The usual Friday morning plays through for the fifth year Gryffindors and Slytherins. They all drag themselves into potions and observe another verbal match between Ron and Draco. Then Snape walks in and interferes before anything physical happens and deducts points from Gryffindor. It happens every morning when they're with Snape unless one or both of the two boys are absent. And even then, Gryffindor still loses points for showing up to class.

This morning was almost no different. Draco prances in early with his girlfriend, Pansy. They're even almost the first students present, in fact. Minutes before the bell, the famous Gryffindor trio hurries in and Draco makes a comment about the state of Hermione's hair for the morning.

"Say that again, Malfoy, and you'll be a visual to accompany your insult," Ron snarls at the snickering blond Slytherin.

Draco seems unalarmed by any of this, of course. "Hermione's hair looks like you used her to mop all the corridors this morning," he smugly repeats, accompanied by Pansy's obnoxious giggles. "Or did you use her to mop your house since you can't buy a real one?"

Ron angrily jumps up and advances on Draco as Harry tries to restrain the malicious redhead while Hermione desperately begs him to forget about it. Then Snape makes his timely appearance in his classroom.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley," he acknowledges in his usual silky tone. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for being out of your seat," he tells the class as well as the two perpetrators and turns with a whoosh of his black cape in a failed attempt to add an ending dramatic touch to his act.

This sequence of events is normal and everyone expects the twenty point decline in Gryffindor's house points every fifth year Gryffindor/Slytherin potions period as much as they expect Professor McGonagall to assign them homework every night.

Blaise Zabini sits through this in the corner unnoticed because when nobody has a reason to pay attention to you, they don't. Blaise doesn't give a reason for the class to divert their attention from the Draco and Ron episodes each morning and probably likes it that way.

However, this time, an unfamiliar voice rings out just as Snape makes his routine supposedlydramaticbutnotreally "whirl-of-his-cape" departure. "Why do sexists always favor feminine students?" was the unexpected rhetorical question.

Professor Snape spun to face his class again since someone even dared to interrupt his ritualistic cape whirling. He levels a glare with a particular student in the far corner. Short golden brown hair frame a warm face, one that he had never had to give much thought about before, stare back at him with bright blue eyes. "Mr. Zabini..." he said slowly. "Detention will be issued for your rude comment. I suggest you don't make any more."

Draco shot a weird look at the strange boy in the back corner, who had gone back working on the assignment that was written on the front board. "Did you say I was feminine??" Draco curiously asked him hours later when the common room had emptied out for dinner.

Clear blue eyes met his and seemed to study him for a moment. "When did I ever say that?" Blaise responded in a smooth tone.

"Today in class," Draco said sourly. "You said Snape favored feminine people."

"I said sexists usually favor feminine people," Blaise corrected.

"You were referring to Snape."

"How do you know?"

Draco stared without response. He then realized that Blaise didn't sleep in the boys' dormitories and from his...excursions...with Pansy into the girls' dormitories, he only counted two beds in the vast room. "Where the heck do you sleep?" Draco suddenly asked.

Blaise's expression suddenly grew dangerous. "What's it to you?"

"I'm curious since you don't sleep in the boy's dorms."

"What makes you think I'm a guy?"

"Erm...short hair and masculine clothing kinda give people that idea." Draco sheepishly grinned.

"I'm a girl, jerk," Blaise rolled her eyes, accompanied by an aggravated sigh. She threw off her school robes, revealing a form fitting tank top and shorts despite the February chill. And the notsomasculine clothing revealed something even more bewildering to Draco---curves! "Does this look like something you would wear?" Blaise grumbled. "Wait, don't answer that."

"But you don't sleep in the girls' dorms either," Draco choked.

"You're right, I have my own room." Blaise's tone was dry.

Draco still looked confused. "So do you kiss like a girl and all?" he asked awkwardly after a moment of silence.

Her response was a glare for a moment...and then she yanked him into kiss that immediately muffled his surprised yelp. His shock wore away quickly, however, and pretty soon he was returning it with as much enthusiasm as Blaise. Which led to another awkward predicament.

"Oh my gawd!" Pansy shrieked from the entrance to the common room, "my boyfriend is gay!" and ran out in a terrified frenzy.