Now or Never [Anthony & Blaise]

[Lorena Angela Scott]

Lorena was beyond nervous. It was time for the Christmas Ball and she was so nervous to see not only Blaise, but Anthony as well. Though she was happy she got to be with her best friend during this fun time, she knew deep down in her heart she wanted to be escorted to the ball by Anthony. It pained her that she had to hide and suppress her feelings for the Ravenclaw, but she knew that if she slipped up, even in the slightest, she could put him in danger and that was something she was greatly afraid of. She never wanted Anthony to have any sort of pain make its way to him, let alone be the cause of that pain, so Lorena made sure to tell herself repeatedly not to let her emotions get the best of her. She didn't know if Anthony was going to come with another girl, but she told herself that if he did, she would not get upset and make it obvious that something was bothering her, especially around her best guy friend, Blaise. She did not want him to be suspicious of anything, so hoped that she kept herself in check throughout the night.

Lorena took one more glance at herself in the mirror before taking a deep breath and turning around to leave her dorm to meet Blaise. Though they both shared the same common room, Lorena requested for Blaise to wait for her at the end of the stairs before entering the ball together. She only asked for this to be done so other students knew she was going with Blaise and not grow suspicious of anything. She walked down the stairs cautiously, yet gracefully. Her parents had thrown countless amounts of gatherings in their home, so Lorena was taught how to make an entrance into a party. Still, though she made a copious amount of entrances, she felt her knees wobbling with every step she took. The possibility of running into Anthony worried her, yet excited her at the same time. What would he think of her dress? What would she think of his outfit? Would he be with another girl? There were so many questions filling her mind, but she silently tried to erase them as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

Lorena sighed almost in relief before running her hands down her dress to not only smooth it out, but also dry her slightly sweaty palms. She told herself to calm down and just have fun with Blaise before exhaling through her nostrils and looking up to look for her best friend and her date for the evening.

Tagged: Anthony Culver Goldstein & Blaise Zabini

[Blaise Zabini]

Blaise faced the evening with the same dread that he did every gathering... He was resigned, knowing that there was no way that he was going to tell Lorena that he had changed his mind, but he was not thrilled about it. He didn't like to put himself on display. And even if Lorena were at his side throughout the evening, other girls would still try to ask him to dance. It seemed to happen every time, whether it was sincere interest or someone who was dared to try. He treated them all with the same recalcitrance. He couldn't tell the difference and also wasn't that concerned about their feelings.

Gazing at himself in the mirror, he knew that he looked good. He had the confidence in himself to carry it off, but the slight hunch at his shoulders hinted to the resistance he felt. He gave his tie one more adjustment then headed out.

Although Lorena wanted to meet at the bottom of the stairs, Blaise kept his distance. It seemed that most couples had the same idea... Maybe because they wanted to surprise each other with their grown-up looks, or because they just wanted to make a spectacle of themselves. Whatever the reason, he stayed back from the crowd a little. He still had a good view of the stairs. When he saw Lorena coming down, he found himself almost embarrassed. Suddenly, it made some sense why everyone was making such a big deal about this dance. If he didn't know her so well, he might not have recognized her. In his mind would always be an image of her as a child, as when they'd met. Not tonight.

He reached her once he had a line in his mind to ease the awkwardness. “You went all out today. Hoping to see someone?” It was a joke... He was completely unaware of how right he was.

Lorena Angela Scott

[Anthony Culver Goldstein]

Was this a mistake?

Anthony didn't know why he was making an appearance at the dance. It reminded him of their fourth year, the Yule Ball, when he kind of stood around awkwardly watching all of his classmates try to flirt and show off their dance moves. At the time, he'd been equal parts appalled and amused. But he'd experienced it once already. Since he didn't have a date, there wasn't really a reason for him to show. There was not even the novelty of the thing to make it worthwhile.

Maybe part of him was hoping that he would see Lorena there. She would likely pretend that she didn't know him. She might even be there with someone else. A friend, or even a boyfriend... The truth was, while he thought that he had a decent grasp on her character, he didn't know that much about the details of her life. She could have a high society boyfriend that her parents appointed and approved of. Watching her dance the night away with some self-entitled jerk was not his idea of a good time. Yet here he was, heading out to the Hall anyway.

