Disclaimer: Chapter two. Applies.
"I'm getting tired of the whole you-Harry situation," Daphne Greengrass said bluntly, after another couple of weeks of note-exchanging between Blaise and Harry. "If you like the boy, you should talk to him. Simple as that. Dilly-dallying around with pen and paper just doesn't solve anything, doll. Be a big boy and talk to the dear."
Blaise grumbled into his pillow. The petite brunette was perched on the edge of his bed, in the Slytherin boy's dormitory, where Blaise had been sleeping until moments before. Slytherin dormitories usually were three students to a room, but in light of recent circumstances, the two other boys that shared Blaise's dorm had taken another room as their own. "What was that?" Daphne said with a cheeky smile spreading across her face.
Blaise threw a pillow at her in response. When the pillow missed Daphne by more than a foot, she replied, "I won't even lie by saying that your throwing a pillow at me was well said, because it missed me by a landslide. Now get up so we can converse."
He merely burrowed deeper into his covers, ignoring her completely. "Wakey, wakey, Blaise-y," she cooed, batting her eyelashes coyly at the boy's nearly-sleeping form.
He didn't comply, but emitted a snore in blatant defiance. "Look, Blaise. We can either speak about this like civil human beings or you can go without a best friend," Daphne spoke angrily.
"Daph, it is five o'clock in the morning," Blaise murmured sleepily.
"So?! You're supposed to put up with my crazy talking sessions in the early hours. You see, this is partially why I abhor men," she said frankly.
"Uh huh. I see," Blaise replied. He propped himself up into a sitting position. Daphne calmed down.
"Sloth is one of the seven sins, you know, Blaise-y," she sniffed. "It's a very unattractive habit that you should try to break."
Blaise shot her a pointed look. "I'm aware," he drawled. "And just so you know, I am planning to talk to Harry."
"Oh really," Daphne said, a whisper of excitement in her voice.
"Yes, really," he replied. "Before Christmas break."
"Or during," Daphne suggested.
"During?" Blaise replied skeptically, "Doesn't he always go home with Weasley during Christmas break?"
Daphne shrugged. "How would I know? I don't have a degree on Harry Potter."
"Thank Merlin," Blaise laughed. "Before Christmas break," he repeated, mostly to himself, "That will have to work."
"If you say so," Daphne intoned nonchalantly. "I'm just happy that you'll finally stop mooning over the poor thing and actually do something. He must be so out-of-sorts, not knowing who you are and whatnot."
Harry Potter was indeed out-of-sorts about what to do about his mysterious paramour. Winter break was quickly closing in on him, and he was determined to figure out who the leaver-of-notes was before he went to the Weasleys for Christmas. Hermione and Ron were still perfectly willing to help, but Harry tried to keep them further away from the task at hand as of late. He was adamant about solving this puzzle himself.
Nothing in the notes really revealed anything important. All he knew was that the person was a lover of poetry, from all of the poems that he managed to spew off, and that they were interested in him somehow. The thought of Voldemort had crossed his mind once or twice, but he couldn't bring himself to think the worst about the person.
He wanted the outcome to be good, for just this one time.
He shook the thoughts out of his head and prepared himself for his upcoming tutor session with Neville. Believe it or not, the sessions really did seem to be helping the boy a little bit. He rounded the corner and stepped into the library.
"Hello, Harry," Neville beamed as he spotted Harry. Over the last few weeks, Neville had begun to be okay with talking to Harry and had grown in confidence significantly. All previous stuttering and stammering that was there had ceased altogether.
"Hey, Nev," Harry replied as he sat down across from Neville. Books were already spewed across the table, making look as if Neville had been hard to work studying before Harry had got there. "Hard at work?"
"Oh, yes," Neville replied. "I really think I can get an Acceptable this year in Potions if I try hard enough. You're such a great tutor, Harry."
Harry waved away the compliment embarrassedly, pink tinging his cheeks. "I haven't done anything at all. You're the one putting in the hard work," he told him.
Neville paused for a moment, before speaking cautiously, "Well, since we've both worked so hard, would you care to join me for a butterbeer the next Hogsmeade trip?"
"Sure. Hermione, Ron, and I were thinking of going anyway. We'll be a foursome," Harry agreed.
"Actually," Neville began quietly, "I was thinking that we could go alone…"
"Oh," Harry said.
"…like a date," Neville finished.
"Oh," Harry repeated, this time with recognition of what Neville was saying.
Neville's eyes flickered towards Harry's. "You know, Nev," Harry said, "I don't know if I'm ready to begin dating…"
"Just one drink, Harry," Neville asked again.
"I don't think I can. I'm sorry."
"You never know until you try," Neville said. "At least, that's what my Gran always says."
"You're a great guy and everything, I just…"
"What is it that's the problem, Harry?" Neville asked heatedly. "Is it that you don't know me well enough? Okay. I'm an orphan, like you. I'm an only child. I have a pet frog. I like poetry, candle-lit dinners, long walks on the beach…"
"You like poetry?" Harry interrupted.
"Yeah," Neville answered with a smile.
"I like for you to be still…It is as though you are absent…And you hear me from far away…And my voice does not touch you…" he quoted. When Harry paled, he explained, "It's one of my favorites. It's written by Pablo Neruda. Have you heard of him?"
Harry whispered, "No, I haven't."
"Are you alright, Harry? You look a little peakish," Neville asked concernedly.
Harry shook his head. "I'm fine, Neville," he answered. "In fact, I'm more than fine. I would love to go on a date with you."
Sorry for the delay. I was working on stage crew for the autumnal one-act plays that my school does. Believe it or not, back stage stuff takes –really- long.