Good Intentions

Chapter 1: Mixed Thoughts

The day was starting out just as it always had. The dark sky was fading into a pale blue one. White puffy clouds were rolling across the sky, fading into nothingness as the sun was slowly rising, causing the Quidditch pitch to be hallowed in golden light. Once again, Harry Potter was streaking back and forth across that pale sky. It was his own type of therapy; it cleared his mind, and gave him time to think, about the good and the bad. He had started this habit almost as soon as he had returned back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his 7^th and final year at school.

The summer before had been stressful on everyone, but him especially. His long awaited final battle with Voldemort for which he'd been preparing since his 5th year had finally occurred, and he, Harry, had triumphed, but not without battle scars to haunt and constantly remind him of his past experiences.

So many people had been lost in that final battle before it had inevitably all came down to him and Voldemort. Remus, Dobby, Hagrid, Percy and Ginny Weasley, just to name a few.

Harry sighed, shaking his head and clearing those unwanted thoughts out of his mind. The sun was well up now and he was getting ready to head in when something caught his attention.

"Oi! Harry!" Ron Weasley, his best friend, called as he walked toward the pitch, toast in hand. "Brought a bit of toast for ya mate. Thought we might go for a walk," he continued as Harry landed gracefully at his best friend's feet.

"Yeah, sure," Harry agreed, moving to put his broom away and rejoining his friend for a walk around the grounds before classes started.

It was always like this or something like it ever since The Event, as everyone liked to call it. Everybody always seemed to be extra careful and whisper around him, afraid he might break if not handled delicately. Even Ron and Hermione, and that bugged the hell out of him. They weren't as bad as the others, but still... They obviously thought that he was deaf, dumb, and blind if they didn't realize Harry saw the constant worried glances in his direction. It wasn't like he was depressed and likely to turn suicidal as soon as they turned their backs on him.

"So, what's up?" Ron asked, breaking Harry out of his own thoughts.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about some things," Harry replied absently. "Oh, by the way, have you finished that Divination Essay yet? I can't seem to get nine inches."

Ron raised his eyebrows grinning. "Have you forgotten who you're talking to? I haven't even started."

***

"Now," Professor Snape barked at his seventh year Potions class, bringing them all out of their stupor. "Carefully add the lacewings one at a time until all twenty seven have been added. Once finished, if the potion turns a pale clear color, there's a small chance you might have actually done this right." However, the look he was giving them all told them clearly what he really was thinking.

"If," he snapped causing a few students to jump, "Your potion has turned this color, please raise your hand."

Only two individuals raised their hands. Hermione, of course, Harry thought, and Malfoy. He groaned to himself. Of course Malfoy would do it right, any way he could out-do Harry he would. Though, things had changed, he admitted to himself. Malfoy had been rather quiet since he had returned this year. Even last year, before The Event, he was somewhat more subdued than usual. He tended to keep to himself more and more, seeming oblivious to his surroundings. Had Malfoy really changed? Nah, Harry thought to himself, he's still Malfoy.

"Don't you think so, Mr. Potter?" Snape asked, bringing Harry out of his thoughts.

"Erm..." Harry mumbled, flushing slightly at being caught daydreaming. He looked at Hermione and Ron hoping for some sort of help, both of whom were desperately trying to put the answer in his mind by staring wide eyed at him. "Come again?" Harry tried.

"I was merely stating the fact that you obviously failed to produce an effective Veritaserum." He turned his back and strode to the front of the classroom. "Oh, and fifteen points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter, for your lack of interest in my class. It obviously isn't important enough to be a priority in The Boy Who Lived's life. I'm crushed."

The Slytherins sniggered, while the Gryffindors looked on sympathetically. Harry automatically whipped his head around to the Slytherins to see who was laughing at him, prepared to stare them down if necessary. On reflex, he first looked at Malfoy, but he had his head facing downward focusing on whatever he was writing. Harry tried to tell what his expression was, but his hair had fallen around his face, hiding it from the entire world to see.

Harry sat back in his chair, once again blocking out the hook nosed teacher who continued to berate him thinking, Just maybe things can change.

***

"Well now," Ron said, sitting down across from Harry at dinner that evening. "Potions was more pleasant than usual, don't you think?"

