October 15th, 1973
The wind whipped at Blaise's face as she held the quaffle tightly in her gloved hands. She faked left to avoid James, who was trying to run her down quickly. The goals where nearly in throwing distance, when James bumped her forcefully.
"Shove off, you arse." Blaise bit out at him through gritted teeth.
"Just give me the quaffle and we can call it a match." James challenged.
"Remus!" She hollered, bolting upwards away from James. "A little help here!" Blaise looked behind her, seeing Remus holding the beaters bat. Remus didn't play quidditch, but he'd help her, James, and Sirius practice sometimes. With her best friend and Sirius' love affair, she chose Remus to back her up. She wasn't trusting Black to watch her back when James was on the opposing side. Mary MacDonald and Peter Pettigrew also were not on the team, but helped them practice, like Remus.
"Duck left, Blaise!" Remus yelled, beating a bludger that was going straight for her head away. Blaise glared at a smirking Sirius, she swore he was going to kill her one day.
"Bloody hell, Black! Watch it!" Blaise yelled at him. She flew to the right, James catching up with her. He rammed into her once again, almost causing her to lose her grip on the quaffle. Cursing, she tried to think of what to do if Remus couldn't shake him with the bludgers. "Merlin!" Blaise yelled at James, catching his attention. "I think that's Lily kissing snivellus!" She exclaimed, playing a look of shock on her face. James immediately looked to where Blaise was, Blaise took the distraction to fly close enough to the goals posts to score. Throwing the quaffle past a panicked Peter as she got close to him.
"That was a cheap trick, Delemont!" James yelled at her. Blaise tossed her head back in a triumphant laugh.
"Not my fault you let love come before quidditch." Blaise and her mates all laughed at James as they landed on the pitch. "That is why quidditch is my only love." She said, releasing her hair from the bun on her head.
"Your obsession for the game is why you don't have any other loves, Ginger. You scare the knickers off all the boys, you're so intense." Sirius falling into a fit of laughter at James' comment. Blaise scoffed.
"Please, I could get any guy I wanted. I just have no desire to." Blaise snapped, but a part of her knew James was right. All she cared about was her studies, quidditch, and the Marauders.
"I bet you 50 galleons you can't get a date to the Halloween party." James smirked at her.
"James, I don't think that-" Remus was cut off.
"You know, Delemont, you could always go with me." Sirius said, waggling his eyebrows. "We could sneak away towards the end and-" Blaise scoffed at him.
"You're on, Potter." She growled, stalking past them. Mary ran to catch up with her friend, putting an arm around her shoulder.
"You okay?" Mary asked. She knew James and Blaise's relationship had been tense lately. With James chasing after Lily and his growing friendship with Black, Blaise felt like she was shoved on the back burner. It hurt knowing him and her mates thought she couldn't find a bloke because of her intensity, even if they were right.
"Yeah, James and Black are just bloody wankers sometimes." She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "Am I really that intense, Mary? Do I scare boys away? I never have had a boyfriend..." Blaise hung her head, regretting making the bet. She was just going to be made a fool of. She wiped the tears she hadn't noticed fall from her eyes.
"Don't listen to them, Blaise." Mary soothed, brushing the tears away from her friend's face. The boys had stopped walking at this point, like them. They looked like they were arguing. "James was daft enough to not realize Mathew Wood has been pining after you since last year when you tried out." Blaise laughed, forgetting about that. "And Avery Johnson in Ravenclaw, he has got to have the best hair in the entire school. He totally wants to shag you senseless."
"Mary!" Blaise yelled giggling as they started walking again.
"It's true! Well, maybe second best hair.." The red-head rolled her eyes.
"I hate stupid Black." She growled. "He thinks he's so bloody funny, but really he's just a prat."
"You're not wrong there." Mary agreed as they entered the castle, leaving the boys behind.
X
"You lot are real wankers sometimes." Remus sighed, looking at James and Sirius. Sirius was too focused on the swaying hips of the red-head storming away from them.
"It was just a bit of fun, Remus. Blaise always gets worked up easily." James laughed it off.
"Didn't you see her face and how she ran off? I think what you said really bothered her, James" James stopped walking, realizing Remus was right.
"She'll be fine, she's a big girl." Sirius argued.
"You're no help you know." Remus scolded. "Your constant prodding doesn't help, Sirius. How do you think she feels about you always joking about how you are attracted to her? I'm sure she feels as if no one will ever fancy her seriously." Remus only said this because of a talk he and Blaise had the previous year.
