That night, Blair sat on her bed with Jasper curled up on her lap. She was finishing her Transfiguration homework while the girls in her dormitory got themselves ready for bed. The girls she shared her room with had never made an attempt to talk to her and she had done the same. Blair assumed that like everyone else at Hogwarts, they were put off by her last name. There was a collective agreement to sleep in the dormitory like classmates and that was it. The three others talked to each other and Blair knew they were close friends, but she didn't feel left out or excluded. She liked it the way it was.
"Um... Blair?" Poppy Penigram said.
Blair looked up from her parchment once, thinking that she may have heard something that might have rhymed with her name. But she looked up again when she realised that the three girls sitting on their beds were looking at her and that Poppy had actually called her name. Poppy, Nancy Lindor and Mina Darcy nervously glanced to each other but didn't back down.
"We were just wondering..." Poppy looked to the others for some help.
"We saw you talking to George Weasley today at breakfast," Mina continued. "We weren't being nosy. Well we kinda were actually... sounds creepy, I know. But George has a really loud voice and we couldn't help but listen in."
"What Mina's trying to say-" Nancy glared lightly at her friend. "-is that we're sorry if you feel like you can't talk to us. We just assumed you... wanted to be alone. A little mean for us to think that actually..."
"It was really only Nancy that thought that," Poppy mentioned.
"Shut up."
Blair was surprised at the confrontation but surprisingly felt a weight slide off of her shoulders. The three girls looked hopeful for her reply and leaned forward as if to get closer to an answer. The girls were never mean to her or anything. And Blair was actually glad that they had decided to ask her something.
"Y-Yeah... I can talk," Blair started and the girls sighed in relief, their shoulders slacking from their tense posture. "I guess I haven't been too friendly in the past... I'm sorry about that."
"Don't be sorry," Nancy replied. "We all should have at least talked in our first year. I've been needing help in Potions for years and could have really used some of your expertise."
"How do you know that I'm good at Potions?" Blair said.
"Everyone knows. You're the best in our year," Poppy laughed before then looking worried. "Sorry, that sounded creepy again..."
Blair let out a light chuckle and Poppy grinned widely. The girls felt a lot more relaxed and had a laugh between themselves. They had spent years tiptoeing around Blair, thinking that the rumours about her were true and that she wanted to be isolated. But they realised how stupid that was and had finally attempted to patch up the tense dormitory. And it seemed to have opened up an acquaintance-relationship base and maybe even a friendship.
---
The weeks passed by and it was soon coming up to the first Hogsmeade weekend. But for Blair, it was just another weekend of finishing off assignments early. She had to admit, she was jealous of the students that went down to the Wizarding village. She caught glimpses of the products people showed their friends from Honeydukes, Zonko's and their experiences at the pub, The Three Broomsticks. But for the sake of Blair's state of mind, she told herself that there was nothing in the village to look forward to.
Sitting in the courtyard with another book from the Ravenclaw common room, Blair tried her best to ignore the excited chatting from the people going to the Entrance Hall. They would be signed off there by Mr Filch before leaving the school grounds to Hogsmeade. She dressed in a black jumper and black skinny jeans, warm enough for the autumn weather that was now starting to settle in. If you were to walk into the courtyard, you wouldn't be able to miss her among the stone corridors and bright green grass.
"Blair!" George's voice made her raise her head and see the boy step away from his twin and jog across the courtyard. "What are you still sitting here for? Aren't you coming to Hogsmeade?"
"I didn't get my permission sheet signed," Blair answered vaguely as she looked down at her book, now not reading any of it.
"Oh," George said and deflated slightly. "Well I can forge a signature for you if you want."
"No, they put enchantments on the form so that you can't do that," she said and George deflated even more. He couldn't help but feel a small twinge in his chest from Blair's lack of interest and monotone voice. He had wanted to run into her at Hogsmeade and try to start getting to know her. He hadn't had the chance to ask any questions yet and she was still a mystery to him. All he knew was that she had a cat named Jasper, had a mean glare, and was good at Potions.
"Well I guess I'll just have to stay here with you then," George announced as he sat down on the bench next to her, waving to Fred to tell him to go off without him. Fred rolled his eyes but walked off, hoping to find Lee or Angelina on the way.
"What? You're gonna stay here?" Blair repeated and shut her book.
"Yeah. To keep you company and stuff," he shrugged and beamed down at her. "Whatcha' reading?"
"Nothing," she hid the cover of the book against her chest and stood up from the bench.
She didn't exactly classify George as a friend yet. Yes, they had that small moment in Professor Moody's class but that was a onetime thing. Blair could feel herself becoming more comfortable when being around George and she didn't like it. She liked being alone and reserved. She wasn't the sort to have a best friend who she'd sit with at breakfast, lunch and dinner. But George had come in out of nowhere and changed that completely. She barely had any moments to herself. It was only when she'd have a class that he didn't have and when she retired to her dormitories. But even then, the three girls from her dormitory had started to become friendlier towards her as well. So even in her common room, she was 'forced' to sit and listen to their chatting.
"So where are we going?" George questioned as he appeared at her side again.
"I'm going to the library," she emphasised the 'I'm'.
"Ew boring. Let's go to the Gryffindor common room," he suggested.
