A/N: This is a Secret Santa Blaise/Daphne story for lovely The Lady Rogue. Happy Holidays, Jenny! I hope you enjoy it! (Also I'm sorry it's so long, I didn't intend it to be :p)

Quartz & Silver

The dormitory was filled with excited chatter as the fourth year Slytherin girls bustled around the room. The Yule Ball had been the talk of the school for days, and now that the day was here, anticipation was running high, so much so that talk of the Ball had almost overrun the excitement of Christmas.

Daphne was the only one who was ready. She sat at the dressing table, clad in ethereal, lilac robes and a mesh, silver shrug, and hoped that she appeared much calmer than she felt. She, too, had been giddy with excitement at the announcement of the Ball, and had taken it in her stride when Blaise asked her to go with him, but now that the time was almost here, everything felt so much more real. She'd been feeling increasingly nervous as the day went on, leaving her in a state of silent fear as the countdown to the Ball reached its final minutes. It seemed to unnerve some of her roommates; she wasn't exactly known for being the quiet type.

Her leg was jiggling nervously and her teeth scraped against her lip as she struggled to come to terms with the unwonted anxiety bubbling inside her. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror but tore her gaze away immediately. The fear was clear as day in her eyes, and it sickened her; she was usually so good at hiding her emotions. She glowered, and stared hard at the leg of the table to distract her thoughts. This left her only vaguely aware of the chaos ensuing behind her: Pansy was tearing the dormitory upside down, ransacking everyone's nightstands and trunks as she shrieked about a lost earring.

"Draco got me those for my birthday and I told him I'd wear them tonight!"

"Hey! Get off my stuff!" Millicent yelled.

"Use a Summoning Charm, you bloody lunatic!" Tracey snapped.

Daphne immediately snapped to attention, knowing all too well about her friend's… 'aptitude' for Charms, and clamped her hands over her ears as Pansy whipped out her wand and yelled, "Accio earring!"

For a moment, nothing happened, and then suddenly Tracey was thrust forwards by her earlobes as her gold studs strained to free themselves from her head. It happened so fast that Pansy barely had time to react as Tracey knocked her clean off her feet, sending both girls tumbling onto the latter's bed with a crash.

Daphne couldn't help but join in with Millicent's roars of laughter; Pansy's expression of utter fury was priceless. "Davis!" she screeched, swiping at Tracey like an angry cat. "Get off me right now! Do you have any idea how much these robes cost?"

"Me?!" Tracey bristled, and scrambled off Pansy. Her red face was clashing brilliantly with her peach robes, whilst Pansy's turned the same colour as her hot pink ones. "It's not my fault you're awful at Charms."

Pansy let out an enraged squeal, and stalked off towards the bathroom, muttering profanities under her breath. "When I come out, you'll pay for this, Davis." And with that, she slammed the door behind her.

There was a beat of silence before anyone spoke. "Well, that's my cue to leave." Tracey tried to pass it off as a joke, but there was no disguising the fear in her expression. She stood behind Daphne and fixed her hair in the mirror before walking towards the door. "You coming, Millicent?"

"Yeah," Millicent said, still chuckling. "Merlin, that was hilarious!"

"It was actually, wasn't it," Tracey replied, beginning to laugh herself. "But we should probably get out of here before Pansy murders me."

"Do you wanna come with us, Daphne?" Millicent asked.

Daphne's eyes went wide. It couldn't be time to go already. "Oh, no, I – I'm not ready yet," she said.

Tracey frowned. "What do you mean? You've been ready for ages."

"Oh. Yeah… right," Daphne said lamely. Of course, the others would have no idea that she'd meant her last statement to be figurative. "I mean," she racked her brains. "I need to use the bathroom. Pansy could be a while; she's probably doing her whole face of make-up again knowing her. I'll catch up to you."

Tracey and Millicent exchanged dubious glances before nodding to her and heading out of the dormitory. They seemed to take the jovial atmosphere with them, for Daphne's worries suddenly came crashing back down on her, and she was left alone with nothing but her thoughts for what felt like an eternity before Pansy emerged from the bathroom.

"I can't believe that Tracey Davis," she muttered, smoothing down the frills on her robes. "Oh!" She noticed Daphne still sitting there. "Hi. I didn't expect you to wait up for me. Why didn't you go with the cowards?"