"She doesn't think like that, she's one of us, she knows how we joke." Sirius argued.
"You so sure about that, mate?" The tallest boy asked. That silenced all of them. James and Sirius hung their heads, had they really hurt her feelings? She was a part of the Marauders, they would never try to hurt her.
"Maybe she shouldn't be so sensitive." Peter chimed in. They all turned to glare at the boy.
"Don't be a prat, Peter." Sirius barked at him.
"I think we need to apologize." James said, looking to Sirius. He nodded in agreement.
"Where would we be without our moral compass?" Sirius laughed looking to Remus.
"Probably dead in the black lake." They all laughed. Making their way to the common room, hoping to find their mate.
X
"She's in the shower." Lily Evans said, seeing the boys looking for someone. "She stormed in mumbling about how she had to show you and get ready for Hogsmeade." James rubbed the back of his neck, feeling ashamed. "What did you do?" Evans asked with her hands on her hips.
"Who says we did anything?" Sirius exclaimed. Evans glared at him, making Sirius duck his head. "Okay, yeah, we are right gits. Happy?"
"Figured, you should be worried." The boys looked up, confused. "Blaise didn't look upset so much as she looked pissed." Sirius and James covered their faces. Remus burst out laughing at them, even Lily giggled at the poor boys. A hurt Blaise was manageable, hard to see, but manageable. An angry Blaise on the other hand, was terrifying. Sirius noticed James was slightly pale and look more terrified than he did, confirming what he was worried about. Sirius had only seen Blaise genuinely mad once. It was last year after their game with Slytherin. Gryffindor had won, of course that didn't sit well with the Slytherin's.
"You think you are so good, but you lot are nothing but filthy blood-traitors." Mulciber spat, striding up to the celebrating Gryffindor's.
"Back off, Mulciber. Don't be a sore loser." Sirius growled, stepping forward. He felt a small hand on his arm, turning and seeing Blaise.
"Yeah, listen to your whore of a mudblood. I hear you blokes pass her around the team for-" Mulciber didn't get to finish talking before a righteous punch sent him fly to the ground, holding his nose. Blaise had whipped her wand out holding it at his jaw, Sirius could see blood on her knuckles, but not sure if it was hers or Mulciber's.
"You ever say anything like that to me again and I'll hex you so badly you won't remember your name. Got it?" Venom strait up dripped from her voice. A chill actually went through Sirius' body hearing the red-head threaten the Slytherin. The terrified boy nodded and got up scampering away with the rest of his team. Sirius would have happily punched Mulciber, but watching Blaise stand up for herself was definitely hot. Sirius looked over to the short red-head who turned and shrugged. The whole team cheered as Sirius and James put Blaise onto their shoulders. Sirius couldn't help but admire the girl in his arms, his stomach flipped as he looked at her.
Sirius shook his head, smiling at the memory. But, quickly stopped when he remembered he and James where the reason she was mad.
"We're really in trouble." James said as he sat next to Lily on the couch. Sirius laughed as she scooted further away.
"Yeah we are. I was just remembering when she almost hexed Mulciber after the game last year." James shuddered remembering.
"Are we better off apologizing or hiding, Lily?" James asked, concerned.
"Probably, apologizing and then running." She laughed. Voices came from the stairs of the girl's dormitories and all their heads snapped towards them.
"Here we go." Sang Remus, laughing at the terrified boys. Sirius looked and saw a damp headed Blaise come down the stairs, laughing at something Mary had said. Mary saw the boys first and nudged her mate. Blaise looked up, narrowing her eyes at them.
"So, 50 galleons, right?" Blaise asked, taking the seat next to Sirius, throwing her legs over his.
"Blaise, we were just being right gits. You don't have to-" James started. But, was cut off when she held up her hand.
"50 galleons were what we agreed on, yes or no?" She asked calmly, which frightened them both. James gulped and nodded. A big smile appeared on her face as she jumped up. "Prepare to lose, Jamsey boy." She ruffled James' hair and then turned towards Sirius. "Before I forget, Sirius, I would take you up on the offer going to the party with you. But, I like men who haven't been had by the entire lot of girls in 5th year. Sorry." Blaise smirked. "Ready girls?" Lily and Mary got up and followed Blaise, giggling on their way out. Siruis' mouth hung open. Remus and Peter burst out laughing at the shocked boys.
