Chapter 1
Gray locked on green.
Smirk locked on glare.
Harry Potter let out a heavy sigh. This is how every potions class went. He glared at Draco Malfoy who was seated on the Slytherin side of the room. He smirked as he put a pinch of Spider Essence into his boiling cauldron. Ron snorted.
"He's beginning to look like his mum. If you look closely you can see the look of 'oh my, I've got dung under my nose' forming." Ron said, stirring his sickly green concoction. Hermione worked quickly, quietly whispering directions to Neville out of the corner of her mouth.
"Potter! Weasley! Is there a problem?" Snape barked from his desk in the front of the room. Harry scowled and shook his head. "No, sir." he said, chopping up his beetles angrily. Snape stood up and walked towards them, a wicked smirk playing on his face. "Green, Weasley?" he asked coldly, stirring Ron's potion. Mairead O'Leary glanced up from her cauldron and grinned at Pansy. Her look said it all - This was gonna be good.
"Mr. Weasley, I think we should let Potter take a swig of your potion, don't you agree?" Snape said icily. Malfoy looked like he could barely contain his happiness and scooted his chair silently closer to the Gryffindor side to get a better view. Hermione frowned. "Professor, that could make him really ill." she said, a worried expression on her face.
"My point exactly," Snape said, pushing a strand of greasy hair from his face. He turned quickly, his black robes billowing. "Shea Mui, could you tell Mr. Weasley what we are supposed to be concocting?" he asked. Harry glared and stared down at his cauldron, stirring it feverishly. Shea grinned wickedly and twisted a strand of her chestnut hair. "Why of course, Professor Snape." she said innocently. "Drought of Mourning, Ronald." she said sweetly. Draco laughed at her fake sweet tone and smirked.
Hermione gripped the end of the table and panic was written all over her face. "And, Mr. Malfoy, could you tell Mr. Weasley what color this Drought of Mourning supposed to be?" Snape said, twirling his wand in his long fingers. Draco put on the same innocent voice. "Purple, Professor." he said, smiling cruelly at Harry. Harry locked his emerald eyes on Draco's cloudy gray, which were taunting him.
"Correct. Ten points to Slytherin, and ten from Gryffindor." he said as the hourglass on the shelf emptied. "You may go. And Weasley," he added. "You've got a zero for today." Hermione hurried over to Ron and Harry, a look of pity on her face. Ron's face was as red as his hair, if not, redder. Harry cursed under his breath as they packed away their belongings. "I can't stand him. What makes Dumbledore think he's not one of them anymore?" Ron spat angrily. Hermione shook her head.
"Maybe it's not our business," she said, tying her brown curls into a ribbon. They all trudged out of the dungeon and into the corridor. "I don't know, but it seems as if he gets thicker and thicker every year." Harry said as they headed towards the Gryffindor common room. Harry hated Wednesdays - not only because it meant potions with the Slytherins but it also meant double transfiguration with them as well. Thankfully, classes were finished for the day.
A girl with golden blonde hair and pale green eyes walked up to them. "Oh, Ron, whats the matter?" she said, her full lips forming a pout. Ron smiled at her. "Nothing, Morgan." he said, marching up the steps after Harry and Hermione. Morgan looked at Harry suspiciously, her eyes asking him what happened. "Snape," he answered briskly. Hermione shrugged, handing Morgan a handful of large books. "Help me carry these inside." she said, struggling to get up the last of the steps.
"Portugese Cluck," Ron said grimly, and they all climbed inside the warm common room. Morgan toyed with one of her braids shyly and smiled at Ron. "Help me with my homework, Ron?" she asked, dragging him towards one of the tables near the fireplace. Harry raked a hand through his untidy hair and uttered a silent groan as Adriana Riviera made her way up to him. He didn't feel like having some new kid stare at his scar.
"Hello, Harry," she said silkily, smiling at him. "Rough day?" she asked. Harry didn't say anything. She understood. "That Draco Malfoy sure is something, isn't he?" she said. Harry looked up. "He's a filthy no good prat." he said coolly. She nodded. "I saw what he did during potions. I swear if his lips weren't attacted to his pale face, his smirk would pop right off one of these days." she said, her laugh ringing in his ears. He looked up into her own emerald green eyes and smiled.
"Unforunately, his mouth is attached." he said, his eyes twinkling. She smiled at him genuinely and they engaged into a vivid conversation. Hermione watched them with a faint smile on her lips, then she buried her head into her book, reading silently. No one knew the jealousy that she was feeling at the moment...
