The Headmaster's Only Mistake

Quidditch Trials

"Of course, Little Moon. Nothing will happen to you while you're with me."

···

"Harry. Harry. Harry! Harry! HARRY WAKE UP YOU IDIOT!" 

Harry groaned into his bed and brought his pillow around his ears, making sure it would stay that way with magic. Just as the fiend was about to pull his blanket, Harry gripped it tightly and pulled it towards himself.  

"Harry, please!" 

"Draco, he's not going to get out of bed if you continue to pester him like that." another voice joined in, though this one was much quieter and gentle. Harry definitely liked the second person more.  

"Shut up, Zabini. Harry has to learn to face the consequences to his actions, which include getting up early to watch his brother at Quidditch tryouts after going to sleep at two-thirty in the morning because he wanted to beat said brother at chess." The first voice answered. Then it turned back to him. "NOW GET UP YOU DOLLOP I'M TRYING OUT FOR CHASER."  

Harry grabbed the end of his pillow and chucked it forcefully in Draco's direction. An affronted squawk followed by a thump and an 'oof' told him he had hit his intended target.  

"You still have to get up." Draco groaned from the floor. 

Blaise's loud laughter drowned out the curses and insults Harry sent the blonde's way. 

···

 Despite Harry's lack of sleep and general tiredness, he was still seated in the Quidditch pitch bleachers at seven-thirty in the morning. 

He was huddled in a thick winter coat, despite it being September, as the weather had recently taken a turn for the worse. Neville was wearing his own woolen jumper, a Hufflepuff scarf tied around his neck. Theo and Blaise had come down a while ago with Draco while the rest of their friends had somehow managed to escape the horrors of early morning tryouts, promising to come visit after breakfast if Draco made it through to the next round. 

Flint had told all remaining members of the team and reserves that they didn't need to tryout again unless he requested it later on, and that they weren't expected to come see tryouts unless they wanted to. 

Harry was grateful for Flint's dynamic in team maintenance, as it was much easier to follow and more beneficial for the team than Wood's was. 

It wasn't that Wood was a bad team captain. The boy just had to sort out his priorities. 

His teammates' safety, for one, could be higher on the list. 

"Why is it so early?" Neville groaned as he cuddled into Harry for warmth, eyes half closed. "It's Saturday!" 

"It's because Draco's a needy bitch." Harry told him happily, patting his hair. 

"Nghhhh." 

"Yes, yes. That too." 

Neville only groaned louder.

"Is Neville alright?" Theo asked as he and Blaise joined them in the stands. 

Harry nodded. "He's just tired." He felt the older boy shiver. "And cold." 

Blaise frowned as he sat down next to Neville, tentatively reaching out and brushing his fingers against the exposed skin of his hand. Flinching, he drew the hand away. 

"You're freezing!" Blaise hissed, shrugging off his outer coat and putting it on Neville. 

Neville frowned. "But know you'll be cold."