B. Zabini

Part of the Bound By Marriage RP Twenty years old. Legal advisor, art collector. A fervent believer in the idea of quid pro quo. Former Slytherin, former chaser. Currently, and as always, preferring to keep himself private.

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

Vanishing Act {Blaise and Daphne}

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

"Slumming? How?" Daphne asked, feeling the urge to defend him, and then sighing: those emotions were what had gotten her into this mess, after all. "He’s not a bad person, Blaise."

At the mention of the Law, Daphne felt her stomach plunge. “And the man I’m engaged to is such a prize - it’s McLaggen.” She sneered with a sigh.

[purelyzabini]

"I just know I wouldn't. I guess my standards are different, that's all. More selective. McLaggen, oh that's dreadful. At least he's an idiot, he wouldn't notice you off doing whatever with Nott." He waved flippantly, not wishing to indulge details of the relationship further. 

"I daresay you could meet the Ministry's requirements without even looking McLaggen's way."

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

Vanishing Act {Blaise and Daphne}

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

Daphne sucked in her breath and then released it in a great, exasperated sigh. “Right. Well, what wonderful help that was, Blaise.” She said with snark and even more frustration than before.

[purelyzabini]

"You'll need more help than I can give if that's the problem," he snorted, shaking his head.

"I guess Nott would be a fine choice for most people. I think it's slumming, but that's my opinion." He pondered for a moment, finger on his lips. 

"So what was it? The aggression, the egotism, or the rampant pretentious comments that hooked you in? Maybe a combination of all three?" Although he wasn't smiling, he did have the appearance of someone interested in the conversation, enticed by potential schadenfreude. 

"So, who'd the Ministry haphazardly throw at you? Do they know?"

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

Vanishing Act {Blaise and Daphne}

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

"This is spoken in confidence." Daphne said, her gaze hard and long as she regarded one of her oldest companions. Blaise had seen her crash and burn more times than she would care to admit, and he had never spoken a word of her travesties - or, if he had, he had kept it to a selective few who never spoke of it again - so Daphne figured she could, and should, trust him. “Understood?” It was a precaution she had to take.

Then, without further hesitation, Daphne confessed: “Theodore Nott.”

[purelyzabini]

He screwed his face up in disgust. 

"Oh!" He said, looking at her apprehensively. He looked like he was going to say something, and instead drummed his fingertips on the table for a moment before speaking.

"...What poor taste." 

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

Vanishing Act {Blaise and Daphne}

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

"I’d rather have six months to live than this.” Daphne retorted with great stubbornness, her jaw rigid and her fingers stiff in her lap. Blaise was one of the most charming people she knew, and he had a long line of lovers - perhaps even longer than hers’ - but he needn’t fear falling, for his suitors would catch him. Daphne felt she had much more to loose than he.

The blonde had to crack a raw smile at that. “Never.” She teased with a sad little smile on her lips. Daphne decided then and there that she had had just more than enough of feeling sad for her life, her luck, and herself. With a hair flip that would have made her mother proud, she straightened her spine and loosened her jaw, her hands slacking in her lap, and then she forced a smile on her lips. “Enough of that downright depressing business - let’s catch up, shall we?”

[purelyzabini]

"I suppose we shall," Blaise paused, "catch up." He drawled his words lazily, sitting back and looking expectantly at her.

"Who have you been letting run you into hiding?" He looked at the Daily Prophet article, lingering on her picture. Blaise didn't have anything against running, in fact his entire life had been built around self-preservation at all costs, but he had never put himself in situations where he had to run off. 

[raiseyxurglass-blog]

"I know. And I’m not saying I don’t understand. I get where you’re coming from, Blaise. At least you have a reason." He said. "And a valid one at that." He could understand self-preservation, as well as wanting to protect ones loved ones. That made sense. "And I want you to understand I’m not saying I love muggles. I’m simply saying I don’t feel as though I’m better than anyone simply because of my blood status. My intelligence, however, makes me better than quite a few people." He said, with a smirk. "Like Potter and Weasel."

[purelyzabini]

Blaise shrugged. Draco's status was his own business, as far as Blaise was concerned. He felt like he was more successful than Draco anyway, so Draco's examination of how blood status fit into it didn't bother Blaise. 

"As long as you're better," he said simply, eyeing him carefully, trying to read Draco. This was not the same Draco Malfoy he had known, and Blaise was in the business of being very careful with unknown variables. 

"You said you were hoping to leave the Manor; where will you be going?"

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

Vanishing Act {Blaise and Daphne}

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

"All things considered, I’ll take that as a compliment." She replied with a sad little smile. "As for what I’ve done to require such a long vacation, I’ve done the unthinkable: love, and the life I lead do not go well together. I should have been more cautious." Daphne confessed, hating herself for feeling so vulnerable.

