This is being cross-posted from Ao3. It was originally posted on 13 March 2021.

Hello! This is a series of both art/moodboards and one-shots based on the seven deadly sins and focusing around Blaise Zabini and Hermione Granger. This project was some thing I worked on in March, and I hope that you enjoy all the different pieces of it. The art can be found on Ao3 if you are interested in viewing it. Much love, xxDustNight.

Huge thank you to starrnobella for reading this over and GaeilgeRua for allowing me to use her Grammarly! Any other mistakes are definitely my own..

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, and Warner Bros. No copyright infringement is intended.

Envy… The desire for other's traits, status, abilities, or situation.

Honestly, Hermione should have seen it coming, but when Ron and Lavender started dating, it sent her reeling. She and Ron, well, they hadn't always had the best of relationships. They started out on the wrong foot, and it wasn't until he and Harry saved her from that troll that Hermione finally felt they could be friends. Truth be told, they fought all the time over things big and small. Whether it was schoolwork or their tumultuous lives, there was always a reason to argue.

Now, though, Ron didn't have time for her. Dating Lavender took all of his time… When he wasn't busy training for Quidditch, which Hermione had helped him with in the first place, he could be found snogging Lavender in all sorts of places. Like right now… Hermione was just trying to get her potions essay completed, and there they were, snogging in between two rows of bookshelves.

Huffing, Hermione slammed her book shut and began gathering her belongings. She didn't even notice the startled looks on the faces of the other studying students around her. The common room was too loud with everyone talking about the upcoming Quidditch match, and she couldn't stand to look Harry in the eye at the moment either. He was beating her in potions, and it was all she could do not to sneak into his dorm and steal the Half-Blood Prince's book just to teach him a lesson. She would just have to hide in her dorm behind the closed bed curtains until she fell asleep.

Ron and Lavender said nothing to her as she stomped by them with her nose in the air. To be fair, she didn't want them to talk to her anyway. Even though Hermione knew she was ridiculous, she couldn't help it. For some stupid reason, she thought that after the Yule Ball debacle, Ron finally realized she was, in fact, a girl. A girl with feelings. For him. Despite everything, that didn't seem to matter, and that's what hurt the most.

Blaise watched silently as Draco disappeared from the common room yet again without stopping to say hello to him, Theo, or even Pansy. They knew what he was up to, of course. He'd told them well enough on the train at the start of term. As Pansy and Theo launched into yet more complaints about the Gryffindors and their unfinished homework, Blaise excused himself. Wandering toward the exit, he toyed with the idea of following after Draco but ultimately decided against it.

Still, he did feel the need to stretch his legs a bit before attempting to sleep that night. Draco would sneak back into the room well after midnight and wake them all as he often did as he climbed into his bed. Wandering the halls, Blaise saw very few students and even fewer professors. It was a Friday, so most of those at Hogwarts were gearing up for tomorrow's Quidditch match with small parties in their common rooms.

Thoughts of Draco and his task for the Dark Lord kept his mind busy as he stalked the halls. No one bothered him, not that he wouldn't mind a small conversation. Blaise was one of the few sixth-year Slytherins who were friendly towards other houses. Not that it mattered, of course. And if Draco was successful in whatever he was getting up to in the Room of Requirement, then soon no one would want to have anything to do with him or his housemates altogether. With a sigh, Blaise did wonder what it would feel like to be in his friend's shoes… To be offered such a position of power with the Dark Lord...

Rounding a corner, Blaise realized he was near the library and sighed as he was pulled from his thoughts. He didn't have any desire to go in there tonight. Before he could turn away, a familiar bushy-headed witch burst through the doorway. She was in a hurry, it appeared, and her head was down too. Blaise watched as she rubbed her eyes. Was she crying? Wanting to find out what she was up to, he made his way toward the library.

"Granger?" he asked, causing her to slow and then stop. "Are you okay?"

Hermione looked taken aback but then seemed to remember herself. She wiped furiously at her cheeks to remove any remaining tear tracks. "Oh, hello, Zabini. I didn't see you there." She bit her lip and glanced back at the library. "I just… I got some dust in my eyes, I think. Allergies. I've got to go. Have a good night."

Blaise frowned as the witch brushed past him and out of sight. That was definitely strange, considering Granger usually was kind to him. At least she was during Slug Club. Deciding a quick peek into the library couldn't hurt, Blaise wandered through the double doors and glanced around. Immediately, he spotted Weasley and Brown snogging in the back corner. He rolled his eyes and exited the room. It all made sense now...

Apparently, he wasn't the only one wishing they were in someone else's shoes.

Sitting at the bottom of the staircase, Hermione let the tears fall down her cheeks. Her heart was broken as she sat there pining after something that didn't belong to her. What made Lavender so much more worthy of Ron's love than she was? For years she helped Ron with schoolwork, and they were supposed to be best friends… But maybe that was it… He liked her as just a friend, and that was all they would ever be...

Sniffling and wiping her tear-stained cheeks, Hermione felt sick to her stomach. Never would she have thought herself to be envious of another woman. Staring up the stairs, Hermione knew she couldn't return to the common room and watch the man she loved snog someone else. Instead, she wrapped her arms around her waist and decided to head back out onto the grounds to try and gather herself.

Skipping out on the common room where the Slytherins were sulking, Blaise found himself walking past the Room of Requirement. He didn't want to go inside, but he did pause and stare at the bare wall for a moment or two. Inside, Draco was working on whatever it was that he'd been tasked to do by the Dark Lord. Swallowing, he reached out and placed his palm against the cool stone.

It was ridiculous to be envious of Draco's position within the Dark Lord's ranks. The Zabini name was free from ties to either side of this war, and Blaise was thankful for that. Yet… Part of him yearned for a way to show that he was as brilliant and worthy too. Shoving away from the wall, he left behind his envy for the moment. It didn't matter how much he wanted the glory that Draco would inevitably earn. He was a Zabini, and his family would disown him if he gave his loyalty to the Dark Lord.

"Zabini?"

Pausing, Blaise found himself by the Great Hall. He turned and found Granger standing near the castle's front doors, waiting for him to reply. Nodding his head, he greeted her. "Granger. You okay?"

"I was just going for a walk on the grounds," Hermione explained, biting her lip. "I couldn't stand the chaos of the common room any longer."

"Oh," Blaise said and scratched at the back of his neck. He knew what she meant; Weasley and Brown were most likely getting relatively comfortable with one another, and she had no desire to watch. "Do you want some company?"

He had no idea why he asked, but Blaise knew it was the right thing to do once the words were out there. Besides, he needed a distraction just as much as she did. There was no reason to pace the halls wishing he were Draco serving the Dark Lord when that would never happen for him. Quirking an eyebrow at the witch, he waited for an answer, one that, hopefully, would be good for the both of them.

A bit of a smile appeared on Hermione's face and she shrugged. "Sure," she said and opened the door. "That would be nice."

"After you," Blaise replied, smiling in return as he took the door in front of her and let her walk ahead of him.

Hermione smiled up at Blaise as she walked down the front steps of Hogwarts. She had no idea what was troubling him, but whatever it was, it was none of her business. Eventually, they would have to return to the castle and go their separate ways. For now, they could simply enjoy the company of another person instead of focusing on what they couldn't have.