Eyes on the Stars Feet on the Ground

Light in the Dark

Ever since their heart to heart, Blaise and Cielo became much closer. Surprising just about everyone, Luna and Blaise hit it off very well. Blaise, being the traumatized child he was, found Luna's cheery eccentricity frustrating at first, but within an hour, he understood that she was no ordinary child. Blaise, unlike many others, had picked up on the frightening brilliance that lay inside Luna Lovegood; an intelligence that lay unnoticed by anyone else in the school.

"Can you pass the fertilizer?" Neville asks Blaise as they work in the greenhouse. True to his word, Cielo introduced Blaise to some of his friends. Blaise and Neville knew of each other, they were in the same grade, but had rarely interacted. They got along well enough, especially after Blaise apologized for some of the things he used to say.

"Sure," Blaise passed the fertilizer, "have any bets on the quidditch match?"

"Slytherin's going to win," Neville barely looks up, "the Ravenclaw team isn't too strong this year. Malfoy might be nothing in comparison to Harry, but he's definitely better than Chang."

"You're not wrong," Blaise smirks, "Slytherin is going to take the win again."

Regulus smirks at that as well. As the Slytherin seeker of his timeline, he couldn't help but be proud of his house.

"Who do you think will win the Cup?" Cielo asks as he sorts through some seeds, "or is it too early to tell?"

"Gryffindor is going to win," Neville answered instantly, "Harry's a better seeker than all of them, and he also got a Firebolt. They may be testing it for jinxes and curses, but he'll certainly have it by the final. Combine the two, and no team has a chance of beating us. Also, Wood's been drilling them real rough; it's his last chance to win the cup before graduation."

"Since when did Potter have a Firebolt?" Blaise looked startled, worried for his team, "and why would he buy one anyways? No school boy needs a professional level broom."

"I can't believe you didn't know," Neville raised an eyebrow, "it's the biggest piece of gossip going around. Someone sent it to him over the holidays, and Hermione thought Black sent it to him and told McGonagall. Ron was already angry with Hermione, something about her cat; Harry and Ron both decided it was the biggest betrayal and haven't spoken to her in weeks. It's really sad. She's stressed out enough, she doesn't need people harping on and on when she only did it for Harry's safety."

"I probably did send the broom," Sirius admitted, "knowing that I'm innocent means that I definitely care about the kid. I have loads of money; I'd be happy to spend it on him."

"Wouldn't be surprised if you did," James grinned at his sworn brother, "you love quidditch and flying."

"The rumor mill is horrid here," Cielo sympathized with the older girl's story. The students hadn't been giving him an easy time this year.

"I've told you a thousand times," Blaise sighed, "just hex them if they insult you."

"I'm not hexing them Blaise," Cielo insisted, "no one deserves to be harmed because of their opinions, so long as said opinions aren't spurring on violence."

"Why are you a nice person?" Blaise complained dramatically. Neville chuckled to himself. The three returned to gardening. Professor Sprout watches on fondly; the boys remind her of better times. 

"Happy birthday by the way," Neville suddenly turned to Cielo, "Blaise only told me it was your birthday today, so I couldn't get you anything."

"It's alright," Cielo brushes off Neville's worries, "no need to worry about that. This time together is enough of a gift." Luna had given him pressed flowers, Xeno had sent him his favorite brand of chocolates, Alfred had sent him a wand holster, and the twins and Eleanor had bought him a stationery set. Blaise had actually bought him some asphodel seeds, which he planned to plant in a special pot in his room. His birthday, in his opinion, was perfect. Friends and family together, that was all he needed.