To be honest, Blaise Zabini didn't even register on my radar before HBP. I'd only been in fandom a few months by HBP, and I'd sort of known who he was, but was still a bit vague on him since my principal ship was Remus/Sirius. But then HBP came out, and I didn't really notice that Blaise was black. I mean, I was glad to get some more perspective on a Slytherin, but I was more interested that JKR made him ANOTHER "bad guy" than that he was black, since my embryo thoughts on him had been that he could be a "good Slyth".

But like you, I found my interest piqued by the new canon info. How can we not be? The boy is good looking, wealthy, surely neck-deep in issues, and with a mother who is intriguing despite being mentioned once. What is there not to like? (And if you write that story with him having conquest contests with his mother ... well, I'll love you forever.)