"I er," Daphne said, looking around for inspiration until her gaze finally settled on the rose quartz gem in Pansy's hand. "I want to help you find your other earring." She smiled, and hoped against hope that it looked genuine.

Pansy's initial sceptical expression transformed into a wide smile. "Oh, thank you so much Daphne. Merlin knows that if I kept looking on my own the Ball would be over before I found it." Daphne just started to relax when Pansy added, "But you ought not to keep Blaise waiting; you know what he's like."

"I could say the same thing about Draco," Daphne said, feeling panicked. She hoped she was keeping an even tone. "If we're horribly late it'll be better to face them together, don't you think?"

Pansy pondered this for a while. 'I suppose you're right," she sighed.

"'Course I am." Daphne smiled at being given a brief reprieve. "Come on – the Ball's going to start soon."

The two girls then set to work. Pansy immediately began trashing the place again, meanwhile Daphne, having stealthily retrieved her wand from her bed, was down on her hands and knees under the guise of checking under Pansy's bed. "Accio quartz earring," she whispered, deciding to be specific to save her own earrings from flying out of her head. A sparkling flash of pale pink zoomed towards her from beneath Pansy's nightstand, and Daphne clenched the gem tightly in her fist, smirking triumphantly before getting back to her feet.

"Any luck?" Pansy asked as she tossed the contents of her trunk onto her bed.

Daphne shook her head. "Sorry."

Pansy groaned. "It's got to be here somewhere!"

"We'll find it," Daphne said soothingly.

"Yeah," Pansy said, sounding crestfallen. "Let's keep going."

Daphne let out a sigh of relief as her friend turned away. As long as Pansy couldn't find her earring, Daphne would have an excuse not to go upstairs and meet Blaise.

After another fifteen minutes of Daphne pretending to help Pansy search, the latter was on the verge of finally admitting defeat (and tears) as the distant sound of orchestra music rang from above.

"Ball's started," Pansy stated miserably. "We should go up; Draco and Blaise will be wondering where we are."

"But what about your earring?" Daphne asked, sounding unnaturally shrill as panic flooded through her. "You told Draco you'd wear them, right?"

Pansy was at the mirror, apparently assessing how noticeable it would be if she only wore the one earring. "I did, but, if I wore my hair down…" she reached up, her fingers grazing the stylish up-do. She faltered. "…But this took me hours to get right." After another moment of deliberation, Pansy solemnly moved to take her hair down. The sadness on her face was enough to guilt Daphne into dropping the act.

"I found it!"

"What?" Pansy whirled around, and saw Daphne standing before her, holding the other earring aloft.

"It was under your nightstand."

"Are you joking? I checked there a hundred times!" Pansy was apparently in disbelief but took the earring from Daphne gratefully. She put it on and inspected her reflection, beaming. "Thank you so much, Daph. Come on." She grabbed Daphne's hand and led her towards the door. "We can finally go and meet the boys."

"NO!"

"What?" Pansy turned and considered Daphne's panic-stricken face. She frowned. "Daphne, what's wrong? You've been acting weird for hours."

Daphne's mouth suddenly felt very dry. "It's… I'm just…err." She bit her lip, unable to come up with any more excuses. Her shoulders slumped. "It's Blaise," she said quietly.

Pansy's frown deepened. "You don't want to go to the Ball with him?"

"No, I do," Daphne said. "That's the problem."

"Okay, you lost me," Pansy said. "What's going on? It's not like you to be so worked up about boys – that's my job.

Daphne gave a small smile, and slumped onto her bed. "I really like him, Pansy, and sometimes I think he might like me too. I was so happy when he asked me to the Ball, but then I remembered – "

"-He's an arse?" Pansy supplied.

"He plays mind games," Daphne said. "But your way of wording it works too. You remember last year when he was 'dating' Su from Ravenclaw? That was all to make me jealous; someone told him I liked him." She shot a pointed look at Pansy, who at least had the decency to look a little sheepish.

"But didn't you deny it when he straight up asked you if you had feelings for him?"