She took another sip of her coffee, her lips pursed. “Frantic? No, that’s far too classless for a Greengrass. But desperation - that’s one of the most common emotions for us Greengrasses, and Pureblood elitists in general, since the War.” The blonde said with a bitter laugh, shaking her head.

"Your client must be almost here. We can meet another time?" Daphne said at once as the bell to the cafe jingled, signaling a customer entering.

[purelyzabini]

"Oh, that's all. Falling in love? You act like you've got six months to live, I thought something truly interesting had happened." He rolled his eyes, scoffing.

"I know all about the desperation, though. It pays for these clothes. People from our background don't know what to do. Whether to go or stay, what to say...I never realized how easy it was to have money. If these idiots can do it...why I daresay nobody has an excuse." He laughed, snide and haughty.

"Are you trying to be rid of me? How rude," he joked with a smirk.

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

Vanishing Act {Blaise and Daphne}

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

"Blaise, please, call me Daphne.” She insisted with a small smile on her glossed lips. She sighed when he made no motion to move to sit with her, but she remained planted in her chair.

Daphne listened in silence, taking a deep breath once Blaise had finished speaking and allowing herself a sip of coffee before telling him, “Perhaps the odds are not good. You’re welcome to ask me what brings me here, and what I’ve been up to. And because we have been friends for so long, I will answer.”

"You must know that if I’ve run here alone that I’m desperate." She added in a low tone.

[purelyzabini]

"I don't care," he said bluntly, "if you're desperate. Is that anything new?" He gestured to her. 

"You wear desperation better than most of us. What have you done to make yourself so hidden, Daphne? I daresay you're nearly frantic." He raised his eyebrows, leaning closer and putting his elbows on his knees.

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

Vanishing Act {Blaise and Daphne}

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

The question, although simple, startled her. She hesitated and exhaled, the words claiming that she was “good” sitting on her tongue, unable to utter it, as it was untrue. So, Daphne settled with a forced: “I’ve been better.”

"Yourself?" She then asked, obvious interest in her tone, for she knew as well as the rest of the Wizarding World about his pairing with Luna Lovegood, of all people.

[purelyzabini]

"We've all been better," he snorted, rolling his eyes, "That doesn't mean anything." He gave her ensemble a once-over and leaned an elbow on his table, trying his best not to pay attention to the other people in the cafe. 

"Me?" He asked, assembling a facade of boredom at his own state of affairs, "Well, Ms. Greengrass...I've been better." Blaise flashed her a smile and folded his hands together in his lap, watching her with half-lidded eyes and lazy curiosity. 

"But I suppose I don't need to tell you how I've been. You probably know, don't you? No, you've put me at a disadvantage. We don't know why you're in Muggle London hiding your face, and we don't know what you've been up to. I'm practically an open book in comparison, and I don't care for those odds." 

[persephonemoss]

"Really? Well, that’s too bad… Why are they concerned about the Ministry? Ever since the war, it’s been different." She shrugged as well.

"Oh, that sounds like fun. We could go see some art one day, if you want?"

[purelyzabini]

He deftly ignored the comment about the Ministry and focused on the more sociable topic.

"Do you like art, Ms. Greengrass? Right now, I've been interested in the Egyptian works. My mother insists it's my narcissism acting up." He smiled faintly.

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

Vanishing Act {Open Paragraph}

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

"I never frequent the same place twice. Someone taught me that long ago." Daphne replied with a coolness about her, though the a note of affection in her tone that was obvious: the pair had been close friends during school, if not best mates, sharing similar interests and lives.

Blaise had taught her a lot about avoiding blame and trouble, and she remembered him telling her that direct quote after McGongall had caught her kissing a Seventh Year (when she was just a Third Year, mind) in a corridor, and sentenced her to detention for a month.

"You seem somewhat out of place, dear Blaise." Daphne noted, removing the scarf from her head while motioning for him to sit the chair across from her. The blonde also set the sunglasses down on the table beside the cup of coffee she had not touched for almost three hours, revealing a mask of delicate features.

[purelyzabini]

"You still remember that?" He raised his eyebrows, staying put despite her motions to have him sit. He'd just sat down, after all. He liked Daphne, but he wasn't fawning like some of the men she had known. 

"I am out of place, actually. Some of my clients prefer areas like these. They think it gives them privacy." His lip curled in distaste and he sighed, trying to clear his mind of any uncouth government talk. He never liked talking politics with people whose company he enjoyed, but it seemed to be a looming topic these days.

"Not that it matters anymore. Privacy, it's a joke. You're trying very hard, though, aren't you?" He gave her a look of something akin to empathy and drummed his fingers on the table.

"That's not polite, though, is it? Let me correct myself. How have you been, Daphne?"

[daphne-ggreengrass-deactivated2]

Vanishing Act {Open Paragraph}

A woman with large sunglasses and a head scarf was seated in a small cafe in Southern London, her face hidden behind a large newspaper that, if the Muggles surrounding her had looked at for long enough, had moving photographs on it.

