Serendipity

The excitement from the bonfire had electrified the school. Everyone appreciated the Prefects' hard work and praised Dumbledore for his brilliance. The students looked forward to the other events and the professors hoped for more intermingling of the Houses to come from this. It was in this atmosphere that Hermione's group would break the news of a multiple day event to the heads of the school. The cold of November pressed on the school as did time on Hermione's mind. Not having an official go-ahead for her project nagged her constantly.

Hermione tried the idea out on Harry and Ron one day after Charms for practice. "That's a really good idea, Hermione," Harry had said.

"Yeah," Ron looked awestruck. "How come you're always topping everyone? Who could beat that idea?"

"That's not why we choose the idea, Ron."

"Of course not, but yours is the best, without fail." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Wow, this'll be great. All the better that your group thought of it and not mine, actually."

"Why?"

"You do realize how much work that'll be?" Ron seemed incredulous that someone would do all of it. "And how little time you will have to truly enjoy the event yourselves?"

"Well, yeah," she shrugged. "But we aren't doing this for us. If this event will bring people together, I can give up one weekend of my life."

"You're the best, Hermione." Ron pulled her into a quick, strong hug. "Make sure you get Tremlett's new project band, the Tremlett Trio or something."

"It's really great that your group would do that for everyone else," Harry said.

"Oh don't worry. You two will help. I'll need tables moved and you two should be in the prefect shape for that with Quidditch and all. But I have to run to Ancient Runes now." She flashed a smiled at their stunned faces. "Thanks again for your help." She turned around to go to class and found Blaise walking up toward her.

"You turned around."

"Was I not supposed to?" she asked as she came back to full height.

"Not when I was trying to surprise you."

She tilted her head. "Why are you trying to surprise me, Mr. Zabini?"

"No reason," he said all too casually, "Except to let you know that I heard back from Supernatural Whimsy. They think they'll be able to do our event in April, for less than the usual cost even."

"How's that?"

"They have another concert in the area and so their travel costs will be less. Quite convenient for us, no?"

"I'd say." She looked over a paper he had handed her, a magical contract. "We should go over this at our meeting next Tuesday. We need to have a meeting with Dumbledore and the heads. I set up one for tomorrow night to go over the plan. Can you come as well? It'd be good to have a Slytherin there to win Snape over," she rationalized.

"Is that all I am? 'A Slytherin to win Snape over?'" He smiled at her. "Of course, what time?"

"At seven."

"All right with me. We could meet before the meeting to go over details," he suggested.

"Sounds good, but there's not much time unless we rush through dinner."

"No worries. I know where the kitchens are." She smiled at this; he looked so proud of himself that she did not think now was the time to let him know that she also knew where they were. "Dinner in the Prefects Commons tomorrow at six then?"

"I'll see you there." He gave her a brief bow before turning away and heading off to class.

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Dinner the next night was not spent in preparation, as Hermione and Blaise had planned, but in light conversation. Going over the details of their event was not necessary, as the two knew the plans backwards and forward.

"So tell me this again. You," Blaise could not believe his ears, "You helped Potter sneak into the Slytherin Common Room? And stole from Snape in the process?" He leaned back in his chair mulling this information over. "After you slapped Malfoy in third year, I knew there was more to you than meets the eye, but still. I am impressed."

"You promised you wouldn't tell." She bit her lip worried that it would get all over school, but there was a deeper feeling of trust for her new friend.

"You promised you'd help me with my Polyjuice potion."

"I do not lie. My mother taught me better than that." Her eyes were alight with laughter.

"No, you do not lie. Only cheat and steal," he laughed.

"Steal! Only steal! I've never cheated in my life. Yet I can see how you might say that. Between getting petrified and being half-cat for a month in second year it's a wonder that I passed on to third."

"You were lucky they cancelled exams, otherwise they may have had to hold back the cleverest witch in our year. And that would not look very good for your record. After all, how would Neville pass Potions alone?" He shook his head. "I need to tell Millicent that you turned into her cat!" A single look from Hermione was all he needed to change his mind. "All right! All right! I won't. You win."

"So, what do young wizards do when us Muggleborns are off in elementary school? How did young Zabini spend his days? Driving your poor mum crazy no doubt."

"And my sisters."

"Sisters? You have sisters? I always wanted one." She narrowed her eyes and pointed her fork at him. "How did you terrorize these sisters of yours?"

"I have two sisters, both older, but not by much, graduated last year. They gang up on me really. It's quite sad." He shook his head. "Once - oh! This was horrible. Once they strapped me down and did my hair. Braids and bows everywhere. I still have nightmares."