"Ron, you are terrible at sarcasm," Hermione informed him primly.

"Yeah Ron, you really should work on that," Harry added, grinning at his friend.

***

Later that evening Harry told Ron and Hermione that he had some homework that he needed to finish up and he would catch them later. His unfinished Divination essay tucked safely in one pocket of his robes and the Invisibility Cloak draped around him, he headed up towards the top of the North Tower to try and finish his essay. The North Tower was another place he liked to get away from it all and think. Plus, it had a great view of the night sky, and a little inspiration wouldn't hurt.

He made his way to his favorite corner and settled down to try and finish the dratted essay. If only Professor Trelawney had better things to do than predict his death on a daily basis and assign ridiculously long essays on pointless topics.

An hour later and one more inch completed, Harry was about to give up. For one thing, he couldn't think of anything else to write. Plus, he kept getting distracted letting his thoughts drift to other things.

It was completely dark now with a crystal clear sky. An almost full moon was rising in the sky, with a scattered background of twinkling stars. The others would probably be wondering about him, so he unwillingly gathered his things together and had just thrown the Invisibility Cloak around himself when a noise coming from down the hall made him freeze. It was footsteps, and they were approaching fast. Forgetting he was invisible, he backed into the corner of the room, to wait and see whom it was coming. Whoever it was wasn't supposed to be here; the footsteps were cautious and incredibly quiet.

Harry's heart rate quickened as the person neared the room. Stop it, he told himself. There's no reason to be paranoid anymore.

The door slowly creaked open, and there stood Draco Malfoy, as always, surrounded by his own solitude. He briefly glanced around the room and assuming no one was there, he closed the door behind him.

Harry groaned inwardly. Now how was he supposed to get back to the common room? He cursed himself for not leaving when he had the chance. Malfoy's head shot up from where it had been studying a textbook at the noise. His eyes narrowed as he studied the room, but finding nothing, returned back to reading his book. However, every so often he looked up and checked the room looking suspicious.

Harry himself had been studying the recently changed Draco Malfoy, or so he thought. His quiet demeanor of late disturbed Harry more than even he realized. In fact, he couldn't think of the last time that Malfoy had called Hermione a Mudblood or made fun of Ron because he was poor. Sure, he still threw insults to Harry if provoked and sneered half heartedly in his direction whenever he thought it was expected of him. However, he had none of the malice in his stormy gray eyes when he did any of these things.

Malfoy sat for an hour or so studying for his big Charms test the next day. He just couldn't let Granger out do him again. She was always besting him, her coming in first in the class, him falling second to her. Well studying was part of what he did, but his mind tended to drift quite a bit these days. Getting about all the studying he was going to get done for the night, he gathered all of his things and headed towards the door, when a rustle of movement near the back corner caught his eye. He whipped his head around to look, and there a single foot was slowly approaching him.

"Who's there?" he asked backing up against the still closed door. The foot he noticed quickly disappeared. "Hello?" he tried again.

Harry sighed to himself again. He might as well reveal himself now. "Malfoy," he said, pulling off his invisibility cloak.

"Potter?" he said incredulously as Harry appeared before him, an invisibility cloak draped across his arm. "What are you doing here?" he asked, regaining some of his composure and firmly fixing his infamous sneer on his face. Malfoys did not let someone catch them off guard.

"I could ask the same to you," Harry replied. "But I won't." He was halfway to the door by now. As he opened it, he turned back around to the still somewhat dazed blond. "Malfoy, take a piece of advice from me. You look almost normal if you don't have that fake sneer on your face. It doesn't become you." He then turned and strode down the hallway, throwing back over his shoulder, "Don't think that you fool me. Have a wonderful evening Draco." Harry emphasized Malfoy's first name for a reason, hoping Malfoy would get his point.

Malfoy just stood there for a couple of minutes trying to piece together what had just happened. Potter had just caught him totally off guard and got the best of him...that was what happened. And what was Potter doing there invisible, and even more importantly, where in the hell had Potter gotten an invisibility cloak?

Wait a minute, had Potter actually given him, Malfoy, of all people, a backward compliment?

