Disclaimer: I do not own anything, it all belongs to JK Rowling

A/N: Hello everyone. I have been asked since the beginning of Cassie if I will be writing a prequel to the story & I have decided to give it a try. This will not be a full story, but will show how Blaise & Hermione began & snippets into their family life. I don't plan on writing 1e years worth of family life, but their highlights. I hope everyone enjoys more Zabini love. Special thanks to my beta Avis blue of Avis1765. You are the best

As always love & Slyther,

Gimi aka Jess

OoOoOoO

Hermione Granger sat in her common room ignoring the book in her lap. She had decided to come back to Hogwarts early. She spent part of her holiday at The Burrow with The Weasleys, but came back a few days ahead of Ginny because of head girl duties. This was just an excuse of course, she needed the quiet and that was just something you couldn't get at The Burrow.

Hermione had written to her boyfriend about coming back to school early, hoping he would be able to join her. Unfortunately, he hadn't answered. She didn't think much of it, he had stayed with her over the Christmas holidays. His mother would probably expect him to stay all of spring.

The entrance of the portrait opened, in stepped Draco Malfoy. He looked ever so dashing in his slim fitting black trousers, teal blue button down shirt and dark grey vest. His platinum blond hair - no longer slicked back- hung down to just above his piercing grey eyes.

Hermione looked up in surprise and smiled. She hadn't been expecting him back until tomorrow; he had told her he was to attend to some family business. That he would probably just apparate to Hogsmeade before classes the next morning.

"Draco, you're back early." Hermione began as she jumped up to hug him. He gave her a swift hug and held her away slightly. She frowned but continued on, "I missed you, I have to-"

"Granger, I need to talk to you." Draco interrupted as he let go of her arms and walked towards the sitting area.

Hermione frowned slightly and sauntered over to him. It didn't escape her notice that he called her Granger. Yes, he still used her last name in public, but never when they were in her rooms.

In her rooms they were: Draco and Hermione. They could be themselves in private.

"Okay…" She started, looking at him. She gestured to the sofa and he shook his head and began to pace in front of the fireplace. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Granger, we're over." He said simply, looking up at her with a firm resolve. "School's over soon. I am to be married in a few months and it's time I start living up to my responsibilities."

Hermione couldn't hear correctly, there was a faint buzzing or ringing in her ears. She sat down on the coffee table.

Her thoughts began running a mile a minute in her head. What? Why? We were happy, we ARE happy? Why is he doing this? Married? What about…

"Granger!" His voice cut through her thoughts. She looked up startled. "Are you listening to me? We're over."

"Why are you doing this?" She whispered. She felt the tears pricking at her eyes.

Draco stared at her with a look of disgust he groaned. He whipped his head away so he wouldn't have to see her tears.

"Oh bloody brilliant!" He complained to the ceiling, "Just what I need, for you to fall apart on me. I'm doing this because I want to, Granger. I am to be married this summer to Astoria Greengrass. She will make the perfect pureblood Malfoy wife."

"You don't care about blood Draco." Even as the words left her mouth, she was aware how stupid they sounded.

This was Draco Malfoy after all. The boy who teased and bullied her mercilessly for six years. The boy who never felt bad about cursing her or her friends in the past. But that is the past. He's changed - That tiny voice in her head said. On the other side she could hear the following argument: He hasn't changed that much. He was using you, probably considers it payment for standing up for him at his trial.

Draco threw his head back and laughed cruelly.

Hermione flinched at the laugh that reverberated off the stone walls of the room.

The room had gone eerily quiet sans the crackling of the fire in the grate and that cold, cruel laugh.

Hermione thought she knew his laugh; the warm tone as it filled her with love. That laugh was gone. This was the laugh of past Draco. The bully. The mudblood hater.

He scoffed. "Of course The Malfoy's care about blood! It matters. You think you've changed my mind? What? Do you think you have to fountain of wisdom flowing between your legs?"

Hermione's head snapped back, anger flaring through her veins at the insult. She jumped up from the table. "How dare you! You arrogant piece of filth!" She reached him in three short steps; brought back her hand and slapped him with all her might.

Draco caressed his jaw, almost lovingly, and with hate filled eyes turned his aristocratic face back to Hermione.

