"You are undeniably the two worst best friends anybody could ever imagine." The normally airy voice sounded distinctively chilly as a hush quickly fell over the Gryffindor section of the dining room.
Pansy looked up from her Witch Weekly magazine, mid-chew as the petite Ravenclaw confronted two boys shoveling food down their throats. If Luna Lovegood didn't shock others enough with her odd-antics and uncustomary way of dress, she certainly did so now.
It was positively astounding the change a bit of anger could do in what seemed to be a normally harmless girl.
Thank Merlin the Sorting Hat put the mad wench in Ravenclaw. Pansy silently reasoned as she swallowed and took a delicate sip of her pumpkin juice. Just when she thought things were getting boring…
Blue eyes scanned the entirety of the Gryffindor table. The blonde girl was now engaged in a stare-off with a particular red-headed girl whom, before, had been practically postulated on the lap of the Boy-Who-Lived. Pansy turned her gaze back to her own table and noticed that several of her housemates were just as interested in the altercation as she was. That didn't surprise her; Slytherins were a rather observant lot especially when such information could be gathered for later use.
Not that they needed help making the Gryffindors look bad. They were a self-destructive lot, that House.
Another quick look around the Great Hall made her realize that they weren't the only ones watching anymore.
The generally reserved and soft-spoken Ravenclaw didn't back down from the intimidating Weasley chit who had an expression angry enough to match the harsh color of her long hair. Luna glared right back. Harry Potter looked as though he wanted to say something but at the last moment, closed his mouth tightly, instead choosing to turn his attention back to his peas. The boy Weasley did what he did best – turn an ugly shade of color Pansy didn't think was possible for a human body to make and shoved more food into his already half-full mouth.
"And people wonder why we think so low of them," she muttered under her breath.
"What?" Daphne Greengrass looked up from the magazine she'd pilfered from the distracted Slytherin brunette.
"Nothing," she snapped back as her eyes curiously drank in the scene across the large expanse of room.
Honestly, what did the Weaselette think Lovegood was going to do? She was the last person to care what anybody else thought; much less whatever stupid threats the young bint would throw her way. Pansy rolled her eyes and caught the poignant stare of the quietest boy in her House.
Nott gave her a pointed arch of an eye as his eyes flickered to the other end of the room. From an isolated spot far down the Gryffindor table, Granger, Pansy noticed, had also looked up from her plate of food with initial curiosity which quickly settled into grim realization. Normally, she'd be sitting with the lot of them.
"Listen here, Luna," the angry voice spoke up, "how can you stand here and defend her? We would have won the game if not for her blasted meddling. She's not even sorry that she did it!"
Pansy could clearly see the spittles of food flying in the air and she felt her stomach turn.
Lovegood's eyes had narrowed even more as she leaned in, her voice turning several degrees chillier. "If it weren't for her, Cadwallader would be halfway to St. Mungo's for an indeterminate stay." She leaned back and her arms landed at her sides as she cocked her head at the new 'trio.' "I say she bloody well did the right thing."
A gasp sounded from several Gryffindors surrounding the spectacle. The illustrious Ravenclaws only stared in open-jaw, eyes agape shock as 'Loony Luna,' for all her quiet and soft-spoken words, looked ready to snap the three Gryffindors in half.
Pansy hid a smirk behind her glass. Normally, she'd hardly bat an eye at Gryffindor antics – that was Draco's department. This was just far too interesting to miss.
"Bollocks!" Ron Weasley shot back after he got over the initial shock of hearing the girl swear. "The professors would have protected him and they would have done so without interfering with the game! Because of her -," his finger pointed accusingly at the witch who was the root of the entire argument; she rolled her eyes in response, "– we may not get the Quidditch Cup this year!"
Luna wasted no time with her response as the 'tuts' from her sounded bitingly sarcastic. "You stupid, stupid boy -,"
Another array of gasps was heard.In all her years at Hogwarts, Pansy had never heard the young witch insult another, even when it might have been warranted especially being the target of so many pranks bordering on cruel and sometimes even crossing that imaginary boundary.
It was fascinating. What Weasley lacked in knowledge and wit, he made up for with his amazing ability to project food with his indignant sputtering.
"For god's sake, Ron, it was the first game." The curly haired witch finally snapped, her voice ringing across the room.
"But, Hermione, a good first game is indicative of a good season." Harry also interjected. "Though, it's not like you really know -,"
"Just because she doesn't care for Quidditch doesn't mean she doesn't know the intricacies of the game." A new voice finally cut in.