He saw a few people that he knew, but no one that was there alone like him. He smirked to himself when he saw that Blaise Zabini, the rather arrogant Slytherin boy that always had a sharp insult on the tip of his tongue, was also there alone. He was about to comment on that when Zabini moved toward the stairs, toward a girl. Toward... Toward Lorena. Anthony's jaw nearly dropped. Somehow, he'd missed the fact that they were close friends, or really didn't let himself think about it... Or were they more than that?



Lorena Angela Scott

[Lorena Angela Scott]

Lorena was so nervous on seeing Blaise or even Anthony tonight that she desperately wanted to run her hand through her hair to calm herself down. However, she stopped herself, knowing she had to look absolutely perfect for not only Blaise, but Anthony as well in case he attended. She hoped he did. She still wasn't 100% sure how she could sneak off to go see him if she had the chance, but she knew if the opportunity was presented to her, she wouldn't let it down. If there's a will, there's definitely a way.

Eventually, she saw Blaise approach her and she smiled at him, followed by a giggle at his joke. She knew he was joking, but she couldn't help but feel a little nervous at his words. Of course she wanted to look good next to Blaise, but she mostly went above and beyond for her look to impress Anthony in case he appeared. She wanted to blow him away and have his attention on her. Though it sounded selfish, since she was here with Blaise, she couldn't help but want all of Anthony's attention on her tonight. She wanted to show him and have him understand that she dressed up for him and only him. She wasn't sure if he would understand that just by looking at her, but she just hoped he did somehow.

"Well, when I have a date as handsome as you, I need to dress my best." Lorena complimented, smiling at her best friend. She had complimented Blaise on his looks many times before in joking and serious manners, so she didn't think he would take her comments as flirtatious at all, but instead as a genuine compliment. Blaise was indeed handsome and she did have some standards to reach, so she hoped he approved of her outfit.

"But in all seriousness, I told my parents about the ball and about how I was going with you and they immediately sent me the gown and shoes, along with a note that said that I need to make sure I'm up to your standards as a date by dressing to impress. So, that explains the dress." Lorena explained. It wasn't a lie, but there was more to the story. Knowing her parents, Lorena purposefully told them about the ball and having Blaise as her date so they could send her an extravagant gown. She wanted this beautiful dress, but not for Blaise, but for Anthony. Of course she wanted to impress Blaise as well, but she was more focused on Anthony and how he would react when he saw her. She hoped that he liked it, since she was dressing up for him.

Before Lorena could climb down the last step to stand beside Blaise, her eye caught sight of blonde hair, casing her to double take. Her eyes landed on the Ravenclaw who has been clouding her mind: Anthony. She quickly racked her eyes up and down his body, taking in his outfit. He looked extremely handsome and Lorena wished for nothing more than to walk up to him and have him escort her to the ball, but sadly, she couldn't. So, before she could bring attention to herself for looking at someone else other than Blaise, she quickly climbed down the last step and wrapped her arm around Blaise's. "Should we head inside?" She asked, smiling.

When she thought the coast was clear, she turned her head to Anthony and smiled at him while softly waving her hand at him. She wanted him to know that she was aware of his presence and she was happy to see him.

Tagged: Anthony Culver Goldstein & Blaise Zabini

[Blaise Zabini]

Blaise knew that he looked good, so he didn't argue with her. Lorena was big on complimenting him, possibly because he looked grumpy all the time. She was good at cheering him up but he would never let that show. He glanced around the Hall, and deduced that they were by far the best looking couple in the place. Not that it was a surprise... Just a comfort from time to time to know that some things never change.

“That sounds like them. I didn't tell my mother, because I was afraid that she would send an engagement ring through post. Doubtless she has found out by now, given our families stay in touch.” He had seen himself over the summer, the way that his mother would compose long letters to her family friends... On occasion, people she had never even met as well. There were a lot of well-connected families among their kind, and she was afraid of becoming a memory to them. “I dressed myself.”

He hadn't revealed the nerves he felt before the dance, because he wasn't sure what made today different. Perhaps because he didn't want to embarrass her when the dance was important to her. But these thoughts weren't enough to completely distract him from what was happening at the moment.

The way that she stopped, eyes fixed on someone else... He pretended to scan the room, but his gaze fell upon a Ravenclaw. And the look was returned. Their eyes locked, intentions flashed, and in that instant, Blaise knew what had put his friend in her daze over the past few weeks. Is that why she wanted to come? And he was... what? Her excuse so that she could continue to pretend to be the big bad Slytherin? He checked the sudden jolt of anger. If one had been scrutinizing his face throughout this moment, they still wouldn't have been able to see his expression change. He was unreadable, and pretended that nothing had happened.

