Title: No Competition
Rating: T
Pairing(s): Neville/Blaise (one-sided), Daphne/Blaise
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 742
Summary: Neville knew there was never a competition, but he still couldn't help but want Blaise.
Notes:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Arithmancy Class - Write about unrequited love (Min. word count 600) – Prompts Used – trapeze, wooden
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt – Blaise Zabini
Ship to You Drop Bi-weekly Competition: Blaise Zabini/Neville Longbottom
Neville's body felt wooden as he watched Blaise at the Slytherin table. The smooth Italian was having a quiet conversation with Daphne Greengrass.
He frowned, wondering what they were saying when Daphne smiled softly and her eyes glittered with her amusement. Blaise, on the other hand, looked proud of himself as he smirked and caressed her hand, which lied on top of the table.
Neville clenched his fists, wishing he was in Daphne's place. It was just not fair.
It wasn't a secret that Neville was interested in blokes, but with whom his interest laid was a secret. He had a feeling that his fellow Gryffindors wouldn't be too keen if they knew he wanted a Slytherin.
Neville remembered when his heart seemed to decide the Blaise was the one for him. It was Potions class, and like always, Professor Snape wanted to pair a Gryffindor with a Slytherin. No one was happy with the idea, but Snape definitely seemed to get a perverse pleasure out of it, especially when he paired Harry with Malfoy, Ron with Goyle, and Hermione with Crabb.
Neville had gotten off pretty lightly because he was paired with Zabini, and that particular Slytherin wasn't as bad as the rest of his house. Blaise was actually pretty quiet and didn't go out of his way to start trouble like Malfoy did. He was the kind that seemed to know how to keep his head down and go with the flow, an unusual characteristic for a Slytherin, but Neville appreciated it when they ended up partners for the Potions project.
Hopefully they'd survive the project minimal bloodshed.
Neville expected them to work quietly, but he was surprised when Blaise gave him tips on how to do better in class. Blaise didn't take over to protect his own grade. Instead, he went out of his way to help Neville, explaining what he was doing wrong so he could do better on his own.
Neville listened attentively, paying close attention to the specific tips. When he tried to follow everything Blaise said, he was surprised that although the potion didn't come out perfect, it didn't explode and actually seemed pretty close in color to what it was supposed to be.
Professor Snape must have been surprised too because he didn't even yell about the fact that there was still an obvious flaw in his work.
It wasn't the last time they worked together in Potions. Professor Snape continued to pair them off, even if it was only to prevent explosions from happening. And each time they worked together, Neville found himself falling more and more in like with Blaise. He still wasn't sure if it was love that he was feeling, but he knew it could be if they explored a possible relationship.
When he was with Blaise, he felt like he was walking on a trapeze and if he made one misstep, he'd fall forever.
Neville had been getting up the courage to talk to Blaise and admit his feelings to the other boy, but then he saw the two of them together. Blaise and Daphne. They held hands and stared into each other's eyes.
He heard whispers among the Pure-blood circles that there was a marriage contract between the Zabini and Greengrass families. What Neville saw though didn't look like a marriage contract. It looked like genuine feelings between the two.
Neville continued to silently watch the couple. He saw Blaise's gentle smile when he pushed a stray bang out of Daphne's eyes. He saw Daphne's happy expression when she rested her hand on Blaise's shoulder. He saw the possessive looks both of them had if anyone looked at the other too long. Neville was actually on the receiving end from one such luck, coming from Daphne.
There might have been a marriage contract, but Neville could see there were actual feelings, too.
Every time, Neville saw them, they seemed to be in their own little blissful bubble, and every time, Neville felt his heart constrict just a little bit more.
He knew he didn't stand a chance when it came to winning Blaise Zabini's heart. His heart was already won, and it was by Daphne Greengrass. There was no place for Neville in the competition. In fact, there never was a competition, and Neville would just have to learn to let go of Blaise and move on with his life. There wasn't anything else that he could do.