She'd left Harry a note. She had a bag slung over her shoulder as she entered the house and made her way up the stairs. She had not had anything like a slumber party since she'd been at Hogwarts. Hannah was excited. But not for the same reasons. She'd changed her interview clothes. She was wearing something he'd likely hate, but it was one of her favorite things. Her pink jumper and her jean skirt.

"Blaise?" she called as she entered his sitting room.

As soon as he'd felt her enter through the wards, he threw the towel that had been slung around his waist onto the chair in his bathroom and got into the bathtub. Part of him was rationalizing that he just wanted to get back at her from all the serious talk from the afternoon. Another part of him kept tell him he should have waited until she came into the bathroom to toss the towel to the side. Blaise wanted her to stay, however, so decided to lose the towel before she arrived.

"In here, love!" he shouted through the cracked open bathroom door. Blaise sighed as he leaned against the side of the bathtub. The water did feel nice.

Hannah tossed her bag to the floor, toed off her shoes, and walked towards the bathroom. She was a bit leery, but surely he wouldn't call her in there if he was doing anything he didn't want her to see.

"What are you..." Words failed her.

He was in the bath. He was in the bath, and he'd called her in here. Hannah sort of collapsed into the chair in there. Her face was flaming. She was just sitting there blinking at him, staring. She didn't want to get any closer. She'd be tempted to look.

"I... I... I could ha-have w-waited out... out th-there. For you to f-finish."

"And let you sneak down to get a peak at dinner or make out with my kitchen? I don't think so. I'm almost done anyway, and you have to tell me about your job interview and everything. I don't want to shout through the doorway like some uncivilized person. You can sit right there and we'll chat." He smirked. "Or you could join me. You can fit four people in this thing."

Again, she was confused. Perhaps it was her neediness and her wrongness. She kept feeling like he wasn't trying very hard to stay just her friend like he wanted. She was trying to be respectful of his wishes, since she always tried to do that with friends, but he made it very difficult.

"So that would be myself, you... and two friends? Draco Malfoy, I suppose, him being such a good cuddler, so I get to choose the last then to be fair. Hmmm. Not Ernie or Justin I know them too well. You did admire Harry without his shirt on. So you, me, Harry, and Draco in the tub."

Hannah giggled and felt overly warm. Then she thought about Harry being in the same room, let alone the same bathtub, with Draco Malfoy and really got to laughing.

Blaise started laughing with her. "I haven't had a bath with Draco since I was five, and there is no way in hell you'd be able to get him and Potter in the same house with their clothes off let alone take a bath together. Oh, but that is a funny image."

He wanted to add And if you got in the bath with me, there would be no way I'd let anyone in the same house. I'd keep you all to myself.

No! He was supposed to discourage this.

Then why did you get in the bath when she got here?

He shook his head and held out a wet, soapy arm in her direction.

"Toss me the towel?"

Hannah noticed she was sitting on the towel in question and hoped her legs would support her. She tossed the towel at him. He caught it easily, but then he started standing up. Hannah threw her arms up over her eyes.

"Oh my goodness! What are you doing!" I've never seen a naked man for real!

Blaise grinned. "Standing up," he said slowly. "I can't exactly slither out of the bath, now can I?" He took pity on her and dried quickly, securing the towel around his waist. "You can look now. I'm all covered up," he said snickering.

In a towel! She wasn't going to make it through the night. Why did she ever agree to this? She would get no sleep. None. And there was a tattoo on his back.

Completely distracted, she walked forward and touch his lower back. She wasn't seeing skin or even him now. She was just seeing the artwork on his skin. It was a black cat lying under a coat of arms. Green, gold, and blue. She traced her fingers across it, studying. His skin was soft and warmed from the water.

Hannah gasped and snatched her hand back. "Sorry. I didn't... sorry."

She kept her eyes averted and rushed for the door. "I'll just be... out here."

He had shivered when her fingertips touched his back. She was obsessed with his tattoos, it seemed. He had totally forgotten about them. He often did until someone pointed them out and wanted to know the meanings.

Blaise followed her out at a more leisurely pace, but paused when he really looked her over.

"Why buy all those nice new clothes if you won't bother wearing them?"

"Well, we're just staying in, aren't we? This is my most comfortable thing to wear. I happen to like it. I told you I would not give my style completely over for yours, but if it makes you feel better, here..."

She pulled the pink jumper over her head and tossed it onto his couch. She was wearing the pink cotton camisole he'd argued with her about and the strap of the lacy pink bra she'd picked up first was peeking out.

