~Kurt POV

“Excuse me?” Kurt asked. Was she really asking about his relationship with Anderson? It was totally famous around the whole school, and there was no way that professor Sylvester wouldn’t know.

“You heard me the first time, porcelain. What’s your relationship with that new Anderson kid?”

New Anderson kid. So she was talking about Blaine. Not Shane. Somehow, the thought made Kurt smile just a slight bit, but at the same time he wondered why she would ask for their relationship. Had Blaine reported him of bullying or something?

“Um, nothing.”

“Are you sure? Because it looks a hell lot more than nothing to me.” Kurt cocked his head in confusion. What exactly was she talking about?

“No, I’m pretty sure that it’s nothing. I hate his brother, maybe? But we barely know each other and practically never spoke.” Sue eyed him suspiciously, and Kurt just stared back, bewildered. A few moments later, the professor sighed and motioned for Kurt to leave.

“I guess so then. Well, get the hell out of my office, porcelain. No more business with you.” Kurt cringed at the professor’s sharp speaking habits, but left without complaint nevertheless.

Soon enough, he was plopped down on his bed, rummaging in his satchel for something when an unfamiliar object caught his eye. He extracted an old, leatherbound notebook from it, examining it closely. A gold sparkle caught his eye, and Kurt realized that it was a name. the words were faded, but he could just make out what was written….

Blaine Anderson

Kurt groaned. Was everything about him these days? He vaguely remembered picking up the notebook when he was getting out of the cabin. Judging by the looks of it, it had to be a diary.

Wait. Kurt Hummel had Blaine Anderson’s diary.

Kurt debated for a moment, and stuffed it back into his satchel. He made sure to keep it deep and hidden, so no inquiries could be raised. He could look at it, and use the knowledge against the boy. After all, he was an Anderson. But Kurt just didn’t want to do it. He could give it back, but he didn’t want that either.

It was weird, but Kurt just wanted to keep it with him. He would never admit that he wanted to keep a small bit of the boy he could never have with him, but it was true. But he wouldn’t look at it. Diaries were private and he wasn’t keeping it for creepy purposes. And you never know what uncomfortable truths you could uncover by looking into a diary.

No, Kurt wasn’t going to look at it.

Kurt lay on his bed, dozing on and off for an hour before the door opened and Puck sauntered in. He grabbed his guitar and started strumming, making Kurt jump up in interest.

“Hey, Puck. What’s that you’re playing?” Kurt asked, and Puck spun around, smiling.

“Just something that I wanted to do for the competition. You know, I’m planning on auditioning. I need a duet partner though. That’s the hardest part, and the audition is tomorrow…” Kurt raised his eyebrows. Puck tended to soften when he was in the confinements of the dormitory, and especially around Kurt. Kurt felt grateful for that.

“Why don’t you ask Santana, or maybe Rachel? I’m pretty sure they’ll both be up for it.” Kurt asked, stretching out on the bed. Puck grimaced.

“I already did. Santana’s going solo for this one, and she mentioned not wanting to hurt Brittany’s feelings. You know how she gets, she’ll probably imagine that Pucktana is back on, which is not true.” Kurt hummed in agreement. “As for Berry, well, no offense, but her breakup with Hudson is epic and she’s looking for something more aggressive. Not this one.” Kurt nodded, and stared at his friend for a moment.

“What song are you doing?”

“’Falling Slowly’ from Once. If I don’t get a partner soon, maybe I’ll have to drop out.” Puck frowned, and continued strumming. Kurt gave a tender smile and decided to offer something.

“Do you mind if I want to do it with you? I like the song, you know.” Puck’s head snapped up from staring at the strings, and he stared at Kurt with disbelief. Two seconds later, Puck had jumped onto Kurt’s bed, capturing him in an intense hug.

“Ow, Puck!! Watch my hair!!” Kurt yelled, but Puck merely lifted the both of them up from the bed and started prancing around the room.

“Man, you’re the best!! You’re definitely a lifesaver! I love you, man!” Kurt giggled, looking at the innocence seeping out of the self-proclaimed badboy. Puck strummed a few violent chords as a celebration, and they were still going when Logan opened the door.