* * *
Draco stared out of the large window in the common room. "Draco," Pansy purred in his ear. "Are you feeling all right?" she asked, stroking his arm affectionately. He felt anger build up inside of him. "I feel fine," he responded bitterly. "Why do you ask?" He stared out at the Forbidden Forest, deep in thought.
"You're acting very distracted." Mairead said, raking her fingers through her luxurious black hair. Pansy nodded. "What's on your mind, Drakie?" she cooed softly. Mairead pet her black cat, Nathair, who purred gingerly. Eve Studt, a seventh year who was sitting in one of the leather arm chairs, coughed. "Get that thing out of here," she said quietly. "I'm allergic." Draco looked over at her. She looked alarmingly like her mother.
"Hi, Eve, right?" He asked, walking away from Pansy and Mairead. Eve lifted an eyebrow as he sat in the seat opposite her. "My father told me about you." Draco said, smiling faintly. Eve smirked. "Your father? Why would he be talking about me?" she laughed, a very dry sound. "You are a part of," he lowered his voice to where only she could hear him. "The plan. I am correct, am I not?" She peered at him through her black, lonely eyes. "Yes," she finally said. "I am." Then with out another word, she picked up her belongings and trudged up the stone stair case and into the girls dorm.
"What did he want with her?" Pansy whispered furiously to Mairead, who shrugged. Draco sat back smugly and stared around. Shea Mui was working quickly, her pencil zooming across the parchment. She glanced up as if she felt his stare. "Hey, Draco, could you help me with this?" she asked, beckoning him over. He sighed and stood up. "What do you need help with?" he asked, peering down at her paper. "The effects of a Drought of Mourning..." he read over her shoulder. She nodded grimly, her dark eyes skimming the assignment.
"Just write... makes some one cry as if their best friend has died." Draco said with a satisfied smirk. Shea grinned her thanks and scribbled the answer down on the parchment. "I think I'm going to head to bed early," Draco said. "Are Crabbe and Goyle still in the Great Hall?" He asked curiously. Shea nodded and waved at him, then turned back to her paper. He shook his head, wondering how those oafs could possibly fit all of that food into their stomaches.
"Goodnight, Drakie." Pansy said, shooting him a flirtatious smile. Mairead's eyes flickered and she waved. Draco went up the stairs and into the boys dorm, thinking about the plan. Harry Potter wouldn't escape this time, not after how he'd gotten Lucius landed in jail...
* * *
Harry jerked up from his sleep, and stared around the sunlit room. The only person in there with him was Seamus Finnigan, who was staring at him as if he were ill. "Are you all right, Harry?" He asked in his heavy Irish accent. Harry cocked an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?" he said curiously. Seamus looked worried. "You kept saying something in a different language," he said, glancing around the room.
"What did it sound like?" Harry asked, sliding his glasses on. Seamus stood up and pulled on his robes. He moved his lips silently then grinned sheepishly. "I can't speak it," he said, laughing. He waved, then turned and headed down the stair case. Harry pulled on his own robes and trudged down the stairs. Hermione, Ron, and some other girl he didn't know by name were sitting in the window seat, away from the crowd of Gryffindors.
Hermione's face lit up as she waved Harry over. She looked as if she hadn't seen him for months. "Hi, Harry." The girl with strawberry blonde hair flashed him a smile. "Harry," Ron said. "This is Nadia Smith. She just switched to Hogwarts this year." He said, turning around to smile at Morgan. Hermione kept staring at Harry, who raised an eyebrow. "Have I got something on his face?" He asked Ron. Ron laughed and pointed at Harry's nose.
"Bloody hell!" he said enthusiastically. Hermione hit him playfully. "No, Harry, you've got nothing on your nose." she said, opening her homework planner. Nadia rolled her eyes and gave Harry a sly smile. "I think some one's got a crush on you." Ron whispered in Harry's ear. Harry blushed and looked around the common room. Ginny waved at him, and ran over to them with her best friend, Danielle DeVore at her side. "Hey, guys!" Ginny said, smiling. Danielle looked around the common room, which was emptying quickly.
"Classes begin in ten minutes," Hermione cried suddenly, jumping up. Nadia jumped up as well. "I've got to go visit Cho before Defense Against the Dark Arts!" she said, hurrying out of the room. Ron raised an eyebrow. "Cho?" Harry asked, staring at Hermione. Danielle shrugged. "So what? Nadia's wicked cool." she said, fixing the green hair clip in her hair. Ginny shrugged. "She's horrid in my opinion," she said, rolling her eyes. "She's a prat," Ron agreed, pulling Harry towards the portrait. Hermione stuffed her books into her pack and followed quickly.