"Yes! But that was because he turned down me down when I asked him to spend the next Hogsmeade visit with me so he could go with some Gryffindor loser. Do you see what I mean? I always end up getting hurt, and by agreeing to go to the Ball with him I could be walking into another trap. I just hate the idea of putting myself in such a vulnerable position; you know what I'm like. I hate this, Pans. I dream of being with Blaise and letting my walls down, but the fact I'm getting so worked up is a sign it's not meant to be, isn't it?" Daphne's voice shook as she spoke. Tears were threatening to fall but she refused to let them do so. She did not cry, least of all about boys.

"You're just freaking yourself out," Pansy said soothingly. "Believe me, I'm not defending him in any way; that boy is an immature idiot. But he hasn't done anything since the Su thing, right?"

Daphne winced. "Actually," she took a breath. "I haven't told you this, but just seconds before he asked me to the Ball, I saw him talking to Astoria. And he looked pretty put out at the end of the conversation." Pansy looked confused as to why this information was relevant, so Daphne elaborated. "Don't you see? He only asked me out because Astoria turned him down!"

"You don't know that for sure, though."

"But it must be true!" Daphne said. "It's been so long since Su which means he's well overdue for his next little game."

Pansy laughed, though it wasn't unkind. "You're so paranoid. Come on, Daph, you've got to snap out of this; it's freaking me out. What happened to the Daphne I know – the Daphne who doesn't give a damn what anyone says or thinks about her?"

"I just… don't want to get hurt again," Daphne said quietly, hanging her head.

"So don't give him a chance to," said Pansy firmly. "Take control over the situation. If he goes and snogs someone else, you do the same thing right back. Give him a taste of his own medicine. But you're most likely overthinking things. Maybe you're scared to give him a chance, that you like him even after everything he's done. I don't know that exactly, but I do know you'll hate yourself forever if you don't go to this Ball at all. Maybe you ought to take a chance for once."

Daphne blinked at Pansy, not quite believing any of those words had come out of her mouth. She wasn't a sympathetic or helpful kind of person even at the best of times, and conversation with her usually consisted of subjects of fashion and make-up.

"Plus it'd be a waste of such gorgeous dress robes if you didn't at least make a brief appearance," Pansy added. Daphne smiled; that was more like her friend.

"Does that smile mean I've convinced you to come? Even if it's just for the feast?"

Daphne beamed, feeling much more positive about the situation, and nodded. Pansy was right; she needed to take some of the control and power back from Blaise. She just hoped against hope that Pansy was also right about her overthinking it all…

Pansy practically cheered when she saw that they hadn't missed the feast; her stomach had been rumbling increasingly loudly on the ascent to the Great Hall. Daphne gasped, her mouth falling open as she took in the sight of the winter wonderland before her. Granted, there had been multiple occasions when she'd voiced her disapproval about the look at the school, particularly after hearing about Beauxbatons from their French visitors, but she had to admit, the Hall looked stunning tonight. She stood in awe for so long that Pansy had to physically drag her to get her moving. They slipped in amongst the tables, trying to evade the gaze of teachers for being late, but luckily they were all much too engaged in conversation to take any notice. Pansy spotted Draco across the Hall and squealed at the sight of him. "C'mon, Blaise is with him," she said to Daphne, still pulling her.

Daphne didn't see Blaise right away, but he came into view as they drew nearer. The sight of him made her heart flutter in her chest. He looked striking even at a distance: he was clad in pine green and black dress robes, and was chatting animatedly to someone Daphne could not see at his right. She assumed the seat directly beside him was saved for her, though, since there was an empty one beside Draco, who looked decidedly bored.

"Drakey!" Pansy squealed, and bounded forwards before throwing her arms around his neck. Blaise snorted with laughter, apparently having heard this, but he continued his conversation, oblivious to Daphne's presence.

Draco scowled and pushed Pansy off him. "I told you not to call me that," he muttered.

Pansy ignored this, and plonked herself down onto the empty chair. "I'm wearing the earrings you bought me," she said brightly, shaking her head so the rose quartz gems glistened in the light.

This seemed to lighten Draco's spirits, for a genuine smile stretched across his face. "They look lovely," he said. "And so do you."

Pansy looked very pleased with herself at this, and picked up a menu. "I'm starving."

"You'd better eat fast," Draco drawled. "The feast will probably end soon. What took you two so long?"

