It might have been smarter to discuss it with Severus rather than act by herself, but since they were pressed by time Ophelia and James took matters into their own hands. It just happened none of them had any idea what they wanted to achieve from Zabini.
It started with James acting suspicious during lunch and dinner (the only time he was in the same place with the older Slytherin) and it went so far as to ask other students about him; lousy students.
"So, Littlewood, I've been thinking about your crush on Zabini." He started in a louder voice than the short girl wished.
"Why?" Lily asked eyeing the glasses boy before she turned to Sirius. To be frank, Black seemed to have other stuff to bother himself with such as a Hufflepuff sending him letters every day.
Black, right. Ophelia was surprised when the letters started to come and come and come every freaking day. It was not from one girl from one house but several, even from Slytherin. It was odd how Sirius seemed to glow this year as if he found the cure to death. Luckily, the girls kept him busy enough for Potter to sneak around with Ophelia.
"He's in the same year with Evan Rosier, right? Sixth year. You have little time left to snatch him for yourself. I'm only trying to help you here, to have at least one adventure in Hogwarts." Potter said with a smile not quite registering the fact that he offended his housemate several times in one paragraph.
Ophelia shook her head, feeling no need to correct him for he knew it wouldn't matter. On the other hand, she was curious what kind of person was this present Zabini.
"He's not involved in the dark arts, I can tell you that much. But he's a good duelist and a better Quidditch player." Rabastan answered when she asked, right after dinner that day. She had to run to keep up his quick pace.
"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm suddenly interested in Zabini?"
Rabastan only took a glance at her green eyes and shrugged.
"No need. I don't care."
"What about the training in the Room of Requirement? Will I be informed when they begin again?" She asked hopefully. Rabastan sighed but didn't give her an answer.
On the way back to the common room she caught glance of Regulus going towards the kitchen. She raised an eyebrow but couldn't quite follow him because a messy Gryffindor ran up to her. It was no surprise to see Arthur Weasley run around with muggle stuff in his hands.
"What's wrong, Arthur? Is a Slytherin following you?" She asked taking a glimpse behind him.
"What? No! It's professor Eynon. He noticed my interest in muggles and has been giving me lots of objects to try out. Isn't he such a nice professor?" Arthur exclaimed his eyes sparkling in the light of the torches.
Ophelia acknowledged the fact but did not know what to say in response. She took a quick look over the objects overflowing from Weasley's arms but they were all rather boring stuff. Ophelia bit her lip and gave up for the day.
It didn't go better afterwards. Potter would pester many students for information (although never Slytherins) and Ophelia found nothing to connect her to her new dueling master. Actually, she tried so hard to be bad at it that Regulus was growing annoyed.
"Can you at least try once or twice? How can I know my level if you don't take it seriously?" He hissed while they were returning to the Great Hall for dinner.
"I do take it seriously but it's not like you will become better from the first few lessons. I'll test you at the end of the year." She said smiling thinking she did him a favour.
"Are you taking me for a joke? I am a Black, you know, one that is a lot more loyal to his roots than Sirius. I know some stuff about dueling." He added throwing her the nastiest look he could muster. To be frank, it did not look dangerous but quite cute in her view.
"I'm not taking you for a fool but you know why I returned to that club. I need to know everything there is to know about Zabini." She said.
"And why is that, Molley?"
The voice that interfered made the two youngsters stop in their tracks and slowly look over their backs. Right there were Zabini and Rosier and thankfully, Katie was not with them.
"For-um- well, you see- I have a good reason for that."
"Cannot wait to hear it." Said Rosier looking amused with the whole situation.
"Yeah, me too." Regulus commented getting a seriously annoyed glance from her.
"My f-friend has a crush on you...It's only natural I get my nose into her business and help with what I can." Ophelia said very slowly, regretting every word coming out her mouth.
She could see Regulus shaking his head in disappointment but Zabini seemed to genuinely ponder on that answer.
"And who is this friend of yours? Aren't you surrounded by boys mostly?" Rosier asked with an eyebrow raised in intrigue. He was obviously having fun interrogating her.
"You seem to have noticed quite a lot of details then. Had Rodolphus instructed you to keep an eye out?" She asked genuinely curious.
"Even better," Rosier started with a smug smile, "It seems you have an admirer in the Slytherin house."
Regulus glanced from the older colleague who suddenly became taller to her and then to Zabini, who seemed to be still in deep thought. It was strange because Ophelia seemed so concentrated on Rosier, as if she was trying to figure if he was messing with her or not.
"What about my friend, then? Should I tell her there is nothing remotely interesting about her crush and just give up? I mean, except duelling what's so good at you, Zabini?" Ophelia changed the subject, trying not to use legilimency to enter Rosier's mind.
"If you are so brave, Molley, maybe you should do better in club activities. Gryffindors have been whispering about your style, all about offence and no defence but all I have seen is a weakling, pretendig to duel instead of doing it for real." Zabini said looking into her green eyes. So then, he did notice she was letting Regulus do all the work.
"Why not make a deal then? If I win, you give my friend a chance." She said seeing an opening.
"And if I win, you do me a favor later on when I'll need it." Zabini said before both agreed on the terms.