A few minutes later, the Gryffindors and the Slytherins were seated and waiting for the new teacher. Seconds later, a slim woman with white blonde hair and pale skin walked into the room. She flicked her wand at the blackboard, where her name appeared in curly letters: Amelia Marvos. Harry glanced at Draco, who smirked. Funny, Harry thought. Professor Marvos looked extremely like Malfoy. Professor Marvos stared back at them all with a blank look.
"I'm Professor Marvos, and I am your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." She said. The class was silent except for the whispers of a few Slytherins, who waved happily at the professor. Hermione raised an eyebrow, and Ron's mouth gapped open. "Mr. Weasley! Are you trying to let flies in your mouth?" She snapped, glancing towards the Gryffindors. Ron shook his head and Harry could tell he found her intimidating.
"For this lesson I will be pairing you off with partners," she said, a wicked smirk playing on her lips. Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances. "Each Slytherin is to be paired with a Gryffindor." she said strictly. There was a quiet moan from both sides of the class room. Draco looked as if Christmas had come early for some reason.
Professor Marvos picked up a large roll of parchment and began to read. "Finnigan, Mui!" Shea Mui rolled her eyes, picked up her belongings, and headed over to Seamus. "Longbottom, Goyle!" Neville whimpered as Goyle walked over to him, cracking his knuckles. "DeVore, Crabbe!" Crabbe grinned and headed over to Danielle, who rolled her eyes. There was no denying it - Danielle had good looks. "Granger, Parkinson!" Hermione let out a tiny shriek, but allowed a quite busty Pansy to scoot in beside her. Pansy looked as if she were about to be sick. "Bulstrode, Weasley!" Ron glowered and Millicent grunted angrily. " Riviera, O'Leary!" After a few more names were called finally, "Potter, Malfoy!" was called.
Harry felt like screaming. Not Malfoy. He couldn't be paired with Malfoy. He closed his eyes and silently prayed that this was all a dream. He dreaded the looks of pity that the other Gryffindors shot at him. He heard a chair scrape beside him, and he knew it wasn't a dream.
Gray locked on green.
Smirk locked on glare.
Harry Potter let out a heavy sigh. This is how every potions class went. He glared at Draco Malfoy who was seated on the Slytherin side of the room. He smirked as he put a pinch of Spider Essence into his boiling cauldron. Ron snorted.
"He's beginning to look like his mum. If you look closely you can see the look of 'oh my, I've got dung under my nose' forming." Ron said, stirring his sickly green concoction. Hermione worked quickly, quietly whispering directions to Neville out of the corner of her mouth.
"Potter! Weasley! Is there a problem?" Snape barked from his desk in the front of the room. Harry scowled and shook his head. "No, sir." he said, chopping up his beetles angrily. Snape stood up and walked towards them, a wicked smirk playing on his face. "Green, Weasley?" he asked coldly, stirring Ron's potion. Mairead O'Leary glanced up from her cauldron and grinned at Pansy. Her look said it all - This was gonna be good.
"Mr. Weasley, I think we should let Potter take a swig of your potion, don't you agree?" Snape said icily. Malfoy looked like he could barely contain his happiness and scooted his chair silently closer to the Gryffindor side to get a better view. Hermione frowned. "Professor, that could make him really ill." she said, a worried expression on her face.
"My point exactly," Snape said, pushing a strand of greasy hair from his face. He turned quickly, his black robes billowing. "Shea Mui, could you tell Mr. Weasley what we are supposed to be concocting?" he asked. Harry glared and stared down at his cauldron, stirring it feverishly. Shea grinned wickedly and twisted a strand of her chestnut hair. "Why of course, Professor Snape." she said innocently. "Drought of Mourning, Ronald." she said sweetly. Draco laughed at her fake sweet tone and smirked.
Hermione gripped the end of the table and panic was written all over her face. "And, Mr. Malfoy, could you tell Mr. Weasley what color this Drought of Mourning supposed to be?" Snape said, twirling his wand in his long fingers. Draco put on the same innocent voice. "Purple, Professor." he said, smiling cruelly at Harry. Harry locked his emerald eyes on Draco's cloudy gray, which were taunting him.
