Slytherin Army [HP]

33. It's a You Problem

"Where's Blaise?"

The express had already begun its journey, but the brunet was nowhere to be found. Drew opened the door and glanced down both sides of the hallway.

A Ravenclaw prefect was entering the compartment way at the front, and the trolley witch was making her rounds. No one else was out and about.

"He said he was coming," Cyndee said nervously.

Drew shut the door and faced her. "He said that? Why wouldn't he come?" Blaise hadn't responded to the few letters she'd sent him over the summer, but she'd assumed he was trying to annoy her.

Cyndee said delicately, "His father died in July."

They shared a moment of silence. Wilby fidgeted with his notebook, for once not sure what to do to lift the mood. He looked ready to whip out Uno.

"From the sickness?" Drew asked. He'd been sick for most of the time Blaise knew him — three years.

The bitterness in her voice was biting. "Yeah. It didn't get better. Now he's left with another fortune he doesn't want. People are talking again — accusing his mother of poisoning another husband. I mean, I get how suspicious it is, but..."

"Yeah," Drew said. "His dad was a great person. He heard I was going into N.E.W.T.-level Potions and sent me scales to replace my broken ones. And they're gold! I could sell them, buy some peasant scales, and profit."

Cyndee smiled. "Let's hope he turns up."

But when the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station, Blaise still hadn't shown up.

* ° * ° *

The three lined up to get on the carriages. Graham Montague was back, though he still seemed a little dazed. His friend Adrian had graduated, but he had Kushal to pull him onto the carriage.

Torch — in all his pink-haired glory — had managed to get a girlfriend in the form of Tracey Davis, and he was trying to tie off one of her box braids when Drew told him it was his turn to get on.

When their carriage came, Blaise caught up to them. Instead of greeting them, he stared at the thestrals that Drew couldn't see and hoped that she never would.

It was when they'd all got on that he acknowledged them.

"Hey," Blaise said. He didn't look like he was in mourning, but then he rarely had much of an expression.

Cyndee put her hand on his shoulder. "It's good to see you, Blaise."

"Nice haircut," Wilby offered, referring to the buzzed-off hair.

Blaise just nodded vaguely, and Drew for once wasn't inclined to make a redhead joke. "Where were you?" she asked, fighting to keep her tone neutral. "I'm assuming you were on the train?"

He picked at his nails, studiously avoiding her eyes. "I feel too much when I'm around you guys. I wanted to just be empty and hateful for a while."

"Did it work?"

"No."

"Piece of advice: it never does."

He just nodded. Drew didn't believe that he'd merely been brooding, but he was obviously not planning to tell them more.

* ° * ° *

Drew was taking Potions at N.E.W.T level since she wanted to be an Auror. Blaise was the only friend who had advanced with her, and there were two other Slytherins, Malfoy and Nott.