Chapter Ten: Strange One

The smile Daphne was giving me felt more terrifying than anything I'd ever faced. Turning my gaze to my shoes instead I tried to gather my wits, groaning internally at how despite the visual proof I was standing on solid ground, the entire room was swaying.

"Well?" The blonde broke the silence that must have stretched out longer than I realised. "Come over and sit. We've been dying to know how it went!"

"Is that why you're all still up?" I asked incredulously.

"Of course not," Pansy said rolling her eyes. "Well maybe for Daphne – the rest of us actually had school work due tomorrow. But while we're here…" her eyes shifted to the empty seat next to Draco. He was studying me silently, his grey eyes seeming to catch every movement I made. It wasn't helping my concentration.

"Um… actually… to be honest I'm pretty tired –"

"Sit Blackthorne." Daphne's smile had vanished causing a painful sigh to escape my lungs. I knew that tone.

Clenching my fist tightly by my sides I made my way towards them, trying my hardest to focus on each foot fall so that there was minimal staggering and/or falling on my face. It appeared that there's some perverse logic in the moment you attempt to be sober while intoxicated is the moment you are at your peak of intoxication.

It was almost a relief to fall back on the loveseat next to Draco, the couch small enough that my shoulder brushed his on descent. I could do this. I could sit and chat normally for a few moments without embarrassing myself.

"You're drunk." Draco's statement had every hope dashed. All the other's gazes intensified then, coming to the same realisation as the Malfoy heir. Their immediate grins made me instantly uncomfortable.

Son of a – "I'm fine." I hissed, shooting him a glare.

His lips split into a wide smile, it was more than a little distracting.

"Even better!" Daphne's glee made me want to hit her. "The looser you are the more details you spill. We heard they won – that must have meant celebrations at the Ravenclaw Common room!"

She hadn't asked a question yet so instead of responding I reached for a throw cushion and clutched it to my chest – the closest thing I could get to the foetal position for what was sure to be a nightmare couple of minutes.

"How was the match?" Daphne prodded once realising I wasn't responding to her musings.

"… actually… it was quite exciting." I admitted honestly, thinking back. "It was close… if Michael hadn't caught the snitch –"

"Michael?" Pansy interjected with a snide grin. "Not Corner?" I couldn't prevent the blush that flooded my cheeks. I refused to answer her.

"Did you see him after?"

"… yes."

"And?"

"And…" I sighed exasperated, glancing at the men in the room who were abnormally quiet, but instead of looking bored like I hoped they'd be they seemed to be paying me as much attention as the girls. "And we talked."

"What about?"

"Stuff. I don't know. I'd had a decent amount to drink before he'd even came in so just drunk shit… then we went out for a smoke."

"And?" This time the blasted blonde lengthened the damn 'a' in the word. My patience snapping I just ripped the bandage off.

"And he kissed me. No – sorry, I kissed him because the idiot thought the same as you all did about my… experience with men. Bastard was taking things slow. Then he walked me back here because I was in the fantastic state you see before you. Any more questions? Or should I go into the ratio of saliva swapped amongst us?"

Daphne opened her mouth perhaps to ask for the information before Blaise – thankfully – cut her off.

"That won't be necessary. Don't be mad… we're just curious. We didn't think you had any particular interest in him. You were always so…" he tried to search for the word.

"Bored." Theo supplied.

I was just about to snap that he had no idea what was going on in my mind about the opposite sex before my mouth spoke without any neurological consent. "Well… that's before I saw him in his Quidditch uniform." I slapped my hand over my mouth. Daphne choked out a laugh and even Pansy smiled. Blaise's eyebrows rose and there was a ghost of as smile on his face.

"Did you see it?" I asked is desperation of a change in subject. "The match, I mean?"

"Sure. Draco and I went to stoke out the competition. Being players ourselves meaning we have uniforms too of course…"

Daphne snorted as I threw the cushion at him. Standing up a little unsteadily I began to make my way back the way I came.

"Aw come on Alyssa, where are you going?" Blaise called, making me turn and glare.

"I need a smoke and I hope for all your sakes that you're gone to bed by the time I get back."

XXX

Grumbling as I walked I made it only to the first floor by the time a figure caught up with me. The quite foot-steps making me grit my teeth and push myself faster.

"You're going to trip in the state you're in if you're not careful." Of course, it had to be him.

"Then piss off and let me trip."

"Is that anyway to speak to a friend who is trying to help you?"

I snorted. "Friend? You can't be serious."

"You wound me Alyssa."

"You'll live," I growled. Draco caught up easily. His long stride easily compensating for my head start. Not that I was moving overly fast as the walls continued to spin. "Especially seeing as I'm right. You only talk to me when you feel like it which is almost always when we're alone. In company you completely ignore my existence and you call that friendship."

"Of course it does. Or have you not noticed my slightly lack of stellar people skills."

I glanced at him completely wide-eyed. "Did you just admit a fault Malfoy? Is the world going to end now?"

He choked on a chuckle as if he wasn't quite used to it. I must be hallucinating… what was in that drink anyway? "No Blackthorne, that was last year."

We made it to the fifth floor, slipping easily into the Room of Requirement. I headed straight outside. The cold air blissful as if I hadn't realised the feverish heat in my cheeks.