"I am sure you do." She smiled and they locked eyes for a moment. Hermione broke the contact feeling the moment was becoming too intimate. She played with her food on her plate. "So, Supernatural Whimsy is set then?" she asked. Her voice became clipped.

"Yeah, everything all right?" He looked at her curiously as her cheeks became red.

"Of course. I - it's nothing." She smiled. "You were telling me about your sisters."

"Yes, I was." He was not sure what just happened, but for a moment, the mood had changed. "There are two of them and they can be a wicked combination, twins in Slytherin and Ravenclaw. A deadly mix when it comes to plotting." His eyes sparkled at the idea of 'plotting.' She would have to ask about his past plots, which she was sure there were many. "Harmless really. Nothing like the infamous Weasley duo from your House. A bit more sly than that. They would get what they wanted and no one would be the wiser." He paused a moment. "Except maybe Dumbledore. But what can you get past him?"

"You said something about a Muggle cousin a while back. I thought that Slytherins and purebloods to boot did not associate with that type?"

"Who ever told you that was full of rubbish. After all, I am sitting here with you aren't I? And if memory serves me well - that is, 'memory,' being Malfoy - you are a Muggleborn yourself. So, there. How does it feel to be wrong for once?" He took a sip of Pumpkin Juice. "But, yes, not to evade the question fully, I have a Muggle cousin. A fairly distant relative, really. My mother's cousin decided she'd be a rebel and marry a Muggle."

"How'd the family take that?" Hermione felt like she was finally getting into Blaise's mind and been given license to snoop.

"Mine's not like most Slytherin purebloods. My grandmother accepted it, but never mentioned that he was one, but most everyone else got on well enough eventually. Lucky for me, since that cousin's my favorite." He took a sip of juice. "Don't tell the others."

"So, if stereotypes are sometimes true, why do you think you are in Slytherin?"

"Ambition. I'm surprised you're not in with the green, but then again it may not have been a very pleasant experience for 'your kind.'" He smiled. "Not with Malfoy anyway." From what she could tell, he seemed to enjoy Malfoy as much as any Gryffindor.

"Then what's your ambition for?"

"I feel like you're interviewing me here. You're sure you aren't that awful Rita Skeeter in disguise?"

"Ugh! Don't get me started on that woman." Hermione's face reflected the disgust she felt. Remembering the articles Rita had written about Hermione, Blaise figured he would hate her as well.

"Ambition?" He sat a moment to think the this over, smiled crookedly, before answering. "For now? To get my diploma from Dumbledore. I figure that's a good end to any year." He was joking with her, "Seriously? I have no clue." She could tell there was something he was not telling her. His eyes were tinged with a little fear, from unknown or known future prospects, she was unsure. "You?"

"I'm not a snake. I don't have ambition," she smirked.

"You're lying. What would your mum say?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, okay," she put her hands up in defeat. "You got me, happy? I think I've always been a certain amount of a perfectionist, as a Muggle and wizard alike. But being a Muggleborn wizard it seems as if I have more to prove." She was thinking about the differences in her life in each of her worlds. She wondered if she should go on.

Taking a deep breath she decided that she did truly trust this Slytherin. "In the Muggle world I'm perfectly average. An upper-middle class, white girl born in one of the wealthiest countries in the world I am pretty well set there. No prejudices of me. Only thing I have to worry about is making 70 percent of what a man makes. Not a little thing, but there are bigger problems in the world. Like being attacked for my race or religion on a daily basis. I'm no minority there."

She looked down at her hands. "I come here and within minutes people are making decisions on what they think of me based on something I had no choice in. I did not choose to have Muggle parents. I would not choose different parents if given that choice. But because I am Muggleborn my life is in danger, because there is a mad man running loose in this world that thinks I am filth."

She looked up at him again. "I have no choice but to be the best. To prove everyone wrong."

It was silent for a moment. "I see." He pause a moment. "Not everyone, though. I already know you are the best." He shook his head. "No one like that should have power."

"You're telling me?" She pointed at her self and looked around trying to make sure it was her he was talking to, trying to lighten the mood.

"It's almost seven," he said with quiet reluctance. Neither of them wanted to leave such an interesting conversation. "We should clean up."

It took two swishes of a wand to return the items to the kitchens; Blaise gathered their papers and checked around the room to make sure was all in order. Hermione straitened her skirt and the two walked away to Dumbledore's office.

"I was telling the truth, you know." Blaise was not sure what else to say in the silence.

"I know. You've proven that to me on more than one occasion." She turned to him outside Dumbledore's office. "I believe you. That's why we make such a good team."

