Disclaimer: Once again I don't own Harry Potter. Just the plot.

Love it or hate it please, please, please leave a review! I really would like to know what you people think about the way the story is progressing. So if you are reading it please leave a review.

Enjoy!

BTW I complete 10 years of reading Harry Potter fanfiction this year. Isn't that something? :D

It seemed to Hermione that their story had come to a halt. The moment she decided to give Blaise a shot everything seemed to fall apart. Nothing she did seemed to work. On the contrary everything seemed to backfire. Hermione was getting desperate. No she was obsessed. As simple as that.

Hermione had tried to not-so-discreetly push her friends into introducing her to Blaise. It simply hadn't worked. Somehow none of her friends thought it was important enough. Either that or they thought she was being creepy. But whatever their ideas might be, the thing was that Hermione wasn't even a single step closer to Blaise.

She had tried talking to Harry and Ron, multiple times mind you, but didn't work.

"So Harry, I heard that you people really enjoyed the party last night?"

"Yeah, it was fun. But things were really wild. You wouldn't believe what a load of alcohol in one's system can do to loosen their tongue."

"What did they say?"

"Sorry. Can't tell. Bro-code."

"Huh. I never knew Blaise could throw such a crazy party. Makes me wanna meet him."

"You definitely should."

Another time Ron was talking to Harry about Quidditch which also involved Blaise in certain capacity and Hermione happened to be sitting there. It went like this...

"Blaise was saying that he could get me a meeting with Jamie Martin, you know the coach of the Chudley Cannons," Ron said, looking at Hermione. "It really will make the difference and with Leppar retiring next year, the keeper's spot is going to open up."

"Keep at it Ron. You just might get the job. Blaise really knows the right people so if anyone can help you here it's him." Harry supported Ron at his decision, although Molly and Arthur weren't very enthusiastic about it.

"You all really know Blaise well don't you? Maybe you should introduce us sometime soon. I mean school will be over in a month and all."

"Hmmm." That's all that Ron said in reply.

The next time around she decided to keep it to the point. She caught hold of Lavender one morning over breakfast.

"You know I always seem to hear about Blaise or see him around. Introduce him to me will you? It's getting weird."

"You don't need to meet him. He isn't the right sort." Elise who was sitting beside lavender interjected.

"Oh please, you never like anyone." Lavender stated.

"That's not true!"

"Really? Well remember that time when we went to..."

What else is a girl to do? She was one step away from looking desperate. So she decided to drop it all.

Life was getting more and more messed up for Hermione. If you have ever experienced an all encompassing crush, you might understand what she was going through. But then again crushes tend to be the step prior to love where you feel giddy when you think about the person and blush when you see him. When Hermione thought about Blaise she felt like she was being pulled into a dark hole. When she saw him she was on fire, it felt like she was being consumed. But sometimes she just wanted to lock him up in a room and be his worst nightmare. What she felt for Viktor was a crush. This definitely wasn't.

And then something happened. It was just two weeks before their finals were about to start, when she had completely given up about it, Hermione unexpectedly met Blaise. Later when Hermione thought about the timing of it all she couldn't help but think that the fates had something against her.

Hermione was sitting with Ginny near the lake. They were going through some Transfiguration notes that needed to be sorted out and revised. Ginny needed some last minute help and so they were to work on it that particular afternoon. Since it was spring and the weather was wonderful they decided to sit by the lake rather than in the library which was their usual spot.

"Blaise is here. You should meet him." Ginny suddenly said, more to herself than to Hermione. "Would you like to meet him Hermione?"

Hermione was caught off guard but still managed an "Okay." She saw that Blaise was sitting on a rock at a distance. He had a cigarette dangling from his lips and was looking at the lake. It was a rare sight to see Blaise alone.

"Perfect." Ginny beamed. She started waving at Blaise from there. To their surprise he spotted them right away and came over. Hermione supposed he might have known that they were sitting there all along.

"Hey Blaise."

"Hello Ginny. How have you been?"

Blaise spoke softly. There was a calmness in his voice that was unusual for a boy his age. Whether that was true or was one of Hermione's romantic whimsies one cannot be sure, but Hermione decided that if Blaise were to sing he would be a beautiful tenor. It was the first time that she heard his voice.

"Good. Great, in fact I got engaged and am getting married in the fall." Ginny replied with her warmest smile. Blaise looked at Hermione before shifting his attention to Ginny once again.

"To harry. I know. You couldn't have done better." Hermione was surprised to hear something like that come out of a Slytherin and curiously enough he seemed to mean every single word of that.

"I am glad you feel that way." Ginny was positively beaming. "So have you met Hermione?"

"No I haven't actually. Hi." Blaise turned to talk to Hermione. He had this tendency of looking straight into her eyes.

" Hello Blaise. I have heard a lot about you." Hermione extended her hand, flashing Blaise one of her super friendly smiles. He had a book in his hands, muggle writer Hermione noted. "Especially from Lavender and Parvati." She added with a playful tilt to her voice. She skipped out Ginny simply for the sake of not embarrassing her.

Blaise gave an awkward laugh and blushed a little, "It's nothing like that. They are nice girls..."

"Of course they are. So it was your birthday sometime back, wasn't it? I hear it was one heck of a party. Harry and Ron loved it."

"Thanks." Blaise blushed some more while smiling at her. "You don't turn seventeen every day. I wanted it to be a special one."

"Loved it!" Ginny snorted "They were wrecked the next day and the next; couldn't get up from bed even if their life depended on it. Really Blaise, you should know that not everyone can handle things in such high intensity."

"A lot of it was Draco's plan really. I don't do it all. You know that."

"Hmm. Sit down, will you?"

But Blaise declined the offer. " Um, I actually have to go. There is this thing. But I will see you around okay?" He said the last part while looking at Hermione. He tilted his head to the side and looked at Hermione for a few seconds. The way he looked negated the casual tone with which he had talked to her for so long. It was as if he was saying I want something from you, just haven't decided what. At that moment Hermione knew in her gut that she would give him whatever it was just to have the chance at ruining him back in return. But then he turned to Ginny, waved a goodbye and was gone.

"He is something, isn't he?" Ginny asked Hermione with a sigh and a smile on her lips.

"He has nice shoulders."

Hermione was sure that it was the stupidest thing she had said in all her life.

I know my chapters aren't very long. I am trying though... :/