"I was worried she was going to do this." James chuckled. "She's going to play the game and not let us forget it." Sirius ran his fingers through his long hair, sighing. "She got you good though, mate." James laughed.
"At least I won't be out 50 galleons." Sirius shot back, James sobering up.
"Blaise scares the boys though, she's awfully intimidating. Not in a bad way, but she's so fit and the tossers in this school would faint if she approached them." James said thoughtfully. "So, maybe I'll get lucky."
"What about Wood?" Peter pointed out. "He's been after Delemont since last year."
"Shite." James cursed.
"Yeah, you should've thought that through, James." Remus said.
X
The girls walked through the bitter October air towards the village.
"I never understood why you lot would practice quidditch in this bitter cold before seven." Lily rambled, the girls agreed with her, it was bloody cold out. "So, what happened this morning?" Blaise sighed and motioned to Mary to explain. After she was done recollecting the events after the practice match this morning, Lily gasped. "Potter is such an insensitive arse!" Lily didn't swear much, so the two girls laughed at their mate's reaction.
"Sirius was a tosspot too." Mary piped in, causing Blaise to roll her eyes.
"They were just poking fun, they're both too thick to realize sometimes go too far." Blaise said.
"Still, that doesn't give them the right to disregard your feelings." Lily returned.
"No, it doesn't, be we can't forget they are 13 and 14 years old." They laughed at that.
"Right," Mary sighed. "I wish the boys in our year would grow up already. Especially, Sirius." She said longingly.
"Ugh," Lily and Blaise both said at the same time.
"Don't tell me you fancy that wanker." Blaise said disgusted. But, she couldn't help her stomach turning, thinking about them together.
"Well, he's quite fit, not to mention he can be charming when he wants." Mary trailed. Lily looked at Blaise, who had a funny look on her face. Lily almost dared to say she looked jealous, but that couldn't be. Sirius and Blaise were always at the others throat, Blaise couldn't possibly fancy him. Could she? Lily mad a note to pay closer attention to the two.
"Yeah and arrogant, stubborn, a slag, demeaning, pompous-"
"We get it, Delemont!" Lily laughed with Mary. "He's a tosser." Blaise nodded, thoughtfully. "So," Lily clapped her hands together. "How should we get you a date? I mean, this isn't much of a bet. There's at least 10 lads I could name off the top of my head who would kill to date you." Lily laughed as Mary agreed with her.
"You could just ask Wood. He'd probably pass out right away, but says yes once he came to." The girls fell into a fit of laughter at imagining it.
"I could, but this is just a bet. He genuinely likes me and I wouldn't want to hurt him." Blaise sighed.
"Very noble of you, Miss Delemont." Mary joked as Blaise slapped her arm.
"Well, are there any rules to this?" Lily asked, being the logical one. Blaise never asked for the terms, she cursed as Hogsmeade came into view.
"Shite. I don't know. We never clarified." Blaise smacked her head. She knew she was going to have to ask James the terms for her to feel like she rightly won.
"Well, you can ask him at the Three Broomsticks. The boys go there every time we come here, problem solved." Mary said, thinking the same way as Blaise. The girls walked up the path into the Three Broomsticks and found a table.
"I'll go get us some butterbeers." Lily said getting up. The girls sat and talked and soon the boys entered the pub. Mary waved them over, Remus and Peter happily came. But, Sirius and James hesitated before coming.
"So, boys, what are the terms for Blaise getting a date to the Halloween party.?" Mary started.
"Blaise, you don't have to do the stupid bet." James said. "I was just being a wanker and messing about." Blaise laughed at him, James looked taken aback.
"Clearly, you must think I can't get a date to some extent. Now, are you going to delegate the terms of this bet or are you scared to lose, Potter?" Blaise smirked at him, knowing he couldn't refuse a challenge. "And both of you," She looked at both Sirius and James. "Get your knickers out of a twist and relax."
"You aren't mad at us?" Sirius asked, confused.
"I never said that." Blaise started, seeing their shoulders slump down. "But, I'm not going to hex you or anything. Not to say I didn't want to at first." She and everyone but the two boys laughed. "So, you going to keep the bet or be a chicken and back out?" James finally broke out into a smile.
"Fine," His smirk became more sinister, Blaise looked nervously at the girls. They looked just as confused. "Terms are that he has to ask you and you need to snog him by midnight on Halloween." Sirius burst out into a fit of laughter.