The meeting with the Heads went well. McGonagall looked on proudly as Hermione explained the idea and purpose. Her flip charts with schedules and diagrams were colorful and greatly appreciated by Flitwick. Blaise's promises to keep Hogwarts' plant life in tact earned him a brilliant smile from Professor Sprout. Dumbledore agreed immediately and though Snape did not look as if he wanted to agree with any plan of Hermione's he did not mind the idea itself.

"One thing," Snape had said after they finished. "Can you get Blood Sucking Fiends to come play?"

It was in the bag. They had trusted the two prefects with the whole of Hogwarts for the weekend of April 15^th. Hermione and Blaise were beaming as they came out of the meeting.

"I told you. We are a great team. They had no choice but to agree!" Hermione was practically bouncing with excitement.

"You did much of the talking." Blaise gave credit where it was due. "So, thus I bow down to you. Oh, great one." Doing just what he said, Blaise found himself looking at her shoes. He raised himself up to a giggling Hermione. "What?"

"How can I take you seriously when you act like that?" she asked.

"Seriously?" he puffed up his chest and straitened his back. "I did not realize seriousness was in order."

"Much better," she laughed. "No, I take that back. I don't like you like that. Too stiff."

"Good." He brought back his original, more relaxed, posture. "Far too uncomfortable," he agreed. "Now that we have permission, we need to actually figure out how to make this thing happen."

"I'm not worried. Between the two of us, we have the skills and the drive to get it done."

"You are forgetting our two other partners in crime. Surely, we don't have to do it all. Ian and Hiroko can do some of the grunt work, I'm sure."

"I think they'll love that you signed them up without asking." They had reached the stairs where their paths split. "Thank you very much for such a lovely night."

"The pleasure was mine," Blaise smiled at Hermione. "Tuesday?"

"Until then. Goodnight." Hermione turned to leap up the stairs with a giddy heart.

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At the next prefect meeting Hermione and Blaise brought the good news of the Heads approval. The group began to make lists of contacts and arrangements that were still left to make.

"We don't have a name," Ian stated near the end of the meeting.

"Hmm?" Hermione looked up from her notes. "What do you mean a name?"

"If our festival is going to be a hit, shouldn't it have a name?" As Hermione listened to Ian, she was amazed at her ability to ignore this fundamental fact. They needed a name.

"What kind of name?" Hiroko asked.

"Just a word or a phrase that sums up the event and what could happen during it." Ian thought a moment. "I like the word 'Superfluous.' I don't know what it means, but that could be a cool name."

"I don't think that word means what you think it means," Blaise flipped through a dictionary. "No, I'm pretty sure you don't. It means 'unnecessary.' Is that what you meant?"

Ian shook his head. "No, I guess not. But it's fun to say."

"What do we want the festival to be? What do we want people to think and feel about it?" Hermione asked.

"Fun?" Ian suggested.

"Exciting," Hiroko said.

"Spontaneous." When Blaise said it, everyone agreed with him.

"What are other words for spontaneous?" Hiroko asked.

"Spontaneous - impulsive, natural, free, chance, serendipitous." The last word caught everyone's ear.

"Serendipitous?" Hiroko thought for a second. "Serendipity!"

"It's perfect," Ian said and everyone agreed with him. "That's the name for our festival, Serendipity."

The group did not stay much longer that night as there was little else they could do for now, but each of them left feeling content about the name choice. Hermione stayed behind to help Blaise clean up. As they chatted, Hermione realized how good a friend she had unexpectedly found in Blaise.

They left the room together, talking on their way to the library. Halfway there, Hermione searched through her bag. "I left something in the Prefects Commons." She turned around to leave Blaise and was pleasantly surprised when he also turned to follow her. He really was becoming a good friend, and her quickened heartbeat when around him informed her that she would not mind if he became something more. "I really enjoy this. That's what I think I like most about this school."

"Hmm? This? What's that?" He looked over at her.

"The ability to get to know someone so unexpectedly and quickly. It's nice, even if your new found friend is a Slytherin." She pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Spontaneity and variety are always good things. Even with a Gryffindor," he countered.

"If everyone could make friendships the way we have, with other Houses that is, than I'm sure our problem would be solved," she said thoughtfully.

"Yes," he laughed. "If our problem was solved, than, yes, our problem would be solved." She blushed when she realized what she had said. "You seemed to have little problem last year making friends with that Ravenclaw girl, what was her name - Luna?"

"It was mostly her making friends with us, but in the end, she turned out to be a good friend to have. She's closer to Harry than Ron or I." Hermione had not truly made fast and hard friends with Luna, but Harry had become close friends with her. They still talked throughout the year. When Hermione found out that she also saw thestrals, their friendship made more sense to her.

