prejudicial disclosure
Blair can't exactly pinpoint when her night takes a turn for the worse, but she suspects it's when she agrees to be alone in the common room with a man - boy, man. Whatever.
The last thing she needs is a confrontation with Humphrey.
"Not right now, Humphrey," she tells him in an icy tone. "I don't need you to chastise me. I'm doing a great job of it myself."
She summons the last of her dignity and sweeps off.
"Blair, I - " Humphrey calls after her.
She doesn't deign to give him another look.
For the week after that, Cissa is in a rosy haze, oblivious to Blair's inner turmoil. She confesses to Blair that she and Lucius are slowly becoming more intimate. Cissa practically bursts into song when she gets out of bed in the morning. Blair adopts an excited expression whenever Cissa tells her stories.
Inside, however, Blair seethes. She has dreamed for years of the perfect aristocratic partner. While she doubts that Charles Zabini is it for her, she had expected a little more decorum from him, all things considered. She is a lady, for Merlin's sake. Cissa is different, obviously. She is already pledged to Lucius and he can take a few, careful liberties with her. Blair is - well, she's not spoken for.
Maddeningly, Charles Zabini still hangs around her, as faux courteous and as smarmy as ever. When he looks at her, his expression doesn't give away any inkling of what happened that night. Blair decides not to confront him because she doesn't want people to overhear. Or to know.
Humphrey, in the meantime, she avoids like the plague. Because he and Reg spend their nights at the Common Room, Blair hides herself in the owlery and the library to nurse what little scraps of dignity she has left.
Her luck runs out eventually and Humphrey finds Blair in the owlery one evening.
“Blair,” he breathes.
“Don’t, Humphrey,” Blair warns.
Humphrey sighs. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shame you or anything. I was just concerned.”
Blair lets out a disparaging noise. “Why do you care?”
Humphrey runs his fingers through his hair. “I know I may sound like I’m making fun of the wizarding world, but for the most part, I’m just genuinely curious. I come from a Muggle family and half the time, I have no idea about what actually goes on in the wizarding world. I just want to know, Blair.”
Blair considers this for a moment. “Okay.”
Humphrey blinks. “Just okay?”
“You’ve proven your point,” Blair replies. “Now go away like a good little muggleborn.”
“Blair,” he draws out, looking like he is stalling for time. “There’s something else.”
Blair looks at him.
“I was jealous of Charles Zabini because he got to kiss you.”
Then, all of a sudden, Daniel Humphrey does the unthinkable.
He kisses her.
The minute his lips touch hers, Blair’s magic sings. She kisses him back and sighs into his mouth. Inexplicably, it feels so right.
When they pull away, Daniel looks at her, dazed. He leans his forehead against hers, breathing deeply.
Blair smiles. She doesn’t know why she says it, but she does.
“You’re mine now, Humphrey.”