair was falling over her shoulders as she sat on the couch, her head bowed. Her dress was a little wrinkled but otherwise looked fine.

Blaise raised an eyebrow as he took in her appearance. His gaze moved from Hermione to the coffee table in front of her that was littered with books about pregnancy. He took a seat in the adjacent arm chair and waited.

Hermione sat on the couch, staring at the floor as if in concentration. She had heard Blaise come in and knew he was sitting in the chair, waiting for her explanation of why she’d called him.

Ever since she’d left Harry’s house, she’d been thinking about everything. She’d come home and sat down on the couch in the exact position she was in. Her table was covered in books she’d bought from the large bookstore in the middle of town. She’d even Owl ordered a few about magical pregnancies just to be sure.

She’d picked up one of the books and gotten through the first chapter before she put it down. An overwhelming feeling of inadequacy had come over her. Ever since she’d found out she was pregnant, she’d felt like her world had collapsed out from under her. She hadn’t felt like herself in weeks. She hated keeping this from everyone but knew it was necessary. She felt like she had lost the rational part of her.

So she had set out to get it back by doing what she did best; research. She’d begun reading books, as many books as she could get her hands on. She felt safer when she knew exactly what was going on.

Knowledge was her safety blanket and she’d needed to get that back. She knew Blaise was smart too, but his intelligence was more of an instinctual intelligence rather than acquired knowledge. If he had chosen to put his brains to use, he would have limitless possibilities open to him.

Hermione knew this. She knew this was why he always opted for the casual option, such as letting things happen as they would rather than predicting and planning. He was much more able to adapt to new and different situations than Hermione.

Hermione needed something more than a casual reassurance, which is why she turned to books. Books were made of facts, something she knew to be true, something that could tell her exactly what was going to happen.

Tonight, at Harry and Ron’s dinner, Hermione had seen so many happy couples. Happiness was something books couldn’t predict.

Blaise sat in silence, beginning to grow impatient as it stretched longer. Finally, he sighed, sitting up.

“Hermione, why am I here?”

Hermione didn’t look at him immediately, instead, raising her gaze to the dark window, outside of which was only the yellow glow of streetlights and other buildings.

“Are we doing the right thing?” she asked finally.

“What do you mean?” Blaise said, watching her carefully.

“I mean,” she said, taking a breath, “do you think we’re doing the right thing here? You know, having this baby.”

“Well, it’s a little late to take it back,” Blaise drawled coolly. He didn’t know why she was asking this now.

Hermione was quiet for a moment, gazing out the window. “Is it a mistake?”

“How so?”

“Blaise, we’re not a couple. You broke up with me months ago. This shouldn’t have happened.” Hermione paused, seemingly gathering herself. Blaise watched her carefully, edging off his seat and moving over to the couch slowly. “We’re not happy. We’re not together. We didn’t plan this. It’s not how it’s supposed to go.”

“And how would you have it go?” Blaise asked carefully.

Hermione laughed for a second and glanced up at him. “Well, it’d be nice if we liked each other.”

Blaise didn’t say anything, watching as Hermione looked away, bowing her head again. “I always thought people who had children liked each other, at least a little. Children are supposed to be planned by people who want them.”

Blaise didn’t know what to say. He knew she felt this way, but wondered what had happened to bring it all up again, though at least this time she was discussing it in her usual rational manner.

“Hermione,” he said finally, “if you really think we’re not ready, there are always other options.”

Hermione glanced at him sharply. “You mean adoption?”

Blaise shrugged. “It’s an option if you don’t think we can handle this. But I think we can.”

“You do?” she asked, finally turning towards him.

He scooted closer to her on the couch. “Yes, but… why is this coming up now? What happened?”

Hermione sighed. “I went to dinner at Harry’s tonight and Ron and Mandy were there. They’re engaged and when they announced it, all I could think was that they’re happy. They’re getting married and eventually they’ll have kids. But they’ll be ready and expect it to happen. I’m not married. I’m not even dating anyone. In seven months, I’m going to be a mother and I don’t know what to do.”

