A/n: Please regard the story's rating.
4:20 PM
.
.
.
Tick.
A door slammed shut.
Tock.
A desk scraped loudly across the floor.
Tick.
A light thud sounded as he placed her on the desk, followed by heavy breathing and the frantic shuffling of fabric.
Tock.
He pressed forward.
"Oh—" her mouth fell open.
Tick.
So he did it again.
And again.
"Oh. Oh yes—" she keened as he applied a friction that only increased with his brutal movements and the passing time.
Tock.
Her fingers dug into the stiff fabric of his shirt as she desperately tried to hold herself together, lost in the sensation of continuing in his own pursuit of pleasure.
That is, until he drew himself up and winced, sucking in a breath of vexation.
Tick.
"Hey! What gives—?" She sat up on her elbows, prepared to express her frustrations, except she wasn't expecting to see his face depicting guilt...and pain. Oddly enough, it was the most open she had seen him all evening.
"I'm sorry."
"Blaise?" His beautiful female companion asked, suddenly concerned.
But he couldn't hear her over the loud pounding in his ears.
Tock.
"I can't do this..."
30 minutes earlier...
"Mister Zabini, if you don't stop making such a fuss, I will have to ask you to leave."
Madam Pomphrey had been enjoying what she would call her first break of the day which allowed her to have peaceful silence despite her choosing to use it brewing more healing potions. Typically, she had a well stocked inventory but since the violence and accidents had significantly decreased this year, she hadn't been in need of them. That is, until a severely injured Draco Malfoy was unexpectedly brought into her care this morning, forcing her to use up all that she had to keep his condition stable.
Eventually it reached the point where the visitors became too much of a distraction for her. The much needed silence was proven to be beneficial and continued to be so until Blaise unexpectedly burst through the hospital doors, making a beeline for the only occupied cot. For a while, he simply stood there staring blankly at him so she let him be. Then he began to shout expletives, escalating in volume and desperation with each passing second, all while he remained oblivious with the fact that he wasn't alone.
The dark skinned wizard was suddenly made aware of his company when she approached him, irate with his behavior. Not like he was bothered by that fact in the slightest, for he was far more preoccupied with other things.
"What were his injuries?" He asked her, tones depicting darkness and void of any of the emotions he conveyed earlier.
To say she was caught off guard by his inquiry was an understatement. Nevertheless, she thought it best to answer him and proceeded to recite the injuries she had tended to thus far;
Fractured wrist...shattered collarbone...internal bleeding...punctured lung...
With every word that fled her mouth, the weight and guilt of the day piled onto his shoulders. She wasn't even halfway through before he turned abruptly and stormed out of the room. He vaguely heard her call after him, likely concerned with his mental state and well being but in that particular moment, he really didn't care.
He needed to leave.
Though the corridors weren't densely populated this time of day, there were still quite a few students who eyed him curiously as he fled. While the distance between him and the hospital wing grew, so did the whispers. He grew more and more tense with each suspicious glance cast upon him.
Get a hold of yourself, you bloody idiot. You're only drawing more attention to yourself.
Perspiration began to form. His blood began to pump faster. Louder. His legs carried him a great distance down the endless corridor as the need to evade served as his primary source of energy. Running away was what he had become best at. What others didn't know was that he had to before it all caught up to him.
Except this time, he was too late.
It forcefully slammed into him all at once, knocking all the air from his lungs;
Screams filling the pitch.
Pitch black darkness overcoming broad daylight.
Startled, he wrapped an arm around his middle, clutching onto it as a familiar emptiness took its unwelcome place within.
The dead unmoving bodies in the ruins of the courtyard—
Beads of sweat fell to the floor while he braced himself against a nearby wall with gravity working against him.
Due to their collective ignorance, their companion was in the hospital. How could they have let this happen? How could none of them see this coming? How had they become so foolishly gullible to believe they were in the clear? They wanted to believe others had thought differently of them but why did they care?
His jaw tightened as he saw red.
With a loud grunt and a spurt of adrenaline, he exerted the pent up energy in a split second. A shout of pain followed shortly after once his fist made contact with a solid, concrete wall. Wincing a brow, he lifted his hand closer to inspect the damage. Fresh cuts across his knuckles caused pools of blood to collect and drip onto the floor below.
Had it not been for Granger—
A harsh laugh escaped his throat.
The beloved Gryffindor Princess...
When he heard she would be returning to Hogwarts this year, he took the liberty of seeking her out to make amends. She certainly had not been as prudish as they previously thought. She was very much still a stuck up swot when it came to her academia, but she has a sense of humour and had learned not to take things as seriously with them. Not to mention how well she physically matured over the years.
He blamed her as the reason they all grew soft. Her do-goody mannerisms started to rub off on them and now they were unarmed. Vulnerable. They were defenseless. She convinced them there was no animosity. They all let their guard down because of her. They dared to believe they could even be friends. And no one fell more victim to her and her amity bullshit than—
His stomach dropped. The air grew cold. Like a dementor had suddenly set foot on campus though he knew it to be impossible. In a panic, Blaise broke into a sprint in search of the nearest empty classroom.
