Challenge 2: Study Date
Pairing: Blaise/Neville
House: Gryffindor!
"Zabini and Longbottom, Malfoy and Potter, Goyle and Weasley . . . "
Neville's hands shook under the table as McGonagall read off the pairings for their upcoming transfiguration projects. There were far less groans than there normally was when Slytherins and Gryffindors were paired up, old rivalries having diminished in the aftermath of the war.
So being paired with a Slytherin wasn't his problem, oh no, it was that particular Slytherin that had his heart pounding, and face draining of color. Neville thought he might be sick.
He had known of his feelings for Blaise since a little after sixth year, but was far too shy to even begin to think of doing anything.
He was shy, clumsy Neville. He had no amazing qualities; he barely knew why he was placed in Gryffindor. Sure, his grandmother had been proud of him after The Battle of Hogwarts, but that could hardly make up for all the years she had called him a failure, had insulted and belittled him.
Not only that, but he was far from oblivious. He heard what others had said about him. And now he came to the conclusion that there was no chance whatsoever, that the Slytherin he had so often dreamed about (he couldn't help the blush that appeared on his face) liked him.
He looked up as someone sat in the seat next to him at his table. He felt his heart jolt as he looked into the molten chocolate eyes of Blaise Zabini. Oh Merlin, he thought, how could he handle not revealing his crush if he would have to constantly be with him for the project.
He had barely even listened to the details of the project after he had heard who his partner was.
"Longbottom?" Blaise questioned staring intently at him, "Are you alright, you look paler than usual"
Neville blushed furiously at that, "I- I'm fine" he stuttered out.
Blaise smirked, trademark of a Slytherin, "That's fascinating, where as a second ago you were paler than you normally are, your blushing ten more shades of red than I've ever seen. Care to tell me why?" he asked in a low voice.
"I- " Neville wondered if he would faint from the amount of blood rushing to his face, he felt extremely hot, and he had a dreadful feeling that it was more from the boy in front of him, than the warm room.
"Someone's awfully flustered" Blaise drawled, "Is it possibly because of me."
Neville made a strangled sound in his throat, before turning away to copy down the instructions from the board on a spare piece of parchment.
Blaise took this time to study the Gryffindor. He had hardly realized when he had begun caring for the clumsy Gryffindor in front of him. He was accident prone, hopeless at most things other than Herbology, and a Gryffindor. But Blaise had somehow come to see, mainly during sixth year, that he was also extremely brave, ridiculously loyal, somewhat clever, and to his surprise when he had cared to look closer, quite handsome. Neville had very dark curls that framed his face nicely, high cheekbones and captivating hazel eyes.
Neville was aware of the other boy staring at him, but tried his best to ignore it, not wanting to think too closely about it. What if he was annoyed that he got Neville of all people to be his partner? What if he hated him? Neville shook his head slightly to clear his paranoid thoughts and reread over the instructions that he had copied from the bored.
Neville cleared his throat lightly, snapping Blaise back to attention. "We should probably start by going to the library, if we're supposed to figure out how to change one animal into another on our own, we'll need to study up on it."
Blaise looked up at him blankly, "I learned how to do that in fourth year" he said simply, "Most of the Slytherins have, ask Draco how that lesson went" he said with a smirk, "I have a feeling he might have permanently developed a strong weariness of ferrets."
Neville laughed at that, and unconsciously turned his gaze over to the next table, where Draco and Harry seemed to be in an intense discussion about something.
"I bet Harry would love to hang that over his head" he said idly.
Blaise smiled wryly, "I'm pretty sure Potter's the only one Draco would let get away with that."
The Gryffindor looked at him curiously, but Blaise just shook his head, and instead grabbed the instructions out of Neville's hand, skimming them lightly.
"I don't think it will be much of a problem, I'm fairly sure that I could teach you. How about we forgo the library for now, and we can meet tonight by the Entrance Hall. I know a place where it will be easy enough to practice, and we'll have privacy, so there should be no interruptions."
Neville could have sworn his heart rate doubled, as he looked down, trying not to play too much into the words.
"Alright, that sounds fine, what time?" he managed to murmur, willing the pink tinge in his cheeks to go away. Blaise looked at him and smirked, causing his blush to darken.
"How about nine, is that too late for you?"
Neville shook his head. "No, that's fine, where are we going?"
Blaise smiled conspiratorially. "It's a surprise"
Neville swallowed nervously at the grin he was receiving but nodded, starting to pack up his things as the class ended.
He bent down to pick up his book bag, and when he stood and turned around he was met by Blaise.
"I'll see you tonight" he said, moving a stray curl behind Neville's ear. And with that he gave one last smile before walking away.
"Neville," Harry questioned from his place on his bed as he looked up from his potions book, "What are you doing?"
Neville looked up shyly from his position over his trunk, looking for something suitable to wear for his practice session with Blaise that night. "Just . . . you know, trying to find something to wear."
Harry simply gave him a raised eyebrow, so he nervously continued, "Well, it's just" He wracked his brain for something to say, "I guess I wear robes so much, that I hardly have any suitable clothes here for other things. And I need clothes that I can wear tonight for practicing the spell with Blaise"
"Are you sure you want clothes simply suitable for practicing? Or do you want to look good for your study date with Blaise?" The emerald eyed boy asked with a knowing smirk.
