The Boy Who Lived... Unfortunately

Chapter Two - The Perfect Pair

Sucker love a box I choose,

No other box I'd choose to use,

Another love I would abuse,

No circumstances could excuse,

In the shape of things to come,

Too much poison comes undone,

'Cos there's nothing else to do,

Every me and every you.

Harry sat at his desk and waited. Above him a large cuckoo clock was ticking ominously. As he watched it, the hand reached ten 'o'clock and a large fiery phoenix swooped out, making Harry jump and bang his head (rather painfully) against the wall. It circled the room and re-entered the clock, screeching loudly all the while.

The reason Harry Potter was early for a potions lesson was not that he had suffered from minor injuries over the summer holidays and had had to undergo risky brain surgery.

Harry had actually for once had enjoyed his holidays. In the first week he received impressive OWL results:

O - Outstanding

E - Exceeds expectations

A - Acceptable

P - Poor

D - Dreadful

T - Troll

Potions E

Care of magical creatures E

Charms E

Transfiguration E

Herbology E

History of Magic A

Astronomy E

Divination A

Defence Against the Dark Arts O

No, Harry was in surprisingly good spirits after his dreadful fifth year. Though Sirius was often on his mind, Harry found that the thought of Sirius cheered him, and even though he missed him terribly, it was as if he had learned how to not dwell on the bad times in life. After all, he had his fair share of them.

Well, not a fair share. He got considerably more bad luck than say ...Draco Malfoy.

But then Draco Malfoy had only got an Acceptable in Potions. So ha!

So why when, if he wasn't suffering sever mental damage, was Harry Potter sitting at his desk five minutes before the beginning of the lesson?

"Actually," Harry commented, "It's two minutes now. You didn't have to take a long time with the narration."

Ooo-er!

Snape strode in to the room, slamming the door behind him. "Potter! Who are you talking to? Drop, and give me twenty! Fifty! One Hundred! Cower under my never ending and reasonless hatred for you! Mwah! I am pure evil! Mwah ha ha ha ha..." (Evil manic laugh is ruined when Snape starts coughing).

Harry blinked. "Sir, I realise you've been suppressing a lot of cooped up hatred and anger over the years you've known me, but, that was just scary."

Snape sighed and leaned against the doorframe. "It's not easy, having to inflict endless torture on you, Potter. It's very tiring actually."

"Don't do it, then," Harry advised.

Snape looked up, the manic look back in his eyes. "What's that!? No! How dare you Potter! I will not take that kind of rudeness from you! I treat you as fairly as I treat any other of my students! How dare you imply otherwise. I have no favourites! I don't pick on anyone! I am fair! I am..."

He paused, and realised the door was wide open. The class was queued up outside, mouth hanging open with identical expressions of awe and disgust on each and every face.

"Come on in!" Snape snapped. "If slime like Potter can be on time, I'm sure you all can."

The rest of the class filed in. It was a smaller class this year, and mostly filled with Slytherins as most other students had taken the opportunity to drop Potions at once. The only other Gryffindors were Dean and Hermione, who smiled at Harry and made their way over to his four-person table in the back corner. Apart from the Slytherins, the class also contained Padma Patil and Terry Boot from Ravenclaw, who were both very intelligent. Harry was surprised to see Draco wasn't there. He had suspected Snape would look over the fact he only got an A and let him in anyway.

"Welcome class," Snape said in a curt voice. "You are here because you have chosen to take NEWT level Potions. Be warned! This class is not for the faint hearted. I intend that all my NEWT level students will attain E's and O's, though..." his gaze lingered on Harry, "...in some cases this might not be possible. However, you are now my second priority after my seventh year class, and you will have noticed you have more potions lessons on your timetables."

This was true. Harry's timetable last year had contained six single lessons a day. He had four lessons of Transfiguration, Potions, Defence against the Dark Arts, three of Charms, two of History of Magic and Astronomy, four of Divination and Care of Magical Creatures and three of Herbology.

This year, however, he no longer took Herbology, History of Magic, Divination or Care of Magical Creatures. This meant he had more double periods of Potions, Defence against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Transfiguration, plus two study periods and a double period set a side for Quidditch practise.

Snape tapped his foot impatiently. "Have you quite finished narrating? You have used up five precious minutes of this two and a half hour lesson!" He stared angrily at Harry, as if it was his fault, and continued talking.

