"Potions," he said, grimacing. They arrived at the Great Hall, and he lead her to the Slytherin table. Draco was there, glaring with Pansy looking amused next to him.

"Hey mate, how's it going?" he asked, taking a bite out of his roll.

"Just peachy," came the sullen reply.

Pansy giggled. "He's still pissed off at Aria." She turned to the girl in question. "That was a good shot." 

"Yes," Pansy said, smiling. "I'm Pansy. Pansy Parkinson."

Draco listened as Aria apologised. He wanted so very much to reject her, hex her, spit at her...but he needed to win this bet. And Blaise already had a higher position in her good books, which he needed to remedy. So he gave her a smile.

"I'm sorry too. What say we forget about everything that happened and start over?" 

After their little agreement, Draco went back to eating his food and Pansy went back to teasing him. Blaise became 'immersed' in a Potions text, but really, he was just staring at Aria, imagining snogging her senselessly.

"Blaise!" Pansy exclaimed, taking a break from her mocking of Draco. "Stop staring at the poor girl! You'll burn a hole in her!" 

Instead of the usual snarky remark that one came to expect from Blaise Zabini, he went red (although his dark skin prevented it from being immediately obvious) and then went to actually reading his textbook, ignoring them. Draco noticed his eyes seemed to read only one sentence.

"You alright there, mate?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Blaise made a sound ("Mmph...") and continued reading.

"Blaise?" Pansy asked, her voice now sweet, "I know you were thinking embarrassing thoughts. Spill." She listened eagerly. "Come on, boy, I don't have all day!"

Blaise went redder, and now it could be seen. "Wasn't thinking any thoughts," he grumbled. 

Draco, glad to not be on the mocked side anymore, chuckled. "You're never thinking no thoughts," he said. "If it's not about school or family, it's about girls and-"

"Shut up, Draco," Blaise said, and he violently stabbed a fork in his sandwich. "If you value your manhood, you'll shut up now."

Draco grinned and turned to Aria. "What do you think? Was he thinking of school or a certain girl?" He looked pointedly at her. 

Blaise blushed even harder. "Um, it was the Polyjuice potion," he said hesitantly, before sending a worried glance at the Potions book. "It said- it said that I needed lacewings?" 

"Pathetic," Pansy crowed. "Damn, Blaise, you've got it bad!"

Draco smirked as well, though inside, insane jealousy was raging through him. If Blaise was only acting the lovesick fool, he'd get Aria before Draco, and he'd lose. Dammit.  

Draco watched as Blaise took it without looking at her. As they moved to Potions, he seemed to be walking slightly faster than them, as if to get away as quick as possible. He smirked rather fakely and sidled up to the boy.

"Your precious little lover boy act won't get your tongue down her throat," he said confidently to the darker boy as they walked in step. He shuddered a bit at the mental image that that last comment had conjured up, but pushed it away. He watched Blaise.

Surprisingly, Blaise didn't look smug. He actually looked a bit angry.

"Think I'm acting, do you, Drake?" he said softly, through gritted teeth. Draco only smired in reply. "Merlin, you can be stupid sometimes."

"What?" Draco slowed slightly, and it took a few moments for Blaise's insinuation to register in his brain. "What? You actually like her?"

Blaise shrugged. "She's cool."

"She's a halfblood," Draco hissed. "Our bet was solely to get in a snog, not to get into a relationship. You'll ruin our good names."

"On the contrary," Blaise said dryly, looking back at Aria and Pansy who had drifted behind them and were walking silently, "it'll make me less suspicious."

Draco shrugged angrily. "Who cares?"

"I do," Blaise said as they reached the Potions classroom. "Now shut up, they're coming." 

Blaise grimaced as he felt her touch him. "Uh, yeah," he managed to choke out. Draco sent him an angry look, a far cry from the smug ones he had been sending earlier.

They sat down and began taking out parchment and quills, as well as inkpots. Pansy moved to sit next to Draco, and turned to him, her face resting on her elbow. She looked at him with a pleased ex
pression.

"Jealous, are we?"

Draco sneered. "Nope."

"She's a pretty mudblood."

"She's pretty, but she's a mudblood. I only want a snog."

"Blaise wants a relationship, doesn't he?"

Draco made a confirmative sound.

"I'm pretty sure she'll go for the guy who wants more than a snog in a broom cupboard," Pansy sighed. "You're probably going to lose."

"Thanks for the encouragement, Pans."

"It's fact."

"I am going to win," Draco grit out. "No matter what."

"You seem rather passionate. Are you sure you don't want a relationship?"

"Shut it, Pansy."

Pansy grinned. "Alrighty then. There's my answer."

Draco ignored her.  

"Uh, no, sorry," Blaise said apologetically, "I don't bring spare ones because I only use this one, which is my favourite one." He held up a peacock feather quill with a silver tip. 

Draco, hearing the conversation, unceremoniously barged into it. "Here, Aria," he said, flashing the charming smile he had given her before their argument, "I've got a spare." He handed her a quill that was made from the feather of a swan and had a gold tip.