Title: I gave up at the end

Fandom: Harry Potter

Rating: G, I guess

Music: Dogs Die In Hot Cars- I Love You 'Cause I Have To

Notes: I am thinking this is an AU of fifth year. Umbridge is teaching potions, Snape is teaching DADA. Because, well, why not? IT IS A PLOT DEVICE. LEAVE ME ALONE.

Words: 1596

Disclaimer: Do not own, and if I did, I would not be writing RON/DRACO

And to think, this all could have been avoided if Umbridge hadn't paired Ron and Draco together for their potion.

It started with the Gryffindor and Slytherin class filing reluctantly in to the Potions classroom. They were unsure what was going to happen, and if they had known, would not have even gone. Settling down in their usual seats, they waited quietly as Umbridge greeted them.

At their silence she narrowed her eyes, saying in a sickly sweet voice, "Hem, hem, since you won't greet me politely, we will get right into the project. Let's start by dividing into pairs."

At their incredulous looks, she only smiled and said, "Not the pairs you're already sitting in, of course. I will read out who you'll work with for the rest of the year. There will be no excuses, and sending yourself to the hospital wing will not get you out of this. It will only make your partner and you fail together." As she said this, her expression turned from unpleasant frog to particularly disgusting toad.

As the class groaned, she just cleared her throat in that annoying way, and started to list off the names of who will work together.

Harry was dreading his name being called, seeing as how the dreadful woman was pairing them up Gryffindor/Slytherin. When she got to him, he winced, absolutely certain she would put him with the worst person possible, only to be informed he was working with Blaise Zabini. He shot her a confused look, but gathered up his supplies to join the other boy.

He had been almost certain he'd be put with Draco, but it seems the woman realized that was only a recipe for disaster. But it was only a little while later he realized he had relaxed too soon.

"Weasley, Malfoy."

At that, the entire class stared at her in horror. It was like watching her declare she had oil, was going to pour it on a campfire, and nothing was going to stop her.

Draco looked away, his nose in the air, refusing to get up, forcing Ron to move at the sharp look from Umbridge. He hissed at the blond as he sat, but somehow managed to keep his temper in check. The entire class waited as patiently as they could as the professor gave them their instructions.

When they started, Ron intermediately started to brusquely chop up the ingredients, ignoring Draco's protests and instructions. Umbridge was no help, telling them they had to work together if they wanted any grade at all. "And working together, Mr. Malfoy, does not mean you take the ingredients that have already been worked on by your partner and 'fixing' them," they could almost hear the quotes being dropped in.

By the end of the lesson, Harry and Blaise's potion was perfect (Harry pretty much followed all the instructions Blaise had given him, and understood what he was saying instead of having it rushed ahead), Hermione and Daphne Greengrass's potion was slightly off color (they had both been certain that THEY were right while the other was dead wrong), and Ron and Draco's potion was pink with red swirls and smelled like flowers (Neither was really sure how that happened, but both declared it the other's fault).

Professor Umbridge stood in front of the class, and tapped her wand against the desk to get their attention, "Hem, hem. Seeing as how this is only a calming draught, you should all be able to try it without any ... undue effects." She smiled at them like a snake who caught a particularly plump mouse, until she caught sight of Ron and Draco hissing insults at each other. "And since Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley so kindly volunteered, they will go first."

Both of the boys glared at each other, drinking it quickly, unwilling to look away from each other, as if they did, he would have it poisoned. Giving their now empty glasses a dirty look, they only shrug, not really feeling any calmer. The rest of the class follows suit, Umbridge watching them closely as they do so, but none suffered any ill effects. Not even Neville Longbottom and Gregory Goyle, whose potion was a dark purple instead of the called for light blue (If anything, they seemed to have be almost dead in how calm they were. A little while after this, Peeves dropped ice water balloons on them in the hall, and they didn't do more than blink).

Handing in the potions to be graded, the class walked off as quickly as they could. Harry handily ignored Ron ranting about Draco as they walked to the next class, until he started going on about the other boy's eyes. "They're GREY, you know. He goes on and on about them being silver," his voice turned to a high falsetto, "Just like my hair, a wonderful silver that any pureblood would want. Unlike that mudblood-lover Weasley."

