Disclaimer: I don't own anything. So there.
A/N: I realize the first chapter wasn't very exciting, but I had to get that out of the way before I could get into the story. Besides, if you see Blaise's family, it's easier to understand why Blaise is the way he is. This will probably end up A/U, seeing as OotP comes out in a couple weeks, but we'll see how far I get before then.
******
"E-excuse me?"
I glanced up from my book (A Comprehensive History of Vampires and Vampire Lore by Alexis Iusopov) and noted a very fidgety student standing in the compartment doorway. Realizing he was waiting for some sort of response, I leveled a glare at him and snapped, "What?"
The boy's eyes widened slightly. "Um, can I-- I mean, could I--er, I'll just leave, shall I?" he stammered, then turned and all but sprinted down the corridor.
I rolled my eyes in annoyance. First years really were pathetic.
I tried to return to my book, but I'd barely finished ten pages when another first year came in. And another after that. By the time I heard a forth person walk in, I was ready to start hexing people.
"Oh, honestly!" I muttered peevishly, slamming my book shut. "What does a person have to do around here to read a book in peace!"
The newcomer tsked. "Temper, Blaise, temper." I looked up in surprise. Draco smirked before lounging on the bench across from me. "Now, if I didn't know better, I'd say you weren't happy to see me."
"I'd think you would be used to that by now," I replied coldly, reopening my book and flipping to the page I'd left off on.
Draco ignored the comment and raised an eyebrow at my choice in reading material. "Reading up on your family history, are you?"
I spared him an exasperated glance, then said, "Actually, I'm beginning to think you're part vampire. That would certainly explain the paleness... the aversion to light... along with that annoying habit of yours of sleeping in coffins..."
Draco gasped and stared at me in mock-surprise. "How do you know about that?"
"Haven't you heard?" I asked dully. "I'm so flamboyantly gay even the circus refused to take me." I leaned forward and said slowly, "And I've been watching you."
Draco stared for a moment, then burst out laughing, something truly disturbing if you're not used to it. I allowed myself a satisfied smirk while Draco clutched a stitch in his side and attempted to control himself. "Oh, sweet Merlin... that was so creepy," he said between gales of laughter, wiping a tear from his eye. "The look on your face..."
If any Gryffindors had walked in at that moment, I'm sure they'd have died of shock.
My friendship with Draco is an odd one. Draco Malfoy is, without a doubt, the biggest ass I've ever met in my life. He's rich, spoilt rotten, despises anything and everything Muggle, and isn't afraid to let people know about it. Well, most of the time. When he won't get in trouble.
He's also my best friend.
If I wasn't involved, I'd think the whole situation was hilarious. The son of a half-blood being friends with the son of a Death Eater. Utterly impossible unless, of course, the Death Eater's son doesn't know. Aside from the whole blood issue, we're not all that different, except Draco loves attention and is obsessed with becoming like his father. It's kind of scary sometimes, but what can you do?
Draco and I lazed away the morning playing Exploding Snap (Draco was crushing me) and filling each other in on our summer happenings. Crabbe and Goyle wandered in at some point, but they were as interesting to talk to as furniture, so I ignored them, just like I ignored the rapidly changing scenery speeding by the window.
All things considered, I was having a pretty good day until just after lunch. The compartment was littered with empty boxes and wrappers, the remnants of the snacks we'd picked off the cart.
"You know," I mused, grabbing another Chocolate Frog from a quickly diminishing pile, "I never have caught that woman's name."
Draco looked up from throwing Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans at a dozing Crabbe. "What?"
"The lady with the cart," I said thoughtfully. "I wonder if anyone knows who she is. I've never thought to ask before."
"Blaise, you really need to get out more," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "Who cares, anyway? All I need to know is whether she's got the candy I want. Beyond that, it doesn't really matter."
I was about to argue when the compartment door slid open and the Supreme Wench (better known as Pansy Parkinson) and her entourage swept into the cabin without so much as a by-your-leave.
"There you are, Pansy," Draco commented. "I was beginning to think you'd missed the train."
"Damn," I said, then shrugged. "Well, there's always next year, I suppose."
Pansy glared at me (wow, that's new), but turned to Draco instead. "I was wondering if we could sit here. The compartment we were in before is being overrun by first years, so is it all right if we stay?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes.
I gagged silently in the corner.
Draco raised an eyebrow at me in warning.
