Take me Home

Chap. 8 - SIMPLE AS THAT

"How are you feeling? Are you ok?"

Draco clenched his fists and counted to ten. If his mother asked him the same question one more time he would literally explode. When Narcissa had first arrived the day before, he'd been very pleased to see her, but at the present time, with all that extra-attention, he was quite annoyed by her presence. Narcissa had never been the caring type of mother. Not that she hadn't wanted to be, but Lucius had made her restrain her feelings around Draco for so long that she had gotten used to playing the distant mother. Now that she had the chance to redeem herself, she was overdoing her attention, making Draco uncomfortable.

"Don't you have a meeting to go to or something?" he growled.

She sighed, "I'm only trying to help you, son."

Draco chewed his lower lip and looked at her. "I know, it's just... this is weird."

"Not weirder than your father taking care of you."

He smiled. "That would definitely be number one of all the weird moments of my life. Lucius taking care of me would be even weirder than when Ginny Weasley was being all friendly with me yesterday." He shuddered at the thought. Ginny had been interesting company, but after a while Draco had gotten tired of her shiny happy people spirit.

"Oh, I really liked her. She's such a lovely girl," Narcissa said with a tender smile, remembering the sweet girl that had walked into Draco's room with him the previous night, to her utter surprise. The moment they had seen each other, Narcissa and Ginny had bonded in the most wonderful way. That fact had made Draco's terrible mood get even worse.

"She is lovely, indeed," Draco agreed against his will. "She's also very irritating if you ask me. Honestly, she couldn't keep her mouth shut even for a second! And it looked as though she had memorized by heart the Witch Weekly's therapy section!"

Narcissa laughed at the memory. Ginny sure liked to analyse people a lot.

"She was quite insightful about you," she pointed out.

"If I were you," said Draco coldly, "I wouldn't be so excited about her. I was still gay last time I checked."

"I won't play the matchmaker on you, Draco. I know where your heart is. Speaking of which, when are you going to put your pride aside and talk to Harry? Even little Ginny was cheering for you to confess your true feelings for him."

Was it Draco's impression or there had been a playful tone in Narcissa's voice? And what was that about little Ginny?

"Ginny doesn't know half of the story. She thinks she's got everything figure it out. Ha! She wishes!"

"Hmm..."

"Don't 'hmm' on me! Besides, you giving me advice about my relationship with Harry is just freaky."

"Teenagers," she whispered and Draco snarled.

"All right," he sneered, "If that's what you want, I can play the same game, too. I'm a master in making people uncomfortable. So here it goes. How come you still haven't married the star dog? Is it because he's a fugitive or because he's afraid of intimacy?"

Narcissa blushed at her son's audacity. "No, Draco. It's because your father and I are still married; and there's also the fact that I don't want to get married that fast. Not after being married to Lucius for so long. I'm... enjoying my freedom," she confessed quietly.

Draco frowned. "Do I smell trouble in paradise?"

"I won't discuss my relationship with Sirius with you!" she protested.

"Ha! See? See how uncomfortable it is to talk about your private life?"

"All right, I'll stop talking about Harry," she gave up. "And for the record, Sirius and I get along just fine."

"Fine. It's not my problem anyway."

"Good."

They silenced for a moment.

"I just can't understand what you see in a guy like him," Draco said suddenly.

"Sirius is a good man, Draco. Besides, it's not that simple when it comes to love. It's never simple."

"You got that right," Draco sighed, his mind drifting away to Harry.

He wished his life was simple. He wished he could just apologise to Harry and make up. He looked at the ring Harry had given him, and then at the Argus - which had been another gift from Harry. His eyes fixated on the ring and it started to glitter slightly. The only time he had seen the ring glitter like that had been when Harry had first put it on his finger. At that memory, his eyes filled with tears. Before the memories of them could wash over him, he noticed that the Argus was scintillating as well. His eyes flashed open and he wondered what that was all about.

His concentration was broken by Narcissa's worried voice and the object went back to normal.

"What's wrong, Draco?"

He looked at her puzzled face and asked, "Did you see it?"

"What?"

"The Argus was scintillating very weakly. Did you see it?"

She shook her head and he sighed. Maybe he was losing his mind. Perhaps it was another effect of the poison. He was not only hearing voices but also seeing things.

"I would die for Harry," he began quietly, his eyes lost. "I'd always thought I would die for him. But I won't. I will die because of myself. I won't die for him. I wanted to die for him."

