Owl Post

Chapter 7

Kurt backed away at the sight of his Slytherin classmates. He shuffled along the side of the buildings, just past the bench beside Madame Puddifoots. Sebastian, Santana, Rachel, and Jesse. For a moment he thought theyd pass by, but the four of them never missed an opportunity to tease Blaine. Anything that might give them a leg up during Quidditch, that might even distract Blaine during a game or in practices long term, was okay with them.

He listened at a distance while they taunted Blaine. It wasnt easy, and for a moment he almost pulled out his wand and cursed Sebastian, but he couldnt give himself away. The four of them could find him, even with his Invisibility Cloak and then…

No more Quidditch team.

No more friends.

Teasing and taunting every waking second. In the common room, in the halls, at classes, at every meal.

He wouldnt even have Blaine since he hadnt introduced himself properly yet.

Brittany might still talk to him. And Elliott from Transfiguration Club, but the rest…

"Yeah, thats why hes being stood up."

The Slytherins turned away from Blaine and headed towards Kurt. Panicked, Kurt shoved himself back against the building as they passed. He could see Blaine now. Think of something, apologize for all of this mess hed created and—

"Come on. Lets head back. See if Hummels still puking. If hes still sick, hes going to the nurse," Sebastian said as they trekked past in the direction of the castle. "As much as I enjoy watching people puke all over the pitch, weve got to get him up to speed on our old plays."

"Then you shouldnt have kicked me off the team!"

Rachel stomped away as Jesse grinned and shrugged at the other two. "My drama queen returns," Jesse said. "And it was the best decision. I love her, but Kurts incredible. He deserves the chance until she… well." He hurried after her.

Kurt watched them for a moment, took another glance back at Blaine and bolted. Even as he ran he felt the guilt weighing him down as he returned to the castle. Hed left Blaine standing there all alone. Left him outside of Madame Puddifoots just like his friends had said.

He was awful, wretched. The worst, most pathetic secret admirer on the planet. He should go back. Forget about his friends and decide not to break Blaines heart. Instead he found himself outside the common room, with his invisibility cloak tucked under his robes.

Had he really sunk this low? What would his dad say? Or Finn? Or his own mother if she were alive? Carole would be furious with him.

Kurt said the password at the stone wall just as Sebastian and Santana came down the corridor. They spotted him at once.

"You still look terrible, Hummel," Sebastian said. He took Kurts face by his chin and examined him. "Thats it. Were taking you to the Hospital Wing."

"Just left there," Kurt said. He yanked himself away from Sebastian and followed them into the common room. "She gave me a potion for my stomach. Told me to get some rest. Later."

Kurt headed down the spiral staircase, past the tall, mullioned windows to the door for sixth years. Their dormitory was empty when he entered. After pacing the room and cringing as he remembered how hed left Blaine standing there, alone, Kurt pulled out a roll of parchment and sat in the window to write to him, perhaps for the last time.

He finished while the rest of his house was away at dinner. Through the deserted common room and then up the grand staircase to the Owlery. Kurt called McQueen down to him and gave him the scroll of parchment.

"Take this directly to Blaine this time, okay? Hes—Merlin, I bet he hates me. He doesnt even know me and—"

The Owlery door snapped shut. A seventh year Hufflepuff had been hidden behind it, and Kurt, so anxious to get to McQueen to send his letter to Blaine, hadnt noticed him. He was tall with dark hair. Kurt had seen him with Blaine, recognized him from the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Mike Chang.

"I had a feeling it was you," he said.

"I—well, youre just—I dont know what youre talking about."

Mike took a seat on the window sill. "Dont worry, I wont tell him. Well, I might. You hurt him a lot today, running off like that."

"I still dont know what youre talking about." Kurt headed toward a different window and let McQueen fly out into the dusk. "Theres nothing to tell."

"Uh huh. Dont try to play dumb, Hummel. Youve been writing to Blaine. You like one of my best friends and tonight, you broke his heart because youre a coward."

"You think I dont know that? I didnt—I showed up and then… forget it. Hed never like me anyway. I just—whatever."

Mike held the door open, but Kurt didnt leave.

"Im friends with your brother, you know. Finn says you can be a lot sometimes, but that youre a great guy when youre just being yourself. I think Blaine would like the boy Finn always talks about. If you do this thing right."

Mike left. Kurt sat on the window ledge and followed McQueens silhouette as he turned toward the sun and then curved around North Tower and out of sight. What did Mike know? After today, this was never going to work, but hed still wait for Blaine tonight. He wanted to apologize in person, if nothing else.

