The three, Blaise, Draco, and Melanie, reenter the school discreetly. Melanie splits paths with them to head to her dorm, having just had one of the best nights of her life.
She enters the Common Room with a wide smile, which falls upon seeing that the only other person still awake and in the room was Harry, of all people.
He jumps up at the sight of her, having been waiting to catch her alone all day. "Melanie." He calls as if desperately. The Redwing refrains from rolling her eyes at his ever increasing attempts at an apology.
She was in a good mood, maybe she'd hear him out this time. She stands across him, crossing her arms expectantly.
He takes this as a long-awaited sign to grasp the chance. He takes it. "Look, I know, what I said seemed unfair-"
"That's not what bothers me, Harry. It's that, this whole time, this is what you've been thinking, without proof, might I add, and you've never bothered discussing it with me!"
"I-"
"No! You'd rather embarrass my ignorance in front of my friends, and two headmasters! Brilliant, Harry."
Harry could see, he really did it this time. He'd never seen Melanie so angry before. It was nerve wrecking. He hated it.
Though his pride told him to stand by his opinion, well, minor suspicions, his friendship with Melanie meant more. This wasn't war. Who was right and who was wrong. She was his friend, and he hurt her. Now, he had to make it right.
"You're right. I should have come to you." He starts. She listens intently. "Honestly, I didn't know what to say. I just…I've got a bad feeling, Melanie. And I can't shake it." Her features soften at that.
She wants to pull that card, the card that stated he was overreacting because of losing Sirius, but it was too cruel. Even if he hid his pain behind suspicions, even if it wasn't right, deep down, he was just scared, in pain, and all alone. She could see that, and she'd be stupid and a downright horrible person to ignore it.
"Still. I shouldn't have kept it from you…I'm sorry. Please forgive me." He plead.
At that, Melanie smiled softly at him. "Of course, I forgive you." She told, making a relieved smile of his own grow.
With that incredible guilt lifting off his chest, he rushed over and engulfed her in an enormous hug, shocking her slightly. He didn't know what he would have done if he lost her, of all people.
She hugged him back happily, and once again, broken bonds were mended.
…..
Upon reaching their dorms, Draco questions Blaise's appearance at the pitch. They enter the Common Room. No one else is up.
"What was that all about?" Draco asks irritably.
"What was what?" Blaise asks dismissively, heading up to the dorms. Draco stands in his way.
"Don't screw with me, Zabini!" The Malfoy whisper yells. "Why were you following us around?" He questions again.
Blaise scrunches his nose in disgust, not liking the fact that Draco made it sound like he was a pervert. "'Us'? Not 'Us'! Never 'Us'! You. I was following you." He notes.
Draco rolls his eyes at Blaise's dry humor. "Is that supposed to be better?"
"Look, to be fairly honest, Malfoy, you haven't exactly been in the sanest states of mind for the past few days." He notes tiredly.
"So-w-what?! You're worried I'd have some kind of mental breakdown?!" Draco asks furiously.
"As a matter of fact, I am." Blaise answers plainly.
"For the last time, Blaise. I. Don't. Need. Your. Help." The blonde states firmly. Of course he needed help, but with what, for god's sake! Murder! He refused help, and Blaise knew it, but that wasn't what considered Zabini.
"And for the last time, Draco. This isn't just about you! What do you think is gonna happen if you fail? If you die?!" He asks, seriously this time.
Blaise had been keeping the mood light from the start of the hellish year, buts when Draco slipped big and almost got someone else killed, Blaise had been on edge.
He felt that, if even subconsciously, Draco was deliberately screwing up. Did he have any idea what that would cost? Failing the Dark Lord?!
So, upon uttering that question aloud, Draco thought he knew the answer. Death of him and his family, but Blaise set light to another point.
"He'll send someone else, Malfoy. Someone he knows can get the job done, and I promise you, it'll cost way more lives. What do you think might happen to sweet, innocent Melanie then, hmm?" He states. Draco is taken aback, struggling to process what had just been said, wincing at the thought, at the damned thought, of losing her, forever if Blaise's words were to be considered.
Dead.
"Now. I, for one, would like the chaos to stay at a minimum. And I'll bloody make sure of it." Zabini says firmly.
He then turns around, headed up the stairs. "I've got a long day tomorrow. Slughorn's dinner party. You know, the one you're not invited to." He teases the blonde, who can barely hear him, too caught up in his own thoughts.
He did need a hand.
"Redwing'll be there." Blaise smirks. "Maybe we'll hit it off." He pushes sarcastically, earning an intense glare form Draco, satisfying Blaise's goal at irritating him, just for the fun of it. "Kidding, Malfoy! God! So dull."
….
The next day was much calmer, to everyone's gratitude. Hermione and Ron rejoiced upon hearing that Melanie and Harry were well along again.