A sudden thought came over him but he held it to himself. He still could die for Harry if he wanted to. He still could make a difference. At that thought, his eyes sparkled, making Narcissa even more worried.

"You won't die, Draco!" she exclaimed.

"Of course I will. We're all going to die someday," he replied. "The real question is how am I going to die? Like a bloody loser or like a hero?"

"Don't even say that! I don't like where this is going, Draco."

She stared at him as if she was trying hard to read his mind. Draco was glad that she couldn't. No one should know about the plans that were crossing his mind. He had just decided that if he would die, he would die in great style. He would die not because of a stupid guy like Goyle but for a reason greater than life itself. Harry was that reason.

It was time, he thought, to consider joining Voldemort.

------------------

It had just come out that day that Alexis Lestrange was a werewolf. At first, Severus didn't know exactly how to react at such shocking news. Erin wasn't that surprised; Dumbledore was being condescending for a change and Lupin was just acting weird. Severus was the only down-to-earth, the only one who saw Alex for what he really was. The fact that Alex was a werewolf made him even more sceptical about his true reasons for being in the castle. Everyone knew that werewolves weren't reliable.

In the past, werewolves had been easily seduced by Lord Voldemort's promises. After getting to know Lupin a little better, he thought he was different. But seeing him so sympathetic with Alex, he wasn't so sure anymore. He could even imagine what Erin would say about that.

'Well, of course he's sympathetic with Alex! He's a werewolf, too! He knows how tough it is to be accepted. Look at you! Just because you found out about his condition, you're already behaving like a prejudice bastard and I don't like that!' she would say with tears in her eyes.

He would politely point out that long before he knew about Alex's condition he was distrustful about him.

The worst of it all was that he would have extra work with the Wolfsbane potion. That alone was enough to put him in a very bad mood. At least it was the perfect excuse to talk to Alex in private and pressure him. Erin wasn't around to spoil it so when he spotted Alex quietly waiting outside Lupin's quarters, he didn't resist the opportunity.

"Alex," he said dryly.

Alex shot him one of his famous seductive smiles. "If it isn't the charming Severus Snape."

"I'm here to tell you that I'll make the Wolfsbane for you."

"Yeah, Erin told me."

Severus frowned.

"I told her that it wasn't necessary but..."

"What?" Severus cut in. "Do you really think it's not necessary? You're in a school. The potion is to keep our students safe. I'm sure Erin told you that."

"She did, and that's why I've accepted the offer."

"It wasn't an offer but an order," Severus said coldly. "If you want to stay here, you have to play by the rules. How long were you planning to hide it from us that you're a werewolf? After a student appeared sliced in two on a full moon's day?"

"Of course not!" Alex protested in a very believable way. "The reason I told Erin I didn't need the potion was because I had my own methods of fooling the full moon and its devastating effects. It may not be as effective as your potion but it has helped me all my life."

"What is it?"

Alex sighed, "It's another potion. One that no one likes to admit was ever made."

"You're talking about..." Severus couldn't finish. It was too horrible even to think of it.

"Yes, I'm talking about Lupus potion. Its effects are terrible but at least it's been effectively keeping me away from attacking innocent people."

Severus noticed the slip in the word 'innocent' and he wasn't the kind of man to let that get away.

"Just innocent people?" he asked with a forged calm.

"What's the point of being harmless when you're facing an enemy?" Alex said defensively.

Severus grimaced, "It depends on who you consider to be your enemies, Lestrange."

Alex looked the other way, looking terribly disturbed. "I know what you think about me but I'm not what you think."

"Oh, you have no idea what I think." Severus got closer to him and threatened, "All I know is that Erin is my wife and she's pregnant with my child. If you hurt her, I'll kill you. I don't know what you're playing at - yet - but I'll be watching your every move. I didn't believe not for a second that the only reason you came was to warn us about the Green Flame."

"But it's the truth!" Alex protested, "You-Know-Who is after it. He's convinced that the Green Flame exists and that it's the only thing capable of making him invincible. The only thing I was able to discover was that a long time ago, the power of the Green Flame was split in three to balance the world. Each power was held in a particular object, but no one really knows anything about it, or even if the legend is true. I don't support him and I never will."

