"Redfern. Hey, Redfern," I used up the remainder of my strength to lift my head and rest it on my hand to look at one repulsed Zabini, "Irma you look terrible."

"Thanks Blaise, you really know how to charm a girl." I commented dryly through hooded eyes, I was barely able to keep my vision propped open thanks to my frequent wakings every night, courtesy of my Malfoy induced stress.

"Not like that, I mean you look rather haggard, like someone's been slipping you no-sleep potions for a week," He said as he squinted at my darkly circled eyes.

"It certainly feels that way," I remarked, darkly looking at my bowl of now disgustingly moist cereal, I wrinkled my nose slightly at the food I had left soaking in milk for too long for it to be edible. I wish someone had been slipping me no-sleep potion that students talented enough in Potions would make and use to cram for their final exams. Then I would just have a straight up, run of the mill, enemy. Far simpler situation.

"What's even going on with you lately?" He asked casually as he poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice. He wasn't concerned, it wasn't in his nature to be, he was fishing for gossip.

"Hmm?"

"You think no one's noticed you sprinting through the common room?" He explained.

"Oh…" It was a truth I couldn't deny, I had been getting through the common room at top speed lately to avoid Draco. It started out as quick walking, but after he tried to speak to me once and I had to ramble off an excuse, that quick walking had turned into outright running through the dungeons. The girl's dorms were one of the few places in the castle that he categorically could not approach me so that was where I'd been doing all my work when I wasn't in classes since it was safer than the library. It had actually been working quite well because there were never any distractions in my empty dorm.

"People have started holding down their parchment to protect their work from whirlwind Irma now," He smirked taking a forkful of scrambled eggs.

"Shut up, they have not," I said in no mood to spar with him properly.

"It's not far off," He laughed and continued while looking sincerely as a snake in the grass can over his eyebrows, "Come on Irma, you can trust me."

"Not as far as I could throw you." I said under my breath, he laughed in agreement.

"The thing between you and Draco is all over the school y'know," He said so off hand that I genuinely wasn't sure I had heard him properly because his casual tone didn't match the concern I had with that issue at all.

"What?"

"It's not exactly uncommon knowledge, I'm shocked you weren't more aware of this," Blaise said, his dark eyebrows questioning my very sanity and whether I had even been sleeping at all because I seemed so very out of touch.

"How did anyone find out? No one was there!" I exclaimed; I didn't understand at all how this could have circulated among the masses without me hearing about it. Surely someone should have made some crude comment to me by now?

"You told the Weasley brothers you hexed him and half the school saw him squealing through the corridors on his little trotters," I felt my entire face relax, of course he was talking about the pig hex.

"Wait, what were you talking about?" Blaise asked, once again scrutinizing my face for a hint of scandal.

"Nothing, is that raspberry jam or strawberry?" I said calmly pointing to the jam just behind him of an indiscriminate red colour.

"Irma you don't even have any toast, you're not avoiding Draco because you think he's going to curse you are you?"

"Not exactly, he'd probably miss if he tried anyway," I said hoping to avoid his line of argument in favour of some light Draco mockery. I was optimistic when we both laughed at the idea but it was regrettably short lived.

"Malfoy made a move on you didn't he?" Blaise more stated than asked.

"Absolutely not, pass the toast."

"You liar, he fucking did!" Blaise was now grinning wildly. And he didn't pass me any toast.

"You're being ridiculous Blaise, and I find your profanities offensive," I said in the uppity tone I reserved for mocking Blaise.

"Pffft," He rebuked, "I couldn't offend you if I tried, you play it way too cool for that."

"Flattery doesn't suit you Blaise," I said with a half-smile knowing fully what he was trying to do, that Slytherin cunning doesn't tend to work on fellow house mates.

"I wish it were flattery," He shrugged and had one last attempt to press me for information, "It's fine, I'll just find out from Draco if that's what you want."

"Noffing to find ou'" I muffled through the toast I was eating (the toast that I had to stretch across the table to get for myself might I add).

"Ladylike." I smiled sarcastically as he rose from the table, "I'm going to Quidditch, I'll speak to your lover then."

I rolled my eyes as he left and picked up a copy of "The Prophet" to flick through before I headed up to the library, guaranteed to be a Draco free zone this morning, to do some research on protective barrier charm types.