"I'm wearing some new things."

He snorted. "You seem to like your new knickers. Makes me sad I didn't get any to match."

Blaise walked into his bedroom and to the door that led to his walk-in closet. He grabbed a pair of black trousers and a loose, blue silk button down shirt. Slipping on some pants, he grabbed the trousers and threw them on his bed. After going back into the closet, he saw another shirt he thought would look nice. A light grey that was cut differently than his other. He grabbed both and walked into the living area.

"So, since you're so keen on fashion now... blue or grey?"

Hannah was just staring at his chest.

"Hannah?"

Neither. "The blue. I like the blue."

"Blue it is," he said, walking back into his room. After putting on the shirt and the trousers, he walked out and gestured to the stairway.

Hannah snatched her jumper and followed him. She was feeling rather plain next to him. Here he was in nice slacks and a dress shirt and she was wearing denim with her bare feet and a camisole and carrying a ratty pink jumper. But it had been the last thing her mother had ever knitted for her. Still, he was so fancy, and she was just Hannah. Ordinary Hannah with her bakery job.

She had to smile at the thought of the kitchen though. She was falling right in love with that kitchen.

"Shall we then? I want to hear all about your interview."

"I don't think she liked me. She was very terse, and ushered me out almost immediately after we were finished with the very short interview. There's not much to tell. Apparently I am not howler-answering material, but she'll get back to me. Probably never hear from the woman again. What about you? You get your work finished after you were so rudely interrupted earlier?"

He grinned. "Indeed I did. After my very rude interruption left, I was able to finish early, as a matter of fact. That meant I was able to take a nice, relaxing bath." That lasted all of two minutes.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and headed into the kitchen.

"Don't worry about the howler job. There are probably much better paying jobs inside the Ministry than that. You claimed the girl who told you about it was a fellow Hufflepuff? She obviously didn't know you very well if she said you should take that job."

"Megan didn't know anyone very well. She was a bit of a loner. Most antisocial Hufflepuff I ever saw. Not that she's unfriendly. She's very nice, just not very outgoing like Hufflepuffs usually are, you know? I don't know. She was more Wayne's friend than mine."

Hannah considered.

"If she wasn't a Hufflepuff, I'd swear she just did it to torture me."

He snickered. "My type of girl, then." Hannah slapped him on the arm. "Ow, Merlin! I didn't mean it to sound like I would torture you, necessarily. Just... people in general."

But you do. Just his being around was a bit of torture. The bath? Torture. The bed later? Absolute torture.

Then her stomach growled. Hannah was mortified.

"Hungry, are we? Well, Didly made quite a spread. He likes you. That and he was absolutely mortified when he found out what Bavvy did." He started snickering. "I've never seen anything like it. Didly grabbed a spoon and started chasing Bavvy around the kitchen. They went around the pillar probably twenty times before Didly caught her. It was hilarious."

Hannah bristled at being reminded of that. She hoped he didn't notice. She kept her head down as she followed him outside. Now she was glad she had grabbed her jumper. Not that it was cold out. Hannah smiled when she stepped through a warming charm. Yes, she grinned. Her jaw dropped when she noticed the spread on the table with candles and mood and stuff like that. She shivered a bit.

She looked at him for a moment when he pulled her chair out for her. Hannah was a bit nervous now. This felt a bit... date-like. She was horribly under-dressed. She felt so common in her jean skirt and camisole top with no shoes. Like a little peasant asked to dine at the castle.

He knew he shouldn't have given Didly full reign over dinner. There had been a voice in the back of his head that said the elf would do something like this, but he had ignored it, and now this happened. It looked like a lovely dinner and the placing was gorgeous, but as soon as Didly told him the dinner was to be outside in the gardens by the pool, he had known.

After pulling out her chair and making sure she was settled, he sat across from her and sat in his own chair.

"Yes, Didly likes you a lot. I have no idea what he made, because I let him dictate everything himself, but I'm sure you'll like it. Would you like some wine?" he asked, gesturing to the chilled bottle next to him.

"All... all right." She had never really drank wine, but she wasn't about to tell him so.

He poured her a glass and Hannah took a large gulp of it. She wasn't sure if she liked wine or not. She had not even looked at her plate yet. When she did, Hannah grinned. She bypassed it though and went for the basket of bread in the center of the table. Hannah loved bread. It was good too. Crusty on the outside, warm and soft on the inside. She took her knife and spread some butter with herbs onto it before popping it into her mouth. Blaise was grinning at her.

