She found Blaise leaning against the stone balustrade, his gaze distant, fixed on the dark sky beyond the towers. As if he were waiting for something—or someone.
Iris hesitated, her fingers curling into the fabric of her sleeve. Of all of them, Blaise had been the one she thought she understood the least. But now, there was no mask on his face. No sly smirk. Just silence. And something in his eyes that hollowed her out.
"You're quiet," she said, stepping closer.
His head turned, slow and deliberate, those dark eyes catching hers. "Not much to say."
"That's a first."
A ghost of a smile tugged at his mouth, but it didn't reach his eyes. He pushed away from the railing, closing the distance between them with that fluid grace he always had. But this time, there was no lazy amusement in his expression. Just something raw. Something real.
"You shouldn't be here," he said quietly.
"Maybe not." She tilted her chin up, holding his gaze. "But I am."
For a long moment, he said nothing. And then his hand came up, fingertips brushing lightly against her cheek. It was the softest thing. So careful, like she was something breakable. As if he hadn't already shattered her once. As if he wasn't the one who'd helped tear her world apart.
"You hate me," Blaise murmured.
"I did," she said. "Maybe I still should."
"But you don't." It wasn't a question.
"No."
A breath escaped him, a sound she almost didn't recognize as a sigh of relief. His hand shifted, his palm cradling her jaw as his thumb brushed the corner of her mouth. Reverent. Like she was a prayer he didn't believe in but found himself whispering anyway.
"We were supposed to burn the world down," he said, his voice low, rough silk over steel. "And I was ready to do it. But then you looked at me like I was worth saving."
"You are," she whispered.
He leaned in then, his forehead resting against hers. And for once, Blaise Zabini wasn't the untouchable prince of Slytherin. He was just a boy. A boy who'd abandoned a kingdom of ash because she asked him to.
His hands slipped down, arms winding around her waist, pulling her against him with an ease that made her heart stutter. Like she belonged there. Like she always had.
"You're ours," he said, his lips brushing her temple. "Even when we don't deserve you."
She closed her eyes and let herself believe it. Just for a moment. Just for him.
His arms wound around her, steady but gentle, like he was afraid he'd bruise her if he held too tight. She felt the shift before she saw it—the subtle change in his breathing, the tension bleeding out of his shoulders as if something inside him finally, finally let go.
And then his hand moved. From the small of her back, sliding up with deliberate intent, until his palm settled over her chest. Right above her heart.
Not possessive. Not claiming. But grounding. Like he was trying to memorize the rhythm of her pulse, as if it was the only thing keeping him alive.
"I used to wonder if I had one of these," Blaise murmured, his voice rough at the edges, his thumb brushing against the beat beneath her skin. "A heart."
"You do," Iris whispered, her fingers curling into the lapels of his robes.
"Only because of you," he breathed, his forehead pressing harder against hers, his eyes shut tight. "You gave it back to me."
Her breath caught. She hadn't known. Not until now. How deeply he'd buried himself just to survive. How much of him had been lost in the fire they'd all been willing to start. But here he was. Abandoning the ashes. For her.
"I'm not going anywhere," she promised, placing her hand over his, fingers sliding between his like she was stitching them together. "Not unless you let me go."
His lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. But it was close. And when he finally opened his eyes, there was something there that hadn't been before.
Peace.
Even if it was just for now.
"You belong here," he whispered. "With us. With me."
And when he said us, she knew he meant all of them. Her snakes. The boys who had broken the world for her. Who had abandoned their kingdom for something softer. Something real.
Her.
••••••• END OF CHAPTER-97 •••••••
Don't forget to Be Yourself and Love Yourself.
Take care, everyone <3
~ Blue 💙
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Beneath the Emerald Veil (Gryffindor X Slytherin)
Fanfiction???????????????????????????????????? At Hogwarts, where every stone breathes history and every corridor hides secrets, Iris Everly, a bold Gryffindor with a fierce heart and unyielding spirit, believes she knows exactly where the lines between right...
