Left, Right and Center
She was pacing�again. Blaise didn�t know what to do with himself; he had spent the last seven years of his life in this castle with hundreds of other annoying students and he�d managed to keep his cool and learned to ignore them and their horribly irritating habits. For some reason that he could not fathom, he really could not ignore Ginny Weasley�s pacing.
�Ginny!� he snapped, �I�m trying to study for my bloody NEWTs.�
She stopped in her tracks for a tantalizing few seconds and then resumed her pacing, like always. �What�s McGonagall on about, having NEWTs early, anyway, they should be delayed till after the war when people actually have time to care about studying.�
�You have time,� Blaise said flatly.
�No,� her tone indicated that she had just decided to vent all her energy on this argument, he let his forehead connect with the surface of his Runes text and the incomprehensible signals began to blur, �I�m locked up in this stupid castle to waste away and wonder who�s going to die today. That�s not time, it�s torture.�
�Yes, well, I�m taking the NEWTs so find somewhere else to bemoan the injustices of the world.�
She finally plopped herself down on a chair and let her eyes scan Regulus�s maps in a very good imitation of someone resigned to their fate, but she wasn�t resigned, she never would be. He knew her mind was dwelling on the escape routes over and over and over. The problem was that getting out of the Castle was going to be impossible; she just had to wait until the examinations were over and then she could be on her way�back to Order headquarters where she would no doubt be watched during her every waking moment. Her eyes showed the desperation she was beginning to feel and dwelling on it had certainly not helped her mood.
�Why don�t you just finish the Horcrux research, Ginny,� he almost wondered at how used he had become to saying her name ever since his crazy Hufflepuff sister�s wedding, �It�ll make it all much easier for when we actually can get out of-�
�You know I can�t do anything until we can figure out a way to sneak into the damn ministry and get those files.�
She stood back up and began pacing once more. He needed to make her stop, anything to occupy her since she obviously wasn�t leaving him alone. �Take the NEWTs then!�
She was turning red now and threatening purple. He wondered at this response, he hadn�t realized he�d hit a nerve with the comment or he�d never have said it in the first place; the last thing he needed was a tantrum. �In case you hadn�t noticed, Zabini,� she said clearly trying to keep her voice icy and not shout, �I�m only Sixth year so I have a whole bloody year left before I can take my NEWTs.�
�Before you can?�
He knew she would realize what he was doing, she wasn�t stupid. He also knew that there was no way in hell she would let a challenge like that go. And if they did plan to go after more of Voldmort�s Horcruxes then he would feel much better if his partner in crime had a few more good hexes and spells in her cache.
�Hand over that schedule, Slytherin!� Blaise allowed his face to fall into a grin and complied.
As it turned out, the next couple of weeks were much more pleasant than he expected. Not only did the pacing and complaining stop, but studying with her proved much more effective than studying alone. First of all, there was the challenge, the drive to outdo each other in every single spell they practiced. And then, of course, teaching her some of the things she had trouble with helped him confirm his own knowledge. He also had to admit that she could outdo him in Care of Magical Creatures with her eyes closed and her hands tied behind her back. Listening to her rant about things in that triumphant �I know something you don�t� manner he might actually pick up enough to scrape an Exceeds Expectations.
The Potions NEWT was the first one and they set up two cauldrons opposite each other in the Room of Requirement, the large clock ticking the challenge. Blaise was confident that his knowledge of the ingredients and principles was much better than hers. She had this certain casual way of carrying out the methods quickly, seemingly effortlessly, and to sometimes surprising results. It probably had something to with all the bloody cooking. But he was determined to outdo her in this final challenge before tomorrow�s NEWTs.
�
The Entrance Hall was full of students in varying degrees of panic. Ginny Weasley was the only sixth year, and although her face was set into a hardened expression he knew she was nervous. Since they had not yet told anyone, he wondered how McGonagall would take this.
�Your examination will begin shortly, please find your seats inside. What is it Miss Weasley?�
�She�s taking the NEWTs, Professor,� Blaise spoke before Ginny could reply. McGonagall eyed both of them with a strange look on her face. Blaise cleared his throat as he saw the last of his classmates enter the Great Hall.
