Dark Harmony

Chapter 1: Weakness

The poignant melody drifted up the hallway, and Hermione Granger strained to figure out from which direction it was coming. It was early, the sun hadn't yet graced the grounds with its golden rays, and being unable to sleep, the Gryffindor Head Girl had decided to take a walk to clear her thoughts. She hadn't counted on being haunted by the faint whips of music echoing slightly down the corridors. She had to find where the beautiful sound was coming from.

She let the melody carry her feet down a staircase, winding through corridors, until finally she paused outside a shut door. Holding her breath, she silently pushed it open and slipped inside. Her eyes widened as she discovered a room in which she had never been, nor in fact, had even known about until then. It was small, with white walls, white tiled floors, and a single, undersized window. The room was bare, with the exception of a few vacated chairs and a solitary grand piano that stood in the very middle of the room. Hermione gasped softly.

A petite girl sat at the piano with her back to the door, long, dark hair flowing freely past her shoulders, fingers gliding gracefully over ivory keys. She was obviously engrossed completely in her task, and Hermione thought it was the most beautiful thing she had seen, or heard, in a long time. She slipped into the shadows, averse to distract the girl from her playing, and nearly shouted aloud as she found herself very much not alone.

A tall, muscled figure shared her hiding place, seemingly as completely engrossed in the music as the musician herself. He turned his head slightly in acknowledgment, placing a slender finger to his lips, and Hermione could just make out the shadowed outline of Blaise Zabini's handsome face. Oh God.

She smothered her urge to squeak in surprise and focused her eyes determinedly on the girl and the piano, forcing herself to breathe. It didn't help that she could feel the warmth of his presence throughout her entire body, and a hot blush crept up her neck. What was he doing here?

The song ended, and the girl turned to look expectantly into the shadows. She was strikingly beautiful, with high cheekbones and flawless olive skin, her pouting lips and depthless dark eyes giving her an exotic air. Hermione had seen her once or twice seated at the Slytherin table, but had never bothered to find out her name, or indeed, what year she was in, but by Hermione's guess she couldn't have been older then fifteen. She felt, rather then saw, Blaise step out from the wall, as she was still refusing to look at him. The girl gave him a smile before noticing Hermione and quirking an eyebrow slightly.

"Who's your friend, Blaise?" she asked in a soft voice.

Cerulean eyes turned to glance at her, and Hermione could feel herself tremble. Damn him and his bloody perfect-ness, she cursed mentally, trying desperately to fend off the blush she could feel heating her cheeks.

"Hermione Granger," he smirked, and gave her a quick wink. "Gryffindor goody, book-worm, and all-around student. Granger, I don't believe you've met my sister, Gabriella."

Somehow, Hermione managed to find her voice and even a small, somewhat shaky smile.

"You play beautifully," she said.

Gabriella's eyes bore into her, sparkling with dark amusement.

"What strange company you keep, brother," she smirked, and Hermione was positive that the Slytherin wouldn't hesitate to tell her that he most certainly was not here with this Gryffindor goody and that she had merely wandered in on her own accord.

Blaise, however, merely smiled in wry amusement.
"It seems that you draw all sorts with the magic of your playing, sister," he replied, and the petite girl nodded, accepting it.

The two Zabini's turned to leave, Blaise nodding at Hermione as he ducked the door without a word, but his sister paused momentarily as she reached the stationary Gryffindor.

"How badly do you want him?" she asked, something perverse glinting in her depthless iris'.

"W-what?" Hermione stammered, her eyes wide.

Gabriella leaned in close, dropping her soft voice to a low whisper.

"The key to a Zabini is through the music," she said, slowly running her tongue over her full lips suggestively. "It's our weakness," she breathed, before she turned and slipped out of the room, leaving a very confused, mystified Hermione in her wake.