Pansy felt her jaw dropping in shock as Cedric Diggory strode over to Granger, books in hand. She hid her smirk behind her goblet. He had been the one to catch the snitch when the whole Cadwallader incident occurred, winning Hufflepuff the first game of the year.
"And, Harry, nobody said it wasn't a good game. Losing doesn't necessarily void the fact that you fought valiantly." Luna answered, drawing a bit of the attention away from the pair.
Ron's eyes blinked several times, as though disbelieving that the handsome Hufflepuff was casually conversing with Hermione, he continued with his diatribe. "It isn't just me and Harry, you know! Wood was banging his head against the wall and would've been a right bloody mess if Harry didn't stupefy him!"
"I didn't stupefy –," Harry started in a strangled voice. He cast a furtive look at the Ravenclaw and winced as a muscle in her jaw ticked.
At the same time, Oliver took this chance to interject, albeit sheepishly. "Technically, 'twas a broom. And I don't blame 'Mione -,"
"Regardless," Ron began; his arms crossed over his chest.
"Enough," came the stern, but quiet voice from the end of the dining table. "What's done is done. Now please, return to your dinners and let the rest of us enjoy ours in peace."
Ron sputtered, his anger turned towards the curly-haired witch who'd spoken. "You have no right whatsoever – and now him?" His hands waved wildly at the boy standing behind her.
Pansy clamped her jaw close but did nothing to stop her eyes from widening. What about Diggory now?
However, before he could even say another word, the female third of the original Golden Trio stood up and slammed her hands on the edge of the table, causing a bang loud enough to completely cease noise and activity in the normally noise dining hall.
"Despite what you may think, if you do think at all, Ronald -," her dark brown eyes glittered dangerously, "I don't care enough to even bother with sabotaging a Quidditch game. The only reason I even step my foot on the field is because I wanted to support the two of you. So if that's what you think fraternizing with the enemy is -,"
"You were showing off!" He all but shrieked.
The Slytherin brunette winced and she was pretty sure many others listening in had done the same. That was…not flattering.
The exiled Golden Trio member took a visible deep breath, opened her mouth and then, as though she had heavily considered against her words, clamped it tightly shut. Through clenched teeth, she said, "I think I should leave before I say or do anything regretful." Her half-eaten meal was vanished without a single glance as she turned on her heel and shared a distinct look with the Head Boy.
"Rounds," he simply stated.
"Right, I almost forgot."
The pair disappeared and Pansy turned her wide-eyed gaze at Theodore who was smirking at the boy sitting across from him. Draco Malfoy looked like he was ready to pass out cold on the floor; she narrowed her eyes at the Nott heir. Speaking of patrols…wasn't Theo supposed to -
Pansy stifled a groan. There was no doubt she'd be hearing about his whinging later. Theodore might not care considering he tended to pull a 'Granger' and hide away in the library and as a result, did not have to deal with Draco's temper tantrum. But having known the Malfoy heir for most of her life and thus, being considered part of his inner circle, she knew what consequences Theo's teasing about the Muggleborn witch to Draco did for the boy's…sensitivity.
Her House mates were cunning, intelligent, and right bastards when they chose to be. If there was a chink in one's armor, they went for it, sharp teeth, claws and all.
It trained them for the world outside these castle walls.
Draco was one of the biggest prats in her house. She personally knew that he had a strict upbringing and with his father's influence over many of the Pureblood families, most of the offspring who'd landed themselves in Slytherin were hesitant to get close. When he chose to direct those qualities towards the female portion of the Golden Trio, it was to be congratulated. When it became incessant and borderline harassment, it became his chink. Theo had not been ashamed to capitalize upon that.
The tense atmosphere had settled into something slightly more than awkward and Pansy took this as her cue to leave. She flicked her wand and muttered a quick spell which vanished her own dirty plates as she rose from her seat. Another glance at Malfoy and she could feel the onset of a pre-mature migraine.
Xxxxx
It was still too bloody bright outside. She thought to herself as she made her way to the bathroom. Hunched over and hand over her eyes save for a small space between two fingers, she breathed heavily to keep the relentless nausea down – at least until she got to the bathroom. Throwing the door wide open, she was glad to see no one else besides herself in the washroom and quickly turned on a faucet, splashing water her over face.
"Merlin," she muttered to herself out loud, goggling at the horrid reflection staring back.
