Just a Kiss in the Moonlight

Disclaimer: Starving artist here, I don't own anything especially not Harry Potter.

Warnings: SLASH, flamers to the left, reviews bring updates people. :D they make me happy. Happiness breeds inspiration, you know.

CHAPTER SIX

Blaise Zabini woke up to pure chaos, and a pounding head. Sitting up and looking about, he took in the situation with a smirk. Harry Potter sat in the middle of a bed to his left, currently being yelled at and cursed out by Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger and Professor Lupin. Apparently, from what he could gather, Harry had bitten someone who could have been a werewolf. He snickered, turning to find Neville Longbottom on his left, quietly observing him. Before he could question the Gryffindor's presence, he spotted Draco- on the bed to his right, scolding an angry Madame Pomphrey and Severus Snape.

"I said I am quite fine! Stop prodding me woman! SEVERUS!"

"Draco, allow her to check you!"

"NO!"

Blaise chuckled, shaking his head before returning to observe Neville,

"did we get 'em?" Neville laughed at that, the only happy sound in the Infirmary.

"We got 'em." he replied, nodding. "everyone came out fine, 'cept you." Their chatter drew Madame Pomphrey's attention as she raced over to check Blaise out, giving the affirming nods and disapproving clucks of her tongue that all the students were used to as she ran her wand over him.

"It seems you will be fine, Mr. Zabini, that was a nasty curse though."

"YOU IDIOT! YOU SLIMY, INCONSIDERATE FOOL! DON'T YOU *EVER* DO SOMETHING SO FUCKING STUPID AGAIN!" Draco roared, spotting his best mate's consciousness. He sprung from the bed, stumbling only a bit before regaining his composure and snarling. His eyes were lit with silver fire as he snarled, approaching with a slight limp. "THE NEXT TIME YOU DECIDE TO- TO- TO LOSE YOUR BLOODY MARBLES, YOU DO IT ELSEWHERE! NOT AROUND ME ZABINI OR I'LL CURSE YOU MYSELF! ARGH!" the entire infirmary had gone silent now, all eyes and ears intent on observing the Slytherin Prince.

"I saved your bloody life didn't I?" Blaise snapped, ignoring the unwanted attention. Draco advanced further and Neville stood, moving out of the way. Remus Lupin surged forward but Dumbledore (apparently having arrive unnoticed) stopped him, shaking his head. Draco collapsed stiffly into Blaise, hugging the darker boy.

"Thank you." he whispered, just loud enough that only Blaise could hear him. Blaise returned the embrace, laughing.

"Kinda reminds me of you two." Hermione Granger said observantly, arms going around Ron and Harry. Everyone turned to stare at her and she shrugged, adding, "in a dark, scary sort of way." Even Snape had to laugh at that.

"I'm not staying in this ward again." Blaise said, interrupting the unity of the room and it spiralled back into chaos once more.

"I like it better this way." Neville observed, earning looks from both Slytherins. He shrugged, "this... this is how it ought to be."

"An excellent observation Mr. Longbottom," Dumbledore said, approaching Blaise's bed, "if you two are ready? The Polyjuice has gone on long enough to be wearing off now." Draco and Blaise nodded. Blaise swung his legs off the bed and together, leaning on each other for support- as they always had- Blaise and Draco followed the Headmaster. Vaguely, Blaise realized that Harry and everyone else were following too.

"What of the library? The children? Loony?" Blaise asked and Draco shrugged,

"from my understanding, the fire is out. Lovegood is helping repair it as we speak, what can be saved anyway. The children all made it out fine." Draco glanced over his shoulder, listening. Blaise leaned his head back, listening as well.

"Harry- I'm going to go help Ginny and the others with the library effort, since you're really okay." Hermione was whispering.

"Go ahead, I'm sure we'll be over there later to help." Harry replied and the bushy haired girl was gone, dragging a protesting Ron behind her.