Looking at her straight into her honey colored eyes he sneered, "Granger, you were nothing but… a… trophy of sorts. You see, what better notch on my belt than the Queen of all Muggleborns? You were fun, a toy to play with, but I couldn't possibly think of an actual future with you. I mean, you didn't really think this was going to go anywhere outside Hogwarts did you? I can't possibly let anyone know that I've soiled myself with anything less than pure." He sneered. "I do hope you enjoyed that, it is the last time your filthy hands will touch me. I can't help it if you thought this was more than what is was, but all this had been was a warm bed at night. This wasn't love. If you thought it was, then you were mistaken. I mean you are pretty for a muggleborn, but the Malfoy line has been pure for over a thousand years. I'm not going to be the one to change it."

Hermione could still hear the ringing in her ears. She bit down hard on her cheek until she could taste copper.

She willed herself to stop the tears from flowing. She refused to let him see how she was cracking. She thought back to all the time they spent, alone in this very common room over the past 6 months. NO! She screamed at herself, Do not give him the satisfaction! Hold it together.

"Get. Out." She spat, when she could finally find her voice.

Draco smirked, his face returning to the face she remembered as a child.

How could she have ever loved that face? "Get out and don't come near me again, Malfoy."

He shrugged and went for the door. "Don't worry about that Granger. I don't want anyone knowing about this, I do have an image to uphold. Tainted as it may be." He walked out as if no trace of him were held.

After he had gone, the witch stared at the portrait for a moment, until she felt her knees go weak. She placed a shaky hand upon her chest and gasped for air that seem to never come. The tears finally flowed down her cheeks in droves. Gasping... gasping for air that never seem to be enough. She could feel the walls closing in on her, cold and unyielding. Just like his eyes, she thought.

Suddenly the room was too small. The photos on the mantel were mocking her. In a fit of rage at herself for being so stupid; she grabbed a photo and threw it against the stone walls. Over and over, frame after frame; they went crashing against the walls, glass and wood shattering all around her.

Grabbing her wand, she made her way to the portrait; all the oxygen gone from the room, she needed to get away. She needed air.

Once outside the common room; she found her strength and began to run. She hadn't realized it was so late. Moonlight permeated through the open windows and a cool breeze rippled through, but Hermione felt nothing.

She ran down the stairs, almost losing her footing when the stairs changed directions as she was stepping off. Running, not knowing where she was going, but having to get away - Away from that room, from what just happened, from her life as it was.

Down a corridor, through a passage behind a tapestry, she just kept going. The oxygen in her lungs was depleting, she needed more, the whole castle was shrinking, was that even possible?

She finally made it to the ground floor and ran for the massive doors when she ran right into a hard mass.

Falling down she gulped for more air. Her chest tightened.

Can't whoever it is see? She's dying, she needed air! Her face red and blotchy, her hair matted in places where sweat made it cling to each other and wild in others. Her eyes stung and were swollen from overuse.

"Granger?" A familiar voice echoed faintly in her ears. It sounded muffled but she couldn't connect it to a face.

"Granger, what are you doing?" The steady clacking of the person's shoes magnified in her ears, "It's past curfew and you're head- Merlin, what's wrong Granger?" The voice knelt down beside her, he wanted to reach out - unknowingly, Hermione cowered away, "Hermione, speak to me?"

Upon hearing her name, Hermione snapped back to her immediate need of oxygen. With that thought she scrambled to her feet and pushed past the familiar stranger and ran for the doors.

Without using her wand, the doors swung open to grant her exit and the sweet smell of damp grass assaulted her senses.

It wasn't until she was standing in front of Black Lake, that she took her first deep breath; finally feeling a small sense of relief.

Muffled footsteps fell quickly behind her as she collapsed onto the ground, her five senses flooding back to her. It was like the cold night air slapped her in the face and everything came rushing walls of her mind began to close in - everything was turning a deep shade of grey.

Again, her eyes began stinging with tears, sobs clogging her throat like she was choking on them. She vaguely remembered having the Cruciatus Curse used on her. It felt nothing like this.

The excruciating pain of her veins exploding would have been a welcome feeling to this dull ache that overtook her body. Funny, she felt like she was suffocating while her body exploded at the same time. How is that even possible?

