-seven-
.
"We DON'T wear our hearts on our sleeves."
.
Samantha idly flung a plant inside her cauldron and watched it bubble.
She sighed. What was she assigned to brew, anyway? She was giving up on this Advanced course very quickly. The only person worth staying in this class with was-
Well, him.
Samantha glanced cautiously at Blaise, who appeared to be doing just fine. This potion wasn't at all easy to make, but step by step, Blaise could manage his way through it and continue getting an impressive grade. Samantha would fail; she had no other hope. Unless, she could ask Zabini for assistance. She wanted to ask him, really wanted to. To hear his velvety deep tone after so long, Samantha would use almost any excuse to get him speaking to her again.
But that would be rather desperate, wouldn't it?
Finally Samantha caught Pansy's eye and immediately looked down at her textbook. She couldn't go asking for help if Pansy was going to be there, watching and preparing more rumors to tell.
Pansy lifted Samantha from a baleful stare several moments later. "Ugh, I don't get these shoddy instructions!" Pansy abruptly shouted.
"Isn't Malfoy usually your partner?" asked Goyle.
"Yes, but as you can see he's clearly absent," Pansy barked, "He's not feeling well enough for classes today. Now get over here and help me, you fat idiot!"
Samantha rolled her eyes at Parkinson's apparent power trip. There was only one true Princess in Slytherin, and that would be her, not Pansy. Samantha was merely buying time before she would seek revenge for those rumors, and the fact that Parkinson thought she owned the castle.
Blaise needed an Elective class under his belt and his options weren't the greatest. The only open classes at the time were Care Of Magical Creatures, Muggle Studies, and Ancient Runes. Hagrid as a Professor had to be the biggest joke in all of Wizardry, and not even the strongest Imperius Curse could force Blaise Zabini into a Muggle Studies class. He settled for Ancient Runes.
Blaise seated himself in the very front of the classroom. Typically Blaise preferred to place himself somewhere unsuspecting, in the back of the room where very little attention could be brought to him. But this was a small class, not even in the double digits. He didn't have to try to make himself invisible this time.
"And who can tell me what this symbol represents?" Professor Babbling gestured to the blackboard.
Blaise sank comfortably into his seat, his book open though he didn't bother looking up the symbol. Someone had already answered.
"Demiguise," Samantha called out the answer with ease, unhesitating.
"Lovely, Miss LeClaire. That is correct."
LeClaire? Blaise wondered, as in Samantha LeClaire?
Blaise slightly turned, holding a passionately obscure gaze over his shoulder. From all the way in the back of the room, Samantha met his mysterious countenance with genuine excitement. Her eyebrows rose behind her richly groomed hair, that swept only in front of half of her face. A coy smile slowly crawled across her lips as she twirled her Quill between her fingers. He had to pause and admire her for a moment. There was something in her expression that drew him to her, a playfulness of sorts. Most girls their age could only dream to be confident and alluring like Samantha LeClaire.
But Blaise knew he could be just as tempting, if not more than Samantha. She was good, he had to admit - but he was better.
He raised a hand against his shoulder, still eyeing her, and motioned her to him by curling his index finger only once. That was all it took.
Samantha smiled wider and tilted her head. Should she go over to him? He looked like he was expecting her to, and she wanted to, so badly. Her heartbeat began to speed dramatically as she stood from her desk, took her book and things, and crossed the room in long strides. She lowered with grace into the vacant seat next to Blaise, putting her book down on the desk promptly, and her bag in another chair.
By now Professor Babbling was reading to the class about Runology, not noticing Samantha's seat change.
Blaise faced forward and threw Samantha a sideways glance. "I wasn't aware you were in this class," he remarked.
"Then I'm sure you were pleasantly surprised to see me," she smiled noticeably and tried to keep her eyes down in her book.
Blaise quieted. He didn't understand this lighthearted, teasing part of her and he didn't want to betray himself by saying something that remotely agreed to her statement.
Eventually he said, "I'm relieved that someone interesting will be here to make the time go by faster." Time usually flew past when Samantha was near.
"So you're happy that I'm here? It's okay, you can admit it, Blaise. We are friends now."
"Are you trying to cover for the fact that you were just happy to see me?"
Samantha's eyes widened, "No I wasn't-"
"You're lying," he saw it in the way she looked at him while shifting awkwardly in her seat.
"I was not happy to see you," she exclaimed, "It's preposterous for you to think I even enjoy being around you. All you do is brood and make creepy eyes at people."
She felt attacked, uncomfortable, and so she fought back. This was the part of Samantha he liked most, because he could understand it well. When he got under her skin and made her wither - when she shrank under his gaze and no longer felt royal - this was the side only he wanted to be able to bring out of her.
A vulnerable Princess.
"Samantha," he drawled, "Are you upset with me?"
"Shut up," she spat, hiding her face within her book.
The corner of his lip tugged upward and he sadistically smiled. Placing his palm on the top of her book, he lowered it until he could get a look at her pinkish face.
"What?" she frowned.
"You're acting rather shy," he said, dropping his hand on top of her desk. His other arm sat lazily across the back of his chair as he shifted his body to completely face Samantha. The sudden change in body position caused Samantha to draw back slightly.
"Shyness is not one of my many fantastic traits, Blaise," she bit out.
"I didn't think it was until now," he murmured, leaning more inward.
She pulled away reflexively, "What are you trying to prove?"
"That I make you nervous."
"Someone's rather full of himself," Samantha rolled her eyes, "I am not nervous, I simply like my personal space. Something you've never heard of, obviously."
Blaise grabbed the side of her desk and pulled it against his, causing a loud smacking sound to strike the room. Samantha let out a small yelp of surprise then looked at Professor Babbling, who now sat at her desk. Professor Babbling glanced at Blaise and Samantha suspiciously, but said nothing. Samantha turned to look back at Blaise and her breath hitched; only a strip of air separated Blaise's face from hers.
"Nervous yet?" He purred.
Nervous would be an understatement at this point. Samantha let out small, quivering breaths as she stared into his smooth, chocolate eyes. She refused to give him the satisfaction of looking away and being intimidated, but this was a side of Blaise she'd never seen before. It was so mystifying, tempting and dare she admit even seductive.
She couldn't give in, though.
"I heard you were vain," She said, carefully slipping her wand out of her sleeve and pressing the tip of it against Blaise's chest. "But this is a bit over the top. I'm not your conquest, Blaise."
Blaise pulled back, hostilely looking down at Samantha's extended wand. He couldn't believe the nerve of this girl, pulling her wand out at him. He wasn't just another bloke, he was Blaise Zabini. She wasn't just another conquest, either.
"We are friends," she stated, smiling darkly, "But if you try anything like that again, I'll hex you."