Slamming the door behind him, Blaise struggled to control his breathing as he sank down to the dusty floor. There was so much pressure. He just needed some solitude and silence. That's it...peace and quiet would do him some good—
Tick.
His eyes jerked open. He looked around the dark, abandoned classroom for the obnoxiously booming clock to blast.
But the walls were empty.
Tock.
So much had built up over the past few hours. He needed relief. He needed an outlet.
He felt the beads of sweat continue to trail down his face. He shook his head defensively, refusing to let himself cave in.
Tick.
But it had been too long since he had been with someone. He needed to feel in control. He needed to feel something cave to him. Someone, anyone, who looked nothing like her.
Tock.
A knock sounded from the door, startling him.
"Hello?" A light, feminine voice called for him. His brow furrowed. It seemed familiar though he couldn't put a finger to it.
Tick.
"I'm fine," he said.
"There's blood on the floor. Are you hurt?"
Oh, right. He still hadn't tended to that. He glanced down at his open wounds before muttering a simple healing spell.
"Small cut. Nothing to worry about." He yelled back, hoping that would be enough to suffice her to leave him be.
Instead, she knocked again.
Tock.
He cursed under his breath as he sauntered over to the door. His aggravation faded slightly when the door opened to reveal an attractive seventh year he recognized from his Herbology class.
"What do you want." He snapped.
"You seemed upset," she noted. "I wanted to see if you were alright."
He looked at her in bewilderment, unsure of her motives. "I've...had better days."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
He couldn't refrain from letting out a harsh laugh. Of course. She was trying to be compassionate.
Compassion.
Fucking compassion.
He was all too familiar with this game. Why did everyone bother to pretend to care by helping them? It was clear all everyone wanted was the lot of them dead.
He wanted to tell her to leave but his insides were tightening. His skin was boiling.
It had been a long time since he succumbed to such a way of...relieving tension.
Two years, in fact.
Tick.
Tock.
No. No, he needed to stop running away from his problems like this.
"I'm not really in the mood to talk." He turned around and tried to shut the door behind him. Except it was blocked halfway in it's journey when she swiftly placed her foot in the way.
"Look, I know it's been a rough day. With Malfoy and everything," she explained. "I wanted you to know...we don't have to talk if you don't want to."
He turned to look at slowly, finding her dark blue eyes, and stared blankly at her.
He saw it then, what she was suggesting. Her breath hitched when he glanced down at her body. The times he had caught her staring at him during class alone told him she'd be a more than willing participant.
So if she wanted to help him...
With a heavy breath, he nodded shakily and she stepped forward.
10 Minutes Later...
"Blaise?" The witch in his arms repeated when he didn't clarify what he meant.
To say she was confused is an understatement. She had been enjoying herself! So was he, to an extent. Normally, an attractive witch falling victim to his beckoning like this would send his ego skyrocketing, leaving trivial emotions like guilt and shame behind.
For Blaise, sex was more than a way for him to feel good. It allowed him to feel powerful. Needed. It kept him grounded, something he sought for time and time again to escape the insanity of his mother's plots to off her many husbands and gain their riches. It hadn't started out that way but nowadays it was a tactic that worked well for him. So well, it got to a point where his friends joked about it being an addiction.
At first, he laughed it off. Then all of the jokes were pushed aside when one of his closest confidants made a point to express his concerns after he had been with five different witches in the same day. Blaise would never forget how much of an eye opener that day had been when Draco, of all people, sat him down and helped him realize an unhealthy habit. Ever since then, Blaise could finally identify a particular sensation that he was never able to completely shake off, for it always came with each sinful interaction.
A sense of vulnerability.
Typically, it was easily overshadowed by pride and bliss though at this current moment, he couldn't help but feel otherwise. In fact, instead of feeling the remorse that came with the chase for release, he felt...nothing.
Tick.
Why was he second guessing himself?
He froze, a chill sent down his spine when she said his name again. A cold splash of water to his face would have been more pleasant.
Blaise pulled away briefly to catch his breath, pondering the current situation.
Tock.
He froze before letting out a disgruntled sound.
That damn clock.
Tick.
Why could he still hear that stupid clock?
"What's the matter?" Her breathy voice extracted him from his thoughts.
"Do you hear that?"
She waited a moment before answering.
"Hear what?"
Tock.
His left eyebrow twitched in aggravation before he shook his head.
Nothing about this was right.
"Wrong," he murmured. "It's all wrong."
"What's wrong? You can tell me." To her credit, she sounded genuinely concerned. But he needed space.
"You should go," his voice was hardly above a whisper. "I'm...I'm sorry for wasting your time."
The witch stared at him in wonderment. He couldn't stop from mentally slapping himself. She was beautiful and she seemed to actually care about his well being.
What the actual fuck was wrong with him?
"Did I stutter? GET OUT!" He nearly shouted, startling her into holding her blouse closed, scooping her robes from the floor and practically bolting from the classroom.
He signed dejectedly as soon as she left, deciding he would apologize for his behavior later.
Tick.
He sat down on a nearby chair in an attempt to calm himself.
"Blaise?"
He cursed under his breath.
Why was the universe hellbent on torturing him today?
"Blaise, is that you—?"
He shut his eyes.
Sod. Off.
