Two weeks after moving into the flat with Hermione, Draco had received a letter. It came with a black owl, which pinched his finger after delivering the letter. He recognized it instantly.

Blaise

Ever since they were at Hogwarts, Blaise had trained his black owl to pinch Draco's fingers every time it delivered him letters containing good news. At first Draco had been annoyed but it soon began to feel like something personal, like a secret sign only Blaise and he knew. It might have been childish but that made him feel special for someone.

That day, the same owl came and, as it pinched his index finger, Draco knew what the content might be about. Blaise was writing him, informing Draco about something that made him happy. Sure enough, as soon as he opened the letter, Draco read the following:

My Dear Draco,

Draco grimaced. He never liked the way Blaise was always teasing him by saying My Dear in every one of his letters. But he had to admit that his friend will probably never change. Therefore, he ignored the addressing method and continued to peruse the letter keenly.

I am writing you from Scotland. I just came back from Italy yesterday and I should arrive in London tomorrow evening. I'll Apparate at your place tomorrow, at 6 PM, so make sure you let me enter or else I'll send you a cursed letter.

Also, depending on how much I like the time I spend with you, I might prolong my visit in England indefinitely. I miss your ugly face and nasty attitude.

Love,

From me to myself as always

Draco folded the letter smiling to himself. It was just like Blaise to write something like that.

Ugly face and nasty attitude? Who's he kidding, Draco thought, his feelings swinging from being amused to being annoyed.

Tomorrow evening at 6PM, Blaise had written. That meant he knew the address already.

Mother, perhaps.

He didn't consider his address to be a secret but regardless, it still made him feel uncomfortable knowing people could find him so easily. But Blaise wasn't just any people. He had been a good friend of his for many years and they had their methods of finding each other.

Putting the letter onto the desk, Draco took a deep breath. He will have a visitor tomorrow, but he wasn't alone in the house. He cringed at the thought of who else was in there. He thought whether he should tell Hermione about Blaise's visit or not.

Why would I? he told himself, annoyed at the thought. He's coming to visit me, why should she know about it? It's not like I have to report to her everything I do.

He battled with the idea for a few hours before finally deciding to let her know tomorrow. It was good enough that he gave her a heads up, he didn't have to make an effort and tell her one day ahead. With that decision made, Draco scribbled a reply to Blaise's letter and tied it to the black owl's leg.

***

The next morning, Draco waited for Hermione to bring him his treatment potions thinking that was probably the best time to tell her about Blaise's visit. Therefore, instead of keeping his door tightly shut like he usually did, he opened the door wide enough to see her face.

,,Someone is coming over today" he said breathlessly, before taking the tray from her hands and shutting the door in her face.

Hermione remained still, eyes wide with surprise. She barely got to hear his words before the door was shut in her face, but she thought she caught the words today and coming over. So, someone was coming to visit Draco today. That was good enough for her. As it was Friday, she had plans of going out on her usual Friday errand and thus she could avoid anyone that came and allow Draco to receive his guest without interruptions.

Nonetheless, she was surprised that he had told her. That was something she hadn't expected of him. It was almost like he was considerate of her.

***

A few hours after he talked to Hermione, Draco heard her leave. He sighed in relief. That meant he and Blaise would be alone and could talk without being interrupted. In his reply, he had informed Blaise of his living situation, but he was still relived to know they would be alone in the house.

Five minutes before six, Draco started pacing his room, looking at his watch nervously. When the clock stroke six, Draco glanced around, hoping to see Blaise Apparating any second. He had permitted him to Apparate inside the entire flat as a precaution measure, since he forgot to let Blaise know which one was his room.

Why isn't he here yet? Did something happen and he won't be coming? Draco asked himself.

That moment, the trail of his thoughts was suddenly interrupted by loud noises. Puzzled, Draco opened his door and listened. He distinctively heard a screech, followed by loud bangs and hisses. Baffled at what could possibly be making those noises, knowing no one else was supposed to be in the house, he got out and started for the common room.

The sight that met Draco as soon as he got there was so shocking that it took him a few seconds to register everything. He saw Hermione, her hair even bushier than usual, if that was even possible, her face bright red, with one hand holding her wand and with the other... Draco blinked twice, making sure he was seeing right. With the other hand, Hermione was holding his friend, Blaise, by the collar of what had probably been a perfectly fitting shirt, but now looked like it had been through a slicing competition. His hands and neck were scratched and he was sporting a bloody nose.

Draco heard hissing noises and, looking around carefully, he saw a ginger cat, lurking around Blaise and Hermione, its bushy tail flailing, while he hissed and growled.

,,What..." Draco started but Hermione cut him off immediately.

,,Took the word right out of my mouth, Malfoy" she said, narrowing her eyes at him, hot anger in her voice. ,,What is the meaning of this? What's this person doing Apparating inside my room?"

,,What? I have no..." Draco said honestly but his voice faltering upon seeing Hermione's look.

,,Oh, save me your would-be ignorance" she told him scathingly. ,,He's your friend so what's he doing in my room if not playing one of your stupid games. I'm sure you put him up to it, didn't you, Malfoy?" she asked hotly, shaking Blaise violently, holding him tightly by the back of his shirt.

That seemed to jerk Draco back to reality. He glared at Hermione, crossing his arms.

,,I did no such thing. How could I... why would I..."

,,How could you not? Why would you not?" she retorted, her face getting even redder due to the effort of yelling and keeping a hold on Blaise, who was swaying dangerously on his feet. ,,You tell me someone will come visit you and not long after... this shows up into my room" she finished, throwing Blaise a disgusted look.

,,I don't see the problem. How could I have known this stupid git would appear into your room instead of mine?"

,,Hey..." Blaise started but was cut off by one of Draco's looks.