Alex seemed to be telling the truth but Severus knew better. Voldemort had always had good spies by his side such as Peter Pettigrew. No one had suspected Pettigrew and he had not just betrayed the Potters but had also helped Voldemort to regain his power. For Erin's sake, he wished Alex was telling the truth.

"I'll take your word for it, but I'm still going to watch you," Severus warned.

Remus had watched the whole scene from a distance and he saw the exact moment when Alex sighed in relief after Snape left. His werewolf sense could tell that Alex was disturbed by the conversation. Even Remus was shaken a little. It wasn't so much the cold tone in Severus' voice that hdone the trick but rather the fact that Remus had realised once again how mysterious Alex's past was.

Just because they had slept together, it didn't mean Remus trusted him. He still didn't, but he couldn't help but be attracted to him. Their passionate night had been perfect, only spoiled by Sirius' presence the next day. He had felt terribly guilty when he had seen Sirius, and Alex had noticed it. But Remus was ready to make it up to him that night. Alex's past didn't matter to his body and that was the sad truth.

"Alex," Remus called.

Alex looked at him, instantly hypnotizing Remus with his gaze.

"I was waiting for you," Alex said with a smile. "What took you so long?"

Remus smiled back, unable to do anything else. "Classes. I'm a Professor, remember?"

Alex got closer and caressed Remus' arms slightly, making him shiver.

"Not here," Remus whispered.

"Why not?"

"Someone might see us."

"And you care because..."

"Because I'm a Professor and that comes with a list of responsibilities," Remus pointed out. "Meet me tonight and we'll... talk."

Alex laughed. "We'll do anything but talk, Remus Lupin."

Remus smiled shyly and Alex kissed him. They snogged for a while, lost in each other's embrace.

"Remus?" said a shocked voice.

Remus instantly froze in Alex's arms. He knew that voice pretty well.

"Remus?" called Sirius again, this time more irritated than anything else.

Alex pulled away reluctantly but not before kissing Remus one last time. Then he glared at Sirius, who glared back at him. Remus stared at them both, catching the animosity in the air but not understanding it. It was clear that Sirius hadn't liked Alex from the start and for some reason Alex hadn't like him either, but Remus didn't know why.

"Sirius!" Remus was the first to break into the silence. "Is there something wrong?"

"Yes, there is," Sirius said with his eyes fixated on Alex. "Could I talk to you in private?"

"Sure," Remus agreed and then turned to talk to Alex, "Do you mind?"

"No, of course not. I have to help Erin decorate the baby's room anyway. She must be expecting me. But I hope that you and I can... talk... tonight." Alex glared at Sirius and then smiled at Remus. "I'll be waiting for you in your quarters, ok?" he winked before leaving.

Remus turned to talk to Sirius but didn't like the way his friend was staring at him.

"What?" Remus asked. "Why did you want to talk to me? Is there something wrong with James or Harry?"

"No." Sirius pondered for a moment before adding, "I mean, they have their usual problems, but so far they're doing ok. I want to talk to you about... You see, this is not easy for me but I feel like I have to say it. Narcissa told me to be quiet but seeing you with... him... I just can't be quiet. He's not good for you, Remus. I'm sorry but he's not. I figured that out the moment I saw him."

Remus looked at him puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

Sirius moved uncomfortably. "I'm talking about you and... Alexis."

Remus frowned, not knowing exactly what to say. He was torn between anger and a weird joy. On one hand, what he did with his life was none of Sirius' concern. For another, he was touched by the fact that Sirius cared for him. But most important of all, he let himself dream that Sirius was only saying that because he had realised how much he loved him. Just to imagine that made him feel great, but Sirius' next words went down on him like a cold shower.

"Do you really think it's wise to mix yourself with another werewolf that may work for Voldemort? I do want you to find someone, but does it have to be him? He's a Lestrange, for Merlin's sake! I think the name speaks for itself."

"Are you concerned with the fact that he's a werewolf or that he's a Death Eater?"

"Both actually."

"God, Sirius, I can't believe you!" Remus stared at him in disbelief. "How can you say this? In case it slipped off your mind, I'm a werewolf, too! There's nothing wrong with Alex, just like there's nothing wrong with me! He assured me that he doesn't work for Voldemort and-"

"I'm not saying there's something wrong with you!" Sirius cut him off. "All I'm saying it's that you shouldn't trust him that much. You don't know him, Remus! He could be a spy for Voldemort. He could be here to take Harry away. Hell, I don't know! He could be as insane as his father. We all know the Lestranges are lunatics."

