Chapter 7- In Which A Mystery Is Solved and I Break Several School Rules

I couldn't believe it. I stared at the words on the parchment in my hand until they blurred together. Then I shut my eyes and sank into a chair. I'd been wrong about Blaise. I knew it! I thought angrily. I knew there was something odd about his behavior, but I didn't think to question it. And now, look at me! Tears had begun to course slowly down my face. Crying over a lying piece of scum. I wiped my hands furiously over my eyes and ripped the parchment into tiny pieces before throwing them out the window where a breeze caught them and spun them away.

I watched the pieces flutter away, raining gently down on the brilliant green grass covering the castle lawn. It wasn't fair! How could he do that? He'd lied to me and led me on and…My thoughts were interrupted by the portrait door opening. I turned so whoever was coming in couldn't see my face, and I tried to sidle over to the girls dormitory stairs.

"Erin?" It was Dennis. I tried to pretend like I hadn't heard, but Dennis knew better and came over to me. "Erin! What's wrong!" he exclaimed, putting an arm around me. The shred of self-control I had remaining tore, and I burst once more into tears. Between gasps, I explained the whole thing to Dennis, including the whole note thing.

"What did you do with the note?" Dennis asked as he handed me a handkerchief.

"I t-tore it u-up!" I cried, "And I th-threw it o-out the w-w-window!"

"Oh, Erin," Dennis sighed. "If you'd waited, I could have analyzed the handwriting and determined who actually wrote it. Did you consider the possibility that Blaise didn't write it?"

"That's preposterous!" I spat, having finished my crying. "I sent it straight to Blaise!" Dennis and I sat in silence, thinking our separate thoughts until Hermione and Ron walked in, flushed and laughing. They sat down on a sofa across from us, and proceeded to cuddle before Hermione noticed the stormy looks on my face and Dennis's.

"What happened?" Hermione asked with concern. Dennis did me the favor of explaining this time around, with supplements added by myself.

"Ooh, that bugger!" Ron exclaimed angrily when Dennis finished. "I'll get him for that!"

"For what?" Harry asked, entering the room. this time, Ron and Hermione explained.

"You didn't tell me about the note!" Harry said, looking slightly amused. "You needn't be worrying though."

"And why not?" I asked, slightly offended. "I actually thought he cared!"

"He does," Harry said simply. "Here." He handed me a piece of parchment, sealed with a wax stamp. I tore it open and read the message inside. My face lit with excitement.

Erin,

I will meet you in the laundry rooms on one condition. You must promise me that you'll never do anything as foolish as run off unaccompanied down strange alleys when you've been warned specifically not to!

-Blaise

"Oh!" I cried, much astonished. "How-?"

"I ran into Blaise in the library," Harry said. "He was using your message as a bookmark," Harry chuckled. "When I approached him about you, he closed his book and immediately wrote that message for me to give you. We left the library together, and had a nice conversation, mostly about you. He made me promise not to tell you what he said, though, at least not until he said I could, so now I have something to hold over your head!" I scowled at him.

"Under the circumstances, I think someone should accompany you to the laundry rooms tonight. Namely, me," Harry said.

"Harry," Dennis said suddenly. "Did Blaise take the book he was reading with him?"

"No," said Harry, thinking for a moment. "He didn't."

"Someone must have taken the letter, then!" Dennis exclaimed, punching me gently on the shoulder. "I told you, Erin!"

"Thanks Colin," I said, sticking my tongue out. "And thank you Harry! I exclaimed, flinging my arms around his neck, and managing to knock his glasses askew at the same time.

"Sure," Harry chuckled again, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Let's meet down here at eleven thirty tonight. I'll bring my own invisibility cloak. I wonder how Blaise got his? I'll have to ask him at some point." Our happy little group dispersed, Colin and I traipsing off to visit Hagrid, who had just come into possession of some very interesting hamsters that Dennis wanted to see.

That night, I paced nervously around my bed. I checked myself in the mirror hanging by the door to the dormitory several times, just to make sure I looked perfect. I was wearing a cute jean skirt and a light pink top that sparkled opalescently, complimenting my hair, which fell around my face in soft, wavy tendrils. I'd chosen platform slides, enchanted to match my top to complete the outfit.