“Suppose we have to,” he said, not hiding the reluctance. Fortunately he'd done a lot of dancing throughout the years, and he was nowhere near rusty at it. “Do you want to get right into it, or should we get drinks first? I don't want to spoil your night.” It was so hard to not confront her about his suspicious, but he cared about her enough to try to make the night decent.

Lorena Angela Scott

[Anthony Culver Goldstein]

Anthony recovered from his shock as quickly as he could, mostly because Lorena had her eyes his way.

If nothing else, she was the best distraction from his thoughts. She was always breath-taking, but now she looked... different. More grown up, he supposed, would be the best way to think of it. A dress like that was not entirely unlike a wedding dress. He suddenly had a vision in his head of Lorena marrying Blaise in this way, walking down the aisle instead of down a staircase. It made him almost physically ill. From what he knew about her life, it was exactly the kind of thing that would happen in the future unless she escaped her parents.

He saw the exact moment that Blaise noticed where she was looking, and Anthony met his gaze with a boldness that said quite clearly that he was a challenger in the situation. Not knowing if they were friends, or if Lorena had been forced to go to the Christmas Ball with Blaise, he felt as though he had to show she was not alone. If something happened to her tonight, there was at least one person who would come to her aid.

The unspoken words hung in the air, but the tension passed almost as quickly as it built. Lorena and Blaise had turned to go into the dance, but she turned and gave him a smile that made him let go of all the resentment at her date. She had that neutralizing effect on him... He waved back to her with a gentle smile and followed them in, not sure what the Hell he was going to do next. He figured he would dance with a girl or two to make it less obvious that they knew each other already, then he'd move in to dance once she'd had a few songs with Blaise. It was probably the most gentlemanly thing to do, since Blaise was her date... Like it or not...

[Lorena Angela Scott]

Lorena couldn't help but panic a bit now that she knew Anthony was here. On one hand, she was glad she was able to see him and possibly try to converse with him somehow, but on the other hand, she was afraid Blaise might pick up the slightest thing. She knew he was intelligent and he wasn't easy to fool, so if something happened, she knew it could turn for the worse. She just hoped that every powerful being was on her side and everything could go as smoothly a possible.

Lorena cringed slightly at Blaise's mom extreme ideals. She couldn't understand why his mom and her parents wanted Blaise to get with Lorena. She thought it was obvious just by seeing how they interacted that they were just friends. "I wouldn't be surprised if she still sent the engagement ring in hopes you would give it to me. I like my rings big by the way." She teased with a smirk. "Oh, and engraved." She added before giggling and shaking her head at the thought of them getting engaged, especially at a very young age.

"By the way, great job coordinating with me. I think we both look great, but I think you might be out shining me." She complimented with a smile before shifting her eyes towards the girls who were staring and checking out Blaise. She expected as much; he was one of the most handsome boys in their house and he was a great guy too, so she heard of many girls fawning over her best friend. It didn't really bother her, but she did feel uncomfortable when other girls would talk about him in intimate ways while Lorena was around. But what could she do?

Lorena couldn't help but giggle at Blaise's lack of enthusiasm of going inside the ball, unaware of his true feelings. "I gave you two opportunities to back out, but you didn't. Now you're stuck with me and this ball." She teased before nudging her shoulder against him as they walked inside. The ball was beautifully decorated. The whole place looked like a beautiful winter wonderland and Lorena was really loving it. Even though her parents didn't really care for Christmas, Lorena loved it and she hoped that if she was able to leave her parents in the future, she would be able to celebrate it fully.

"I think we should jump right into it." Lorena suggested as she brought a finger to her chin. "We could probably get drinks later when we're a bit tired. So, shall we dance first?" She asked as she looked up at Blaise, smiling. "Oh, you have some lint on your shoulder." She pointed out before grabbing it off him and holding it out to show him. "Got it. Oh, you know, I overheard these two Hufflepuff girls talking and they said that if you make a wish and blow the lint away, the wish will come true. Should we test it out?" Lorena already thought what she overheard was ridiculous, so without making a wish, she jokingly blew the piece of lint towards Blaise before giggling. "Actually, now that I think about it, I think it was with an eyelash, not a piece of lint."