Maybe she was dying. Maybe she was still at Mal- the manor, being tortured by Bellatrix. Maybe she would die soon, yes… death would be preferable to this.

As she remembered the blond watching her writhe in pain, yes, maybe this was a dream she was having while being tortured and she would soon lose her mind.

Maybe it would all be over soon.

"Hermione, I'm going to go get Dra-" The voice behind her said, very concerned for the witch in front of them.

"NO!" Hermione screamed at the top of her voice, not realising how hoarse it had become from the sobs that wracked her body.

She began to rock back and forth on her heels. Her hands were on her head, her fingers pulled at her hair. "NO, DON'T - her words were stifled by hiccups - NEVERSAYTHAT! She garbled into a sob-

PPPPLLEASE!" Her words sporadic, punctuated with sobs and tears. She wasn't making sense.

In the back of her mind, she knew who was with her. There was only one person it could be. She hadn't recognized who it was at first, but once they mentioned his name, it could only be him.

Blaise Zabini.

Blaise was Draco's best mate, he was the only one who knew about their relationship.

Hermione hadn't told Ginny - who was at the school with her. She hadn't bothered telling her best friends; she knew they would disapprove.

Blaise didn't though; He had supported them in their romance.

Realising that something was terribly wrong with the witch, he had run after her. Once he saw her by the lake in such distress, he threw a Muffliato Around them as a precaution.

After a war, it wasn't smart to let the Savior's best friend be caught outside in such distress with a Slytherin. Even if he had been neutral and never said a bad thing to her.

Sitting as close as he dared, he just sat while she rocked on her heels, sobbing and screaming at random.

He watched her tears fall until she had run out, then sat silently as she just stared at the lake until her legs gave way under her and she fell. She would have fell on her arse, but Blaise caught her and brought her into his lap.

She was just staring out into the dark, the moon bouncing off the lake and to an observer, it might look like a lovely scene between two lovers; watching the moon.

Blaise was sure something was not right, though he knew this was not the time to ask questions. He had a feeling that questions right now would only make things worse for her and she seemed to be in shock as it was.

He held onto the witch with one arm and smoothed down her hair with his other. Rocking a little on his own, like a parent might do to a distraught child. He knew that what she needed just now were words of comfort and a friend. So that's what he did; he cooed to her softly and spoke with words telling her that everything would be okay.

OoOoOoO

They stayed there, sitting like that for what seemed like hours. Blaise had stopped offering words of comfort, but continued to rub her back or smooth her hair. They sat there until she began to shiver. Blaise lifted her off his lap, stood and then gathered her in his arms to bring her back to the castle.

Casting a nonverbal feather light charm on the witch, he carried Hermione back to her dorm. Standing at the portrait of a mother and child, the mother frowned at the sight of the students so obviously out after curfew.

Blaise whispered to Hermione that he needed the password and in her daze she spoke it out loud, not recognizing her own voice.

The portrait swung open and Blaise was met with destruction. Glass, wood, parchment all underfoot. It seemed that Hermione had destroyed it all.

Blaise stepped into the room and went to set her down on her sofa; she wouldn't let him go. Sighing in understanding that he was not going to be leaving Hermione that evening. He sat down on the couch, the little witch on his lap, he took out his wand. With a quick Reparo Omnes all the broken items repaired themselves. Then he sent them all back to their proper places.

"Blaise." Hermione whispered into his chest.

"Yeah Granger?" Blaise asked, his cheek was on her forehead as he was still trying to comfort her.

"What day is it?"

Looking at the clock on her wall. "It's just pass 1 in the morning. it's April 5th." At this, Hermione began to sob again.

Confused, Blaise rocked her a bit more urgently. "Shh, Hermione everything's okay. Please stop crying." He begged the Gryffindor. He had been comforting her for hours now. He wasnt above begging at this point.

"Today- today's been- been a year." She grabbed his arm a bit tighter. "A year since Malfoy Manor! The day- she-"

Understanding, Blaise kissed her forehead. "Shhh, Hermione, she's dead. She can't hurt you anymore."

"But he can." She sobbed out, her fingers dug into his shoulder, breaking the skin. "He said things! He doesn't! Oh Merlin, Blaise! I can't breathe!"

