The Story of Blaise Zabini

Chapter 16

Pansy Strikes Again

Thankfully, there's only one more week to go before the end of the year. Still, I can't say I'll be glad to go six weeks without Draco and I definitely don't want to keep the fact that Jeff kissed Pansy from Lydia for that long either. Damn it, she deserves to know and I don't see why I should have to hide it from her, although I know it will hurt her a lot.

Okay, now that I've finished my rant, I can get back to the last bit of homework this year. And wouldn't you know it; it's a Potions essay, one that's going to take me all day. Snape really does know how to take all the fun out of life, doesn't he? So soon after O.W.Ls and he's setting us homework ...

While I'm scribbling down facts about every potion we've brewed this year, Draco is lounging casually next to me. The smug git has already done his essay, not that it took him long anyway. I tried to sneak a look at what he'd written, but he saw me and told me I wasn't stupid and that I could write an essay by myself. The trouble is, I'm nowhere near as good as he is at Potions. Lydia is, but I can't find her. I bet she's with Jeff.

Anyway, I can't finish this stupid essay, so I'll just wait for Lydia to come back and then ask her about it. Right now, my mind is too focussed on other things to think about something as trivial as Potions.

I dropped the quill on top of the parchment and left it there while I shifted in my seat and turned to face Draco.

"You've finished?" he asked, looking up from the book he was reading.

"No, I'll do it later," I shrugged. He raised his eyebrows. "Okay, much later," I amended.

"Whatever," Draco said, "it's your homework. Snape will only give you detention."

"Wouldn't it be nice if we both got detention?" I murmured in his ear. "Then we'd have somewhere decent to make out. It gets cold in the Astronomy tower, don't you think?"

"Blaise," he said, somewhat mockingly, while putting a hand on the arm of the chair, effectively trapping me, "I never get detention, didn't you know that?"

"Well, that's a shame because I was really looking forward to kissing you senseless tonight. Guess we'll never get the chance," I sighed theatrically.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Draco said, his smirk so much more pronounced when he was only inches away.

You'd think kissing someone all day would get really boring, but it's not. Far from it. I can barely get enough and even Pansy's irritating screech doesn't register until she appears behind the sofa me and Draco are currently entwined upon. Maybe seeing her beloved Draco in the arms of another girl made her jealous. Probably incensed with rage. If she'd cried, I would've understood. Hell, if she'd kicked and screamed, I would've understood. But there is no way I can excuse what she actually did.

Slytherin's resident whore sauntered her way over to a gang of sixth year guys in the corner. She stood in front of them, flicking her wavy, blonde hair - her pride and joy - over her shoulders and pouting prettily. Well of course, the sixth years were nearly drooling; I didn't really expect anything else, and neither did Pansy. She knew what she was doing, alright.

What I didn't know - too busy wrapped up in Draco, you see - was that the sixth year boys included my not-so-favourite Slytherin. Yep, you guessed it: Jeff. That slimy son of a bitch reached a hand out and pulled Pansy by the waist onto his knee. Pansy squealed girlishly, and pretend-struggled her way out of Jeff's arms. Pretty soon, they were too busy necking to even register the catcalls and whistles from the other sixth years around them.

I didn't see all this, I only found out the minor details later from Draco. What I did see was Pansy practically forcing her tongue down Jeff's throat as a last parting kiss. I just happened to open my eyes and see them at it. And that was all it took.

The next thing I knew, I'd stormed over to the pair of them and I was virtually dragging Pansy by her perfect blonde hair from Jeff's knees. Needless to say she shrieked loud enough for the whole castle to hear, and several people jumped up to try and get me off her. Ha, like they had a chance.

Infuriated, I dumped her bodily on the floor, standing over her with clenched fists at my sides, and watched her struggle to right herself. She eventually managed to stand up, tugging her robes into their original positions, and smoothing back her hair.

"What are you doing?!" she shouted, both angry and slightly nervous in the face of my rage.

"Dancing the waltz with a troll," I spat sarcastically. "What does it look like?"

Pansy actually had the nerve to look indignant.

"What's wrong, Zabini, worried that your friend Lydia might walk in?" Pansy sneered, looking triumphant when I glared at her.

"I can't believe even you would sink so low," I said in disgust.

"Oh you haven't seen anything yet," Pansy said with a smirk, which reminds me of Draco and I can see where she got it from.

"I was talking to Jeff," I retorted and she looked away in embarrassment.

"Well, in that case, he sunk low when he went out with that bloody Gray!" Pansy shouted, growling at the mention of Lydia.

"You know, Pansy," I said calmly, with a wide smile, "I know you're upset that Draco chose me over you, but this isn't the way to get attention."

Pansy suddenly stopped smirking and her face became even uglier than it was before.

"Draco and I were perfect together!" she cried. "Then you came along and ruined it all!"

I gritted my teeth, wanting to punch her stupid lights out, but having to control the tempting urge because I'm already in enough trouble as it is. Pansy's smile returned, becoming cat-like as she leant forwards. God, is she trying to make me hit her or what?

"Pansy," I said darkly, "I can avoid kicking your ass if you just step back."

"I'm not messing with Jeff just to get back at Gray," she whispered softly, so only I could hear it, "that would be pointless. I'm doing it because I know it's the one thing that annoys you most. And when you're annoyed, you tend to ... lash out. Face it, you can't compete with me, Mudblood, not when it comes to Draco. He's as good as mine."

The bitch is just looking for a fight. And luckily, I'm in the mood to start one.

When her words finally sunk in, I saw red. For one tiny second I actually contemplated backing away with some sarcastic retort. But then I heard what she'd said, and I just forgot where I was and who was watching and launched myself at her. I was so outraged, that all I could hear was my own heart pounding in my ears.

Grabbing fistfuls of her hair again, my other hand sank into her face a few times before I realised it hurt my own knuckles. Then I turned her around, and started bashing her face against the floor, hearing a sickening crunch as her nose shattered. Still, Pansy gave as good as she got; within seconds I found myself being pushed away and a wrenching pain as her foot collided with my shins. I dropped to the floor in agony, and watched as Pansy whipped out her wand and started waving it around.

What kind of dirty, underhand trick was that? Without even pulling out my own wand - that would have taken too much time - I forced myself up to tackle her to the ground, hearing her wand clatter somewhere behind me and punched her in the stomach before she could do anything to me. She soon recovered and before I knew it, we were rolling around on the floor, real fighting abandoned, using our nails and trying to tear each other's hair out among other things. I felt Pansy grab my arm and claw her fingers all down the length of it, leaving deep, bloody welts on it.

Then quite suddenly, I grabbed at thin air and found myself being dragged along the floor, away from Pansy, and watching the same happen to her. One of the sixth year prefects was on the verge of tying her to a chair before she suddenly stopped struggling and let herself be pulled away from the middle of the common room.

I was just about thrown onto the sofa, and found myself looking up at a furious Draco. And that's when I came to my senses, lying there, watching his grey eyes look like thunderclouds. I actually felt kind of ... bad about fighting with Pansy - although she deserved every second of it - and I looked down at the floor, slightly ashamed.

"Would somebody like to explain what on earth has been going on in here?"

Oh, god, it just got worse - if possible. Snape has just arrived in the common room, after being alerted to a fight by the telltale Prefects. I hate those smarmy gits...

Anyway, Snape was livid when the story got out. Pansy of course, tried to shout her version across the room, before Snape shot her a dark look, and then she shut her fat mouth. Then he rounded on me, because, apparently, starting a fight is much worse than participating in one. I am in deep trouble; I don't think I can lie my way out this time.

"Miss Parkinson, Miss Zabini, follow me" Snape said curtly, sweeping out of the common room like the proverbial bat out of hell.

Totally subdued, I glanced at Draco, who was trying to look composed. He must hate me by now, and god only knows what he thinks of me. I don't even think I want to know.

Snape's office in the dungeons is always cold, even now, in the summer; it's like he keeps it magically freezing for his own sadistic pleasure or something. I wasn't the only one who was shivering; Pansy was too, only she did it in this pathetic, simpering way that was designed to make sure Snape bestowed pity on her. Unfortunately - for her at least - Snape is not your average teacher. He may be a sarcastic prat and a pain in the ass, but there is absolutely no favouritism between his Slytherin students. Other houses can go to hell, as far as he's concerned, but his own students are properly disciplined.

Anyway, enough about punishment; I can only imagine what he's got in store for me. I don't really care to know either.

He casually flicked his wand at the lights, which immediately flared into life, and banged the door shut behind him.

"Sit" he said sharply to me and Pansy. We sat on one side of his desk, with him on the other. I felt like puking, though whether that was to do with the fight or because I'm sat next to Pansy, I can't tell.

Once we were all seated, Snape gave us both a cold look and began to look as though we were something extremely small and disgusting. He can talk, I mean, his hair doesn't look like it's been washed in over twenty years. Snape glanced at me now, as though he could hear what I was saying and I immediately looked down at my feet.

"What happened?" he asked briskly, when there was no sound for five minutes.

Pansy instantly began to look like she was in great pain."S-she just attacked me P-professor!" she whimpered pathetically.

I rolled my eyes but said nothing, purely because there was nothing for me to say.

"Really?" Snape said quietly, fixing me with a piercing stare. "And may I inquire as to why?"

"I don't know!" Pansy sobbed, big fat tears rolling down her cheeks. I didn't know she could fake crying ...

"Miss Zabini? Would you care to enlighten me?"

And here's where it all went wrong.

I could hardly say, "Because she's swapping spit with my best friend's boyfriend," could I? So I had to come up with an alternative excuse and pray that Pansy would, just this once, help me out.

"The thing is ..."I trailed off and saw Pansy looking extremely smug when Snape wasn't looking. Right then all I wanted to do was wrap my hands around her throat and choke her to death. But Snape was still waiting for an answer and my time was running out.

"The thing is ... she ... It's a personal matter, Sir"

I'd only just figured it out. Personal problems were nothing to do with Hogwarts, therefore they can't pry and they can't expel me! There's hope yet...

"Indeed." Snape was none too pleased about it either. "Miss Parkinson, would you please step outside for a moment?"

It wasn't a request, even Pansy could see that, so she stood up, a bit miffed and flounced out of the room. Leaving me alone with Snape. I'd have preferred to have her in here, rather than face him all alone. Maybe my oh-so-brilliant plan was not going well ...

"Miss Zabini," he began, "personal matters are your own affairs. I can do nothing about that. But when the health of another student is affected by said personal matters, then I'm afraid I have no choice but to punish you. If indeed there is a reason for your behaviour, I want to hear it. Now"

Alright, alright; Merlin he's pushy, especially for a guy who missed out on the Defence Against the Dark Arts teaching post for the fifth year running. You'd think he'd have nothing but time.

"Well, it's like this, Sir," I said frankly, "Lyd - er ... a friend of mine is ... involved with someone ..."

You cannot imagine how wrong it feels to be discussing Lydia's love life with Snape, of all people. It's like I've entered a time warp or something, one where Snape actually cares about his students lives.

"Please continue," Snape prompted. Why don't I get a choice?

"And ... well Pansy ... she kind of ... oh for crying out loud - Pansy's a slut. Plain and simple."

Oops, that was so not meant to come out. Snape does not look pleased.

"Er what I mean is ... she's very ... friendly. With everyone. Well, not everyone, just ... guys mostly." I was babbling, which I tend to do a lot when I'm under pressure. Snape looks as though he's getting a headache. Serves him right, the greasy, slimy son of a - breathe Blaise ...

"What does that have to do with anything?" Snape asked, looking as though he really didn't want to know but felt obliged to ask.

"Well Pansy was getting ... friendly with my, er, friend's boyfriend and I tried to stop her but she got ... upset. The angry kind of upset," I added quickly, before he thought I'd beaten up a girl who was crying.

Again, this is so bizarre to be talking to Snape about all of this. And to see him actually listening ... well, that's even worse. But I'm in my stride now, and I can't seem to stop talking, which I really should do.

"Then she called me a Mudblood," I said indignantly "and I ..."

"You decided to take matters into your own hands and use outright violence, yes?" Snape interrupted.

"Well, that's about the size of it, yeah," I admitted sheepishly.

"Miss Zabini, may I remind you that there are alternative methods of resolving disputes."

"I know, but you know what Pansy's like. She was just asking to be grossly disfigured and -"

"I believe I should speak to Miss Parkinson," Snape cut in distastefully. "Tell her to come in on your way out, if you would."

"Yes Sir," I replied dutifully.

Well, that didn't go so bad. Still, I have to wait for the punishment Snape has in mind and Merlin knows what that'll be like.

"You will be informed of your punishment in the morning. Good evening, Miss Zabini."

"Evening Professor," I said quietly, and left the room.

Pansy stood outside, ears pressed to the door. When it opened, she quickly stood up straight, gave me a superior glance and stalked into Snape's office. God, I hate her, pug face and all.

Now all I have to do is go back to the common room and explain everything to Draco.

Hmm, maybe that can wait till the morning too.