"You do look rather frightful." The mirror replied back, earning a scowl from her. It did its best imitation of what Pansy knew to be a shrug and thankfully, remained quiet.
She took another look at her reflect. She did look a right mess; water droplets made their way down an abnormally pale face while dark circles from a lack of sleep underlined blood-shot eyes. Her hair was not doing any better as it had collected into a rather grotesque looking knot at the nape of her neck. Trying to get the wiry-framed Malfoy drunk was not as easy as it looked. For all his skin and bones, the boy could clearly hold his alcohol and he still whinged.
She quickly scrubbed her face and brushed her teeth, then hurried – more like stumbled – back to her room to get rid of the throbbing in her head. The light was easier to bear after she'd freshened up and changed into a new pair of robes but she couldn't shake off the disorientation.
"Where is my potion?" she snarled into her dresser drawer as she fumbled through the various items looking for the distinct amber vial.
"Out. You ran out last week, remember?" Millicent's sleepy voice was muffled by the thick drapes that hung across their four-postered beds.
Pansy bit back a colorful curse and took a deep breath. She finished tying her robes and made her way out the portrait hole, only pausing when her stomach rumbled, following immediately with nausea. She had skipped both breakfast and lunch but after retching up the haggis she'd consumed last night, her stomach was in no shape to intake anything except whatever remedy that would rid her of the cheap Firewhisky remnants. The hallway was practically vacant save for herself and a pristinely clothed curly-haired witch.
Pansy glared up at the offending girl and this time, she did groan. She had completely forgotten about her Prefect assignment this morning with Granger! "Don't you dare say anything."
Merlin knew how much the curly-haired witch liked to nag. She'd seen her go after Potter and Weasley.
There was silence and then the rustling of fabric before a small, cold vial was pressed to her cheek. Pansy jerked away, the action causing her stomach to lurch and she was surprised she was even able to manage a glare at the witch. "Hey!" She yelped in surprise.
Granger didn't even bother to bat an eyelid as she pressed the object into her hand.
Pansy gaped for a good fraction of a second, studying the seemingly offending object. It took a while for the light bulb to click in her hungover state but when it did, she popped the cork off and downed it in one great swallow.
"I started to keep a stash of the potion after my friends discovered Firewhisky and could get their hands on it. Are you alright?"
Pansy shot a bleary-eyed glare at the witch. "My head's being Avada Kedavra'd, Crucio'd, and Inperio'd all at the same time."
"That's…unpleasant."
"It's your fault anyway," Pansy groused as she leaned against the wall and waited for the potion to take effect.
"My fault?" Brown eyes widened in surprise, amusement flickering in their depths. "I wasn't the one who shoved all that alcohol down your throat."
"No," Pansy groused before shooting another accusing look, accompanied with a perfectly manicured fingernail pointed right at her, "but you might as well have."
Xxxxx
The sound of several books hitting the ground echoed throughout the mostly deserted dungeon hallway. Most students had already left the castle for the weekend Hogwarts trip and those that were too young were mostly out and about the castle grounds.
Pansy was on the way to the greenhouse with Granger when they came across Ginny Weasley who, by all accounts, should not have been on the dungeon floors during the weekend in the first place. Preoccupied with righting her robes after hurriedly getting dressed while the Gryffindor Prefect waited outside the portrait hole, she wouldn't have cared about the nose or bothered to care had it not been for the fact that it was her partner's books that dropped or the sickingly sweet apology that followed in a falsetto tone. Considering her partner was Hermione Granger, who stood for everything that she, a Parkinson did not, she definitely would not have even bothered to breathe in that general direction.
Unfortunately, their particular assignment for Professor Vector required Granger's aptitude in arithmetic.
And she was not about to grade all those papers by herself.
"Oops." Then she heard an exaggerated sigh. "You really should be more careful."
Ginny Weasley looked everything but apologetic. Instead, she crossed her arms and stood back with a satisfied smirk. Confrontational and confidant, Pansy had a suspicious feeling that some of it probably came from the fact that she was there. For the first time in their tumultuous history, she and the Weaselette finally had a common enemy.
Pansy arched an eye. She was curious and while the Weaselette's perception wasn't completely untrue, she still felt the vague stirrings of annoyance.
It wasn't that she couldn't stand Granger. She couldn't stand either of them. Now that the two were together, even if at odds with one another, it was still two Gryffindors too much. At least Granger had a use. Weasley on the other hand…
Standing in the midst of scattered books and parchment papers, the know-it-all and residential bookworm extraordinaire stared unflinchingly back at her house mate.