"Hermione, come on, love... Calm down or I'll have to take you to the hospital wing." Blaise told her, cutting her off from another attack. "No one will hurt you, I will stay with you. Calm down and go to sleep."

Blaise held her in his arms there on the sofa all night -No one will hurt you, he thought bitterly, no, no one will hurt you again. He vowed to the now exhausted and sleeping witch. Never again.

OoOoOoO

Hermione spent a few weeks in a daze.

Blaise knew she was going to class, but she never ate in the Great Hall for meals, keeping to her rooms instead.

Any classes she was in with Draco, she flat out refused to speak in.

Blaise wasn't speaking to his friend either. He had asked Draco what he had done to Hermione and Draco ignored him. Blaise gave up on understanding it. He was worried for the Gryffindor, she had become a good friend to him that year.

One morning Blaise had been sitting at the Slytherin table, eating his breakfast when the owls arrived.

Reaching for his mail and his paper, he heard a squeal at the end of the table.

Astoria Greengrass was showing the paper proudly to anyone who would look. Opening up his own, he saw why:

'Malfoy Heir to Marry Astoria Greengrass!'

Blaise dropped his paper and his fork. He left the table and headed up to the Head Girl's dorm.

That was what happened. Draco had dumped her to marry a Pureblooded Witch. The Slytherin Prefect walked quickly to the dorm, turned the corner and ran straight into the blond all over the newspapers.

Blaise scoffed at his former friend and continued to walk away.

Thinking better of it, he turned back around, "Congrats on your future marriage Malfoy!" He left without a response from the wizard.

He could not believe Draco. How could he do that to Hermione? He had really thought his friend had changed but it turned out he was still the same prat he always was.

Giving the portrait the password, he entered the room. Not surprised to see it empty but knowing that Hermione had not left yet. Her bag was still on the coffee table. He listened and could not hear the shower. He went into her room. Hermione was still in bed with the covers over her head.

Blaise sighed and could hear her softly crying. "'Mione, did you see the paper this morning already?" The covers shook.

Blaise sighed and climbed into bed next to her. He pulled down the covers and gathered her in his arms. "I'm so sorry Mione. It'll be okay." He began to smooth her hair which had become their way to soothe each other.

Almost instantly she began to calm down.

Hermione looked up from the crook of his arm where she laid. "Blaise, why are you so good to me? You're his friend. Shouldn't you be with him?"

Blaise looked into her honey colored eyes and saw the pain still residing there and he smiled. "He doesn't need me. You do. Hermione, you can't keep going on like this. I know it is hard, I know you loved him. I know he loved you at one point. I don't know exactly what went wrong, but you need to get on with your life. You can't let him win like this."

Hermione nodded, tears still clouding her eyes. "I know, I know I have to get over it, but not today. I can't go out there today. I can't go to class without everyone knowing there is something wrong."

Blaise nodded. "Okay, today we stay in bed. Tomorrow you will get up and move on though. You will show everyone, especially a certain Slytherin, that you are not broken."

Hermione gave him a small smile. "What do you mean, We will stay in bed?"

Blaise gave her a sexy grin. "You don't think I would let you stay in bed all day without keeping you company do you? What kind of guy do you think I am?" He held up his head proudly.

She giggled. She could feel herself a little better about the day. It was not the end of her. She had to stay strong, even when she felt the walls closing in on her.

Blaise had left to grab some food; cakes, sweets anything he could think of. It was going to be a long day. He even went to his room and snuck a couple bottles of firewhisky just in case she felt like pissing the day away… Which he was in full support of.

Thinking back, he wasn't sure why he was still helping Hermione out. He had stopped thinking of her as Gryffindor Princess, but as just Hermione.

Blaise had never cared about any of the girls that Draco had dumped before. He didn't even care about the girls he had dumped himself. There was something different about Hermione, though. Maybe it was because he had seen her when she was completely broken. He had never seen anyone so shattered in his life.

Even Pansy, who had loved Draco for three years when he broke up with her; she had cried and soaked up any sympathy she could muster and went on to pursue Theo.