Oh, right. No hassling the girlfriend. Gotcha.
Of course, Pansy noticed this and looked sharply at me.
I blinked innocently. "What?"
Trying to salvage the situation before anyone was maimed, Draco quickly said, "Of course you can stay here."
Pansy grinned smugly at me before sitting beside Draco--actually, it was more like on top of him--and motioning for the two girls with her to sit as well. Millicent Bulstrode, a real ogre of a girl, smacked Crabbe in the head, effectively awakening him, and made him move so she'd have room.
The last one, Cassandra Cretian, realized there was no more room on that side and decided to sit on the other bench. Right in between Goyle and me. I scooted as far away from her as I could, while Goyle just looked dumbfounded. Well, he usually does, but this was an extreme level of confusion. Maybe he'd never seen a girl (if you can call her that) that close up before. Poor sap.
I sighed and watched the scenery go by as Pansy launched into a long, detailed account of her family's trip to Venice. I tried to tune her out, but somehow her loud, obnoxious voice kept breaking into my thoughts. Go figure.
Half an hour later, I was about ready to kill something. Why, why, WHY did Draco have to pick Pansy, of all the girls in the world? Not even Granger was this annoying! Sweet Merlin, just take me now and spare me more pain...
Just when slamming my head against the wall repeatedly was sounding pretty good, I had an epiphany.
Blaise, you moron! Why don't you just LEAVE?
Good question.
I stood up and made excuses about needing some air before quickly making my exit and sliding the door shut behind me.
"Okay, now what?" I wondered aloud, glancing up and down the deserted hallway.
No use standing here all day, Zabini. Let's get a move on.
"Dear Lord, now I'm talking to myself," I muttered. "I really do need to get out more."
Feeling extremely stupid just standing there, I began wandering down the corridor, not sure where I was going and not really caring either. I was just grateful for the peace and quiet.
BAM!
"Bloody cat!"
...or not.
A black streak flew out of a compartment ahead of me with a large ginger one in hot pursuit, which in turn was followed by Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger. It'd have been hilarious if the whole lot of them hadn't been heading straight for me.
"The things I get myself into..." I said, trying to dodge to the side and avoid the whole thing. The black thing, however, would have none of that. It leapt onto my chest and clung to my robes, its claws digging fiercely into my skin. I grabbed it, meaning to throw it off me, but then noticed what it was.
"Athena?"
The cat in question took advantage of my sudden lack of movement to clamber onto my shoulder. I had barely noticed a green something sticking out of its mouth before another animal slammed into me, hissing and clawing.
"Crookshanks, no!" Granger and Longbottom had arrived, both slightly breathless, and Granger was now trying to convince the... THING to get off of me.
I managed to grab the creature by the nape of the neck and flung it in Granger's direction. The moment it touched the ground, it tried to throw itself at me again, but Granger caught it in a bear hug so all it could to was hiss and growl.
"What in the bloody hell was that all about?" I snapped angrily. "Is there a reason your... pet was trying to kill my cat, or do you just set it after random animals for fun?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Granger spat, having regained both her breath and her temper.
"What are you on about, Granger?" A few heads peeked out of compartments, no doubt trying to figure out what all the noise was about. Wonderful. All I needed at the moment was a huge crowd to stare at me.
"That cat just ate Trevor!" Longbottom exclaimed, sounding torn between anger and grief.
Trevor? Who the hell is Trevor? Wait a minute...
I looked more closely at the green thing in Athena's mouth and realized it was a toad. Ah, hello there, Trevor...
I held my hand under Athena's mouth. She looked at me pleadingly, then reluctantly dropped the toad into my hand. I looked over it quickly, noting that it seemed absolutely terrified, but no worse for wear. "Here," I said, tossing Neville his toad. "You might want to keep a closer eye on that thing. The next thing it meets might not be so friendly."
With that, I turned and pushed past a few people gathered in the hallway, heading for my compartment. Even listening to Pansy's chatter was preferable to this.
Damn Gryffindors...
*******
Faxton: Thank you SO much for reviewing. I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested in a fic not about Harry or some Mary Sue (gag!). What do you mean, you want to see where the plot is going? You're not actually expecting this to have a point, are you? Oh damn, I'd better get to work then... just kidding. I do have some idea what I'll be doing with this, but it all depends on whether the characters and that bloody plot bunny will cooperate.