She put a hand in front of her mouth. "Whaa?"

"There aren't any other words I can use to describe it... but you're just cute."

Hannah grinned. "You have to try this though. It's really good bread."

She buttered a piece for him and held it out.

"I don't doubt it," he said before grabbing her wrist and leaving forward, nipping the bread out of her fingers. "Mmm," he moaned. "Didly certainly outdid himself. That's his homemade spread that is just lovely."

He can't take the bread from her hand with his own. No, he has to take it with his mouth, and he still had not let go of her wrist. Hannah grabbed her wine with the other hand and finished it off in nervousness.

"Take it easy with that."

Hannah just nodded. He still had a hold of her hand.

"I might need that to eat," she nodded at her hand.

He let go of her hand. He hadn't even realized he was still holding on to it. Damn.

"How about some water until you get food in your stomach. We don't want a lovely encore of the night we met, as beautiful as you looked."

"Thank you, that would be lovely." Hannah said demurely, blushing quite a lot. His saying she had looked beautiful in her wedding dress was affecting despite her best efforts for it not to be so.

Blaise snapped and a house-elf was there setting a glass of water before Hannah.

She ate and paced herself with the wine the rest of the dinner. Though by the time dessert was served, she was flushed and feeling overly full. Hannah had eaten too much. She never did that. Wayne had said he didn't want her fat. Blaise kept asking her if she wanted more of things.

And she really needed to stop comparing them in her head.

Currently she was slouched down in her chair nursing her glass of wine and giggling. She was so relaxed now that she could have nodded off to sleep. Hannah had not felt this comfortable in a long while. She set her glass back on the table before pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs. Hannah set her chin on her knees and smiled at him.

"If I have any more wine, I think you might have to carry me upstairs. This is better than firewhisky. I think I shall drink wine from now on when I would like to drink. It doesn't burn, and it doesn't seem to feel the need to come back up. Also, I seem to be in control of most of my faculties still. All in the plus column."

He snickered. "A girl like you doesn't need to be drinking firewhiskey. I'm glad you liked the wine. I, for one, am not tired, but would you like to go upstairs into the sitting room and just relax?"

Any more relaxed and she would be asleep, but she nodded. She just hoped he didn't mind when she fell asleep on him.

They walked upstairs in comfortable silence. Hannah was felling warm and languid. This was much better than yesterday. Her mind was still on that, but she wasn't going to ruin such a good dinner by bringing that mess back up. He seemed to get worked up when she got overly serious about that stuff. So Hannah was just going to be tonight. Just be.

She sat on his ginormous couch only to be startled by his sitting next to her. Right next to her. There was an awful lot of couch there. Plenty for him. Still if she inched just a bit, her hip would touch his. Hannah forced herself to relax and leaned back against the cushions.

"You know, I'm almost hesitant to ask, but you ran off earlier so quickly I didn't get a chance to." He paused and then chuckled. "Jimjams?"

"My sleepwear. I call my pajamas my jimjams. You'll hate them. They're pink flannel. I could go ahead and put them on, so you can get all your fussing and noises out of the way."

Blaise sighed in mock-disgust. "I thought as much. Very well then, let's get the fussing out of the way." He shook his head. "Pink flannel in my bed. You're better of with my pants and shirt."

Hannah was giggling until she got into the bathroom and started going through the bag. The only thing remotely nightwear-like in there was this mostly sheer blue thing. It looked like a really short and mostly see-through sundress. It had matching knickers. She recognized it as something Blaise had bought in their shopping spree that she had not even wanted to try on. It was a nice blue with gold embroidery.

She was going to kill Dobby. It was her own fault for letting him pack a bag for her while she changed clothes and freshened up in the bathroom.

Hannah sighed and put it on. Maybe he had a bathrobe she could borrow? This was so embarrassing. She felt more covered in her bathing suit. Hannah slipped out of the bathroom quietly.

"There seems to be a bit of a problem."

Blaise rolled his eyes and stood up, turning to the bathroom.

"Oh really? And what might that b--" He stopped when he saw her and his jaw dropped. "Pink flannel, huh? Doesn't look pink or flannel-y to me."

A wolfish grin spread across his face. "In fact, that happens to be one of the outfits I wanted you to try on and you refused, but I put it in the stash anyway. The question is... did you mean to pack it?"

He decided he was going to wait until she fell asleep and then sneak off to one of the guest rooms because there was no way in hell he could sleep in the same bed as her with her wearing that and remain friend-like.

