Chapter 2

The next morning, Pansy woke up sleep deprived but not tired. An entire night of working in close proximity with the muggle-born had not given Pansy any further insight into her strange behaviour and the complete lack of knowledge worked at her nerves like a cornish pixie's squeals. At breakfast (which Granger had skipped, only grabbing an apple before hurrying off to the library no doubt), Pansy pulled Blaise aside on the pretext of needing a cigarette.

Blaise and Pansy had been smoking buddies since the end of their fourth year, when they had both needed an escape from the giddy mix of fear and excitement in the Slytherin common room after Diggory's death. Both of them had nursed small and secret crushes on the handsome Hufflepuff, the sort of crush you tell no one but your best friend about, and the needless cruelty of his murder was difficult to square with the glowing stories they'd grown up hearing about the Dark Lord. Their faith had been fractured, feigning triumph at the Dark Lord's return had been difficult to sustain. That night, they had lit the cheap cigarettes - bought from the Weasley twins - with shaking hands and sat in silence at the very top of the Astronomy Tower. They had pretended that the tears in their eyes were the result of their inexperienced coughing and by the time they'd returned to the dungeons, they'd both felt a little better - or at least a little more numb to the sharpness of what reality had just become. Now, Pansy and Blaise made their way to the Astronomy Tower or Owlery or grounds to smoke at least once a day but if Blaise thought it strange that she needed a cigarette this early in the day, he said nothing.

Inhaling deeply as they walked around the lake, they spoke about Blaise's newest stepfather - who he actually sort of liked and hoped would stay a while - and Pansy's parents' incessant questions about Draco. After a while they lapsed into silent thought, each looking down at the fathomless water stretching out endlessly in front of them.

After a while, Pansy broke the comfortable silence between them.

"So, what's the deal with the golden trio?" she asked, trying for nonchalance.

Blaise smirked, "Noticed, have you? I didn't think you cared much for petty drama anymore."

"Oh Blaise, you know I'll always be a whore for drama."

Blaise barked out a laugh - Pansy had always loved that such a sincere, joyful sound could come from such an elegant, aloof person, "This is very true. I think it's boy drama, to be honest. Trouble in paradise for Granger and Weaselbee."

"God, it can't be," said Pansy, rolling her eyes. "That's so mundane."

"What? You think because they're fighting our Dark Lord and Saviour that they can't find time to shag in a corner?" said Blaise, raising a perfect eyebrow.

"Shag?" spluttered Pansy, choking on a lungful of smoke and earning an alarmed look from Blaise. "There's no way Granger and Weasley are.. You know."

"Shagging? Go on, you've never been shy about that before," said Blaise. "But no, they're definitely not shagging because Weasley is with that Brown girl, the one who worships Trelawney. That's why Granger's so upset."

"Not a chance, Blaise. Granger is far too smart for him. It has to be something else," said Pansy resolutely.

"Pansy, the two of them have had chemistry for years. I think this is what will finally make or break them."

"The girl went out with Viktor Krum for Merlin's sake" argued Pansy, "He might look like an awkward crow but the man's a world famous Quidditch player. Half the people in this castle were wet for him, including you and Draco, and she got him."

Blaise laughed. "Yes and I will forever hate her for that because I still think I had a decent chance with him, but I'm telling you that Granger wants the Weasel and that's why she's so bitter over Brown getting him first."

"Rubbish," said Pansy, stubbing out her cigarette on a tree stump, suddenly uncomfortable. "Come along, let's get back to the castle or we'll be late for Charms."

Blaise followed her back to the castle, tactfully changing the topic and regaling her with the story of some ridiculous prank the third year Slytherins had attempted to play on the Gryffindors. If he found her earlier reaction strange, he didn't show it.