Disclaimer: You know I don't own Harry Potter, you twerp! The character at the end is based on my best friend, and some characters in later chapters might be mine too!

This is my first ever fanfic so please be nice!

Chapter One

Draco entered Snape's office with his usual air of superiority. The room was as gloomy as ever, with hardly any light coming from the pitifully small window on the left wall. A quick glance told him that Snape wasn't there, but he knew he was expected to stay. The office was made to look even smaller than it actually was by the amount of jar-filled shelves on the walls. In the middle of the room stood a tidy desk and chair, and another uncomfortable looking chair in front of the desk.

Draco left the door ajar and made himself at home in Snape's chair. He looked around at the strange variety of jars along the walls, no doubt filled with disgusting and hideous creatures, until a pile of parchment caught his eyes. He sat up and started to sift through the bits of parchment on the desk.

"Potions order, new books, more potions, Draco M-"

"Malfoy, what the hell do you think you're doing?" asked a velvety voice at the door, making Draco immediately drop the parchment back onto the desk. He looked up and saw the bat-like figure hovering in the doorway, with a livid expression on his face.

"I was just-"

"I know what you were doing boy," said Snape. It wasn't shouted, but Draco could hear the venom in his voice. He strode over to his desk. "Just because I know your father, doesn't mean you can search through my private things! Now get out of my chair before I curse you out of it!" he spat.

Hurriedly, Draco did what he was told, deciding this was no time to be a smartass.

"Sit," Said Snape, sitting down and putting his parchment back into order, frowning slightly.

Draco sat down in a hard chair facing Snape's desk. He felt slightly fidgety now. It was never a good idea to get on the wrong side of Snape. He vaguely recalled one of his parent's annual parties when he was about seven. Lucius had said something to Snape that was so obviously out of order, that he had turned him into a slug and tried to drown him in his own glass of champagne.

"Now," said Snape in his silky voice, pulling out the piece of parchment the Draco had so quickly dropped. "Draco, you appear to be an idiot."

"I- what? You can't talk to me like that! I'm a-"

"I don't care who you are, you insolent child!" shouted Snape, getting out of his chair and walking around his desk. He said viciously, "do you recall our conversation at the end of last year? About your grades?"

"Oh err, yes…" mumbled Draco, recalling the conversation quite clearly.

"Yet you obviously didn't take my advice. Your charms grades-" he threw down the piece of parchment so that Draco could see. "They haven't improved. You leave me and Professor Flitwick with no choice."

"You can not be serious!" Draco cried, his pure blood boiling. Snape raised an eyebrow in Draco's direction, mocking him.

"Sir…" Draco said almost pleadingly. "I thought you were joking! Can you really imagine me, a Malfoy studying-"

"Muggles?" finished Snape "why not, dear boy? Think of it like this: you'll be the first Slytherin in god knows how long to study the subject!" he laughed maliciously at the look on Draco's face.

"But-"

"The fact is," said Snape, raising his voice "you failed charms. Now you must study the only subject with a space open for you, Muggle Studies. You fail Muggle Studies, you get kicked out of Hogwarts, it's really quite simple. Now get out of my office, you're making it look messy."

Draco angrily kicked open the door that led to the Slytherin common room. The large room was almost deserted; everyone was probably making the most of the sunshine down by the lake.

The only person he saw who he considered to be his friend was Blaise Zabini, who was lounging on an old black sofa looking up at Draco, apparently amused by his anger.

"What's wrong with you?" he called out to him, smirking.

Draco sighed as he walked over and joined him on the sofa. Blaise raised an eyebrow questioningly. "You just had a meeting with Snape didn't you?"

"Yes," said Draco, silently seething, but he couldn't hide the bitterness in his voice.

"So what happened?"

"That git is making me take Muggle Studies!" Blaise suddenly erupted with laughter, which made Draco raise his voice, "I mean, how can he do this to me? I'm a Malfoy!"

"He knows perfectly well who you are, Draky baby," he said while trying to catch his breath. "Him and your dad, they see each other all the time, don't they? You know what I mean."

Draco chose to ignore this comment. "He can't make me do this. I don't care what he says!"

Blaise, finally breathing at a normal rate again, looked at Draco and gave him a knowing smile. "Can't your father sort of… persuade Snape?"

"No," replied Draco "I doubt it. Snape sent him an owl last year, to explain things. He reacted in the same way you did." Blaise looked at him with a shocked expression on his face. Lucius Malfoy, laughing? "Almost." Draco finished.

"When's your first lesson?" Blaise asked.

"Tomorrow," Draco replied acidly.

They both looked up as the door opened and a pretty girl with long black hair walked through it. Blaise got up, turned his head in Draco's direction.

"Well, good luck with that. I'm sure you'll have fun. If you'll excuse me, Donna's here," he gave Draco a small wink.

He walked over to the Donna who was now sitting on a window ledge, leaving Draco to wallow in his own misery.