At night, Harry, Hermione, and Melanie made their way to Slughorn's party. After an enjoyable feast and small talk, dessert was served, ice cream. Horus must have thought them children, it was slightly offending.
Still they didn't complain. Who doesn't love ice cream?
One seat was still empty though, Ginny's. Things between her and Dean weren't going so well, it seemed. The friends pitied her, and didn't really know how to help.
"So tell me, Cormac. See much of your uncle, Tiberius, these days." Horus starts casually at Cormac right next to him on the round table, the same Cormac that had been persistently flirting with Hermione for the past few days.
"Yes, sir. In fact, I'm meant to go hunting with him and the Minister for Magic over holiday." Cormac answers proudly, eyeing Hermione intently, who isn't even looking at him, seated by Harry and Melanie and Neville.
Across them, was a very bored Blaise, one named Belby, and female twins that Melanie was unfamiliar with.
"Well, be sure to give them both my best. What about your uncle, Belby? Working on anything new? For those of you who don't know, Marcus' uncle invented the Wolfsbane Potion." Slughorn adds enthusiastically.
Belby is devouring his ice cream by Blaise, who is eyeing him in utter disgust as he speaks with a full mouth. "Dunno. He and me dad don't get on. Probably because dad thinks potions are rubbish. Says the only potion worth having is a stiff one at the end of the-" Slughorn quickly cuts him off before finishing that specific, inappropriate sentence, turning to Melanie.
"On the topic of potions, miss Redwing." He starts. Melanie turns to him expectantly from eyeing Belby with bewilderment. "You and mister Malfoy make quite the team in class."
And at that, Melanie's face falls red. Harry grimaces at the mention of him who he still currently despised. Hermione gets awkward, and Blaise raises an amused eyebrow.
Why did everyone have to bring that up? It's not that she was embarrassed, it's that, to her, these are private affairs that shouldn't be constantly brought up in public.
"Mhmm." She answers reluctantly, cutting at the melted ice cream with her spoon tensely.
"Intriguing, especially considering the reputation between Gryffindors and Slytherins." He states.
Everyone knew Draco and her were together. Not Slughorn it seemed. Just her luck. His statement irritates her. Judging books by the cover.
"Yes, well, we get along quite well. Draco may not be as good in potions, but he does well elsewhere." She defends with a calm smile, well aware that Horus disliked Draco.
At that, Blaise smirks as the teacher grows uncomfortably silent. Horus wasn't stupid. He'd managed to deduce from her tone that the two did more than get along well.
Zabini found that he suddenly wasn't as bored, oh he was definitely enjoying this, getting worked up on the thought of meeting up with Draco and telling all about how his girl stood up for him, which was strange. Zabini never had such indulges before. When was the last time he had a friend?
"I see." Slughorn resumes. "And you, miss Granger? What is it your family does in the Muggle world?" He asks, seemingly jumping from one uncomfortable conversation to another.
Hermione is alert upon hearing her name. What a night. She is hesitant to reply. She knew well what most of those in the room thought of Muggles. Still, all eyes were on her. She had to say something. "My parents are dentists. They tend to people's teeth." She tells.
As expected, she got odd looks from all those around her, except Harry and Melanie, who already knew this and found it completely normal.
"Fascinating. And is that considered a dangerous profession?" Horus asks, intrigued.
"No. Though, a boy named Robbie Fenwick did bite my father once. Needed ten stitches." Hermione told, pleased with the memory.
All but her friends were staring at her wide-eyed. Then, Blaise let out a laugh he couldn't keep in. Muggles were beyond ridicules in his opinion.
He broke the silence. A small part of Hermione thought he was actually laughing with her, but Melanie knew better. "Amused, Blaise?" She asks, raising a warning eyebrow at him.
He turns to her, and is even more amused at her reply. He had earned a very similar reply from Draco at the beginning of the year. Definitely meant to be.
Then Ginny walks in, looking awful. Bags of pain underneath her eyes. Seemed that her and Dean fought again.
Harry rose upon her entering, making every one stare awkwardly at him, and Melanie and Hermione smirk knowingly.
Alas, the wild night ended quickly after that. Certainly a night all wished to forget. Harry hadn't left when all did, having needing to do what Dumbledore asked of him, and getting the truth out of Slughorn, the truth of what the Dark Lord had asked him that one night, the truth Slughorn tampered with for reasons unknown.
When Blaise had gone back to the dorm, he debated telling Malfoy anything. Yes, he wanted to. Yes, a big part of him, that he fought most of the time, wanted to be a normal teenager talking normally to his friend about regular guy things. But he wasn't normal, his life at least, and least of all was his friend's, Draco.
Blaise said nothing. Deep down, he really was worried about Draco, a small part of him even cared for Melanie. He couldn't afford having Draco distracted of what he had to do, and Melanie had the tendency to be a grand distraction, so he did not speak.
…..