“Boys, I don’t know what’s really going on here but down the volume. We can hear it everywhere.” Kurt smiled sheepishly, and Puck merely rolled his eyes, but put his guitar down nevertheless. He glanced at Logan, and then grabbed Kurt’s hand before running off to the dining hall, Kurt laughing his head off all the way.

Neither of them noticed the glare that Logan gave them as they ran off.

~Blaine POV

Blaine walked, discussing song choices with Wes and David. It had seemed like nobody was volunteering from Gryffindor once Shane stepped down, so Blaine would take the spot as the only volunteer. Blaine was passionately defending Michael Jackson while David complained that he didn’t know any, being the absolute contemporary person who never took a look at musical history. Wes didn’t know Michael as well as Blaine, but he agreed that he was a legit choice, and that he would talk to Thad about it. They entered the dining hall, when Blaine caught sight of something.

Kurt and Puckerman were standing together near the entrance, holding hands and talking animatedly. Kurt was laughing happily at something that Puckerman said, and he would give the occasional friendly slap on the arm or pinch on the cheek, only resulting in a cracky grin from the other boy.

Blaine felt his mind fill with red-hot anger. He refused to believe that it was jealousy, and that it was just because they both had been so terrible to him just because of his family name. Apparently Anderson was a taboo word amongst the particular group of fifth-year Slytherins, and the mere mention of it brought about stony faces. But this was not the point. He stared at their intertwined hands, feeling a pang in his heart. So this was why Kurt turned around 180 degrees when his name was mentioned? Was it Puck’s influence? Were they dating?

“Blainers, what are you staring a- oh.” Wes jabbed, and stopped abruptly when he saw the direction that Blaine was looking at. Kurt and Puck were still holding hands, and David glared while Wes sighed.

“Please, not you too. Shane was totally enough.” Wes groaned, and David patted his back. Blaine merely looked at both of them with a confused expression. What about Shane?

David halted a moment when he saw Blaine’s expression, and a few emotions flickered past his face when he shrugged and said, “You know, healthy house rivalry can go only so far.” Wes looked at him in confusion, and David just whispered something into Wes’ ear. Blaine thought he could catch the words doesn’t know and need.

The awkwardness was shattered when the tweedles ran into them, almost making Blaine fall over. He regained his balance pretty quickly, but Reed, who was pulled into the crash by the tweedles, wasn’t so lucky. Blaine just smiled lightly before helping him up, and Evan piped up. “Blainey-boy! We’ve got news to tell.”

Ethan supplied from the other side. “Really juicy news to tell.”

Blaine heard Wes huffing jokingly about his robes, and laughed before answering. “If you guys disappoint, I’m stealing your fake wands in the night.” And they all had another fit of laughter at the outrageous expression the twins had.

After about a minute, the laughter subsided and Ethan began talking again. “Anyhoo, it’s about the choir competition.”

“Apparently, the winner gets to sing in the Christmas feast as well!!”

“Well, technically not the winner, but selected people by the judges-”

“And there might be multiple picks! From different houses!”

“This is the best part. You get to do it TOGETHER!!”

Their voices had risen to a substantial amount by now, and Blaine winced at the loud ending. Wes was only listening with half an ear as he stuffed himself with food, and David was talking to Reed, so Blaine piped up.

“And that’s a big deal because….?”

“Because of the inter-house amiability that we could gain-” Evan answered, but Wes cut him off.

“Twins, cut it off.” Ethan tried to protest, but David stopped them with a stern glare.

Blaine had gotten used to this kind of life. Although the Gryffindor boys were nice, the house rivalry was pretty intense. The Brightmans were an exception, who went about well with everyone, but Wevid absolutely refused to associate with Slytherins and Shane did so too. No matter how much the twins tried, they were stubborn. And Blaine was just too shy.

He took another glance towards the Slytherin table. Kurt and Puck weren’t holding hands anymore, but they were still sitting next to each other, the friendly touches lingering. They must be dating. He had no idea if Puck was gay, but Kurt most certainly seemed to be, and they looked pretty close. Blaine sighed and stood up. He’d lost his appetite.

~Kurt POV

Kurt spent the week practicing with Puck, helping him out with homework as well. Mercedes filled him in with the Ravenclaw team, consisting of herself, a girl named Quinn and a boy called Mike. Mercedes seemed really excited about it, and made sure that Kurt would be prepared to be ‘blown away’. Kurt really loved the diva in her. It was so sweet.