"Correct. Ten points to Slytherin, and ten from Gryffindor." he said as the hourglass on the shelf emptied. "You may go. And Weasley," he added. "You've got a zero for today." Hermione hurried over to Ron and Harry, a look of pity on her face. Ron's face was as red as his hair, if not, redder. Harry cursed under his breath as they packed away their belongings. "I can't stand him. What makes Dumbledore think he's not one of them anymore?" Ron spat angrily. Hermione shook her head.
"Maybe it's not our business," she said, tying her brown curls into a ribbon. They all trudged out of the dungeon and into the corridor. "I don't know, but it seems as if he gets thicker and thicker every year." Harry said as they headed towards the Gryffindor common room. Harry hated Wednesdays - not only because it meant potions with the Slytherins but it also meant double transfiguration with them as well. Thankfully, classes were finished for the day.
A girl with golden blonde hair and pale green eyes walked up to them. "Oh, Ron, whats the matter?" she said, her full lips forming a pout. Ron smiled at her. "Nothing, Morgan." he said, marching up the steps after Harry and Hermione. Morgan looked at Harry suspiciously, her eyes asking him what happened. "Snape," he answered briskly. Hermione shrugged, handing Morgan a handful of large books. "Help me carry these inside." she said, struggling to get up the last of the steps.
"Portugese Cluck," Ron said grimly, and they all climbed inside the warm common room. Morgan toyed with one of her braids shyly and smiled at Ron. "Help me with my homework, Ron?" she asked, dragging him towards one of the tables near the fireplace. Harry raked a hand through his untidy hair and uttered a silent groan as Adriana Riviera made her way up to him. He didn't feel like having some new kid stare at his scar.
"Hello, Harry," she said silkily, smiling at him. "Rough day?" she asked. Harry didn't say anything. She understood. "That Draco Malfoy sure is something, isn't he?" she said. Harry looked up. "He's a filthy no good prat." he said coolly. She nodded. "I saw what he did during potions. I swear if his lips weren't attacted to his pale face, his smirk would pop right off one of these days." she said, her laugh ringing in his ears. He looked up into her own emerald green eyes and smiled.
"Unforunately, his mouth is attached." he said, his eyes twinkling. She smiled at him genuinely and they engaged into a vivid conversation. Hermione watched them with a faint smile on her lips, then she buried her head into her book, reading silently. No one knew the jealousy that she was feeling at the moment...
* * *
Draco stared out of the large window in the common room. "Draco," Pansy purred in his ear. "Are you feeling all right?" she asked, stroking his arm affectionately. He felt anger build up inside of him. "I feel fine," he responded bitterly. "Why do you ask?" He stared out at the Forbidden Forest, deep in thought.
"You're acting very distracted." Mairead said, raking her fingers through her luxurious black hair. Pansy nodded. "What's on your mind, Drakie?" she cooed softly. Mairead pet her black cat, Nathair, who purred gingerly. Eve Studt, a seventh year who was sitting in one of the leather arm chairs, coughed. "Get that thing out of here," she said quietly. "I'm allergic." Draco looked over at her. She looked alarmingly like her mother.
"Hi, Eve, right?" He asked, walking away from Pansy and Mairead. Eve lifted an eyebrow as he sat in the seat opposite her. "My father told me about you." Draco said, smiling faintly. Eve smirked. "Your father? Why would he be talking about me?" she laughed, a very dry sound. "You are a part of," he lowered his voice to where only she could hear him. "The plan. I am correct, am I not?" She peered at him through her black, lonely eyes. "Yes," she finally said. "I am." Then with out another word, she picked up her belongings and trudged up the stone stair case and into the girls dorm.
"What did he want with her?" Pansy whispered furiously to Mairead, who shrugged. Draco sat back smugly and stared around. Shea Mui was working quickly, her pencil zooming across the parchment. She glanced up as if she felt his stare. "Hey, Draco, could you help me with this?" she asked, beckoning him over. He sighed and stood up. "What do you need help with?" he asked, peering down at her paper. "The effects of a Drought of Mourning..." he read over her shoulder. She nodded grimly, her dark eyes skimming the assignment.
"Just write... makes some one cry as if their best friend has died." Draco said with a satisfied smirk. Shea grinned her thanks and scribbled the answer down on the parchment. "I think I'm going to head to bed early," Draco said. "Are Crabbe and Goyle still in the Great Hall?" He asked curiously. Shea nodded and waved at him, then turned back to her paper. He shook his head, wondering how those oafs could possibly fit all of that food into their stomaches.
