AN: We hit 25 Power Stones! Thanks for voting - as promised, a BONUS chapter will be released later on today!
"Come on, Neville," Blake said disappointedly. It had been a week since his and Daphne's conversation with Dumbledore, and as always, Hogwarts never ceased to bore him.
"I didn't mean to," Neville lamented loudly, near tears. How the Gryffindor boy had come up with the idea to write down the passwords for Gryffindor common room entry when there was a serial killer on the loose (who happened to be explicitly targeting someone he shared a room with), Blake would never know. It didn't surprise him that Neville had lost the password - the surprise came from his lack of common sense. Thought Neville was smarter than that.
If it wasn't for Ron screaming, Black definitely would've killed Harry, Blake had thought grimly as he pretended to sleep in the Great Hall once more. I still can't believe the stupid painting let him in!
That being said, Blake was sure Neville would not repeat his mistake. McGonagall had flown into a rage, and punished him quite severely, to the point where Blake almost felt sorry for his friend, and his grandmother had sent him a Howler. Oh well.
"I thought you said Longbottom was smart?" Tracey asked, frowning at Malfoy laughing at Neville in the corridor.
"He is," Blake said defensively. "He just needs more confidence. He's making less and less mistakes, y'know. He was just unlucky this time."
The conversation soon shifted, however, to the upcoming Hogsmeade visit.
"I've been thinking," Daphne began. The blonde girl was in an odd place, it seemed. It was as if her mind and soul were at war. Deep down, she knows that there's nothing she can do - but still, she can't stop herself from trying.
"What if he's hiding in Hogsmeade?" she asked. "There's so much Dementor surveillance, Daphne," Blake said. "I really doubt-"
"You said Potter had a map, right?" she persisted. "What if there's other maps, and Black's got one? Maybe he picked one up from Hogwarts!"
"But then how did he get in the first time?" Blake countered.
"He could've already known the routes," Daphne responded. "My parents say that friend group were always pulling off impossible pranks, just like the Weasley twins are doing now, and Potter said that the Weasleys gave him the map!"
"Good point," Blake conceded. "But that argument's not really useful considering he could have a different map, and know different ways to get in - I wouldn't be surprised given it's Hogwarts."
Seeing the girl open her mouth to protest, Blake sighed.
"Fine, fine! We'll put some charms up, alright?"
Daphne closed her mouth, and smiled, and the Slytherin boy struggled hard to prevent his ears turning red.
/
There was a sudden knock at the door. Blake and Zabini exchanged a look with each other. It's 11pm… the girls said they wouldn't come, so who could it be?
Given that Snape seemed to take pleasure in waking up the entirety of Slytherin as abruptly and loudly as possible, he doubted it was another Sirius Black break-in.
Oh - actually, Blake thought, thinking back to what Zabini had told him before, it's probably…
"Nott," he greeted. The younger boy stood outside, still dressed in his robes, waiting anxiously.
"Renshaw," the boy returned. "I was hoping to talk to you about something."
Blake sighed loudly, making a fuss. "Zabini," he called. "I need to help a junior. I'll be back soon."
"Ok." Blake silently cursed his roommate. Stop trying to be nonchalant, you prick!
"We'll go to the common room," Blake told Nott. The pair walked in silence until they reached the large area, and sat down opposite each other.
"Well?" Blake asked. "What's going on?"
"There's something I was hoping you could help me with," Nott said, his eyes averted, as if embarrassed.
"And that is…"
"You know Flint?"
"The Quidditch-"
"No, his little brother, Rafael."
"He has a little brother?" Blake thought out loud. "I didn't know that."
"Well, anyway, he's been having some… trouble?"
Blake cocked his head. "What kind of trouble?"
"Crabbe and Goyle… whenever Malfoy's not around, they're always picking on him! They don't even say anything - they just hex or curse him, and laugh!"
Nott's fists balled in anger. Blake blinked in surprise.
"But… why?"
Nott looked away, as though embarrassed.
"He's a halfblood," he muttered. Blake raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't his brother a pureblood?"
"Yes," Nott said shortly, seemingly refusing to elaborate.
"But why's he being picked on? He's still of magical descent, is he not?"
"I don't know!" Nott said angrily. "If I knew, I'd say, but I don't! He knows though - he knows why they're bullying him, but he won't say!"
"Why doesn't he fight back?"
"He does!"
Blake sighed as Nott's voice got louder and louder.
"What do you want me to do about it then, Nott? If I get involved - which I'm not saying I will - that would make things 20 times-"
"They don't need to know," Nott said quickly. "You can attack them anonymously, or leave a cursed object, or-"
Blake laughed loudly, interrupting the younger pureblood.
"You've been watching too many movies, Nott."
"What's a movie?"
Blake waved him off.
"Firstly, what would I even gain out of this?"
"I'll pay," Nott said confidently. "I have-"
"And secondly," Blake continued, ignoring an outraged Nott, "why in Merlin's name would I attack Crabbe and Goyle for a pureblood and a halfblood that thinks my entire existence is a sin?"
Nott's mouth was left open, seemingly having no response. Blake laughed coldly.
"That's what I thought."
Blake turned to leave, but just before he could, Nott spoke up in what might have been the quietest whisper Blake had ever heard.
"I don't think that."
"Huh?"
Nott looked down, but repeated what he said.
"I said, 'I don't think that', so will you help or not?"
Blake stared at him from a moment.
"Why don't you ask Malfoy, or someone else you know?"
Nott looked up again, his face angry.
"I'm not going to ask Malfoy! That whole family-"
He stopped himself to take a deep breath, before continuing.
"I have asked other people, but no one wants to get involved with those families, and especially because they're Malfoy's friends. Actually, now that I think about it, the people that know Rafael's getting picked on stopped speaking to him too! One of my roommates even started harassing him as well - he was friends with Rafael two weeks ago!"
Obviously, Blake thought. Blood supremacists are all the same - so eager to push someone down the pecking order, just so they can rise higher. They want to have more status, but more than time, they want someone to be lower than them so they're not discriminated against themselves - even if they were friends.
"So, I'm the last option?"
"Yes."
At least he's honest. What should I do?
Blake pretended to think about it, before sighing.
"Fine," he said, stretching and yawning. "I'll deal with it tomorrow."
Nott's face lit up, and for the first time perhaps ever, he looked less like chumpy, annoying, supremacist, little worm, and more like what he should've looked like - a kid.
"Really? How much?"
Blake snorted before turning around.
"Please. Not all of us have no morals or dignity. Go to bed and tell your friend I'll handle it. 'Night."
Blake slipped into his dorm room before Nott could say another word, and unsurprisingly, Zabini had been eavesdropping on the entire conversation.
"What're you going to do?"
Funny that, Blake thought. Two years ago, he probably would've advised me to stay out of it.
"I have a plan, of sorts," Blake replied. "You'll see."
Zabini shrugged, and soon went to bed.
Plans, Blake thought, as he climbed into bed with a smile on his face. Sorry, Rafael. It had to be done.
AN: If you would like to view up to 20 more bonus chapters on all my fics so far including this one, and would also like to support me, please visit my P@TR30N, at pa tr eon.com / GhidorahWriter (remove the spaces).
Thanks for reading and make sure ADD to your COLLECTION and VOTE with POWER STONES! Once we hit 50, I'll release a BONUS chapter!