Work Text:
Blaise Zabini stood near the base of a grand marble staircase that opened into a large ballroom. The ceiling had been enchanted to mimic the night sky of London with soft falling snow. He was grateful that this Ministry gala was a masquerade. Although he doubted many would recognise him after all this time, it would be nice to mingle without having to reveal himself just yet. He could remain blissfully anonymous for tonight.
He had returned to London after several years away following the wizarding war. As he scanned the room full of masked witches and wizards in gowns and dress robes, Blaise briefly reflected on his time in Italy. His mother thought it best to leave England and spend some time with their extended Italian family. His time had changed him for the better. He no longer felt the anger, resentment, and sense of privilege that had formerly defined him. He was an entirely different person than he had been before the war.
His old friend, Draco Malfoy, was the only person he had kept in touch with over the years. The blond wizard fully understood Blaise’s change in attitude, having undergone a dramatic change himself following the end of the war. Draco and his wife Astoria were the reason Blaise was attending the gala. He was their guest.
They had helped him procure his own flat close to Diagon Alley, and Draco was working to get Blaise a position with him within the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Draco had found his life’s work with the MLE, and Blaise was eager to learn from him and find his own purpose within the wizarding world.
As he stood near the marble staircase sipping his firewhisky, a movement caught his eye from his peripheral. Instinctively, he turned. A beautiful witch with long dark curls, half-swept up away from her silver-masked face, was descending the staircase.
She wore a midnight blue fitted strapless gown, studded with thousands of tiny crystals, the bodice a bright sparkling silver fading down into a dark midnight blue at the hem. The crystals twinkled under the lights like stars as if they had been plucked from the sky itself. They shone so brightly that he had to look away for an instant because from his angle it was almost like staring directly into a bright light.
She continued into the ballroom, unaccompanied. She had captured his attention fully, and Blaise could not take his eyes off of her. ‘Well shit,’ he thought, for he knew now that he would not be able to ignore the intrigue. There was also something familiar about her, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Blaise watched her make her way through the room, smiling and softly touching the arm of whomever she was greeting.
He drained the last of his firewhisky and walked to the bar across the room, observing her from a distance. He ascertained that she was not here with anyone, at least not from what he could see. He set his empty glass upon the bar and began to make his way towards the witch. Her radiance was impossible not to spot within the crowd.
Blaise felt his heart hammering inside his chest. Her back was to him as he approached, she had just finished speaking with another witch. He reached out and softly touched her shoulder.
“Yes?” she questioned, as she turned to face him. Her beauty was even more dazzling up close, with chocolate brown eyes, glossy pink lips, and fair, glowing skin.
“If it is not too forward, may I ask you for a dance?” he asked as he extended his hand to her.
She regarded him with amused curiosity. “That would be lovely actually,” she replied. The unknown witch took his hand as he placed his other lightly against the small of her back. She rested her left upon his upper arm.
One dance became several, and as the night slipped away, they both found themselves not wanting it to end. Conversation flowed easily between them, and they discussed the positive changes since the end of the wizarding war. Both began to feel the spark of a connection forming. It was small, but still there nonetheless. Neither had asked the other’s name, yet it did not feel strange.
As the night was drawing to a close, Blaise realised that he needed to find Draco and Astoria to thank them for inviting him, as he had not seen them since earlier that evening.
“It seems the night has gotten away from us,” she commented. “It has been delightful. Maybe you could walk me out?” She smiled at him as they came to a stand-still, facing each other.
“I would be delighted to,” he replied. “I can walk you as far as the staircase; I need to locate the friends I arrived with.”
“Of course.” she nodded in response.
He offered her his arm, and she looped hers through it as they began to make their way towards the marble steps. Drawing closer, he looked over at her. “I would very much like to see you again, but I don’t even know who you are.”
She looked back at him. “Yes, I believe we both forgot to share that bit of information,” she replied with a small smile.
Reaching the staircase, she removed her arm from his and turned to face him. “Perhaps we should first remove our masks?” she suggested.
“Yes,” he agreed, eager to see her face entirely.
She pulled her wand from her evening bag, and he removed his from his dress robes. They each raised their wands, and waved them across their own faces, dissolving their masks into wisps of enchanted smoke.
Both drew a sharp intake of breath as they recognised the person standing before them. Now he knew why she seemed familiar and he was quite surprised. Before him stood one of the last witches he expected to see; Hermione Granger.