"Will you please stop pacing?" Amanda demanded with exasperation. "I've been watching you do it for the past half an hour! For the last time, you look great! Why are you worried?"

"What if he doesn't show?" I moaned.

"He'll be there," Amanda assured me. "Otherwise, he'll have lied to Harry Potter, and if anything pisses Harry off, that would be it!" I laughed, imagining Harry's face if we got there and Blaise didn't arrive. Finally, my delicate silver wristwatch read eleven ten, so I hurried down the staircase to meet Harry in the common room. It was empty save for Hermione, who appeared to be working on homework. Harry eventually descended the boys' staircase, and we left, covered by Harry's smooth invisibility cloak and accompanied by a whispered 'Good Luck!' from Hermione.

Harry and I wove through the corridors virtually noiseless. The castle was quite still, and torches barely guttered in their fastenings on the walls. Soon though, we reached the portrait of the fruit bowl and then the statue of Agrippa.

"Okay," I whispered. "Here I go!" I slipped out from under Harry's cloak and walked around the statue three times clockwise before tugging on her toe. With a barely audible creak, a door opened behind me. Harry followed me inside, and the door shut.

"Lumos," Harry said, and a light blazed on the tip of his wand. We looked up at the shadowy globes suspended from the stone ceiling. "Oh!" my companion, chuckled, and clapped his hands. Pearly light suddenly glowed from the globes.

"Wizards have clap-lights?" I said with slight amazement.

"Only Dumbledore," Harry told me. "He thinks they're clever." I looked around the room, now illuminated and took in the washing basins lining the walls. I paced over to a room off the right and looked through the doorway. A pile of laundry lay haphazardly on the floor below a large hole in the wall. Laundry chute, I realized. The door to the laundry room opened then, and I turned.

Blaise walked into the room, his dark hair shining in the prismatic light. A deep green sweater hugged his shapely torso, and his blue jeans took nothing away from his long legs, and, I smiled to myself, his particularly nice rear end.

"Potter," Blaise greeted Harry.

"Zabini," Harry returned. Then Blaise turned his gleaming gaze to me.

"Hello, Erin," he said quietly. Harry left the room, glancing back at me with a secretive smile.

"Hey Blaise," I said, blushing slightly.

"So, what did you need so desperately to tell me?" Blaise asked, stepping toward me.

"Um," I said smartly. Blaise was very close to me now. I noticed that he smelled good…sort of a combination of old pine trees and cinnamon and was it-?

"Are you going to open your eyes and tell me?" Blaise asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. My eyes flew open. I hadn't actually realized that I'd shut them!

"Yeah," I said. "Blaise, I just wanted to tell you to watch your back. I think that intruder on the grounds might be in with the Dark side, and if you don't exactly agree with their principles, you could be in danger…" I trailed off. Blaise was being very distracting! How did the room suddenly feel so small? Blaise reached out a rested his cool fingertips on my arm. Warmth shot through me, and I knew I was flushing again. I forced myself to meet his eyes, and was surprised yet again to see concern in his eyes.

"Thanks for the concern," Blaise said, "but why worry?"

"For the same reasons you look out for me!" I exclaimed still looking into his eyes. "Blaise, I…" And suddenly, I wanted to do something that I knew could be very stupid. But I did it anyway. Leaning forward, I closed my eyes, and kissed Blaise gently. His only response was to deepen the kiss, slipping his arms around my back. He ran his tongue tenderly over my lips and I flicked my own out to intertwine with it, sliding my hands into his soft, dark hair. We stood there, melting into each other until we were forced to pause for breath. Blaise's eyes gleamed warmly in the light.

"Oh, and Blaise," I said arms still around his neck. "Next time you get a letter from me, don't leave it in the library. Someone must have found it, because I got a nasty reply. It really had me going for a while!"

"Sorry," Blaise laughed quietly, not sounding sorry at all. We kissed again, delicately. Suddenly, we heard noises outside the door.

"Oh no!" I exclaimed. "Someone must have ratted us out!" I recognized the noises as Filch, the caretaker of the school. Blaise slipped over to the door where the pile of laundry was.

"Up there!" he said. "Quick!" He lifted me into the laundry chute and I scrambled up inside it. Blaise clapped his hands and the room was plunged into darkness as he clambered into the chute with me. We braced ourselves and held our breaths as Filch opened the door out in the main chamber