Perhaps the most striking image was that of a blond woman with large glasses and claw-like nails beaming at the camera and winking in six-second intervals, while beneath it, an article read:

Like a Muggle magician, Miss Daphne Greengrass seems to have taken part in a vanishing act entirely her own in these last two and a half weeks, though this time, she hasn’t made a competitor or an enemy disappear: she’s gone missing herself!

The blond socialite - who frequents Page Six and the Wizarding World’s most notorious gossip rags, who is the queen of making bad press good press, whose long string of lovers never failed to make headlines - has not been spotted in over fourteen days, making many of my avid readers wonder: where has she gone? And, more importantly, why has she vanished without a trace?

The report finished with a blurb asking readers to submit photos if the woman in question, Daphne Greengrass, was spotted. With a sigh, the blond set the paper down and chewed on her lip, her fingers toying with the scarf tied around her head absentmindedly. 

She couldn’t hide forever.

[purelyzabini]

A tall young man sat down at an adjacent table, glancing to her with a small smile. He wore a well-tailored Italian suit, and gently set his briefcase down on the table before leaning back in his chair to peek at her newspaper. Suspicions confirmed, he cleared his throat.

"You should find a new hiding place, Ms. Greengrass." 

Blaise Zabini's expression was, as usual, unreadable behind a standard mask of judgment. He studied her with dark eyes and gave no indication that he was, in fact, nervous. Blaise Zabini did not venture to Muggle areas often. It was only at the insistence of privacy from a client that he'd come here. He was undeniably uncomfortable.

[raiseyxurglass-blog]

Draco sighed, pressing his fingers to his forehead to massage his temple. He could feel a headache coming on. “I…It’s just…Lucius would always tell me my blood status makes me superior. He’d never give a reason. Just because it does. But, that’s not a reason.” He said, frowning. “I just don’t see things the same way anymore. And I’m not denying it has its own prejudices, Blaise. But, you can’t judge an entire group of people based on the actions of certain individuals.”

[purelyzabini]

"Understood," Blaise said crisply, pressing his lips together in a thin line.

"I suppose it is easy for you. It is not so easy for me, you'll understand. They can be dangerous, Draco. I am not acting from a place of superiority, but a place of realism. I am concerned with my own preservation, and my mother's, as you know. Neither of us have a place with Muggles, or their children."

[thehottestblackmen]

[raiseyxurglass-blog]

"Why does it matter?" He asked, suddenly. "I mean, what if she wasn’t pureblood? Her blood status doesn’t automatically make her a better or worse person. Don’t you think a person should be judged based on the things they do, the kind of person they are, and not their bloodline?"

"Of course it’s beyond their rights, but when has the Ministry ever cared about that? They’ve always done what every they bloody please." He said, bitterly.

[purelyzabini]

Blaise considered Draco carefully, touching his fingertips together and taking a deep breath. 

"My apologies for stepping out of line," he said, "I didn't realize. I am...wary of Muggle-borns, still. The muggle world is not a kind one, and it has its own prejudices. Other than this, I can agree with you here, Draco." He spoke deliberately, eyes still fixed on Draco's face.

[raiseyxurglass-blog]

"Yes, well, she really does need to learn to appreciate what she’d been given. I mean, surely she should realize that I’m a better choice than Potter." He said, rolling his eyes.

"Mother is…not thrilled, exactly. But, at least Ginevra’s a pureblood. Blood traitor or not, you know all my mother cares about is blood status. She won’t have a muggleborn or half blood ‘dirtying up’ the Malfoy bloodline. Her words not mine." He said, with a heavy sigh.

[purelyzabini]

"Of course. You're fortunate, to have been paired with her, you know. She's pureblood, and her status is good. If it wasn't for Potter, it would be... well, it would not be an unreasonable situation," Blaise said carefully. 

"Although I still think it's beyond the rights the Ministry has, and a waste of their time and effort. But that's all just politics, isn't it? At least it gives the people something to be upset about aside from us."

[raiseyxurglass-blog]

"I’m not going to fall in love with her, if that’s what you’re concerned about." He insisted. "She’s simply the girl the Ministry is forcing me to marry. I tolerate her. Nothing more."

[purelyzabini]

"My sympathy to the girl, anyway. Of course, she doesn't know how her lot has improved in life, she's probably pining for her lost love." He snorted. 

"How's your mother taken it?" Blaise didn't bother asking about Lucius; even if Blaise hadn't spoken with Draco in some time, he knew Lucius was an impolite subject for conversation. 

[romildaavane-deactivated2014082]

"I’m sure you don’t, but one thing I’ve noticed of Slytherins is that you hardly take note of anything past your own reflection, so it’s forgivable. I’m Romilda Vane."

[purelyzabini]

"How presumptuous of you, Ms. Vane. Is there anything else you'd like to tell me about myself? You seem to have it figured out."