Neville blushed even harder, and he idly wondered for the second time if he'd faint anytime soon, what with all the blood that seemed to be rushing to his face that day, "It's not a date!" he said, voice cracking slightly.
Harry scoffed, "Right, and Hermione's not a bookworm. You two are so obvious about each other it's sad really."
"What" Neville asked panicked, how many people knew that he liked Blaise?
"Well, maybe Blaise isn't as obvious as you are, but I've known you long enough to see how obvious you are about liking him. And I guess Draco knows Blaise pretty well because he says that he's quite infatuated with you as well."
Neville blushed, going back to looking through his trunk as he stuttered, "Th- That's ridiculous, why would Blaise like me?"
Harry sighed, standing up and crossing the room to where Neville was, moving him out of the way as he rummaged through his trunk, "Don't sell yourself short, you're a great guy Nev, Blaise can see that, and he likes you. I'm sure, with the right outfit . . . that he won't be able to hold back any longer and will surely ask you out." Harry said, before standing up and presenting Neville with and outfit.
Neville looked at the raven haired boy incredulously. "You're kidding, these pants could fit a third year, I have no clue why I still have them. And when did I ever get that shirt?"
Harry stared at him, amusedly eyeing the tight black pants and silky red shirt that was very low cut. "Remember, Seamus bought it for you in Hogsmeade, he said you needed better clothes than the one your Grandmother picked out."
"Right" Neville muttered "How do you expect me to get into these pants?"
Harry rolled his eyes, "You can still fit them, they're meant to be tight, now get dressed, you're supposed to meet Blaise soon."
Resigned to his fate, Neville went into the bathroom to shower and change.
Neville smiled shyly at Blaise as he met the Slytherin in front of the great oak doors. Blaise looked very good, Neville thought to himself. He wore slim grey jean with a green button down shirt with silver dragons that swirled languidly around the cuffs.
Blaise smiled in greeting, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the Gryffindor.
"Alright, let's go" he said, as he grabbed Neville's hand, leading him through the doors and out onto the grounds. Neville blushed at the contact, but was inwardly happy, and that showed by the small smile that graced his lips.
The night was cool, the crescent moon above casting an ethereal glow over the grounds, and shimmered on the surface of the lake. The two walked in pleasant silence, listening to the crickets chirping along with the other sounds of the night.
Neville stopped abruptly as he saw where Blaise was leading him, causing Blaise to halt also. "The Forbidden Forest?" he questioned, a hint of fear in his voice.
Blaise nodded, "Don't worry though, we're not going far into it, it's a place Draco and I found one day. Trust me; I wouldn't let anything happen to you."
Neville bit his lip in thought, drawing Blaise's attention to his mouth. Neville stared at him for a second before nodding. "Alright" he said.
Blaise shook his head for a second as if to clear it, before leading them into the forest, hands still intertwined.
"Okay, we're here" Blaise said after a while, letting go of Neville's hand. Neville sighed quietly at the loss of contact.
Neville slowly looked around, taking in his surroundings. They were in a small clearing near the edge of the Forbidden Forest. There were flowers surrounding it, and the trees were slightly thinner overhead, compared to the rest of the forest, allowing him to see the sky.
"Do you like it?" Blaise asked quietly.
"It's beautiful" Neville replied.
"Yeah" Blaise shrugged with a grin, "So, ready to practice?"
Neville nodded taking out his wand and looking to Blaise for instructions.
"Alright" Blaise said walking over to stand a few inches from Neville, "First, just work on the movements and the spell, before we actually practice on something."
Neville nodded, and Blaise reached forward, grasping his hand holding his wand. Neville bit his lip at the feather light contact, causing Blaise's attention to wander.
"Neville" he sighed, bringing his hand away and up to run his fingers gently through the Gryffindors hair, "You're really not making this easy for me."
Before Neville could inquire as to what the Slytherin meant, Blaise leaned up and brought their lips together in a soft kiss. Neville froze at the contact, but soon relaxed as a pair of strong arms encircled his waist, opening his mouth up to questing tongue that was begging for entrance. Blaise thoroughly explored the warm cavern, running his tongue teasingly over every inch as if trying to commit it to memory. Neville moaned softly into the kiss, Blaise deliciously tasted of chocolate.
The two pulled apart to catch their breath, though Blaise's arms remained around Neville's waist, who was now blushing.
"So" Blaise said noticing Neville's flushed face with amusement. "Will you be my boyfriend?"
"Yes" Neville said breathlessly, idly noting that Harry had been right.
"Great" Blaise grinned, before swooping down to capture Neville's lips in another kiss. Needless to say, Neville didn't learn the spell that night.
AN: The challenge was to write a story about a character in your house, and I chose Neville! Hope you all liked it!
Oh, and go check out the first ever Drarry Awards,where you can submit and nominate Drarry stories for categories like best Happy Ending, best chemistry, best kiss, and so on. . . the address is http : / forum . fanfiction . net / forum / The Drarry Awards / 76446, just take out the spaces. =)
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