The mortifying ordeal of falling in love with your entire secret study group

8th year: Blaise

All throughout autumn, Blaise didn't get any closer to solving the problem of the dark marks. Daphne was working on her Runes, and Theo on his Arithmancy, and Hermione started carrying a book on Art theory with her everywhere. They studied together in their secret library room, they went on late night snack trips to the kitchen, and were subjected to too many sights of Draco and Potter making out.

That was a thing that... happened, now. Blaise tried not to be offended when he saw multiple teachers swapping galleons. He'd have liked to be included.

The weather flipped from the last dregs of summer to the coming cold, and for Theo's birthday in the beginning of November, the castle saw the first snow of the winter.

It took a while, but the students (and staff) slowly got used to Hermione hanging out with a couple of ex Death Eaters. Sure, Professors Vector and Babbling were having the time of their lives, as they were the only ones who were never struck speechless by something Hermione did. Hermone eating at the Slytherin table became an everyday event, and then Draco moved to sit with the Gryffindors. As far as Blaise was concerned, it was a good trade.

Diana was happy at Hogwarts, and happy with her orange tree – despite the snow, the tree was blooming.

"Do we have plans for winter holidays?" Hermione asked one evening, under the windows in the eighth year common room. The window sill was covered in pillows and blankets, and the perfect size for four people to squeeze together on.

"I haven't talked to Headmistress McGonagall about it," Daphne gestured with her left arm, "but we probably can't do anything."

Theo nodded. "We could clear out our study room in the library. Move all the Grimault Place books to the Manor, or sort through them and give some to Madam Pince. And adjust our secrecy runes, so we can leave the room for Diana to use. Could be a winter holiday project."

"She'd love that," Blaise agreed. "I might go to see my mum, maybe I can find something to help with our project." Family events like Christmas were usually spent eating food, drinking, and eating more food. A good time, for sure, and excellent food, but Blaise would be asking his mum for help on how to deal with the Dark Marks and Hermione's curse scar.

"We should all go to Italy in summer," Theo sighed. "I miss the sun."

Blaise and Hermione hummed in agreement, and Daphne smiled as she turned her attention back to her Runes. She was folding origami and writing little runes in the margins to make the paper come alive and do something. So far, she had three swans floating above their heads.

Nero and Crookshanks were both lying on Hermione's legs, and in true cat lady fashion, Hermione wasn't bothered at all.

Daphne's birthday passed at the end of November with a rare sunny day.

It felt like time was slipping through his fingers.

Blaise, for the first time in years, didn't have to worry about a Dark Lord's plan to kill Hermione and her friends, and with Theo's father in Azkaban, he knew that Theo would be safe. Hermione, while she truly wasn't an artist, also wasn't going to fail Art. Much of it was focused on spells of preservation and restoration, which she excelled at. With practice, her painting skills were slowly improving.

They made no progress on the Dark Marks, and Blaise knew that they were all trying to keep calm about it, but with every idea going nowhere, he was afraid that Daphne may be losing faith. She was hiding it well, but Blaise had known her since they were five.

So when the term ended and Hermione and Diana went home to London, and Theo and Daphne stayed in the castle to work on the study room, Blaise travelled to his mum's villa by the sea, the one in Sicily.