Hermione had a full breakdown in front of him and his heart broke a little watching it. He had known it from the first time he realised she loved Draco and that Draco had loved her back. Draco never fell in love. He truly was a man-whore, just like himself, if he was being honest.

Since the beginning of the school year, he knew his friend had changed. Draco began hanging around Hermione to study and then fell in love with her. He was as free and happy as Blaise had ever seen him. Then his former friend was back to being the same arrogant prick he had always been.

The two students spent the day in the head dorms, eating, studying - Blaise teased her for not even knowing how to skive off classes correctly- playing games of exploding snaps and Wizard's Chess.

Blaise had gone back to his room to grab a few bottles of Butterbeer since he was pretty sure that Hermione would refuse the firewhisky. He had met with Draco as he was passing in the corridor.

"Blaise, where are you off to?" Draco asked.

Blaise was sure he had noticed his absence from classes since they shared them all.

"No where, I wasn't feeling well so I stayed in my room all day." There wasn't a need to let him know he was actually in Hermione's room with her.

"Where are you headed now? Do you want to walk the lake with Astoria and her sister?"

Blaise laughed. "No, I don't want to spend any bloody time with Daphne. I'm off to get some food from the kitchens and then headed to the library. I missed a whole day of classes, I'm sure I missed a lot." He walked away from one of his oldest friends. He felt disappointed in Draco, he was sure Draco felt nothing for Astoria, but he had let Hermione go just for a pureblood match. Shaking his head, he made his way back up to Hermione's room.

Hermione refused every opportunity to drink. Blaise had offered her firewhisky, citing it was a good way to spend the night, completely pissed.

Instead she grabbed a Butterbeer and nursed it for most of the evening.

"Come on Hermione..." Blaise needled her. "Have one drink with me! We can't have a pity party without a little drink."

Hermione shook her head. "I'm done throwing myself a pity party. I thought about it while you were in your dorm, I'm done thinking about Dra- Mal- him. He's not worth my effort. I have other things I need to focus on."

"That's a good Gggyfffindor!" Blaise said after he poured his third… fifth… whatever, drink. "You don't need him. Have a drink 'Mione. Don't let me drink on my own."

Hermione shook her head. "I can't." She said, "I don't want to… " she trailed off, her voice getting lost in her throat.

Blaise looked up from his bottle, forgetting mid pour as the brown liquid spilled out of his glass, "Hermione what aren't you telling me? Why can't you?"

She looked into his eyes, pleading with him not to make her say the words. Not to say the one thing she had been keeping secret because voicing it would open up the wounds she was so desperate to stitch shut.

Realisation clicked in Blaise's blue eyes widened, "Fuck." he whispered as he dropped the bottle. He hugged the witch who had been sitting on the sofa, as she began to rock back and forth again. Silent tears made tracks on her face as he reassured her she would be okay. He would be with her, she hadn't need to worry.

What seemed like hours later, Hermione's tears stopped falling.

Blaise decided it was time to ask the question that he was burning to ask, but he was sure he had already known the answer. "Hermione, does he know?" She shook her head, "Are you planning on tell-"

"NO," Hermione spat out hoarsely still shaking her head. "No, he doesn't want to know, he will have his Pureblooded wife, he doesn't need his mista-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Blaise barked out, his blood boiling. "Don't even think it! It's not a mistake!" He brought his hand to her chin and made her look at him, her honey colored eyes still filled with the pain of the break up. The knowledge of her predicament clouded them even more. "You loved him, I know you did, I can still see it. The way you are mourning your relationship; It's not a mistake."

"He doesn't love me Blaise," Hermione's voice was barely audible as fresh tears peppered her eyes.

Blaise's heart broke for the Gryffindor he had never expected to be friends with. She had loved his friend with her whole heart and it had been shattered. He stroked her cheek, almost as a lover would, "He did Hermione, that I am sure of. You are so much more than any of the other girls he had dated. I don't know what is going on with him, but he isn't my concern. You are, you have come to mean so much to me this year; even more in the last few weeks. Hermione, you aren't alone. I will be here for you."

Hermione nodded, believing what Blaise was saying. She rubbed her stomach, he would be there for her, her and the baby. Draco Malfoy's baby, she knew it was true. Looking into his blue eyes, she knew she would be safe.