�Miss Weasley,� the Headmistress had apparently decided to ignore Blaise�s presence for the time being, �While I have the greatest confidence in you as one of my most talented sixth year students, I must remind you that these Newts are�well, Nastily Exhausting. You have not attended any of the classes.�
�I studied with Blaise,� Ginny supplied, �And I know a good few things beyond my classes since I was locked up for the entire summer with nothing better to do than look up nasty hexes to use on my brothers.�
Blaise almost smiled, but caught himself before the grin broke across his features. She just had to bring that up again. He wondered how long she�d keep holding it over everyone�s heads. �If you do not do as well as you had hoped, Miss Weasley, I am afraid that this could be a blow to your confidence and could cost you your career future.�
Ginny set her jaw obstinately. Blaise wondered if McGonagall actually knew what she was doing, challenging her like that. �If I don�t take them now, then I don�t take them at all,� she said firmly, �Besides, I can always work for Fred and George or just stay at home and stew in my misery for the rest of my life, that�s what everyone wants me to do anyway, isn�t it.�
McGonagall shook her head slowly. �Very well, I will allow this only because I know that we will have a hard time opening the school next year and most students will be forced to study the material at home in any case. Follow me and I will get you an extra seat and an exam paper.
Ginny hesitated outside the door, apparently losing the momentum of her anger upon seeing all the nervous faces�and some of them were staring at her with curiosity, wondering why she was here.
Finally, just as he was wondering whether he�d have to do something stupid like hold her hand and drag her in there, she stepped inside and walked over to her seat.
The exams went by quickly, and outside the war was raging on fiercely. On the night of the Ancient runes exam the whole castle actually shook, the war had come to the gates of Hogwarts. McGonagall was watching Blaise ever so closely and he knew it. He wasn�t about to pull anything stupid, just a few more days and he would, at least, be free to breathe without being watched and thinking about all the consequences�if he escaped Voldemort�s punishment for not answering the summons.
�Are you sure you�re alright, Blaise?� Ginny asked on the morning of the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam. Blaise had slipped off, unnoticed by the other students awaiting their exam, when the Mark began hurting. He pressed back against the agonizing pain with his other hand, but it was no use, of course.
�Yes, yes,� he said, �Let�s get back before we miss the exam.�
Ginny nodded and walked ahead of him. There was no earthshaking battle nearby, not yet at least, but he felt himself slowly being suffocated as he walked into the Great Hall. He could not touch his Mark. He had to finish this last exam, now he was so close.
The first question was about Inferi. He skimmed over the next couple of questions and they began to slide out of focus as the pain in his arm increased. He shook his head and tried to make sense of the words, but he couldn�t, for the life of him, remember what that tracking hex was.
�It seems,� McGonagall�s voice boomed around the silent hall all of a sudden, �That you will all have a much more practical test in this subject matter today. All students wishing to return home to their families proceed to my office immediately. All students wishing to remain and fight must report to your Head of House. Don�t bother if you�re younger than s�sixteen.�
Screams, scraping chairs, chaos had erupted all around him, but Blaise could not get up, could not think. The pain was becoming unbearable. Suddenly a small cool hand slipped into his sleeve and light fingers ran over the throbbing Mark. �I doesn�t matter what you choose to do today,� Ginny whispered, �I know about all the considerations now. But promise me one thing.�
Blaise found himself compelled to look her in the eye. �Promise me you won�t hurt anyone.�
Celeste had Draco, mother was in France. Blaise shook his head. There were no more complications. He was becoming a little light-headed but he slipped his unoccupied hand into his pocket and drew out his wand. �Why don�t you fight by my side and see what I�m going to do today, Weasley.�
She grinned, a huge catlike grin, and raised her own wand before her.
But Blaise was not made for battle. There was no slinking off into the shadows unaffected at the horrible sight of a mangled body. There was no stopping to draw breath and no time to compose one�s expression into a cool blank one. There was no way to block the shrieks and screams from ripping at your insides.
