A/N: I'm sorry I didn't update when I was supposed to, but I had to finish my Biology project to hand in and I also had to begin studying for my midterms, which are this week, and since they count for thirty percent of my grade I really need to do good. Oh, and I have absolutely no idea what Blaise Zabini actually looks like, this is just what I'd like him to look like.
Bold italics are Railane's intros, italics are thoughts, and anything in bold is a diary entry.
Chapter four: A sudden relationship
While the truce between Harry and Draco seemed to be holding up, I was a little preoccupied. Besides homework, Blaise insisted he had some secret he needed to tell me, Quidditch tryouts began and I couldn't get my mind off Oliver. Thankfully I had Liana to distract me and Harry and Draco to turn to as well. And Ron and Hermione had their usual war waging, while Snape's mood went from bad to really bad to awesomely bad to unthinkable.
Railane waked over to the Slytherin table with a tired air. Draco observed her quietly while Blaise smiled brightly for the third time in the past five minutes. "Fridays rock."
Railane rubbed her eyes, yawning. "Yeah, they do. I am so glad we can sleep in tomorrow."
"You can't," Draco informed her. "Tryouts are tomorrow."
Railane looked at him with wide eyes. "No way, Draco. I need some sleep."
"Come on, I want you to be on the team!"
"I don't even know if I can fly, Draco, let alone play Quidditch," she replied.
"I could solve that," a voice interjected, and Railane turned to find Oliver standing behind her. "I came over to let you know that all tryouts have been postponed until after the Hogsmeade weekend due to the fact that students want a little bit more time to practice. And I could help you practice, if you want."
She smiled. "I'd like that a lot. Thanks for the offer, Oliver, I appreciate this."
"Don't worry about it, it's my pleasure. I'll see you tomorrow at eleven o'clock on the pitch? Thought you might want to sleep in a bit."
She nodded, smiling gratefully. "Perfect." He smiled at her with his now characteristic bow, turning around and departing. She turned back to the table to find Draco staring at her with wide eyes. "What now?"
"Since when do you fancy him?" he asked irritably.
Railane was shocked at his reaction. "I don't fancy Oliver, Draco. He's just a gentleman who's being nice to me and helping me out; that's all. Maybe he feels guilty about knocking me down yesterday or something."
"Wow, you had the first encounter yesterday and you're already on a first-name basis? Although this shouldn't surprise me, considering you're going on a date," he commented sarcastically.
Blaise looked amused while Railane replied heatedly. "It is not a bloody date, Draco, and even if it was it would be of no matter to you." Draco was at loss for words for a few instants before storming off. "What the hell's his problem?" she muttered.
"I think he's feeling a bit replaced, Lane. You two have spent almost all the time together since the beginning of term, and suddenly you're going off on a private flying lesson with one of the most wanted men in school?" Blaise replied gently even though he knew she hadn't been talking to him.
She looked up at him, her dark eyes clouded before she shook her head. "Maybe we should talk about whatever's been bothering you now, since I'll spend the rest of breakfast in Draco's room trying to calm him down."
"Well," Blaise began, unsure, "I think I might be, well...Ah, to hell with it. I think I'm gay."
Railane looked unfazed as she finished her toast. "And?"
He looked confused. "You're okay with this?"
She scoffed. "Uh, duh. You're my friend, Blaise, and whoever you want to sleep with makes no difference to me."
He sputtered a bit at the sleeping comment before smiling at her. "Thanks, Lane. Now there's just one more thing."
"Hm?"
"I think some of the guys are figuring it out, and I'm not ready to talk to them about it yet, so I need to cover up and I need a pretend girlfriend. Someone whom I trust, someone who likes me enough and someone who understands so she won't feel used."
Realization dawned immediately. "Oh, no, Blaise. I'm in enough trouble with Draco already."
He looked at her with pleading eyes. "Railane, please. I can't count on anyone else for this. And it's only going to be for a short period of time. And who knows, maybe this'll spur Draco into action. The minute he makes his move, we'll be over."
Railane sighed. "Oh, all right. But if Draco hates me after this, I'm kicking your ass."