"Now, during this two year course, you will be set five pieces of coursework, the best three of which will be submitted and count for thirty percent of your over all grade. You will sit a written exam, which also counts for thirty percent. Their will be a trial exam at the end of each term until the real thing during your NEWTs at the end of next year. The final forty percent will be in your practical exam. Because of this, I have decided to split your lessons in to three..."

BANG.

The door slammed open, and Draco Malfoy skidded in, panting. "So...sorry...sir...I...got...held...up"

"No problem at all, Malfoy," Snape answered. "Take a seat." He gestured around the room. Harry scowled at the unfairness of it all.

Draco looked. His face froze. In fact he looked quite petrified. Harry had no idea why until Hermione nudged him sharply in his side.

"Harry. There are no seats left, except the one next to you!"

"Shit," said Harry. Well almost. His real language has been censored so it cannot appear here, as it will most likely offend all religions and cults.

"Malfoy," Snape said impatiently.

Draco walked slowly over to the only seat left in the whole damn classroom. The one next to Harry Potter the-idiot-boy-who-did-not-have-enough-friends-to-take-up-all-the-surrounding-seats.

Silently, and watched by the whole silent class, Draco placed his bag underneath the table and, expression blank, sat down on the stool next to Harry. Harry was doing a very good job of pretending he hadn't even noticed, examining a crack on the desktop so well he could have written an encyclopedia volume about it. The air in the room could have been cut with a butter knife. The whole class held its breath to see what Harry would do...

Nothing.

Harry looked up from the crack on the table and stared at Snape, waiting for him to continue. Draco was trying to do the same, but he kept shooting side glances at Harry and, on Harry's other side, Hermione.

"Anyway..." Snape continued, "I have split your lessons into three different sections. On Monday, You will prepare your potion ingredients for your practical on Friday. On your Tuesday lesson, you will study the theory and history of Potions, as well as a basic knowledge about common ingredients and their properties, in preparation for you written exams at the end of each term. Your Thursday lesson will be a research lesson in preparation for your coursework..."

Snape continued like this for at least ten more minutes, giving information on their exams, which Harry couldn't help feeling was slightly pointless, as they were two years away. Next to him, Hermione was listening intently and Harry knew from experience that nothing would sway her from listening. Normally in this situation he would be amusing himself by watching Ron pull faces behind Snape's back, or helping Ron engrave Snape is a BASTARD into the desk, but thanks to their new timetables, Ron was now down in the greenhouses with Neville, and Seamus was suffering listening to Lavender and Parvati sigh happily in Firenze's Divination lesson. On Hermione's other side, Dean was scribbling notes on what Snape was saying with a serious expression on his face.

Harry chanced a glance at Draco. He was fidgeting something terrible. As Harry watched, he too got out a scrap of parchment. Harry saw him writing, constantly, face intent. However he seemed to be paying no attention what so ever to what Snape was saying.

Harry leaned closer in the pretence of retrieving a quill, and glanced down at Draco's paper. On it, was an incredibly accurate sketch of a terrified Snape, being chased by a furry purple boomerang. Unwillingly, Harry snorted.

Draco paused and shot Harry a dirty look. Harry sat back, and tried to force himself to listen to Snape. After all, he needed to pass this class. He needed to do well. Snape was now reading out from a list of practical partners. Apparently this year, Snape wished for fewer distractions and so was not pairing together friends; instead all partners would be inter-house.

"Blaise Zabini and Padma Patil. Terry Boot and Pansy Parkinson. Draco Malfoy and..." Snape smiled nastily. "...Harry Potter."

Snape had reached the end of his list. He looked up. "The two left are both in the same house, but that cannot be helped. Hermione Granger and Dean Thomas."

Hermione smiled at Dean, who looked pleased. Harry scowled. Yes, it was all very well. They were both friends, they were both clever and dedicated to their work. They were the perfect pairing. But Draco Malfoy!

Harry looked at Snape and noticed he had a more evil expression than normal on his sallow face. He felt a surge of anger. Snape had done this on purpose!

But was it Harry Snape was smiling at nastily? Or was it Draco?

Harry shook his head. That was ridiculous; Draco was Snape's pet pupil.

But still...

During the lengthy narration, Snape had managed to procure an ingredient list for each pair. Harry glanced at it. No wonder they had been given a whole double period to prepare the ingredients. He had never seen a more complex potion.