Kurt didnt return to the Slytherin common room. He had his prefect duties from eight to eleven, and then pulled on his invisibility cloak and took his time heading to the boys bathroom in the first corridor of the dungeons. He arrived early and took a seat in the window, still under his cloak. The last time hed been in here, hed been opening Blaines first reply to him. In the distance, a clock struck midnight. Kurt perked up.

As the minutes ticked by, Kurt lowered his cloak and watched the door. Ten minutes, then twenty. At forty past the hour, Kurt was ready to pack up and go when the door creaked open.

"Blaine, I cant—"

Mrs. Norris peered around the door at him. Her lamplike eyes flickered around the room until she spotted him. With a hiss she was gone, and a few seconds later Kurt heard footsteps. He yanked his cloak over his head and tucked himself under one of the sinks. Filch barged in, with Mrs. Norris on his heels.

"Someones in here, my sweet."

The pair checked the entire room from top to bottom, lifted toilet lids and checked the connected mop closet. As they neared the sink an enormous bang echoed from the hallway. They raced out.

"Peeves, youll be out of here this time!"

Kurt stood up and slid his cloak off his head. Three minutes until one. Blaine wasnt coming. Hed ruined everything for good. Now hed never stand a chance with Blaine, because even if he tried as himself, this would always be between them.

For the next week, Kurt didnt contact Blaine and Blaine didnt contact them. Everything seemed hopeless and over so suddenly, but it was his own fault. Blaine looked miserable every time Kurt spotted him in class or down a crowded corridor, and the other Slytherins were teasing him worse than ever. The entire school knew that Blaine had been stood up, though how the rumor had spread so fast, and remained so true, was beyond Kurt.

The following weekend, Hufflepuff played Ravenclaw for the first Quidditch match of the season. Kurt went to watch on his own as Blaine swooped and dived between the other players and caught the snitch ten minutes into the match. It was the fastest catch Kurt had ever seen, and if anything it looked as those heartache made Blaine play better. At the end of the match, Kurt lingered near the changing rooms to wait for Blaines teammates to clear off.

"Great catch, Blaine! Party in the common room, okay? And you better be there instead of moping. Forget that jackass. Hes not worth it."

"Yeah, I know. Im not dealing with him anymore."

The Hufflepuff Beaters sped out past Kurt, shouting and cheering as they headed toward the castle. Kurt parted the curtains and entered.

"That was some catch earlier."

Blaine glanced up and while a small smile pulled at his mouth his eyes remained dull. "Thanks. It was luck more than anything. The sun wasnt too bad today."

Kurt nodded and took a seat on the bench while Blaine pulled on his normal robes. "I—are you okay? I mean, Im sorry I havent been talking to you and—but are—"

Blaine gave him an odd look as he fixed his robe sleeves. "Does everyone know? Merlin, just dont—Im fine. Hes a jerk and thats—whatever, okay? And were—I mean, I get it. We arent exactly friends, Kurt, even if weve been friendly to each other."

Kurt nodded once more as Blaine shut his locker. It was strange to see him so disinterested, not just in a conversation with him but with almost everything else. And it was his fault. Hed left Blaine standing there all alone. Hed abandoned him to deal with what he couldnt. Part of him yearned to wrench his mouth open and spill everything. To confess and see if anything could be done to fix what hed messed up. Somehow simple, sweet letters had turned into an aching knot in his chest.

"I-I want to be friends. With you, I mean. Its just difficult with our houses, you know? Anything that crosses house lines causes such an uproar."

Blaine snorted. "Tell me about it. I didnt even get that guys name or see his face and its all anyone is talking about. I just—why? I dont get it. Why even bother writing if he was so scared of what the other Slytherins would think? I mean, do you get it? Are your friends like that too? I wouldnt call them friends if theyd ridicule and dump me just because I dated a boy I liked. Who cares what this house crest says or what color it is."

Blaine plucked at the black and yellow patch sown into his robes and traced the little badger in the center. He shook his head and shouldered his broomstick.

"It doesnt matter now, I guess. Listen, Ive got to get back to the common room for the party, but—"

"Do you want to get together to work on homework tomorrow?"

The words left Kurts mouth before he could think more of it. Blaine startled a little and watched him curiously.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Thatd—Ive still got to finish all three for Monday, but—why? Youve never really… I dont know."

Kurt swallowed. "Well, I want us to be friends. Is that a good enough reason? Besides, Im sure youre as sick of trying to study with your friends all sucking face around you as I am."

"I—yeah, okay. The library, say after lunch?"

Kurt nodded and smiled a little as Blaine left. Maybe it wasnt much, but Blaine seemed a little happier than he had minutes ago. Yet his own actions still hung with him as Kurt returned to the castle for a small lunch. What hed done was always going to hold him back around Blaine. Hed ran off and was keeping all of this from him. At some point, hed have to tell him. Some moment would have to be worthwhile enough for him to be brave.

