The next two days passed in a blur, bringing Blaise and his peers to the first weekend of the school year. Being early in September, the weather was still tolerable and several students chose this time to walk the grounds.
Blaise woke up late on Saturday, fortunately. Crabbe and Goyle were still snoozing, but Draco and Theo had vacated the room, providing Blaise with some privacy and the much needed alone time he hadn't managed to find.
He couldn't get over what happened a few days ago, in the Hospital Wing. Of course he would be the one to faint. He shouldn't have listened to Pansy, the bint. Of course he should've payed more attention to Sprout's lecture and Pomfrey's run-down of the cactus the first time around.
And of bloody course it would be Akane.
The girl was like a magnet. Everything that had happened this year so far involved her. Usually it was Potter in the unlucky spot, but it seemed Boy Wonder was getting a break this year. Good for Potter, he supposed, but that didn't mean all that attention had to get directed to the one person in his own house he couldn't stand.
Blaise forced himself not to think about it or the lingering taste of whatever the hell lip balm she had used on his lips. He pretended it didn't happen, and put more effort into being the Mr. Tall, Dark, Handsome, Cool, Calm, and Collected everyone loved and remembered.
That last part was sarcasm.
He threw on his weekend clothes- a black Muggle hoodie and ripped black jeans- and slipped on some shoes, wand in hand, before slipping out of the dorm room. It was late enough that he had missed breakfast but it was too early for lunch, so Blaise decided he would wait and made way for the Black Lake instead.
Slytherin kids had a knack for lurking around the Black Lake, on the grass and under the trees. Sure, other kids did too, but Slytherins didn't wander many other places. There was something about the lake that drew them there, probably because the common room sat within it. Blaise liked it. It was always cooler around the lake than other areas on the grounds, and he always knew he could find a Slytherin there.
Speaking of, Pansy, Draco, Theo, Bulstrode, and Davis all sat under a large oak, right near the rocky shore of the lake. He followed the gravelly path over to them.
"I heard a lot of the shops in Hogsmeade are going out of business," Pansy said, right as Blaise sat down. "Apparently the Dark Lord sent some Death Eaters over during the summer to try and infiltrate Hogwarts, and they raided a few shops."
Both Draco and Theo shifted uncomfortably.
"Not Honeydukes," Davis hoped.
Pansy shook her head. "No, though some candy from the windows were missing. They did, however, destroy a lot of furniture in the Three Broomsticks, and I think they scared off a lot of the owls in the post office. Madam Puddifoot's closed- the owner got rather frightened-"
Bulstrode cursed under her breath.
"- and Zonko's is struggling, but I think that's because of the place the Weasley twins opened up in Diagon Alley," Pansy explained. "Several residents have moved, too."
"I don't blame them," Tracey Davis said. "The Death Eaters have really gotten courageous since You-Know-Who came back. It's getting scary."
Draco's sudden stiffness and Theo's cast-away gaze did not go unnoticed.
Pansy hummed. "For many, yes. For us, not so much. Many of our families are purebloods and some have ties to the Dark Lord himself. The Dark Lord was in Slytherin, too, obviously. We don't need to be afraid. It's everyone else who does."
"That's a rather selfish thing to say, don't you think?" Davis asked.
Draco pulled at his sleeves.
"Perhaps," Pansy stated, "but it's true."
"Just shut up, Pansy," Theo snapped.
She shifted her gaze to him. "What? You're probably safer than the lot of us, with your dad being one of them and all."
Theo paled, jaw clenching. "Not necessarily," he muttered.
Next to him, Draco blurted, "You don't have any right to say any of this, actually. You're in as much danger as anyone else."
"Really?" Pansy asked. "Why do you say that?"
"Because I might just have to kill you," Draco snarled, eyes ablaze.
Blaise snorted.
"Really?" Pansy countered. "Not like you aren't in any danger either. I heard Daddy Malfoy spent some time in a Azkaban this summer."
Bristling, Draco retorted, "I'm going to fucking kill you, you blasted bitch." He reached for his wand but Theo beat him to it, snatching Draco's wand out of his pocket. He tossed it to Blaise, who caught it and held it out of the blond's reach. Draco glowered at him.
"Sod off, Pansy," Blaise said, shooting her a dark look. The three males stood and up made to leave. Before they could, though, Theo cast a quick jinx- sans wand- which caused Pansy's hair to erupt into wild purple flames.
She screamed, and they picked up the pace, sprinting into the castle. Just to be safe, they darted up the nearest set of stairs and booked it down the hall, only stopping once they found a deserted hallway near Charms.
After taking a few deep breaths, Blaise whistled. "Bloody hell, Theo, non-verbal and wandless magic? Planning on taking over the world, are we?"
