It's time you pick your battle and I promise you this is mine

Confrontations

The Hogwarts library was full every time of the day when the NEWT mock exams approached. Ron had coaxed Harry into alternating going to eat in order to assure them not losing their table to some other students while filling their organisms with nutrients. Harry was sure that Ron cared less about it himself and that it was more about the fact that Hermione would get grumpy if she couldn't revise at the library. Still, he attributed this plan mostly to Ron's wish to make his girlfriend happy instead of him just trying to avoid the negative repercussions of Hermione being grumpy. It was kind of cute, Harry had to admit. Compared to the disaster Ron's relationship with Lavender had been, Ron was a surprisingly good boyfriend to Hermione. They still fought a lot but Harry believed this might just be the way they work and that they need that. Some part of him was glad that it hadn't changed. A selfish part of him that did not want their friendship to change even a bit. Even though he knew that some change was bound to happen when two friends dated each other.

That Saturday Ron had gotten hold of a table for six students that was promptly occupied by the whole Gryffindor boys dorm plus Hermione. They spent the whole morning being busy, writing summaries, quizzing each other, trying not to get too distracted.

After lunch, Dean and Seamus left to meet up with some of the Hufflepuffs to practice some charms. This left two places open that the remaining four were aware would not stay empty for long if they did not have a convincing excuse. Unfortunately, the only accepted excuse for empty seats during exam seasons were mealtimes or toilet breaks and the four of them could not claim any of these reasons for their absent friends.

So when somebody asked to sit in one of the vacant places, Harry just replied "Sure, take a seat" without even looking up from the paper he was currently writing.

"When was the Statute of Secrecy signed again?", he asked the whole table, but mostly just Hermione.

"1689", she answered him absent-mindedly while the new person started to rustle with the papers they were taking out of their bag. Soon after, there was comparative silence due to them having started to work on their own papers and revisions.

"Warlocks' Convention?", he asked a few minutes later.

"Which one?"

"There's more than one?"

The fifth student snorted. "Do you ever pay attention in class?", they asked and only now did it occur to Harry's brain that it had been Draco who sat down with the Gryffindors.

"Does anyone pay attention in History of Magic?", Harry retaliated.

"Fair point. But I'm pretty sure Granger does."

Hermione looked affronted.

"Yeah, but even she knows all that stuff because she memorised The history of magic in first grade and not because Binns is such a great teacher."

"You memorised The history of magic?", Draco asked Hermione wide-eyed.

"You don't think she could?", Ron replied in her stead defensively, as Harry had witnessed him doing a lot of times throughout the years.

Draco reeled back but was spared the need to answer by Mrs Pince's permeating "ssshhh". None of them dared to speak for the next hour.

"What was that?", Ron asked later when they were alone outside of the library.

"What was what?" Harry asked as if he did not know what he meant. And his friends obviously knew that he knew because when he looked at them he was met with three interrogative glares.

He sighed. "I told you I didn't wanna start fights with Draco this year if it was not necessary."

"You did?", Neville asked confused.