­Chapter Nine:

"'…and your owl pokes the eyes out of a certain Ron Weasley.' I mean, come on," Emma laughed. Unfortunately for her, Elizabeth heard. Theodore, Blaise and Draco sniggered at her. Elizabeth's eyes narrowed with fury.

"If you'll excuse me?" she said, and walked over to the Gryffindors and slapped Emma squarely in the face, and walked back to her team with a perfectly calm face. Emma, astonished, looked at her friends. Harry grimaced. Emma was about to explode.

"HOW DARE YOU, YOU, YOU FOUL PIECE OF CRAP!" Emma screamed, and ran towards the Slytherin girl, tackling her. Elizabeth didn't fall, she only stumbled. Emma continued her attack on Elizabeth, raining down punches.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, Black?" Elizabeth sneered. Calmly, Elizabeth blocked one of the Gryffindors' punches and pinched the sensitive area between the thumb and forefinger. Emma screamed in pain, and kicked Elizabeth. Even though it hurt, Elizabeth just slapped Emma in the face, and was about to do it a second time when Ron grabbed Emma off her, and someone else yanked Elizabeth away. She knew it was Blaise.

"BLAISE! Get off me!" she yelled.

"Do you promise to let it go?" he whispered in her year.

"Fine. Just, put me down." Blaise let go. "Hey, Black! Come here, please." Elizabeth walked forward, right hand extended. Emma walked forward, grudgingly.

"Truce?" Elizabeth said. "At least for the game, I mean."

"Fine," said Emma, and she shook her hand.

"Now that you have settled, shall we begin?" a voice drawled in an oily voice.

"Yes, Professor, we're all ready. Thank you for coming," Draco said.

"Yes, yes, you're welcome. Mount your brooms. Ready?" Professor Snape said, and released the balls. "Go!" he blew the whistle.

The Quaffle was in Blaise's possession, and Elizabeth was zigzagging around him.

"Elizabeth, a destra!" Blaise said, and Elizabeth moved to the right, Blaise passed her the ball, and she… scored. After the Quaffle had gone through one of Gryffindors' rings, Emma whammed a Bludger at Elizabeth, which hit Elizabeth hard on the back.

Three hours later, Slytherin had scored twenty-two times, making their score two-hundred and twenty to Gryffindors' seventy. Emma had to admit, Elizabeth and Blaise made a great team, and she was pretty sure Theodore had actually let them score a few times. She hoped Harry caught the Snitch soon. Everybody was beginning to get tired.

Almost as if reading her thoughts, Harry suddenly accelerated, and after a moment, held out something in his hand. It was the Snitch.

Snape blew the whistle hard. Both teams fly to the ground, surrounding the Potions master.

"As you all know, Potter caught the Snitch, but the game is tied. Frankly, since it's raining, and this is just a scrimmage, the tie stands. If you'll all excuse me, I have to go," said Snape, and he Disapparated.

"Bene, quello fu un piuttosto deprimente finale," Blaise said.

"È per pioggia, perå, cosØ forse è buono nessuno uno vinto," Elizabeth replied, looking at Blaise.

"Non so da ogni parte tu due, solo Ho fame. Lasciare ci fermata da il Rotolo Serpente," Draco said, adding into the conversation.

"Do you have to speak in a foreign language right in front of us?" Jenny said, face bright red.

"Yes, sorry, piccolo pomodoro." Blaise laughed when Elizabeth called the small girl a small tomato. "You can have a choice of what language, though. French, Italian, Latin, or Greek."

"We happened to be quite bilingual," said Draco, sneering.

"Right, that's nice. Is this a match, then?"

"Yes, we don't know about you, but we're going to have lunch now. See you all in a week," Theodore said, and he and Draco Disapparated. Blaise put his arm around Elizabeth's shoulders.

"Au revoir, et Mai vous toutes étouffer one une souris," Elizabeth said to the Gryffindors before Blaise Disapparated with her.