Pansy gave a quick once-over of the curly-haired witch and tilted her head to the side in curiosity. Ginny Weasley was popular and most, if not all the students knew what her temper and a well-aimed Bat Bogey hex could do an opponent at the other end of the wand but…against Granger?
She disliked the Muggleborn witch on principal but even she couldn't deny that Granger was a force to be reckoned with. She had never respected the Weasleys and transitively, the brood that came from that.
"What is it you want, Ginny?" The words were spoken in a calm and collected tone. Anybody observant enough could realize the warning interlaced between the words. If that wasn't clue enough, then the books that had begun to gather themselves into a neat pile levitating behind the curly-haired witch should have provided another clue.
Pansy knew better. She was best friends and housemates with some of the most cunning and intelligent witches and wizards in this school who all possessed a predilection for inciting the ire of all Muggleborn folks. The curly-haired witch had been one of their main targets.
At least originally.
When it was proven in class that Hermione Granger had already excelled well-beyond her peers, they had brushed it off. Clearly, anybody with the same focus and work ethic would receive the same results.
Several ambushes later resulting in jinxes she knew Granger didn't get from the many textbooks she constantly devoured, the Slytherins were smart enough not to mess with Granger one-on-one. Potter and Weasley, her two hounds, were another story.
It was the reason why anything they did to those two was generally away from the vicinity of their best female friend.
Despite being a know-it-all, Pansy could never recall Granger inciting any fights with anybody. She was loyal and fiercely protective of Potter and Weasley but unlike the other two, didn't go out looking for fights to prove her ability or make it known she was brooding over her difficult lot life.
The Weaselette had already withdrawn her own wand and was holding it with her arms crossed.
Pansy held back the urge to roll her eyes a second time. She didn't like Granger but she disliked the young Weasley brat even more. Not only did she have a temper to boot, it came neatly packed with an enormous ego, free of charge.
Not that the Weasleys couldn't afford anything anyway.
It was an ego hardly worth having. Sure, she'd heard about the Weasleys and their…accomplishments, but honestly, what was any of that worth mentioning? She had grown up with the heirs of some of the most powerful family in Wizarding Europe and that group did not include the Weasleys.
In fact, she was so convicted of this truth that she even said so out loud.
"Honestly, this was fun and all seeing you prostrating about like this…" Pansy struggled with the wording as a brief memory of a trip to the Malfoy Manor flashed in her mind, "Bizarre, little, red-headed peacock, but we all know Granger would wipe the floor with your inhumanely bright head of hair so if you wouldn't mind," she threw the witch a snooty smile, "we'd really like it if you'd stop bothering us."
Funny, it sounded like less of a compliment when she'd had been reasoning it in her mind.
"Parkinson?" Granger's confused voice sounded from behind.
What? When did she get in between the two? And no…this wouldn't count as standing up for – Pansy shuddered – Granger…would it?
"Fifty points from Gryffindor for assaulting a Prefect."
That felt better but the wording left a bit to be desired for.
"What!?" Ginny Weasley shrieked.
"Honestly," Hermione Granger's voice sounded tired, "this is unnecessary."
Yes, it was necessary. Especially when they had a stack of two hundred two-feet long essays on Arithmancy to grade before dinner.
Pansy was disorientated but didn't let it bother her continued glare at the slender witch before her who had seemed just as thrown off as she felt inside.
"Pansy? Are you there?" The muffled voice came from behind the portrait door to the Slytherin common room just a few feet away. "I can hear you screeching outside this –," Draco Malfoy stuck his head out from the portrait hole, his grey-eyes landing poignantly on the three of them.
Never mind the fact that her legs were itching to quickly step away from the two so she wouldn't be associated, some strange compulsion to stay locked her in place.
"Parkinson. Granger." The dead-panned voice stated in something of a greeting.
"Malfoy."
Pansy threw the blond boy a strange look. Wha….what was that?
A 'once-over' was given to Ginny Weasley before Draco Malfoy made the first smart decision in his life – or something Pansy thought was intelligent of him to do – and pulled his head back as the sound of the portrait hole closing could be heard.
Used to attention and then, having been completely ignored, even by Draco Malfoy or rather, especially by Malfoy, sworn enemy of the Weasleys, Ginny grew incensed. She turned away from Pansy and glared at the now shut door, a muscle in her jaw ticking.
Eat your heart out, you little bint. Some voice inside her cheered at the little victory, inconsequential as it was.
