CLOUDGAZING - blaise zabini

ten

Blaise slipped through the entryway of the Slytherin common room, his heart still fluttering from the day at Hogsmeade. Through the stone stairway that led inside, the low hum of his housemates chatting drawled on, accompanied by a crackling fire and the faint sound of water sloshing outside of the walls. He descended down the stairs, his footsteps echoing lightly as he went.

Although he wasn't the best at drawing from memory alone, he was determined to sketch a few moments from the day-- Aurora had looked too beautiful to not capture them on paper. He emerged from the stairway to see black leather sofas and dark oak tables arranged around the dimly lit room. Students lounged on the furniture, most conversing with friends or immersed in homework. The scene was all too familiar to Blaise, but somehow, it never got old. The common room's elaborate fireplace, dark green walls, and dramatic high ceilings would always feel like home. He strode through the space, towards the hallway which led to his dorm. But something stopped him in his tracks.

"Blaise," a cat-like, feminine voice called out to him. He turned around slowly, knowing already who he would see. Pansy Parkinson, stretched out on a sofa next to Draco and Eva Skimble.

"Pansy," Blaise muttered, hoping to avoid an unpleasant encounter.

"Where were you today?" Pansy asked, icy hints of hostility in her voice. Draco looked up from flirting with Eva to stare Blaise down.

Damn these people, thought Blaise. One day you're not around to lurk about with them and they lose their shit. He tried to quickly think of an excuse, something that seemed reasonable. He knew they'd go absolutely mad if they knew he'd been hanging around with Aurora, much less dating her.

"I had work to do, supplies to get," he said calmly.

"Weren't up to anything shady, were you?" Draco questioned, playing with a ring on his finger.

"Could ask you the same question," Blaise shot back, knowing that quick wit was always the best way to get out of a sticky situation with Draco. "If you'll excuse me, I've got work to do."

Without another word, Blaise left for his dorm, with only one thought in his mind: I need some new friends.

+++

Blaise practically threw himself into his dorm, sitting his bag from Scrivenshaft's on an empty corner of his desk; the rest of it was covered in textbooks and miscellaneous art supplies.

Mercifully, he and Draco weren't roommates. He would at least have some space from the brooding boy until the next day, when they had Charms together. As soon as he thought of that particular class, his mood brightened-- he had Charms with Aurora.

The thing about Blaise Zabini was, he wasn't typically the type to be obsessed. He reserved his emotions to an extreme extent, and he rarely indulged in excitement or laughter. His goal was to appear collected and calculated, for that was the easiest way to earn people's respect, at least, in his case.

But Aurora offered a glimmer of something new, something promising and beautiful. A life in which happy moments come often. He saw it in the way she laughed, the way she spoke, the way her eyes glimmered with charisma and excitement. He felt it in the way she had kissed his cheek, with spontaneity and confidence.

Aurora embodied the opposite of everything he had hated about his life up to that moment. He realized this in an single instant, stopping him midway to his dresser. For several moments, he stood in place, but then turned back and slid into his desk chair, forgetting about changing clothes. He pulled his brand new sketchbook and pencils out, sliding his old, beaten up one into an empty drawer in his desk. It was time for a fresh start.

He flipped to the first page of the new, pristine book and slid a pencil between his fingertips. Without hesitation, he began to manifest little moments onto the page, going only off the distinct memories in his mind.

Aurora waiting for him to bring her a mocha, sitting delicately in the plush chair; her legs crossed, her fingers wrapped around the ends of her sleeves.

Aurora laughing as they walked to Scrivenshaft's, her eyes turning to little crescent moons and her nose scrunching as she giggled.

Aurora staring up at him, about to kiss him softly on the cheek, mischief and curiosity swirling in the depths of her brown eyes.

Aurora picking out countless varieties of sweets at Honeyduke's, her face etched with concentration as she tried to decide between peppermint toads and jelly slugs (she had ended up purchasing both).

Aurora trying not to smile at a joke he'd made on the carriage ride back to the castle, her lips pressed together in determination.

Aurora waving goodnight as she went up to her dormitory with Jasmine, a soft, warm look of happiness on her face.

Blaise knew it seemed dumb, his sudden infatuation with this girl. But it was unstoppable now. It was like he had tasted something— new, fresh, and invigorating. And when someone gets a taste of something they like, they can't get enough of it.

At the top of the page now filled with little memories, Blaise wrote in tiny, neat font, THE BEGINNING.

A/N; I don't usually do author's notes haha, but I wanted to do one on the tenth chapter! I just wanted to stop and say thank you to everyone who's read this book so far, it means so, so much. Reading you guys' comments and seeing that some of y'all are even voting on my chapters makes me so happy, and it motivates me even more to keep writing. although I've tried writing a few stories before, I haven't had the motivation to get very far with continuing to write them; but this story has been so much different. I truly enjoy writing it, and it provides a lot of de-stressing time for me.

Even though this thing only has about 380 reads, it's been a great experience already, and I can't wait to see where the story goes next!

Thanks again for reading, and I hope you're doing really well :)