"Did she just say 'Good bye you best go open a bank account'?" Ron said, confused.

"I somehow doubt that, Ron," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, that was an interesting display earlier, Elizabeth," Draco said, picking at his steak au poivre, a smile playing at his lips.

"Oh, shut up, Draco. What about the episode with you and Black?"

"Don't look at me; I was just pulling that girl off of Theo. She has some anger issues, doesn't she?" Draco said, and the Slytherins laughed. Blaise took a bite of Elizabeth's chicken before ordering a glass of Madeira wine. When it came, Elizabeth drank out of it.

"You're not of age yet, Elizabeth, that's illegal."

"So when have you ever cared about something being illegal or not?" she asked innocently.

"Good point. So Blaise, your party is tonight, or tomorrow night?"

"Tonight. You're coming, both of you, right?" He nodded at Draco and Theo.

"Yes, I suppose, are we Elizabeth?" Draco asked lazily.

"Yes."

"That's your answer then, Blaise."

"And you, Theo?"

"Yeah, I'm coming."

Four hours later, Elizabeth was putting on a dark green silk dress. She had on an Emerald necklace to match, and as usual, looked gorgeous. She was one of those girls who could pull off any look they wanted. Elizabeth wondered who else would be at Blaise's party. The usual Slytherins, of course, and some of Blaise's Italian and French relatives, but Blaise wouldn't tell her who else.

"Who is coming, mother?" Blaise said, hoping her misheard his mother.

"Well, the Fudges' and one of their daughters' friends, Emma I believe her name was… it isn't a problem, is it?"

"It is a problem, Mother. Elizabeth hates Emma."

"Well, Elizabeth can get over it. Why is everything always about her, anyway?"

"Mother," Blaise began patiently. His mother was aging, and she tended to forget things after his father died. "Elizabeth is going to be my wife, remember? You signed the documents yourself thirteen years ago."

"Oh, yes, I remember now, you announce it tonight, don't you? Well, I best go upstairs to rest now, so I can see it later. Buona notte, mio figlio," she said.

"Goodnight, Mother."

"I don't have anything to wear, Mel," Emma whined.

"Oh, wear this," said Melanie Fudge, tossing Emma a red dress.

"Fine. I don't see why I have to go with you, anyway."

"If I have to go to a Slytherin party, you do too."

"Haven't we had enough of Slytherins today?" Emma asked, putting on the velvet dress.

Knock, knock, knock. "Girls? Are you ready?" Melanie's mum asked.

"Yeah, mum, coming!" Mel opened the door, and she and Emma walked into the hall. They were greeted by Melanie's parents.

"Don't you two look nice," Cornelius Fudge said. "Are we all ready to go?"

"Yes, Dad."

"The Malfoy family!" the doorman, yelled out, introducing the Malfoys to the hall. Once the family was down the steps, Blaise took Elizabeth's hand, and smiled.

"So, Zabini, you announce it tonight, don't you?" Lucius said, looking as if he really didn't care.

Blaise, who was almost the same height as Lucius, nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good," Lucius said, and walked over to Theo's father.

Blaise, Elizabeth noticed, was wearing a white shirt that contrasted with his black hair beautifully.

"Tu guarda bellissima stanotte, Beth," and whispered in her ear. He had to lean down, as he was a good seven inches taller than her.

"Tu fare anche," Elizabeth said. Blaise laughed.

"The Fudge family, and Emma Black!" the announcer called. Elizabeth paled, if her pale skin could go any whiter.

"What? Blaise, you invited them?"

"My mother invited the Fudges, and let them bring along Black."

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

"No, and I was hoping you wouldn't find out. Stanotte Ÿ poich‚ ci."

"No, tonight is for you. There is only a small bit of us tonight."

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Italian, French, Latin and Greek speakers," Emma sneered.

"Welcome, Emma and Melanie." He put an emphasis on their names.

"Happy Birthday, Zabini," Melanie said grudgingly. Her parents made her say that.

