Dance of the Knights → 𝘳. 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘺

vi. a friend?

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six

a friend?

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The blades of grass were cool under Juniper's palms, still slightly damp from the rain that plagued the late September mornings. Her feet were completely numb with Blaise using her legs as a pillow, the warm tones of his face cooled by the moonlight above him.

She was staring into the Forbidden Forest, the taste of firewhiskey still on her tongue and a slight burn at the back of her throat. There, hiding from the castle behind the greenhouses, she could see far enough into the woods to catch the rustling of leaves and occasional skulking shadow.

Blaise startled her back into her head when he thrust his arm out, palm up. The back of his hand landed on her face and she reeled back.

"Ah! What the fuck?" she spat, grabbing his wrist to throw his arm back to him.

"Gimme that bottle," he said. Juniper scoffed, bringing the firewhiskey to her lips for a long pull before handing it to him. He propped himself up a little so he could drink some without spilling it all over his face.

The two fifth-years were slightly drunk but mostly tired. However, the older Slytherins were entirely wasted, despite it being a school night. From behind them, Cassius cried out as Graham tackled him to the ground. He had been snogging Maisy Wilkes (at least, Juniper thought it was Maisy—she was never completely sure which twin was dating which boy) and they both sent her to the ground.

Juniper laughed softly as Maisy scrambled out of the boys' way and stood up, smoothing out her robes. Hallie was sitting nearby, sourly watching her boyfriend wrestle Cassius.

"Piss off, mate!" Cassius managed to grunt out, trying to throw Graham off of him.

"Lessgo, Warrington, don't be a bitch!" Graham slurred, his teeth bared as he tried to pin Cassius's arms to the ground.

Graham was smaller than Cassius but seemed to glean great joy from besting the older boy with his brute strength. They were constantly wrestling, sometimes full-out fighting—the matches always initiated by Graham.

"I'm sorry to say that it looks like your boyfriends are now boyfriends, Wilkes and Wilkes," Blaise called over to the twins who had identical disproving frowns on their perfect, doll-like faces—their hair done in the same double plait resting over their shoulders.

"It's definitely just as excuse to touch each other," said Juniper, Blaise passing the bottle back to her as they watched the wrestling match. "Wouldn't be surprised if they started snogging in a second."

"At least I have a boyfriend, Zabini," Maisy retorted bitterly.

Blaise narrowed his eyes. "Try again. I broke up with him, so I'm boyfriendless by design."

"And, as history has demonstrated, probably not for much longer," Juniper said.

He turned to her. "Not much longer girlfriendless, it seems, this time."

Juniper brightened her eyes at him. "Oh! So. Who's the girl, then?"

The twins lost interest in the conversation and Cassius tapped out of the wrestling match, laying flat in the grass as he tried to catch his breath. Juniper listened to Blaise talk about a sixth-year Ravenclaw whose golden blonde hair he noticed glowing beautifully in a sunbeam (according to Blaise) when walked by her in a first-floor corridor.