When Ophelia arrived at the table she unconsciously sat in between Remus and Frank, the only boys she could count on in the Gryffindor house. She turned first to Remus and opened her mouth to ask him for advice but then she saw Rosier snicker at her from the Slytherin table. She turned to Frank and realized Cissney was just two seats across him. She licked her lips nervously and looked at her plate, wondering if Zabini will figure out the girl that had a crush on him was the same one that kept pestering students to vote for radio in the halls and Halloween balls. She was very involved in her duties as a member of the student council.
"What's on your mind, Molley?"
She was speechless how Potter could move seats and creep up into her personal space and whisper to her in a way that rose the hair on her hands.
"The usual." She answered before she leaned in, "I may have gotten Zabini interested in talking to me. But, there is a price."
"Littlewood?"
"How did you know?" She asked taken by surprise but Potter nodded knowingly.
"I'm smart, Molley. And I knew it'll come down to her stupid crush. How will you handle this?"
"Me? What about 'us'? You want to know about your father's friend a lot more than I do." Ophelia complained narrowing her eyes at him.
"I have my reasons and you have yours. In the end only results matter." He said as if he suddenly grew wise.
"Everything you just said is bullocks," she hissed, her whole face looking a lot like a pissed off cobra.
"Maybe but I know you won't give up on our little research. You finally consider me your friend, badge." He said proudly. The worst thing was that she couldn't deny it. That scoundrel Potter has successfully crawled under her skin.
It was interesting how everything unfolded afterwards. Potter was working more under the radar while Ophelia was all over the place with a target drawn on her back; literally. After finding that a Gryffindor had a crush on his friend, Rosier made it his mission to find out just who was the girl. A great kick was Ophelia and how she mentioned it was a friend of hers. What Rosier didn't expect was seeing how chatty she was with a lot of girls from her house but also other houses, like Ravenclaw.
"Rab, why do you think Molley has gotten so close to your former girlfriend?" He asked watching Ophelia more or less try to keep a conversation with whatshername...he genuinely forgot and not only because she was a muggle born know-it-all.
But Rabastan didn't even acknowledge the information, being busy enough with planning his own life. That didn't seem to faze Rosier who turned to his friend, Zabini.
"Remember how she said one of her friends had a crush on you? That was nice entertainment, wasn't it?" He asked and unlike the seventh year student, Zabini did answer.
"I don't care. Now that I remember, is there indeed a Slytherin that fancies her? I haven't heard of it."
"Actually, my sister mentioned one of her classmates taking an interest in Molley. I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but Katie doesn't just throw rumors around. It's usually the truth." Rosier said as he let his eyes wander down the Slytherin table. He found Severus eating silently next to Avery- he was taking glances at the Gryffindor table. The next one to be caught doing the same was Regulus, whose glances were turning into obvious stares. But Molley was at the Ravenclaw table at the moment and the only ones acknowledging that was himself, Zabini and Rabastan.
"You're wasting your time, mate." Zabini muttered as he finished his lunch. "I do not care for such trivial subjects. I have a club to run and I want to make myself a bright future."
"You could achieve a lot more if you just come with us, Enzo. He can give you more power than you can imagine. He can help you achieve a level far above anything at Hogwarts."
Zabini rolled his eyes, having heard that speech several times before. And the reply was pretty much the same one.
"It's too troublesome. I'm not a rich pure blood like you, Lestrange or Black. For me, it will come down to petty missions that Rodolphus cannot be bothered with." He said, adding a valid point to his explanation.
Rosier found himself looking at Rabastan, who seemed far more attentive than before. He knew the two Lestrange brothers weren't in the best relation but they were family nonetheless.
"What do you say, Rab? Isn't Enzo too much of a coward? We should force him to one of our meetings to see for himself just what the Dark Lord means." Rosier said, snickering to himself in a way that made him look like he might need a tissue soon.
"You shouldn't speak so freely about our business." Rabastan answered his eyes wandering all around the Hall.
"Dumbledore doesn't seem bothered although he might suspect something." Rosier said with a scoff but Rabastan got up and looked over the Ravenclaw table. It didn't take a genius to realize that she has heard bits of the conversation and was now aware of what he had successfully hid from her from the beginning of the year.
Ophelia was appalled that Rabastan, whom she trusted deeply, kept her away from what she wanted to do, which was dark arts, but that was pushed in the back of her mind as she heard how vehement Zabini was against working under someone. He was a free spirit, in a way, and she could use that in her favour. That, and maybe get Cissney a date for the next Hogsmeade visit.
The problem was that as soon as she walked out the door to go to her usual meeting place with Severus, a wild Cissney Littlewood walked to her looking very worried.
"Have you heard? Somebody tried to burn the Fat Lady!"
"Did Potter try new spells out with Frank again?" Ophelia asked not yet alarmed.
"No. The only ones that caught sight of the culprit are paintings. The Fat Lady looks all burned out and she won't talk to anyone but Dumbledore." Cissney added, her eyes full of worry. "Don't you understand, Pheli? Someone tried to break into the Gryffindor common room."
Still Ophelia did not seem too bothered. In the end, nothing extremely bad happened and the Fat Lady was fine. Yet, she couldn't help but wonder if it had any connection with her father.
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