Written For:

Written for Amber.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Love in Motion
Blaise/Daphne

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Pinata Challenge
Medium - Romance

Are You Crazy Enough To Do It Challenge:
380. (restriction) Can't use Harry, Draco, Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore, or any of the Weasley's in a story.

Friends Challenge: TOW The Cooking Class
Prompt - Write about someone with a big ego.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Gobstones
Silver Stone - Reunion
Prompts - (object) sugar quills / (word) stranded / (action) writing a letter

xXx

Go From There

Blaise put a quill to the parchment. He didn't think as he began writing. He was sure Daphne would forgive him without much thought. After all, who could resist him?

X

Daphne gave her four-year-old daughter a sugar quill just as an owl flew into the open window. She narrowed her eyes, recognizing the familiar owl. It was an owl she hadn't seen in years, but she'd know it anywhere.

She made sure Victoria was okay, happily licking her treat before she went to Aries, removing the letter and giving some water to the animal.

She unwound the parchment and her eyes moved over the words.

Dear Daphne,

I know it has been years since we've talked, and I've missed you so much. We were so young the last time we spoke, and we said a lot of things in anger.

I haven't stopped thinking about you, though.

I know you must still think about me, and I hope you have some fond memories of our time together.

I would like to see you.

Please say yes.

Love always,

Blaise.

She found her anger mounting as she read through his pretty words. Because that was all they were. Pretty words. Words meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. He didn't even ask about Victoria. How could he act like she didn't exist when he might as well have stranded her with very little help because of how the wizarding world looked at illegitimate children?

She got a piece of parchment and quickly wrote her own letter, making sure her anger showed through her words.

X

Blaise smiled at the sight of Aries. He quickly took the letter and unwound it, eagerly devouring the words.

Blaise,

Why would I want to see you? What good could that possibly do? Like you said, it's been years since we last spoke. Why should we open up old wounds? We had some good times in the past, but the bad vastly outweighed the good.

The past should remain in the past.

Daphne

Blaise sighed. He hadn't thought she'd be so cold. He knew he made a mistake when he broke up with her, but he hadn't been ready for a commitment, and even if they weren't together, he never stopped thinking about her. And he certainly never stopped loving her.

And he was pretty sure she wasn't in a relationship right now, and even if she was, there was no way another guy could measure up to Blaise when it came to Daphne's feelings.

Still, her words made it sound like she hated him. Could he have hurt her that much by leaving her?

It didn't matter. He walked away once before. He wasn't walking away again, and he certainly wasn't going to give up so easily.

He quickly wrote another letter, but he didn't send it until the next day, allowing Aries some rest time.

X

When Daphne didn't get a letter the same day, she thought he understood what she wanted and gave up. Obviously she was wrong because the next day, Aries was waiting for her in the kitchen when she went down to make breakfast for two.

Daphne growled her frustration before she angrily took the letter and opened it.

Daphne,

I know I hurt you, and I apologize for that, but I thought it was best to not stick around if my heart wasn't into it. I was sure lying would cause more problems in the long run.

I hate the fact that I hurt you, but I thought it would hurt you more if I lied to you about wanting to be there.

Even though I wasn't ready for a serious relationship, it didn't mean my feelings for you weren't genuine.

I loved you then, and I love you now.

Please meet with me.

It can be anywhere you want.

I just want to see you.

Love always,

Blaise

There was still no mention of the daughter he didn't want to claim, and Daphne wanted to know why he was acting as if he wasn't a father. If he really wanted to get into her good graces, he had to know pretending Victoria didn't exist was the wrong thing to do.

She'd meet him, even if it was only to get her answers.

She quickly wrote to him without checking with her parents for permission. They'd have to deal with it.

X

Blaise opened the letter.

Tomorrow, Greengrass Manor, at 10 AM

X

The next day, as soon as Blaise walked through the wards, Daphne felt like running. She never considered herself to be a coward, despite what some Gryffindors said about Slytherins, but she was scared of what she'd do to him. She might either hex him or kiss him.

And her fears weren't unfounded because when they laid eyes on each other for the first time in almost five years, Daphne forced herself to not throw her arms around his neck by reminding herself that he abandoned them. He didn't deserve her affection.

"Daphne, still as beautiful as ever."

Daphne ignored the compliment. "How could you?"

Blaise looked at the ground. "How could I what? Walk away from you? Break your heart? Not contact you?"

"All of the above with an added question. How could you not ask about the most important person in my life?"

Blaise blinked slowly. "Astoria?" he asked, and she read the confusion in his voice.

Daphne clenched her hands into fists. "No, Victoria. If you just asked about her, maybe I would have been more receptive to your letters, but you're acting like she doesn't exist."

Blaise shook his head. "Who's Victoria?"

Daphne wanted to smack him. "Really? So, it wasn't bad enough that you walked away from us, but you decided to forget about your own daughter?"

"I have a daughter!?" he yelled, or was it a shriek? It certainly didn't sound very masculine.

"Don't act like you don't know about her?"

"How could I know about her? You never told me."

Daphne took a step closer, and he must have seen her ire because he backed away. "Maybe because you made sure I couldn't contact you. Draco promised me he'd tell you about Victoria, though, and then he told me you told him you were done with me and her and to leave him alone."

"Draco never told me any of that."

"He didn't talk to you?" Daphne asked carefully.

"He talked to me but only to tell me the two of you were flirting and were talking about dating. In fact, if I hadn't believed you were moving on, I would have contacted you again much sooner."

Daphne opened her mouth, and then closed it. She didn't have words for how betrayed she felt.

Blaise looked down. "I heard about Draco's engagement to Astoria. That's why..."

"That's why you wrote me," she finished. "You thought I moved on. That lying prat! How dare he meddle like that. I wonder if Astoria knows what a spiteful little boy her fiancé is."

"Well, considering she came to me and tried to seduce me, I wouldn't be surprised if they were in on it together."

Daphne turned away. "Wow. So, not only did a friend betray me, but my sister as well. Did you sleep with her?"

"No. My daughter, Victoria, what does she look like?"

Daphne produced a picture from her pocket and handed it to him. "She has your eyes and dark complexion." She watched him see his daughter for the first time.

"She has your smile." Blaise spoke so softly. "She's beautiful." He looked up, his dark eyes clashing with her light eyes. "Daphne, if I had known about Victoria, I wouldn't have stayed away. You have to believe that."

"You still broke my heart," she pointed out.

"I guess I was feeling a bit smothered because we had been together for so long, but I loved you. I still love you, and I would have gotten my act together if I knew I was going to be a father."

Daphne crossed her arms. "So, if you had known about Victoria, what would you have done?"

He sighed. "I'm not sure, but I know I would have gone to talk to you and figure out how we would raise her."

"As a couple?"

"Truthfully?"

Daphne nodded.

"I wasn't ready yet to be in such a serious relationship, so maybe not as a couple, but I would have been the best father possible. And I'm sure the more time we spent together, the more I would have wanted to be with you and Victoria as a real family. Despite not wanting a relationship, my feelings for you never diminished. How's that answer?"

She averted her eyes. "It's not what I wanted to here, but at least I know it's the truth." She paused for a moment, and then asked the most important question. "What now?"

"I missed you, but I know I can't expect you to welcome me back with open arms."

"It might be easier, knowing about the underhanded tactics employed by two people who will be dealing with me very soon, but you're right. Too much time has passed, so we can't just go back to the way things were."

"So, can I meet Victoria, get to know her? And maybe we can go from there?"

Daphne slowly nodded. She missed him, but she wasn't ready to trust him.

Meeting Victoria was a good starting point.

Fin

xXx

(word count: 1,580)