"There you are!" The door creaked open. "I've been looking for you everywh—oh!" She yelped the second she caught sight of his disheveled figure.
Unfortunately for her, he hadn't bothered making himself presentable since his interaction with the Herbology witch.
"What do you want?" He demanded as she openly stared at him.
"I-ahem-wanted to check on you. See how you were doing." She explained uncomfortably as she was unable to tear her attention away from his partially exposed chest and unfastened trousers.
"Granger and Weasley put you up to this, didn't they?" He sneered distastefully.
"They were concerned, as was I and—I'm sorry, could you please...fix yourself? I'd rather not have this conversation with you all..." she waved her hands about, blazing red as she gestured to his nether regions, "...exposed."
Recognizing the opportunity for a challenge arising, he happily took advantage of her evident discomfort. He folded his arms across his chest and widened his stance, much to her displeasure. "If you want to talk, I'm afraid you're going to have to deal with it."
Taking a minute to weigh her options, she sighed at having to other option than to beckon to his requirements. "Very well," she answered before stepping through and closing the door behind her to reserve his modesty. "Yes, they sent me after you because we're both worried about you. And Theo—" At the mention of his name, Blaise let out a loud, obnoxious scoff.
"You can't avoid him forever, you know," Elena stated, unimpressed with his behavior. "You'll have to talk to him at some point. He feels terrible—"
"As he should!" He countered, scowling. "It's his own damn fault this happened in the first place."
"You know this was never his intention," she offered in an attempt to calm him.
"Doesn't matter, does it? At the end of it all, he's still the one responsible."
"Is that so? Because the way I see it, his best friend is in the hospital and he is currently suffering alone which he shouldn't be," she corrected him. "And neither should you." She tried to inspirit but Blaise wasn't budging. "Put yourself in his position. You were lucky enough to be paired with someone who was willing to work with you. As was Malfoy. But you saw how Cabbott treated Theo. Why wouldn't he try his best to ensure he performed well academically if he had no other choice? And while you have other...means for distracting yourself, he's been undergoing interrogations since the game ended. The aurors have been tearing him apart," she trailed off, wincing in sympathy for him.
"I know," Blaise sighed dejectedly. "Except that doesn't make me any less pissed."
"No one expects you to feel differently. You're allowed to be upset but it shouldn't be because of Theo. He was used for her own personal gain. You shouldn't exile him because of this."
Slowly but surely, the tension began to ease off his shoulders. "I still need space for the time being. I'm afraid I might be tempted to kill him myself if I see him now."
"You don't mean that," she prompted. To be honest, she wasn't completely sure.
"Well I don't have Cabbott in front of me to Avada so Theo's death by association would have to suffice," he admitted, half joking.
"Interesting," she commented, conflicted on whether she should laugh lightly or be fearful of being in a room alone with him.
Blaise chuckled lightly, shaking his head at his own remarks. "Don't take any of what I say seriously. I'd never actually kill him. Cabbott, on the other hand, had better end up in Azkaban or she will find herself at the other end of my wand."
"She was taken away by the aurors earlier," she reassured. "Along with her brother."
"And Theo?" She was pleased to note his inquisition contained the faintest hint of concern, drastically contrasting to the start of their conversation.
"They deemed his involvement incidental. McGonagall fought for him. She did say he would have to redo the potion's assignment but she planned to give him space for the time being given the circumstances."
He nodded, seemingly content with her response.
"How are you feeling?" She asked, cautiously.
"You know, I do feel better. I'm not hearing those random noises anymore."
She tilted her head at him, "Noises?"
"I kept hearing a clock ticking in my head. Thought I was going mad." He joked lightly, hoping he didn't come across as mentally unstable. Especially in front of someone he seemed to enjoy the company of.
She furrowed her brow at him. "Curious."
"I know. Maybe I actually have lost it—" he trailed off when she shook her head.
"No. I mean, I wonder if it has to do with your head injury and your watch being broken," she inquired.
Head injury?
"M-my watch...?" He glanced down at his wrist. Sure enough, the emblem he often wore for good luck during Quidditch was shattered with the second hand twitching aggressively in place beneath the cracked glass. He must have broken it during the explosion. Or when he caught Draco mid-air. Either way, the sound it emitted wasn't pleasant though it was far less significant than what it had been. "It was much louder before," he noted.
Elena hummed in response, "Hermione mentioned you were the closest in proximity to Malfoy when the blast happened and was worried you may have concussed but wouldn't feel the effects of it until the adrenaline wore off. She told me you weren't in the wing being tended to so I sought out to look for you. I'm glad I did," she offered, shifting on her feet under his attentive, disbelieving gaze.
"Unsurprisingly, her hunch was correct given how everyone said you were behaving in the corridors." She shuffled around in her bag in search of something while Blaise took in her words, thinking back to when he was struggling to stand upright in the hallway and the sporadic pounding in his head. Even in these turbulent times, the Gryffindor princess continued to make such a drastic impact on their lives.
She really was something else.
The second he wakes up, I need to help get Draco's head out of his arse, he thought to himself.
Elena let out a sound of satisfaction when she found what she was looking for. Her wand.
"Here—" with a flick of her wrist, his watch was instantly repaired.