"But she stuck by all of you. Going down to the Ministry of Magic into certain danger, though somewhat foolhardy, is not what many simple acquaintances would do." Blaise was a little hesitant to go on, but there was a question he had been meaning to ask her for some time now. "How did you all survive? Ten Death Eaters, wasn't it?"

Hermione had not talked about that night with anyone outside the Weasley family or those who had gone with her. Harry received the most questions and the few who had asked her had not received a response. She sighed. "I don't really know. I was hit and knocked unconscious, but how I made it as far as I did? I don't really know." They had made it to the Prefects Commons. She sat in a chair after picking up her book. "I think I had been lucky enough to be quick thinking due in part to drilling many defense spells."

"But Umbridge didn't allow us to practice." She could hear the disgust in his voice.

Hermione did not think she would tell Blaise about DA this way, but the moment had come, and she felt that she owed it to him. Her trust in him was that that she did not worry about others finding out. "Harry, Ron, and I started a Defense Against the Dark Arts club at the beginning of last year. It was just for that reason. Umbridge wasn't teaching us anything and Harry didn't like that. Felt we'd be caught unprepared-"

"Sounds like Moody," he joked.

"Yeah," she laughed, wondering how much Blaise really knew about everything including Moody and Barty Crouch Jr. "We meet up almost weekly to practice. Harry teaches us things he's used before and we drill until it's second nature."

"So, it is a secret club then?"

"Not really, everyone knows. Some of your fellow Slytherins ratted us out," she said.

"Then why does all of Slytherin think it is non-existent anymore?"

"Because there are no Slytherins." A lump formed in her throat and the guilt she felt made her speed up her speech. "I don't think that's right. Ron thinks Slytherin can't be trusted, but -" She looked up at him. She could not make out what he was thinking of this all. "I think he's wrong."

"It sounds as if you have a very good operation; it's already proved its usefulness." He still did not let on to his real thoughts.

She was not sure what he would say, but she had to ask. "I've been meaning to invite you."

He looked into her eyes. "And?" He grinned devilishly.

"Would you like to come to a meeting of DA?" she asked.

"If it would mean spending more time with you? Hmm..." he pretended to mull over the idea. "I would love to."

And it was settled. Blaise would be the first Slytherin to come to a meeting of DA. Hermione wondered how Ron would take this news.

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"What?!?" Ron was red to the tips of his ears later that night.

"Harry said it would be all right, as long as a Slytherin followed the same rules." Hermione looked at Harry who looked a bit uncertain. She could imagine his internal struggle. He wanted to be fair, but he also wanted to be safe.

"It'll be all right, Ron," Harry said sheepishly. Even the boy savior of the Wizarding world was less than assertive in the face of Ron's temper.

"That didn't mean you were supposed to find a Slytherin just to prove your point." Ron was livid. He looked as if there was more bothering him than a simple Slytherin. It was possible that his anger only increased since the Slytherin in question was male.

"I thought you said a few weeks ago that he was a good Slytherin." Hermione thought that she had heard him say that.

"I said he was quiet, not that we should use him to prove some kind of 'equality among the Houses' thing." Ron paced in front of the fireplace of Gryffindor's Common Room. The only other people present at that time of night was Ginny and Dean, doing homework in the corner, and Neville who nervously darted his eyes around the room away from the conflict.

"It's not that bad, Ron." Ginny tried to be a consoling little sister. Hermione felt grateful that Ginny was here to help. "Besides he's a good choice, Hermione. He's rather nice to look at."

"Ginny, you aren't helping." Hermione was grateful for Ginny until just a moment ago. Dean gave Ginny a questioning look as she mumbled something softly to him.

"Is that why you invited him?" Ron's complexion turned from red to white. "You - you don't fancy him. You don't, do you?"

"Ron, I'm not talking about this with you. You are being irrational." Hermione felt that of all the people to admit her feelings for Blaise to, Ron probably was at the bottom of the list.

"Fine. I see how it is." Ron stopped pacing and looked at Hermione. "Aren't Gryiffindors good enough for you? You have to go for a bad boy Slytherin. I suppose I should be happy that it isn't Malfoy you're after."

"Ron! That's not what I said at all. The only thing I did say was that Blaise Zabini will be coming to the next DA meeting. I never thought you would blow up like this." She shook her head. "You are ridiculous sometimes, Ron. And I don't feel like dealing with your emotional outbursts. He's coming. End of story." She began to go up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

"If you insist, your majesty." His voice was ice cold. Ron caught Dean and Ginny together in the corner of his eye. "And get your hand off my sister!" he yelled before storming up to his bed.

The rest of the group just sat there stunned. "I never realized Ron was that jealous," Neville said in the silence.

"He was never good at holding his temper." Harry thought of the broken Krum doll from two years earlier. "Least of all where Hermione is concerned."