Invisible Threads | Blaise Zabini

3

A/N:
Happy belated Christmas!
I wanted to post this chapter yesterday, but since my family isn't that normal not only do we celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas day, we also celebrate the 26th. The amount of food I've had in the last three days... It's probably best not to think about it to much.

Anyway, I hope you had a nice time around family despite COVID-19 and that you're all healthy.

Let me know what you think of this chapter. I love reading all of your comments, and never miss a single one :)

Enough of my blabbering... Please enjoy!

3
The talk

THE LAST SUNDAY of September Clementine wondered if her dream had finally come true and she'd fallen inside an old fable. The weather was simply too nice to belong to the real world: a bright sun was sending its rays towards the earth, making the small drops of water trapped in between the grass glisten. Small puffs of winds were sending the few fallen leaves to swirl lazily in the air. And the smell. Even her brothers - Arden and Lee - called her crazy for saying it, but days like this had the best smell.

A mixture of grass and sunshine, her favourite.

Needless to say, Clementine would have loved nothing more than to spend the day outside, discovering for the hundredth time what little creatures were crawling on the ground or flying through the air. But as always she'd procrastinated until the last moment. And so while everyone else was having fun, Clementine was stuck in the library, crouched over books as she worked on finishing her Transfiguration essay before lunchtime. Her coat was hanging on the chair next to her, and the chair was slightly pulled back, welcoming whomever wanted to to take a seat next to her. Her dad claimed she was a hopeless dreamer, Arden and Lee said she'd watched too many Disney movies and was now stuck in one, but she disagreed: the love of her life wouldn't present himself to her by making his role in his life perfectly clear so she ought to keep her eyes open. For all she knew, one day the person she was destined to be with was going to take that seat and change her life forever.

Finally around twelve, her work was done; she dipped her quill inside her ink one more time, signed her essay, then admired her work in satisfaction. Why was she though? She already knew what grade she'd see written on it in a couple of days.

Pushing the bitter thought away, Clementine began rolling her parchment when the tiny ball sitting on the desk was snatched.

Clementine jerked around, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed into a small pout. "Give it back, Smith!" she ordered and jumped up so that she was face to face with the student.

"Why do you always have this ugly thing with you?" Smith sneered and moved her Smith behind her back to stop Clementine from taking her stress ball back. "Are you trying to get people to look laugh at you?"

"And are you... Do you like..." Clementine huffed angrily when nothing came to her mind, and then remembered her father's words and sat back down, refusing to look at Smith. As a reaction, Smith poked her on the face repeatedly, until fed up she pushed her chair back. It slid against the wood with a loud screech.

"What is happening here?!" Madame Pince yelled.

"Nothing." Clementine and Smith said in unison.

Madame Pince shot them an unsure look then went away, Smith glared at Clementine but kept her distance. Her raised her nose and turned towards the exit, but before leaving he deliberately kicked the table, making Clementine's ink tilt and soak her parchment, ruining all of her hard work.