Lorena couldn't see Anthony at the moment, since her and Blaise went ahead, but she couldn't help but think about the Ravenclaw. Would they be able to get together during this ball? Would he try to talk to her publicly? What if he completely forgot about Lorena and decided to enjoy his time at the ball with a group of friends or another girl? Lorena didn't even want to think about that possibility, so she decided to try to remain calm and cross that bridge when she got there.

Tagged: Anthony Culver Goldstein & Blaise Zabini

[Blaise Zabini]

“She would send the heirloom ring. She tries to guilt me into doing what she wants by reminding me of tradition.” It might have worked when he was a child but now, it was just kind of annoying. “It is a big ring, but it doesn't have a lot of embellishment. It was passed down through generations, starting when my family was not nearly as wealthy as we are now. But I think that a Slytherin could pull it off.” He didn't know why he felt the need to describe the ring because there was no way that he would actually use it. His mother was out of luck, as she had stopped at one child. She probably shouldn't have put all her eggs in one basket.

Blaise looked down at himself. He did look good, of course, because his suit was tailored for his body. And he'd been wearing things that were suiting to him for years. Although he was still a thin boy, training in quidditch had given him enough definition to wear the suits even better. “I don't know about that. But I couldn't show up in my normal clothes and embarrass you... Though, now that I see the rest of our peers, I could have pulled it off.” He glanced around at all the amateurish boys, his lip coming up slightly in disgust. Many of them looked like they were wearing hand-me-downs, and some wore things that didn't even go together. A light blue suit jacket, for instance, with light grey trousers. The girls did come off a little better, but that was because they were all in competition with each other. They were training to get husbands.

He was still wondering about Goldstein as they headed into the Hall. Lorena had been acting strange lately, and he was sure that the Ravenclaw had something to do with it. It could be something innocent, like he was tutoring her (Ravenclaws did like to appear smarter than they were) but then she had him to do her homework with. Maybe he was just an admirer, seeing the good in her despite the stereotypes. But he had also seen the way that Lorena's face lit up when she saw Anthony. If it were the case, the feelings were mutual.

Blaise didn't have romantic feelings for Lorena. She was gorgeous, but they had known each other for so long that she had become like a sister to him. They knew too much about each other anyway for dating to be an exciting prospect. But he knew her worth, and he could not think of a single person in the school that was worthy of her. Because of their closeness, he elevated her above just about everyone but himself. And Goldstein was a very boring half-blood know-it-all. There was literally nothing interesting about him. He was slightly disappointed in Lorena's taste.

He realized that she was speaking to him, and he had to mentally rewind the conversation to know what to say. “Very well.” He was about to take her hand and lead her to the dancing when she picked some lint off of him. How had he not noticed that? Embarrassing. He literally cringed at her story. “That sounds exactly like something that a Hufflepuff would say. What did you wish for, a knight in blue and bronze?” He was asking her indirectly about Goldstein without going out and saying it. But they were the Ravenclaw house colors. Maybe she would play dumb.

[Anthony Culver Goldstein]

Anthony knew that Blaise was an intelligent and observant person. And it was very clear that they both knew what was going on. He considered leaving because it would make it less likely that Lorena would be confronted. In many ways, her lies were a shield for her, protecting her from her parents and those few that she could openly call friends. If Blaise were to make her admit that there was something between them (even though Anthony was not sure yet what it was) then she might be outed in front of the school for what she really was... a good person.

He decided to stick around. Before long, he was asked to dance by a Hufflepuff, one that he recognized as being a year above him in school. He accepted, eyes drifting on occasion to Lorena and Blaise, who seemed from a distance to be having a good time but who also hadn't started dancing. The girl that he was dancing with chattered on about all kinds of things that Anthony could hardly keep up. Eventually, he kind of gave up, just doing the bare minimum of small talk required not to be rude. She seemed to notice and left after one song, but there was another girl to take her place immediately.

He had never really thought of himself as popular but there were a decent amount of girls watching him, as though they were waiting for the chance to be his next partner. All the while, all he wanted was to be holding Lorena in his arms, laughing and talking, getting to know each other better. And that couldn't happen. All because he was in a different house and a different social class.