"Fine. Go on then," she motioned her heard towards the Gryffindor tower and George nearly started walking in that direction, only to realise that Blair wasn't diverting her journey.
"No, we're going together!" George fought.
"No, we're not," Blair shook her head in irritation. "I'm going to the library."
"Fine, we'll go to your stupid library. But if we get thrown out because of talking too much, we're going to the Gryffindor common room," George finished with the cross of his arms.
Blair didn't have it in her to argue so the two made their way towards the library. It would be mostly empty considering it was a Hogsmeade weekend. Only the few first and second years that wanted to start their assignments before they were due on Monday would be there, so it would be quiet enough for Blair to read and maybe read ahead in one of her textbooks. But she could tell by George's insistence of tagging along that that wouldn't happen.
"Wow this place is huge!" George announced once he entered the library.
"Shh!" Madam Pince appeared and glared harshly at the boy. He shrugged and mouthed 'sorry' with a cringe, making the woman turn away and head towards the columns of books with a stomp in her step.
"Have you never been in here?" Blair whispered as she headed towards one of the square tables.
"I think Fred and I set off some fireworks in here once," he whispered back and Blair rolled her eyes.
Grabbing some history books from the shelf, Blair sat down and tried her best to start reading with George sitting beside her. For a moment, she thought that she might actually be able to get some useful reading done. But that idea slowly faded away when she saw George lean on the back legs of his chair and start to knock his wand against the metal under his seat. The knocking of wood on metal made Blair's skin crawl and she whipped her head around to glare at him.
"Can you stop that?" she hissed and George raised an eyebrow at her.
"Stop what? This?" he smirked as he clanged the wood loudly against his chair. The loud clicks of Madam Pince's high heels could be heard and the woman appeared around a bookcase, glaring daggers at George for second time in fifteen minutes.
"If I have to talk to you again Mr Weasley, I will have to ask you and your girlfriend to leave," she sneered and Blair chocked on her intake of air.
"Oh we're not dating Miss", George calmly replied. "We're just good friends."
"Well my statement still stands. No. Talking."
The woman stomped away once more and George turned to Blair with his smirk still on his face. He saw her flushed cheeks and wide eyes and couldn't help but think she looked adorable. Her round face made her look like a doll and the redness in her cheeks just added to the near perfect complexion of hers. But he didn't let his infatuation show as Blair opened her mouth with a now dark look in her eyes.
"We're not friends, Weasley," she said and George couldn't help but chuckle.
"Of course we are. Would we be sitting here together if we weren't?" he asked.
"No, I'm sitting here quietly. You are being annoying and barely sitting on your chair," Blair explained and eyed the way the back legs of George's chair balanced his weight.
"Well I want to be in the common room," George crossed his arms.
"Then go! I'm not stopping you-"
"Right! Mr Weasley and co., leave this instant!" Madam Pince cried and pointed her finger towards the door.
George sniggered and Blair shut the history book angrily. The two got up from the table while Madam Pince watched them leave through her horn-rimmed glasses. Blair marched out the library and made it out into the hallway, before turning around and glaring viciously at George. The boy stopped abruptly from the small girl in front of him and slipped his hands into his pockets with a eyebrow raised, amused by Blair's angry expression.
"You got what you wanted then," she huffed. "Go off to your common room."
"Great! I can show you our new pimple vanishers!" George took hold of Blair's jumper sleeve and started walking towards the Gryffindor tower. "Not that you need any-"
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Blair stood in her place and yanked her sleeve from his grip. George stopped, turned around and gave her a confused expression. "You got me thrown out of the library. I'm going to the Ravenclaw common room."
"Okay, we'll go there then."
Blair resisted from pulling out her wand and hexing George into oblivion. She wanted to take advantage of the castle while it was quiet and the library was her ideal reading place. But the Ravenclaw common room would have to suffice. It did have a number of bookcases so she wouldn't be at a disadvantage for variety. But she hoped that George would get the message that if he wasn't going to be quiet, she didn't want him around. Oblivious to this, George merrily walked along side her talking avidly about the new pimple vanishers he and Fred had invented.
"It only takes ten seconds-" he explained while they climbed the spiral staircase. "-and they're gone forever! Took us ages to get right but we think it'll be a best seller."
They came to a large wooden door that had a doorknocker in the shape of an eagle. As if their presence brought the bird to life, its head looked up from its bent position and looked at George expectantly. The sight of the Gryffindor made the bird suspicious but it said nothing, turning to Blair to begin its riddle.
"What belongs to you, but it used primarily by others?" the bird's deep voice asked and froze into its bent position once more.
"You have to guess the answer to a joke to get into your common room?" George scoffed.
"No, it's a riddle," Blair answered while being distracted from thinking of the answer. It came to her soon after and she turned to the door-handle once more. "Your name."
The large door swung open and a short hallway was seen leading into the common room. Blair stepped in first and knew George was following after her, awing at the room that he could see at the end of the hallway. Inside, sat multiple sofas and armchairs dawned in royal blue blankets and throw pillows. A majority of them sat around the unlit fireplace that was shaped with dark brown wood that was polished and fancy-looking. But it was the shelves upon shelves of books that made George's jaw drop as every corner had a continuous bookcase that ran all the way around the room.
"Ya'll are nerds."