TO READERS: A little one-shot to celebrate the end of my exams – woo-hoo! – and a step back into the past. Blaise and Padma have a bit of a childhood moment in the Malfoy library. Takes place a year (or two) before Hogwarts.

I own nothing. But the plot.

Trouble

There was a time, long before Hogwarts, when things like 'house loyalty' didn't matter. Blood purity, however, was a belief that was instilled in Purebloods from childhood.

Blaise, whose mother was already on husband number three, was taught that the only girl he would marry would be one that was either extremely rich or extremely poor. That way, at least, he wouldn't be taken advantage of for his money. Rich girls had their own wealth to rely on, while the poor had made do. He didn't care much about girls yet, anyway. He was only nine.

Padma's family was much more accepting. She was told that she could wed whomever she wanted, just as long as he treated her properly. She was also taught, alongside her sister Parvati, to take no nonsense – from anyone.

When the Malfoy clan held an extravagant, beauteous party, the Pureblooded children of Harry Potter's generation were corralled into the library, put to sit quietly and chat amongst themselves in the dignified manner in which such children should behave, the way that they were expected to behave.

Even at the age of nine, Padma had already developed a fierce love for books, and being inside of the Malfoy library, with its thousands of books available, was like a dream come true. She abandoned her sister, who was having an animated conversation with a young Pansy Parkinson, and took off on a self-imposed tour.

She trailed her fingers along the ancient spines – the ones she could reach – and mouthed the big words without sound, trying to figure out what she should read first.

"What are you doing?" asked a little boy's voice. She spun, recognizing the drawl of Draco Malfoy. He was wearing robes of black; it was probably why she hadn't noticed him.

"I – I was –"

"My parents told me that no one was to touch the books," he said coolly. It didn't matter that he was nine; Malfoy was already groomed to be the callous, manipulative bully that he'd prove to be at Hogwarts. "So stop touching them."

"Sorry," said Padma, cheeks flaming. She hated getting in trouble, and the fact that she was being chastised by a boy the same age as her made it even more embarrassing. She hurried to rejoin the others, who'd barely noticed that she was gone. While house loyalty meant nothing, popularity did. And her sister was one of the most popular children there. Padma slipped beside her sister, listening to her tell a dramatic story to a crowd of rapturous future Slytherins.

Later, Padma would wonder why they hadn't stayed friends upon their admittance to Hogwarts, but then she figured that house loyalty, as most Slytherins seemed to think, meant everything.

"Your sister is irritating," murmured someone. Padma's eyes widened first at the remark – she wasn't sure that anyone could dislike her sister – and then at the person who'd spoken.

"Irritating?" said Padma. Blaise Zabini, adorable in his sleek robes, was sitting in a velvet-clothed chair, reading a thick volume that had obviously been stolen from the Mythology section of the library. Draco seemed to be nowhere in sight, though. Perhaps Blaise had disregarded the no-book-touching rule and simply touched. He seemed like the type.

"Yes. Do you know what that word means, or are you as stupid as your silly sister?" he asked her.

Padma scowled. While being compared to her sister in terms of beauty or friendliness was more than welcome, any resemblance of intelligence was insulting. She knew her sister wasn't the most intellectual girl around, but hearing others speak about it was downright rude.

"You shut up about my sister," she bit back. "At least she's not a prat like you."

"I'd rather be a prat than stupid," said Blaise, tossing the book aside. "Listening to her idiotic stories. Honestly, does she think about what she says?"

Padma glared. Blaise grinned. He hadn't quite mastered the smirk as Draco had just yet.

"Would you like to read a book?" he asked her instead. Padma forgot about her anger when he offered her the novel he'd been perusing rather extensively. She hesitated, still a bit annoyed, but then reached out to take the volume.

"What is it?"

"Centaurs," he replied.

"Oh," she breathed. "Mummy wouldn't let me see them when we visited Hogwarts. She said they're dangerous."

"Yeah, well, they're not so terrifying. They're just proud." Blaise shrugged.

Padma's eyes widened. "You mean you've seen them up close?"

He nodded, trying to appear nonchalant, and Padma, in her naivety, believed him. "Wow!"

"It's not so exciting."

"What are you talking about?" asked Parvati. Blaise and Padma turned to look at her and the crowd of children.

"Centaurs," said Padma, pointing at the book. Parvati's eyes lit up.

"Did I tell you all about the time we visited Hogwarts and met the centaurs living there?" she said to the children. Blaise, out of the corner of Padma's peripheral vision, rolled his eyes. But he wouldn't tell, she knew that – he was simply too polite.

"Er," Padma interrupted. Parvati's gaze flickered over to her twin. "We didn't see the centaurs, Parvati."

"Yes, we did," replied Parvati, clearly surprised. "Remember?"

Padma shook her head. "Mummy wouldn't let us."

"You mean," said Millicent Bulstrode, "you lied to us?"

"Lying is wrong," Daphne Greengrass scolded, always the goody-two-shoes. "I'm telling my mother."

She stood up, taking the hand of her younger sister Astoria, and left the library quickly. Parvati stood from her chair and ran after them, as anxious as Padma about getting in trouble. She threw a glare at her sister, both angry and confused, before she left, the heavy wooden doors closing behind the girls.

Blaise looked impressed. "I didn't think you would –"

"It just... slipped out," said Padma. "I'm sorry."

She reeled back in shock when he barked out a laugh. "Why are you apologizing to me?" he asked her, chuckling. "You didn't betray me."

"I didn't betray her," argued Padma. "I just... exposed her lies."

Blaise was watching her curiously, his laughter having died away. "You're a puzzle, Padma," he said quietly, and she blinked. She didn't think he knew her name. Everyone else called her Parvati's sister. But perhaps Blaise wasn't like everyone else. He noticed the little things that people missed. Like Parvati's tendency to tell outrageous stories.

"A puzzle?" she repeated.

He nodded. "But I like puzzles," he said, and one side of his mouth rose in a half-smile, suspended in time for only a moment, before he was spiteful-looking again.

But when Padma and her sister were taken home that night, their parents having finished socializing and drinking, she was still smiling.

Review. =D