"Erin is a Lestrange, too."

"Erin is kind of crazy if you think about it."

Remus snarled. "You don't even know what's up between Alex and me."

"I just saw you kissing!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Yeah, so? Does that mean anything?" Remus asked crossing his arms.

"Of course it does!"

"No, it doesn't! This thing between Alex and me it's so recent and new... And none of your business! I'm just having some fun. There's nothing wrong with that. You said it yourself that I should find someone, fall in love and blah-blah-blah! Well, that's what I'm doing! I'm trying to live my life."

Sirius sighed, "You should fall in love, Remus, but not with someone like Alex."

"Why? You don't even know him."

"Neither do you!"

He was right. Remus was worried about Alex's life but he wouldn't admit it to Sirius. He didn't need Sirius or anybody else to tell him how wrong it was for him to get involved with a mysterious person such as Alex, but he didn't want to think about it. He just wanted to feel. Alex made him forget about his impossible love for Sirius even if it was for a few moments. He didn't care. He was tired of waiting for a love that would never be. Alex was at his disposal, willing to be with him. They were werewolves; they understood each other better than anyone else would. Sirius would never understand his soul like Alex did.

Besides, Sirius was with Narcissa and that thought was enough for Remus to break.

"Just... leave me alone!" he said, irritated. "I have a class in a few minutes. I've just come by to pick up a book. This conversation is over."

Remus entered his quarters and Sirius walked in with him. They argued and their insecurities and bruises of the past were brought back. Remus accused Sirius of never really trusting him and Sirius threw it back at him by accusing him of keeping everything to himself.

"If you wanted me to trust you, you should have talked to me about what was going on with you."

"Why? Why did I have to say everything to you?" Remus asked.

"Because we were best friends!"

"No, we weren't. James was your best friend," Remus said, upset. "If we were best friends, Sirius, you'd have said to me about the last minute's changes you made in the Fidelius charm. You didn't tell me because you suspected me!"

"Goddammit, Remus! You started to act weirdly! What should I have thought? After our graduation you just vanished! Every time I tried to contact you, you invented excuses not to see me. There were rumours about werewolves joining Voldemort. And Peter..." Sirius stopped for a moment and grimaced, "Peter told me that he had seen you talking to Johnson."

Remus opened his eyes wide. He remembered Johnson. He had been the first werewolf to join Voldemort.

"I never talked to Johnson!" he denied fervently.

"I believe you. Peter tricked us all. I was a fool to believe him. I was a fool about a lot of things."

Sirius got closer to Remus and their noses almost touched. Remus breath accelerated involuntarily.

"What happened to make you go away?" he asked Remus.

"I... Why do you want to know now? It's been so long," Remus whispered.

"Because I need to know what I did wrong to make you hate me so much."

"I didn't hate you, Sirius. I never did. Well, maybe after you went to Azkaban, but even then..."

They stared. Remus' heart was beating fast and he didn't know how he was still standing.

"Even then..." Sirius encouraged him to go on.

"I... I just..." For a crazy moment Remus considered the idea of telling Sirius what he felt. "The reason why I couldn't be near you was because... I... Sirius, I... I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"I'm afraid of your reaction."

"Whatever it is, I'll understand."

"No, you won't. It's not that simple."

Sirius sighed with sadness. "I promise I won't judge you."

"It's not that." Remus closed his eyes to hold back his tears. "I'm just not ready to tell you yet."

Sirius caught his chin and rose up. Their eyes locked and they stared for a long time. Something inside Sirius' heart twitched. A weird sensation ran through his body but he refused to let it go further. He told himself that what he felt was just concern and affection. The fact that their mouths were only inches apart had nothing to do with that sudden and odd desire to close the distance between their bodies.

Remus noticed that Sirius' breathe quickened but he didn't know what to make of that. He was scared to even consider what that might mean. All he knew was that if he didn't pull away that instant he'd forget about his fears and do something he would regret later.

"I have to go. I'm late for my class," Remus whispered breaking their gaze.

Sirius blinked, taking a while to gain focus, as if he had just been under a spell.

"All right," he said.

"Right."

Remus caught a book from his bedside table and headed for the door but Sirius stopped him.

"Promise me you'll dump Alex, Remus. Promise me you won't let him hurt you."

Remus only shook his head. It wasn't that easy. Life never was.