"I don't know who he thinks 'we' are." Blaise snorted, earning a chuckle from Draco.

"Probably Longbottom- because I couldn't care less." then his voice rose, "Headmaster, where are we going?"

"Further into the infirmary Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore said over his shoulder, stopping at a blank wall and whispering that not even the wolves could hear. It opened up, the stone sliding away. Another room was revealed and they all stepped in. Two cages were set on either side of the room, amongst older beds and dust. "This is an older part of the Hospital Wing, closed down before even I came here. It was meant to treat... well, your kind, to put it bluntly." Dumbledore explained, gesturing to the silver that encircled the cages. Blaise and Draco both let out a hiss, backing away against a wall. Professor Lupin shot them an understanding glance but was only glared back at in response.

"YOU! YOU LITTLE BASTARD! YOU BROKE MY WAND!" fake Draco snarled, rushing the cage and lashing out to grab Harry who laughed.

"And your arm, and your wrist- don't forget it." He quipped, grinning.

"You enjoyed that far too much for my liking Potter!" Draco called back, sneering. Harry glanced over his shoulder and shrugged,

"you'd deserve it, arse."

"Ten points from Gryffindor for language, Mr. Potter." Snape sneered, causing Blaise and Draco to chuckle.

"Severus, do go see to the Aurors arrival please." Dumbledore said, nodding to the Potions Master, "see to it that they do not...wander about needlessly."

"Yes, Headmaster, I would be happy to." Snape replied, strolling from the room.

"He really hates the Aurors doesn't he?" Blaise asked, noting the near smile Snape had as he left and Draco nodded,

"especially Moody." he leaned back against the wall, wincing. Blaise turned, watching as the polyjuice lost it's effects, just on time and stepping forward, releasing Draco to edge closer to the cages. The wolf in him whimpered, demanding he back away from the silver- so like the cages they'd been held in at Malfoy Manor. Blaise shrugged it off and came closer, watching as the forms twisted and turned. The blonde hair faded from fake Draco first, black coming in to replace it.

"Nott." Draco snarled from somewhere behind him as Thomas Nott's form became clearly visible. Blaise sneered at his housemate before looking to the other cage, a swift nod coming over him.

"I thought it'd be you, Sophie." Blaise said softly, shaking his head. Sophie Roper sat back, sniffing indignantly in reply.

"Blaise. Draco. It wasn't supposed to happen like this." she whispered, eyeing them both with wide clear blue eyes.

"This is Sophie Roper, Headmaster." Blaise said over his shoulder, having come to crouch in front of her cage, "she was in our first year, you'll remember, and the second- before transferring to Durmstrang."

"Sophie?" Draco said, approaching swiftly but coming to a stop behind the cage. Blaise nodded, shrugging off Draco's hand on his shoulder. "You're a traiterous bitch, Sophie, I hope you spend your life in Azkaban." Draco snarled before turning to the Headmaster, "I have no interest in staying here among such absolute trash. I am going back to my dorm, I'll thank you to leave me be. Blaise?"

"I'm going to stay Draco," Blaise replied, staring into the crystal blue eyes of Sophie's. "I want to see to it she gets carted away."

"I understand. Find me when you're done." Draco said before attempting to storm out of the room but failing in his malice because of the limp.

"Blaise, please, you must-" Sophie pleaded. Beside them, Nott snorted.

"I must nothing." Blaise snarled, standing swiftly, "what? You expect I'll understand? That you chose to follow the Dark Lord? You abandoned me, Draco, us- for what?!"

"Power Blaise, the Dark Lord will *win*!" Sophie shouted back angrily, a laugh errupting from Harry.

"He'll kill you!" Nott snarled, reaching again for Harry who just stood back, sneering. Blaise felt a laugh bubbling up inside him, filled with sorrow and exhaustion and mourning for the loss of his friend.

"Well, he's done a fine job of that hasn't he?!" he snarled, the laughter escaping for a brief moment. "and keeping Draco and myself?! CAGED LIKE ANIMALS?!"

