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Hermione glared at the wizard across the courtroom from her. He was a phenomenal barrister; she would give him that, as long as he wasn’t going up against her. And therein lay the rub, he was currently representing the defendant in her robbery case, and he was making her life hell right now. He had command of the Wizengamot as he continued to poke holes in almost all of her arguments, if he kept going, her client would have nothing left to stand on and his client would get off scot-free.
The Chief Warlock calling the two of them to where he sat pulled Hermione from her thoughts.
“What are you doing?” Hermione hissed once he was within earshot.
“That is what I would like to know,” Elphias Doge said as the two stopped in front of him. “This is an open and shut case. What are you doing, Mister Zabini?”
Blaise regarded both of them with an amused look. “What my client is paying me to do. My job.”
“And how are you going to get around the physical proof my client has provided?” Hermione asked. “That seemed to be next on your list of holes to poke.”
His lips twitched. “Not a damn thing, Barrister Granger.”
Her eyes widened. “You’ve been playing your client and me this whole time?”
“What do you think? The witch is as guilty as they come,” Blaise replied with a snicker.
Elphias held up his hand to stop anything Hermione wanted to say in reply. He turned to Blaise. “If you are done wasting the court’s time, Mister Zabini.”
The sentence wasn’t phrased as a question, but it was heavily implied.
“Yes, sir,” Blaise replied with a nod.
“Good,” Elphias said. “Please return to your places.”
The two turned and made their way back to their clients.
Sitting down, she ignored his question about what was said with the Chief Warlock, but all she did was shake her head.
When Elphias asked if Blaise had anything else to say, he said no, allowing the proceedings to continue.
Hermione didn’t miss the hissing coming from Blaise’s client, but they were far enough away that she couldn’t hear what the witch was saying. She turned her attention back to the Chief Warlock to await his verdict.
Less than ten minutes later, after Hermione congratulated her client on the win and Blaise’s client was taken away to cells further within the bowels of the Ministry to spend the duration of her sentence, the two barristers made their way back to their offices.
They were riding in silence in the lift back to their floor, but Hermione couldn’t take it any longer. Without thinking, the words on her mind came tumbling out, “You have a nice arse, Zabini.”
Her eyes widened at what she had said as that was not what she had meant.
“Oh really, Granger,” Blaise smirked. “I didn’t know you had been checking out my arse.”
“I mean, you are an arse,” she clarified.
Blaise hummed, “Mmmm, I don’t think that’s what you meant.”
“Yes, it is,” she said, turning away from him.
“If you insist.”
Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. “I do.”
She could hear the low rumble of his laugh over the ding of the lift as they arrived on their floor.
“Whatever you say, Granger.” Blaise disappeared through the lift doorway and down the hall.
Hermione stood in mortification as she tried to process what exactly happened and where everything went wrong.
The doors on the lift closing caught Hermione’s attention, and she hurried through them before they could close all the way.
Turning to her right, she watched as Blaise continued down the hallway. As he reached the door to his office, he glanced back at Hermione. A smirk twisting his lips.
She was never going to live that slip of the tongue down.
“Sneaky snake,” she grumbled as she made her way to her office. “It’s all his fault too,” Hermoine added, even though she knew it wasn’t entirely his fault.
“Blaise, please,” Hermione sighed as she looked up at him tiredly. “I’m not really in the mood right now.”
Hermione rubbed her temples, trying to relieve the headache that was pounding behind her eyelids. Unfortunately, she had been right in her assumption weeks ago after her comment about Blaise’s arse in the lift; he had just been teasing her again. She usually just brushed off his words as she did her best to ignore the feelings his attention had brought to the surface, but right now, all she wanted to do was go home and sleep.
“Granger,” Blaise said.
She could hear a change in his voice from the teasing quality earlier, but she still kept her eyes closed.
A warm hand touched her shoulder. “Hermione?”
Knowing she couldn’t ignore him any longer, she opened her eyes. “Yes, Blaise?”