***

Harry didn't know where he was going. He just wanted to get as much space as possible between him and Malfoy as quickly as he could. Sometime later he finally approached the Portrait. "Pumpernickel," he said gratefully to the Fat Lady.

He stepped into the common room and sank thankfully into one of the over stuffed armchairs by the fire. Closing his eyes and settling comfortably into the chair, he drifted off to sleep before he had a chance to think things over.

***

Harry opened his eyes the next morning, still sitting in the chair by the fire, trying to wake up. Everything was blurry and he wasn't sure why. He sat up straighter in the chair, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and everything came into better focus. Standing up and looking out the window, and stumbling a bit in the process, he stretched and tried to get a massive crick out of his neck. Judging by the brightness outside, it was a bit after dawn and he still had enough time for a quick fly before breakfast.

***

Draco still couldn't figure out what had happened the night before. He continued to think about it as he walked to breakfast the next morning.

He took his usual place in the Great Hall and sat down opposite the Gryffindor table on the opposite side of the hall. Potter, he noticed, wasn't there yet, but the two Gryffindor idiots he called friends were. Well, Granger's alright I suppose, but that oaf Weasley doesn't deserve Potter. Speaking of Potter...

Harry entered the Great Hall for breakfast that morning in high spirits. He'd had a good time flying that morning, and it was Friday. The only bad part of that was he had Divination that morning and Potions last thing in the day.

"Hello," he said sitting down by Ron, smiling. "It's Friday!"

"Well you are in a good mood this morning, Harry," Hermione observed. "Good for you." Harry just rolled his eyes.

"Where were you at last night? I didn't hear you come in," Ron commented. "Oh, and did you ever finish that essay due in Divination today?"

"I fell asleep in the common room, and I didn't want to wake anyone up," Harry explained. It wasn't exactly the truth, but it would have to do; besides, they wouldn't know the difference. "Yeah, I finished it, well all but about an inch. I couldn't think of anything else, but if you hurry up and finish eating, we can go back to the common room and finish them before class."

"Ok, sounds good mate," Ron said, grabbing a piece of toast as he was getting up to leave. As Harry got up, he scanned the Great Hall looking at all of the familiar faces. His eyes finally landed on Malfoy, and almost knowing that Harry was looking at him, he raised his eyes to meet the Gryffindor's. They locked eyes for a second, and then Malfoy broke the contact, continuing to eat his breakfast as if nothing happened.

***

I told you she would like that dramatic ending to your essay," Ron told Harry near the end of Divination class where they were supposed to be reading each other's palms.

"Yeah, thanks. You know what I heard about our Potions class today?" Harry asked him.

"What?"

"That Snape was choosing random people from his classes and making them test the Veritaserum's we made earlier in the week. And I really wonder who one of the people he'll choose in our class will be," Harry added dryly.

"Well, maybe whoever he makes you test did it wrong," Ron put in cheerfully. "Man this class is taking forever, I'm starving."

"Having troubles, dears?" Professor Trelawney asked Harry and Ron as she floated over to their table. "I'm willing to help you if you are having a difficult time with this."

"No, no." Harry said hastily. "We're fine. Ron was just telling me how I'm likely to be trampled by a herd of centaurs in the next week. So I should definitely avoid the Forbidden Forest." He looked sideways and saw Ron out the corner of his eye, trying to hide a grin on his face. "Isn't that right Ron?"

"Oh, yeah. Very traumatic and very painful it's going to be. Vicious things Centaurs are." Harry started coughing at this, trying to hide his laughter.

"Very well then. Keep up the good work boys."

As soon as she had moved over to Lavender and Parvati's pouf and out of earshot, they both burst out laughing.

"Centaurs, Harry? Didn't know you had it in you. Vicious indeed!" Ron snorted.

They made their way to lunch, still laughing and making up even crazier ideas. From being kidnapped by a band of Pixies, to getting eaten by the Giant Squid in the lake.

***

"Now that everyone has arrived," Snape said icily, while glaring at the Gryffindor's, "We are going to be making a very complex potion over the next few classes, and you will require partners."

Harry and Ron automatically moved towards each other. "Assigned partners," he added gleefully. "By me."

