Sub Rosa

Chapter Two

Draco watched as Blaise moved his rook, and he sniggered. "Are you sure you want to move there?"

"You're not going to make me second-guess myself, Draco," Blaise said calmly. "I know what I'm doing, and you don't bother me in the slightest."

Draco opened his mouth to retort, but the words died on his lips as a caramel colored owl tapped on the window. Blaise rose from his seat and opened the window, and after he had removed the parchment from the creature's leg, it flew away. He closed the window and reclaimed his chair at the small table. Draco arched an eyebrow at the rolled-up parchment that he'd placed next to the chessboard.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to open it?"

"No," Blaise replied serenely, eyeing Draco's pieces on the board. Draco frowned.

"Why not?"

"Because I know who it's from, and I want to open it when you leave."

"Are you embarrassed of it?" Draco asked, smirking. Blaise's cheeks colored slightly, but he didn't respond. "Ah, it must be from the girl Weasel, then."

"Don't call her that."

"I've always called her that, and I'm not going to stop just because of some foolish crush you have on her."

"Right," Blaise muttered, sighing. "It's your move."

Draco made no move to touch his game pieces as he leaned forward. "As soon as you shag her, you'll lose interest, Zabini."

"How crass," Blaise said, his face the picture of disgust. "For Salazar's sake, Draco, it's called tact. Use some."

"As long as we're throwing the word crass around-" Draco began, shrugging. Blaise cursed under his breath and rose from the table.

"Draco, I'm going to go out with Ginny Weasley no matter what you say about her or her family, so why don't you just give it up right now?"

"Fine," Draco said calmly. "If you feel the need to go slumming, then by all means, knock yourself out."

"She's pureblooded, in case you've forgotten," Blaise pointed out exasperatedly.

"And? She also happens to be a member of one of the poorest pureblooded Wizarding families, in case you'd forgotten."

"I haven't forgotten anything," Blaise retorted angrily. "Except why I bother to keep speaking to you when you're in one of your moods."

Draco's eyebrows went up so high that they almost disappeared into his hairline. "One of my moods?"

"That's right, one of your infamous moods. I tend to forget that you're such a social recluse that you forget how to treat people - not that you ever knew how to do that to begin with."

"Calm yourself," Draco sighed, rolling his eyes and reclining in his chair. "Is this really worth it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Is it really worth it to pick a fight with me over a Weasley?"

"Me pick a fight with you?" Blaise asked incredulously.

"She's just a woman. Women come and go, Zabini. We've been friends since we were three weeks old - she's not worth it."

"I'll make that decision," Blaise said, even though he could feel his anger deflating. How was it that Draco could make him so angry, and then make that anger disappear just as quickly? He sank back down into his chair and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"What's the appeal?"

"Look, I don't need you to take the mickey out of me-"

"No, I'm honestly curious." Blaise lifted his eyes to look at his friend. When he detected no trace of malice, he nodded.

"Did you ever speak to her? I mean, other than to insult her?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Draco said dryly.

"I used to listen to her talking to her friends, and I was fascinated. She has a terrific lot of spirit, Draco. Not to mention that she's highly intelligent."

"I find it difficult to believe that there's actually a brain hiding beneath all of that hideous red hair." An image of fiery red hair behind a bat-bogey hex made him shudder imperceptibly.

"I think that if you spoke to her, you'd be surprised."

"Well, it's a good thing that no one's paying you to think, then." Blaise glared at him.

"I can see why you've never been able to hold on to a woman." Draco's eyes flashed.

"Excuse me?"

"I said," Blaise began. Draco interrupted him.

"I know what you said. Me, unable to hold on to a woman? That's utterly ridiculous."

"Then why is it that your lady friends never stay around for more than a few days - when you have them, that is?"

"I choose the women I want in my bed. Is it my fault that after I've shagged them, I lose interest in them?"

"Perhaps you're going about the thing the wrong way."

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps you should get to know the woman before you decide to shag her. Merlin forbid, you might want to keep her around, after that."

"The only woman I would ever want to keep around would have to be as smart as me, and I believe I've already told you that smart women are difficult to control."

"Why must you control them? Why can't it be an equal relationship?"

"You're not even dating the bint yet, and already you're campaigning for equal rights for women," Draco sighed, massaging his temples. Blaise frowned.

"Don't call her that."

"I'm not going to change my phraseology just because you've decided to date beneath your class."

"You really are a snob," Blaise said, laughing despite himself. His eyes fell on the parchment, and Draco smirked.

"Go on, open it."

"And have you tease me mercilessly? No thanks."

"I'm going to do that anyway," Draco said reasonably. "Might as well give me ample cause."

"Good point," Blaise said, nodding. He broke the seal on the parchment and unrolled it.

Blaise,

I hope you don't think it too forward of me to contact you like this, but I've been thinking about the other night. I wondered if you might like to get together some time for lunch, or maybe just grab some coffee together. I apologize if I've bothered you with this letter, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Ginny Weasley

When he'd finished reading, Blaise could feel the stupid smile that was plastered to his face. Draco sniggered.

"Well? What's it to be? Dinner with her family in the rodents' nest, or is she at least smart enough to have chosen a public outlet for your wedding?"

"She wants to have lunch or coffee sometime," Blaise said coolly, glancing around the study.

"Your quill and ink are on your desk, where they always are," Draco said, one eyebrow shooting up. "Why do you insist on this farce, when you know that I know you better than you know yourself?"

"Don't you long to have that sort of a relationship with a woman?" Blaise asked, rising from his seat and moving towards the desk. He began scribbling a response at the bottom of the letter.

"I don't long for a woman, period."

"You don't want to have someone around all the time who would anticipate your wants and needs and fulfill them for you before you even had to ask?"

"Pardon? I stopped listening at 'having someone around all the time,'" Draco said, focusing his attention on the chess board again.

Blaise rolled up the parchment and left the room. Several minutes later, he returned to find Draco still staring at the game board.

"I trust everything went according to plan," he murmured. Blaise frowned.

"What?"

"You sent her an owl, did you not?"

"I did."

"And she hasn't responded yet? How rude," Draco sniggered. "But really, what more can you expect from a commoner?"

"Snob," Blaise sighed, reclaiming his seat. Draco frowned at him.

"Only a letter from her, and you've already been reduced to a one-syllable repetitive vocabulary. I shudder to think what might happen to you if the two of you spend any amount of time together."

"I suppose you'll find out soon enough then, won't you?"