Oh god I'm scared. I'm going to try my best, so please, be merciful and leave my appendages and vital organs intact when you bombard us with angry reviews.
~~Nikohl + Jamie (but mostly Nikohl)

Disclaimer: We certainly do not own Harry Potter. If we did we would not be on this site feeding your sick fetishes.

This fic is a collaboration between myself and DoYouFallToo, my best friend. We also ask that you read his and my other fics, if you have the time.

Warning: Eventual slash. Geddova it. We write what we like.

"RON! I told you already, it's your own fault that you lost Dragomir! Crookshanks has been in the library with me. And who names a rat after a Quidditch player anyway?" Hermione snapped.

Harry sighed as he dropped his Charms book on the desk. As usual, his two best friends were fighting. This time, it was over Ron's new rat, Dragomir, who happened to be named after the Chudley Cannons' Seeker, and who was currently lost-or, as Ron was convinced, was currently occupying Crookshanks's stomach. Harry, who was tired of it and had an awful headache, asked them to please quiet down.

As Flitwick climbed on top of his stack of books, Hermione and Ron both slammed down their books and sat on opposite sides of Harry, refusing to look at each other. At that moment, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that someone was watching him. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled as he turned and looked at the corner of the room, where a man happened to be sitting. His auburn hair fell in curls to just above his shoulder. In his arms, he held a white cat who purred idly. Harry's attention was drawn to his face. The man had broad cheekbones and a strong jaw. His lips were thin and cruel. Underneath well-trimmed eyebrows, the stranger's sharp green eyes stared calmly into Harry's. A shiver ran down his back, and he felt as if the man could see into his mind, and even into his soul. The corner of his thin mouth twitched into a smile. Flitwick, who had reached the top of his stack of books, cleared his throat.

"Now class," he squeaked excitedly. "You might have noticed that we have a guest today. His name is Abner Kuhn, and he will be observing your classes. He will be looking for the most talented students to do something VERY important. So, as you practice your wand quivering technique, keep that in mind!"

As soon as Flitwick announced the news, whispering broke out, heads were turned, and, in the case of some females, giggles were made. Hermione immediately sat up straighter and smoothed her hair. She started slightly flicking her wrist to send a tremor down her wand, and all this was recognized by the man as a desperate attempt at gaining his attention. He chuckled and looked on with amusement as Hermione suddenly started making mistakes. She wiggled her wand; shook it, twirled it even, but could not get it to quiver. Angry tears started forming in her eyes as onlookers snickered, including Abner.

As Hermione set down her wand in frustration and embarrassment, her face turned bright as Harry, through a stroke of luck, executed a perfect wand quiver. She glared at him with a fury like no other. Harry simply smiled and continued practicing. After a few small mistakes, he figured out that the wand quivered most when held straight in front of him. Hermione caught on, but her hand was shaking too much for it to work properly. Harry smiled sympathetically, but stopped almost immediately once he noticed the calculating look that Abner was giving him.

During the rest of his classes, Harry was extremely aware of Abner watching him, and now Malfoy, who seemed to have a sudden increase in talent now that this Abner guy had showed up. Harry wasn't, as he explained to Hermione as they sat down for dinner, interested in being chosen, and in fact wished that the man would hurry up and pick someone and go.

"Well, you didn't have to show off like that in Charms." She snapped.

"Oh, come off it, Hermione!" Ron cut in, shoving a pile of potatoes into his mouth. "Harry, don't listen to her. She just can't stand the fact that you did something better."

"Hello. That Abner guy is really cool, isn't he? He must be really important-I wonder if he'll let me take a picture with him!" Colin Creevey said cheerfully as he sat across from Harry. "Imagine if I got picked! I'll bet that the mission is brilliant! Of course, you'll probably get picked, Hermione. I'm barely passing as it is."

Hermione stabbed her steak angrily, face reddening. Harry was about to reassure her that she would definitely get picked when he caught sight of Abner talking to Dumbledore. The headmaster was smiling and nodding, staring straight at him. Harry's palms got sweaty as Dumbledore stood and walked in front of the staff table, followed closely by Abner. Everyone instantly fell silent. Dumbledore smiled and gestured toward Abner, who cleared his throat.

"As you have been previously told, I have been visiting each class, searching for the most talented individuals. Hogwarts has an abundance of such students, to say the least." His eyes flickered towards Hermione, who grinned stupidly, and the Ravenclaw table. "However, I was also looking for a certain sort of character, too. The people I have chosen will have to face many dangers and be able to compliment each other's abilities. After much careful consideration and collaboration with your headmaster, I have come to a conclusion." The Great Hall broke out in excited whispers. "The students I have chosen are Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy."

Harry felt his stomach drop as he looked at his mortal enemy, who was making a disgusted face right back at him. This, they both knew, was not going to be pleasant.

OHMIGAD DON'T KILL ME! Er, US! Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames will toast Nikohl's letlows. Should we continue?

NARWHALS TO AAAALLLLL (that review muthafuckas),

Nikohl + Jamie(again, mostly Nikohl)