Never Say Never

It was late and Blaise Zabini dropped her luggage on the ground as she looked around at the room she had just entered. The Purple Room, or The Royal Suite, as she affectionately called it as a kid, had always been her home away from home. She had made it her own whenever she stayed over at her best friend Draco Malfoy's place. She had always been like the second Malfoy daughter, just like he had been the brother she never had. There was always an unspoken sense of family. It was natural. Their fathers and her mother were 'business associates' and they had always ended up at each other's houses. Also, they had spent five years going to The Dark Star Children's Academy Of Witchcraft and Wizarding together.

She plopped onto the bed, landing on her back, and closed her eyes, remembering why she had been feeling so glum.

"Hey, Blaise, whatcha doin' over the holidays?" Pansy had once asked in the Slytherin Common Room just a couple of weeks earlier.

As a reply, she muttered, "I dunno...my mom's away on business and my dad's god knows where..."

Next to Pansy, Millicent suggested, "Do you wanna spend Christmas with my family? We're going to Paris this year..."

Blaise did nothing but roll her eyes since she had no intention of hanging out with lowlifes like Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode.

Quietly, from behind her, Draco said, "We need to talk."

Unenthusiastically, she had let herself get pulled into a distant quiet corner.

"I'm worried! I don't know what's been happening to you anymore, Blaise!" Draco told her.

"Now you know how I felt during our third year!" she hissed back, "Don't you just hate it??? That's it, I'm outta here!"

As she tried to walk away, she felt his strong grip pull her back.

As soon as she faced him, Draco declared, "Yes, I do. I don't want any junk like crushes and love and any of that rubbish to ruin our friendship. I don't want anything to stand between us anymore..."

"Listen, it's none of your business, Draco Anthony Malfoy!" she had told him with anger in her voice.

"Yes it is, Blaise Emily Zabini, and you need to hear me out!"

"Okay, I'm listening..."

"Listen to me, B, just stay over at Malfoy Manor for the holidays, for old time's sake. I just wanna go back in time and be kids again."

For a while, there was silence between the both of them. Finally, after a long moment of silence, Blaise's expression had softened a bit.

Defeated in the end, she said, "Okay, then...for old time's sake, I'll spend Christmas at your house."

A knock on the door soon arrived and Draco's voice asked, "Blaise, can I come in?"

"Yeah!" she called out, snapping out of her trance as soon as she heard him call her name.

Draco looked down at Blaise lying on the bed, reminding himself of why he wanted her over for the holidays. "Why is this so weird now?" he asked quietly.

Blaise sat up and shrugged. "Maybe because we're growing up, Draco..." she replied just as quietly, "Maybe I'm finally growing up." She sighed as she remembered something he had said during their third year. Zabini!?>