He also sneaked glances occasionally at Blaine, who, from what he could gather, was the Gryffindor representative. And the Warblers, as always, would be performing. As much as Kurt anticipated hearing Blaine sing (even though he’d never admit it), but he still thought that the Warblers were stuck-up pricks. The fact that most of them hated him was just a cherry on the cake.

The Slytherin audition had gone perfectly. Rachel was too aggressive, and Santana was too inappropriate. Kurt was glad that he and Puck were picked. He would never be able to live through it if his house did such a performance in front of everyone.

“Hey, Kurt!” someone called, and Kurt turned around in the hallway to see the Brightman twins. He smiled at the only Gryffindors who didn’t seem to hate him. They were grinning widely in anticipation.

“Hey, boys. What’s going on?”

“We heard that you’ll be competing in the choir competition!”

“Of course, we expected you to be it, you’re too good-”

“-but you need to be worried about some serious competition this time!”

Kurt frowned at their answer. Were they talking about Blaine? Was he that good?

“You guys talking about that, uhh, new guy?” Kurt faltered, not wanting the necessity to explain why he knew Blaine’s name. The boys merely grinned wickedly.

“Come on Kurt, don’t play dumb. You think we don’t notice when you strain your ears when we talk about the competition within the Gryffindors?” Kurt blushed, and started shaking his head in denial. The twins just smiled and continued talking.

“Don’t worry. We won’t tell. If anyone noticed, they probably think that you’re interested in stealing our setlist.”

“Which, to mention, is brilliant. You need to get your knacks up if you want to perform at the Christmas feast. I hear that it’s going to be epic. The feast, I mean.” The twins’ enthusiasm made Kurt crack a smile. He was never more grateful to have friends like them. They were kind and playful, but they kept inside their lines and never crossed it. This was something that Kurt really liked.

“Don’t worry, our setlist is probably as fabulous as yours. And I’m better than everyone else. Duh.”

“Ooh, the diva’s back!!” Ethan mocked, and Kurt laughed as he made a swipe towards him. The twin dodged it easily, and stuck his tongue out at Kurt. The three of them laughed hard, nearly leaking tears from their eyes. When they parted, Kurt was feeling considerably better. Sure, the twins found out about his little interest for Blaine, but they were practically two brains stuck together. And they were fine with it. Maybe everyone else will be too?

Kurt was thinking hard when he bumped into a figure at a corner, a figure that yelped and shouted “I’m sorry! Really, I really am. Are you alright?” in a familiar voice. Wait. Too familiar. Kurt looked up and locked eyes with Blaine, practically disheveled. Kurt looked around, and noticed that a lot of books and parchment had fallen. Kurt bent down immediately to help, and when he looked at Blaine, he was invited with a sharp turn of the head. Had he made it awkward?

They gathered the rest of the objects in silence, Kurt flashing a smile as he handed the pile to the shorter boy. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching my way…” Kurt said, and Blaine began rambling again, which Kurt found kind of cute.

“No! I mean, it was my bad. I guess all this stuff covered my vision. And besides, you helped me pick all of this up.” Kurt smiled apologetically, and straightened out Blaine’s robes the best he could. Blaine looked away once more. Had Kurt gone too far? Blaine didn’t seem to notice him from the train, which was a plus at least. He tried conversation.

“I, I heard that you’ll be competing in the choir competition on Wednesday. Lead singer for the Gryffindor Warblers, right?” Kurt prompted, and Blaine blushed before answering.

“Well, yeah. I’m nervous. I just got the spot by default, so…” Blaine attempted to shrug, but it only resulted in him dropping half his load again. Kurt immediately swooped down to pick it all up, as Blaine’s hands were still occupied. When he stood back up, Blaine nudged him to return it, but Kurt shook his head.

“I’ll carry it for you. You’re probably just going to drop it anyway.” Blaine blushed again, and started leading the way to the Gryffindor dormitory, the way that Kurt was so familiar with, but he pushed the thought away and didn’t mention it. Start conversation. Yeah, conversation will be good. But what to talk about? “By the way, what do you mean by default? Was it your turn for a solo or something?”