[Lorena Angela Scott]

As Blaise described the ring, Lorena couldn't help but grow more interested. She hoped that one day she would be able to see it in person, because based on what Blaise was describing, it did sound like a beautiful ring not only from the physical aspect but from the historical aspect as well. Of course she didn't want to wear the ring or have it for herself, she just wanted to see its beauty. "It sounds like a pretty ring." She said honestly with a small smile. "I don't think my family has any heirlooms, but you're practically my family, so it's my heirloom now." She joked before sticking her tongue out at him. They weren't brother and sister, but she sure did act like it at times, since she was so comfortable with him

Blaise's joke was mean and even though she didn't appreciate the joke, she still gave a laugh to keep up her facade. "I think our outfits alone cost more than what their families will ever make." She added on. She felt disgusted with herself, as she normally did when she had to act like this, but after years of doing it, she already knew how to mask her disgust. "That's why I came in this dress, to show all the girls what they could never have." She commented as she twirled around in her dress. "No one is dressed better than us and I know that's a fact."

As Lorena looked around, she noticed a lot of couples who looked happy together, causing her to smile softly. She was happy to be with Blaise, but they didn't have romantic feelings for each other, let alone love each other romantically. Still, seeing all the couples made Lorena wonder about their life together if their parents arranged a marriage between them. Would they pretend to look like these couples in public, but be just friends behind closed doors? Or would they eventually go crazy with each other and slowly grow to hate each other? Lorena frowned at the thought. Sure, she had disagreements with Blaise before, but the thought of him hating her made he heart ache. She didn't want to lose him as a friend and she hoped that one day, maybe way in the future, he could learn to accept whatever Anthony and her had.

"If our parents made us get married, do you think we would happy?" Lorena asked, her thoughts coming out without giving her time to stop them. "I mean, I know we wouldn't be in love, but do you think we would have a future? As in like a family?" She couldn't help but wonder if they did get forced to get married, what would they do about kids. Lorena did want kids in the future. Actually, she kind of wanted a big family, considering she was the only child, but would she be able to do that if her parents made her marry Blaise? She knew she was already in her fifth year, but her parents still had two more years to make her life hell.

Lorena tilted her head in confusion at Blaise's words for a wish of a knight in blue and bronze. What did he mean by that? Was he trying to tell her something? She didn't know, but she wasn't going to ask. She figured if he needed to tell her something, he would tell her directly. "I wished that you would turn that grumpy face upside down and enjoy the ball." She joked, smirking at him.

Suddenly, at the corner of her eye, Lorena saw Anthony, but he wasn't alone. He was with another girl, dancing. Lorena's heart suddenly felt heavy and she felt... rejected. Her brain was trying to yell out that he was just trying to not avert attention from Blaise or anyone else, that he was only doing this so no one would grow suspicious of their situation, but her heart was saying that he was rejecting her by dancing with other girls. She didn't want to let her heart win, but it was.

Lorena quickly turned her attention to Blaise to get her mind off what she just saw. "Shall we dance now?" She asked as she motioned to the dance floor. She wasn't using Blaise to make Anthony jealous, rather she wanted to distract herself from letting her emotions take over her thoughts.

Tagged: Anthony Culver Goldstein & Blaise Zabini

[Blaise Zabini]

“In that case, what do I get from your family?” She had to realize how strange it sounded that she was even joking about that. “It isn't enough that we are practically brother and sister. I'm sure that my mother would make you marry me in order to get it. And trust me, it wouldn't be worth it.” He didn't think that he was going to be a bad husband to whoever ended up with him (if anyone did) but it would change everything. Knowing that this conversation was full of rhetorical questions made it a little bit easier. But the truth was that one day he would be discussing things like heirlooms and marriage for real made it feel like something he shouldn't be joking about.

He was more observant than anyone would realize. Lorena had never been as into the 'Slytherin thing' as most of the people in their house. Neither had Blaise, really, but even he thought that she had become a bit too soft lately. But if she was going to try to pretend, he'd still play along. For some reason, that was part of their unspoken agreement. He wondered how much of his scathing comments had inspired hers over the years. He'd never thought of himself as an influence, but to some degree... He probably was.

“Not only are we dressed better than everyone else, we naturally look better already. I don't know why they bother trying.” He was teasing her at this point, going over the top in his comments. He saw the dress that Ginny Weasley was wearing and he started to laugh. Of course, she really was not a terrible looking girl, but that dress did not flatter her. On the other side of the spectrum was another girl who had a splendid dress, and teeth and ears that were too large for her head. “Sometimes dress doesn't make up for bad genes anyway.”

