The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition

Finals - Round 2

Falmouth Falcons - Seeker

Prompt - Cliche (Mary Sue)

Word Count - 2,393

[A/N: Death and transphobia trigger warnings.]

The clock struck eleven and the massive, scarlet steam engine began to roll forwards immediately. Parents waved as their children sped away from the platform and younger siblings cried as they wished that they were old enough to attend Hogwarts as well. Students chatted animatedly with the friends they hadn't seen all summer, sharing stories of the places they had visited and the adventures they had enjoyed. Blaise Zabini, however, found himself amongst the strangest company. He had been invited to dine with his new professor and found that he was not the only one. Professor Slughorn clearly had an interest in well connected people judging from the group he had gathered in the small compartment, though in his opinion most of the other invitees had no business being there at all. He left the luncheon as soon as he was able and headed back to the compartment his friends were in with all haste. Upon entering he had a little trouble closing the compartment door but he and his friend, Gregory Goyle, managed to force the thing shut.

"Alright there?" Draco Malfoy sniggered, another of his friends.

Blaise simply scowled and threw himself down into his seat, clearly not amused. The conversation then turned to the lunch he had just endured and Blaise happily noticed the sour expression that appeared on Draco's face when he realised that everyone who was well connected had been invited, except for him of course. He smiled shrewdly to himself, though it was quickly wiped from his face by the sight of Pansy stroking Draco's hair. Sickening, he thought to himself. The sky outside had darkened and so they all began to change into their school robes. It wasn't long before they reached the castle and took the horseless carriages up to the castle, hurrying into the warmth of the Great Hall. The chatter in the hall was extremely loud, though the atmosphere was a mix of excitement and fear. Silence struck the room as the double doors were flung open and in walked Professor McGonagall carrying the Sorting Hat and a wooden stool while being followed by a stream of extremely tiny first years. She sat the stool down before placing the hat on top of it. A rip at the base near the brim appeared and the hat began to sing its traditional start or year song. When it had finished McGonagall turned back towards the students with a slightly stern expression upon her face.

"Before the sorting of the first years begins I have the duty of introducing a new Sixth year student." A wave of mumbling broke out across the hall as Professor McGonagall carried on. "Miss Elaria Perfou."

A girl with long, silvery blonde hair glided towards the stool and sat down on it gracefully. People were craning their heads to get a better look at her and all were enchanted by what they saw. Elaria Perfou was the most beautiful girl any of them had ever seen. She had eyes as blue as sapphires that were framed by long, dark lashes with skin as soft as silk and a smile that lit up the entire room. Not to mention that, although she was small and petite, she was clearly not a girl to be messed with. Her charm seemed to be a little too charming. Professor McGonagall lowered the hat onto her perfect head and, in the split second before the brim of the hat covered them, her beautiful blue eyes bore directly into his own. Blaise's heart seemed to stop and his lungs stopped working as he waited with mounting anticipation for the hat to shout its decision.

"SLYTHERIN," the hat shouted.

The Slytherin table erupted in cheers so loud they could have raised the entire roof. All eyes were on the new girl as she made her way towards the Slytherin house table with a small smirk on her lips. Mostly boys, Blaise noticed, were making room next to them on the bench. Even Draco although, he was pleased to see, Pansy did not look very impressed. The girl chose the empty seat next to Daphne Greengrass and her friends to the boy's general dismay. The sorting continued though barely anybody was paying attention near the end. As the plates filled with food Blaise continued to watch Elaria, unable to look away. Each time she laughed it was like music to his ears. He barely paid attention to the conversation at the table and walked as though in a daze on their way back to the dormitory. As Blaise lay awake in bed he found that his thoughts were of nothing but her. He shook himself back into reality, embarrassed that a girl he had just met could have such an affect on him. However, it mustn't have worked as his dreams from then on were only of her.

~P~

As the weeks wore on Blaise attempted to avoid Elaria as much as possible. He had come to resent the effect that she had on him and most of the other boys in the school. The only good thing he could say about her was that, unlike the majority of the other Slytherin girls, Elaria was completely ignorant to the charms of Draco Malfoy. Blaise noticed that she mostly kept to herself anyway, either unable or uninterested in making friends although he wasn't completely sure which. The homework the teachers were giving them was harder than ever and Blaise found himself spending the majority of his time writing essays, usually into the late hours of the night. On one such night Blaise found the common room too loud to concentrate properly. Pansy was causing another scene because Draco had disappeared after dinner once again. Shaking his head, Blaise gathered his things and made his way towards the library. He found a secluded desk among the books and began to pull his Defence Against the Dark Arts homework from his bag.