A/N: I realize the first chapter wasn't very exciting, but I had to get that out of the way before I could get into the story. Besides, if you see Blaise's family, it's easier to understand why Blaise is the way he is. This will probably end up A/U, seeing as OotP comes out in a couple weeks, but we'll see how far I get before then.
******
"E-excuse me?"
I glanced up from my book (A Comprehensive History of Vampires and Vampire Lore by Alexis Iusopov) and noted a very fidgety student standing in the compartment doorway. Realizing he was waiting for some sort of response, I leveled a glare at him and snapped, "What?"
The boy's eyes widened slightly. "Um, can I-- I mean, could I--er, I'll just leave, shall I?" he stammered, then turned and all but sprinted down the corridor.
I rolled my eyes in annoyance. First years really were pathetic.
I tried to return to my book, but I'd barely finished ten pages when another first year came in. And another after that. By the time I heard a forth person walk in, I was ready to start hexing people.
"Oh, honestly!" I muttered peevishly, slamming my book shut. "What does a person have to do around here to read a book in peace!"
The newcomer tsked. "Temper, Blaise, temper." I looked up in surprise. Draco smirked before lounging on the bench across from me. "Now, if I didn't know better, I'd say you weren't happy to see me."
"I'd think you would be used to that by now," I replied coldly, reopening my book and flipping to the page I'd left off on.
Draco ignored the comment and raised an eyebrow at my choice in reading material. "Reading up on your family history, are you?"
I spared him an exasperated glance, then said, "Actually, I'm beginning to think you're part vampire. That would certainly explain the paleness... the aversion to light... along with that annoying habit of yours of sleeping in coffins..."
Draco gasped and stared at me in mock-surprise. "How do you know about that?"
"Haven't you heard?" I asked dully. "I'm so flamboyantly gay even the circus refused to take me." I leaned forward and said slowly, "And I've been watching you."
Draco stared for a moment, then burst out laughing, something truly disturbing if you're not used to it. I allowed myself a satisfied smirk while Draco clutched a stitch in his side and attempted to control himself. "Oh, sweet Merlin... that was so creepy," he said between gales of laughter, wiping a tear from his eye. "The look on your face..."
If any Gryffindors had walked in at that moment, I'm sure they'd have died of shock.
My friendship with Draco is an odd one. Draco Malfoy is, without a doubt, the biggest ass I've ever met in my life. He's rich, spoilt rotten, despises anything and everything Muggle, and isn't afraid to let people know about it. Well, most of the time. When he won't get in trouble.
He's also my best friend.
If I wasn't involved, I'd think the whole situation was hilarious. The son of a half-blood being friends with the son of a Death Eater. Utterly impossible unless, of course, the Death Eater's son doesn't know. Aside from the whole blood issue, we're not all that different, except Draco loves attention and is obsessed with becoming like his father. It's kind of scary sometimes, but what can you do?
Draco and I lazed away the morning playing Exploding Snap (Draco was crushing me) and filling each other in on our summer happenings. Crabbe and Goyle wandered in at some point, but they were as interesting to talk to as furniture, so I ignored them, just like I ignored the rapidly changing scenery speeding by the window.
All things considered, I was having a pretty good day until just after lunch. The compartment was littered with empty boxes and wrappers, the remnants of the snacks we'd picked off the cart.
"You know," I mused, grabbing another Chocolate Frog from a quickly diminishing pile, "I never have caught that woman's name."
Draco looked up from throwing Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans at a dozing Crabbe. "What?"
"The lady with the cart," I said thoughtfully. "I wonder if anyone knows who she is. I've never thought to ask before."
"Blaise, you really need to get out more," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "Who cares, anyway? All I need to know is whether she's got the candy I want. Beyond that, it doesn't really matter."
I was about to argue when the compartment door slid open and the Supreme Wench (better known as Pansy Parkinson) and her entourage swept into the cabin without so much as a by-your-leave.
"There you are, Pansy," Draco commented. "I was beginning to think you'd missed the train."
"Damn," I said, then shrugged. "Well, there's always next year, I suppose."
Pansy glared at me (wow, that's new), but turned to Draco instead. "I was wondering if we could sit here. The compartment we were in before is being overrun by first years, so is it all right if we stay?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes.
I gagged silently in the corner.
Draco raised an eyebrow at me in warning.