"Harry's house-elf Dobby packed the bag for me. I swore I told him the pink flannel. I have no idea why he packed this." Yeah she did. Dobby was a bit of a meddler, and he knew she liked Blaise. He probably figured this was a way for Blaise to like her back. Unfortunately, it was making Hannah very embarrassed. "Do you have a bathrobe or something I can put over this until we're all covered up in the bed? I feel very undressed."

She shifted uncomfortably.

"Do I look like a person who would own a robe?" At her look, he snickered. "Okay, yes I do, but you know me. Why the hell would I want a robe? Sorry, but you're shit out of luck on that. If it'll make you feel better, I'll dress to match."

No, that did not make her feel better. It made her feel antsy. Hannah sat gingerly on the couch and pulled one of the throw pillows into her lap, so she could hug it in front of her in an effort to hide some of this. She was half-tempted to apparate to Grimmauld Place for her pink jimjams. She hugged the pillow to her chest and peered up at him nervously.

"Can I have a blanket?"

"Yes, you most certainly may," he said under his breath. He was about to jump her and he didn't think she'd appreciate that. He stood up to go to his bedroom and retrieve an extra blanket, cursing under his breath. "Damn house-elves are against me. First the dinner, now the nightwear. Can't I get a fucking break?"

He brought back a smaller blanket for her, so she didn't have to have a train of fabric following her.

Hannah stood and wrapped the blanket around her sort of in a toga fashion before flopping back on the couch. She felt much more secure now that she didn't feel like her rear was hanging out. He was still in his slacks and shirt.

"Well, now I am quite comfortable," she said, grinning. Even though she probably looked like she was wrapped up in that blanket with nothing underneath. "You should get comfortable too. I'd feel silly like this with you still dressed. Not that you should get undressed. I mean... oh bother... you know what I meant."

As long as you're in the house wearing that I'll never be comfortable.

Instead he stood up and took off his shirt, tossing it on a nearby chair. Next came his trousers until he was standing in nothing but his pants. He threw himself onto the couch and laid down with his head closest to Hannah. Grinning, he looked up at her.

"It would be funny if someone came over with us dressed like this."

Her breath caught. Funny was not the word she would use to describe this.

Hannah slumped on the couch a bit, leaning towards him a little. "Aren't you cold? I get so cold. That's usually why I wear layers. I'm always cold."

She shivered a bit, but definitely not from cold.

"I grew up in this drafty old place and then I was shipped to Hogwarts and lived in a dungeon for seven years. I'm used to the cold, although I do like to bundle up in the winter on the bed."

He got up and stretched his back.

"Speaking of which, how about we head there now?"

"Oh... yes... all right."

Hannah stood up and shuffled after him with the blanket still clutched to her body. She was surprised her legs were supporting her. Her knees were practically knocking together. Hannah watched nervously as he turned down the bed. She grinned looking at it. If she was uncomfortable, it would not be the bed's fault. Hannah sighed before she got rid of the blanket, folding it neatly and putting it on the couch in his room. Hannah kept her head down as she rushed to her side of the bed and got in as quickly as possible, pulling the covers up to her chin.

All he saw was a blur and suddenly, Hannah was in the bed. He snickered and got in the bed himself, quickly rolling over to his stomach. He was still for a few moments before there was movement on the other side of the bed.

"You keep moving around like a worm, and I'll put my cold feet on you."

The idea of him putting his anything on her made her tense. Hannah decided that if she acted like it was not a big deal maybe it would not be. It seemed like a good idea in theory.

"Not if I put mine on you first," she giggled and wiggled her foot under the covers until it connected with something.

When her toes poked his hip, he jerked out of habit. His hips were very ticklish, and he didn't want anyone to know about it. Instead, he just made up an excuse.

"Maybe I'm not the only one with cold feet." Then he thought about what he said and snickered. "Miss Runaway Bride."

Hannah gasped when he said that. "I didn't have cold feet. I just grew a brain."

She burrowed over to his side of the bed. "My feet are not cold. They're actually a little sweaty. So's what's the real problem?"

By the time she asked the last bit she was talking right to his ear. He was lying on his stomach.

He'd had his eyes closed and his arms folded beneath his pillow, but when he felt her breath on his ear, he opened an eye.

"For someone who claims that I make her nervous, you certainly like being close don't you? And there is no real problem."

"You do make me nervous. That doesn't mean I don't like being close to you," Hannah answered honestly. "So... you jerked a bit when my foot touched you. Are you one of those people that thinks feet are gross or something... or did I hit a tickle spot?"

