20 Feet { Blarry }

chapter 4

Harry, what's the matter?" Hermione asked, closing the book on her lap. Blaise swiftly but silently made his way to Harry and pressed his hand to the Gryffindor's lower back. Harry released a silent sigh and Blaise's shoulders sagged in relief as the pain in their abdomens dissipated quickly

Harry shook his head, "Nothing Hermione, I'm just feeling a little tired today."

"Are you feeling better though? I was sure that you'd gone to the infirmary, and Ron, Ginny, and I were going to go check on you after he finishes that game," Hermione said, glaring at the redhead. Apparently, they'd been playing chess for a while now. "No, I ended up working on my charms project some more with Zabini-"

"Again," Ginny pouted, standing up from her seat and sauntering over to Harry. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around his torso, looking up into his face. "You've been meeting with that slimely snake so much that I've hardly seen you at all. What do you do together so long?"

Harry withheld a tired, irritated sigh as her hands drifted lower and she plastered herself against his side, forcing Blaise to remove his hand before her arm grazed the invisibility cloak.

"Ginny," he said calmly, trying to separate himself from her cloying hands, "We work. We have a project for charms that I've told you about plenty of times."

"Yes, but Ron doesn't work on his nearly as much, and I see 'Mione all of the time," she simpered, poking her bottom lip out.

This time Harry couldn't control the exasperated sigh that slipped him between his lips, "Zabini is surprisingly studious, and I find that I'm really adept at the work we're doing, so it's fun to work on it."

"Fun?!" Two astounded voices rang out loudly from both Ginny and Ron. The redheads were gaping him while Hermione was nodding approvingly, "To work with a snake?"

Blaise gritted his teeth at the repeated insults to both himself and his house. If he were a rasher person, he would have revealed himself and railed against the two Weasleys, but he was nothing if not reserved and controlled. He'd have his revenge sooner or later for both the insults and the Weaslette's ostentatious pawing at Harry. He didn't like it, not one bit. Her suggestive looks and familiar touches were filling him with a possessive, simmering rage that he could hardly stand.

Granger's voice interrupted his murderous musings. Clearly, he must have missed something because Harry was tense and appeared to be becoming angrier by the second. Okay, what did I miss?

"What do you mean by that Hermione?" Harry asked.

Hermione sighed as if really put upon, "I am only saying that it's good to finally see you taking an interest in your studies for one. Usually by now you'd be running off to solve some mystery or other or, this year in particular, obsessing over Malfoy."

"Oh forgive me Hermione for wanting to figure out who is trying to kill every year," Harry said with a biting sarcasm Blaise didn't know he was capable of.

"I'm glad that no one has made an attempt on my life or that of any of my friends this year, so I can finally live the life of a regular student like the rest of you." Hermione scoffed completely unaware of Harry burgeoning anger or her own lack of tact,

"Harry, Ron and I especially have hardly been regular students since we met you. If you've forgotten, I will remind you that we are always pulled into your adventures and suffer as much if not more than you do."

Harry glared at her and Ron's bobbing head. "That's what you think?" He asked quietly in a dark voice that sent a static pulse sizzling down Zabini's spine straight to his groin. He was starting to realize that Harry could be very arousing in so many different ways.