He stared, mesmerized by the happily ticking watch, then he looked up at her, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," she smiled lightly at him.
"You're alright, you know," he said slyly, almost pleased with himself when her cheeks gained a light pink hue.
"We should get going," Elena said, fighting the urge to smile. "You might want to take care of that, first." She gestured to the still very interested part of him.
Blaise glanced down at himself and groaned in frustration. "Fuck."
"I hope you aren't still thinking about that girl who bolted out of here. She's notorious for sleeping with upperclassmen," she told him, unable to withhold a smile any longer. Blaise shook his head out of his stupidity. He just had to let his urges get the better of him again.
"It's been a long time coming, I suppose." A pause. "Say, you wouldn't want to help me here, would you?"
Appalled, she gaped at him. "Absolutely not."
He shrugged, unsurprised. "Thought I'd ask. I'm sure you have your own opinion of me with the rumours."
She smiled sadly. "I've heard the stories."
"I'm sure they are as wonderfully scandalous as everyone's made them out to be," he retorted dryly.
"Perhaps," she hesitated. "People have said it wasn't always like that. Some have said you were in love once," she remarked carefully.
Blaise huffed a sarcastic laugh. "Is that right?" Though a flash of longing and sadness swept across his face before he could stop it, betraying him.
Elena hummed in acknowledgement. "I'm sorry she broke your heart."
Stunned, he stared at her. "That's not what the rumours—"
"I know," she said with a tone of finality. He watched her quizzically when she put away her wand and gathered her belongings. "I'll be waiting outside—"
"Wait, I still have to take care of this." He gestured down to his nether regions. She paused, raising a brow at him.
"Yep. You have five minutes," she answered smugly, leaving the room without another word.
3:53 PM
Why?
Why. Why. Why.
Of the millions upon millions of questions that ran through his head in the last hour, none of them were as recurrent as why.
Why did this happen?
Why after everything they'd done all year to try and improve their tainted reputation?
Why couldn't have been him?
So many why's flooded his mind. And the one how...
How could he have let this happen?
Lost in his self-wallowing, he neglected to notice footsteps encroaching until he saw a pair of shoes step into his eyesight focused on the ground. He glanced up only to be greeted by Ginny, freshly showered and changed from her dirtied (mostly bloodied) uniform with worry etched into her brow.
"We should go. There's a chance Madam Pomphrey's finished healing him."
Highly unlikely, Theo thought.
He gave a nod in agreement anyway.
Without any further acknowledgment, he forced himself from the sofa in the middle of the Gryffindor common room and followed her out with slumped shoulders as she led them to the hospital wing.
Theo himself was no exception to the countless other spectators who had been blindsided by the match's abrupt and unexpectedly bitter end. Especially when Cabbott, who was nothing but hostile towards him, expressed her own excitement for the day's arrival.
Immediately following the match's end, he was required to undergo interrogations seeing as it was technically his potion that was used. Nothing could have prepared him for the endless flow of questions that were thrown his direction. Nor did he anticipate the aurors' ruthlessness. He did his best to address his lack of involvement in her actual plans but in the end, it was a constant reminder of the truth. The unforgiving fact in which he helped to craft the potion that put his friend in harm's way. He let the Cabbotts get away with their scheme and those facts weren't leaving his conscience anytime soon.
By the time he was released from their custody, he was so mentally and emotionally exhausted that he hadn't noticed Ginny who had been sitting outside and waiting for him. When he was unresponsive to her inquiries, she admitted defeat and proceeded to physically drag him to the Gryffindor common room so she could change before they headed to the hospital wing.
When they arrived, the wing had been cleared of any prior visitors for though the room was far from untouched.
Dozens of empty bottles and jars lay scattered across the floor around the bed. Soiled towels and rags sat in clumps, surrounding the perimeter of the single occupied bed in the entire wing.
With no sign of Madam Pomphrey, the pair stepped inside and placed themselves in empty chairs at the front of the cot. Both stared at the motionless body for what felt like decades as time had become an abstract concept. A tense silence befell upon them as Theo remained mute since leaving the interrogation and Ginny knew she had to tread carefully so as to not set him off.
"I thought Blaise would have been here by now," she ventured with uncertainty, astounded at the lack of his presence given the circumstances. Though Theo did not seem shocked in the slightest.
"I'm sure he's cross with me," Theo supplied flatly.
"Why is that?" Ginny asked pointedly, and he huffed a sigh.
"You know exactly why."
"It was never your intention to hurt him," she attempted to protest. "Besides, he's your friend—"
"—and it was my potion that put him here, Weasley," he snapped with an edge she hadn't heard from him before. "He's here because his so-called friend didn't bother to think twice about creating a potion that wasn't on Slughorn's list. His friend who didn't question the potion's risks despite the ingredients it required. Nor was he suspicious with the way his partner was so eager to finish, all because he wanted to make a good impression," he pronounced with disgust.
"I'm sure they will come around," she offered.
He huffed mockingly. "You wouldn't think that if you knew our history," he mumbled.
"Maybe not," she agreed, leaning closer to place a light hold on his shoulder. "And I won't pretend like I know you all that well, either. But I've seen how the three of you are with each other. You can't tell me you truly think they'd abandon you after this."