Blaise looked up at that, and as his eyes landed on Daphne, they widened comically. "Whoa," he breathed, his jaw hanging open for a while before he shook himself out of it. Then there was that cocky grin Daphne loved so much. "Hey, Daph," he said. "You look… wow."

"I could say the same about you." She beamed, stepping closer to the table. Her stomach gave an almighty grumble as she stared hungrily at the food on everyone's plates. "Sorry," she said, blushing. Then, she heard a very familiar laugh.

"Someone sounds hungry."

She looked up, and saw none other than Astoria, smiling up at her from the seat directly to Blaise's right. Daphne's stomach dropped, the smile vanishing from her face. Blaise hadn't been saving her a seat at all; had been too engrossed in conversation with her sister to even notice her arrival… it seemed Daphne had been right all along about Astoria being Blaise's first choice of date. She couldn't believe it. Of all the rotten things he could do to her, flirting with her sister right in front of her was really below the belt, even for Blaise.

"Daphne?"

His voice pulled her from her thoughts. She looked at his and Astoria's guiltless faces, and did her best to fight back the tears that were prickling her eyes. Daphne so badly wanted to run back to the safety of the empty dormitory, but then she remembered Pansy's advice. She wouldn't feel sorry for herself until Blaise was given back some of the bitter medicine he'd been dishing out. So with a new sense of determination, Daphne swallowed the lump in her throat, and plastered on a smile as she greeted her Astoria. "Hi Stori. What were you two chatting about?" She did her best not to sound accusatory.

Blaise and Astoria glanced at one another. "Oh, nothing," Blaise said. He didn't sound the slightest bit convincing, which brought a new stab of pain to Daphne's heart.

"You look so pretty," Astoria said, as though she were trying to change the subject. She gazed at Daphne's dress robes admiringly. "Lilac really suits you."

It was nice of her to say, but it struck a nerve within Daphne. Their parents had bought Astoria the most expensive, gorgeous gown they could find as a reward for getting top marks in almost every subject, just on the off chance she'd be invited to the Ball by an older student. Daphne, meanwhile, had to settle for her second choice because her parents didn't feel she'd 'earned' her first, even though she'd done just as well if not better than Astoria at her age, and that if it weren't for Hermione Granger, she'd be top of her classes too. Her parents' favouritism was upsetting, but for some reason, Blaise's rejection stung most of all.

"Thanks, Stori. You look stunning," Daphne said. And though she truly did look beautiful, she couldn't help but stare enviously at her gown. "Is it okay if I sit down?" she said stiffly.

"Oh, that's right: I'm in your chair, aren't I? Sorry, Sis." Astoria smiled and offered Daphne her seat. "Eddie will be wondering where I am, anyway. See ya later." And with a departing wave (and a suspiciously knowing look to Blaise) Astoria swept away, waves of sparkling azure and baby-blue fabric rippling around her like the ocean. Blaise turned to Daphne when she disappeared amongst the crowd.

"What was that all about?"

"What? Nothing," Daphne lied, realising that she'd evidently failed at hiding her feelings again. She grabbed a menu and began perusing it intensely, wanting to avoid Blaise's gaze, knowing she'd probably explode with all sorts of emotions if she looked him in the eye.

"Better eat fast." Blaise laughed as a huge plate of stew appeared before Daphne, "People are finishing."

Though she had completely lost her appetite now, Daphne began eating so she could continue to avoid looking at him or making conversation. Unfortunately for her, though, he couldn't seem to take his eyes off her.

"Sorry, but can you not watch me eat?" She looked up at him in spite of herself, but immediately regretted it when her eyes met his warm brown ones.

Blaise's mouth morphed into an almost goofy-looking smile that Daphne had never seen before. "Sorry, Daph. You really do look amazing tonight," he murmured. Daphne's stomach both swooped with joy and clenched painfully at his words, causing her to feel rather sick.

"T-thank you," she said quietly, inadvertently losing herself in Blaise's eyes for a moment before shaking herself out of it and returning to her food. She could feel her heart starting to betray things her head knew, and she couldn't let him get away with playing his little games again. However much Daphne wanted to be with him, the fact remained that he needed to be taught a lesson.

