𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐍 - 𝐡.𝐩.

27 | A Dance Gone Wrong

Yet, as he draped himself on an armchair across her and watched her staunchly read a mermish dictionary, he feared that he was already a little devoted to her. His dark irises stared at her with an intensity that could burn if it were substantial. She was resplendent. She had the kind of beauty that drove men to their knees. For someone so young, it was a dangerous attribute to have.

He saw her gently pull her lower lip between her teeth, tilting her head in confusion as she came across something in the book, and felt an insatiable urge to kiss her. His concentration was broken when she whipped her head up to her left. Adrian Pucey stood not two feet away with a cocky grin on his hatchet-like face. Blaise felt his mouth curve into a sneer.

Two slender arms slipped around his neck and rested loosely on his shoulders. "Is this a bad time to interrupt?"

"Greengrass," he sighed, allowing his eyelids to slip close as he sank into her embrace.

"You're smitten," spoke Daphne, and he could practically hear the infuriating smirk in her voice.

A strand of her flaxen hair fell on his shoulder as she bent down and rested her chin on his head. He curled it around his finger absently. "Do you know what they're talking about?"

"I'll corner her later,"

It was his turn to smirk. "I owe you."

"A kiss would do," she teased.

Blaise knew she meant it playfully, but turned around halfway and planted a kiss on her cheek nonetheless. She looked speechless for a second, her painted mouth parted, before she abruptly started laughing. He could spot a faint flush in her cheeks.

"I'm surprised you're here without Pansy," he commented.

"Oh, I'm not. She's right over there by the fire with Draco. Attempting to flirt, per usual. The second-hand embarrassment got too much so I decided to find a flirting partner for myself."

"And would that be me?"

She matched his coy look with a guileful smile, revealing a hint of her pearly teeth. "Of course not." she waved her hand dismissively, "It's that enchanting creature over there,"

Blaise followed the path of her forest-green eyes to Gemini.

"Get away from my girl, Pucey!" she called.

Gemini looked at her and broke into a grin.

"He looks very punchable," Blaise murmured to Daphne, his thoughts split between grabbing Gemini and snogging the hell out of her or beating Pucey to a pulp for the way he was looking at her.

Daphne shook her head at him and pulled away, sashaying her way over to Gemini. He heard her rudely ask Pucey to go do something to himself that made a first-year choke on air before she flopped down on the couch beside the pretty, raven-haired girl.

Blaise decided he was feeling weary at the lack of company, especially when he still sensed his head straining at the effort to keep himself from jinxing every single person in the common room who was eyeing Gemini, and so decided to join them on the other side of the centre table in three easy strides.

Both girls turned to face him, the slender, blonde one wrapping her arms around the other's waist from behind.

"You look a little tense," commented Gemini, leaning into Daphne.

Daphne raised a perfectly trimmed eyebrow at him, not even attempting to hide her little expression of smug delight.

"What did Pucey say to you?" he asked calmly.

"He wanted me to go to the ball with him," Gemini answered nonchalantly, "Daphne drove him out before he could empty his egotistical personality on poor, old me."