SIMON

I shouldn't be watching this. It feels too personal. It's beautiful. I feel a twinge of something in my chest. I'm not sure of what it is. Baz is so much taller than Dylan. His black hair is sliding out of where he had it slicked back this morning. A lock has fallen over his face. It's annoying me. I want to push it back behind his ear. But that would blow my cover.

I really should go before Penny's magic wears off.

Dylan's got the side of his face pressed into Baz's chest. They're just hugging. So why do I feel so upset? I came here to make sure Baz made a move. But now that he has, I'm not sure I like it. It's not because they're both blokes. I've got no problem with that. It's not because Dylan is transgender either. That's perfectly okay too. So why am I so jealous? Am I jealous. Is that what this feeling is? I wasn't jealous when Agatha told me Dylan was her roommate. Dylan's a cool bloke too. Wicked good with magic. He's got all sorts of fun spells. Says he makes 'em up himself too. If anything, I should be jealous that he's Agatha's roommate. He's like a better version of me, and he shares the same room as my girlfriend.

And yet, here I am being jealous that he's holding hands with Baz. With my roommate. With my arch-nemesis. Get yourself together, Simon.

I decide it's time to leave before I do anything rash.

Penny's sitting on Baz's bed. I keep telling her not to do that. He'll rat her out to the Mage immediately if he catches her. 'That's if he catches me, Simon.' She's downright mad.

"And why did you need me to spell you invisible and silent?" She asks, swinging her legs.

"I told you already. I needed to watch Baz." I can't tell her why. It's not my secret to tell. I want to tell her. But I don't. I can't. It wouldn't be right.

"And did you see him drinking a rabbit?" I can just hear her roll her eyes in her tone alone.

"No, but there's always next time. I'll prove he's a vampire eventually. Now, get out before Baz comes back. You really shouldn't be up here at all when he's on campus. He could catch you."

Penny throws her hands up in exasperation. "Simon, you've got to get over this obsession you have with Baz!"

"You just want me to let go of the fact that my roommate is an evil vampire who tried to feed me to a chimera?" Was trying to matchmake Dylan and Baz really a good idea? I could be leading the poor bloke into a life of evil blood drinking.

Penny doesn't say anything this time. She just sighs as she gets up. "Goodnight, Si."

After seeing her off I gather my things for a shower. As an afterthought I pull out a pair of trakkies.

By the time I turn off the shower I hear soft violin music coming from the bedroom and I know Baz is back. I dry and dress quickly.

"So, how was your evening?" I ask.

Baz puts down his violin and bow and smiles. Merlin and Morgana, what a smile he's got. I don't know what time it is, but I do know that it's fairly late and Baz is in his pyjamas playing that damn song he wrote and smiling like a lovesick girl. He looks just the way Penny did when Micah asked her out.

"Well, I asked him for a walk and we went out into the wood. I told him that him being trans didn't mean anything to me. That he's still the same bloke that walked into Latin class four days ago. And then I told him I was gay," Baz giggles.

Baz.

Giggled.

Seven snakes, Baz giggled.

Baz knows how to giggle.

Has Baz actually been evil this entire time, or has he just been a closeted gay? I don't know what to do with my hands, so I put them in the pockets of my trakkies. I don't know what to do with my mouth, so I just let it hang there. Well, not necessarily hang. I'm a mouth breather, so I have to keep it open, but at the same time I don't just drop my jaw to the floor.

But Baz has to be evil. How else could you explain the way he's been staring at me since first year? Or why he tried feeding me to a chimera? (I'm never letting that go.) And that thing he did to Phillipa in fifth year? Or when he pushed me down the stairs? And yet that same evil vampire was sitting here, cross-legged on his bed, giggling and pushing his hair behind his ear like Agatha does.

Why do I feel like this? Like my chest is collapsing? Like I can't breathe, even though I'm breathing just fine. Like I wish I was the one he was giggling about? Am I jealous? Jealous because Agatha doesn't giggle and look at me like that? I haven't seen her smile at me like that in a long time. I'd forgotten about that look. And yet it's Baz reminding me that people smile like that.

Snap out of it, Simon.

"And what happened after you told him you were gay?" I ask as I sit on my own bed.

"He said he was too! Snow, do you know what this means?" Baz shouts.

"No?"

Baz rolls his eyes at me. "You're as thick as a numpty, you know that, Snow? It means there's a chance! He likes blokes too! There's a chance I could get him to like me!"

"Oh, Baz, that's great!" (Is it though? Why do I feel so guilty about this?)

"Snow, you sit next to him in Magickal Arts. Try and find out as much as you can about him and what he likes in a bloke. I'll see what Dev, Niall and I can learn about him. And I'll go from there," Baz is grinning so hard I'm surprised I can't see any fangs.

Everything on his face screamed "plotting!" Everything in his words screamed it too. But for once, I knew entirely that he was plotting, and it had nothing to do with my demise.