With you in my Arms

34. But seeing it with his own eyes...

The last four days Blaise had been sitting in the kitchen of his flat, he had been lying on his bed and he had taken a lot of cold showers. There was something wrong with him and he knew it. Why were his thoughts circling around Her- Granger like vultures around a carcass? He shook his head. Something was wrong, seriously wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He had got to her before Pansy and William could, fine, but then he had been having these images coming up in his mind that more than troubled him now. Then it had seemed all perfectly okay. But now? She was the fiancé of his best friend, for Merlin's sake.

He had owled that Ravenclaw a week ago and had got a rather nice letter back. She wasn't quite sure, if getting involved with him would be a good idea, but she was prepared to give it a try. He sighed. He was supposed to meet her next Saturday in Hogsmead. That was in four days. Which meant he had tomorrow, Thursday and Friday to get this, what ever it was, sorted.

He apparated to St. Mungo's. They should be able to find out what had happened to him.

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How long had he been sitting in the waiting room for non emergency cases in the Department for Accidental Spell Damage? He had no idea, but it felt like about a week. He had read the last three issues of Which Broomstick, had a scan through the current Daily Prophet and had even had a look through a Witch Weekly in his desperation.

"Mr. Zabini?"

Finally! He followed the young healer and found himself in a small room that contained nothing but a large desk with a comfy chair on both sides and an ancient looking wizard standing behind it.

Blaise stood next to the chair on his side of the desk and was wondering, if he should sit down as the healer turned around and looked straight at him.

"I would have expected somebody else to see instead of you, but in the circumstances you were probably the easier target to get to."

"Excuse me?"

"Sit."

Blaise did.

"I have been examining Mrs. Malfoy and the curse that has been used on her. I also had a word with the Minister and a couple of aurors. I have come to the conclusion that somebody else with a rather unusual, shall we say, problem would be coming in soon. You see, Mr. Zabini, there seems to be a witch that is stopping at nothing to win young Mr Malfoy for herself. Alas she has lost all proportions in her actions and has become a danger to maybe not the general public but enough people that it was been decided that it would be better for her to be committed to the secure unit of St. Mungo's for a while. Alas, she has yet to be apprehend."

Pansy must have gone seriously round the twist, if she was regarded as a candidate for being sectioned. What had she done? Cursed Draco's mother? How? When? At least there was no question about the why.

Blaise suddenly realised what the healer had said at the beginning. He had been expecting somebody else with a problem to come in?

"Mr. Zabini, tell me about the reason for you being here."

"Well..." Was he supposed to tell everything here? Really everything? 

"Don't worry. Whatever you tell me will not leave this room."

"Okay." The young wizard took a deep breath before starting. "I overheard Pansy Parkinson and William Rockwood as they were planning to kidnap the girlfriend of Draco, Hermione Granger. I got her before they could. She stayed with me in my flat for a few hours until he came and picked her up."

There was a gently look an the other man's face. "Carry on."

"I don't know why, but I was having these strange thoughts about her. These weird images kept popping into my head. I was just friendly to her. I got her because I knew what Pansy would be doing to her should she get a hold of her. Since then..."

He felt himself blush and was glad that his skin tone wouldn't let the healer see his embarrassment.

"I have been constantly thinking about her. My fantasies about her have gone way past anything friendly and I know for a fact, that I never would fancy her in a million years. She is just not my type, but I simply couldn't help it. It was like something was forcing my thoughts in a direction I didn't want them to go. I got a date with a girl on Saturday, for Merlin's sake! Why would I would to have anything to do with a Griffindor? A Griffindor that is pregnant with the child of my best friend and whom she is going to marry sooner or later. It doesn't make any sense!"

He saw a wand being pointed at himself, heard a strange spell being cast and then his skin began to glow a pastel shade of red. He stared in horror as the colour deepened and then suddenly turned into a deep midnight black.

"Oh-oh! Good that you came, Mr. Zabini. We need to take care of this at once. Stay here."

He left the room and Blaise just looked at the now fading colour that had surrounded him. What was this? What kind of curse had been used on him? And how had it been done?

After about ten minutes the healer returned holding a large glass filled with a clear liquid in it. He handed it the the astounded young man and instructed him to drink. Everything. It tasted like old socks with a good measure of tripe in it. Drawing a disgusted face Blaise tried not to be sick. It was a rather close call.

He put the glass onto the desk and tried his best to get the horrible taste out off his mouth.

"It will take a moment, but you should feel it taking effect quite soon."

They waited, looking at each other. The old healer had been right. It was after only a couple of minuted that a feeling of relieve was flooding through the ex-Slytherin. Something was lifted of him. He sighed. Trying to think of Granger he found that everything was back to normal. She was Draco's girl. End of story. There were no longer any images of... He rubbed his eyes. Better to forget about this as soon as possible. He made a mental note to himself to never, ever let his friend know about what his thoughts had been while he had been guarding his witch.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes!"

"Good."

"What was that?" He pointed to the now empty glass.

"A modified anti-serum for a rather cleverly re-arranged Amortentia potion."

"Amor..." Blaise looked shocked. Granger had slipped him a love potion?

"As I was saying, the base was Amortentia, but it has been modified in its effects. It would have taken longer to kick in, the duration was extended by quite a bit and it was a rather subdued version as well. Thoughts and gentle feelings towards a certain person would have developed only after several days. There wouldn't have been the outright lunacy normally induced by the potion. Though the main difference was that the person brewing the potion would have been able to set the target for the infatuation. It would have been like getting two people together without getting involved yourself."

"Merlin! Why did she do that? I mean, she wouldn't be able to brew something like this. Pansy is not stupid, but this is way out off her league."

"That is why the Minister and the Auror Office have got involved. They will probably going to want to talk to you. Have you any idea when and how somebody might have slipped you the potion?"

He shook his had. He would need to go through the last days to think about what he had been doing and what had been happening in order to try and pin a possible occasion for somebody to try and ruin his life.

"Why would she have done it though?"

The old healer smiled.

"Her plan to get close to the object of her desire by cursing his mother failed. So, she had to find somebody in order to try and..."

"... and lure Granger away from Draco."

"Yes."

"I have come across a lot of schemes in my time, but this really takes the biscuit. She must be absolutely mental!"

"I'm afraid, that is the conclusion we have come to as well."

"I better quit drinking in public for a while then, just in case she is going to have another go."

"Just behave as if you are still under the influence when you are out and about. Though, you might want to inform Mr. Malfoy about it."

"You bet I will!"