From the corner of his eye Blaise caught a glimpse of some silvery-blonde hair. He snapped his head around and saw Elaria working at the only other desk in the area. Somehow she must have sensed his gaze as, at that exact moment, she looked up and her eyes met his once again. Blaise could feel his skin heating up but he was unable, or perhaps unwilling, to look away. In turn he could see Elaria's cheeks turn slightly pink as she faltered under his gaze. Unsure as to why he did it, Blaise tentatively smiled at his classmate. It was a smile she returned with unrelenting enthusiasm. He grabbed his books and bag before walking over to her.

"May I take this seat?" he asked.

"Of course," Elaria replied.

He pulled out the free chair opposite her and sat down, taking out his book and homework once again. For a while they worked in silence, occasionally catching each other's eye and smiling at the other. Blaise kept opening his mouth to say something to her but for some reason no words were able to come. He had almost finished his essay and wanted to say something clever and witty before they had to leave. Madame Pince came past as she returned books to their shelves. She gave them a stern look before pursing her lips moving on silently to the next set of stacks. They turned to look at each other at the exact same precise moment, muffling their laughs at Madame Pince's demeanour. Elaria gave him another smile before bending her head back down to her work again. Blaise decided that it was now or never.

"What are you working on?" Blaise whispered.

Elaria looked up. "McGonagall's non-verbal essay, it's evil."

"Ah, I finished that one yesterday. Did you look at Goshawk's views on it, Elaria?"

"Yes, but I wasn't sure if I agreed with her. The passages I read on it seemed a little vague. Also I'd prefer it if you'd call me 'El' if that's alright."

"Okay, no problem. Oh and I agree that Goshawk doesn't give a very detailed discussion on the matter. Although, McGonagall will not like that view at all."

"No, she won't," El replied.

The two of them grinned at one another in agreement before turning back to their respective work. For the rest of the evening they continued to debate over topics, laughing and joking with each other at every opportunity. Blaise loved making her laugh and couldn't stop himself from being caught up in El's atmosphere, forgetting the malicious things he had said and thought about her over the previous weeks. Really it was just his reluctance to be caught under any person's spell that made him hate her so much. However, he found out on that particular evening that he just could not stop himself from falling under hers.

~P~

From then on Blaise's life turned into a blur of undiluted happiness. The majority of his time was spent with El and it was soon common knowledge that they were the power couple of the entire school. Not even the news of the Potter and Weasley girl's new relationship was enough to oust them from power. Even better were the envious looks he continued to get, though none were sweeter than the ones Draco gave him every time he saw the two of them together. Blaise relished in Draco's jealousy most of all. However, Blaise had to admit that there were some strange things about El he still could not figure out. Where she continued disappeared to at odd times, for instance. He'd made the decision not to ask her for fear of her answer.

As he made his way towards the Great Hall for dinner, Blaise saw her unmistakable silvery-blonde hair whip around the corner at the other end of the corridor. In the next instant he found himself making excuses to his friends and rushing after her. This time his curiosity just could not be curbed. Blaise followed her trail as quickly as he could. Several times he was sure that he had lost her until he spotted her dart into an unused classroom on the sixth floor. Blaise slowly crept towards it and pressed his ear against the wooden panelling. His ear knocked the door open slightly and he was sure that she would have noticed but there was no reaction from within. Poking his head around the door, Blaise was astounded at what he was seeing.

El stood in the centre of the room, though she did not look like El at all. Blaise watched as she transformed herself into a person he no longer recognised. A strange white light encompassed her. It pulsed slightly before disappearing all together. Her long, blonde hair had practically disappeared; it was now as short, if not shorter, than his own. Vanished had her usual skirt and cardigan ensemble, replaced by baggy jeans and a plain, black t-shirt. She looked almost unrecognisable, only someone who knew her face so well would know it to be her. Blaise stared as she continued to perform the most extraordinary magic he had ever seen. She used no wand, only her hands, to conjure food and move objects. Her laughter entranced him as it always did, though he was not sure why she felt the need to conceal this at all. Slowly, he pushed open the door and stepped in to the room. El didn't notice him until she heard the distinct clink of the door as it closed shut. She spun around on the spot and fear magnified her beautiful, blue eyes as he hand flew to her throat. The table she had been levitating crashed to the floor.

"I'm sorry," said Blaise quickly.

"How-" El started, letting her hand fall back down to her side.

"I- I followed you."