"Thanks, Lane. You rock."
She grinned. "Duh. I'm going to go see if I can get Draco to talk me again." She walked away, straightening her hair nervously as she headed towards Draco's room with a plate in her hands. Whispering the password quietly, she walked into his room to find him sitting on the side of the bed, his head between his hands.
She took a few hesitant steps towards him, and he lifted his head, his gray eyes fixing on hers. She froze, sighing deeply, but he motioned for her to come closer. She sat next to him after leaving the plate on the nightstand and began to speak quietly. "I'm sorry that I snapped at you. I didn't mean to."
His eyes met hers, and he smiled very faintly. "I know. I was out of line, too. It's okay if you fancy him, you know."
"I don't, even though I do think he's handsome. But I'm sort of going to be going out with someone in the near future. I'm not in love with him or anything, I'm just doing Blaise a favor."
He smiled. "So Zabini does swing both ways. Nice."
That was quick, Railane thought. "How'd you know?"
"So do I. And since Finnegan's been flirting with him…"
Railane had an expression that made her resemble a large goldfish. "You're... and Seamus! No way! What, is everyone but Liana and me a swinger?"
"I think Potter's straight," Draco replied before laughing. "Not really, we're just hormonal teenagers. It's a phase."
"Still, I have to help Blaise cover. But if Seamus' is interested we should let him know beforehand." Draco began eating quietly, and she sighed. "This isn't going to be easy."
He nodded. "It won't, but if anyone can pull it off, it's you."
"Thanks, Dray." Hesitantly, she added, "Uh, may I call you that?"
He nodded again. "I think it's nice. Just don't use it too often."
She smiled, taking the empty plate from him. "Come on, let's get to our first class."
Liana had noticed the argument between Draco and Railane, and when he stormed off she was shocked to see that Railane didn't follow him. The others realized where Liana's attentions lay and they started looking there, too. Railane had a few more minutes of hushed conversation with Blaise before picking up Draco's untouched plate and walking away, undoubtedly towards his room.
Liana turned to the others to find them looking at her. "Any idea what that was all about?" Ron asked.
"Obviously, Professor Wood said something that angered Draco," Hermione replied.
"Since when are you calling him Professor Wood?" Harry asked her.
"Well, he is a teacher now," she defended herself, and then noticed Liana was staring at her glass absently. "Liana, is everything okay?"
She looked up, smiling faintly. "I'm just thinking about something Lane said when she mentioned she met Oliver. It's nothing." Seeing Hermione's look, she added, "Railane said that he insisted we call him that outside of class."
"Oh, well, then," Hermione replied, none too pleased with the idea.
Liana fiddled with her food a few more minutes before dropping her cutlery and rising quietly, heading towards the Slytherin table. People gasped, for no such thing had been done in the past years. She ignored the hushed whispers and motioned for Blaise to follow her. They stepped outside and Liana sighed before speaking. "What happened with Railane and Draco?"
"He blew up at her because she's taking a flying lesson tomorrow with Wood."
She smiled. "That'll be cool… I think I'm going to crash her lesson."
"Draco will probably crash it, too," Blaise replied with a laugh, "and maybe we should be there to do some damage control. Besides, I'm not letting my girl alone with two of the most eligible men in the castle."
Liana sputtered. "What! Your girl! You're kidding, right?"
"Is that so hard to believe?" he asked.
She looked abashed. "Well, no, not really, it's just that she never mentioned anything."
Blaise hung his head, sighing. "There's something you have to know, Liana, before you think something else and Railane kicks my ass for it. Railane didn't tell you because this is something that we decided today. She's helping me with something, but we're not really involved… not the way people will think, anyway."
Liana sighed in relief. "Thank God. I was starting to think she'd given up on Draco."
"I don't think she will in quite some time," he replied, "unless of course, Wood makes a move."
"He's our teacher," she replied, resembling Hermione in her indignation.
Blaise scoffed. "Oh, come on, Liana, that's medieval."
She shook her head. "He's decent and responsible and I seriously doubt that he'd get involved with his students."