Although he shouldn't have been, he was still surprised by her line of questioning. He couldn't blame her for wanting the answers now, but he wasn't sure why she would torture herself with it. They had a few years left before they'd know for sure. “Well...” he was at a loss for words, but they did eventually come. “I suppose that's the whole point of an arranged marriage, isn't it? To have children that are pure and of good background. So... Of course we would have a family.” Weird to think about, it was a lot like realizing that you were planning on having children with your own sister.

“You knew going into it that I wasn't going to have a good time,” Blaise said defensively as she teased him about his grumpy expression. He didn't miss when she seemed to change again. This was getting ridiculous. Blaise had never allowed himself to be used before. Not by anyone. And he sure wasn't going to let the night continue like this. Still, he took Lorena by the arm and led her to the dance floor. He wasn't a bad dancer, as he'd been taught at a young age, but due to his lack of interest in it at the moment, he was stiff and formal. “What is going on between you and Goldstein?” He asked like it was the most natural conversation topic in the world.

[Lorena Angela Scott]

Lorena rolled her eyes before shaking her head at his comment. "It definitely wouldn't be worth it, since I'd have to wake up to your big head every morning." She teased, using humor as a defense mechanism since the thought of an arranged marriage was extremely realistic for her. She knew Blaise wouldn't be a bad husband, but they were just best friends and if they got married, she didn't think it would be great for their friendship. What if they ended up hating each other? That was something that completely terrified her.

Lorena didn't really want to continue the conversation of other people and how they looked, since it was something that made her feel uncomfortable, so she just giggled slightly and shook her head. "Well, we know we look good and no one else could compare so let's ignore them and enjoy ourselves." She suggested before flattening out her dress. "By the way, you're welcome for not making you do anything ridiculous." She teased with a soft giggle. "At the end of the day, I just want us both to have fun, even though fun is definitely not in your vocabulary." Though there were times, like right now, where she would give Blaise a hard time, it was always just for fun and out of love.

With Blaise's response, Lorena couldn't help but grow more worried. At the end of the day, she loved him like a brother and the thought of having a family with him scared her. Still, she hummed out loud before looking up at him. "Sorry for bringing this up. It's actually something I think about from time to time." She admitted. She was always worrying about her future, especially with her parents, so this was something that she definitely worried about when the topic of arrange marriage was brought up. "I guess I'm a bit of a worry wart." She joked before shrugging her shoulders.

Lorena couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his tone. Of course she was only joking, but she wondered why he was getting a bit defensive. She told him that he didn't need to come if he didn't want to, so she was somewhat taken back from his tone. Still, she didn't say anything as he brought her to the dancefloor, but she couldn't help but notice the way he was dancing. It was stiff and not up to the standards she expected from him. She knew Blaise didn't particularly enjoy dancing, but she had danced with him before and he was pretty good at it, but now, he was just acting different. However, she still didn't want to say anything about it, since she didn't know if he was upset about something she did or not. She couldn't think of what it was, since the only thing she could think of was Anthony, but she felt like she was doing good at not being obvious about him. Well, she thought she was, up until Blaise finally decided to say something.

"Goldstein?" She repeated. She tried her best not to react surprised or shocked by his question, but internally, she was panicking. How did he figure out about Anthony? She thought she was doing well about not making it obvious. Still, she didn't know what exactly what he knew, so she just decided to try to approach this calmly. So, she looked around the room to look for Anthony, as if she knew nothing about where he was. However, after a moment, her eyes landed on the Ravenclaw, where she titled her head to sell her confusion before looking up at Baise. "What about him?" She asked, praying he didn't figure our everything.

Tagged: Anthony Culver Goldstein & Blaise Zabini

[Blaise Zabini]

“Please. People have killed for less than that honor,” Blaise said with a smirk on his face. There were definitely going to be people that wanted to marry him, arranged or not, but he knew that it had more to do with his family history and their money than any aspect of who he was. In a way, it would probably be a relief to marry someone like Lorena because he'd know right off what she was marrying him for... Duty, above all else. “Besides, it isn't as though we couldn't have separate rooms. My mother's house has to go to me when she dies, because she never had any other heirs. I doubt that she'll remarry again.”

He noticed that way that she changed the subject but he didn't comment on it. She had the right to her opinion, and he wasn't going to try to change it. But she had seemingly become so sensitive of late. There were very few people that he felt comfortable with when it came to joking, and slowly, they were even drifting apart that way. “What do you mean? Just going to this event is ridiculous. I try to get away from most of our classmates. Instead, we are here with all of them at once. I don't understand... But you're lucky that I care more for you than I care for myself. I'm here anyway.”