"Oh." For a moment they stood awkwardly in silence, Blaise didn't know what to say. "So, I suppose that you are wondering about- about this." El gestured to her hair, not quite meeting his gaze.

"Actually, I am more curious about your magical abilities. With a wave of your hand you can change your clothes, conjure apples, and levitate a table. What kind of… of magic is that?"

"It's…. well. It's complicated. I'm not sure how to explain."

"Well, why do you keep it a secret?" Blaise asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"I can't talk about it, Blaise."

"Why not?"

"BECAUSE I CAN'T," El screamed at him. Tears began to stream down her lovely face. "Don't you understand? Look at me. I'm a freak." She threw herself into the nearest chair and continued to sob.

Blaise strode over to her, taking El's hands in his own. "You are not a freak. You are far from a freak. That magic is extraordinary. You shouldn't be ashamed-"

"Not the magic." El wrenched her hand away and walked back into the centre of the room. "Just look at me, Blaise. Look at my hair, my clothes. Look at me and tell me what you see."

"I see," Blaise began, standing tall and moving slowly towards her. "My beautiful, intelligent, amazing, perfect, girlfriend."

"That's the thing," El replied, "I'm not your girlfriend."

For a moment, Blaise was speechless. "Don't you… want to b- be with me?"

"No, no. That's not it at all. The thing is… I can't be your girlfriend because, well, I'm not… I mean, I'm a- a…." El's voice trailed off into nothingness and she dropped her gaze from his once again.

"What is it, El? Tell me."

"It's difficult."

"Why? We love each other and trust each other. What could be difficult about anything?"

"Because," El replied, tears continuing to spill from beneath her eyelids. "Once you hear my secret… you will no longer love me."

"That is ridiculous," Blaise countered, "Nothing you could ever say would make me stop loving you. These past months have been the best-"

"I'm a boy," El shouted.

"What?"

"I can't be your girlfriend because I am not a girl. I'm a boy."

"That makes… no sense."

"As I said, it is hard to explain. Look at how I'm dressed, my hair, I even ask you to call me 'El'. All of this makes me feel like who I really am. I'm not Elaria Annabelle Perfou. I am Elian Alexander Perfou."

Blaise merely continued to stare at her. He was utterly speechless. This is wrong, he thought, so wrong. How can this be? The girl I love…. Not even a- a girl… What am I going to do? Blaise dropped to his knees, covering his face with both of his hands. He had no idea how to feel, how to act, what to do, if there was anything to do. I can't accept this, Blaise thought, it's wrong. My family expect more of me… but I love her… that means nothing… but she's the love of my life… I don't care I can't I just I can't. At that moment he felt El place her hand on his arm. Blaise jerked away, standing up and walking to the door.

"Wait," El called after him. Blaise paused for a moment, hoping she would tell him it had all been a mistake. "Please, don't go. I- I love you."

"You," Blaise began. "Disgust me. You may still love me but I- I no longer love you."

With that he swept from the room. Elian left the school one week later.

~P~

Debris was scattered over the stone floor. Bodies lay motionless as beams of light flew high above their heads. Blaise was duelling a man he had never seen before. He had chosen his side and he had to hope that it was the right one. The Death Eater advanced, wand raised. Blaise fought back as hard as he could, but he was losing. In the next instant his wand had been blasted from his hand and the man had him cornered. This is it, he thought. The man raised his wand, his mouth forming the words. He did not manage to get them out, however, as at that precise moment an unseen force flung the man against the far wall. Blaise looked up and saw his saviour. There she – he – stood, with his hand slightly raised.

"I know what you're going to say," El began. "I don't expect anything." Blaise walked slowly towards him. "I just, I couldn't let him hurt you." Blaise stood motionless in front of her. "Say something, please," El begged.

Without saying a word Blaise cupped El's face with his hands. El's eyes grew wide with shock but he did not jerk away. Cautiously, Blaise leaned in towards El. His intentions were clear and he wanted to give El time to stop him if he wished. His lips touched El's for the first time in a year. The warmth, the familiarity was the best thing he had felt in a long long time. Blaise realised in that moment, as he had realised many months before, that their last encounter really was a mistake. He pulled away to look into El's eyes as he said the sentence he had been longing to say since that terrible, regrettable afternoon.

"I love you."

El beamed with happiness, the two of them lost in their own little bubble. Until reality came crashing down around them. His body jerked as a jet of green light hit him from behind. El's eyes found Blaise's before the life left them forever. His body crumpled to the ground. Blaise gathered El up in his arms, screaming for help. Though none was coming. The battle raged on around them, locked in their last embrace by the classroom where it had all ended before.