"Thanks. Now, if you'll excuse us, Elizabeth and I must go."

"Whatever."

"I have your birthday present. Do you want it?" Elizabeth asked, concealing a smile.

"Yes."

"I've hidden it somewhere, and you have to find it." Blaise smiled.

"You're too predictable when it comes to this. Just give it to me."

"What? No patience? Fine," she said, and handed him two gifts, one small, one very large, (so large she had to perform a shrinking spell to get it there), wrapped in silver. He opened them. One was a Slytherin House ring, made of white gold, emeralds and diamonds; the other was a sword. Not just any sword. It had a silver hilt which had Emeralds, Onyx and Rubies embedded in it, and it carried the engraving, Potente bugie con il spada. Power lies with the sword.

Blaise looked at Elizabeth with his almost black eyes. "Thanks, Beth."

"Do you like it?" she asked, uncertain of his reaction.

"Of course I do," he replied, smiling one of his rare, true smiles. "Mi piace tutto molto."

"Good."

"Beth, come inside, we are going to announce it tonight, and I must wake Mother."

He must his arm around her waist and led her back inside.

A few minutes later, after waking his mother, Blaise was standing in front of his entire guests, who were sitting at an extremely large table. Elizabeth was sitting at his right, looking nervous. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"Dear guests, I am pleased to tell you tonight of my engagement to Elizabeth Malfoy," Blaise began. The Gryffindors' eyes widened, and Emma and Melanie exchanged glances. "When Elizabeth turns seventeen next June, we shall wed." Applause rang out through the hall. Blaise smiled and sat down. He grabbed Elizabeth's hand, and started to toy with it.

"Married?" Emma said with disbelief. "Don't you think they're a little too young for that?"

"Emma, you're so naïve. It's probably been arranged since they were little."

"But, weren't they dating each other or something?"

"Yeah, but, I mean, what's the point of dating anyone else?"

"Wow, arranged marriage."

"Well, it could be unarranged, but I doubt it. In most Pureblood families, you don't marry for love; you marry for status and wealth. Needless to say, the Zabinis and the Malfoys are the two richest Pureblood families. To marry into either of those families is like marrying into the royal family," Melanie said, in between bites of rosemary chicken.

"How do you know all that?"

"Father made me learn. Anyway, back to the subject, the Malfoy family alone has a net worth of over seven billion Galleons, and the Zabini family, has about six and a half billion. That's why they always have the best of everything. Wow, I really don't want to be around Malfoy when she's married. She always looks good now; think of what she'll have with all of that money- she'll be perfect, as usual."

"I kind of feel bad for her… wait- the moment's passed," Emma said, laughing.

"What's wrong, Beth?" Blaise asked, perplexed.

"Nothing, I'm just tired. Why?"

"You seem upset."

"Probably because Black and Fudge have been staring at you for the last ten minutes…"

"You're jealous? You?" Blaise asked.

"Wow, Mel, this is boring. I don't suppose you want to dance with me?" Emma said, looking at the dancing couples.

"Okay," said Melanie, amused. They made their way to the floor, and began a waltz. They passed Elizabeth and Blaise, and Emma could've sworn that Elizabeth was laughing a real laugh, not the cruel laugh the Gryffindors usually heard. But, when Emma looked back, Elizabeth was facing Blaise.

"Don't you think Blaise is really hot?" Melanie asked in Emma's ear. "I mean, if he wasn't a Slytherin, not to mention engaged, then I'd go out with him."

"Mel!"

"What? Just out of pure physical attraction, and-" Mel froze. Behind Emma, Draco Malfoy stood. He tapped Emma's shoulder. She whipped around.

"Yes?"

"May I cut in?" he asked Melanie. She nodded, and he and Emma began dancing. Elizabeth and Blaise passed Emma again, but this time, Elizabeth was glaring at the Gryffindor girl. "Ignore her. No offense or anything, but she really doesn't like you that much," Draco said.

"That much I figured out," said Emma.