The Bellywater Draft.

Ingredients:

Two scoopfuls of firecrab claws - which must be stewed for an hour and added to the cauldron first.

Four gobletfuls of water mixed with Pepper powder that has been brought to a boil four times before being frozen.

Six handfuls of flobberworms fed entirely on a diet of lettuce since birth (flobberworms must be less than a week old.)

Ten spines from a teething Venomous Tentucula

Seven scoopfuls of Arigrella leaves

Twenty scoopfuls of BellyWeed grown under a waxing moon

Fifteen scoopfuls of roasted Babani roots cut into one inch segments.

Two crushed Fruits of Delana washed with Magaki juice.

All ingredients can be prepared then frozen for any amount of time before actually mixed in a potion. Ingredients must be added in order of list.

Students must search for ingredients on their own time from Herbology or Magical Creature departments. Students may not use my own Potion stores.

"Each pairing has their own locker for storing ingredients in the back cupboard," Snape announced. "Begin!"

Draco looked up sullenly at Harry. "Just so you know Potter, I suck at Potions."

"Me too," Harry assured him. "Okay, who's getting what?"

Draco studied the list. "If you sort out the Pepper Powder water, I'll get all the roots and leaves that are in the stores. We'll have to get the flobberworms from your dear friend Hagrid at break time."

Harry nodded. He filled his cauldron with water, added Pepper Powder, and set about boiling it. He was just pouring the solution into a freezing tray when Draco spoke again.

"Okay, I have the firecrab claws, and they're almost stewed. I also have the Arigrella leaves and the roasted Babani roots, which need to be cut. We still need the BellyWeed, and I have the Fruit of Delana, but what does it mean washed in Magaki juice?"

Harry laughed. "I guess you just have to rinse them with it. I'll do that, if you cut the roots. Can you put this in the freezer?" Draco nodded and took the tray of him.

Over at the potions stand Harry met Hermione, who had the Magaki juice.

"I'll give you it in a minute, Harry," she told him, pouring it over her fruit. Harry watched carefully at her method of 'washing' and didn't realise she's asked him a question.

"What... Sorry?"

"I said, how is it with Malfoy?"

"Oh, he's fine, actually. It's probably better, really, I mean because we aren't chatting or messing around. We're actually getting on with our work."

"He does seem different this year," Hermione observed. "He helped me the other day, you know. With that Storm Box off Hagrid, the lid was murder to get off. Here you go." She handed him the bottle of juice, and he smiled and returned to his desk.

Draco finished cutting the roots with relish and slammed down his knife.

"Brilliant. We're done, and there's....fifteen minutes of the lesson to spare. Want to ask Snape if we can go down to the Greenhouse and get the stuff we need?"

Harry replaced the lid of the Magaki juice bottle and nodded.

They left the classroom and made their way down to the greenhouses.

"So, Angelina's gone now? Who's going to be Quidditch captain this year?"

Harry was surprised Draco was paying attention to the Gryffindor team, then realised he was probably just checking out the enemy.

"I don't know yet. Tryouts are next week. I guess we'll get told then. The whole team's left now apart from me, Ron and Ginny."

"It'll probably be you," Draco mused.

"No, it'll be Ron. I know you don't think much of his Quidditch skills, but he has grown up watching it, I hardly know anything about it."

"Oh shut up, Potter, you know fine well it'll be you, because you were the youngest player in a century and you are the best player in the school and you know it, so stop with the modesty."

"I'm going to twist that around and take that as a compliment, Malfoy," Harry noted amicably.

Draco grinned, in a good-natured way that was so unfamiliar to Harry, but for some reason the smile didn't look so out of place on his face.

"It's not everyday you hear me compliment some one, even my friends. You should be honoured Potter, in fact, worship me now. Grovel at my feet! Down on one knee! Two knees! Thr..., oh no wait, that wouldn't work..."

Harry laughed. "You're far too dramatic you know that, it's a pity you can't take a NEWT in drama at Hogwarts, you'd pass with flying colours!"

Draco nodded. "That's a good idea. What a shame."

They had reached the greenhouses, and inside Harry could see Ron staring at them incredulously. Harry waved happily at him. He could explain later.

They entered, and Harry followed Draco up to Professor Sprout. They retrieved the BellyWeed and Spines from the Venomous Tentecula, from her stores. They were just leaving when there was a large crash from near the door. Harry heard Ron let out an exasperated "Neville!"