-----------------

"I'm worry about Remus," Sirius said to Narcissa after she left Draco.

Narcissa looked at Sirius trying to figure him out. Ever since they were young, Sirius had a strong bond with his friends. She knew for sure that Sirius would die for any of them, and that Peter's betrayal had pushed him to the edge. Peter had made Sirius suspect Remus, a sweet and kind boy who had the bad luck of being bitten by a werewolf.

In the past, when she and Sirius had gone out, she had noticed how Remus had looked sad. She'd thought it was only a friend's jealousy, but being much older and wiser at the present time, she knew.

Ever since she had moved in with Sirius, she couldn't help but notice how much Sirius talked about Remus. He made her believe that it was only concern and regret for being so unfair to Remus in the past, but she knew it wasn't that. It was something else. Something that Sirius hadn't noticed himself but she had. It wasn't that evident, but it was there nonetheless. She often wondered if she should talk to him about it, but as the coward that she was, she rather stayed quiet. After all, she also loved him. How could she just give up on him? Remus didn't seem willing to say anything about it. Why should she say something?

Hearing Sirius talk about Remus had brought the subject up again. It was clear that Sirius wasn't just concerned about Alexis Lestrange but jealous as well.

"What does he see in him?" Sirius went on.

Narcissa knew exactly what Remus had seen in Alex. Alex reminded him of Sirius in many ways.

"Remus is a grown man, Sirius. He knows how to take care of himself," Narcissa pointed out, trying not to sound jealous herself.

"That's the point Narcissa! He doesn't know how to take care of himself! He never did. Remus was always so fragile and-"

"Oh, please!" Narcissa rolled her eyes. "You're not serious, are you? He's a DADA professor! He's the one teaching your godson how to defend himself from a Death Eater's attack! You don't really think Remus is some kind of delicate flower! He's quite strong, Sirius!"

"How can you be so sure?" Sirius said, annoyed. "You don't know him like I do."

"He's survived all these years, hasn't he? He's been all alone in this world and even if he's not been great, he's still here! He holds on just fine all by himself. I know he needs a shoulder to cry on every now and then, we all do, but honestly, Sirius, do you really think he's that fragile?"

Sirius stared at her in shock and then he laughed.

"You're jealous, aren't you?" he asked, amused.

"Of course not!"

"Yes, you are!" He enlaced her by her waist and put her closer. "You don't have to be, Narcissa."

"I'm not jealous!" She was, but she would never admit it.

"Well, madam, you look cute when you're jealous," he provoked her.

"Don't start, Sirius."

He kissed her neck. "You do. Your eyes sparkle with fury and you get this sexy and determined attitude that turns me on."

She couldn't help but giggle as he continued to tease her. "Stop it, Sirius!"

"Why?"

"Because..." She sighed. "I lived in Lucius' shadow for a long time and I was submissive to him. But I'm not stupid, Sirius. Just remember that."

"I don't know what you mean," he said seriously this time. "I'm just playing with you."

"And I like to see you playing. Most of the time you look so... drained. I know it's hard for you to put it all behind you. I know those nights in prison still haunt you. I'm always stunned to see the way you can keep up with your good humour after everything you've been through. I'm not mad at you because of that, Sirius."

"Then why?"

"I think you have to figure it out by yourself."

"I know our lives haven't been easy, but-"

"That's not it," she cut him off. "My life was never easy, Sirius. Living with Lucius was hell. You and I still have a lot of issues to resolve but I think that the issue ahead of us is by far the worst of them all. The saddest thing is that you don't have a clue about it."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't. Men are so obtuse...," she muttered in reply.

"Hey!" he protested looking extremely offended. "I'm not obtuse!"

"I wouldn't be so sure. You seem unable to see what is right in front of you."

"You know what you could do? You could explain to me what is going on inside your head."

She snorted, "No, this is something you have to figure out by yourself. I made up my mind already."

"But, Sissy..."

"Sorry, Sirius, but this is a very difficult time for all of us," she said, "I just can't deal with this right now. I have to take care of Draco. He seems so sick. I just can't believe Lucius let something like this happen to him. If there was something Lucius always cared for, it was Draco's safety, believe it or not. Well, sometimes he just acted like the bastard he is, like that day he left Draco all alone inside the Ghost Forest," Narcissa shivered at the thought. "But all in all, he cares for Draco in his own distorted way."

"Everyone is looking for a cure, Sissy. I'm sure the kid will get out unharmed."