He smiled. "Please. He likes Railane, even I can tell. Besides, she's not going to be his student in a few years, you know."
"Maybe later, they'll start liking each other that way, but you wouldn't wait two years for someone you like."
"I said he liked her now, but I never said he's going to just like her forever," Blaise told her pointedly before smirking.
Liana rolled her eyes and exited the Great Hall in search for Railane. Who did Blaise think he was, a prophet? There was no way he knew what he was talking about with Railane and Oliver. She didn't have to go very far, as Railane and Draco were already entering the Charms classroom and her thoughts on Blaise dissipated. Walking in after them, Liana motioned for Railane to meet her outside. Seconds later, they were standing face to face in the corridor. "What's going on?" she asked quietly.
Liana bit her lip. "Blaise told me. How'd Draco take it?"
"Fine, he understands the nature of our 'relationship'."
Liana smirked. "I doubt Blaise would appreciate the air quotes."
"Hey, he knows that this is just business." They looked at each other seriously for a minute before bursting into laughter. "Anyway," Railane continued, "I have a flying lesson with Oliver tomorrow. Want to drop by?"
"I was going to anyway, and you should know that Blaise is planning on showing up, too. He wants to mark his territory."
Railane groaned. "Why, that little idiot. Who does he think he is?"
"Uh, your boyfriend?" Liana pointed out.
"Point taken," she replied in defeat. "This is going to suck."
Liana nodded. "On a bright side, though, you'll get to ride Oliver's awesome broom." Railane raised an eyebrow and Liana smacked her shoulder. "I didn't mean it that way, you nincompoop."
"Scrabble moment," Railane told her with a grin as the bell rang.
"A what?" Blaise asked from behind Liana.
"Inside joke, long story," both girls replied before entering the classroom. Blaise pulled Railane to sit with him, to which Draco scowled even though he knew it was a necessary step, and Liana got to sit with Harry again. Professor Flitwick entered instants later, positioning himself on top of his cushions as usual. Railane and Liana exchanged a look before taking out their textbooks.
"I am very glad to see you are all prepared," he began in his squeaky voice, "and today I have a treat for you. We'll be practicing the slashing motion necessary for the spell 'Epluribus Annuit', which will allow you to conjure an exact copy of any object. It's a spell that will be present in your N.E.W.T.s, and I want you to have as much practice as possible.
I must point out that it is not possible to apply this spell to living creatures, and that it will take a while before you can master it. I have a very ambitious program for this semester, where we'll actually conjure things out of thin air, but we'll start with this to warm up to tougher spells. You've already sat down in pairs, so study the motion that appears in your textbook until you feel comfortable with it. You will have a fifteen minute period to do this before we begin trying the spell on those bottle caps over there. In the meantime, I will be going around the room in case anyone has any questions."
Chatter erupted as soon as Professor Flitwick stepped off his cushions and began walking around the room. Railane got the motion exactly right on her second attempt, making Professor Flitwick squeal with excitement, since finally someone besides Hermione had been quick to get it. Liana got it about a minute later, and when Railane was sure no one was looking, she pulled Blaise closer to her. "We need to set ground rules, Zabini."
"What about?" he asked innocently.
She raised an eyebrow. "My being your girlfriend, of course. I really don't like this idea, and it'll be brief, got it? And hands off at all times."
"Occasional hand-holding?" he suggested.
"Fine," she snapped, "but I want this over with fast. I cannot believe I'm being your pretend girlfriend."
"Hey, it happens."
She groaned, rolling her eyes, and before long Professor Flitwick asked her to hand out the bottle caps to begin practicing the spell. He enunciated the spell clearly a few times, and soon shouts of "Epluribus Annuit!" filled the room. Railane concentrated, gripping her cherry oak wand tightly as she spoke clearly. The bottle cap made a loud popping sound and floated in the air for a few instants before landing with a soft thud next to its exact copy.
Professor Flitwick clapped delightedly, and Railane was shocked to see that not even Hermione had done it yet. Liana followed her example and copied her bottle cap perfectly, with Hermione copying hers seconds later. Harry managed it fifteen minutes later, with Draco trailing close behind. Over the remaining half hour of the class very little people managed, and Professor Flitwick dismissed them without homework because he was aware that it was a difficult spell.
