"Sounds great." I said, and we set off into the hall and I followed her to the Gryffindor table to eat.
"Hey Harry, Ron, Hermione." she greeted a group of three that were already sitting as we approached. I remembered the name Hermione from when Dumbledore had mentioned her the day before. She was the girl who he had said that if we worked together we could bring about a lot of good in the wizarding world
"Hey Gin, how are you?" the girl a curly haired brunette replied, "Who's this?" she asked, I took the chance to reply instead of Ginny.
"Blair Zabini." I replied holding out a hand for her to shake, she gave me an odd look but took my hand. "I'm Hermione Granger." she said, I let go of her hand and sat down next to Ginny across from the three of them. Hermione exchanged looks with a redheaded and a black haired boy who I instantly recognized.
"Aren't you at the wrong table?" the red head asked somewhat rudely.
"RON!" Ginny snapped, glaring heatedly at the boy.
"It's okay. You're Harry Potter." I said rather matter of factly to Harry feeling dumb for the feeling of awe that I felt in that moment. I could see his scar barely peeping out from beneath his wild head of black hair.
"I am." he said, and it seemed he wasn't really sure what else to say, I didn't expect him to say much.
"Well I'm very pleased to meet you." I said quickly, hoping to change the conversation now so I didn't feel so dumb.
"So how is it that you managed to end up a Gryffindor?" the boy Ron, who looked very much similar to Ginny, it had to be her brother, asked. It sounded like a rude question but his tone of voice wasn't all that rude.
"Why is it so wrong for me to be Gryffindor?" I asked the four of them in all seriousness. Ginny smiled at my boldness and simply left the others to try and answer my question, Harry, Ron and Hermione all looked a little stunned shocked unsure of what to say, Hermione elbowed Ron, it was his question that triggered mine so he should respond.
"I mean its just you're Zabini's sister, aren't you all Slytherins?" he asked, I was sure he was kicking himself for asking the question.
"Well we used to be until me." I said, and that was enough for me.
"Well I don't think it's a problem, in fact I'm glad your a Gryffindor." Ginny assured me before starting to eat the food in front of her. I smiled to myself and moved on to my own food as well, while the others exchanged a few looks. We all then settled into a companionable silence after a while I met a few other Gryffindors, Neville Longbottom, Lavender Brown, Seamus Finnigan, and a few others whose names I couldn't remember. The Slytherins came in as Ginny and I were getting ready to leave, I couldn't help but chuckle a little at how they strode in, seeming so unapproachable I could see how they would be off putting to others.
"What are they playing at?" I muttered under my breath towards Ginny, she gave me a curious look then started to laugh as well when she realized I was referring to none other than Draco and Blaise. I had to admit though not out loud that Draco did look rather handsome in his Slytherin robes, he seemed to appear almost effortless.
"I wish you were a sixth year." I said to Ginny looking down at my schedule knowing hers was very different.
"Trust me I've felt that way for a long time! What do you have next?" she asked while we waited around outside the Great Hall, I guessed we were waiting for Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"Potions." I said with a shrug, "What about you?"
"Divination." said said with a sigh, it had been an interesting class when I took it, but I didn't really agree with all of it.
"Hey Gin, do you know what time it is?" a boy came rushing up to the doors of the Great Hall it appeared as if he had just been sleeping with how disheveled he looked.
"Yeah it's about 12:20." she went to move off in a different direction but was stopped by the boy.
"Who are you?" he asked nodding his head toward me.
"Well I'm Blair, Blair Zabini. And you are?" I inserted before Ginny could introduce me.
"Uh..Dean, Dean Thomas." he stuttered giving me a goofy grin, a grin that I could tell the meaning of.
"Nice to meet you Dean." I replied he paused for a moment before opening the door to the great hall.
"Nice to meet you too, hopefully I'll see you around." he said and disappeared into the hall.
"I figured we would wait here for Harry Ron and Hermione since you have potions with them and then that way you have someone to go with." Ginny said leaning back against the wall it wasn't long before the three of them had joined us outside. "We'd better head to potions so we aren't late." Hermione said once we were all together. "I feel for you Ginny divinations is pointless." Hermione said pointedly, and I could tell she really didn't love the subject. "Alright well I'll see you guys later." Ginny said waving as she walked off, and I was left with the three of them, it wasn't entirely awkward, they were trying to help me feel included and it wasn't bad. We made our way down the dungeon steps hearing a few voices ahead and a lot of excessive giggling we would be a little early but not too much so. At the bottom of the dungeon steps I met the source of the obnoxious girly noises, a group of Slytherins including Draco and Blaise. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle stood against the wall attempting to look menacing, and if I had anything to say about it, failing. Pansy I noticed was looking on the scene with a hint of laughter in her eyes from where she stood next to Crabbe picking at her nails.
"Well, well, well if it isn't Potty, Weasley and the mud…" Draco began snidely.