Draco snorted. "What a clot!"

"Don't," Harry said. "He can't help being clumsy."

Draco rolled his eyes. "What ever. Just like you can't help being a self-righteous git!"

"And you can't help being a cocky albino bastard!" retorted Harry, but he was half-joking.

"That was a good one, Potter. Unfortunately."

They reached the door. "Hi Harry," Ron said. "How's your lesson going with the evil..." Ron pulled a hideous vampire face and bared his teeth.

Harry laughed. "Hard. Stupid git's going on about inter-house co-operation. Thus..." He indicated at Draco, who was contemplating shoving one of the spines up Neville's...

"Oi!" cried Neville spinning around. Draco gave up, mumbling something like, "Stupid narration...giving everything away, spoiling my fun."

Ron pulled a face. "Poor you,"

"What are you on about, Weasley? Potter is honoured to be in my presence."

Ron shook his head. "I just don't know how you can take yourself seriously with a head that big."

Draco took a breath giving the impression something impressive was coming next. Instead he wrinkled his nose and stuck out his tongue.

"Very mature, Malfoy," Harry called tolerantly as they left the greenhouse. "See you later, Ron!"

The door slammed shut behind them. Draco burst out laughing. "Ooh, I love that look he gets on his face when I get anywhere near. He really hates me, doesn't he? Hehe, I love being so irritating!"

"You like being hated?" Harry asked apprehensively as they headed back up to the castle.

"Potter, I realise we've had our differences, but at least I can have an intelligent conversation with you. Weasley's just a...idiot."

* * * * *

When Harry entered the common room that night, he saw Hermione sitting on the sofa reading, Ron next to her setting up a chessboard. Not an unfamiliar sight.

"Hey mate. Fancy a game of chess?" Ron said as Harry collapsed down on the sofa.

"Not yet, I've just got a little bit more homework to do."

Ron looked up, unbelievingly. "But haven't you just been up in the library doing homework?"

"Yup," Harry answered in a bored tone, scanning his homework. "But Malfoy was there, and we ended up talking about our potions work. I tell you, that lad could talk for Hogwarts. He got on to some story about when his uncle got a tree monkey stuck down his pants." Harry looked up and grinned. "It was pretty funny, but honestly he doesn't have to go on."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, and not looking up from her book, spoke. "You seemed to get on alright in Potions. What were both laughing so much about when you came back from the greenhouse?"

"That? Oh, Malfoy got one of the Spines stuck on this portrait of Merlin in the Entrance Hall. He had to cover his hand with his cloak to get it off, and when he did, he realised it was stuck to his hand!" Harry chuckled. "I guess it was a kind of had-to-be-there moment."

Ron looked sick. "Harry, you are sounding suspiciously like you enjoyed spending time with Malfoy! This is quite scary."

Harry laughed again. "Come on, Ron, grow up. He's still an arse, a malicious bastard and an arrogant pig, only now I have to admit he's quite funny too."

"Hmmm, helpful, too," Hermione commented, still not looking up from her page.

Both boys looked at her, mouths open, and hearing their silence, Hermione looked up.

"I was being sarcastic!" she cried.

"Hermione! You really need to learn how to be sarcastic so people can tell!" Ron exclaimed.

"It's funnier this way," Hermione commented vaguely.

"Not if no one gets it!"

"It's funnier for me," Hermione said in the same neutral tone, but this time Harry could tell she was holding back her laughter. She was so good at winding Ron up. Not that it was hard.

Harry left them to their usual bickering, and turned back to his almost complete homework. He scribbled a conclusion to his Charms essay, and packed away his books. He stood up.

"Where you going?" Hermione asked.

"To meet Malfoy, we still have to freeze all our ingredients."

"Bit keen, ain't you, Harry?" Ron said. "You're quicker than Hermione, and she's Hermione. Plus, she's with someone nice." (Dean bowed)

"I'm just getting it out of the way," Harry replied grumpily. "Get off my case. And you!" he turned on Hermione. "You're always getting at me not to leave my work to the last minute!"

Hermione raised a single eyebrow, looking faintly amused. "Did I say anything?" she queered innocently.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Ok...no," he laughed. "Sorry, I was only joking."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Get going, Harry," she told him

So he did.

* * *