You and Blaise had just celebrated your two-year anniversary a few weeks ago. Things between you were as solid as ever—genuine love, mutual respect, and the kind of connection people envied. Most were thrilled for you. Most.

All except your younger sister, Harper.

Though blood tied you together, the two of you couldn’t have been more different. While you built your life through hard work and kindness, Harper expected things to fall into her lap. She was the type who demanded attention and sulked when it wasn’t handed over. And what infuriated her most? That people liked you. That they were drawn to you naturally, while she had to claw for scraps of it.

So, of course, she hated that Blaise adored you. She’d been crushing on him for a while now—subtly at first, but lately, her behavior had become more shameless. Flirty comments, finding excuses to be around, brushing past him a little too close. Blaise never entertained it. If anything, he ignored her or shut her down with cold politeness. But Harper never seemed to take the hint.

Tonight, you just wanted peace.

It was Friday night, and you, Blaise, Draco, and Pansy were cozied up at the Three Broomsticks with mugs of butterbeer and easy laughter. Blaise had his arm wrapped securely around your waist, his thumb lazily tracing small circles against your side. The table felt warm, safe, like a quiet pocket of normalcy in a chaotic world.

Then you saw Pansy’s smile falter. Her expression twisted into one of clear irritation.

Before you could ask, she muttered low enough for only the table to hear:

“Don’t look now, but your annoying little sister is walking over here.”

You groaned inwardly just as the rest of the table reacted with visible frustration.

“Great,” Blaise muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Now we get to listen to that twat flirt with Blaise for the next ten minutes,” Draco added dryly, not even attempting to hide his annoyance.

You sighed, already feeling the headache coming on. You’d tried to be patient, tried to keep things civil. But Harper was pushing every boundary. And both you and Blaise were nearing your breaking point.

Blaise must have felt your tension because he leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to your temple and giving your waist a soft squeeze.

It didn’t help that Harper, without so much as a “hello,” plopped herself down on Blaise’s other side, forcing him to shift closer to you. Her thigh pressed against his, and he tensed slightly, a flash of irritation flickering across his face.

“Hey guys,” she said with a too-sweet smile, “just thought I’d come say hi. My friends were being a bit boring.”

She barely glanced at Draco or Pansy. Her gaze was fixed solely on Blaise. Her voice dipped just slightly, trying to sound soft and flirty. But he didn’t return her smile. He didn’t even look at her.

Instead, he tightened his grip on you, making it crystal clear where his attention belonged.