Hannah had decided she was seeing Blaise today. Since she had a day off finally where she wasn't helping Draco or avoiding Harry. She had apparated to Zabini Manor and headed to his rooms. She had set herself on his ginormous couch and waited. What she had not planned on was falling asleep.

Blaise groaned as he apparated into his bedroom and he flopped back onto his bed. After loosening his tie and pulling it off, he sat up and took off his jacket. A nice, long bath was in order, he decided. With that in mind he tugged his shirt out of his trousers and started to unbutton it, but stopped at the sight of a sleeping blonde on his couch.

Then Didly quietly popped into the room next to Blaise.

"Miss Han be sleeping on your couch."

He slowly looked down at him. "Thanks. I saw that. Shoo."

Didly did as he was told and Blaise made his way quietly over to Hannah, before sitting down next to her and gently shaking her. "Han?"

Hannah groaned a bit. Someone was shaking her. They had their hands on her. Hands. Hannah started shouting and swinging her arms.

"Hannah!"

Now she was awake. She was also pretty sure she had just clubbed Blaise in the side of his head with her fist.

"Blaise? Oh dear. Oh I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Hannah said as she moved to start examining his head for damage.

"Thanks," he said crossly. "That little headache just grew with your help. Do you do this to everyone who wakes you up or am I special?"

Hannah started wringing her hands. "My nightmares tend to involve hands on me, shaking me, grabbing at me... hitting me. I... I didn't remember that I was here. When I sleep, I forget that all of that is over, that you won't let him hurt me. That Draco would beat him senseless again."

He snorted at the mention of Draco beating the Wayne-ker senseless and was glad she had no idea what they had done to the bastard together. Blaise was, however, worried at the mention of nightmares.

"Why didn't you tell me you had nightmares? Did you forget I can brew Dreamless Sleep? I know I have some already made, so let me get you some."

"It's fine," Hannah said. "I don't have them every night, and they are getting less and less anyhow. Just... cuddle with me, will you? I had to give Draco a cooking lesson this week. It was dreadful. I seem to recall him being not terrible at potions, but Blaise, he seriously can't cook. It was frightening. Plus, he's impatient. He wants to have everything work out... RIGHT NOW. Sometimes things take time."

She sighed and curled into his side.

Blaise laughed. "I told the same to Weasley. She actually asked for a potion in case he poisoned her, but then said she didn't know. Don't tell either of them, but I slipped a 24 hour poison neutralizer in her drink yesterday morning. I don't think Draco would forgive himself if he killed his girlfriend."

"I taught him pasta and salad with toast. How bad can he mess that up?"

The look Blaise gave her said it all. Hannah started laughing.

"Right. It's Draco. If there's anything I've learned with him, it's to expect the unexpected. If I can keep him from storming the Ministry to hex Harry, it'll be a good thing. He seems determined to do something."

"Draco wanted to storm the Ministry? How stupid is that? He should have just told me. I actually know where the little ponce lives." A smirk appeared on Blaise's face. "Remind me to owl Draco later, would you?"

"Blaise..." Hannah was giving him a reproachful look. "Just because Harry and I had a fight does not give either one of you the right to go hexing him. Do not tell Draco where Harry lives. Besides, it might... be weird. It was Harry's godfather's place. I've seen the family tree. Draco's mother and Harry's godfather were first cousins. I think Draco's even talked about his mother mentioning that at times he reminded her of her cousin. I can see him getting curious and that going very badly."

"When Draco gets curious, it will always end up badly." Blaise sighed. "Fine, no taking Draco to Potter's place. Spoil my fun." He looked down at her. "Besides the nightmares and the nightmare that was teaching Draco how to cook, how have you been? We haven't talked in ages."

"I know. I've been working so much," Hannah sighed. "I'm starting to get tired, but then I remind myself that if I keep working, one day I'll have something. It'll be mine. If I keep working, I won't have to stay with Harry or work for someone else. I was thinking of a loan to speed up the process, but who'd give a loan to someone like me? It's silly." And I'm planning on getting an anti-fertility potion from Professor's Snape's shop because I want you terribly in that way.

Blaise nudged her in the arm. "You know I'd gladly loan you money. Better yet, you could move into my bedroom. That'd be fun, right? You could wear that blue nightie every night." And don't worry about having something of your own. You'll get it soon.

Hannah jerked up suddenly and looked at him, trying to decide if he was serious or not.