"Merlin, put your eyes back inside your head, Zabini," Theo Nott said as he sauntered up to the table, a glass of Butterbeer in hand.

Daphne looked at him, taking in his tall figure and luxurious mauve robes before smiling, having been struck with inspiration. "Wow, you scrub up well, Nott," she said sweetly. "Have you done something to your hair?"

"Cheers." Theo grinned. "It's nothing, just tidied it up a bit is all. And you look ravishing, if I may say so."

"Aw, you're too kind," Daphne said, making a big show of acting coy to get a reaction out of Blaise.

For once, he didn't let her down.

"Hey! Shut it, Nott," Blaise snapped, glowering at him. "And what are you flirting with him for?" he added in a lower voice to Daphne.

She blinked at him innocently. "Flirting? I was just paying a friend a compliment."

"Well where's mine?" Blaise asked, looking put out. "I am your date tonight."

"I distinctly remember repaying your kind compliment to me when I arrived," she said coolly. "But if you'd like a more specific one…" She slowly looked Blaise up and down, forcing herself to look indifferent on the outside as her heart did backflips at the sight of him on the inside. "I'd say you don't scrub up too badly, either."

Theo snorted into his glass, meanwhile Blaise looked bewildered, his ego obviously dented. "Not too bad?" he breathed to himself. "Unbelievable. Astoria thought…"

"Astoria thought what?" Daphne bristled.

"She thought you'd like the robes," he said. "Well, she liked them anyway," he added under his breath.

"Well if you care so much about my sister's opinion, then go and fish for a compliment from her!" Daphne said waspishly, anger bubbling inside her. "I mean, it's obvious she was your first choice of date for tonight, anyway!"

"What?" Blaise looked genuinely confused. He was a good actor; Daphne would at least give him credit for that. She was just about to retort when she noticed that the table had gone very silent, and blushed when she saw Pansy shuffling awkwardly in her seat.

"Err, let's go and dance," she said, tugging on Draco's arm. He'd been intently watching the entire conversation up to this point, and seemed reluctant to leave, but Pansy managed to drag him away.

Daphne watched them go. She felt a little embarrassed of making such a spectacle of herself, but launched back into the conversation nonetheless. "Don't think I didn't see you talking to her just moments before you asked me to the Ball."

Blaise's eyes were wide with puzzlement, and his mouth was opening and closing pathetically like a goldfish. This was the first time Daphne had ever seen him speechless; it was a Christmas miracle!

"I don't know why I didn't see it earlier, what with your track record." Daphne laughed humourlessly. "Joke's on me for giving you a second, no, third... maybe even a fourth, chance after that."

"Where are you going?" Blaise and Theo asked simultaneously as she stood up.

"Back to the Common Room," she said. And with a flick of her hair, she turned away with every intention of storming off, but stopped when Theo called out to her.

"Wait!"

"What?" Daphne sighed. "If you're going to defend him, just save your breath."

"I'm not." Theo gulped. "I just – You can't leave the Ball without a dance first." He extended a hand to a surprised Daphne.

"What?"

"What?!" Blaise exclaimed, looking aghast. "You've got some cheek, Nott. Just you wait; you'll have Skrewts in your bed for this!"

Daphne ignored him, and took Theo's hand, wanting to bruise Blaise's ego a little more. "I'd love to, Theo."

It took all her strength not to look back at Blaise as Theo led her out onto the dance-floor. He held her hand and waist, and began leading her to the calm music. She couldn't get over how wrong it felt; it was like they were two wrong pieces of a jigsaw that had been forced to fit together. Daphne buried her face in Theo's shoulder, wishing things were different; wishing that it was Blaise she was dancing with; that he was holding her in his arms. But how could she want that when he'd trampled on her heart time and time again? She couldn't tell if it was romantic in a twisted way, or just plain pathetic.

"What was that all about back there?" Theo asked, pulling Daphne from her thoughts.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said, not wanting to get into it. "Blaise and I don't really see eye-to-eye, is all."

"So why did you agree to come with him?" Theo asked, twirling her around.

Daphne just shrugged stupidly. "I dunno. I guess I kind of, sort of…." Her voice trailed away.

"You like him, right?"