Theo let out a "Not quite" on his exhale, still out of breath.
Draco, on the other hand, had abandoning trying to breath and focused on fuming instead. "Bint. I really do hate her."
"A lot of people do," Theo noted.
"Understandably. The woman is toxic and a piece of petty garbage. She talks too much, always yelling and poking her nose into other people's business," Draco spit out, lip curled and eyes narrowed.
He didn't get a response. Draco didn't continue.
"Let's talk," the blond prompted, walking at a leisurely pace. Blaise and Theo followed a step behind. Draco led them up to the library, assuming the place would be mostly empty on a Saturday, providing them privacy and a perfect place to chat.
He was right.
They waved a silent hello to Madam Pince who only lifted a brow at their appearance, but continued reading the giant tome on her desk. Draco led them down a few bookshelves and around the stairs, taking a seat at a small round table sandwiched between bookcases.
Blaise chose to lean against one of the bookcases, but Theo sat down too. There were a few other students in the main area of the library- Ravenclaws, probably- discussing an assignment. The lull of their voices was loud enough to mask anything they may say.
Draco immediately opened up. "My father got out of Azkaban early. Don't ask why, I don't know how he did it, but the Dark Lord isn't too happy with him for what happened at the end of last year. And as punishment," Draco paused and sighed, lifting his the sleeve on his left arm. Planted on his arm was a very familiar- and cursing- tattoo.
"Well shite," Blaise cursed. The Dark Mark was a clashing stain on Draco's pale skin, large and imposing. He grimaced at the sight of it.
"Yes, very shite," Draco agreed, pulling his sleeve back down. "I've also been given a job to do, and if I fail, my family pays the price." A beat. Draco didn't continue. His grey eyes bore into the table as though the piece of furniture held all the answers in the world.
Blaise then chose to sit down. Apparently, it was going to be one of those conversations.
Theo didn't seem like he was going to say anything, so Blaise tentatively asked, "Do you, uh, need help?"
Draco shrugged, lamely. "I've sort of accepted the fact that I'm going to die."
Blaise would've claimed Draco was being dramatic, but this was You-Know-Who they were talking about, so the theatrics were rightly placed.
"I almost did die, this summer," Theo blurted, voice low. "My father was released from Azkaban in July."
Draco's gaze on the table hardened and Blaise's brows furrowed.
"I was home for a week, then he busted my ribs and and broke my arm. I went to St. Mungo's during the night, got patched up, and hid out at Draco's for the rest of the summer," Theo explained. Blaise could never truly understand Theo. The guy buried his emotions so deep that rarely any of them bothered to show. He could be dying on the inside, downright suicidal, and Blaise wouldn't have a clue.
It sounded insensitive, but it was true. It was easier to battle three dragons and win, fly to the top of Mount Everest on an old broom and back, and battle three more dragons and win than it was to figure out the emotions Theo was feeling. Blaise also always wondered how many Glamour charms Theo had on at any given moment. He was always the first to rise and the last to fall asleep, giving him ample time to refresh any spells when needed.
Around March he'd stop casting them, and it would become obvious by the scar splitting his right eyebrow. It came from a broken bottle, Theo claimed, and he'd had it as long as Blaise had known him.
But Blaise understood that some scars wouldn't ever go away.
Worried, Blaise asked, "Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine," Theo said, but Blaise knew it was a lie. That was one thing he did know for certain.
Draco scowled. "It's not fine, Theo."
"You think I don't know that?"
Draco only shook his head. He wasn't mad at Theo. He never was.
"I read in the Daily Prophet that he got arrested again," Theo noted. "He broke into another Muggle home and murdered the family that lived there." At his friends' silence, he added, "Can only hope he stays there."
"You're moving out once we graduate." Draco's voice was resolute.
Theo flashed him a look. "That's the plan."
From behind him, Blaise heard some shuffling, as though books were being pulled from the shelves. He stood up, ready to Obliviate someone, and turned the corner to find Akane, eyes wide and books in hand.
"Akane, I was wondering where you… oh, hey Zabini." Diggory came around the corner of a bookshelf and greeted them with a wave. Blaise's eyes narrowed into slits. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"Likewise," Blaise sneered. He gave the couple a once over before returning to their now revealed place of refuge. "We should leave."
The two of them stood and Draco pursed his lips. They walked out from behind the bookshelves, passing Akane and Diggory on their way out. Outside, Draco crossed his arms, displeasure evident on his pale, twisted face.
"I don't care what Daphne says. I still don't like her," the blond stated.
Theo didn't respond, eyes glued to the library doors.
"Me neither," Blaise agreed. She didn't look surprised to see him, though, which made him wonder just how long she was standing there, and how much she had heard.
Shite.