"I won't take your money. That would make me seem like a paid woman, and you... you wouldn't want me underfoot all the time. Bras and hosiery drying in your bathroom. Blonde hairs all over everything. Me stealing the covers," Hannah laughed nervously because a part of her wanted nothing better than to be in this big house with him all the time.

His eyebrow rose. "Are you kidding me? I'd love to have you here. You don't even need to stay in my rooms if you felt you wouldn't like it. You could take any of the rooms you'd like. Hell, sleep in the kitchen or camp outside, if you'd like."

Blaise stopped and looked at her strangely. "Why do you think I wouldn't want you here with me all the time? Have you here when I come home from work and see your smiling face when I wake up?"

Hannah looked down. "I don't know. I guess I... I'd never thought about it. You were so reluctant to even try to... to be with me. I... I don't want you to feel like I've left Wayne and I'm clinging to the first thing that comes along. I honestly like you. A lot. You make me happy. I'll be honest, I'd love to stay with you, but I don't want to be in the way."

Here we go again, he thought, exasperated. "Hannah," he said firmly, "I thought we talked about this. I was reluctant because I didn't want you to feel like you left the Wayne-ker and started clinging to the first thing that came along. Remember when I said I waited until the second night to go after should-have-been brides? I was seriously thinking about it before you went all nice on me. I like you as well, and you make me happy, too. I don't know if you've noticed though, but you won't be in the way, because I've been crazy busy and hardly home recently."

"Well, perhaps I could stay here then. It might be nice to see you more often. Would it be all right if Harry or Ernie or Justin visited me here? Would you mind? Provided any of them decide to speak to me again."

He kept a neutral mask on while weighing the different pros and cons of having other Hufflepuffs and Potter in his house. Hufflepuffs were fun to mindfuck with, and he was sure it could be fun with Potter, as well. On the bad side, Hufflepuffs and Potter would know where he lived. Then there was the look on Draco's face when he found out that Potter would be over to his house. He would have to plan it so Draco was over and Potter walked in.

That decided it.

"If you can live with the fact that there will be half-naked Slytherins coming and going at all hours of night. Most of the time they'll be drunk, too. Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Hannah smiled, feeling warm all over suddenly. Drunk and half-naked though? She would have to look into home hangover remedies. "Let me talk to Harry first. He's not going to like it."

"Bonus."

"You're not very nice sometimes."

Blaise pointed at himself, exasperated. "Slytherin!"

"Oh, I'm perfectly aware of that fact," Hannah said, still smiling.

She put a hand to his cheek before pressing her lips to his softly. He was terribly lovely, and she was extremely excited that he wanted her around so much. In his bed even. She loved that bed. How could things have been so horrible not so very long ago yet so wonderful now? Well, not everything was wonderful. Ernie and Justin were avoiding her and Harry was upset with her over Draco. Still, she was crossing into something new here that made her feel alive and a bit worth something.

Salazar, it had been so long since he'd gotten a proper kiss from her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap, using his other hand to slowly rub her collarbone.

"Mmmm," Hannah sighed.

She liked that a kiss was never just his mouth. There was always something else to be had. Hannah wiggled closer and deepened the kiss. It was a bit crazy to her that someone like him wanted her. He could have anyone. Why was she so special? Why look at her when Pansy and Tracey were right there?

He grinned when she practically melted into him. His fingers on her back drew small circles over the fabric of her shirt before inching lower and lifting up the edge of the fabric, rubbing his hand against the small of her back.

Hannah made a whimpering sound that had her blushing. He could pull some noises from her that she was not aware she could make. Hannah wiggled again on his lap before undoing a few buttons on his shirt. She slid a hand inside, seeking a pectoral muscle. To heck with raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, his chest was one of her favorite things.

When her palm grazed his nipple, Blaise groaned and broke their kiss, leaning his head against the back of the couch. She kept wiggling and he didn't want the awkward "is that your wand in your pocket?" conversation to interrupt the wonderful sensation on his chest, so his hands gripped her hips so she wouldn't move.

"Oh," Hannah said when he made her still. "Is that bothering you?"

"Not like you think."

Hannah snuggled into him, placing her head on his shoulder. They needed to slow a bit. For now. She didn't have what she needed yet for things to go much further. She'd love further, because he made her feel so nice, so attractive. But she wanted to be safe. She needed to make sure what was going on here. Hannah knew a trip to the apothecary was in order. She knew what he wanted and did not want, but she wasn't sure about herself. Well, not exactly true. Hannah knew what she wanted even if she could not even voice it in her head. It shouldn't make sense, but in a way, it did.


{SUMMARY} Hannah visits Blaise on her day off. He asks her to move in with him.