Daphne felt her cheeks flush, but evaded the question. "I wanted to give him another chance. But this is the last straw; why go after my sister of all people to make me jealous?"

"Look, Daph, I don't know what's going on between you two, but Blaise didn't ask Astoria to the Ball. I know that much."

Daphne's eyes narrowed. "I thought you said you weren't going to defend him."

"It's the truth." Theo sighed. "I swear."

"Did he put you up to this?" Daphne said suspiciously.

"Do you think he would have reacted like he did when I asked you to dance if that was the case? He's not that good of an actor." Theo smirked.

Daphne's heart had started thumping rapidly. There was nothing but sincerity in Theo's eyes, but she still didn't dare hope it to be true. "Why are you telling me this?" She arched a brow. "He just threatened you with Skrewts!"

Theo shrugged. "I'm sick of him moping around all the time. Think of it as an entirely selfish plan on my part. You two are as bad as each other; someone has to give you a little nudge."

A wave of relief flooded through Daphne, but it disappeared almost immediately when, horror-struck, she remembered what had happened so far that night. "Oh Merlin, I was so horrible to him earlier." She groaned. "And Astoria. I have to go and talk to them." She slowed their dancing to a halt. "Sorry, Theo, do you mind?"

"Not at all," he said, dropping her hand and giving her a small bow.

"Thanks," Daphne breathed, embracing him in a quick hug before walking off the dance floor in search of Blaise. Never before had she been so happy to be wrong.

She sat on the wall outside the Entrance Hall, sipping from a frosted glass of Butterbeer. Her high spirits had dissipated somewhat; Blaise was nowhere to be seen inside the Great Hall, having likely stormed off to his dormitory after she left the table with Theo. And though he'd had it coming, Daphne felt bad all the same, as well as rather stupid for being so crazy and paranoid. Tonight had been a complete mess, and the Ball wasn't even over yet.

She stood up and hauled herself off the wall. She just wanted to go down to the Common Room, take a long bath, and turn in early for the night. She set off towards the castle, but, being lost in thought, collided with someone on the way.

"Hey! Watch where you're – Oh. It's you." It was Blaise. He was wearing a long, black coat over his dress robes and a very sulky expression.

"Oh, hi. Glad I bumped into you – literally." Daphne laughed hesitantly, but Blaise didn't look the least bit amused. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Why? You gonna accuse me of going after your sister again?" he said icily.

"No! I wanted to… to apologise."

"For what? Accusing me or for going off with Nott?"

"Accusing you," Daphne said. "I know you didn't ask her to the Ball."

Blaise grunted. "You changed your tune."

"Theo cleared it all up," she said. "This whole thing has been a big misunderstanding." And then she began to tell Blaise everything, and his attitude seemed to dissipate as she talked, almost as if he could tell how much of a big deal this was to her. He sat down next to her on the wall and listened as she opened up to him. She told him how reluctant she was to show up at the Ball because out of fear of getting hurt; how she got the wrong idea when she saw him and Astoria together, and how she flirted with Theo to get back at him. "I am sorry for assuming the worst, Blaise, but what with everything that's happened between us, I don't think you can blame me for being a little paranoid and looking out for myself."

Silence stretched between them when Daphne finished. She could feel herself shaking. Part of her wanted to stuff every word back in her mouth, but a much bigger part was glad to get everything off her chest. There was still a chance that she'd just handed him a lot of ammo he could use against her in the future, but, for the first time, she felt confident he wouldn't betray her.

"So you were flirting with Nott."

Daphne frowned. Was that really the part Blaise had picked up on? "So?" she said. His expression had softened, and his voice was no longer cold and unfriendly.

"What, were you trying to make me jealous or something?"

"Why?... Did I?" Daphne whispered. She caught Blaise's eye, and gulped. He was looking at her like he was seeing her for the first time. Could it be that she'd managed to get through to him – had made him understand?

"Yes," he said quietly.

They gazed at each other for a moment, and then, ever so slowly, they felt themselves leaning in until finally, their lips met. Blaise's mouth was cold from being exposed to the crisp night air, but it only served to send electric shivers through Daphne's body. The kiss was tender, yet full of meaning. Daphne sighed as Blaise cupped her cheek in his hand, and wrapped her arms around his back, pulling him closer, wanting to lose herself in him. She'd dreamed about kissing Blaise for so long, but the feeling was more exhilarating than she'd ever imagined.