Xxxxxx
Millicent Bulstrode swallowed her mash as her short-haired brunette friend finished her story.
"If it weren't for her," Pansy started as she rubbed the temples of her forehead, "Granger and I wouldn't have had to hurry ourselves to grade Vector's papers before dinner. I hate Arithmancy and my head feels like a thousand hippogriffs used it as a bludger in their own little crude rendition of Quidditch."
That was a rather imaginative metaphor. "Weren't you already running late because you overslept?"
Pansy paused mid-rub to throw a nasty glare across the table.
"She's a slag." Daphne said. "We all know this. First, it was Corner and then it was Thomas, now it's Potter."
"Ugh, gross!" The other two chorused.
"I did not want that image in my head." Millicent responded as she pushed her unfinished dinner away.
Daphne shrugged, "With the exception of the two of you, a lot of the boys seem to find her attractive. She's intelligent and despite her family's unfortunate…status -,"
It was impolite to mention one's finances after all. Millicent plucked at her custard pie and watched as Pansy rolled her eyes before wincing and pressing her fingers at her temples again.
" –they have some characteristics to boast of. Bill and Percy Weasley were Head Boys, Charlie Weasley was Quidditch Captain, the twins have a very successful shop in Hogsmeade, I haven't seen a single student here beat Ronald Weasley at Wizarding Chess and well, while we may dislike Ginny Weasley, she's quite popular in the other houses."
At this, Millicent even found it hard to roll her eyes. "With a girl like Romilda Vane gunning for you, why go for her?"
"He may be the Boy-Who-Lived but he's still as insecure as the rest of them." Pansy muttered.
Millicent cast a look across the Great Hall where the Golden Trio, now reduced to a duo sat at one end while their missing third sat at the other, her nose buried in an aging text.
Xxxxx
"What is it you want, Ginny? I'm going to be late for patrol if you don't let me pass."
Millicent, who had walked ahead of Pansy, Daphne and Tracy, quickly stepped back and flapped her hands at the two to quiet down.
The other three girls quickly caught on as they all pressed themselves against the wall. Pansy quietly cast a notice-me-not charm around them.
"This is getting old; didn't they just do this earlier this morning?" Tracy groused.
"You owe an apology to our Quidditch team," the red-head demanded, "but even then, it wouldn't be enough. Showing off, throwing your relationship with Diggory in Ron's face -,"
"Excuse me…what?" Granger's voice sounded just as blown away as her expression showed.
"Honestly, what does that bint expect Granger to do? Prostrate herself?" Tracy grumbled.
Millicent ignored her and focused on the two. Ginny Weasley seemed slightly more irritated than when first spied upon the altercation. Her confidence was clearly wavering if the stiff stance and crossed arms were anything to go by.
"And I've nothing to apologize for." Granger's tone was deceptively calm.
"You know, this is getting uncomfortable. Shouldn't you be stopping this, Pansy? Prefect and all." Millicent prodded the brunette's behind.
Pansy glared at the offending digit. "Yes, but Granger's a Prefect also. She's more than capable to handle this. Plus, it's not as though I can remove any more points before Diggory suspects me of abusing my powers."
"Ladies." A smooth baritone interjected.
The four jumped collectively before turning around to face the handsome countenance of one of their own.
Xxxxx
"Quiet down," Pansy shushed, turning her attention right back to the pair.
Theodore watched in amusement as his house mates turned back to the tense scene with a rapacious attention. He glanced at a clock on the wall and sighed. "Any other time, I wouldn't care. In fact, I'd support it and even join."
"What are you going on about?" Pansy demanded distractedly while Millicent waved a hand at him again.
Tracy narrowed her eyes as Ginny took a threatening step toward the other Gryffindor. The curly-haired witch didn't even budge. In fact, she looked…
Amused?
"Granger," Theodore called out as he stepped out from around the corner. Immediately, the four girls pulled back and pressed themselves against the walls, expressions of shock across their faces as he strode towards the pair. "Ready for patrol?"
"Patrol? I thought Diggory was real careful about placing Granger with any Slytherins after the Tri-Wizard incident," Tracy whispered furiously to Pansy.
He had been. Especially since Theo's father had been one of the names Potter listed as part of the 'menagerie' he'd seen with He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. She had only worked with Granger because Vector had asked for two of them specifically.
"He was originally supposed to work with a Hufflepuff but some of the Prefects keep changing their schedules so he ended up with Granger tonight. Ironic, isn't it?" Daphne responded as leaned against the wall. That the Gryffindor Princess was pairing off with the son of a known Death Eater to keep order in the school after hours…alone.