Oh, right. No hassling the girlfriend. Gotcha.
Of course, Pansy noticed this and looked sharply at me.
I blinked innocently. "What?"
Trying to salvage the situation before anyone was maimed, Draco quickly said, "Of course you can stay here."
Pansy grinned smugly at me before sitting beside Draco--actually, it was more like on top of him--and motioning for the two girls with her to sit as well. Millicent Bulstrode, a real ogre of a girl, smacked Crabbe in the head, effectively awakening him, and made him move so she'd have room.
The last one, Cassandra Cretian, realized there was no more room on that side and decided to sit on the other bench. Right in between Goyle and me. I scooted as far away from her as I could, while Goyle just looked dumbfounded. Well, he usually does, but this was an extreme level of confusion. Maybe he'd never seen a girl (if you can call her that) that close up before. Poor sap.
I sighed and watched the scenery go by as Pansy launched into a long, detailed account of her family's trip to Venice. I tried to tune her out, but somehow her loud, obnoxious voice kept breaking into my thoughts. Go figure.
Half an hour later, I was about ready to kill something. Why, why, WHY did Draco have to pick Pansy, of all the girls in the world? Not even Granger was this annoying! Sweet Merlin, just take me now and spare me more pain...
Just when slamming my head against the wall repeatedly was sounding pretty good, I had an epiphany.
Blaise, you moron! Why don't you just LEAVE?
Good question.
I stood up and made excuses about needing some air before quickly making my exit and sliding the door shut behind me.
"Okay, now what?" I wondered aloud, glancing up and down the deserted hallway.
No use standing here all day, Zabini. Let's get a move on.
"Dear Lord, now I'm talking to myself," I muttered. "I really do need to get out more."
Feeling extremely stupid just standing there, I began wandering down the corridor, not sure where I was going and not really caring either. I was just grateful for the peace and quiet.
BAM!
"Bloody cat!"
...or not.
A black streak flew out of a compartment ahead of me with a large ginger one in hot pursuit, which in turn was followed by Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger. It'd have been hilarious if the whole lot of them hadn't been heading straight for me.
"The things I get myself into..." I said, trying to dodge to the side and avoid the whole thing. The black thing, however, would have none of that. It leapt onto my chest and clung to my robes, its claws digging fiercely into my skin. I grabbed it, meaning to throw it off me, but then noticed what it was.
"Athena?"
The cat in question took advantage of my sudden lack of movement to clamber onto my shoulder. I had barely noticed a green something sticking out of its mouth before another animal slammed into me, hissing and clawing.
"Crookshanks, no!" Granger and Longbottom had arrived, both slightly breathless, and Granger was now trying to convince the... THING to get off of me.
I managed to grab the creature by the nape of the neck and flung it in Granger's direction. The moment it touched the ground, it tried to throw itself at me again, but Granger caught it in a bear hug so all it could to was hiss and growl.
"What in the bloody hell was that all about?" I snapped angrily. "Is there a reason your... pet was trying to kill my cat, or do you just set it after random animals for fun?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Granger spat, having regained both her breath and her temper.
"What are you on about, Granger?" A few heads peeked out of compartments, no doubt trying to figure out what all the noise was about. Wonderful. All I needed at the moment was a huge crowd to stare at me.
"That cat just ate Trevor!" Longbottom exclaimed, sounding torn between anger and grief.
Trevor? Who the hell is Trevor? Wait a minute...
I looked more closely at the green thing in Athena's mouth and realized it was a toad. Ah, hello there, Trevor...
I held my hand under Athena's mouth. She looked at me pleadingly, then reluctantly dropped the toad into my hand. I looked over it quickly, noting that it seemed absolutely terrified, but no worse for wear. "Here," I said, tossing Neville his toad. "You might want to keep a closer eye on that thing. The next thing it meets might not be so friendly."
With that, I turned and pushed past a few people gathered in the hallway, heading for my compartment. Even listening to Pansy's chatter was preferable to this.
Damn Gryffindors...
*******
Faxton: Thank you SO much for reviewing. I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested in a fic not about Harry or some Mary Sue (gag!). What do you mean, you want to see where the plot is going? You're not actually expecting this to have a point, are you? Oh damn, I'd better get to work then... just kidding. I do have some idea what I'll be doing with this, but it all depends on whether the characters and that bloody plot bunny will cooperate.