All too soon, they broke apart. Students were watching them from the Entrance Hall, jeering and wolf-whistling. Daphne felt extremely embarrassed, but she scowled at the small crowd all the same, hating every one of them for ruining the moment.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Blaise murmured, rubbing his thumb over Daphne's hand. Her heart swooped and caught in her throat, making her feel as if it had taken away her ability to speak. She nodded to him, and they stood up before walking, hand in hand, away from the castle.

They arrived at the bank of the Black Lake a few minutes later, having been led more by their feet than their minds as they walked in silence. Blaise shook his coat off and placed it on the ground as a make-shift blanket, and Daphne took a seat beside him on top of it. She absent-mindedly watched the moonlight dance on the surface of the water, not knowing what to say. Her head was still spinning. What on earth had just happened?

"I'm so sorry, Daph."

"Hm?" Daphne said, having only vaguely heard him. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry," Blaise said. "For everything." He turned to look at her. "I shouldn't have got so moody with you just now. I don't blame you for anything you've said. You're right: I haven't exactly given you any reason to trust me. I've been such an arse to you, and I don't think I'll ever understand why you keep giving me another chance, because, let's face it, you're way too good for me."

He paused, and took Daphne's hand. She felt like she hadn't drawn breath in a long time. "This has been a long time coming, but I do really like you, Daphne. I have for ages; I've just been too immature and scared to admit it until now."

"'Too immature'? You're only a year older than the Su thing." Daphne gave a weak laugh.

Blaise's smile turned goofy. "Yeah, well, I'll be sixteen next year, won't I? Figured I ought to man up." He then began searching in the pocket of his robes, and withdrew a flat, square box from inside, which he handed to Daphne. "Here. Tonight hasn't gone exactly as I'd hoped, but I wanted to give you this, both because it's Christmas and I'm really sorry. I understand if you can't forgive me and don't want it."

Daphne stared at him, and then the box; this had taken her completely by surprise. She ran her fingers over the velvet lid and opened it, gasping when she saw what was inside. It was an elegant silver bracelet, made up of a delicate chain and a dainty heart in the centre. "Oh, Blaise," she said, gently picking it up. "This is beautiful."

"Astoria helped me pick it out," he said, looking extremely relieved with her reaction. "She told me you don't like anything that's too over the top."

"She's right. This is perfect; thank you so much." Daphne beamed at the bracelet, which she held up in the light to inspect more closely. Then she noticed that something was engraved onto the heart – a single initial – and her mouth morphed into a surprised 'o' shape.

"B," she whispered.

Blaise seemed to take her stunned silence that followed as a bad thing. "Yeah," he said uncertainly. "I-I can change it to a 'D' if you want; I'm getting quite good at Charms… But I guess I also wanted to give this to you as a gesture of me, er, asking you out."

He said the last few words so quietly that Daphne wasn't quite sure if she'd heard him right. "What?" she said. Her heart was pounding in her throat.

"I knew it was a bad idea," he said, beginning to back-peddle. "It might be asking too much for you to even forgive me, let alone ask you to be my girlfriend, but Astoria insisted that it's romantic or whatever. She's been trying to convince me not to chicken out of doing this."

Ohhh, Daphne thought. That would explain why they'd been talking tonight.

"– But I get it if you don't want to, or even keep the bracelet for that matter. Here, I'll just take it back and we can pretend this never –"

Astoria cut Blaise off with a kiss. "Shut up, Zabini," she said affectionately. "Of course I want to be your girlfriend! But I'll have you know that you'll have Pansy as well as me to answer to if you dare mess me around again."

"Oh, Merlin." Blaise laughed nervously. "As if I'm not terrified enough of either of you as it is."

Daphne smacked his arm playfully. "You won't though… will you?"

"Of course not," Blaise said. "I'd be an idiot to risk losing you."

"You already are an idiot," Daphne said, planting a kiss on his cheek. "But you're my idiot."

The End.

A/N: I apologise if this seemed a bit disjointed or rushed; I wanted to get it done in time for Christmas. I hope you all enjoyed it nonetheless :)