Title: Challenge: Blaise Zabini’s Dinner Party

Author: hamadryad

1) Ron or Harry being naked
2) A proposal (from anyone to anyone)
3) Apple juice has to be mentioned
4) Someone has to choke on home-made cake/pie
5) Blaise's mum has to make an appearance

“When is everybody arriving?”

Blaise turned down the heat and put the lid on the pot so his pasta sauce could simmer. He put his arms around his girlfriend and pulled her close for a kiss. They’d been so busy lately, it seemed they never had enough time together. “Soon,” he said. He gave her another lingering kiss and mournfully added, “Too soon.”

Hermione looped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. “I know. We never seem to have time to ourselves lately. But we haven’t seen everybody in ages. It will be nice.” At Blaise’s doubtful look, she said, “It will!” She gave him a kiss and looked around the kitchen to see if Blaise needed help with anything, but he appeared to have everything under control. On the table, Hermione saw a cake, cut into bite-size pieces and arranged on a serving plate. “This looks good,” she said picking up a piece and popping it into her mouth.

“Old family recipe. We always have it at parties and other special occasions.”

“It’s delicious,” Hermione said. “I’m lucky I found a man who is such a good cook. I’d starve if I had to cook for myself,” she said with a cheeky grin, picking up another morsel of cake.

“You can show me how much you appreciate my cooking later. Maybe our guests won’t stay long,” Blaise said. “Wait, I know… I could burn the sauce. If there’s nothing to eat, nobody will want to stay, and we can spend the night shagging like rabbits instead of socialising,” he suggested with a wolfish grin, causing Hermione to choke violently on the piece of cake she was eating.

Just then, Pansy and Ron apparated in. Ron looked at Hermione and said, “Zabini, what’s going on here? It’s very bad form to kill your girlfriend just before a party, you know.”

Pansy rolled her eyes at Ron and patted Hermione on the back. “Sniff through your nose,” she suggested. “It will help you stop choking.”

Hermione tried to follow her suggestion and found that it did help a bit. She was finally able to bring herself under control again, although her deep, red blush took a long time to fade and her eyes avoided Blaise for quite a while.

Blaise smirked at her and asked the new arrivals if they wanted anything to drink while they waited for the rest of his guests. “I have red wine, butterbeer and apple juice.” Ron chose his favourite butterbeer while Pansy decided to have a small glass of wine.

“Who are we still waiting for?” Pansy asked as she sipped her wine.

Blaise gave his sauce a stir and said, “Draco, Ginny and my mum. Harry isn’t back from his Quidditch practise either. They’ve been training long hours for the upcoming game against the Cannons.”

Ron was still grumbling about his best friend being a traitor and playing against his favourite team when they heard a crash and a shout from the living room. They all went into the next room and found a very naked Harry standing in the middle of the living room, next to a broken vase which he had apparently knocked over.

“Damn it all to hell! Who put that portkey there?” he roared. “When I find out which of those hairy-arsed idiots did that, I’ll…” He saw the four pairs of eyes staring at him and his words petered out. “Bugger me. Erm. Hullo. Party started already, has it?” he asked weakly, looking around for something to cover himself.

At that moment, there were three pops as the last three guests apparated into the room. Ginny and Blaise’s mother gaped at Harry in surprise. Draco took in the scene with his usual aplomb.

“Hullo Potter,” Draco said, eyeing Harry with a smirk. “Blaise said his party was going to be casual dress, but I didn’t realise it would be this casual.”

Harry blushed a deep red. He grabbed a large cushion from the sofa and held it in front of him, protectively.

“Blaise,” his mother said, ominously. “Is this the reason you have not given me any grandchildren yet? Because you are with… HIM?” she demanded, waving one hand in Harry’s direction. Her eyes were flashing in anger and she looked ready to hex both of them to hell and back. Petranella Zabini very much wanted to have grandchildren. She was not about to accept any excuses from Blaise. She certainly wouldn’t accept it if his sexual orientation was interfering with his obligation to procreate and make her a happy grandmother.

Blaise gaped at her, nonplussed. It took a moment for her words to sink in. “Mama! No! A thousand times, no! I’m not romantically involved with Potter,” he said with a look of revulsion on his face as he glanced at Harry. “For the love of Merlin, Potter! Will you go put some clothes on?”

Harry was transfixed by Petranella’s sharp gaze. The Boy who Killed the Most Powerful Dark Wizard Since Grindelwald, was completely intimidated by the petite Italian woman. He couldn’t seem to move his feet, although he defensively clutched the pillow tighter to himself.

Blaise’s mother looked at him through narrowed eyes. “You are sure about this? I see you living with a man, and this man, he is naked in your living room.”

“For the love of Merlin! I’m not shagging Potter! He’s just my flatmate. I love Hermione! She’s the one I’m going to marry!” Blaise yelled, reaching the end of his patience.

He heard a gasp from Hermione and looked around, finally noticing the avid faces of his guests as they took in the unfolding drama.

“Erm… that is to say… Umm…” His gaze sought out Hermione, who was looking at him wide-eyed. For once, he couldn’t read her reaction and it was making him feel very nervous and insecure. What if she didn’t want to marry him? He tugged at the collar of his shirt, which suddenly seemed far too tight, as he walked over to her. “That wasn’t quite the way I had planned it. I was hoping for more privacy, you know. And a little more romance. But…” He took a deep bracing breath and reached out to tip Hermione’s face up to him. “Will you marry me, Hermione Granger?”

There was a long silence as Hermione looked up at him dazedly. Nobody else in the room made a noise. They were all waiting to hear her answer. The silence stretched out and Blaise was starting to become very anxious, indeed, when Hermione finally whispered, “Yes.”

Blaise blinked, not certain he had heard the answer he’d been hoping for or just imagined it. “What did you say? Was that a yes? Did you say ‘yes’?”

“Yes,” Hermione said, in a louder voice this time. “Yes!” she repeated firmly. “I will marry you, Blaise.”

A large grin appeared on Blaise’s face and he snatched her up into his arms, spinning her around wildly. “She said ‘yes’! He announced with a laugh, to the rest of the room. “She said ‘YES’!

The suspense that had been keeping everybody else quiet lifted and they began to laugh and chatter as they descended on the happy couple to offer their congratulations. Petranella looked at her son and his new fiancée with great satisfaction. From the way Blaise was looking at Hermione, it wouldn’t be long before she finally had her long-awaited grandchildren.

Petranella saw movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced over to see Harry edging his way out of the room. She looked at him speculatively, her matchmaking instincts waking up with a vengeance.

“Oh, Harry!” she sang out as she approached the young man who looked at her so apprehensively. “Why is it that a fine, young man like you is still single? Have you not met the right witch, yet?” she asked, with a glint in her eyes that looked positively evil to Harry.

Harry looked at her with growing dismay, not knowing what to say to her.

“Perhaps I know somebody who would suit,” she said, tapping her chin in thought as she looked him over. A slow grin crossed her face a moment later. “Yesssss. I believe I do know a young witch who would like you. I must see to it that you receive an introduction.”

At these words, Harry’s nerve broke and he jumped away from her with a yelp, running into his room and slamming the door as though he were escaping from the hounds of hell. Everybody in the room who witnessed his reaction could only feel grateful that Petranella Zabini had not fought for Voldemort at the last battle. There was no doubt in their minds that Harry would have run like a scared rabbit if she had been there.

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