,,You stay out of it. Pervert" Hermione said, accompanied by one of Crookshanks's hisses.

Draco was really upset by now. He was still glaring at Hermione, arms crossed, and legs spread, as if ready to challenge whatever she would throw at him.

I had the courtesy to let her know someone was coming here. It's her problem she doesn't keep her room safe, or that she decides to come back early, unannounced. She was supposed to be out, he thought angrily.

Hermione, on the other hand, was fuming. Due to unexpected reasons, she had to come back earlier than planned. Not wanting to intrude or meet with whomever was visiting Draco, she decided to Apparate directly into her room. She had just done so and was about to place the wards around her room when Blaise appeared. One moment later and she would have had protective charms that deflected Apparition. She was more upset of having been taken aback by the sight of someone else in the room than by anything else. She didn't like being surprised. That was one other thing the war had done for her. It made her too apprehensive in new environments. Instinct had also made her raise her wand at the stranger and hex him. Crookshanks, alerted by Hermione's scream, jumped from the bed and attacked Blaise with all the might of his sharp claws and fangs.

Huffing angrily, Hermione released Blaise with a jerk, pushing him towards Draco.

,,Better take him before I transform him into something fitting of his behavior" she snapped, turning back towards her room.

Crookshanks gave Blaise another dirty look, his yellow eyes narrowed, and with a swish of his bushy tail, he trailed off after Hermione.

***

Back in Draco's room, Blaise checked his hands and face into a mirror he magicked with his wand, then with a tired sigh, slouched into one of the armchairs. Draco took a sit on the other one and looked at his friend attentively. His anger had subsided as soon as he entered the room and, seeing Blaise looking like this, somehow made him feel giddy and amused. He had to admit that for some reason, the sight of Hermione, looking angry while holding Blaise, who was bigger and taller than she was, like he was a dirty cockroach amused him terribly. It even made him forget the annoyance he first felt at hearing that she suspected him of planning all that.

,,After you told me who was living with you, I thought it would be a good laugh. Taking Granger by surprise and all that" he heard Blaise saying slowly.

,,It was a good laugh, just not for you" Draco shrugged, trying hard not to show too much of his amusement.

,,What kind of witch yells in fright but attacks in the same time?" Blaise said, shaking his head, looking almost baffled at Draco.

,,Hermione Granger, apparently" Draco replied, amused by the whole situation and barely containing his urge to laugh openly at his friend's face.

,,I'm telling you, she's mental that one.", Blaise continued, gingerly touching his face but wincing at the pain.

,,That cat... is even crazier than she is. Look at what it did to your face" Draco said, letting out a small snort.

Blaise stopped touching his face and frowned angrily.

,,You find all this funny, don't you?" he hissed at Draco.

,,Of course I do" Draco answered, laying back into the armchair, crossing his arms behind his head, grinning cheekily at Blaise's angry expression.

,,You wouldn't find it funny had it been you instead" Blaise threw at him hotly.

,,Yeah, well... I know better than to Apparate without an invitation into a witch's room, especially if that witch is Hermione Granger. You're lucky you got away alive to tell the tale" he said, laughing openly now.

Soon, Blaise's frown slowly transformed into a smile, then into a wide grin. It was nice seeing Draco relaxed enough to laugh and smile. It had been a while since they stood like this, laughing together, chatting normally without the tension of a war looming above them. Last time they saw each other comfortably had been before the war. He hopped that, now everything was over, they would be able to catch up on the time they've lost.

,,No kidding. I once tried to Apparate into Pansy's bedroom and I almost got splinched trying to escape when she started throwing objects to my face. She had been so surprised to see me there that she forgot where she put her wand." Blaise told Draco, laughing at the memory.

,,There's also that one time you tried to sneak behind Daphne while she was changing. We were at your villa during the summer vacation, remember?" Draco told Blaise, shaking with suppressed laughter.

,,Ooh yes" Blaise nodded snorting ,,That was scary shit. Before I met Granger today, I thought Daphne Greengrass was the scariest woman alive."

,,Mhm" Draco nodded, grinning widely. ,,The way she chased you all over that moor... and the spectacular catch of one perverted Blaise" Draco continued, laughing loudly.

,,Sadistic witch, I swear" Blaise said, shaking his head smiling. ,,She threw a rope binding curse at my feet right as I was about to jump over a puddle. Fell face flat into the mud. I can still taste that horrible thing whenever I think about it" Blaise finished, faking a shiver.

,,I thought you would have learned your lesson by now. After all these... thrilling experiences" Draco teased.

,,Yeah, well, what's life without a little thrill?" Blaise replied, with a lewd wink.

,,Yuck" Draco laughed, smacking Blaise on the back.

,,Ouch" yelped Blaise, jumping into his seat. ,,Careful mate. I think the ginger demon got my back as well."

***

Meanwhile, in her own room, Hermione was still upset. As soon as she got inside, she started pacing, berating Draco and his idea of a joke. She remembered how he'd told her about the visit earlier that morning and suddenly, she realized how silly she had been, thinking even for a second that Draco Malfoy could be considerate of someone.

,,Even at that moment, he was planning to make a fool out of me" she said under her breath, clenching her fists.

But then his bewildered face when he saw her and Blaise popped into her mind, and she felt somewhat unsure whether that was really what had happened.

,,Hmpf, either way he could have prevented it" she huffed annoyedly, ,,letting someone Apparate just like that, anywhere around the house was not a good idea. So ignorant of the dangers... I didn't know he was that stupid."

With that, she dismissed him from her mind. She flopped onto the bed, opened a book and started reading, turning the pages rather energetically. Crookshanks followed her onto the bed and he laid down on her legs. While she read, the story slowly calmed her nerves and gave her peace of mind.