RP: A New Chapter
Date: October 31, 1998
Characters: Blaise Zabini
Location: Hogsmeade
Status: Private
Summary: Blaise leaves Hogsmeade
Completion: Complete
It was blackmail, and not even a particularly good attempt. Blaise could see through it easily, and he had to wonder why his mother had married Martyn. Had he attended Hogwarts, there was little doubt that he'd have been sorted into Hufflepuff, which was certainly not the usual sort of man to interest Elena. There was also the matter of the three younger children, which was also against type. Alex was the only step that Blaise had ever had in their teens, now he had two. The tone of his mother's letters had changed over the months, too, which was another reason he was suspicious of this new stepfather. Elena never sounded happy and content. It was almost frightening.
Still, this latest communication was the worst yet. Martyn had written, supposedly without Elena's knowledge, and was either a talented liar or completely taken in by her act. Blaise knew that his mother couldn't care less if he was happy in his independent life in England so long as she was living well in South Africa. Emotional blackmail was even more unseemly than the regular sort. Bribery, however, was something that Blaise understood very well.
The promise of financial security if he'd give in to his mother's demands that he move there to be closer to her was tempting. He was bored with his studies and loathed the work he was doing at the Ministry. He had only accepted the offer there because there was nothing else of interest to him at the time. There was a reference by Martyn to a wizarding publishing in need of a restoration expert that had basically ended any deliberation that Blaise had been having. He would give Martyn credit for knowing the perfect deal-breaker, but it didn't make up for the blatant emotional appeal in the first few letters.
In the end, though, it was enough to tip the scales in favor of going after something he wanted much more than staying in Britain and living in isolated silence, self-imposed or not. He planned to make inquiries into taking the equivalent of NEWTs once he arrived in South Africa, as he had withdrawn from the program at Hogwarts just that morning. He had finished his work at the Ministry on Friday, making sure that they were satisfied in case a situation arose where he had to return. If Elena was still herself, he doubted Martyn would survive another year, but there was always a first time for everything, he supposed. It didn't really matter to him so long as he had a position that he enjoyed and security to live after the funeral was over.
He had never unpacked everything in this house he shared with two strangers, so there had been little to put back into his trunks. It would be rude to leave without some form of communication with his housemates, so he had left a note for them after speaking with the landlord. There were no friends to inform of his departure, no acquaintances to miss him or likely even notice that he'd gone, so it took surprisingly little effort to be ready for the Portkey that would take him to Johannesburg where his mother and Martyn planned to meet him.
That morning, he had taken one last walk around Hogwarts. It hadn't been for sentimental reasons since such emotions were beneath him, but he'd felt a need to see it one last time. There were many memories centered around the castle and grounds, after all. He would miss the library most of all, though he knew that there were other random things that might occur to him after he was gone. For now, those didn't matter. He arrived home and gathered him trunks before he caught the Portkey. This chapter of his life was closed, but the rest of his book had yet to be written.
Characters: Blaise Zabini
Location: Hogsmeade
Status: Private
Summary: Blaise leaves Hogsmeade
Completion: Complete
It was blackmail, and not even a particularly good attempt. Blaise could see through it easily, and he had to wonder why his mother had married Martyn. Had he attended Hogwarts, there was little doubt that he'd have been sorted into Hufflepuff, which was certainly not the usual sort of man to interest Elena. There was also the matter of the three younger children, which was also against type. Alex was the only step that Blaise had ever had in their teens, now he had two. The tone of his mother's letters had changed over the months, too, which was another reason he was suspicious of this new stepfather. Elena never sounded happy and content. It was almost frightening.
Still, this latest communication was the worst yet. Martyn had written, supposedly without Elena's knowledge, and was either a talented liar or completely taken in by her act. Blaise knew that his mother couldn't care less if he was happy in his independent life in England so long as she was living well in South Africa. Emotional blackmail was even more unseemly than the regular sort. Bribery, however, was something that Blaise understood very well.
The promise of financial security if he'd give in to his mother's demands that he move there to be closer to her was tempting. He was bored with his studies and loathed the work he was doing at the Ministry. He had only accepted the offer there because there was nothing else of interest to him at the time. There was a reference by Martyn to a wizarding publishing in need of a restoration expert that had basically ended any deliberation that Blaise had been having. He would give Martyn credit for knowing the perfect deal-breaker, but it didn't make up for the blatant emotional appeal in the first few letters.
In the end, though, it was enough to tip the scales in favor of going after something he wanted much more than staying in Britain and living in isolated silence, self-imposed or not. He planned to make inquiries into taking the equivalent of NEWTs once he arrived in South Africa, as he had withdrawn from the program at Hogwarts just that morning. He had finished his work at the Ministry on Friday, making sure that they were satisfied in case a situation arose where he had to return. If Elena was still herself, he doubted Martyn would survive another year, but there was always a first time for everything, he supposed. It didn't really matter to him so long as he had a position that he enjoyed and security to live after the funeral was over.
He had never unpacked everything in this house he shared with two strangers, so there had been little to put back into his trunks. It would be rude to leave without some form of communication with his housemates, so he had left a note for them after speaking with the landlord. There were no friends to inform of his departure, no acquaintances to miss him or likely even notice that he'd gone, so it took surprisingly little effort to be ready for the Portkey that would take him to Johannesburg where his mother and Martyn planned to meet him.
That morning, he had taken one last walk around Hogwarts. It hadn't been for sentimental reasons since such emotions were beneath him, but he'd felt a need to see it one last time. There were many memories centered around the castle and grounds, after all. He would miss the library most of all, though he knew that there were other random things that might occur to him after he was gone. For now, those didn't matter. He arrived home and gathered him trunks before he caught the Portkey. This chapter of his life was closed, but the rest of his book had yet to be written.