Railane was the first out the door, with Blaise following her. He slipped his hand into hers, and Railane had to smile at the irony of it. He was taller than she was, with cerulean eyes and light brown hair with dark blond streaks. Lean-muscled and long-limbed, he made a lot of Slytherin girls swoon, as evidenced by all the dark looks she was getting. And here she was, his 'girlfriend', and she was wishing it was someone else who held her hand. She sighed. Being a guy's best friend was always complicated.
As soon as they arrived at their Transfiguration class, Blaise released her hand, and Railane smiled at his consideration. She leaned into him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to the front again. Professor McGonnagal arrived ten minutes late for class, and everyone stared at her in shock. She handed out birds to those who hadn't mastered 'Arev Exercens' yet, and asked the rest of the class to read up on the proper use for the spell while she evaluated the others.
Railane held her head in her hands as she skimmed the page, and then she shot a look to her left to check on Draco. He was staring at his book absently, his hands in a steeple under his chin. He suddenly lifted his head, feeling her gaze on him, and he looked at her, smiling slightly. She turned back to Blaise, running her right hand through her hair as she thought of her upcoming flying lesson with Oliver.
Liana sat to lunch with Harry while Ron and Hermione went off to talk to Percy, who was now mingling with the students. Liana debated for a few instants before leaning towards Harry. "I don't like him," she commented quietly, tilting her head towards Percy.
"Neither do I," Harry replied. "I used to, but then he pulled the whole family-betrayal card and I just can't stand the guy now."
"He just seems like a very disloyal person," she remarked, sighing.
He frowned. "Percy say anything to you?"
"Not really, no," Liana replied evasively. "I just don't like him, he gives me the creeps."
He nodded. "Well, if he does or says anything let me know, alright?"
She smiled brightly. "I appreciate that, Harry. Thanks." He shrugged it off and they continued eating their lunch. Minutes later cheering erupted at the Slytherin table, and everyone's eyes shifted there. Millicent and Pansy had been daring Railane to prove that she was Blaise's girlfriend, and not one to back down from a dare she did. Draco remained impassive, but even from so far away Liana could tell that he didn't like the idea much.
Ron and Hermione sat next to Liana and she turned her attention back to them. "I can't believe she'd do that so publicly," Hermione remarked reprovingly.
"I can't believe she's dating him," Ron replied. "I mean, I'm available."
Liana smiled. "Hey, Blaise is a brilliant catch, and I think they look cute together. Besides, I know he's a sweet guy and he'll take care of her."
"You make it sound like marriage," Ron told her, and it was Harry who replied.
"Well, it's not like we're little kids anymore, you know? We are sixteen. And my parents dated during their seventh year before they got married, remember?"
"Well, yeah," Ron admitted reluctantly.
Hermione sighed. "Such a waste of time," she muttered.
"What's a waste of time?" Liana asked.
"This whole idea of giving us half of the afternoon to catch up on homework when we could be taking class. I already did all my homework, and I'll be bored senseless."
"Speak for yourself," Ron retorted irritably, "I have a lot of stuff to do and having History of Magic today is bad enough. Besides, I'm sure you can find some obscure research project to entertain yourself with."
Lunch was over after a few minutes of silence, and the Gryffindors filed towards History of Magic along with the Hufflepuffs, while Slytherins and Ravenclaws headed towards their electives. Liana waved at Railane and Blaise, who seemed to be more comfortable with the boyfriend-girlfriend idea, and then smiled slightly at Draco. Sighing, she wondered how Railane's flying lesson would go with Blaise and Draco watching, and with those thoughts she headed towards History of Magic, ready to set her mind on automatic note-taking.
A/N: I wanted to make this a bit longer, but if I did this would've been too long. Flying lesson's in the next chapter, and also a bit more Blaise/Railane. I really like them together, for some reason. Maybe 'cause it sort of just happened. Well, enough babbling. Leave me a review on the way out and I'll write a paragraph in your honor. :grins: