The Amorous
Title: The Amorous
Author: roxierose13 (silver_etoile)
Requestor: sparkysparky
Claim: Blaise is jealous when his Charms partner Terry seems to have a thing for Ron Weasley. Comical Slytherin machinations ensue.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Never underestimate the power of a jealous Slytherin.
Warnings: Slash, Slytherin plotting, semi-Ron/Snape
Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I do not own Harry Potter and/or any other characters used in this fic. They are all property of J.K. Rowling.
Notes: Thanks to my beta, raven_hunter, and may we all be funny!
*
"Boot." There was silence from the boy in the next seat as a twittering bird flew over his head and made a head dive at the window, only to find it blocked by glass. There was a cracking noise and a little cheep as the bird fell limply to the floor, Professor Flitwick hurrying over to check on the poor thing.
"Boot," Blaise repeated, staring at his partner in an annoyed fashion. He sighed and sat back in his chair, frowning as he watched Terry Boot beside him.
Terry was gazing at the window the bird had just smacked into, his expression dreamy and unfocused. Blaise frowned harder at this sight. Usually Terry was on top of everything, the perfect little Ravenclaw, but lately he’d seemed quite distracted.
Blaise watched as Terry ran a hand through his short blond hair, doing absolutely no good as the locks fell back into his face. His light green eyes were watching as Flitwick attempted to revive the canary that was lying on the floor. Blaise’s eyes moved over Terry’s profile that was turned away from him, down his small, curved nose and soft, pink lips.
Blaise was about to attempt to catch Terry’s attention when another voice cut through the room.
"Ron! Didn’t I tell you not to do that?! Look what you did to that poor bird!"
Blaise rolled his eyes and ruffled himself haughtily, glancing over and up a few seats to where Hermione Granger was reprimanding an embarrassed Ron from the next table over. Blaise’s mouth twitched into a sneer as his eyes fell on Ron.
Beside him, Terry’s gaze had shifted up a few seats to rest on Ron, his eyes focused on the red-head who was currently cowering under Hermione’s continued rants.
"Stupid Weasley," Blaise muttered, pulling out his wand. With a sharp tap on Terry’s arm, he repeated himself. "Boot, we’re supposed to be making the cat sing, not listening to the sounds of one from an alley." For this he received a cold glare from Hermione. He threw her a haughty sneer in response.
Terry jerked his hand back at the tap and turned to Blaise frowning. "Relax, Zabini." He said nothing more but finally returned his attention to their assignment.
Blaise watched Terry for a second, who had his eyes on his wand, but his mind somewhere else. He saw Terry attempt the spell halfheartedly then lower his wand, stealing another glance at Ron, who was now finished being berated by Hermione.
Blaise followed his gaze, putting two and two together.
"Boot," he said sharply, drawing Terry’s attention once more onto him, "you’re not getting this charm."
Terry looked taken aback. "What? Of course I am."
"No, you’re not," Blaise replied simply. "You’re too busy staring at the Weasel to see anything else."
Terry flushed slightly but that didn’t stop him from glancing at Ron again. Blaise scooted his chair closer, leaning in to Terry’s ear.
"What is it? You can tell me."
Terry scoffed and moved his head back. "You’re a Slytherin. Like I can trust you."
"We’re partners," Blaise said in a low voice so the others didn’t hear. "If you can’t trust your partner, who can you trust?"
"We’re only partners, Zabini, because Flitwick assigned it."
Blaise paused, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening. He turned back, leaning over on the pretense of grabbing their cat, and whispered in Terry’s ear, "Come on, Terry. Promise I won’t tell."
When he moved back, he could see Terry’s hesitation. Blaise raised an eyebrow and stroked the tabby cat on their desk. The cat purred loudly and rubbed against Blaise’s hand.
"Well," Terry said slowly, biting his lip, "if you really want to know, I kind of think Ron is really hot."
Blaise was silent for a moment as he stared at Terry. "What?!" he said finally and Terry hissed at him as half the class turned to look.
Blaise returned their stares with a dirty look and they slowly looked away. He sighed and turned back to Terry. "Weasley? Are you kidding me? What the fuck do you see in him?!"
Terry ignored Blaise’s tone and turned to look at Ron, who was now fiddling with his wand and jumped as purple sparks shot out of it, hitting his unconscious canary and turning it blue.
"Don’t you think he’s funny?"
"Funny-looking, maybe," Blaise replied disdainfully, his eyes taking in Ron’s flaming red hair and many freckles.
"He’s not that smart, but I think he’d be a quick learner."
Blaise had to bite his lip to stop the derisive laugh that desperately wanted to come out.
"He’s a Gryffindor. That’s irony for you."
Terry rolled his eyes at Blaise’s points. "What do you care anyway? You don’t want to date him."
"Date a Weasley?" Blaise repeated, feeling disgusted. "I’d rather sit through one of Draco’s therapy sessions than date a Weasley." Blaise shivered and made a disgusted face. "God, Boot, don’t make me sick."
Terry scoffed. "Don’t you have anything better to do than analyze my love life?"
"Nope, not really," Blaise replied, setting his elbows on the table in front of him and propping his chin in them. "So tell me, what is so appealing about the Weasel King?"
"Well, for one, he’s not as bad at Quidditch as you think," Terry pointed out sternly, catching the reference in Blaise’s remark. He saw Blaise dismiss this with a roll of his eyes, but he continued anyway. "He always does what he wants and doesn’t care about the rules."
"It’s called being ignorant," Blaise injected darkly, "and stupid."
"He has good friends who won’t leave him behind. He trusts them and they trust him."
"Only because Potter wouldn’t let anyone kill a friend."
"Plus he does have a nice body, believe it or not."
"All covered in red hair, I suppose? I wonder if…"
"Stop it," Terry said suddenly, cutting Blaise off. "Why can’t you just let me do what I want?"
Blaise shifted and pushed himself back up into a sitting position. "Because you’re a Ravenclaw and everything you do is based on statistics and research. You never do anything just because you feel it."
"Not true," Terry replied, turning his gaze back on Ron. "Don’t tell me that’s not hot."
Blaise glanced at Ron, who had his wand down the back of his shirt and was scratching his back with it. Seconds later, Ron yelped and yanked his wand out; pressing his fingers to the small burn mark it had left.
Blaise was speechless as he stared at Ron, and then at Terry. He shook his head in complete disbelief.
"You are insane," he said finally.
"Certifiably I’m afraid," Terry replied slowly, his attention on Ron.
Blaise was so disgusted he didn’t speak for the rest of the lesson, only turning to Terry when the bell had rung and they were packing up their things. As they reached door, Blaise paused.
"See if you can’t rid yourself of this unhealthy obsession, Boot. I’d rather not spend the rest of the year checking my gag reflex."
Terry just rolled his eyes as Blaise turned and left, purposefully hitting Ron on the shoulder as he elbowed his way past. Terry was left gazing wistfully at Ron, who scowled at Blaise and continued down the hallway with Harry and Hermione.
Blaise swept down the stairs and through the passageways to the dungeons. He gave the password to the Slytherin common room and went inside, collapsing in a high-backed chair that faced the flickering fire. He let out a loud sigh and tilted his head back against the leather, closing his eyes and listening to the light sound of rain that fell against the high windows that rose just above ground level.
He took a deep breath and raised a hand to his forehead, rubbing it slowly. It had been a trifling day.
All seventh years were required to have partners in N.E.W.T. level Charms classes and Professor Flitwick had had the great privilege of selecting them himself. He had decided it would be best if all the Houses were split up and so had paired everyone with someone from another House. Blaise had been annoyed at the idea, but was mildly pleased when he was at least paired with a Ravenclaw.
Terry Boot was one of the quiet kids who didn’t talk a lot, or at least not in class. Blaise had soon found out that Terry was quite a talker when you got him on a subject he was interested in, which turned out to be a lot of things.
Blaise had barely noticed Terry before, but he supposed the same could be said about himself. Draco always took most of the attention of the House, which he was happy to grant him.
Blaise and Terry, though they appeared to be nothing more than a forced partnership, actually had many things in common. They valued intelligence, which worked well for both their marks in Charms. Blaise and Terry preferred individual work to group work so they often split up the assignments rather than working on them together.
After a few weeks, Blaise had found that having Terry as a partner really wasn’t that bad. He was efficient and smart. He wasn’t a pushover as Blaise was used to. He had opinions and feelings of his own, as was evident in his choice of Weasley as a dating partner.
Blaise gave an involuntary shudder as he stared at the insides of his eyelids. What Terry saw in Weasley, he couldn’t fathom. What anyone would see in that red-haired monkey was beyond him.
Blaise sighed to himself and kept his eyes closed, willing away the oncoming headache. He didn’t know what did it. Raising a hand to his forehead, he opened his eyes, shying away from the light overhead. He stared into the fire, thoughts running through his mind.
Why was Terry so enamored with the Weasel? What was special about him? Terry could have anyone, Blaise thought. He was good-looking if you were into that west-coast surfer turned prep look. Blaise often wondered what Terry wore during the summer holidays.
He knew one of Terry’s parents was Muggle or Muggle-born, so he must know a bit about Muggle fashion. Blaise had never had much of an interest of it, but once he had been bored on a shopping trip with his mother and picked up a Muggle magazine. All the men and women in it had been wearing much tighter, form-fitting clothes than Blaise was used to.
It had become something of a closet obsession for a while for Blaise. He would sneak Muggle fashion magazines into his bedroom and admire the bodies that were often hidden under wizard robes. He had come to learn the different styles very well at one point. It had become kind of a habit for Blaise to asses everyone he came into contact with after and decide to himself what Muggle style they would wear.
This was something he could no longer control as he did much of it subconsciously nowadays. When he had first actually met Terry, his impression had been that of a west-coast surfer from somewhere like the United States, but as time went on, Blaise came to think that Terry’s preferred style would have been that of a prep.
Blaise didn’t know why he did it, but it was something he could no longer control. When he’d realized he did this, he had immediately thrown out all the magazines, but the knowledge hadn’t been so easy to dispose of.
Aside from the clothes Terry may or may not don during the summer holidays, Blaise thought he was somewhat attractive. His hair was always falling in his eyes, yet he did nothing to stop it. His eyes were smart and calculating, a sparkle of gold flashing in them when he had a particular flash of brilliance.
His skin was a golden tan that ran the length of his body so far as Blaise could tell. Terry’s hands, that were so talented with his wand, were sort of thin, the type of fingers a piano player would have. He always handled his wand delicately, but Blaise knew it was with respect.
This all led Blaise back to the thought of just why Terry had set his sights on Ronald Weasley, possibly the lowest person in the academic chain. The thought of it made his stomach clench, and not just with disgust at the possibility of Ron and Terry dating. Another feeling was twisting his gut as he thought of the possibility. The thrill made his blood pump faster and his pulse increase. He could feel a feeling of anger and something unknown pulsing through his veins.
He closed his eyes for a second, attempting to clear his head. He was interrupted in his calming motions as someone flopped down into the adjacent chair loudly and very noticeably.
"Morning, Blaise." A female voice penetrated his silence and he groaned.
Opening his eyes, he saw Pansy Parkinson sitting in the other armchair, her leg curled under her body and the skirt that barely covered it. "It’s not fucking morning." It was, in fact, nearly five in the afternoon. Dinner would be soon.
Pansy flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder and smiled sweetly but, Blaise knew, deceptively. "You just seemed lonely in your little corner. I thought I might cheer you up."
"You can improve my mood by going away," Blaise replied coldly. He was in no mood for whatever her "cheering up" might involve.
"Yeah, can’t do that," Pansy said, scooting her chair closer to Blaise.
Blaise raised an eyebrow but didn’t move away. "And why not? You know your skirt won’t work with me, Pansy."
Pansy pouted for a second, then leaned forward to whisper in his ear seductively. "If you were straight I would have had you long ago." She moved back, smirking at him. "And besides, that’s not why I’m here."
"Why are you here, then? Don’t you have anything better to do?"
Pansy paused, looking thoughtful. "I was watching you today, in Charms."
"So?" Blaise asked, nonplussed.
"Did you know that observation is a lost art?"
Blaise was silent, but his expression was quickly turning suspicious. Pansy ignored his silence and continued.
"I saw you with Boot. A little more than Charms partners, are we?"
At this, Blaise scoffed. "Doubtful. He’s as thick as a tree."
"Because he likes Weasley?"
Blaise turned sharply to stare at Pansy. She was sitting back in her chair with a smug smile on her face. She stood up suddenly, turning from him and heading towards the door. As she reached it, she turned back, a playful smirk on her face.
"Told you observation was a lost art. You know what else is?" She waited a second and when Blaise didn’t answer, she gave a small laugh. "Magic."
Blaise stared after her as she left through the door and it slid shut behind her. He sat back in his chair, staring at the fire that flickered before him. Pansy’s cryptic message was a bit confusing. In the end, he decided he’d rather not know and picked himself up, leaving the common room for the Great Hall and dinner.
He sat down at the Slytherin table upon entering, his eyes traveling around the large room for a familiar face at the table behind them. He caught sight of Terry sitting at the end, surrounded by his friends, Michael Corner and Anthony Goldstein. He appeared to be listening to their conversation, but careful observation showed he couldn’t be paying less attention. His face was turned towards them and he seemed to be nodding along in the right spots, but his eyes were trained on the Gryffindor table.
Blaise scowled at this and turned to follow Terry’s gaze. It fell on Ron, as was to be predicted. Ron was sitting in between Harry and Hermione, shoveling food into his mouth as he was apt. Blaise rolled his eyes at the barbarian display. He didn’t see what Terry did at all. How could a guy like Terry be attracted to someone like Weasley?
Blaise spent most of the meal in silence, his mind working to answer the question of what Terry saw in Weasley and how he could stop it. It was in his best interest, Blaise thought, to stop an inevitable tragedy. Doubtlessly, if Terry and the Weasel dated, Terry would lose all credibility. Right, Blaise thought. All for his own good.
He went back to watching Ron closely, knowing he was far too thick to notice. He saw Ron talking fervently with Harry and Hermione, sending dark glances up at the Head table. Blaise was intrigued. He watched Ron for a bit longer and then glanced at the Head table, his mind working quickly.
He saw who Ron was looking at and clearly talking about. With another glance at Terry, Blaise sat up straighter and set down his fork, his mouth curving into an evil smirk. A few seats down the table, Pansy saw Blaise’s expression and smiled to herself.
As soon as dinner was over, Blaise retreated to the Slytherin dormitories. He sat down on his bed and pulled the curtains closed so he would have privacy. He grabbed a quill and drafted an immediate order to Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. Summoning his owl, he tied the letter to its leg, and watched as it soared into the night.
Smiling to himself, he laid back in his bed, his hands behind his head. Tomorrow was going to be quite interesting.
***
The next morning at breakfast, Blaise seemed to be in an extra cheerful mood. Pansy slid in beside him at the table, helping herself to some kippers. She glanced at him and smirked. "I take it you’ve found a way to release your frustration?"
"I don’t have any frustration, Pansy," Blaise replied loftily, "other than your constant presence."
"You love me, you know it," Pansy said, bumping him on the shoulder, to which Blaise merely rolled his eyes. "So what’d you do to the Weasel?"
"What makes you think I did anything?" Blaise asked, buttering his toast.
Pansy paused. "Maybe because when you get jealous, you get even."
"I am not jealous. I just think Terry can do better."
"Right, and denial is just a river in Egypt, I suppose?" Pansy asked lightly.
"Exactly."
Pansy rolled her eyes but knew that if she kept an eye on a certain Gryffindor, she was likely to see a show that day.
After breakfast, the seventh year N.E.W.T. students headed off to Potions. Blaise took his normal seat in the back with Draco and Pansy and watched the other students filter in. Terry came in and shot him a momentary smile but quickly turned away to sit with his other Ravenclaw friends.
The Golden Trio came in soon after, plunking down at a table. Harry and Hermione seemed to be discussing something in whispered voices while sending worried glances at Ron, who sat in his chair with a dreamy look on his face.
Blaise glanced at Terry, seeing him giving the Weasel a similar look. Blaise scowled at the look and turned away as Professor Snape entered the classroom, the door slamming shut behind him.
Harry and Hermione gave each other worried looks and Blaise saw them glance at Ron.
The moment Snape had entered the room, Ron had perked up, his whole attention on the potion’s master.
"Good morning, Professor Snape," Ron said promptly in what Blaise supposed was supposed to be a seductive voice.
Snape stopped on his way to the front and turned at Ron’s voice. His expression was unfathomable. He didn’t say anything for a moment, and then turned and continued on as if nothing had happened.
Blaise watched with interest as Ron turned his body towards the front, imitating the stance he had seen Hermione Granger give when she was in class. It indicated that his whole attention was focused on the teacher and no one else.
Glancing at Terry, it appeared that he hadn’t noticed anything different about Ron. Blaise’s eyes narrowed and he turned back to watch Snape, who was writing the day’s ingredients on the board.
Snape turned around to face the class and paused as he saw Ron’s eyes fixed on him. He looked a little suspicious but could find no reason to take away points, so he turned to the class.
"Today you’ll be making a Draught of Intelligence. A sip of this potion gives the drinker an increased capacity of knowledge for a short amount of time. It is, of course, forbidden during exams, so I don’t suggest you try to take any." Snape glared around at them all.
His glare came full circle to find a hand in the air. He stared at Ron for a full five seconds before Ron spoke up. "Professor, I think I’ll need some help on the third step, if you would be so kind."
Blaise did believe Snape was rendered speechless at Ron’s ‘request’.
After a few seconds, Snape snapped, "Quiet, Weasley!"
Blaise bit his lip to stop himself laughing and glanced at Terry. Terry wasn’t looking quite so dreamy anymore. He appeared to be watching Ron and glancing between him and Snape.
The lesson progressed and as they gathered their ingredients, Blaise saw Ron approaching Snape’s desk. Harry and Hermione were sitting in their chairs, their heads in their hands. Terry was also watching, his expression more and more questioning.
"Are you sure you can’t help me?" Ron asked, leaning onto the desk between him and Snape. "I always love your extra help, Severus."
Snape was once again shocked into silence. Blaise saw Terry looking taken-aback.
"Ten points, Weasley!" Snape barked, standing up from his desk suddenly. Ron looked a little put-out and slid off the desk, going back to his seat.
Snape huffed and took off around the other side of the room, glaring down his hook nose at people’s potions and sneering at them.
He made the rounds and was passing by Ron’s table again when Ron caught a hold of his robes. Blaise saw Hermione close her eyes and shake her head.
"Snapey-poo," Ron said in a pouting voice. "Why are you ignoring me?"
Snape’s eyes widened as he stared at Ron. "Detention, Weasley!" he exclaimed, wrenching his robes from Ron’s grip.
Ron simply smiled at him. "Do I need to be punished now? I bet you can punish me real good."
Snape’s eyes widened and he looked like he was going to be sick. "Two detentions, Weasley! And fifty points from Gryffindor House."
Ron just smiled happily. "All the more time I get to spend with you, love."
Blaise had his hand pressed to his mouth to stop laughing at this point. Beside him, Pansy elbowed him in the side. "Didn’t do anything, eh? That’s a pretty good nothing."
Blaise recomposed himself and just shrugged, a small smirk now on his face.
The class ended with Ron receiving a third detention to which he simply replied that he was looking forward to his punishment.
As they walked to their next class, Charms, Blaise saw Harry and Hermione shaking their heads forlornly, Ron wandering along dreamily behind them. He smirked and followed them into the classroom.
Terry joined him at the table moments later. He looked perplexed as he set his things down and took his seat.
"Morning, Boot," Blaise said crisply as he always did. It was a habit his mother had instilled in him long ago. Even if he didn’t like someone, a polite greeting was always warranted.
"Hey, Zabini," Terry replied distractedly. He was watching Ron again, and Blaise could tell he was trying to figure something out.
After about five minutes of silence, Blaise leaned over, bringing his mouth close to Terry’s ear. "Seems like Weasley’s got a new lover."
Terry frowned and didn’t move away from Blaise’s mouth. "You noticed too?"
Blaise chuckled. "Noticed? He was practically screaming it from the Astronomy Tower. Too bad he has no taste. I mean, Snape? The man’s a walking corpse. He’s not attractive in the least."
Terry made a noise of agreement. "But it’s not his fault. You can’t control who you like. This just shows that Ron’s a really good person. He doesn’t care what people look like."
Blaise stared at Terry in disbelief. Even after Ron’s sickening display of love towards their romantically-challenged professor, he still liked him.
"You’re telling me you would fuck Snape?"
"Ew, no," Terry said. "That’s disgusting, Zabini."
"Then why is it okay for Weasley to do it?" Blaise was getting frustrated by what Terry was saying.
"I didn’t say that," Terry said simply, taking his wand out of his bag as Flitwick entered the room. He set it down and ran his hand through his hair. The blond locks simply fell back into his eyes and he shook them back. "It just means that Ron is more open than I thought, and that’s a good thing."
"Terry!" Blaise exclaimed but quickly quieted as he realized how loud it had been. "Boot," he hissed, "you can’t date the Weasel. He likes Snape. Doesn’t that disgust you at all?"
Terry gave Blaise a confused look. "I’m not that shallow, Blaise. I mean, yeah, Snape isn’t exactly what I would pick, but I give Ron credit for it."
Blaise desperately wanted to bang his head against the wall at the moment but was unable to as the lesson started. Flitwick began by reminding them of their group project due the next week. Blaise hated group projects.
"You want to meet tomorrow?" Terry whispered as Flitwick talked about their next charm to learn.
"Sure," Blaise replied flatly.
"Seven in the library alright?"
"Yeah."
Blaise spent the rest of the lesson listening to Terry commending Ron on being so nice to Snape. By the end of it, Blaise would have liked very much to simply Avada himself so he wouldn’t have to hear anymore or see the googly eyes Terry made at Ron at every available interval.
The class ended and Blaise left without so much as a goodbye to Terry. He spent the rest of the day in mulish silence. He avoided everyone and ate quickly at dinner. Afterwards, he retreated once more to his room to send yet another letter.
After addressing it to the Weasley twin’s shop and sending it with his owl, he lay back in his bed. If this didn’t work, he didn’t know what to do. Terry had been a lot more accepting than he’d thought.
Blaise shook his head. This had better work. He couldn’t stand seeing Terry enamored with someone like Weasley. He was his Charm’s partner, and it ought to stay that way. With that comforting thought, Blaise put his hands behind his head and smiled to himself, awaiting the morning when he would wake up to another pink potion delivered promptly by the Wizard Wheezes Owl delivery.
***
The next day as Blaise walked into Potions, he saw that Terry was already there, as was Snape. Snape was sitting in his desk, his expression sour. His lip was already curled into a sneer and his head shot to the door every time it squeaked open.
Blaise walked slowly back to his seat, only vaguely returning the smile Terry sent him. He set down his things and sat down in his seat, turning it so he could watch the door and Snape at the same time.
A few moments later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione came in. Harry and Hermione went to their seats without a glance at Snape, but Ron, however, did not. Instead, he caught sight of Snape, who had shot out of his chair like a slingshot.
"Sevvy!" Ron exclaimed happily on seeing Snape. Blaise heard the groans from Harry and Hermione, but he was concentrating on Ron. Ron bounded over to Snape’s desk, which Snape was attempting to use as a barrier. Ron grinned. "Playing hard to get, are we?"
Snape looked like he was going to kill someone as half the class snickered. He was too preoccupied by Ron, however, to curse everyone he wanted. He backed away as Ron climbed over the top of the desk and grabbed onto him, planting a kiss on his cheek.
Blaise had to turn away at this point. The sight was just too much. He didn’t much feel like getting sick first thing in the morning. He chanced a glance at Terry, who was watching the interaction with a growing frown. A small thrill ran through Blaise’s stomach at the sight.
"Weasley!" Snape roared as Ron squeezed him round the middle. "That’s four detentions and one hundred points from Gryffindor!"
"You can take away as many points as you want, Sev," Ron said sweetly, "but I’ll always love you."
Snape looked like he was about to explode. He pushed Ron away roughly, his eyes blazing with anger. Ron just smiled innocently as the class around him snickered behind their hands. Harry and Hermione both had their heads in their hands, though Blaise thought Harry might have been doing it to cover his laughter.
"Detention!" Snape roared. "Every Saturday until the end of the year!"
"The more time I spend with you, the better," Ron replied dreamily, gazing happily at his professor.
Blaise suppressed the huge smirk and merely snickered at Ron. He glanced at Terry again, only to see that he looked thoughtful. Blaise frowned at this but didn’t have much more time to ponder it as Snape finally managed to get out what they were doing that day.
By the end of the lesson, Ron was clearly smitten with his professor, doodling love notes and sending them to Snape every five seconds, losing his house another hundred points. Snape dismissed the class a whole five minutes early and as Blaise left, he saw him sinking down into his chair with an agonized sigh.
Blaise passed a struggling Ron being pulled along by Harry and Hermione.
"Come on, Ron," Hermione said with difficulty, tugging his arm forward. "We have Transfiguration."
"But, Severus," Ron said, trying to turn and go back. "What will he do without me?"
"Die in peace," Harry muttered as he pulled Ron forward.
Blaise saw Ron struggling and with a particularly violent tug, he ripped away from his guardians.
"No!" Hermione shouted as Ron took off back down the stairs. She didn’t go after him, though, only sighed and shook her head, turning with Harry and continuing on their way.
Blaise paused and looked back down the stairs. He saw Terry standing near the bottom, looking at something.
"Hey, Ron," he heard Terry say and walk out of his range of view.
Blaise hesitated but in a second, was at the bottom of the stairs, peering around the corner.
He saw Terry and Ron standing just outside the door to the Potion’s classroom. Ron had his hand on the door as if he’d been about to go in.
"Yeah, Terry?" Ron asked.
Blaise saw Terry hesitating and his eyes widened.
"Well, I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to go out with me sometime," Terry said, watching Ron hopefully while Blaise mentally slapped himself.
Ron paused, looking at the door and then back at Terry. "Well, I’m kind of with Severus. But you know, I bet Sevvy wouldn’t mind a threesome," Ron said eagerly.
From behind the door, they heard an agonized groan and a dull clunk.
Terry looked away from the door and back at Ron. "A threesome? With you and… Snape."
"Yeah," Ron said enthusiastically. "It would be fun!"
Terry looked like he didn’t know what to say. He looked a little sick to Blaise. He was staring at Ron with something akin to disbelief and repulsion. He took a step back.
"That’s okay. I think I’m good," he said haltingly.
Ron just shrugged. "Okay, but if you ever want to, Sevvy’s great in bed." He winked at Terry and turned, opening the door and disappearing inside.