He was kneeling next to her chair behind her desk. “Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not,” she replied. “This headache…” Hermione trailed off as her vision blurred as if she was driving her parents’ car on a misty night before shattering as if it was made from multiple shards of fragile glass. She slammed her eyes shut. “Make that migraine is killing me. And I don’t have anything to take for it here. Or at home for that matter.”
“I have a pain potion at home,” Blaise offered. “I can go to my flat and get it for you.”
“Most pain potions end up knocking me out, especially when I have a migraine. So, I need to go home before taking it,” she explained.
“Hold on,” Blaise said. He pulled his hand from her shoulder, and she could feel him stand up next to her. “I’ll go let the boss know I’m taking you home.”
Before Hermione could say anything in response, Blaise’s presence disappeared from her office as the door closed behind him.
She didn’t know how they were going to make it to her flat as Hermione knew she wouldn’t be able to concentrate long enough to Apparate them, and since Blaise had never been there, he wouldn’t be able to side-along them either. Relaxing back into her chair to wait for his return, she turned her head to the side, letting the cool leather seep into her skin. Before long, she began to doze off.
Blaise entering her office, roused Hermione from her light slumber.
“Are you ready?” Blaise asked. “I’m going to take you to my flat so that you can sleep off the potion.”
Hermione turned towards his voice. “Are you sure?”
“Of course,” he said. “I don’t have any plans for the evening and tomorrow is Saturday so you can stay as late as you need to.”
“If you honestly don’t mind, then all I need is my purse,” she replied as she blindly reached for the bottom drawer of her desk. Locating it, she pulled her purse out and closed the drawer. She made to stand up, but before she could, Blaise was at her side to help her. Hermione had no idea why he was helping her as they were nothing more than work friends no matter how much her feelings wanted otherwise, but she wasn’t going to turn him away. Holding on to him for support, she squeezed his arm and whispered, “Thank you.”
“We might be on and off opponents in the courtroom,” Blaise said as they walked towards the lifts, “but my mum suffers from migraines too.”
“Oh Merlin, I feel for her.”
“It might be fun to tease you or rile you up in the courtroom,” Blaise told her, “but I don’t like to see you in pain.”
Hermione chuckled. “Well, that’s good to know.”
“If you weren’t in pain, I would give you a hard time for your cheek,” he joked as they entered the lift.
Silence descended between them as they rode the lift towards the atrium. When the lift doors opened, Hermione winced. The noise level had the pain in her head intensifying.
“Come on, we’ll hurry to the Apparition point as quickly as possible,” Blaise said as he ushered her out of the lift.
They nearly made it to the Apparition point when a voice called out, “Hermione?”
She sighed as they both stopped for the other wizard to catch up to them.
“Are you okay?”
“No, Harry. I have a migraine and Blaise is taking me back to his flat for a pain potion and to sleep it off,” she explained. “And before you ask I’m perfectly okay with this. I don’t have any potion at home, and Blaise can’t take me since he’s never been before.”
“What about—”
“I hope you weren’t able to suggest her flooing home, Potter,” Blaise snapped, “because if you are, then you’re more of an idiot than I thought.”
“Blaise,” Hermione admonished.
“It’s okay, Hermione. Blaise is right; I was about to suggest that,” Harry admitted. “But what I will offer now is to have Daphne go to your flat to get you some clothes and bring them to you at Blaise’s place.”
Hermione smiled faintly. “That would be wonderful. Thank you.”
“I’ll reach out to her now,” Harry said. “Take care of her, will you, Blaise?”
“Of course, Potter,” Blaise replied before he wrapped his arm back around her shoulders and they continued on their way.
After arriving in Blaise’s flat, he helped her to his bedroom and onto his bed before disappearing for the pain potion.
When Blaise returned to his room, Hermione tried again to tell him that she was perfectly happy to sleep her migraine and the potion off on his sofa.
“My mother would have my bollocks, Hermione, if I let you do that,” he said. “No, you will sleep here, and I will take my sofa.”
“You win,” she relented, not in the mood to argue.