"Goodnight, Drakie." Pansy said, shooting him a flirtatious smile. Mairead's eyes flickered and she waved. Draco went up the stairs and into the boys dorm, thinking about the plan. Harry Potter wouldn't escape this time, not after how he'd gotten Lucius landed in jail...
* * *
Harry jerked up from his sleep, and stared around the sunlit room. The only person in there with him was Seamus Finnigan, who was staring at him as if he were ill. "Are you all right, Harry?" He asked in his heavy Irish accent. Harry cocked an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?" he said curiously. Seamus looked worried. "You kept saying something in a different language," he said, glancing around the room.
"What did it sound like?" Harry asked, sliding his glasses on. Seamus stood up and pulled on his robes. He moved his lips silently then grinned sheepishly. "I can't speak it," he said, laughing. He waved, then turned and headed down the stair case. Harry pulled on his own robes and trudged down the stairs. Hermione, Ron, and some other girl he didn't know by name were sitting in the window seat, away from the crowd of Gryffindors.
Hermione's face lit up as she waved Harry over. She looked as if she hadn't seen him for months. "Hi, Harry." The girl with strawberry blonde hair flashed him a smile. "Harry," Ron said. "This is Nadia Smith. She just switched to Hogwarts this year." He said, turning around to smile at Morgan. Hermione kept staring at Harry, who raised an eyebrow. "Have I got something on his face?" He asked Ron. Ron laughed and pointed at Harry's nose.
"Bloody hell!" he said enthusiastically. Hermione hit him playfully. "No, Harry, you've got nothing on your nose." she said, opening her homework planner. Nadia rolled her eyes and gave Harry a sly smile. "I think some one's got a crush on you." Ron whispered in Harry's ear. Harry blushed and looked around the common room. Ginny waved at him, and ran over to them with her best friend, Danielle DeVore at her side. "Hey, guys!" Ginny said, smiling. Danielle looked around the common room, which was emptying quickly.
"Classes begin in ten minutes," Hermione cried suddenly, jumping up. Nadia jumped up as well. "I've got to go visit Cho before Defense Against the Dark Arts!" she said, hurrying out of the room. Ron raised an eyebrow. "Cho?" Harry asked, staring at Hermione. Danielle shrugged. "So what? Nadia's wicked cool." she said, fixing the green hair clip in her hair. Ginny shrugged. "She's horrid in my opinion," she said, rolling her eyes. "She's a prat," Ron agreed, pulling Harry towards the portrait. Hermione stuffed her books into her pack and followed quickly.
A few minutes later, the Gryffindors and the Slytherins were seated and waiting for the new teacher. Seconds later, a slim woman with white blonde hair and pale skin walked into the room. She flicked her wand at the blackboard, where her name appeared in curly letters: Amelia Marvos. Harry glanced at Draco, who smirked. Funny, Harry thought. Professor Marvos looked extremely like Malfoy. Professor Marvos stared back at them all with a blank look.
"I'm Professor Marvos, and I am your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." She said. The class was silent except for the whispers of a few Slytherins, who waved happily at the professor. Hermione raised an eyebrow, and Ron's mouth gapped open. "Mr. Weasley! Are you trying to let flies in your mouth?" She snapped, glancing towards the Gryffindors. Ron shook his head and Harry could tell he found her intimidating.
"For this lesson I will be pairing you off with partners," she said, a wicked smirk playing on her lips. Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances. "Each Slytherin is to be paired with a Gryffindor." she said strictly. There was a quiet moan from both sides of the class room. Draco looked as if Christmas had come early for some reason.
Professor Marvos picked up a large roll of parchment and began to read. "Finnigan, Mui!" Shea Mui rolled her eyes, picked up her belongings, and headed over to Seamus. "Longbottom, Goyle!" Neville whimpered as Goyle walked over to him, cracking his knuckles. "DeVore, Crabbe!" Crabbe grinned and headed over to Danielle, who rolled her eyes. There was no denying it - Danielle had good looks. "Granger, Parkinson!" Hermione let out a tiny shriek, but allowed a quite busty Pansy to scoot in beside her. Pansy looked as if she were about to be sick. "Bulstrode, Weasley!" Ron glowered and Millicent grunted angrily. " Riviera, O'Leary!" After a few more names were called finally, "Potter, Malfoy!" was called.
Harry felt like screaming. Not Malfoy. He couldn't be paired with Malfoy. He closed his eyes and silently prayed that this was all a dream. He dreaded the looks of pity that the other Gryffindors shot at him. He heard a chair scrape beside him, and he knew it wasn't a dream.