Although the subject still made him uneasy, he knew that it was going to come up eventually. “I suppose that it is something that we have to think about. Better than never discussing it and waking up to that reality one day... Perhaps after giving all hope to someone completely different.” He didn't think that would happen with him because there wasn't anyone that caught his attention but Lorena was a girl, and certainly she'd have found someone that she liked. They always did.

“So you know who I'm talking about,” Blaise said as though that solved the whole mystery. “I saw the way that you looked at him. And I saw that way that he looked at you, too. It would make sense with the way that you have been acting lately.” While he was speaking to her, he was also assembling the pieces aloud to himself. “Ravenclaws are meant to be clever. Perhaps he's simply gotten into your head... What has he been saying to you? You know that he is one of those people that tries so hard to be a knight in shining armor, don't you?”

[Lorena Angela Scott]

Lorena scoffed playfully before shaking her head. "Ooh, excuse me, Mr. Popular." She said in playful sarcasm. "Since you have so many people dying for your attention, I'll make sure to book an appointment with you whenever I want to hang out." She joked with a smirk of her own. It was true Blaise was popular and she was sure there were many girls in their house that wanted his attention. That always made her wonder if anyone had ever caught his attention. She knew he wasn't interested in anyone at the moment, but was there anyone he ever considered? It made her wonder, but she never asked, since she knew Blaise wasn't big on romance. Still, she wondered what his future would be like. Granted, she knew that he could be capably happy without a spouse, but she couldn't help but be curious about it. "I guess that's true." She agreed with a small nod of her head. "At least I'll have a good room mate." She teased.

Lorena couldn't help but frown at Blaise's words. She knew he didn't want to be here, but she didn't know he didn't want to be here that bad. He just seemed miserable to Lorena, and she couldn't help but think it was her fault for practically begging him to come with her. "Blaise, if you really don't want to be here, you don't have to be. I'll be okay with it." She assured with a small smile. "At the end of the day, I want you to feel comfortable too, so if you want to leave, I won't be upset about it." Of course she didn't want to her friend to leave, but she was starting to feel bad for making him come, especially since he was so unhappy about it.

"Right." She mumbled softly, sad with her unfortunate reality. She didn't understand why she couldn't just live her life freely, instead of having so many decisions made for her. It wasn't like Lorena thought Blaise would be a bad husband, but she just didn't feel any attraction towards him, and she didn't think she could be married to someone she wasn't attracted to. "Well, I guess, for now, we could just cross that bridge once we get there." She said with soft smile. She didn't think there was much either of them could do now, so she would rather enjoy her time at the ball and then think about it later.

Lorena could feel the temperature of her body rise at Blaise's statements. Had he really caught on to something? From what it sounded like, he knew there was something, but didn't know exactly what, which was good for her. So, as she tried to unnoticeably get herself to calm down, she looked at Blaise and sighed in annoyance, finally figuring out what she was going to tell him. "Well, I hope he didn't hear you." She grumbled, trying to keep her peeved act up. "Of course I know who he is, Blaise; we're both prefects." She reminded. "And, fine, if you must know, there is something going on. I've been dealing with a lot with my parents and stuff, that it's been keeping me from getting a good rest at night. So, I asked him to just take over some rounds for me while I head to bed at an earlier time. Granted, I tried to threaten him to do, but, like you said, he's clever, so it didn't work on him. So, in order for me to get some more sleep, I had to pretend that I liked him... in more than a friendly way. So, in order to keep that act up, I go see him and we just talk and hang out, that's it."

Lorena couldn't believe she made that up on short notice, but she did and she prayed to every powerful being that Blaise believed it. She didn't want him to know about Anthony for not only her sake, but Anthony's as well. She didn't want him to get hurt and she definitely didn't want Blaise to be angry, so she needed to keep this up as best she could. "I didn't want to tell you about it, because I didn't want you to worry, okay? I already dump so much stuff on you on a daily basis and I just wanted to handle this on my own. So, I'm sorry, alright? I don't know why you can't just trust me." She didn't want Blaise to feel guilty, but she couldn't think of another way out of this situation. It would be out of character of her to cry out of it, so this seemed like the most logical situation for her.

Tagged: Anthony Culver Goldstein & Blaise Zabini