"I don't know how it works in your world but in my experience, friends don't typically stay friends after nearly being killed by them. I don't see this as anything different."
"It's true, you don't have the most...conventional relationship. But it does have its strengths," she pressed, deciding she had reason to believe so after witnessing their dynamics the last few months. "The three of you have been through more together than most wizards our age and lived to tell the tale."
"Still, I should have seen it coming," Theo added bitterly, shaking his head.
"They hid their tracks well. No one could have predicted this," Ginny supplied earnestly.
No one. Except for one.
The wizard sat motionless, pondering over her words.
"They warned me about her, you know..." he eventually said, "'Don't get ahead of yourself, Theo'...'tread carefully around the enemy, Theo,'" he mimicked their taunts to the best of his ability with a hint of regret laced in his words. "She hated me. I knew she did. And for some reason, I wanted to believe I could somehow change her mind about me. About us." He paused, "She smiled at me today...just before the match. I thought it was strange, considering she hadn't done that once all year. Then the second Draco was hit, I knew—" at the last word, his voice became pained.
She remained silent, unsure of how to bring him comfort as she came to realize the true source of his guilt. He felt used, acting as her pawn placed on the wrong side in a game he never wanted to partake in. In her conversations with Blaise, she learned Theo was always eager to please. It was a trait he picked up from always trying to please his peers and elders. A trait that was the main reason for his drive to do well in school.
"The way I see it, your only fault was picking such a shit person to change the mind of," Ginny remarked dryly, pleased when there was the faintest hint of his lips twitching upwards. "And for what it's worth, you have changed the opinions of others, whether you realize it or not," she offered encouragingly.
He looked up at her, eyes riddled with hope for the first time that day.
"You think so?"
"I wouldn't be here if I felt otherwise," she answered with a reassuring smile.
Theo nodded slowly, uncertain of how to process that information.
"I'm sure Blaise just needs space," she continued. "He's upset with the circumstances, as I'm sure you are. But your friendship is stronger than that. Unfortunately for you, I think his temper is comparable to Malfoy's." Her smile grew when he barked out a laugh.
"It's a scary thought, isn't it?" He retorted.
"A bit, yeah." She chuckled lightly.
"If you think that's terrifying, you should hear how he used to cope."
"He...may have mentioned it to me." Ginny muttered under her breath, glancing hesitantly at him, and Theo turned to her, his mouth agape with horror and disbelief.
"Did he really?"
"We've had more than enough time to dispel certain secrets in between brewing sessions."
"And...? What did you say?"
She shrugged, "I told him I've heard of worse ways of relieving tension and stress but not much aside from that." Theo merely stared at her. "What?"
"Nothing. Guess I'm not used to others being so...accepting. Pansy and the others gave him grief, rightfully so. His mother is insane and would have praised him if she knew. But his grandparents..." he trailed off.
"I know." Ginny stared down at him, silent, and she swallowed hard, forcing away a grimace. Like mother, like son, he had said were their last words to him. "The expectations of your culture are maddening."
"You're telling me," Theo huffed. "I guess, if there are any positives, at least we don't have to endure what Draco does," he added. "Not anymore."
With that, they turned their attention back down to the cot in front of them. Despite their attentive gazes, they failed to notice the subtle twitching in his fingertips.
Before they knew it, he began to convulse violently and they were urgently rushed to vacate by an irate Madam Pomphrey.
Afterwards, they found themselves sitting in the Slytherin common room where they decided to remain until they received further news regarding Draco's condition. The brief silence returned until it was broken by a sob. Alarmed, Ginny turned to look at Theo whose constrained emotions were finally breaking free. Wincing in sympathy, she rubbed his back as his body shook.
"It's my fault," he choked out. "It's all my fault..."
"Shh, it's okay. He'll be alright." Though her words faded into the background, his mind stuck on a mantra of unbridled guilt.
6:03PM
Theo had been in the process of digging an invisible trench with his footsteps to preoccupy his thoughts while they waited for an update. Though it would seem no matter what he did, nothing seemed to lessen his unease. His gut was suspended in the air and had been since they were forced to vacate the hospital wing several hours ago. Aside from the obvious, only one other thought plagued his guilt-ridden mind;
"I should probably find Blaise."
Ginny paused in her essay writing and looked up at him, "Are you sure that's a good idea?" She prompted with uncertainty.
"It's been hours and Salazar knows what kind of a mess he could be stirring up if he's still pis—"
"Pacing again? I thought Draco talked to you about that already..."
The snarky voice caused Theo to put a halt in his movements. He slowly turned to face the wizard leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed and proudly displaying a smirk as he glared at him. Theo narrowed his eyes at him and glanced at the second figure that suddenly appeared from behind the dark skinned wizard.
"Elena," Ginny exhaled with relief upon seeing her.
But Theo paid her no mind as his kind nature abandoned him and his long-thinning patience finally snapped with the sight of her human shield.
"You finally decided to show up," he prompted irritably.
Blaise huffed a sarcastic laugh, taking a few steps into the room. "I do sleep here, you know."
Theo narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Where have you been, exactly?"