Ron froze dead in the hallway, and slapped a hand on his mouth, disbelieving what came out of it. Harry and Hermione stared at him in amazement.

Hermione was the first to speak, "R-Ron? Are... are you feeling okay? Do you think we should go to the hospital wing? I mean, your potion was pink and red, instead of the blue it was supposed to be." She hurries on before Ron can explode in protest, "Not that it is your fault! Malfoy wasn't helping, and only making it worse! You saw him just throwing things in randomly after you chopped them up."

At that Ron calmed down slightly, and they went to the hospital wing.

When they got there, Draco was already sitting in one of the beds, increasingly shellshocked looking. Vincent Crabbe and Pansy were sitting next to him as Gregory stared blissfully at a crack in the ceiling from another bed. The trio looked at each other in concern, not sure if they should have grabbed Neville if Greg was in a bed.

Ignoring Pansy and Vincent holding Draco between them as they pet his hair, the golden trio held Ron almost the same way between them to Madam Pomfrey. The matron looked down at them in disapproval, saying, "And what is wrong with you this time, Mr. Potter?"

Harry shook his head quickly, "Nothing this time, Madam." He tilted his head toward Ron, their temples touching, along with Hermione staying close (The fact that Pansy and Vincent were so concerned about Draco worrying them deeply). "If Malfoy is here due to a bad reaction to a potion, Ron has the same thing."

Pomfrey sighed softly, "Well, go sit in the bed. Maybe doing a diagonsis with the both of them together will give better results." She shooed them into a bed, where they curled around Ron to keep him safe. The most suprising thing for them was that Ron kept his calm through the entire thing. He Had closed his eyes, and refused to even look at the Slytherins on the bed across from them.

Said Slytherins did not do the same in turn. "Weasley!" Pansy practically barks, "It's all your fault that Draco keeps seeing you in his head!"

Ron curled around himself and moaned, "If I could get him out of mine, I'd be happy."

Harry rubbed Ron's back in concerned circles, as Hermione gave confused looks back and forth between Ron and Draco. "Wasn't... Wasn't their potion pink with red swirls?"

"It also smelled like lilacs," Harry said absently. Glancing up at the looks he got at that, "What?" he said defensively, "I was right in front of them, and I take care of the yardwork at home. Don't you give me that look."

Pansy looked like she wanted to say something insulting, but instead held her tongue. Madam Pomfrey showing up right behind the Gryffindors may have had something to do with it. "Now, what's this I heard about potions smelling like lilacs?" she says briskly as she waves her wand over Draco, shooing Vincent and Pansy's hands off of him.

"It sounds like a-"

"Love potion," Hermione cut her off, earning a sharp look.

"Yes, Miss Granger. A love potion. I'm guessing from the lot of your reactions show this wasn't intentional." The group of them nods enthusiastically, Draco and Ron the most emphatic.

"I'm not sure how exactly this happened, you were supposed to be brewing calming potions. There's nothing in that to make a love potion with." She glances over where Gregory is smiling blankly on the bed, "I'd say Mr. Goyle's reaction was the worst I feared for it, in fact. Speaking of that, would you go get Mr. Longbottom for me, Miss Granger?"

Hermione opens her mouth to protest, but is cut off with, "Seeing as how you're the Gryffindor prefect in his year, and the other one," Poppy nods at Ron, "is under observation. I'd say you're the best person to ask."

Pansy shoots Hermione a triumphant look, only to have it fall when Pomfrey says, "And you, Miss Parkinson, need to go get professor Snape."

Both girls hurry off, shooting each other dirty looks as they go. Poppy watches them for a few seconds as they go through the door, and turns to Harry and Vincent, "I'd tell the both of you to leave, but it is your free period, and no one here needs to rest. But if any of you get disruptive, I will be forced to remove you."

Then Draco's father came, and Ron was expelled for making love potions.

The end.