“Oh, no. I’ve just gotten here.” I know, Kurt muttered in his head. “And it isn’t like that anyway. I was the only volunteer for a solo, and my brother, well, he used to be the soloist but he stepped down and I just wanted to sing.” Kurt clenched his jaw slightly at the mention of Blaine’s brother, but let it pass, just like before.

“You know, we’ll be competing against each other. I’m the Slytherin representative.”

“I know.” Kurt whipped his head around at the boy’s answer, but he was looking away. Had the mention offended him? God, Kurt was really going to be paranoid if it kept on like this.

“How’d you know I-”

“BLANE!!!!!!!!”

Kurt cringed as Shane Anderson burst out of the portrait of the fat lady. He stormed up to Blaine, opening and closing his mouth a few times, trying to find what to say, and when nothing came out, turned to Kurt.

“I thought. I made it clear. To leave. My brother. Alone.” Shane hissed, jabbing a finger at Kurt’s chest as he punctuated each word. Kurt’s good mood vanished faster than a snitch and he glared at Shane, growling back.

“If you’ve got eyes, Anderson, look at the brother you baby so much. He had this hell of a load to carry and I was just being nice. If that’s what I get for helping out, maybe I should’ve just stormed away when he bumped into me and spilled everything. Maybe I should’ve stepped on a few things, just for good measure. Was that what you wanted?” Shane’s eyes grew wide with rage, and a vein started pulsing on his neck.

“Don’t mess with me, Hummel. And what’s with the sudden act? Done something wrong and needing counterevidence? Is ickle kurtie-wurtie too scwared to face detention?“ Kurt’s eyes flashed with rage, but stopped himself before he could do something stupid. He took a deep breath before speaking again, the venom still in his voice.

“Think for yourself. Just so you know, my record’s still clean as a unicorn’s soul and the horrible stories you seem to make are worse lies than the stuff the Daily Prophet prints out. if it offends you so much, I won’t even try to be nice next time.” Kurt scoffed, and had only a moment’s warning before Shane’s fist flew out towards his face. Kurt dodged it narrowly, and cringed in fear of future blows, but none came. Kurt looked up, and saw Blaine trapping Shane in his grip, hand behind the back.

“Shane,” Blaine hissed. “I can stand up for myself well enough, thank you. Don’t act like the protective older brother that you aren’t. You’re just being stubborn and stupid now. Let me live my own life.” Kurt could do nothing but to stare. So Blaine didn’t hate him too much… at least, it was clear that Blaine didn’t take his brother’s words too seriously.

Kurt stayed frozen for a moment, the only sound filling the silence being Shane’s heavy breaths. When he came back to his senses, Kurt bent down for the third time that day to gather Blaine’s stuff, which he had thrown at the ground as he lunged for Shane. He took his time, noticing Shane twitching. When he was done, he nodded at Blaine to let go of his brother. When Shane’s arms were free, Kurt shoved everything harshly into his arms before he could protest.

“I’ll stay quiet about that swing you took at me because you’re brother’s not a jerk like you. See you later at the competition, Blaine. And I really enjoyed your company. Let’s talk some other time when your jerk of a brother’s not around.” Kurt deliberately kept eye contact with Shane while he talked, and when he finished, he turned on his heel dramatically and marched down the hallway, back to Slytherin. He needed to get that song done, and kick the Anderson’s ass.

~Blaine POV

As soon as they entered the dormitory again, Blaine snatched his things harshly from Shane before storming into his room and flopped face-forward into the bed. He grabbed a fistful of his sheets and groaned. He was getting better with Kurt, and Shane had to come over and ruin everything. Blaine loved his brother. He really did, but right now he was downright frustrated. He’d barely had a chance to ask a proper question before Shane and his stupid grudge for Kurt had to butt in.

He could hear Wes’ and David’s concerned whispers, but ignored them. He just needed…. He just needed to practice. If he lost the competition, he really won’t have anything to live for then. Nothing went a positive way these days. And now Shane was probably mad at him. And he hated Kurt now, holding him responsible for the family dispute that was taking place. Thinking about various things, Blaine slowly went to sleep, reciting the melody line of the competition song in his head.