The wizard blinked at him, feigning ignorance. "Thought I'd take a stroll around the campus. It's a rather lovely day today, don't you think?" he asked neutrally, challenging him.
Ginny, on the other hand, had her own questions prepared when Elena tiptoed around them and discreetly took a seat beside her on the sofa.
"Where did you go? You've been gone for hours!" she hissed, recalling when the Hufflepuff set off to search for the wizard shortly after the game was dismissed. She watched a flicker of turmoil cross her expression.
"It's a long story. We'll talk about it later," she muttered under her breath, watching the two irate Slytherins interact from a distance.
"You decided to take a stroll," Theo echoed, disbelieving.
"I wanted to clear my head. What do you want from me?"
"What's that look?" Theo questioned, tone riddled with scrutiny as he noticed his laidback composure.
"What look?" Blaise asked aggressively. Almost too aggressively.
"You seem awfully relaxed—" he cut himself off, eyes widening when he realized how he had been occupying his time. "You went and spite-shagged a witch again, didn't you?"
"He did what?" Ginny exclaimed, turning to Elena for affirmation. The grimace on her face told her everything she needed to know. "I thought you put those habits behind you."
"I—" Blaise broke off, scowling at her tone. "Watch it, Weasley. I don't recall asking you to act as my parental figure," he quipped fluidly, pointing an accusatory finger at her. "As for you," he switched targets as he addressed Theo, "I don't think you have the right to lecture me."
"You're right. Because while I'm undergoing interrogations by the aurors and being directly blamed for the incident, you're off shacking up with random women," Theo scolded darkly, the weight of the day returning upon his shoulders.
Blaise shrugged, the ghost of a smirk on his features. "She wasn't random. She was the cute one from Herbology."
"You mean Anna?" Theo hissed. "You didn't even bother getting to know her name before getting in her knickers?"
"Who's to say she was wearing any?" He sneered.
Ginny let out a shriek of disgust. "Seriously, Blaise?"
Blaise rolled his eyes at their nearly-matching expressions before throwing his hands up in defense. "All I said was Theo's pacing was a bad habit. I didn't expect to get attacked for my personal life choices. I hardly think I'm the one you all should be questioning here."
Elena grimaced as he glared hexes at Theo, thinking that maybe he did have a point in needing more time before confronting him.
"Bugger off, will you?" Ginny snapped. "He's already gone through enough today and he doesn't need you here if you're just going to be a knob."
In an instant, his eyes darkened with rage. "You're picking the wrong battle to partake here, Weasley," he sneered distastefully. "Why are you even here?"
She shot straight up from her seat beside Theo, nostrils flaring as she glared at Blaise. "What am I doing here? In case you aren't aware, a significantly traumatic event occurred on school grounds today. Hell, we're all out of sorts and you decided to abandon him...and us," she replied with a snark tone as she folded her arms across her chest.
"Weasley, it's alright," Theo tried to reassure her.
"No Theo, it's not," Ginny responded before redirecting her attention to Blaise. "I didn't judge you for your choices when you told me what you'd done in the past. I listened, I understood your reasoning and I continued to respect you. But this..." she struggled for a moment, unable to find the proper words. "I thought you changed."
"I'm here, aren't I?"
"Oh thank goodness," she said mockingly. "I'm so relieved you decided to show up hours later while your best friend was having a mental breakdown—"
"Ginny—" Elena attempted, startled, but she continued onwards. Even stepping up to him, eyeing him as if pushing him to challenge her.
"He needed you. We needed you—"
"Weasley, don't—" Theo pleaded.
"—I just don't see how you can call someone a friend if you can't stand to be by their side when they need you the most."
"Fuck, now you've done it," Theo mumbled. The damage had been done and Blaise was positively seething at this point.
"You think I don't know what it's like to be worried for someone when they could be doing something self destructive?" His voice was unmistakably laced with acid as he stepped closer. "Not all of us were fortunate enough to be provided protection like you were. I may have shared tidbits of my life with you but you have no idea what we had to endure that year," he spat distastefully. "Not even close."
"Oh give me a break," she scoffed loudly. "Don't act like you're the victim here—" Ginny's mouth continued to move but nothing came out. Appalled, she grasped at her throat and glared at the wand pointing at her.
Blaise snickered but stopped when the wand suddenly pointed at him.
"Both of you, shut it," Theo intervened, placing himself in between them while still aiming his wand at Blaise. He took a moment to pocket his wand before addressing the wizard in front of him. "It's me who you're cross with so just say what you have to say and let's be done with it," he interjected, clearly exhausted from the day's events.
Just like that, Blaise's entire demeanor changed as he proceeded to unleash the tension that had been accumulating since the Quidditch game ended abruptly. Along with the newly created tension from the rather unsatisfying interaction with the Herbology witch from earlier. "How did you not see this coming? We fucking warned you not to get to close to her."
Theo, to his immense displeasure, let out a gruffly resigned sigh.
"I messed up, alright? I know I did. But you and Draco...both of you managed to land working alongside two of the most brilliant and incredible witches in our year. They openly hated us at one point and we gave them more than enough reason to. All I wanted was to feel an ounce of that. To have a partner who didn't spend every second of the day making me feel like a nuisance. It seemed like a harmless wish at the time," he informed him, suffering another sharp prick of guilt.
