Hermione

Chapter Eight - On This Night of 1,000 Stars

Hermione yawned, and stood up. "I think I'm off to bed. I'm tired."

She made to leave, but couldn't. One, everyone was saying goodnight; two, Blaise had a hold of her arm. Hermione looked at Draco, and then at Blaise, raising an eyebrow, demanding why he had a hold of her.

"Um, I'll walk with you," he offered.

Hermione smiled and said that she would like that very much.

They walked out, and Blaise, with his hands in his pockets, let Hermione lead the way, leaving a perfect view of her backside for him.

Hermione turned to him, and he shot his head up. She smiled.

"So," she said trying to make conversation.

"So?"

Hermione sighed. She didn't have anything to talk about with him at the moment. "Nothing."

Blaise's face brightened once she turned back around. (No! Not for that!) He knew when a girl changed the subject to nothing after saying hi or something then it means that they like you. Score!

They walked in silence all the way to the Gryffindor tower. Blaise was thinking about his future with Hermione: where they were living-he kicked the Malfoys out of Malfoy Manor, and the two of them moved in-and how many kids they were having together. Blaise didn't care on the amount, just as long as they were making kids every night was okay for him.

Hermione was thinking what Ron's face would like when she and Draco would ruin his and Harry's life for good. She smiled proudly.

They stopped in front of the portrait, and Hermione turned to Blaise. "Here's my stop, Mr. Zabini," she said.

Blaise smiled at her and nodded. They bid each other good night, and, once Hermione was in the common room, Blaise sighed, and continued walking higher until he came to the Astronomy Tower.

Hermione walked into the common room, glad for no sign of red heads, namely Ron. She sighed, and quickly, before any one noticed her, ran to her room.

She lay on her bed for what seemed to be an hour. This was actually only fifteen minutes. She got out a book, and started reading, but that didn't last long. She was too anxious about the cursing to read or sleep. She pulled on her cloak, wrapped it around her, and walked out of Gryffindor common room.

Blaise sighed as he looked up at the stars. He held his hand up and, with his forefinger, connected the stars. Amazingly, every time he did this, the result would turn out as "HERMIONE". He couldn't stop thinking about her. It was all Draco's fault. It was Draco's fault for even thinking about changing his attitude towards the filthy mudblood. It was Draco's fault that Blaise Zabini was finally a happy man.

He sighed, and leaned back. He was laying on the ground, facing up, when he heard a small noise, like a door opening, and he looked up to see her slowly walking to the barrier of the tower, looking up.

He slowly sat up, not wanting to make a sound, not wanting to disturb her. She smiled.

"Wow," she said. "Hermione, look at the stars! There must be at least a hundred of them! No, more than a hundred, a thousand! Such a clear sky, with no clouds. The moon as black as ever." She sighed. "Such a perfect night." She spun around and spotted him on the ground, staring up at her. She gasped. "Oh! Blaise! I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were up here!"

Blaise shook his head, and stood up. "Don't worry about it," he said, smiling. He walked up to her. "What are you doing up here so late?" he asked.

Hermione shrugged and turned back and looked out at the lake. "Couldn't sleep," she answered.

Blaise nodded. "Me neither. At least you don't have a far walk to get up here."

Hermione laughed, and looked up again. Blaise smiled at her. He didn't know why, but whenever he looked at her, he always got a huge feel of emotion in him.

"I have a question," he said. Hermione looked down at him and nodded. "You're the smartest witch in all of Hogwarts, am I correct?"

Hermione looked at him weirdly. "I don't want to brag or anything, but yes I am. Was that all?"

Blaise shook his head. "I lied; I have more than one question to ask you. Next question is, if you're the smartest witch, why were you talking to yourself?"

"I'm senile?" Hermione guessed.

Oh great, Blaise thought. I'm in love with a senile woman! Why do I always get the demented ones?

Hermione shook her head. "Talking to myself...I don't know. I just find comfort in it. Maybe I am senile, who knows?"

Blaise stood, facing her. "Are you, or aren't you?" he asked. "I gotta know."

Hermione looked up at him. "Why? Is it vital information?"

Blaise shook his head. "Oh, it's vital all right."

Hermione rolled her eyes, and stared up at the sky again.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Blaise asked.

"What?"

"You keep looking down at me, and then up at the sky. You know, that does get annoying after a while."

Hermione looked down at him. "Sorry." She looked back up. "I just can't keep my eyes away from the stars."

"How many did you say you thought were up there?"

"A thousand."

"On this night," Blaise sung, looking down at Hermione, who was now looking at him. "Of a thousand stars, let me take you to heaven's doors." He grabbed her hand, and placed his other hand behind her, and they began to tango. "Where the music of love's guitars, plays forever more."

"In the glow," Hermione sang slowly, but quickly sped up to tango speed again, "of those twinkling lights..."

"We shall love through eternity," Blaise interrupted, causing Hermione to look at him, shocked.

"On this night of a million nights..." Hermione sang, breaking away from him.

Blaise grabbed her hand once again. "Fly away with me."

He pulled Hermione close to him and they looked into each other's eyes. Blaise smiled, and quickly kissed her. He slowly took her hand in his, and they began to tango again, breaking the kiss.

"I never dreamed that a kiss could be as sweet as this, now I know that it can," Blaise said. "I used to wander alone, without a love of my own, I was a desperate man."

Hermione started getting freaked out by him, and pulled away again, turning her back on him in a dramatic way. She placed a hand to her heart and her other hand behind her.

"But all my grief disappeared," Blaise sang, grabbing Hermione's hand, "and all the sorrow I feared wasn't there any mo-ore! On that magical day when you first came my way, mi amore."

Hermione looked at him when he sang to her. She smiled, suddenly not feeling so freaked out by him.

"On this night!" Hermione sang, allowing him to pull her closer.

"On this night!" Blaise echoed.

"On this night, of a, thousand stars," Blaise whirled Hermione, but caught her quickly, "let me take you to heaven's doors. Where the music of love's guitars..."

"Plays forever, more!" Blaise held onto more as they twirled around in four circles, ending with a kiss.

Hermione smiled as they parted, and she threw her arms around him. She thought it sweet that he felt this way about her, but she just wasn't interested. Well, she thought, one little scheme to get the Slytherin in me going wouldn't hurt.

She parted away from him, and yawned. She smiled as her eyes got droopy. "I must go, it's getting late," she said. "I'm tired. I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

Blaise smirked. "You know it," he purred. Finally! She was his! No need to go to drastic measures and burn her, or whatever his promise he made to himself was. "Good night," he said as she walked out of the tower.