I felt his eyes on me as he stepped onto the balcony my need created. Still feeling brave and very much drunk I glanced back at him. "So you here to rob more of my smokes then?"

His response was slow, deliberate. If I didn't know any better I would have thought his words were almost shy. "I thought I might repay few actually…"

Approaching me he pulled out a small black box making me gasp out a quite laugh.

"No way! Malborogh Blacks?" I glanced up to see him watching my reaction. "But these are –"

"Your favourite – I know. I recalled you telling me so."

"But… how?"

"We Malfoys have our sources. Shall we?" He opened the box – tearing the plastic off with his teeth. The action distracted me only momentarily, just as he was about to take the black rolled stick for himself I stilled his hands with my own.

"Wait." He did as I asked as I reached to pull one out, turning it filter end facing down and pushing it back into its box. "That's the lucky one."

"I don't understand."

"You smoke that one last. But it's got to be with me and you've gotta make a wish." He opened his mouth but I cut him off. "Don't question it. I didn't make it up – blame the superstitious chain smokers of the world."

"Alright," he chuckled and I decided I liked his laugh, it was a pity how rare it was. We took our respective cancer sticks and lit up.

"I'm so excited for you to try these," I said grinning a little widely considering the subject.

He sighed, smiling widely around the cigarette. "You're a strange one Liss."

Liss… not Aly or worse, Lissy. The abbreviation of my name fell easily from his mouth and for once I didn't warn someone off a nick-name.

"Despite trying so hard to hide it Draco… you are too." I answered, deeply inhaling the menthol flavoured smoke and watching it exhaled out into the cold air. The swirling greyness a welcome distraction from the grey eyes that lingered on my face.

XXX

The hangover the next morning was a mythic bitch.

"Come on Blackthorne, you're going to be late. You've already missed breakfast."

"Fuck breakfast." Was what I meant to say, it came out as a kind of groan but I'm sure my roommates understood.

"Here," at least Daphne had the decency to keep her voice soft. I felt her weight sit on the bed and I opened my eyes enough to spy a glass of water in her hand. Gingerly I sat up and chugged it down gracelessly.

"Thanks," my voice croaked.

"Pansy's right though – you need to get up."

My gaze slid uneasily towards the pouting brunette. "Apologies for the snapping."

"It's fine. Well worth it in fact. You did something exciting for a change."

The events of the night before snapped back into the forefront of my mind and with a horrified gasp I collapsed back onto the bed only to be pulled vertical by the shoulders.

"No way," Daphne's grip tightened. "You're getting up and facing the world today."

"I think you'll find that you are not the boss of me Greengrass."

"Maybe not but it is my duty as your friend that you make an appearance for your fans."

I snorted, loudly. "Fans?"

"Or," a voice protruded from the door and we all spun to see Blaise leaning against the door frame, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement. "For the possible comical gold that awaits you in social situations today."

"Girls dorm Blaise," Pansy tutted but there was no heat in it. "Get out."

"And not bear witness to this magnificent scene before me," he gestured to Daphne almost wrestling me out of bed in quite revealing pyjamas. "Can't wait to fill Draco and Theo in, they'll be sorry to miss it."

I felt my face flame and with a grunt I stepped out of the bed. "Fine. I'm up. Now Blaise piss off so I can change."

"But –"

"Don't test me today Zambini."

With a chuckle he left. Using as many cleansing charms as I could muster – the girls were right about how late it was getting, too late for a shower. Within a minute I was clean dressed and had every curl pinned to the top of my head in preparation for the day ahead.

"I think I'm dying," I remarked casually as we left the dorms.

"Cheer up," Parkinson as per usual showed zero sympathy. "You'll get to see Corner today."

For some reason that really didn't brighten my spirits.

By lunch my appetite had returned with vengeance, barely registering the food I spooned into my mouth.

"Merlin," Pansy sighed. "You ever hear of chewing?"

"Leave her alone," Daphne for once defended me. "She hasn't eaten today."

"Don't act all innocent Pans," Blaise interjected. "I do recall you inhaling a roast chicken one Christmas party –"

"And I recall our agreement to never speak of it."

I'd just chugged a decent mouthful of water when a voice cut off Blaise's teasing.

"Hey, Alyssa."

My mind recognising the voice and panicking before my body catching up caused me to choke on the water. Turning, Corner stood albeit a little awkwardly in front of me and my friends. I could feel Blaise's massive grin and Draco's glare on the boy in front of him and I couldn't help feeling a warmth in my chest. It can't be easy for Michael Corner to approach our group. Not in the slightest.

"H – Hey," I stammered in attempt to clear my airwaves.

"What are you doing after lunch?"

"I was… honestly going to crawl into a hole somewhere."

"The head that bad?"

"And then some."

He smiled and those damn dimples made me powerless to not returning it.

"I may be able to help… you finished?" He gestured to my still very full plate of food and praying that he did not see me eating three human's worth of lunch I nodded.

"I'll see you all later," I murmured to the group, avoiding all of their eyes encase I started to blush.

"Have fun!" Daphne responded in such a bright tone that I just knew I'd be grilled later for the events of the day.

Sometimes it was painful having friends.