Blaise was silent as he took in what she said. He knew she was worried about the future and what it held for them. It wasn’t exactly as he’d thought it would turn out either. He knew she was operating under a lot of stress, which was completely understandable.

When he glanced at Hermione, he was surprised to find that she was crying, if only a little and very quietly. He hesitated, never having been very talented with emotional women.

“Hermione, it’s okay,” he said awkwardly, moving next to her and not knowing what to do as she leaned into him. He placed his hand on her back comfortingly and listened to the silence, knowing she was still crying. He felt her hand clutching his shirt near his waist.

“Blaise?” she asked, lifting her head slightly. “Do you really believe we can do this?”

Blaise looked down at her, noting how close her lips were. “I do.”

They stared at each other for a second before Hermione’s hand slid up his chest and her lips were pressed against Blaise’s. Her eyes closed as Blaise returned the kiss, his lips sliding over hers and his hand coming to her jaw, pushing her hair back.

She whimpered as Blaise took over the kiss, biting her lower lip. She pressed herself closer, wanting to feel his hard body against hers. Her hand was on his chest, gripping his shirt tightly as they kissed.

She was surprised as Blaise pulled away, leaving her panting slightly.

“Hermione,” he murmured, “is this hormones or something else?”

Hermione looked up at him and swallowed, releasing his shirt and letting her hand fall to his waist. “Please, Blaise, can we just not think about this?”

Before Blaise could respond, she was kissing him again, sliding her body into his lap, her hand gliding down his cheek to his neck. Her kisses were short, teasing, waiting for him to jump in. After a second, he responded, pushing back against her body as he took over the kiss.

Their lips slid together in an explosion of heat and passion, pressing together, tongues probing the other’s mouth. Blaise’s hand moved to Hermione’s back, pulling her closer as their kisses became harder, more possessive.

Hermione’s hair was falling in her face, but Blaise pushed it back, tangling his fingers in the long locks. Hermione’s moan was muffled in Blaise’s mouth as his fingers brushed over her neck. She shifted in his lap, her knees sliding on either side of his thighs.

Blaise’s hand released her hair, gliding down her neck and over her bare shoulder to rest on her waist. He could feel the soft cotton of her dress under his fingers. His other hand was resting on her thigh that was also covered by her dress which she was still wearing from dinner.

After a few quick kisses, Hermione pulled back, climbing off Blaise. She reached up slowly and carefully pulled down the zipper on her dress. Blaise stood up also, moving towards her and she backed away, moving to the bedroom.

As she walked backwards, she pulled the straps of her dress down and the bodice, revealing the black and pink strapless bra she’d been wearing. She could feel Blaise’s gaze on her body as she did so and stopped walking just before the bed.

Blaise stepped into the room after her, closing the door behind them and flicking on a low lamp across the room. It was just barely enough light to see by. His eyes were on Hermione as she slipped the dress off completely, leaving her in just her undergarments.

His eyes moved from her legs, past the black knickers and up her smooth stomach. Here, he paused, thinking that soon it would not be so flat. He shook himself and moved his gaze upward, traveling over her torso and chest to her face that was framed with her dark hair. Her eyes were smoldering and he knew she was waiting.

Moving forward quickly, he placed his hands on her hips, guiding her back until they hit the bed and fell onto it. He pushed himself up and quickly got rid of his shirt and pants, at once feeling Hermione’s hands running over his chest.

He moved over her carefully, leaning in to give her a soft kiss. He heard her sigh and moved back, pressing kisses down her jaw bone and to her neck where he lavished attention to her throat, his tongue and teeth sliding over the soft flesh as her body moved beneath his.

His hand was gliding over her smooth stomach, sliding down to her thigh, rubbing the warm flesh there. He heard her breathy moan as his fingers moved under the edge of her lace knickers, tugging them down slowly.

He glanced up at her, seeing her eyes close as he kissed her neck. With a last lick, he slid further down, pressing kisses to her chest and torso. His hot tongue slid down her torso, trailing past her ribs to her bellybutton.

