Emerald Moon

Chapter 1 - Spangled Silver Robes

Blaise Zabini had always prided himself in his ability to not give a damn about anyone or what they thought about him.

While he was sure many would call him an arrogant sod, he could confidently say they wouldn't be able to find a fault in him. He was a Pureblood. He had inherited his mother's infamous good looks that had made her rich. He was great at Quidditch which kept him fit. He had received only Outstandings and Exceeds Expectations in all of his subjects. And he kept as far away as possible from any Death Eater related bullshit. As his mother had taught him early on, Zabini's never got their hands dirty. Impassiveness and neutrality were the best defences you could have.

Blaise had taken this advice to heart and had over the past 5 years at Hogwarts made his armour impeccable. It hadn't always been easy. The only negative comments that could come his way were the sly questioning remarks were about the demise of his father and 6 of his step-fathers. But they were always met with a stony and unimpressed silence. And so the questions had stopped coming and Blaise had gotten on with his life. Sharing a dormitory with Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle wasn't a walk in the park. The latter two minions were both oafs and generally harmless to him. But with the rise of Lord Voldemort, the goons were steadily becoming more sure of themselves and bullies even within the Slytherin house. Malfoy's status on the other hand seemed to be going in reverse. He had changed from an obnoxious peacock to a sneaky slithering snake. But instead of being an impressive cobra or even a Basilisk, he more resembled a haggard and scared rattlesnake, desperate to get away from whatever that was chasing him. Blaise found him pathetic. At least he got on with Theodore Nott.

But he wasn't a fool, and would never air such opinions in front of his house mates. A little comment here and there would keep them on their toes but nothing to truly antagonise them. Neutrality and impassive. Qualities that had gotten him as only one of their dorm to be invited into Slughorn's Circle, otherwise none as the Slug Club. And his mates were jealous, though they were far too proud to show it. Blaise couldn't say if he really enjoyed his own membership. Most gatherings were rather dull. He didn't find any of the members interesting in the slightest, no even Harry Potter, the Chosen One. Professor Slughorn was someone you never quite knew how to think about. Full of contradictions. An intelligent man that with enough wine and sugared pineapple could turn into a blithering idiot. Greedy yet extravagant in his dinners and favours. Welcoming yet unwavering in his rejection if there was a whiff of controversy in your family. That last Blaise had found both surprising and amusing, especially coming from Death Eater families. He had heard that Slughorn had been on the run from Lord Voldemort and his followers which he couldn't help but admire. Especially then coming to teach the Death Eater kids. But of course with Albus Dumbledore as Head Master, the Potion Master would feel protected.

Perhaps that too was a foolish thought, Blaise couldn't help but mull over as he swirled a drink in his hand. Dressed in his best and striking black and emerald dress robes, he stood in the Slughorn's elaborately decorated office for his exclusive Christmas party. His date, Daphne Greengrass had already abandoned him to get a closer look at Sanguini, the guest vampire with several other girls. He didn't mind one bit. Although on paper Daphne would be an ideal girlfriend, beautiful with excellent Pureblood bloodlines, she could barely hold his interest. Which wasn't necessarily a fault of her own... he simply had very high standards, just as his mother taught him. Although he would deny it to his grave, he almost found it a shame Ginny Weasley was a blood traitor because she checked all of his other boxes. But there was no way he would shame himself and his family name to marry a Weasley. No, if it came down to that, then even Daphne would be perfectly adequate.

With a sigh, Blaise took a healthy swing of punch that had been spiced with fire whiskey. They were only half an hour in and he was already so bored that he had been thinking about potential life partners. Merlin help him, it was ridiculous. There was no reason for him to be thinking about that. Neither would there be any need for desperation. Zabini's always had excellent matches, without having to worry about inbreeding with cousins, money or social status. A loud voice caught his attention.