"James!" Lily scolded, Mary glaring at him. "Won't that be her first kiss? You're supposed to be her best mate and you're going to make her lose her first kiss for a bet?" Lily's face grew red. Remus observed the two, if there was anyone who rivaled Sirius and Blaise for their arguments, it was Lily and James.
"Actually," Blaise interrupted, everyone turned towards her curiously. "I've already had my first kiss." She shrugged as everyone's mouth fell open in surprise. Everyone, except James, who was beet red. No one noticed though, everyone was gaping at Blaise.
"What the bloody hell do you mean you've had your first kiss?!" Mary yelled.
"When?!" Lily chimed in, just as shocked. Sirius felt his stomach turn and ran his fingers through his hair. Why would he care if she kissed anyone?
"Last summer." She paused. Lily and Mary practically falling out of their seats.
"Merlin, Blaise, who was it?!" Mary urged. Blaise made eye contact with James, smirking like a loon.
It was late July, Blaise and James were saying goodbye to Sirius as he disappeared in the Potter's fireplace. The two walked outside to James' backyard and sat on the swings that stood there.
"Sirius said he kissed two girls already this summer." James said, breaking the silence as the 12-year olds pumped their legs.
"Sirius is kind of the slag, isn't he?" Blaise laughed as James joined in.
"Well, he definitely has a lot of admirers, but two girls aren't that many." James laughed.
"We are only twelve, James. I still haven't kissed anyone." She sighed. Not that she hadn't wanted to kiss anyone, she just had better things to do.
"I shouldn't be surprised, because I know you would have told me if you had. But, you're very pretty Blaise." Blaise rolled her eyes at James, she knew she was okay looking, but wouldn't say pretty. "You're a girl though, Blaise. It's embarrassing that I'm twelve and haven't kissed a bird yet." James sighed.
"Does it really mean that much to boys?" She asked, laughing. James solemnly nodded. "James, if you want, I'll kiss you." James stopped swinging, dragging his feet in the dirt. Blaise doing the same.
"Really?" He asked.
"I mean I rather have my first kiss be from my best mate instead of a boy who'd break my heart." She laughed. Neither of them had feeling for the other, so it was just a friendly kiss.
"It won't change anything, right?" James asked. Blaise laughed and shook her head.
"As long as you don't secretly fancy me, no."
"You don't secretly fancy me, right?" He double checked.
"I don't think I could ever feel that way for you, Jamesy boy." She shrugged. They two turned to look at each other.
"So, how do we do this? Do we like-" Blaise leaned in and softly pressed her lips to his to make him stop talking. She pulled away and laughed at his face.
"That was weird, right?" Blaise said through her laughter.
"Very." James agreed and started laughing with her. He was laughing so hard he fell backwards out of the swing. James landing with an 'oof'. Blaise laughed even harder, until James pulled her down next to him. She was lying next to him as their laughter died down. They looked up at the sky, the sun setting as the warm summer breeze covered their bodies. James grabbed her hand and smiled at her.
"First, can we agree to never let anyone find out about that." James laughed.
"Please, that was the weirdest thing we've ever done." She agreed, laughing with him.
"And second, you really are my best mate, Blaise."
"You're mine, James." They smiled and looked up at the sky again. Blaise was so glad she had him in her life.
Payback was a bitch.
"James." Blaise smirked, making direct eye contact with the boy who resembled a tomato. Everyone gasped. "Relax." She laughed at everyone. "Neither of us had our first kiss and he is my best mate, so we decided to just get it over with." She shrugged.
"But, it's your first kiss! It's supposed to be perfect and romantic." Lily cried. Sirius, Blaise, Mary, and finally James burst out laughing.
"Lily," Mary started, between laughs. "Your first kiss is anything but romantic." The lot continued laughing in agreement.
"Yeah, Blaise and I thought it was the most awkward and weird thing we had ever done." James spoke up.
"And this muggle boy and I bumped heads so hard I got a bloody nose." Mary joined in on telling her first kiss story.
"I sneezed all over Marlene McKinnon first year." Sirius offered. The girls all laughed, remembering Marlene coming into their dormitory cursing up a storm.
"Okay, so, the boy has to ask me and I need to kiss him?" Blaise asked and James nodded. "Fine, but if I have to kiss a bloke, I'm raising the stakes to 60 galleons." She smirked.
"Deal." James said.
"Hope you're ready to lose all that money, Jamesy boy."
"You wish, Ginger." She scowled at her nickname. Remus shook his head at the two. He was sure this was going to end badly.