Hello! This is my first fanfiction ever, so if you're going to hate on me make it constructive. Reviews are appreciated and I'll take suggestions into account for future chapters;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, I'd do very naughty things to him, but I don't. J.K. Rowling does.

Curiosity

Chapter 1: Disaster

Draco glanced up briefly from his almost-finished homework as he heard the chaotic sounds of the group of Gryffindors trooping into the Potions room. His eyes skimmed haughtily over the laughing group, noting that Weasley's crooked grin, the Mudblood's bushy hair, and Longbottom's bewildered expression were pathetic as ever. Potter, the Chosen Prick or whatever he was called by his admirers these days, was sitting with his usual blank expression like he couldn't figure out what to do with himself after playing the war hero for so long. Draco sneered slightly and turned away, languidly finishing his Potions essay. It barely mattered; Snape would probably give him a good grade even if he saw Draco writing the entire thing in his classroom five minutes before the class started.

As if on cue, Snape swept into the classroom with his customary air of displeased boredom. He looked at the gaggle of Gryffindors with the slightest of smirks before telling the class "today you will be working on an especially complex and difficult potion. If you wish to earn your NEWTs, you have to be able to replicate difficult medicinal potions. You will be preparing Solidamentium Draught, a potion used to cure obsessive-compulsive behavior in wizards. You will be paired up-"he glanced at Potter and his group of fans, who had already begun shifting their desks around- "according to my choosing. Granger, you are with Parkinson. Weasley, Crabbe. Potter, Malfoy…" He continued pairing up all students, but Draco was busy glaring across the room at Potter. His expression was mirrored by Potter, who had a look of undisguised hatred flit across his face shocking in its intensity. Potty looked like he wanted nothing more than to strangle Draco, consequences be damned, but instead he grudgingly trudged across the floor and flopped next to Draco, leaning away as far as possible. 'Stupid fucking Potter' Draco thought to himself. 'Like he thinks I actually want to be paired up with an egocentric git like him'. Determined to make Potter squirm, however, Draco grinned broadly. "Hello, Potty" he said to the sullen Gryffindor. "Worried you won't do well without your pet Mudblood covering for you and pretending you actually have half a brain?" Disappointingly, Harry merely muttered "Shut up, Malfoy. Let's just finish this fucking potion so you can get the hell away from me". Malfoy decided to let it rest for a while, since he really wasn't looking forward to finding counterjinxes all night for when Potter finally snapped. He found the ingredients and began making the potion, leaving the raven-headed childish git to sulk.

Harry was very, very much NOT looking forward to this Potions lesson. Bad enough, with Snape breathing down his neck and waiting for him to make the slightest error. Working with Malfoy, the slimiest and most cowardly boy he'd ever met? Impossible. The blond looked his way as if he'd read Harry's thoughts, but Harry pointedly ignored him. There were a multitude of complicated steps for the potion and any one could go horribly wrong, ruining their entire day's work. He looked over at Malfoy expertly crushing the beetle wings and felt a tiny bit of relief that, although a disgusting and self-centered bitch, Malfoy at least knew what he was doing when it came to Potions. Harry quietly stirred the potion, sheepishly waiting for Malfoy to tell him what to do. Though he would hex every last person who would say it, Harry had to admit to himself that he really needed help with Potions class. This distasteful reminder that he would have to rely heavily on the Ferret made him want to puke, but he managed to keep his tongue and be relatively civil, even as the taunts grew more infuriating. They were almost done with the potion. If he could only hang on for a few more minutes he would be perfect, maybe even get full marks. Still, despite his manageable plan, the jibes were becoming quite personal.

"Does ickle Potty not want to talk today? Basilisk got your tongue? You know, I wonder how many professors would stop favoring you if they realized how fucking pathetic you are in class. Did you get your little Mudblood to Confund everyone into thinking you're special? Because you're not. You're just a little toad with ugly hair and parents who were either a blood traitors or a Mudblood. Oh, sorry, touchy subject-"

"Shut up, Malfoy" Harry said with a quiet threat in his voice. He glanced up sharply and met Malfoy's cold gaze. Both pairs of eyes widened slightly as steely grey met vibrant green, the depths of emotion contained within each at odds with the simple hatred shown on their faces. Then, as suddenly as the moment happened, it shattered and they quickly glanced away. 'What the fuck was that?' Harry thought. 'I don't understand Malfoy. One second he's insulting everyone I love, then the next he looks at me like he's a fucking real person with actual feelings. I just don't understand him, I don't get why he acts like a prick all the time, I don't know why he followed Voldemort and I just don't understand. Why the hell does Malfoy act so strange?"

'How the hell did Potter manage to seem all normal?' Thought Draco angrily to himself. 'He actually looked like there were thoughts somewhere in his empty scar head. Why does he never speak up? I know he does everything for the spotlight, I'm sure of it, he must totally get off on the hero worship, but he didn't seem happy! He looked like he was actually upset and confused, and I don't understand why he looks so empty all the time. I really don't understand that everlasting motherfuc-'

Then Longbottom bumped into the desk, tripped over a chair, nudged all of Draco's papers off of his table, and crashed into the cauldron. Hard. It teetered dangerously for a second before tipping forward and sloshing its boiling contents on a very surprised Draco and Potter. Then everything went very, very much to shit.