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ZABINI'S POV
The next day, as soon as lessons had ended, Blaise and Daphne met up in the common room. They'd gotten there quickly, so there was no one else in there - Blake had already gone to his detention with Professor Snape, and Charlotte and Tracey had decided (although mainly Tracey) to visit Hagrid to check up on the new Flumphs he'd brought to Hogwarts - they'd decided that was the alibi they would use, just in case.
"You go for Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle," Daphne said first, looking towards the trio's room.
Blaise nodded.
"I'll go for the rest, then. Be careful."
"And you," she said, already walking towards the boys' room.
Just then, the common room door opened, and Blaise tightened his grip on his wand as he waited to see who would enter. Unfortunately, however, Crateus Nott and Rafael Flint were the ones who walked in, along with the rest of the Slytherins in their year.
"Hello, Zabini," Nott greeted with a small smile. His manners have definitely improved, Blaise thought.
"I wasn't expecting to see you here, Blaise," Rafael said curiously. The half blooded boy and Blaise weren't exactly close, but there was a certain kinship between them, considering that they were both quite possibly the only half blooded Slytherins in Hogwarts at the moment. It wasn't rare for them to see each other and make sure either one was doing alright and everything was okay, and Blaise couldn't help but feel slightly protective over the younger boy.
"Just relaxing," he replied coolly. "All of you should go back to your rooms, by the way," he added, looking at the pair of them intently, before casting his gaze over to the rest of the younger students, who seemed uncomfortable at the attention. "You probably all could use some rest."
Nott and Rafael seemed to get the message quickly.
"Yeah, it's been a long day," Nott agreed. "Come on," he whispered to his other friends.
Rafael turned to the girls. "We'll see you guys tomorrow morning, yeah?"
As the students went back to their respective rooms, Blaise couldn't help but smirk, seeing two of the younger girls smile and look back at Rafael with an expression he had seen all too often on his own friends' faces. Rafael, you scumbag! Only third year, and you've already got two girls competing for you?
But Blaise's proud brother moment was interrupted by the door opening again, and this time, it was just who he'd been waiting for. The group of seventh years looked at him in surprise, but it was too late.
"Confundo!"
/
BACK TO BLAKE'S POV
After several hours of gruelling work, Snape finally let Blake go.
"Starting to learn your lesson, Renshaw?" Snape smirked.
"What lesson, sir?" Blake asked, trying not to let his tiredness show.
"Keep at the cheek, Renshaw," Snape responded, trying not to let his annoyance show, "and you'll be scrubbing cauldrons and clearing dust from the shelves until midnight for the rest of the term."
"Very sorry, sir."
F*ck you, b*tch.
As Blake left the classroom, he slipped out a small vial from his robes - Invigoration Draught. Good thing I asked Daphne to make this, he thought thankfully, downing the potion in one go. Immediately, he felt his tiredness vanish, his arms and legs and back no longer sore or fatigued. It was late now, around 10pm, and the sun had set, leaving the corridors dimly lit. Blake had his hand on his robes, ready.
If Zabini and Daphne did their part, I should be expecting them right around the next corner, he thought, focused. But I need to let myself get hit a couple times. Blake grimaced. He wasn't used to getting hit.
As he approached the corner, he could hear their breathing - heavy, laboured, excited breathing, as if they'd been waiting for this chance.
Blake sighed mentally. Oh well. Might as well get it over with.
He turned the corner, and just as expected, was met face to face with 10 Slytherin students - mostly 7th years, 2 6th years and, of course, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. Blake felt insulted.
Even if they are Confunded, do they really think they have a chance?
"This is for Bletchley, Warrington and Pucey, you filthy mudblood!" one of the 7th years shouted before all of the students fired a mix of hexes, curses and jinxes all at once, as if they'd rehearsed it.
"Protego Duo!" Blake immediately yelled, ensuring that he cast it just about weak enough so that only 2 of them would go through. He braced, waiting for the impact. Sh*t! he groaned internally, as he collapsed onto the floor. He'd overestimated the strength of their spells, so only one had managed to hit him, but it was a Leg-Locker Curse, forcing him to the ground. Blake gritted his teeth, not in pain, but in embarrassment as he cancelled the spell and got back up to his feet. Unfortunately, however, he realised that perhaps Protego Duo was too strong a variant to use on them - 4 of the ambushers, including Goyle, were still on the floor, having had their own spells thrown back at them. Blake was backed into the wall, the remaining 6 surrounding him in a semi circle.
"Damned mudblood!" one of them yelled, before trying to throw a spell at him.
"Stupefy!" Blake shouted, but as he fell to the floor, the other 5 struck, in true Slytherin fashion.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"Impedimenta!"
"Expelliarmus!"
"Expulso!"
"Furnunculus!"
F*ck's sake, Blake groaned, as he quickly decided which spells to block. I can accept getting injured, but I won't accept being humiliated, he thought, as he used Finite Incantatem to block 2 of the attacks - Petrificus Totalus and Confringo, and dodge Furnunculus.
I'd rather be concussed and slow than body-bound, wandless and covered in pimples, he thought grimly as he braced himself for impact, making sure he held onto his wand despite the attack.
The impact of the Expulso Curse was brutal, and Blake understood why such spells were so prohibited within Hogwarts, as the impact of the spell itself felt like getting hit by a car, and then smashing into the wall felt like… well, smashing into the wall. Fortunately, however, he was on the luckier side - he had intentionally chosen to allow the Impediment Jinx to hit him, knowing that it would indeed slow him down, but that would also mean that the speed at which he hit the wall would be greatly reduced, affording him a few precious seconds of recovery. As the dust and smoke from the impact cleared, Blake pushed through the slowness and pain to cast another Finite Incantatem, cancelling the slowness, then casting another protection spell, much stronger this time, as he staggered to his feet.
Yeah, I'm definitely concussed, he managed to think, still not seeing straight. But whatever - this is enough to stay in the infirmary for a while - I don't need to let myself get hit anymore.
2 of the Slytherins that were previously on the floor got up, turning the fight into a 7v1, with the one also being concussed.
"Not so confident now, are you, Renshaw?" Malfoy yelled, as they threw spell after spell at his shield, to no avail.
Despite everything, however, Blake grinned.
"You think you did something, huh?" he asked, stepping out into the corridor, past his shield.
"I'll let you choose - drop your wands, and you'll only be in the infirmary for 2 days, or fight, and go straight to St Mungo's."
As he continued to step further and further out into the corridor, the ambushers began to step backwards again and again, until it was they who were backed against the wall. Blake grinned once more.
"So? What's it gonna be?"