Blaise slowly inched his torso away while keeping his face close. He didn't want to give himself away. "There is nothing wrong."

Hannah let out a squeal that probably disturbed the house-elves. "Liar! You're ticklish! Oh my goodness! Where? Where?"

She giggled like a maniac and started trying to get her hands on him.

"Oi!" he shouted trying to get away from her hands. He managed to grab one in his hand but her other landed right on his ribcage and it made him jerk backwards. If he kept moving, he was going to fall off the bed, and he really didn't want to do that. "Will you stop? When I asked you if you wanted to go to bed, it was to sleep, not tickle me!"

Hannah ignored that. She was laughing so hard her eyes had started to water. She wiggled her fingertips against his ribs and down along his side. Being ticklish was such a normal thing. It made him seem less unreachable to her.

"Maybe you should learn to be more specific," Hannah said laughing.

"Oh that is it," he said with choked laughter. He grabbed both of her hands and rolled her completely over him and then he used their momentum to roll him over her. He had her hands pinned above her head. "There. I'd like to see you try to tickle me now."

Hannah started wiggling, trying to get loose. She was not dressed at all appropriately and began to be scared something was going to pop out of somewhere. Then she started trying to get one of her feet up to tickle him with her toes. She couldn't quite manage it though. His thigh got it but good though. Hannah was laughing too. She was really laughing.

This probably hadn't been his most brilliant plan. At all. It wasn't enough that she kept wiggling but she kept trying to tickle him. All that did was rub her thighs against his. At least she hadn't realized her effect on him.

With a sigh, he flopped off of her only to have to roll away when she went after his sides again. He kept scooting back until he wavered on the edge of the bed.

"You keep coming after me and I'm going to fall off and then I'll be in a foul mood. I'll be all bruised and broken. Then how would you feel?"

"All right. I'll stop," Hannah said, still giggling. "I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

And she did stop, but didn't move entirely back to her side.

"What are you doing, get back over there! I don't necessarily trust you or your fingers now. You're probably just going to wait until I'm nearly asleep and start all over again, you mean brat."

"I would not," Hannah gasped, offended. "And I am not mean. I'm never mean. If you spend enough time with me, you'll see. I don't know if I even know how to be mean."

Hannah wiggled closer. "I'm trustworthy. I'm such a bad liar anyhow."

It had been so long since she'd slept in the same bed as another person. She liked the warmth his body was putting out. It made her want to burrow close. Snuggle. Not at all appropriate, but she was a bit tired. Her brain was trying to reason it out. Ernie let her snuggle with him when they watched movies and stuff, and it didn't mean a darn thing.

He grinned. "You want to cuddle, don't you? I knew it. And what do you mean you don't know how to be mean? You threw your hairbrush at me earlier!"

"That wasn't me being mean. That was me being mad at you. I didn't do it on purpose. Mean would be if I just threw it at you for no reason. And yes, you seem quite warm. I wouldn't be opposed to snuggles. I like to touch. I like to be close to people. It's one of my favorites."

Blaise snorted and turned on his side. Raising his arm, he had an expectant look on his face. "Well, come on then. Maybe if you're warm and toasty you'll actually sleep. Wouldn't that be amazing... sleeping in a bed." Which is the last thing I'd like to do now.

He must be a masochist or something, the way he kept torturing himself with her. And she even wanted it! The nagging voice in his mind that kept saying 'just one little kiss' had to be squashed. One little kiss would lead to many little kisses. He wasn't stupid.

She was in dangerous territory here. He didn't want this to go any further than friendship. He'd said as much, and they were far too different about things, but Hannah wanted it. It had been so long since someone had allowed her all the touching she wanted with no reproachful looks or repercussions. She snuggled into him.

Hannah sighed as she relaxed. Safe. Utterly safe was how she felt just now. Protected. Watched after. Hannah sighed again.

He forced himself to relax. He'd just wait until she was asleep before he snuck out of the bed and into one of the guest rooms. He liked that plan. Hopefully, she would fall asleep fast.

He didn't realize just how tired, because he fell asleep shortly after.

Most girls would be offended about a man falling asleep on them, but Hannah took it as a compliment. It showed trust. She smiled and snuggled closer before falling asleep herself. She didn't even mind that her hiney was mostly hanging out of her nightclothes right now.


{SUMMARY} Hannah stays the night with Blaise.

the visual aid:


I think Blaise showed amazing (if not annoying) restraint.