The Wizard Mix-Up

     It was the Saturday after the party and Draco found himself alone with Harry in the Great Hall at breakfast. Blaise and Ginny were nowhere to be seen, Ron was sitting with the Hufflepuffs as he usually did when there weren't enough Gryffindors in the table for him to feel comfortable being so close to his former enemies; and Pansy had left as soon as she saw Hermione enter the Great Hall, even though the brunette had just grabbed some breakfast and gone back to the library to finish the homework that her Slytherin friends had somehow convinced her to postpone in order to have fun at the party.

     They were eating in a comfortable silence, sitting next to each other so close that their arms brushed every time they moved, although none of them noticed or cared.

     It had been about a week since the two boys had started meeting regularly to simply talk and they had developed a pretty good friendship. They enjoyed each other's company and felt comfortable discussing almost anything, but also understood each other enough to know which topics were off limits in the conversations, and that was fine for them.

     Right when they were about to finish their breakfast, Harry was the first one to break the silence to invite Draco to a one-on-one Quidditch match that afternoon after catching up on some homework that was overdue. The handsome blond accepted.

     That same day, right after lunch, Draco said goodbye to his Slytherin friends and headed to the Quidditch field to meet Harry, who was already doing some laps in his broom. The young Gryffindor boy really did have some amazing abilities in the broom that even Draco Malfoy could admit being jealous to, so naturally, he unconsciously stared at the other boy and only realized what he was doing when his attention was drawn by Harry landing right in front of him and making him loose his balance.

-Why don't you take a picture Malfoy? It'll probably last longer- Teased the Golden Boy

-Shut up Potter, I was just thinking how easy it's going to be to beat you if you keep flying like that. Did you take lessons from Longbottom? -Lied Draco while trying to keep up the friendly mockery.

-No, I believe I actually learned by watching you- Replied Harry before cracking up at the offended face Draco made.

     After a couple more witty comments, the two boys finally got on their brooms and released the Snitch. It felt really good to be flying again, for both of them. The wind on their hair, the cold breeze on their skin and the adrenaline that a good Quidditch match never failed to bring them were some of the sensations that they had almost forgotten about in the war. There was a certain degree of freedom feel that was produced when mounting a broom and soaring the sky with only one responsibility: to catch the little golden ball that was far too quick for unexperienced eyes.

     The school had cancelled Quidditch this year due to the recent events. There were still many things to be fixed around the campus and too much post-war paperwork that needed to be completed before Hogwarts could go back to its former glory, but the field was still up for reserving for anyone who found themselves missing the sport too much, hence why the boys were reliving these feelings right now.

     After a couple hours, when the sunlight was already too dim to see anything, Draco and Harry landed and started taking their brooms to the shed, both very exhausted and with very big grins on their faces. They kept joking around all the way back to the castle and didn't stop talking until they were about to enter the surely full common room, where they were probably going to have to go different ways.

-Would you like to do this again tomorrow?- Asked Harry

-I actually have some plans with Blaise tomorrow, he wants to talk to me about something, but I'm free next Saturday-

-Sounds great! Same time?-

-Yeah, same time-

     The two boys finally got into the common room and eventually went to their respective rooms. That was a day they were not going to forget any time soon.

     When Draco woke up, he was in an exceptionally good mood that was very uncharacteristic of him, and he was actually looking forward to next week, classes included, and all because he felt like if that afternoon with Harry had been enough to make him forget all his problems for even just a couple of hours, maybe it was possible that more time with the raven haired boy could actually be the "therapy" that he needed to mend his broken soul.

-Wow mate, did someone hit you with a cheering charm or did you finally realize that being around me is the coolest thing you'll ever experience?- Joked Blaise as Draco took a sit next to him.

-Whatever, are we still up for Hogsmeade today?- Replied Draco as he completely changed the conversation, he wasn't sure how Blaise would react to him hanging out with Harry so much.

-You bet we are, there is something I'd like to talk to you about.-

-Yeah, I know, why don't you just tell me already?-

-Fine, where do you run off to every afternoon?-

-What?- Asked Draco, as he choked on his pumpkin juice.

-You heard me- Blaise smirked.

     Draco really didn't want to answer, what was he supposed to say? That he pretended to study with Hermione in the library when they actually just met to talk and then casually ran into Harry in the same spot every day and took long walks with him around the castle? That definitely wasn't going to sound very good. It might have been completely normal for anyone else to do so, but for Draco it wasn't. Blaise was never going to get off his back if he found out.

-You know, I'm really hungry right now, why don't we talk on the way to Hogsmeade?-

     As the two friends walked towards the Three Broomsticks to get a cup of Butterbeer to warm them up in the middle of a chilly Sunday morning, they could see the little town quickly recovering from the remnants of the war. The shops that had been closed for so long where finally reopened, and those that sadly had no one left to take care of them, had already been replaced by new places full of opportunities and hope. All the people were talking and walking excitedly as they explored this new version of Hogsmeade, and all was well.

     After walking for a bit, Blaise finally brought up the topic again, and Draco had no choice but to answer him.

-Well, I just go to the library to study, and then I walk around the castle a bit, that's all-

-You sure acted very suspicious earlier in breakfast for something so unimportant, are you by any chance accompanied by a certain brunette girl in any of this extracurricular activities?- Said Blaise with his usual smirk as Draco's face immediately gained more color.

-Well, yeah, Hermione likes to help me study every now and then- Answered Draco in what he hoped was a confident attitude.

-Dude, it's alright if you have a new study buddy, there's no need to act defensive about it... Unless...-

-Unless what?-

-You don't fancy her by any chance, do you?-

     Draco stopped walking and turned to look at the shop next to him, which happened to be a bookstore. Did he fancy Hermione? Sure, he couldn't deny that she was indeed quite beautiful, anyone with eyes could see that, especially after her Yule Ball transformation, but did he fancy her? He was sure that he liked her, but how much?

-Hahaha, Draco Malfoy crushing on Hermione Granger, who would have thought? I'm sure you have a lot of fun with her in your late afternoon walks, am I right?- Said Blaise after noticing Draco's reaction to his question. He wasn't really sure how to feel right now, since he was starting to get convinced that Ginny was going to win the bet and he was going to lose his kiss... Pansy was going to be so disappointed.

-What? No, I go walking with Harr- Draco stopped himself as he realized what he had just revealed to his friend.

-Well, isn't that interesting; Draco Malfoy trapped in a love triangle, will he go for the smartest witch of her age? Or for the Hogwarts Golden Boy? Find out more in the next episode of The Wizard Mix-Up- Teased Blaise as he regained some of the hope for his victory in the bet.

-Zabini, stop laughing, I am not crushing on Granger or Potter and I am certainly not trapped in a love triangle- Replied Draco as he put on his confident mask to hide the fact that he was actually considering that his best friend might have been right.

-Alright, let me ask you something, what color are Hermione's eyes?-

-What?-

-Just answer the question-

-Dark brown, why does that-

-Shut up, what color are Harry's eyes?

-Green-

-Huh, I thought they were blue, anyways, what color are Pansy's eyes?-

     Draco had no clue. He had been her friend for so many years, but he didn't remember ever noticing something as insignificant as her eye color. Where they brown? Perhaps black? She didn't have light colored eyes, did she?

-Ok, what color are my eyes?- Said Blaise after a few seconds as he turned around so Draco couldn't see the answer.

     Draco once again was speechless, and he was very aware of what Blaise had just revealed with his apparently meaningless questions, and oh boy was the Slytherin Prince in trouble, for he was actually trapped in a love triangle.