“Good.” She could hear the smirk in his voice. “Now, here’s your potion. There is a side table next to the bed where you can place the empty vial, and I’ve brought you a glass of water too. When Daphne arrives, I’ll have her bring your clothes in for you.”
“Thank you, Blaise,” Hermione said as she toed off her shoes, leaving them next to where she had dropped her purse.
“Anytime, Hermione,” Blaise replied.
Once the door had closed behind him, Hermione uncorked the vial and downed the contents. Replacing the cork, she then placed the empty vial on the table and took a small sip from the glass of water.
Laying back on the bed, Hermione curled onto her side and let her body finally relax.
Within minutes, she was asleep.
Daphne entered Blaise’s bedroom ten minutes later, but Hermione didn’t stir.
The next day, Hermione woke bright and alert. All traces of her migraine were gone and the anticipated hangover she had the next day from the potion and her migraine was nowhere to be seen. It took her a few moments to remember where she was as when she realised she didn’t recognise the ceiling above her.
Sitting up, she reached for the glass of water, downing half of it before coming up for air. Quenching her thirst, Hermione got up, and after she grabbed her clothes left by Daphne, she made her way to the en suite bath to get ready for the day.
Once she was showered, dressed, and had brushed her teeth, Hermione made her way from Blaise’s bedroom and ventured out into the rest of his flat. It was much more modern in design than Hermione’s, but he made up for it with some stunning works of art adorning the walls. Both Magical and Muggle.
Her jaw dropped as she found herself standing in front of a Caravaggio. She had seen it as a child when the painting had been on loan to the British Museum from a museum in the United States.
“It’s just a copy,” a voice said from behind her.
Hermione whirled around to find Blaise standing a few feet behind her. “Oh! I didn’t—”
Blaise smiling at her had Hermione cutting her words off. “You’re fine, Hermione. You probably had to be wondering how I got my hands on that particular Caravaggio. He’s my favourite artist, so my mum had it made for me for a gift for my 21st birthday.”
“That was very sweet of her,” Hermione said. “The person who made it did a wonderful job. I saw this painting as a child, so it’s nice to see it again.” She glanced over her shoulder back at the artwork. “Especially this close.”
“Well, you are welcome to come over here any time to see it,” Blaise offered.
"Thank you," she replied. "And thank you for letting me sleep here last night. I feel amazing, and no migraine hangover either."
"That would be the pain potion I have. It's different from the typical one you get from apothecaries; I have it specially made as I can't take the others. I'm allergic to the peppermint extract added to the original version," Blaise explained.
Hermione gasped, "Those have to be expensive! You shouldn't have wasted one on me. Please let me pay you back for it."
Blaise shook his head. "It wasn't a waste to give you the potion; you needed it. And consider it my way of trying to make up for being an arse to you yesterday."
"You are being too nice to me, Blaise," she bit her lower lip, "if you're not careful, I might just stick around."
He walked over to where she stood. Towering over her, he grinned down at her. "You say that as if it's a bad thing."
Hermione looked up at Blaise. The intensity in his stare sent her heart racing. "It wouldn't be?"
Blaise shook his head and leant down. "Not at all."
"Oh," Hermione whispered. She stared at him for a few more seconds before she made up her mind and closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against his.
Breaking their kiss a few minutes later, Blaise asked, “Do you want to go with me to Draco and Ginny’s party next Saturday?”
Already planning to attend, Hermione nodded her head.
“Oh gods,” Hermione groaned as she slowly came to the next Sunday morning. Her head was throbbing as if a Muggle club had set up residence in her brain and turned the bass on full blast, and her mouth was dry as the Sahara and felt as if it was filled with cotton. She had obviously drank way too much the night before at the Malfoys Samhain party and was paying for it this morning.
“Who knew you could hold your liquor so well, wife,” a voice said behind her.
Hermione groaned again and slowly moved her head to see Blaise. He was on his right side, facing her, with another of his amused grins. “What?”
“I’ve never had a witch that could keep up with me drink for drink,” Blaise replied. “I’ve also never had a witch that was so eager to bond with me either.”
