WILDEST DREAM ➛ʜ.ᴘᴏᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡɪɴ ꜱɪꜱᴛᴇʀ

005

As I hurried down the corridor, lost in thought about my earlier argument with Fred and George, I suddenly collided with someone hard enough to jolt me back to reality.

"Watch where you're going, you git!" I snapped, frustrated and still wound up from my encounter with the twins.

"Alright... chill, Mads," came the calm, amused voice of Blaise Zabini. I blinked, taking a second to register who I'd bumped into. When I finally looked up, I felt a wave of relief.

"Blaise!" I exclaimed, immediately throwing my arms around him in an instinctive hug. He chuckled, his arms looping around my waist as he hugged me back.

We stayed like that for a moment, longer than necessary, which suddenly felt a bit awkward. I pulled away quickly, feeling a little embarrassed but hiding it behind a smile. What was that? I brushed the thought away and grinned at him instead. "How was your summer?"

Blaise took my bag from me, like he always did whenever I was about to tell him something important. We started walking toward his compartment, where I knew his friends would be. "Boring, as usual. The family's always a drag. You know how it is," he said with a dramatic sigh that made me laugh. I could already tell he had more stories to share, and despite everything, I found myself feeling a little lighter.

When we reached the compartment, everyone inside looked up as we entered. Daphne Greengrass, a fellow Slytherin in the same year as me, gave me a small wave.

"Hello, Potter girl," Daphne greeted, her tone casual but friendly. We didn't talk much outside of class, but we didn't hate each other either. We helped each other with notes occasionally, and whenever we ran into each other, there was always a decent conversation. Honestly, she wasn't that bad to be around.

"Hey there, Green," I winked as I sat down next to her, a playful grin on my face. I noticed Pansy Parkinson sitting beside Daphne, glaring at me as if I had just trespassed on her territory.

I tried to be civil, so I grinned at her, keeping things light. "Hi," I said, trying to break the tension. But Pansy just stared at me, her glare unwavering.

I blinked and waited, but when she refused to say anything back, I clapped my hands once and said, "No? Still not friends? Okay then," in the most nonchalant way I could manage. I shrugged it off and turned back to the rest of the group, trying to ignore Pansy's glaring.

We were chatting comfortably until Pansy's voice cut through the conversation. "So, Potter girl... how was the World Cup?" There was a smirk on her face, one that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Everyone in the compartment went quiet as we all turned to face her.

I smiled, trying not to let her get under my skin. "Yeah, it was great," I said, keeping my tone light.

Pansy's smirk grew, and there was something unsettling in the way she looked at me. "Oh really? Did the Dark Lord give you a good time?"

My jaw clenched involuntarily, anger simmering just beneath the surface. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, waiting to see how I'd react. But instead of snapping, I forced myself to stay calm. I smiled back at her, making sure my voice was steady. "Actually, yes. He's too weak to enjoy himself these days, so it wasn't that exciting," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Pansy looked taken aback for a moment, clearly not expecting me to handle her jab so smoothly. Daphne snorted quietly beside me, and Blaise raised an eyebrow, looking impressed. Pansy just scowled and turned away.

I exhaled slowly, letting the tension ease from my shoulders. This was how it always was with Pansy—constant needling, trying to get a rise out of me. But I wasn't going to let her win.

The compartment slowly returned to its usual lively atmosphere, and I felt a small sense of triumph as I joined in the conversation again. Pansy could throw all the shade she wanted, but I wasn't about to let her or anyone else ruin my day.