"You seem happier."

Blaine slid over to make room for Mike on the crammed couch in the Hufflepuff common room. It was evening now, and the party was beginning to slow down as groups trickled off to the great hall for dinner. The Quidditch team and Sam, Dani, and Elliott remained behind to start the clean up.

"Im fine," Blaine said. "Same as always."

"No, you havent been your same as always since that guy left you in Hogsmeade. Youve been dead depressed and… you keep smiling. Like youve got a secret. See! Youre doing it right now."

"I am not!"

Mike pinched his cheek as Blaine tried to cover his mouth. Maybe he was grinning like his entire life had just changed, but in some ways it had. Kurt wanted to be his friend. He wanted to get together with him. And sure it was only for school work, but it was something. The start of something special if he was lucky. Forget his mystery boy and all the drama that had come from something simple and sweet. His admirer had certainly hurt him, but hed pushed too much to meet. Either way it was over and done with and that was that.

"Sam, isnt Blaine smiling like a goof?"

The rest of the group glanced up from their clean up. Dani rolled her eyes.

"Leave him be, Mike. He won us that game earlier, so he gets a week free from all the teasing you lot get on him about."

Elliott agreed. "Maybe hes found a real date. You should start asking some guys honestly. Nobody is going to say no to you."

"I—no, theyd—were just getting together to study, thats all."

A loud chorus of "aw" and snickers filled the common room. Mike, however, frowned at him.

"Whos the guy?"

"Hes just a classmate. A… well, were sort of been friends a bit this year. Weve got seven classes together and since theyre all down-sized now that its N.E.W.T. level we see a lot of each other."

As the rest of his friends made kissy noises at him, Mike grinned at him.

"Thats great. Really. I was worried you were going to pine over that guy forever."

Blaine shook his head but even as his curls swayed against his forehead, a knot kinked in his stomach. Hed ignored that boy—whoever he was—for a week now. Part of him felt guilty for it—his admirer was terrified of his friends reactions and perhaps he had a right to be. Blaine didnt want to imagine what it might be like if his own friends werent happy for him having an admirer from Slytherin. How miserable might it be to have to live with people who mocked you daily? His admirer had been wrong and cowardly, but he was human too.

"Do we really have to clean all over this up right now?" Sam dropped onto a chair and made a big show of acting weak. "Im starving and everyones just going to party again when they get back from dinner."

The team agreed, and Dani, despite how helpful she usually was, dropped her trash bag and ducked through the round door and into the corridor.

"We dont want to make the house elves clean up this mess tonight," Elliott said, even as the team made a mad dash after Dani. "They have enough to do without us adding to their chores."

Blaines stomach rumbled like an earthquake. "Im going to dinner."

"But—"

Mike grabbed Elliotts arm and hauled him out into the corridor. "Well finish later. The whole house will probably help then. Theyre always good about it. Lets eat before dinners over."

Dinner was a long affair that evening. The team was surrounded by congratulations from the rest of their house, along with several groups of Gryffindors who stopped by to compliment them, particularly the speed of Blaines catch. Blaine ate through third helpings of Sheppards Pie before he was full and returned to the common room with the rest of his house. The party continued for a little while, but it was much more mellow and after another hour turned into a cleaning party instead. Hufflepuff house always made a point to clean the common room together after a victory. And usually they shooed the team off to bed instead of letting them help.

"No, weve got it. Go. Get some rest."

The boys were shunted up the stairs in a group and while most of them went willingly, Mike and Blaine lingered on the stairs.

"Are you sure we cant—"

"Go!"

"Good night!"

"Great catch, Blaine! Now go catch some shut eye!"

Mike shrugged at him and led the way. Blaine turned into his dormitory and shut the door behind him. Wes was already changed and climbing into bed. The other three were still downstairs cleaning.

"I always feel bad when they dont let us help," Blaine said as he grabbed his pajamas and pulled his robes off. "Were the reason they had a party at all and—"

"Enjoy it," Wes said, his sleepy voice floating through his curtains. "Just once, dont fuss about not being a team players. Night."

Blaine changed and got into bed too. He stared at the yellow canopy overhead, his skin prickling and his head buzzing. As always after a game day, he was wide awake and ready for more action. This time last week hed been curled up under his blankets and tearful. His admirer had sent that last letter, trying to explain and apologize and yet…

It was foolish to contact that boy again. To even start a conversation up after all of this. But Blaine couldnt bring himself to not end on nicer terms. He sat up and found a quill and parchment on his night-stand and went back down to the common room to write his admirer one final letter.