Rivals | D.M

3. Slytherin Bachelors

Aster's POV

Harper grabs the last custard tart from the tray in front of me. Her baby blue nails scooping up the cream dolloped on top.

"So we're going to talk about your little crush Asti" she says, wiggling her eyebrows.

Blaise looks up from his chocolate cake and gives me a very similar look.

"I don't have a crush" I scoff, busying myself with my pumpkin juice.

"Well it's got to be someone in Slytherin, so if we discount the boys in the years below us that leaves..."I give her a few seconds to calculate her mischief, "around 20 bachelors". She says a successful grin plastered on her face. She turns her head towards Blaise laughing at her side and then back to me sitting directly across from her.

"Are you done?" I ask, exasperated already.

She wiggles her eyebrows once again.

"20 Bachelors Aster, that's not many.."

I ignore her pressing and humour myself with another glass of pumpkin juice. Leaning over to the tall pitcher a few seats down from me, I peer over and see familiar glittering silver eyes watching me. My heart stops and I pause before I pick the pitcher up suddenly very aware of every muscle in my body. I try to calm my expression, to try and look bored and not frazzled. I feel his eyes watching every move I make.

Shaking off the tension, I carry the pitcher over to my glass and try to calmly pour the juice into my goblet.

"Well it can't be Crabbe or Goyle, because gross..right Aster? Aster?"

"What? I mean yeah gross no fucking way" I say confidently. Blaise laughs at my response and I widen my eyes in irritation.

Harper looks up and down the large table, searching for her next target, her brown eyes flicking back and forth.

"Montague?" She questions, her top lip upturns as she questions my taste.

"Seriously Harper? Are we really doing this?"

"Montague? Really!" She questions, her voice going up an octave.

"No Harper, no no no no" I say, desperate for the conversation to finish.

I try to slyly look towards the end of the table, my hand itching a non-existent itch on my forehead. Malfoy sits just a few seats up from Harper, his fork pushing around a piece of pie.

"Who?! What!" Harper yells, following my line of vision.

Fuck.

"Why are you yelling?!" I hiss.

"So it's someone in Malfoy's gang?" She says, her smile beaming.

"Malfoy's gang? Seriously Aster?" Blaise finally joins in, a look of disappointment plastered on his face.

"No, seriously I have a crush on no one" I say, sighing loudly

"I don't know Aster, you have been acting rather weird lately" Blaise says, unexpectedly joining in on Harper's gossip.

"I've just been tired"

They both look at each other, as if silently giving each other secret messages.

"Lets just go" I say, sick of sighing and groaning, sick of being the center of their unwanted attention.

I pick myself up from the bench, careful not to look towards the bottom of the table.

I brush down my robes and start fiddling with my hair, twirling my curls with my fingers to help them sit in the right place.

"And now she cares about what she looks like?" Harper says as she jumps up from behind me. "Oh you definitely have a crush my girl". She gives me a smirk as she loops her arm in mine. I don't deny it this time, I just laugh, roll my eyes and pull her away and out of the hall.