"The assignment was a huge part of our grade and she was finally willing to cooperate with me after I agreed to do the potion she wanted. It was an opportunity of civility and didn't think twice about it," he said softly. "You have to believe me, I didn't know it was her intention to hurt Draco. If I did, I never would have agreed, I would have reported her to Slughorn if that were the case—"
"Would you?" Blaise prompted smoothly.
"Is that really what you think?" Theo asked, glaring at him. "You think I wanted this happen?"
"You had motive," Blaise mumbled.
With widened eyes, Ginny and Elena watched with rapt attention. They remained utterly still and silent as the conversation suddenly took a turn. Meanwhile, the other two kept on with what appeared to be a long overdue talk.
Theo shut his eyes, shaking his head in incredulity. "That was years ago. I don't fault him for what happened. Regardless, I would rather suffer through a million cruciatus curses before letting any of my friends get hurt. That, I can promise you," he clarified, remaining firm as he spoke.
"What about Sixth?" Blaise recalled. "You almost fled the country with your mum—"
"Except I didn't," Theo insisted, cutting him off. "My mum chose to flee, but I stayed. I stayed with you lot. My friends. I couldn't abandon you."
"Even Draco?" Blaise asked, almost defensively.
"Especially him," Theo answered firmly. "That's my friend in that hospital cot, you arse. We had a rough patch, but I know what he sacrificed. I know the risks he took. We all saw what he went through that year."
Blaise refused to make eye contact with him. The girls had seen him take out his aggression but never in such a defensive way before.
"May I ask," Elena felt her cheeks flush as she attempted to break through the tension. "I only wondered...why is it that you're so...erm...?" She struggled to find the appropriate phrasing.
Ginny took that as an opportunity to tap Theo on the shoulder and pointed to her throat.
"Oh, right. Sorry about that," he said apologetically before taking his wand and lifting his silencio spell.
"Much better," she sighed out of relief before addressing Blaise. "I think she wants to know why you're so defensive over Blondie," Ginny finished for her.
Theo huffed what closely resembled a laugh.
"I find it hard to believe Draco lets you call him that," Blaise remarked snidely.
She shrugged her shoulders. "He calls me 'Red'. It's a fair trade."
"Right. Well..." he hesitated. Theo's lips twitched at his evident discomfort in the topic.
"You weren't in love with him, were you?" Elena asked smugly, though genuinely curious.
Theo and Ginny laughed in unison while Blaise was a bit startled by the abrupt change in topic. "No, I wasn't. Nor am I, currently," he eventually answered. "Let's just say, he helped me through a rough time of my own and that's something I'll never live down." He lifted his gaze to Ginny's who nodded in understanding. Lowering them back to Elena, he continued. "Look, it's no secret the year Dumbledore was killed was a traumatic year for all of us, agreed?" They all nodded. "Well the summer prior, just before his sixteenth birthday, Draco made a decision. A decision that changed his perspective on everything."
"He took the mark, didn't he?" Elena asked, aghast.
Blaise nodded grimly. "It drained him. Hell, it nearly bloody killed him. I guess, in a way I felt obligated to help him."
"But...no one forced him to take the mark, right? Was it not his choice?"
"It's not like he's reminded of that every fucking day," Blaise tutted.
"I didn't mean," she began, and stopped. "I'm sorry."
A few beats of silence passed while Blaise grimaced at his harsh reaction.
"That year, Draco made the choice thinking it would change everything. And it did, just not in the way he expected," Theo affirmed calmly. "We all made choices we wish we could take back. And no one knows it more than him. Nobody." He paused, watching Blaise's expression gradually soften.
She nodded in understanding. It would seem their Sixth year held more to it than either of them initially perceived. Ginny wondered if there were details her brother and his friends left out purposefully for her benefit. Even so, simply pondering on the morning events still left a bitter taste in Ginny's mouth.
"Thanks for sticking around, by the way." Theo smiled at the pair of them. "I wish I'd realize I've been focusing my efforts on the wrong people this entire time. You lot...and Granger—" he paused. "Hang on...where's Granger?"
The other three occupants of the room froze as it suddenly dawned upon them they hadn't seen the curly haired witch for several hours.
"Holy shit. I figured she'd been with you all this entire time," Blaise stated, mildly perturbed. "When was the last time you all saw her?"
"I haven't seen her since the game and I couldn't find her in the common room or any of her usual spots," Ginny recalled.
"She was leaving the hospital wing the last I saw her. Just before I went to find Blaise," she trailed off, the flickering image of him in disarray causing her to flush.
Theo hummed as he consolidated all of the new information and expelled one collective thought. "Well, if we know anything, she's the most stubborn, capable person we know. I'm sure she'll manage."
"He's definitely right about that one," came a new voice from a person being hidden behind the door. A familiar mop of black hair came into their line of vision. Then the glasses. Followed by the warm smile that never failed to shake Ginny to her core.
"Harry!" She exclaimed, making a bee-line towards him. She threw her arms around him, managing a tight grip on him before kissing him deeply. They ignored the sounds of exaggerated retching in the background.
