Draco swallowed hard as the Envolé of Ravenclaw glared at him from his Second's lap, "Good evening Winged One. I didn't recognize you."

'Correction- I didn't expect to find you in Blaise's lap!' Draco's wandering mind was quickly (and quite rudely) yanked back to the irate Prince in front of him. Sometime while he was in dreamland, she had crossed the room to stand in front of him. The distinct height difference should have made the threatening look on her face comical, but Draco was far from laughing.

"Oh yes, Serpent Seigneur, I do believe I forgot to inform you of your Deuxième Serpent's new status. He has been chosen as my amoureux à ailes," Her slight blush was barely noticed, embarrassment causing her to scowl harder.

Draco felt his composure falter as he looked from one to the other, "And when did this happen? I was not informed."

Blaise straightened his posture, widening his stance and clasping his wrists behind his back. Alex returned to his side to slide her hand into the crook of his elbow. The picture they presented was impressive; the dark sapphire and emerald complementing each other as well as the two personalities in front of him. Draco surmised that there was more going on here than just a power struggle, that the potential for more was staring him in the face. He was unaware that his mouth had opened slightly until Ginny brought his attention back to the present discussion.

"Draco love, you're attracting bees," Ginny closed his mouth gently as she turned to regard the couple in front of her, "Congratulations are in order I presume?"

Blaise nodded his head at her, "With your permission of course, Bride."

Ginny looked puzzled, 'Okay, he's invoked my 'Title' which means what I say is probably important….wait a tic….' "Are you saying you have to have my approval?"

Blaise looked uncomfortable for a minute or two, his bicep flexing under Alex's hand, "As Deuxième Serpent I must have my Prince and his Consort's approval."

Ginny grimaced, "You have my approval Deuxième Serpent."

She nudged Draco, who looked like he was going to protest. Instead he inclined his head at the couple, offering his hand to Blaise in an awkward show of masculine support.

Blaise bowed his head towards Ginny with a relaxed smile. Alex felt his body relaxing from its heightened tension and let her fingers stroke his arm. She still couldn't decide if the compulsion to touch his skin was rooted in her or in the magical bond they shared and for just a few minutes she found she didn't care. The way he tilted his head to smile down at her caused her breath to catch in her throat, his silver eyes a stark contrast to his chocolate skin. The coloring was some kind of magical genetic fluke, it had to be. Alex had never come across someone else who looked like him in her entire life and she found herself mesmerized.

A throat was cleared somewhere off to the side, snapping her back to the present. She was losing her edge, "My apologies Draco. I fear I am not myself tonight."

"It happens to the best of us Alexandria, no harm done." Draco tugged Ginny to him by the back of her neck, "I was the same way with Ginny when we first got together. I still get lost in her every now and then."

Ginny smiled at Blaise, "I'm sure that Blaise had nightmares still over this past summer's events. It takes getting used to, the bond between Prince and Consort. I didn't realize what it was until we came back here. As long as you don't rip his clothes off in classes I'm sure we can forgive you."

Blaise turned a dusky red all the way to the roots of his hair, "Yes. Well. Let's all go to the Kitchens shall we?"

And he preceded them out, Alex and Ginny following along, chatting amiably. After a few moments the girls realized that Draco wasn't following them and Ginny went back to grasp his arm. Draco shook his head once to clear it of the disturbing visual image that his charming girlfriend has so graciously supplied him of his second and Ravenclaw's Prince going at it in McGonagall's class.

…

Pansy was sprawled on her bed, glaring across the room at Millicent, "Do not."

"Do too," She replied smugly, flipping through her issue of CosmoWitch™.

Pansy rolled onto her back and glared at the ceiling, "Do not."

"Do too."

"Do Not."

"Do Too."

"DO NOT!"

"DO TOO!"

Pansy rolled back onto her stomach, "I do not have a crush on that arrogant, infuriating, childish….incredibly hot man. That is final."

Millicent flipped a page in her magazine, "You do too."

Pansy gave an indignant huff and hopped off her bed. She grabbed her POTO CD and started for the door, "And it's no secret that you like Gregory Goyle."

As she swept through the door, she heard indignant sputtering and a half squeaked, "Do not!"