He started calling out pairs of people to work. Hermione had to work with Millicent, Ron with Crabbe, and Neville with Goyle. Finally Snape said, "Potter, bring your things up here. You can work with Malfoy." Snape was having entirely too much fun with this, Harry thought. Someone should slap him.

Harry brought his things and sat down on the chair next to Malfoy. The only reaction from Malfoy he got was a simple piercing look and nod of acknowledgment. Harry nodded in return, organizing his materials on the tabletop. Maybe we can actually get this done without fighting...Or not.

The peace lasted about twenty minutes, while they worked alongside each other quietly. Then Harry accidentally knocked over the jar of Armadillo Bile, spilling and staining Malfoy's arm and robe a nasty shade of yellow.

He glared at Harry, trying unsuccessfully to get the discoloration out of his arm and robe. "Nice one, Potter," he snarled, glaring at Harry again. "I bet you did that on purpose."

Harry looked taken a back at this. "Of course I didn't. Don't flatter yourself Malfoy. I don't live to make your life hell," Harry informed him darkly. Then a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "It's just a bonus."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Oops," he said as he sloshed a large part of the cauldron's contents onto the front of Harry's robes as he stirred the potion. "Sorry, Harry," he smirked, mocking him, as Harry had done the night before.

"Malfoy. I'm warning you. It's Friday, I'm in a bad mood, and the day is almost over. Let's just get through this, alright?"

"Nice observation Potter. It's Friday isn't it?" Draco said dryly. "Hmm.. Is tomorrow Saturday, or maybe tomorrow is Monday... You know I really just don't know, could you help me out Potter?"

"Malfoy.." Harry warned him again.

"Oh wait! I know! Tomorrow's Tuesday. That's it, Tuesday. Sounds about right, doesn't it Po--?" Malfoy never got to finish his sentence. Harry reared back and slammed his fist into Malfoy's sharp, angular, cheekbones. He nearly fell back from the force of the punch, but recovering quickly, he slammed Harry against the wall and started punching back in retaliation.

Trying to clear his head after being slammed against the wall, Harry started giving Malfoy some resistance. Knocking Malfoy down, the two boys rolled around on the floor, still throwing punches.

While all this was happening, their fellow classmates stood there watching in fascination and horror. Ron tried pulling them apart several times, but was unsuccessful. At about that time, Snape's door burst open with him striding out purposefully, looking menacing.

"Enough!" he bellowed. The boys continued on fighting, for once ignoring the intimidating man. Snape strode forward and easily pulled them apart, one in each hand. There were both badly bruised and bleeding. "Granger," he snapped, "What happened?"

"I'm not exactly sure, Professor." Hermione said in a small voice. "But it seemed that Malfoy started taunting Harry, so then Harry punched him. Malfoy hit him back and..." she trailed off spreading her arms wide at the mess that had just ensued.

"Very well. Class is dismissed. Everyone leave at once," Snape still had Harry in one hand, Malfoy in the other when he arrived at the Hospital Wing, half dragging the two boys behind him in fury. Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue at the site of the two boys.

"Thank you Severus, that will be all," Madam Pomfrey said as she placed each boy in separate beds.

"Ah, may I ask something from you, Poppy?"

"Of course, Severus."

"I ask that you heal only the major injuries when the time comes. Maybe letting the cuts and bruises heal the muggle way will remind them how unnecessary all of this is."

"Yes, excellent idea Severus. Now, both of you drink this," she said handing them a smoking goblet full of liquid. "Sleep now, everything else can wait."

Harry and Malfoy barely had enough time to set their goblet on the bedside table before their heads hit their pillows for a dreamless sleep.

"The Headmaster will more than likely be visiting them both later," Snape informed her. He turned and left, heading for Dumbledore's office.

"Pumpkin Pasty," he said to the gargoyle statue sometime later. He ascended the stairs, knocking when he reached the entrance to the office. "May I come in, Headmaster?" he called from behind the doorway.

"Come in Severus. Have a seat," he said smiling as Snape entered. "How may I help you?"

Snape then told Dumbledore of the scene in Potions earlier. He just sat there looking thoughtful. "Well," Snape prompted. "What do you propose we do about it?"

"Ah, as to that," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "I think I may have a plan. Listen to this, and tell me what you think."

***