"Ugh, I'm suddenly reminded of why you Gryffindors disgust me," Blaise sniffed his disapproval with a subtle tone of amusement underlying his words. "How did you even get in here?"
Harry pulled away from the embrace and glared at the dark skinned wizard. "I'm an auror in training and the school is still under investigation," he answered flatly before addressing the witch in his arms. "Ginny, what are you doing here with them—?" He whispered harshly to his redheaded girlfriend, who quickly sought to keep him from jumping to unnecessary conclusions.
"Relax Harry. They're friends of ours now," she explained. "This is Elena, by the way." she gestured to the witch who was waving timidly while standing beside Theo.
"Pleasure to meet you," Harry mumbled in greeting, nodding briefly at her before examining the wizards with scrutiny. "Hang on, did you just say you're all friends now? I find that hard to believe."
"It's true, Potter," Blaise smirked. "Who do you think keeps watch over her when Granger isn't around?"
"Or helps her when she gets behind on her assignments?" Theo added.
"Or keeps her from sneaking extra chocolate from the kitchen," Blaise finished.
"She what?" Harry exclaimed, exasperated. "Gin, we've talked about this—"
"Calm down, will you? I told you I'm working on it."
Harry sighed out of relief and smiled at her. "I'm just glad you're not hurt." He admitted before turning to their company. "Any of you."
"Have you seen Hermione?" Ginny asked. "She's not with Blon—I mean Malfoy, is she?"
Harry raised a brow, perplexed at the near slip of her apparent nickname for him. "No. She left the school a few hours ago. She mentioned wanting to leave before Greengrass showed up?" Harry paused when everyone shared a look of disdain. "Am I missing something?"
"She's his soon-to-be-betrothed," Blaise answered disdainfully.
Harry's eyebrows shot up. "Malfoy's engaged?"
"No. Not yet, anyway," Theo winced. "It's a bit complicated. Pureblood tradition bullshit and all that," he waved his hand about. "You know."
He furrowed his brow before replying slowly. "I see. I didn't realize you all felt this way about Daphne. I always thought she was rather lovely."
"Merlin no, not Daphne," Blaise chuckled lightheartedly. "She was always the sensible one. Got on with everyone. Well," he glanced at Theo who'd become visibly despondent, "— most of us anyway. It's her younger sister, Astoria."
Harry blinked. "She has a younger sister?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Blaise groaned in detest. "The little tramp was already a pain in our arses and I'm afraid your friend's only worsened things."
"Who? Hermione? What's she done?" At that, Harry only received a tense silence in response. "I'm still missing something, aren't I?"
"It's not important, Harry," Ginny interjected. "There's still the issue of Hermione having left the school?"
A good thing about auror training was they really freshened up his occlumency skills.
"She wanted some space so McGonagall gave her permission to leave school grounds," he replied evenly.
"Well where did she go? Surely we could make sure she's doing alright—" Ginny pleaded but Harry shook his head.
"Hermione specifically requested that she didn't want anyone accompanying or coming after her. She'll be back tomorrow," Harry frowned, fully knowing Ginny would not approve of his response. "You said so yourself. She's the most stubborn, capable person we've ever met," he added. "She'll manage," Harry offered with an unnoticeable trace of hesitance as he thought of her current whereabouts...
"Good afternoon, Miss Granger."
"I hope you're doing well."
"Please give Mister Potter my regards."
"How do you do, Miss Granger?"
She lost count of how many guards she passed who bid her greetings. Brief smiles and curt nods were all she could manage at the moment as she strutted down the long, endless corridor. She wasn't here for socialization. No...she was here with a purpose.
With determination in her step, Hermione let adrenaline be her fuel as she was led hallway after hallway. The guards stood against the walls to ensure they wouldn't stand in her way but prepared in case they were needed. No one batted an eye when she arrived and demanded an audience of one. No one questioned her when she said she was here under direct order of the Minister. Though truthfully, she could have gotten away without the Minister's permission. It was one of the few times like this where it made her appreciate her legacy and title.
When they finally arrived at their destination, they confiscated her bag and her other belongings, only permitted to keep her wand though restricted to use a few spells. They held the door open for her and she stepped inside the dimly lit room, catching a glimpse of the person occupying the other side of the interrogation table before turning her attention to the supervising guard.
"Just remember, we will be right outside. Signal us if you require any assistance and we will come bursting through these doors."
"Thank you, Auror Renaldo. I can take it from here. "
"My pleasure, Miss Granger." With that, he exited and shut the door behind him. Hermione stood her with her back still turned towards the man seated at the middle of the room.
"I certainly wasn't expecting to see you of all people when they told me I had a visitor," came a handsome, yet tired voice with a slight undertone of shock.
She turned around.
Brown, fiery eyes met cold, icy silver. Then she drew a breath.
"Good evening, Mister Malfoy."
A/n: Firstly, thank you all so much for being so patient with me. I recently got engaged over the holidays, started a new job last month and top of that, I've been asked to be maid of honor for another wedding so life has been a liiiiittle hectic! I'm sure many of you were anticipating Draco and Hermione's interaction post-match but I really wanted to take the time to showcase the secondary characters here. I think you guys will really appreciate how it contributes to the overall plot. This will be the last detour we take before everything solely focuses on our main faves :) -E