…

Damien was having troubles of his own back in Hufflepuff house.

'One would think that these were the easiest going lot out of the four but they would be wrong. They have all the 'best' qualities of the other three in damn near equal amounts.' Damien raked a hand through his shoulder length honey colored hair and sighed.

"How's it coming me boy?" the Fat Friar asked jovially.

"Not very well I'm afraid Friar. Poor Rose Zellar got stuck in the vanishing stair again. I spent half a day attempting to calm the poor girl, then another half an hour persuading her to just think the step wasn't there and that if she did she'd get her foot out," He scrubbed his face roughly, " I think I am just going to head down to the Kitchens and grab an ice lolly."

The Friar nodded, "Sounds like a good idea me boy. Keep yer chin up! Ye're doing a splendid job of it!"

Just as the ghost turned to leave, Damien remembered something, "Friar? Are you on speaking terms with the Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron?"

"Aye lad. What is it ye're needin'?" The Friar inquired.

"Would you ask them to tell their Princes that I would be grateful for a meeting at 8:00 on Saturday, please?" Damien saw the ghost nod before he phased out.

'Those Ghosts are indispensable,' He shook his head before leaving the Commons and striding up the long corridor from the entrance, 'Wonder who else is about?'

…

Pansy decided she'd go and sing in the Kitchens with her house elf, Myrna. Carrying her CD, she left the commons and walked briskly to the Pear portrait. She tickled it and crept in. Imagine her surprise when she heard welcoming cheers toward the back.

Glancing toward the raucous table she found Alex, Blaise, Draco and Ginny all of them nursing varied treats.

She grinned and waved her CD at Alex, "Lookie what I brought Ms. Alex!"

Alex let out an excited gasp and leapt the table to hug her hard, "Oh Pansy, I love you! Can we sing it? Please?"

She laughed and tossed the CD in the air. A whispered charm and suddenly the opening strands of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera filled the kitchen. Alex looked as if Christmas had come early.

When 'Think of Me' came, it was without the voices.

"How did you get a performance track?" Alex demanded, pausing the CD.

Pansy grinned, "Internet."

The two girls quickly lost themselves in the music, singing along with various tracks and generally making fools of themselves. Alex twirled around the kitchen, her blonde hair floating behind her as she laughed with her fellow Broadway fan. Pansy was right behind her, spinning counter clockwise toward the door. She was surprised to find her momentum stopped as she came up against another person's body.

Damien looked down at the top of Pansy's dark head as he closed his arms around her shoulders. She rested her hands on his chest, bringing her eyes shyly up to his. His boyish grin lifted her heart and she smiled back at him.

"Hello Compte De Blaireau, would you like to join us?" Pansy couldn't help the breathless quality of her voice as she had been twirling with Alex for some time.

Damien felt his gut clench and his hands tightened on her shoulders. She looked confused for a moment, pondering what she could have done to anger him, and then caught the flicker of heat burning deep in his eyes. Her own heart rate sped up in response and her body leaned closer to his of its own accord. Damien's hands glided from her shoulders down to her hips and around to the curve above her backside. Pansy kept her hands glued to his chest, not trusting herself to move them.

Damien pressed her forward with the hands on her back tilting his head down toward hers. Pansy's breathing hitched as she leaned up, using her hands on his chest for balance. Their lips met in a tender kiss that quickly devolved into a heated passion.

A low whistle from deeper in the kitchens made the couple start, but instead of letting go and springing apart Damien tugged Pansy into the protective curve of his body. His hazel eyes swept the room for the source of the noise and found the littlest Weasley grinning at him from a booth in the back corner. The Slytherin Prince had his arm draped across the back of her chair with a complex look on his face. Damien wasn't sure why that look was directed at him, but wasn't inclined to go poking at snakes with sticks.

The warm body pressed pleasantly against his shifted, bringing his attention back to her, "I cannot think of anything I would like more."

Pansy went to move back towards the group but her progress was halted by Damien's strong hands at the base of her spine. She looked up at him quizzically, "Damien?"

"We will discuss this later sweetling." His voice promised heat, but under the surface was something else. Pansy couldn't wait to discover what lurked under the affable façade of the Compte De Blaireau.