He pressed a kiss to her hip, nipping at the spot just above her pelvic bone. He knew she was ready for him, and he’d been waiting a long time. With another nip to her hip, he moved back up, pressing a hard kiss to her lips, then moving to her neck, just below her ear. He nipped at the skin, hearing her moan in his ear.

“Ready?” he breathed, his hand brushing her hair back.

“Yes,” she gasped, her body moving against his, feeling his hard cock pressing against her thigh.

After a second’s pause, Blaise moved back, reaching over in the dim light to her bedside cabinet. In the bottommost drawer, he found what he was looking for. He had always stashed condoms and lube in her drawer while they’d been dating and hadn’t ever bothered to remove them. Neither had she, he noticed.

Fishing one out, he put it on himself, then took some lube out, spreading it over his erect cock. He gave an involuntary groan as he touched himself. He slid his slick fingers over Hermione’s inner thigh, loving the way she squirmed under his touch.

He was rewarded a sharp gasp as his fingers plunged into her body. Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to her navel before shifting his position and adding another finger, pumping them in and out of her body, finding that spot that caused her to shudder every time he rubbed it.

“Bla-aise,” she gasped as he pushed his fingers in again.

Glancing at her, he removed his fingers carefully and moved forward, giving her a lasting kiss before sliding back down. Positioning himself, he pressed his cock into her body slowly, giving her time to adjust.

He felt the hot muscles contract over his cock and closed his eyes momentarily. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Hermione’s jaw as one hand slid around her arched back, toying with the clasp of her bra. He got it undone quickly and pulled it off, exposing her soft, round breasts.

He ran his hand over her breast softly as he pulled his body back then slid back in, earning himself a gasp from Hermione. Leaning into her neck, he concentrated on positioning his body the way he knew she liked best.

Hermione could only feel the blanket of heat that was coating her body as Blaise moved inside her. He always knew what to do, like no other man could. She could feel his hot, harsh breath on her neck and it drove her crazy. Her hands were around his waist, gripping the warm flesh as his hips moved against hers.

Blaise’s breath was short as he thrust into her body, biting his lip as her muscles squeezed his cock every time he slid back in. He could hear Hermione’s gasps in his ear whenever he changed position. Her whimpers and moans only fueled him to go faster.

Her hand moved to his shoulder, gliding over his muscles to rest on his back. She leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his collarbone as he moved inside her, setting her insides on fire. She heard his appreciative groan and smiled to herself.

Her mouth slid over his neck, kissing his throat, licking his pulse point. She buried her face in his neck with a gasp as his hips connected with hers, sending a shooting wave of heat over her body. She could feel the thin layer of sweat on his body and the warmth he was giving out.

“Fuck, Hermione,” Blaise cursed suddenly, pushing his cock back into her body.

“Ohh,” Hermione cried, her back arching as a sudden jolt of electricity shot through her body. “Blaise, Blaise, don’t stop,” she whispered as her orgasm took her over, running all the way down to her toes.

Blaise felt her shudder underneath him and heard the desperate whisper in his ear. He pushed her hair back from her ear, pressing a kiss to her neck just below it. “I won’t.”

Hermione didn’t hear him, only felt the overwhelming feeling taking over her body.

“Oh, fuck,” Blaise cursed, shutting his eyes tightly as he came suddenly. His hips kept moving, thrusting into Hermione’s body on their own accord as his climax came over him, waves of heat crashing against his body.

At long last, both of them seemed to come down from their highs, no one worse for the wear. Blaise rolled to the side, pulling out of her and laying down on the bed.

He took a deep breath and sighed. It wasn’t exactly what he’d planned on doing when he got there, but he couldn’t deny that he had wanted it. He glanced over at Hermione to find that she was falling asleep.

“Hermione,” he said quietly, reaching out and stroking his fingers through her long, dark hair.

“Yeah?” she murmured, her eyes barely open.

Blaise paused. “Never mind.” He pulled back his hand slowly.

Hermione didn’t respond, only scooted closer to him, laying her hand on his chest and sighing contentedly. Blaise pushed away the twist in his stomach and reached for his wand, extinguishing the lamp in the corner, then settled into the bed, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

*