“Hey, stranger,” I smiled as Blaise approached me alone in the hallway. “Long time, no see.”

He nodded. “Yeah, sorry about that. I guess that I got a little scared. This whole thing is becoming so real. You know what I mean?”

I nodded because I knew exactly what he meant. I was falling for him faster than I ever fell for Gregory. We hadn’t done anything yet, and he still made me want to see him every time that we met. Blaise is just something special. I can’t quite put my fingers on just what that is, but I have a feeling that it’s something good, something irresistible because so far that’s what he is.

“The Hogsmeade trip is tomorrow,” he said after a few moments of silence.

I nodded. “That it is, but I already have a date.”

“Oh, that’s good because I do too.”

“With who?” I found the words spilling out of my mouth in a jealous fashion without even thinking about it.

He shrugged. “I dunno. My best mate is fixing me up with his girlfriend’s friend. It’s not a big deal, and it probably won’t end up as anything, but he was begging. I would do anything for that guy, and he knows it too.”

“That’s sweet. You full-fill your obligation,” I nodded, totally understanding but wishing that it was me that he was taking and not some bitch. Hey, just because I don’t know her doesn’t mean she’s not a bitch. It could very well just be Pansy Parkinson for all I know.

“So,” he said looking at everything but me. “Who are you going with?”

“I have no idea. It’s a blind date,” she sighed. “I was pumped for it, but now I’m not anymore. I had always wanted to go on a blind date, but I just don’t feel up to it.”

He nodded. “Which turns this situation back around to this feeling more real than I ever imagined possible,” he said, pushing a piece of my hair behind my ear.

My heart started hammering in my chest like it never did before. Gregory took a while to make my heart race, but it took just Blaise’s touch to get me all nervous. It was something that I had never felt before in my whole life, and I liked it. I liked the way his lips felt on mine, bold but soft. I could tell that there was a yearning desire in this kiss, one we both had a fear of trying out in the middle of a public hallway. A very public hallway.

Surprising Blaise and myself, I pulled away first. “Well, I’m going to be late for class. I’ll catch you later.”

I started down the hallway in a fast walk but it turned into a run as I wanted to get as far away from him as possible. He had said that he was frightened because it was turning into something real. Well, thanks a lot Blaise for instilling that inside my head. I was now frightened because I had never felt this way. It was something that Gregory had never put me through before. I was confused and frazzled. Nothing could stop my heart from pounding in my chest, in my ears. I had to steady myself against the wall and thought it was a trick of the light when I saw a blonde flash go by me. I really looked at the figure moving down the hallway. It was Draco, but he had a girl on each side of him. Both of them looked very frightened, especially when he touched each of them on the shoulders, as if the stir them away from looking eyes.

“Draco?” I called out, but he didn’t respond and just kept walking down the hallway.

I had never seen those girls before. Were they new? No, that couldn’t have been it. Nothing about them was familiar, except for their eyes. Something was off about that situation, something bad, perhaps evil. Hanna popped into my head. Should I tell her that there’s a possibility that Draco is cheating on her? It would break her poor, fragile heart because she was so deeply in love with him. What could I possibly have done? So, I just decided to do nothing. I just decided to keep it to myself. Besides, it might’ve been something that was totally not what I was seeing. Yeah, that was it.

“Bella?”

I turned to see Gregory walking down the hall. A little ways away, I saw Lavender Brown waiting on him. They had gotten together after I had broken it off with him, which is for the better. Two cheaters totally deserve each other.

“What is it, Gregory?” I snapped in an annoyed tone.

“Are you okay? You look pale and on the verge of fainting.”

I shrugged. “Thanks for telling me that I look like shit. It was nice of you to notice, but I’m afraid that I’m going to be just fine. It’s someone else that I’m worried about. My life is just going so perfectly, more perfect than you could ever imagine, Samuelson.”

“Alright, then,” he said, turning back to his slut of a girlfriend.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she had the gull to even talk to me. If she knew what was good for her, she would just stop before she gets too far ahead.

Instead of answering her, I turned and made my way to Professor McGonagall’s classroom. I had transfiguration next, which already had me in a bad mood. I never did well in that class, but I needed it if I wanted to graduate.

“You’re late, Bolyard,” Professor McGonagall stated as I walked into the classroom. “Why can’t you ever be on time? You have been late for every single one of my classes this year. Are you alright?”

I was just standing in the doorway, looking at everyone with the most stupid look on my face. My stomach gave a lurch, and I grabbed for it. I was pretty sure that I was going to be sick right then and there. I couldn’t believe that that was happening right in front of everyone. I was having a breakdown in front of everyone. Tears had stung my eyes and ran down my cheeks in sheets. I couldn’t stop them, just like I couldn’t stop the vomit from rising up out of the depths of my body