He was barely aware of the suspicious glares of Ginny�s two oldest brothers who kept themselves as close as possible to keep an eye on her. His arm was throbbing mercilessly and he was sure that he was being too obvious about it. He�d effectively gained himself the wrath of both sides in this silly war and he wanted nothing to with either of them.
Suddenly Blaise came across the body of the little Hufflepuff second year whose voice always carried across the Great Hall and annoyed him. He dropped to his knees. She was so bloody tiny. Blaise tried to stop his body from convulsing, tried to get up, but he only succeeded in losing his breakfast.
�You can�t back out now, Zabini, that�s cheating!� he heard before he lost consciousness, �I wont, do you hear me! Get up, damn it!�
He woke to her voice in the Hospital Wing only this time she was screaming rather hysterically. �You�re not touching that until he wakes up!� there was determination and anger in that voice, but the same desperate, frightened tone from earlier remained, �I said back off!�
�Ginny, you�re only proving that there really is something to hide, just�look his arm is bleeding.�
�No,� she bellowed and he found himself forced to admit that he wasn�t getting any more sleep, �I said back off.�
�Miss Weasley, I need to heal my patient now-�
�I�ll do it!�
There were more protests and Blaise was having a hard time concentrating, especially since the argument seemed to be repeating over and over and over. �Fine!� Ginny said suddenly with a strange venom in her voice. Blaise sat up a little straighter, waiting for his sleeve to be lifted off the bleeding arm to reveal the ghastly mark.
He heard ripping material before his mind could really register her actions. And then there was silence, a long heavy silence in which she waved her wand around them with an extra flourish, showing off her non-verbal spelling ability. Blaise did not know how long the charm would hold, but he needed to do some serious thinking and planning before it did and then he needed to be ready.
Ginny sat down beside him and began to tend to his bleeding Mark, never once touching her own now-exposed wound. The shield was good, and they all knew it, because they didn�t even try to break it. �I�ll get mum�� Bill began before Charlie waved for him to stay where he was. Lupin had been called as well. He had collapsed into a chair, staring at the scene before him with apparent helplessness.
When she finished wrapping it up she seemed to be hovering between tears and another outburst. He knew she had to do something soon. He knew she could not look them in the eye right now. Blaise swallowed.
He crossed his legs, although it sent a painful jolt up his spine, and pulled her firmly onto the hospital bed in front of him. Without a word he grabbed the cool paste she had spread on his forearm and began applying it to her shoulder. He tried to remind himself that her stupidity was none of his business. Tried to convince himself that he had never really intended for this whole alliance thing to extend beyond Hogwarts and the research, but images of that weekend where they destroyed a piece of the Dark Lord�s soul kept popping into his mind.
As soon as her shoulder was wrapped, the disgusting thing properly hidden, he dipped his hand into his robe pocket. The thing shone and spun in its chain as he held it before him momentarily.
�Come with me,� he said, �We have maps, we have plans, and we have nothing else to do now. I know you wanted to fight in real battles, but�� Blaise trailed off, suddenly feeling extremely foolish, especially at the reminder that he had just collapsed, retching, in the middle of the battle.
�But I never really wanted to be a killer,� she whispered, �Breaking their toys is much more satisfying.�
�So come with me,� he held the necklace out in his palm, �Marry me.�
She inhaled sharply and he closed his eyes and retracted his hand with her brother�s laughter ringing in his ears. The small hand found his own and settled on top of it. Their eyes met. �You know, Zabini, if you�re serious we should really get a move on before the shield charm wears off.�
It was a soft whisper, but it echoed loudly in his head. Blaise�s hands seemed to be moving of their own accord as he brought the necklace up again and clasped it around her neck. If they summoned the bags and the brooms nonverbally they could be out of here in seconds without anyone being able to do anything about it. He wondered how long they would last with the Dark Lord and half a dozen brothers on their tail. Probably long enough to get to the Ministry and maybe get one more Horcrux. He grinned and their hands intertwined.