"Draco Scorpios Malfoy don't you dare finish that word." I snapped making my presence known, he looked shocked and turned instantly red, a few of the Slytherins gasped and I saw Pansy out of the corner of my eye snort with laughter. As soon as her voice said my name the whole crowd of Slytherins turned to see me standing on the stairs. Even Ron and Hermione were giving me odd looks, but looks that said that they were impressed with me.
"We've met your sister Zabini and she's lovely." Hermione said her smile was almost beaming by the time she had finished the sentence. I wasn't altogether surprised that Draco would use that term, I hadn't ever heard him use it, but it was a word both of my parents had used in the past, I just found it revolting.
"Yeah, uh, of course she is." Blaise said, though he sounded almost confused by the situation we were in. The pregnant pause of silence that followed increased tensions and awkwardness by tenfold and I knew that I had to fix it somehow.
"I'll see you inside, I haven't been able to talk to my brother yet." I said to Harry Ron and Hermione, they nodded and moved through the Slytherins and into the potions class room
"Why are you being so chummy with those three?" Blaise asked rather harshly.
"Because they are in my house and they're nice." I said quickly and defiantly, he needed to learn that I would be friends with Gryffindors.
"But they're Gryffindors and on top of that they're…"
"I'm a Gryffindor Blaise." I said without letting him finish.
"I still can't believe that! How did that even happen?" he asked looking almost scandalized at the thought, there was a tone of concern in his voice as well. The other Slytherins watched almost awkwardly.
"I don't know ask the hat, but Blaise I'm happy, I'm glad I'm a Gryffindor." I said, the look of shock on his face just intensified and Draco gained a similar look.
"You're happy? But…but…" he was trying to think and I could tell he was confused. "Blaise, it's okay, it's not like I won't see you, you're my brother, and Draco." I turned toward Draco, "I've known you my whole life, things don't have to change just because I'm a Gryffindor." I finished looking between the two of them.
"She has a point." Pansy interjected and I turned to look towards her she sent me a friendly smile.
"Thank you." I said giving her a smile, the awkwardness began to fade as more students came past us to come into potions.
"Don't worry, we know you. We won't shun you." Pansy said quickly moving into the class room herself.
"I might." Astoria said loudly in a high pitched annoying voice, I raised an eyebrow at her.
"Come off it Astoria, of course we won't shun her." Draco said and he looked at me almost warmly, I knew some of them would have a harder time with my status as a Gryffindor but to the ones who mattered it would be alright. —-
Potions class passed quickly, Slughorn had us all working individually, Harry and I had both completely the potion nearly flawlessly, Hermione appeared almost shocked at Harry's success it was almost comical.
"Has your brother ever mentioned any of us?" Ginny asked me as we were heading back to the common room before dinner.
"Not that I remember, I may have heard mentions but I never really talked with him about school, it just didn't come up we were so busy trying to spend time with each other before having to leave again we didn't talk about school much."
"It makes sense." she shrugged muttering the password again and we both slipped inside.
"Zabini." a male voice floated across the room towards me I turned my head to the right, catching the sight of a boy with light brown hair, tallish and a sort of stocky build staring at me.
"Who are you?" I asked accidentally letting an air of sharpness creep into my voice, I couldn't help the fact I had grown up with Draco, Blaise, besides the ways he had said my name rubbed me the wrong way.
"Cormic McClaggin." he replied cocky, too cocky I wondered what the guy wanted.
"Can I help you?" I asked him very skeptically, as I spoke Ginny snorted beside me earning herself a short glare from the boy.
"No, I just wanted to make sure I introduced myself." he said with a grin, he seemed rather full of himself, an ego to rival Draco's.
"Well then, if you don't mind moving, I need to go up the stairs. Thanks." I said shaking my head, it took him a moment to move. "I'll see you around then Blair." he said flashing a toothy grin, both Ginny and I moved past him quickly.
"Maybe." I said over my shoulder not even caring how he would respond to my dismissal.
"That was hillarious." Ginny burst out erupting into laughter as soon as we had closed the door to our dorm behind us."I am sure Cormic hasn't been turned down like that before, in fact I'm not sure if he has ever been turned down." Ginny announced flopping down on the bed and pulling off her shoes. A content silence passed between us for a moment, I watched a serious look take over Ginny's face and knew she was about to say something that could be thought of as uncomfortable.
"Are you and Blaise close?" she asked, I could tell anything to do with Slytherin wasn't her forte, and I assumed she must have had plenty of bad experiences with them.
"Very, he is my twin and there is a sort of bond that comes with twins." I said, and she nodded as if she understood.
"My brothers, Fred and George are twins and there is just something that connects them." she said and I realized where her understanding came from.
"I don't understand why he treats you the way he does though." I said, truly not understanding, my brother was a different person here, so was Draco. I had always known Draco to tease and torment me but with no true maliciousness behind it, and yet when it came to the Gryffindors I was around, there was a very clear difference.
"I couldn't tell you either." she said and smiled ruefully before crossing her arms above her head and looking up into the canopy above her.
"It seems like there is such a divide between houses, especially Gryffindor and Slytherin." I said.
"That's an understatement. Dumbledore has had many speeches talking about unity but it doesn't seem to do much." she replied still not taking her gaze away from the crimson of the canopy above her.