"I hope you're right. I'm so scared."

He hugged her tightly. "I won't let anything happen to him. That's a promise."

------------------

He and Blaise glared at each other for a long time. They had fought in a very nasty way after Blaise had told him about Draco's kiss, and Seamus had decided to end their relationship convinced that Blaise was still in love with Draco. Blaise hadn't taken that very well and that was why he was at the Quidditch pitch that day, just to tease Seamus. The silence went on and the players couldn't help but wonder what was going on. The fifth year Slytherin Beater whispered in the other Beater's ear about the awkwardness of the situation.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Zabini?" Seamus was the first to say aggressively.

"Today the field is mine. Professor Snape gave us permission to train our new Seeker," Blaise said coldly.

"A new Seeker?" Ron stared at Blaise surprised. He looked around in search for Harry but didn't find him. He hadn't returned from the loo yet. Ron had the feeling that his friend would have a heart attack at the shocking news.

"Yeah, Weasley. Draco resigned."

"WHAT?" said Harry, appearing behind Blaise all of the sudden.

Harry stared at the short brunette who would be the new Slytherin Seeker with astonishment. She didn't even compare to his Draco.

"You heard, Potter. Draco is no longer my Seeker therefore I have to train the new one."

As Ron had predicted, Harry was in a state of shock. He mumbled a few words, trying to find the right ones to form a coherent phrase without any success. Ron went by his side to elbow him, because the Slytherin Beater was whispering something to the other Beater again. But later on, at dinner, what the students talked about the most wasn't Harry's stuttering but Seamus' outburst.

"My Seeker? He's your Seeker? I knew it! I just knew it," Seamus said, his face red with anger. "Why the hell am I still trying? Why can't I just get over it? He will always be the special one for everybody! I'm tired of all of this! Poisoned my ass! I bet you and him are laughing at me and Hammpf..."

Ron covered Seamus' mouth with his hand before he could say Harry's name.

"I bet it was too much sun on his head," Ron said. "You should go and rest Seamus. We all should take some rest, actually. The field is all yours, Zabini. Seamus needs water. He's clearly dehydrated! I mean, he doesn't even know what he's saying." Without taking his hand off of Seamus' mouth, Ron walked away with a silent Harry by his side.

Ron waited for the other players to enter the castle before releasing Seamus and yelling at him.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he asked, aghast.

Seamus growled something that he didn't understand. He sighed and turned to Harry, who still looked weird.

"Harry? Are you ok?"

Harry blinked and nodded, "Y-yes. I guess. I mean, he quit, Ron. Do you know what that means? He won't be a Seeker anymore. He loves the sky as much as I do but he quit. There's only one thing that could make him quit. It's the damn poison! He's probably too weak to play. He's... he's..."

"Snap out of it, Harry!" Seamus said, rolling his eyes. "Act like a man, for Merlin's sake!"

Harry glared at him quite offended and Ron hid a smile.

"Draco is poisoned, Seamus! Can't you see that Zabini was telling you the truth?" Harry snapped. "You know I don't like him but he's innocent this time. Draco was the one who kissed him because he wanted to hurt me. Not that Zabini didn't enjoy..."

"The bastard! I sooo knew it! Of course he enjoyed it!" Seamus snarled. "If he hadn't had second intentions with Malfoy then he would have told me about it. He should have told me that he was seeing Malfoy! I stayed up so many nights like an idiot, waiting for him, fucking believing that he was studying! Studying my arse! I'm so stupid..."

Harry opened his mouth to speak but someone cut in.

"I was studying!"

They turned around and saw Blaise fuming. Ron rolled his eyes and looked at Harry, who looked back at him with the same expression. It was time for them to leave the scene, even though Harry wanted to ask Zabini a few questions about Draco. If he wanted answers, he would have to wait. He didn't want to be caught in the middle of a lover's quarrel.

Blaise and Seamus didn't even notice their departure.

"If you call snogging Draco Malfoy studying, I don't even want to know what you do in your spare time."

"I spend it with you," Blaise reminded him not so gently.

"Yeah, right."

Blaise clenched his fists. "Look, Finnegan, if you don't want to believe me, FINE! But you heard Potter! You must believe him since he's the guy you love and trust so much. Potter is a sa> then. And you know what? Fuck all of this! I'm going to practice. I have other thing to worry about. Something that is more important than this stupid fight."