The seat Wren had occupied stayed empty, and I was grateful for the fact I had some uninterrupted time with the book in my hand.

My eyes were still scanning the lines in it, trying to remember the different recipes, as well as imitating some rather odd stirring patterns with my hand under the table.

Every now and then I scribbled something onto the piece of parchment in front of me, just like Snape had asked of us.

I felt productive; for a while even forgot this school year was anything but ordinary. Maybe I understood now, why professors were so set on making sure we had a whole mountain of work to jump into at every waking moment; It gave for distraction and familiarity. Not just for the students, but probably the professors, too.

And Merlin knows we truly needed whatever of that we could get in times like these.

Loud laughter and cackling had my attention snap from the book in my hands to the source of the noise, and the sight was an unexpected one.

For a moment, I truly felt like I was looking at a picture that was shot three, maybe even four years ago, as I watched Pansy and Blaise almost roll off the sofa from laughter, while Draco sat opposite of them, seemingly quite pleased with their reaction.

I quirked an eyebrow, though none of them paid enough attention to me to notice.

It's been years since I had seen all three of them spend time together, and I almost felt a little guilty for it. Because I knew, at least for a while, I was the reason Draco and Blaise hadn't so much as looked at each other. And I was the reason he stopped giving Pansy the time of day, altogether.

Apart from the fact she was clearly obsessed with him back then, as far as I knew, they had always been friends; from day one, really.

It had always been the three, including Crabbe and Goyle. Though, I wasn't quite sure what happened with those two, at least I was sure I had nothing to do with it.

So, in a way, it felt good seeing Draco laugh with them.

Well, seeing him enjoy himself was always a great sight, though, something about seeing him with his childhood-friends made it an even better one.

Diverting my eyes before I was caught staring, I let them roam the common room. To my surprise, it had grown quite empty. The only people left the loud group in the middle, and the two fourth-years playing chess.

I stayed a while longer, deep down hoping Draco would get the hint and stay, too.

"Late night?" I heard Blaise's voice echo through the room, effectively cutting my thoughts short just like their laughter had earlier, but I didn't really concern myself with it any further.

It was only when nobody had answered his rather loud question, that I turned to face them, all of their eyes on me. Draco's, however, weren't as constant as those of Blaise and Pansy.

No, his eyes were darting back and forth between Blaise and me, an eyebrow quirked as he clearly tried to figure out what he was up to.

"Oh," I chuckled awkwardly, shooting a small smile at him before waving the book up in the air. "You know it," I huffed in amusement.

"Potions, is it?" He asked interested, squinting his eyes in an attempt to read the title on it.

"I'm still just as bad," I nodded with the roll of my eyes, and a smug smile found its way to his lips. He knew how much I disliked the subject, and seemed amused by the fact I was still trying.

"Didn't you used to tutor her, Draco?" He shot the blonde an inquisitorial look before his eyes latched back onto me. "You'd think that would've helped at least a little," He wondered out loud.

"Even the best tutor has to give up on a hopeless case, eventually," Draco stated plainly, shrugging as a smirk found its way to his lips, and he locked eyes with me for a mere second.

I scoffed at his statement, knowing it was all in good fun, yet finding my own ego hurt at his words.

"You're really not the best I've had, Malfoy. Don't flatter yourself." I was pleased with the way my words carried a whole second meaning with them, and I plastered a subtle smirk on my face.

A little taken aback, he quirked an eyebrow at my statement, in his mind clearly searching for a witty comeback.

Blaise laughed heartedly, and Pansy even found it within herself to comment an amused "Ohhh!" at my words.

Their reactions made the smirk on my lips crack into a full-on smile, while Draco still pondered over his next words. He already knew he lost this round; he had been silent for way too long.

He tried, though, shooting a glare my way before grumbling, "Please, don't overestimate yourself."

Blaise still chuckled, shaking his head at the low blows coming from both of us. "I think that's our cue, Pans," He huffed, amusement lacing his voice as he got up, gesturing for her to do the same. "Goodnight, Y/n."

My brows were furrowed slightly at his suggestion, though my demeanour quickly softened before I shot him a quick smile.

"Goodnight."

Once they had left, my eyes roamed the room only to find it completely empty, the chess game that had been played at the table next to mine over. I didn't notice when they left but was thankful they did.

My attention snapped back onto Draco, the boy eyeing me with a brow quirked. I wasn't quite sure what he was thinking. For a moment, we just looked at each other, neither of us moving.

That was until he quite subtly nodded his head, gesturing for me to sit next to him. Of course, I did just that.

I stalked over to the sofa carefully, not taking my eyes off of his face that was now sporting a sly smirk; I knew why a second later.

He grabbed me by my hand rather suddenly, pulling it towards him in an unexpected motion that made me stumbled over my own two feet right away.

Judging by the pleased expression on his face, it was exactly the outcome he had hoped for as I clumsily landed right on top of him.

I grumbled some incoherent curse words as I managed to sit upright again, only making a singular laugh escape his mouth.

"Pleased?" I mumbled, rolling my eyes as I tugged a loose strand of hair behind my ear, trying to hide the subtle blush on my cheeks.

"Extremely," He simply nodded, propping his right leg up on the couch before grabbing me once more, this time by my waist, and pulling in between his legs.

My entire body relaxed once I realised what he was doing, and I held onto his hands around me for dear life. He chuckled lowly at that.

"What was it you said?" He began, and I could hear the smirk on his lips. "Not the best you've had, hm?" He teased, his voice no more than a whisper in my ear, making me shudder slightly.

I huffed, amusement lingering in my voice, as well. "Not the best tutor, of course," I grinned.

"Yes, of course," He hummed, nipping me in the side with a laugh. I shrieked at the motion, attempting to jump out of his arms at the displayed betrayal he just committed by tickling me.

Though, his grip simply tightened as he nuzzled his face in the crook of my neck. We stayed silent for a while after that, and I relaxed back into his arms, enjoying the ever so pleasing quiet between us.

"So," He stated suddenly, and though he couldn't see my face, my brows shot up in anticipation of his next words. "Zabini has been awfully nice to you?"

I snorted at his comment, turning around with an amused expression on my face. He defensively put his arms in the air, shaking his head with a smile, too. "I wasn't going to say anything; I swear I tried to ignore his attempts of conversation during meals!"

His words made me tilt my head in realisation, and I grinned ever so slightly.

"Are you eavesdropping on my conversations now, Draco?" I hummed playfully, an eyebrow quirked. Though he just scoffed.

"Simply overheard them, is all," He stated matter of factly. His response made me giggles lowly, and I shook my head, dismissing his initial question.

"I'm not the only one he's been awfully nice to, though, am I?" I questioned. "It's nice seeing you two hang out again. It's been a while."

At that, he nodded, our previous conversation seemingly forgotten about.

"Well, I can't really pick and choose friends at the moment, I guess," He shrugged, making me furrow my brows.

"I'm sure you could do much worse than Blaise Zabini?"

And he nodded once more at that, seemingly deep in thought for a moment before he snapped out.

"That is true," He admitted humorously. "Doesn't mean I'm gonna just sit there and watch his painfully horrible advances on you." A proud smile spread across his face, and I turned back around to snuggle myself into his chest.

"I'm not really in a position to pick and choose my friends, either, at the moment. So, as long as he's just being nice to me; let him, please," I huffed, a hint of amusement in my otherwise serious demeanour.

And he grumbled some incoherent words into the crook of my neck, his arms tightening around my torso again before he nodded.

"Of course."

A/N: Jealous Draco Jealous Draco Jealous Draco

I'm also not quite sure what Blaise is playing at tbh lmfao maybe mans just trying to be nice??