Terry didn’t move for a few seconds, staring in shock at the door. Blaise peered around the corner at him, wondering what he was going to do. When he didn’t do anything, Blaise sighed and turned, trudging up the stairs, knowing he was late to class.
What he didn’t see was Terry turning and catching sight of his back as he left. He stared after him for a second before his eyes narrowed and a look of comprehension came on his face. He laughed to himself and started up the stairs, heading back to his common room.
***
That night at seven o’clock, Blaise was in the library, waiting for Terry so they could work on their Charm’s project. He had picked a table near the back surrounded by tall shelves of books. He liked this table because it was isolated.
He leaned back in his chair and glanced at the clock. It was five after. Terry was never late. Blaise wondered where he was but his question was answered moments later as Terry appeared next him.
Without speaking to Blaise, he got out his books and his wand, setting them on the table in front of him. He said nothing as he flipped to the right page in his book, didn’t utter a word as he took out a quill and piece of parchment.
After five minutes of this silence, Blaise broke it. "What?"
Terry stopped with a quill in his hand. He paused for a second, then set it down decisively on the table, turning to Blaise. "Why’d you do that?"
"Do what?" Blaise asked, taking his book from his bag.
Terry just gave him a withering look. "I’m a Ravenclaw, Blaise."
"And I’m a Slytherin. Glad you’ve learned the Houses."
Terry let out a frustrated breath and glared at Blaise. When Blaise did nothing, Terry sighed. "You know, you could have just told me."
Blaise glanced at him. "I’m a Slytherin. That wouldn’t do."
Terry scooted his chair closer and Blaise turned his head from him, flipping his book open. He paused and then placed a hand on Blaise’s thigh.
"Well, since you are a Slytherin, not used to open gestures, I guess I’ll have to do it."
Blaise turned his head to ask just what he meant but found Terry’s face extremely close to his. He didn’t say anything as Terry closed the distance, pressing his lips to Blaise’s. He opened his mouth to Terry’s tongue as it slid past his teeth to tangle with his own tongue.
Blaise’s hand slid up Terry’s side, past his shoulder and neck into his soft hair. He pushed it back and pressed his lips harder to Terry’s, nipping at his lower lip. He felt Terry moving into his lap and he readily accepted his closeness, sliding his other hand around Terry’s waist.
At length, they pulled away, each breathing a little heavier than before. Blaise took the opportunity to push Terry’s hair back, only to have it fall immediately back into his eyes. He glanced at Terry’s reddened lips and smirked. His eyes were caught by Terry’s, though, as he looked up.
Terry was smiling at him. "I always thought Slytherins were supposed to really sneaky."
"We are, but Ravenclaws are too smart for their own good."
Terry laughed and shifted closer in Blaise’s lap. He pressed a soft kiss to Blaise’s lips and pulled away smiling. "So Ron doesn’t really like Snape?"
"He likes him, just far away from him," Blaise replied smoothly.
"Are you going to take the spell off him?"
"It’s a potion. It’ll wear off in a few days."
Terry just shook his head. "I’d hate to think what you would have done if I’d told you I liked Malfoy or something."
"Oh, for him I would have chosen McGonagall," Blaise said, smirking.
Terry laughed. "You know who I would have chosen for you?"
"Who?"
"Me."
"Oh, how sappy," Blaise replied with a grin.
Terry just grinned and leaned in close. "Either that or Hagrid."
"You wouldn’t!" Blaise exclaimed.
Terry just shrugged. "Better than Snape."
Blaise paused. "I guess."
"Yeah, you guess," Terry murmured, leaning in and kissing Blaise again.
They spent the rest of the night together in the library, barely accomplishing a thing on their Charm’s project. The next Potions lesson, they would watch Ron slinking around like a kicked puppy, quailing under the gaze of Snape, and anytime someone mentioned the number three, fifty house points would be lost much to the amusement of Blaise and Terry.
~~**~~
FIN