"YOU ARE AN ANIMAL!" Sophie shrieked, causing both Blaise and Lupin to wince.

"I am a person, Sophie, a wizard. You'd do well to remember who you're speaking to!" Blaise roared, fists clenching, "You are trash, a traitor!"

"YOU ARE THE TRAITOR HERE ZABINI! A WORTHLESS BLOOD TRAITOR! HOW DOES YOUR PURE BLOOD SUIT YOU NOW!?" Nott roared, shaking the cage. "I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"

"You will go to Azkaban." Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "and never return to this school."

"Oh, we'll be back, the dark lord will free us." Sophie purred, shaking her head with sick, twisted giggles, "we are his children now." Blaise scoffed, laughing and barring teeth.

"Draco and I gaurd this school now you daft bint. Tell your *master* that! WE HAVE DRACO, SOPHIE! WE HAVE THE POTION!"

"We'll figure it out." Nott muttered, an attempt to soothe the now frightened Sophie, "we have other Potions, we'll control them."

"Good luck with that." Blaise snickered, crossing to sit on one of the beds and fold his legs to watch. Silence reigned in the room now, other than Sophie and Thomas' mutters of the Dark Lord's reign. Any time either of them went to look at Blaise they were greeted with flashing eyes or barred fangs. Lupin came to sit on one side of him, Neville on the other as Harry and Dumbledore stood together, quietly discussing the outcome of either ex-student.

"You're not a monster, you know." Neville offered quietly and Blaise scoffed.

"I am."

"You are, but, it's what you do with it that counts." Remus Lupin said quietly, understanding the situation better than anyone in the room. Blaise stared thoughtfully at him for a long moment. He opened his mouth to speak when Snape returned, several Aurors flanking him. Blaise only recognized Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody and ignored him as he did the others.

"Their names?"

"Sophie Roper and Thomas Nott." Dumbledore said coldly, "get them out of my school."

"With pleasure, Headmaster." one of the Aurors said, stepping forward and casting confining spells to bind the two Death Eaters. Remus Lupin turned to check on the young wolf beside him, only to find him gone and Neville staring at the empty space wide eyed.

"How'd he do that?"

Blaise walked swiftly through the Hospital Wing doors, heading for Draco. Using his last bit of available energy, he spurred himself forward, furious. Sophie had been his friend, she had grown up with him and Draco and he had thought they had a romance going on at one point. He had been sadly mistaken and he scoffed inwardly at the idea and the wolf's whimper within him. He reached the portrait in no time, only coming across a group of first years who had squawked and scattered upon seeing the damaged Slytherin stalking toward them. Draco lay sprawled out in the Slytherin room, scribbling furiously onto a piece of parchment.

"Are you okay?" he asked, not bothering to look up or stop. Blaise froze a moment, closing the door behind him. Their wolf senses still startled him sometimes, especially in times like this, when Draco had heard and smelled him coming before he'd even entered the room.

"I will be." he replied coldly, kicking off his shoes and beginning to change clothes, "she wasn't that important anyway. It's not like..." he drifted off, sliding a shirt slowly over his head in a painful movement as his muscles and body protested. "it's not like she was important."

"She betrayed us both, Blaise, but I understand. I'm here, if you need to talk." Draco said, folding the parchment into his trademark Dragon origami shape. "Severus Snape." he said, flicking it with his wand as it flew off and under the door, headed to their head of house. Blaise quirked an eyebrow, watching it go. "the potion." Draco explained, pulling his covers up to his shoulder, "and now, a nap."

"To napping!" Blaise replied, bowing and holding out his hand in a mock gesture of a toast.

"To napping." Draco murmured, quickly falling asleep. Exhaustion had taken over both werewolves and Blaise climbed into his own bed, slinging the green curtains closed and allowing himself to cry out his rage at Sophie's betrayal. Eventually, he cried himself to sleep.