“WHAT?!” The colour drained from her face, her hangover long forgotten. “What are you talking about?”
He held up his left hand to show her the rune tattoo on the inside of his wrist.
"How could you let this happen?!" Hermione could feel the pounding in her head intensify as her cheeks flared bright red in her shame.
Looking at Blaise, she watched as the serious look on his face morphed into a wide grin. "I'm just kidding; you didn't ask for the bonding."
Hermione reached out and smacked him. "You arse! Why would you do that to me?"
“I couldn’t help myself,” Blaise replied before adding, “but I was serious when I said we are bonded.”
He reached for her left hand, turning it so she could see the matching rune tattoo on her own wrist.
Hermione looked from her wrist to Blaise’s and then up to his eyes. “Ah hell. How?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” he replied. “But it’s something we can research together to figure out what happened.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Researching, Blaise? A man after my own heart.”
He pulled her to him and smiled. “I know.”
“Then, let’s get a move on the research,” Hermione said as she made to get out of bed.
Blaise pulled her back towards him. “No, Hermione. We’re spending the morning in bed. No research before noon on Sundays.”
She laughed, “Is that so?”
“Yes, it is,” Blaise replied.
“Well, if you say it is, then it must be true,” she said, a smile still gracing her features.
Blaise was successful in keeping Hermione away from researching their bond that morning, but as soon as noon rolled around, she was making her way to Grimmauld Place and then Malfoy Manor for books that might hold the answer.
“All you had to do was ask me,” Ginny told her friend when Hermione along with Blaise turned up at the front gates of Malfoy Manor. “It’s Samhain magic.”
Hermione rolled her eyes. “I’ve never heard such a thing.”
“Just because you haven’t heard of it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, Granger,” Draco said as he sat next to his wife in their front room.
“But…” she trailed off and glanced over at Blaise.
“Let me ask you this, do you not like Blaise?”
Hermione turned her attention back to Draco. “I wouldn’t have agreed to attend last night as Blaise’s date if I didn’t.”
“Okay, do you want to break the bond now only to find out later that you should have kept it or would you rather let the bond stay intact now and break it later if things don’t work out between the two of you?”
She started to reply, but closed her mouth as she thought about Draco’s question. Coming to a decision, she looked at Blaise again. “I know what I want, but what about you, Blaise?”
“If what you want is to wait it out and see how things go, then we’re on the same page,” Blaise replied without hesitation.
“We’re on the same page then.” Hermione smiled.
Blaise reached for her hand. “Good.”
Hermione chuckled. “And to think that this all started with a slip of the tongue all those weeks ago.”
“About damn time too,” Draco muttered. At Hermione’s questioning look, he added, “I was sick and tired of hearing Blaise talk about you all the damn time.”
“Malfoy!” Blaise yelled. “You were supposed to take that to the grave.”
“It’s okay, Blaise. Hermione would talk about you just as much,” Ginny said.
Hermione glared at her friend. “You’re off the Christmas list this year, Ginevra.”
Blaise wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Does that mean you have space for me now?”
She tried to hold the glare, but a grin kept tugging the corners of her lips up. “Maybe. We’ll see how things go.” Blaise missed the wink she sent her friend and her husband.
“Looks like I have my work cut out for me then.”
Hermione nodded. “You do, but I’m sure you’ll manage.”
“You two are disgusting,” Draco groused, completely ignoring the grin on his face. “Now, get out of here.”
Blaise flipped off his friend as Hermione rolled her eyes at her friend.
“I know, I married him,” Ginny snickered.
“And none of us can figure out why,” Blaise said.
Draco returned Blaise’s earlier gesture, but smirked when Ginny piped up with, “He’s good in bed.”
“Too much, Gin,” Hermione said as she stood up. “We should probably get going as we have a lot to figure out now.”
“Good luck,” Ginny told her friend as the two witches hugged.
After their goodbyes were said, Blaise led Hermione home. Back home to his flat where they started the rest of their lives together as it didn’t take the couple long to realise that their Samhain bond and Hermione’s slip of the tongue were the best things to happen to them.