It wasn't said but mostly understood. Most of the people in their house were in the same boat. Those whose families were even rumored to have allied themselves with the Dark Lord may not have declared the same allegiance but condemned by others nonetheless.
Pansy rolled her eyes as she turned the conversation towards a much lighter note. "Theo's been teasing Draco all weekend about his patrol duty with Granger tonight."
"Oh right, he thinks he's sweet on her," Millicent murmured distracted as Theo nudged his way between the two girls.
"Merlin, I wish I knew what happened in that maze. Does anybody know?" Tracy asked.
Pansy shrugged as she watched the red-haired witch stomp away, clearly agitated while Theo smirked visibly. The remaining Gryffindor shook her head at him before heading off down the hall. He shot an amused look at the wall where they were peeking out from before turning on his heel and strolling leisurely after her.
Xxxxx
What? Who would say such a thing? He thought better of him, he really did! Draco frowned at his best mate of some years now, the dark Slytherin smirking up at him as he waited for a response.
"Why…" he began slowly, trying to fathom the logic behind his comment but still could not figure it out, "would you say something like that?" Ugh, he felt nauseous.
"I heard from Daphne who heard from Millicent who heard from Pansy -," his fingers waved in conjunction with the names, "that you were…friendly with the Muggleborn."
Draco arched an eye at Blaise before furrowing his eyebrows in supposed concentration. "Assuming I followed you correctly, are you trying to tell me that because of this supposed interaction that took place, an interaction that you've received from a third or fourth source so it can't possibly resemble anything close to the original -,"
Blaise arched an eyebrow at the blond. "Have you ever heard of Daphne getting gossip like this wrong?" He grinned, showing a row of perfectly white teeth. "Not to mention, you always looked so dashing with a bit of color in your cheeks."
He wasn't embarrassed, he was unsettled! And annoyed. "So because I was friendly with frizzy-haired know-it-all, you think that all of Theo's assumptions have now been validated as fact?"
"Theo's a smart man. Though don't tell him I told you so. His head would swell up and I'm not sure the tiny dormitory would be able to accommodate it." He nodded as though he were extremely serious.
Draco felt his fingers twitch, the urge to throw something at his best mate growing. Honestly, he'd only said her name. Yes, it was in greeting but he had been caught in the midst of an awkward situation. He didn't do well with awkward situations. The best thing he could think of was to say one of their names and since he absolutely abhorred every single Weasley, the red-headed Gryffindor was out of the question. Not that Granger was any better.
He let out a frustrated sigh. Bloody Gryffindors – they were the bane of his existence.
Pansy had to be standing right there.
"Both of you are wankers. Barking mad wankers. There's absolutely no beginning or end to your 'theory' of my crush -," he shuddered visibly " - or whatever it is -," this was said with a bit of disgust in his voice, " – for th-that thing."
Clearly he was referring to Granger.
"You're just mad as Nott. I'm certain of it. In fact," he rose from his seat, "I'm going ask Pomfrey for a consultation on what might be wrong with that head of yours."
"Really?" Blaise's eyebrows rose in amusement. "Then I suppose you won't mind if I ask her out to Hogsmeade next weekend."
He practically choked on his own spit as he jumped up and shot an incredulous look at his friend, "What? Do you know the implications of that? You could be ostracized! She's a…Muggleborn!"
And would she even say yes? Draco shook himself aware. Not that her answer mattered.
Shaking his head, Blaise smirked, "You must be the only one who has yet to realize that Granger's not quite the same frizzy-haired little girl you seemed to love torturing so much anymore. She may be Muggleborn but she's got a whole slew of accomplishments I'm not even sure some of the most powerful wizards could attest to at her age." He got up and leaned close, whispering in a conspiratorial voice. "By the way, she'll say yes."
Draco nudged him away with his shoulder. "Annoying prat. Bugger off why don't you! Get shot down, hated by our entire house, and see if I care!"
Which he didn't. Of course.
Blaise chuckled, "Or I might just end up being the most envied bloke in all of Hogwarts."
Draco scoffed. "I'll see it when I believe it." Merlin sagging balls…Granger. Envy? Really?
Suddenly, he didn't feel so well.
"I need something to dig these putrid images out of my mind." He groaned.
He received an arched eye in response. Images? "It's a bit disturbing you're already imagining Granger and I -,"
"Stop!" came the frantic yell.