" Well I'm going to go and see Blaise in a little while, do you want to come with me?"
"I don't think that I'll receive a very warm welcome, but maybe some other time." the wistful nature of her voice implied that she must have wanted to go but her reasons not to were much stronger than her desire to go with me.
"Alright, I'll see you in a bit then." she nodded and closed her eyes pulling her arms down to lay by her side. I slipped out of the room glancing back once then clicked the door shut and made my way out of the common room so that I wouldn't be caught by Cormac before going to see my brother. The way down to the Slytherin common room was mostly silent occasionally a few strangers passing by with their curious stares. When I finally reached the portrait leading into the Slytherin dormitories, I realized that I had no way to get in, not being a Slytherin I didn't have the password. I wondered how on earth I would be able to get in to see my brother and figured that maybe I could find a Slytherin to let me into the common room if I looked around the dungeon.
"Oh Draco!" The sickly sweet high pitch voice rang somewhat familiar but I couldn't put a finger on it until I rounded the corner to find the blonde Astoria with her arms wrapped around Draco's neck. I could feel my face go red, not an ideal position to be in, so I cleared my throat rather loudly. Astoria regretfully let go of Draco and turned around almost violently but upon seeing me gave a fake little smile before leaning heavily on Draco.
"Blair." she muttered snidely, I just laughed in reply which seemed to make her angry.
"Hey Blair." Draco side stepped Astoria who stumbled slightly at his moving and ran his hand through his hair.
"Draco." I didn't mean for it to come out curtly, it just did and even I didn't know exactly why. "I am trying to find Blaise."
"Well why are you over here?" Astoria was quickly becoming one of those people that I really wanted to jinx.
"Honestly Astoria if you had any brains at all...I don't know the password to the common room, so I was trying to find someone to help." I snapped, though I almost felt bad for loosing my temper a bit, she scowled taking offense to my words.
"No problem follow me." Draco announced stepping quickly forward and walking beside me, almost as if trying to get away from Astoria, or so it seemed until she stormed up beside him claiming his arm again. When we reached the portrait Draco promptly said the password but just low enough so that I couldn't hear the word. Astoria then pulled him hurriedly into the room, in attempts to leave me out in the hall, I hadn't even the slightest idea why she didn't like me. Slipping past the portrait I found that their common room was actually fairly cozy, not as cold and gloomy as I would have imagined, a nice fire was going in the fireplace keeping the tendency of coldness out of the rooms.
"Blair what brings you down here to the humble Slytherin common room?" Blaise questioned coming up to me and ruffling my hair.
"Just thought I would come down to talk for a little bit, since I'm not hundreds of miles away." I said plopping down onto a black leather couch and loosening the little red and gold tie that rested at my neck as part of the uniform.
"Gryffindors to annoying for you too?" he questioned sharing a laugh with Draco, Astoria and a few others who either happened to be passing by or just sitting around in the common room.
"Actually no, they are all very friendly I just wanted to see you." I replied scowling at him hoping he would get the message to leave the members of my house alone.
"Weaslette was probably making her look bad, getting her poor dirt on Blair's high class shoes." Astoria announced loudly with a shrieking laugh to follow, I saw Blaise freeze a moment then with an uneasy smile let out a short hollow laugh.
"Actually Greengrass, if I was worried about any one ruing my high class shoes it would be you with your poor manners, bad hair cut, and excessively rude attitude." I replied back smoothly though the edge of anger was as sharp as a razor on my tongue. Ginny was one of the nicest people I had ever met and I was sick of people talking down about her Blaize and Draco's eyes widened, I didn't usually speak like that around them, Astoria was turning a slight purple in anger. A clap started from across the room, and looking over in confusion I saw Pansy smiling after shutting the portrait behind her.
"Nice words, I have never seen anyone put it so perfectly before." she told me giving me a mock curtsy, then chuckling moved to sit in an armchair to join the conversation.
"Well...well.." Astoria was spluttering now trying to find words to say.
"Astoria give it a rest a Hufflepuff could come up with something better to say." Pansy drawled, and with a shriek Astoria stood up jerkily and with out style or class stormed off.
"Well that ends that." I muttered, Blaise and Draco exchanged a glance before looking back at Pansy and I.
"So what was that about anyway?" Pansy asked, it appeared that she had only come in to hear my rudeness towards the blonde girl and not what had caused it.
"She insulted one of my new friends." I replied nonchalantly grabbing one of the green throw pillows and playing with the tassels around the edges.
"Which one?" she asked, without seeming skeptical or rude just curious and so I replied with out too much hesitation.
"Ginny Weasley."
"Well I haven't ever gotten on with the girl but I guess if you can so easily do so there must have been some error in judgement." she said, if I had thought Blaise and Draco had looked surprised before, their eyes were bulging out of their faces mouths wide open, and to say they were shocked was an understatement. Pansy had surprised me, and I was extremely impressed with her attitude on the subject, I was glad that I had come down to the dungeons after all for more than just seeing my brother.