Solana walked into the Great Hall with Echo, ignoring successfully
several looks directed at them. It had been a week since the incident
in the boys dormitory, and most of it had been spent in the Infirmary.
The Malfoy sighed as Echo glared back at some of the onlookers. Solana
spun around to glare at the Gryffindor table as a hiss of 'slut' caught
her ears. She caught sight of Granger smacking Weasley upside the head. Oh bloody hell.
Echo could feel the tears well up in her eyes so she tried to blink
them back. It had been like that the whole two days she was out of the
infirmary, this was the first meal Solana had been able to make her go
to since the the breakfast two days earlier. There had been so much
name calling that dumbledore had to stand and say something.
Echo turned to look at Solana. "Maybe I should just go back to the
room, I can have Blaise and Drake bring me something." Echo stopped and looked over at the Gryffindor table. Granger and Weasley had their
heads together obviously arguing about something and Potter.... Potter
was staring right at them with a sad look on his face. This made Echo
feel worse, Potter was giving her sympathy.
"No." Solana met Echo's gaze squarely, "If you don't come out now, you never will." Her eyes were pleading, "Please, Echo?" The name calling was bad enough, but the rumors that sprang up were worse. 'I hear Echo Zabini's in a coma' or, 'I heard that Zabini girl was pregnant. No wonder she's not at meals'. The worst, however, was something she hoped Echo never heard. 'The Slut Zabini and the Whore Malfoy never come to meals anymore. Bet they forced themselves on those other Slytherin's. Pity they're still at Hogwarts.'
They made it to the table where Blaise and Draco were sitting. "Can we sit down here?" Blaise heard Echo and turned in his seat to look at her. It hurt him to see her in this state, she usually would just use her beater skills to push them out of her way, but this new Echo was too different. She no longer wore the summer uniform she only wore the winter one, it had a long skirt and a high collar, all black.
Blaise stood up and so did Draco letting their sisters in. "Damn those Gryffs, I thought they were the noble ones." Blaise flipped off some of the Gryffindors before he sat down too.
Draco watched as Echo settled into her seat. A surge of... sympathy coursed through him. Sympathy? Malfoy's weren't supposed to feel anything, especially not sympathy. Sympathy led to mercy, and mercy was weakness. The surge of emotion, however, was persistent, and he took her hand under the table, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Echo smiled weakly, squeezing lightly back. "We have Quidditch tonight right? Don't you have to get another beater? Goyle was expelled."
Draco nodded, "We're having another tryout tonight."
"Do you want me to be there?"
"If you want to. I'll understand if you don't." He laced his fingers through hers.
"I guess I will I don't want you to pick a slow one."
"A slow beater?" He chuckled softly, "You've got to be kidding. A slow beater is no beater."
"Drake you are very lame, did it hurt coming up with that?" Blaise asked, shooting a mocking smirk at the blonde Malfoy.
Draco shrugged, glancing at Solana. She seemed to be very interested in her food, and she was nearly pressed against Blaise, probably to avoid her leering house mates on her other side. He noted with no small amusement that Blaise didn't seem to mind.
Solana looked over at Draco, her silver gaze meeting his. "What, Draco?"
Draco shook his head, "Nothing." He sighed softly, turning back to his dinner. While the attack had made Echo pull in on herself, it made Solana more stand-offish then ever. She'd had an attitude before, but now....
Echo looked sadly at her peas and sighed I hate peas. They have no real purpose, they grow, get picked and then eaten by people who don't really like them. Echo sighed again.
Blaise's eyebrows rose, "Well, we're a cheery group, aren't we?"
"Shut up, Zabini." Solana snapped without looking up.
Draco frowned as Blaise opened his mouth to retort, "No, Blaise... just shut up."
Solana looked up, smirking at Blaise. The expression, though forced, was mocking. A flood of hatred roared through her. She hated everything, from the bastards who had raped Echo to the bastard sitting next to her. With the hate came anger, an anger that made her voice and eyes sharp. "Have something to say, Zabini?"
"No... Why are you being so.... UnSolanaish, I just don't get it." Blaise said before standing up. "I am going to the library, it is to depressing here."
Solana glared at his back, "Running away, Blaise? How sad..." A cold smile curled her lips.
"Shut up Solana, despite what I said before you are a Malfoy you don't need to prove it to me. See you later Echo, oh and Drake it is very cute that you two are holding hands." Blaise smirked a warm little smirked at Echo's lightly pink cheeks.
Solana rolled her eyes, "Wake up, ass, not everything is about you. I don't have anything to prove to you, or anyone else."
Draco shook his head. Solana's words were sharp and cutting, but there was a lurking underneath. What was his sister playing at? She couldn't pull off a bad ass attitude... Echo managed it better then she did. Solana had always been a quiet intellectual, never once had she spoken unless she had a good reason to.
"Then why are you?" Blaise turned and left the Great hall hands in his pockets and head down.
Draco watched as Solana stood, her face guilty. Ha. He knew it.
Solana caught up with him as he reached the staircase nearest to the library. "Blaise!"
"Yes," Blaise looked around. "Oh hi, here to yell at me again?"
"No." She sighed, "I want to apologize. I haven't got any right to be acting like this." She bit her lip, looking up at him, "I'm sorry."
"Good to know. I am going to go study now. If you want to come you are welcome to."
Solana blinked. He was being nice... Odd. "Alright."
"Hmm."
"Hmm?"
"Humm. Just hmm."
She rolled her eyes, starting up the stairs. She tried not to shift uncomfortably as he followed. Was he looking at her butt? This is why she never walked in front of people. It always made her uncomfortable.
"Ummm."
"Are you having a weird noise parade, Zabini?" Arg. This was getting annoying.
"Yup, by the way you might want to pull your skirt down. It's riding up in the back." Blaise smirked.
She growled, tugging her skirt down. Gods, he was an ass.
"So... I... Um, never mind."
She sighed, turning around to face him. "What?"
"Um.... You're kinda cute when you are upset. Kinda."
She blushed faintly, turning around again and taking another step. Oh boy. That... Bad. Her blush deepened. He thought she was cute? Or... Arg.
Blaise smiled a dorky little smile and followed her up the stairs. She paused to tug down her skirt again, and he bumped into her. She froze as his hands came to rest on her hips, though he tried to convince himself it was only for balance.
"Er... Blaise?" Her face flushed, not all of it embarrassment, "What are you doing?" His hands were sliding slowly down her hips, and they stopped moving immediately.
"I, um... fell and you're the only think keeping me balanced. Um... yeah, that's it."
She swallowed, trying to move out of his grip. "O... oh." She bit her lip.
"I will just let go now." Blaise cleared his throat and let go.
She took a step away from him, taking a shaky breath. "Okay... I'm just... Library. Right." She moved up another several steps, "Are you coming?"
"Yup right behind you."
"I noticed."
"Heh..."
She sighed, and they walked in silence until they reached the library.
"Well I am going to find the uh... that one section..." Blaise flushed lightly.
"That one section?" Solana repeated, quirking a brow.
Blaise's flush deepened. No way in hell was he telling her about his secret weakness for romance novels!
"I... Um Echo got me stuck on them when she came home one summer, I had nothing to read and so she told me to read one and I really like them." Blaise said looking everywhere but Solana's eye's.
"Them?" Solana blinked, slowly putting the pieces together. A slow smile spread across her face, "If you haven't read any of Lori Foster's work, I suggest you do. They're quite good." She smirked, turning away.
"I have read a couple of them, there okay. I liked Impetuous though." Blaise smiled and walked to 'his' section.