Hope you like it! Feel free to leave comments. ~Wondersland

The next day in potions Harry couldn't keep his eyes off of Draco. He was two rows in front of him and slightly to the left, which left Harry with a perfect view of his back and profile. Harry's eyes scanned over and over the oblivious blonde, until Ron got his attention back on the potion they were supposed to be making.

"I have no idea why I even need to take this stupid class," Ron was saying.

Harry simply nods in agreement, reading over the ingredients list for the third time. Why were five things so hard to remember?!

"At least they didn't make us work with the Slytherin's this time," Ron nodded his head toward where the Slytherin's, including Draco, were seated.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, not quite hearing what Ron had said.

"I hear they are all bummed that they are going to lose the Quidditch Cup again this year," Ron said in a slightly raised tone.

That got Harry's attention and he glanced over at Draco to see one of his friends nudge his shoulder and motion over towards them.

Not wanting to start any more conflict Harry tried to calm Ron down. "I wouldn't say they are out of it…I mean no one has played a game yet."

Ron's eyebrows rose in shock. "You saying you think they could win?"

"No…I guess I just-"

"Because Malfoy has yet to beat you in…well, ever," Ron smirked, raising his voice again.

"I…" Harry bit his lip and forced himself not to look at Draco.

"You think he stands a chance?"

"I know he doesn't, but that's not the point."

"You don't think we have chance?" Draco snapped from his work station.

Harry turned to face him, and found him being confronted by Malfoy's smirk and cold eyes. Not wanting to seem weak in front of his fellow house mates, Harry puffed out his chest and snapped back, "I know you don't."

Malfoy took a moment to share a light laugh with the other Slytherin's before turning back to Harry and Ron. "I'd be careful how big you boast, Potter."

"Or what?" Ron instigated, clearly finding potions a lot more fun now.

"Daddy going to buy you the win?" Harry returned Malfoy's smirk.

Malfoy's eyes became colder and his posture stiff. "We could fly cercles autour de votre équipe de deuxième taux, pouvez-vous obtenir que par votre crâne épais?" Malfoy bit back then turned back to the work bench and continued slicing potions ingredients.

Harry blushed and ducked his head, pretending to read from the book.

"Dude…are you feeling okay?" Ron said, poking him in the side.

"Fine."

"Your cheeks are red."

"I said I'm fine," Harry willed his cheeks to cool off.

"Are you blushing!" Ron whispered, bumping their shoulders.

That was when Snape decided that he had had enough of their class and dismissed them. Harry could have hugged the grumpy professor. He shoved his belongings into his bag and rushed out of class, keeping his head down.

"Harry!" Ron called after him, but Harry just kept walking to his next lesson. It was the first time in his whole time at Hogwarts that he was early for a class.

HDHDHDHDHD

"Harry blushed in potions today," Ron said in-between mouthfuls of food. They were at dinner later that night.

Harry glared at Ron from across the table and he just smirked back.

Hermione smiled. "Oh really? What caused that?"

Harry just shrugged, focusing on pushing his food around his plate.

"Don't you share potions with the Slytherin's?" Hermione smirked.

"Yeah. What does that have to do with anything?" Ron fixed Hermione with a confused look.

"Oh, nothing I guess," Hermione focused on Harry.

"I think I'll head to bed," Harry said, pushing himself up from the table. "Want to get some flying in tomorrow."

"See you later man!" Ron waved him off.

On his way out Harry chanced a glanced over at the Slytherin table and found Malfoy with his head down, sitting in the middle of kids from their year, but he looked all alone. No one was talking to him, and he seemed to be curling in on himself.

I wonder what's got Malfoy all down, Harry wondered as he made his way back to the dorm.

HDHDHDHDHD

Turned out Harry couldn't go flying the next day. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, and he would much rather spend it going through the shops with his friends.

They had been wandering around the village for a good part of the morning, and into the afternoon. Harry had a bag full of school supplies that he forgot to but before term started, along with some sweets of course.

Now Harry was wondering around the outskirts of Hogsmeade looking for Ron and Hermione. He wasn't really looking that hard, knowing that they probably wanted sometime to themselves, but he had gotten bored looking at different quills. So, he opted to walk around by the woods.

When he came around the corner in a trail he spotted Draco and his father. They appeared to be engaged in a heated conversation a little way down the trail. Harry, overcome by curiosity, hid himself in the thick of the trees, and made his way toward the Malfoy's so that he could better hear their conversation. When he was close enough he peaked around one of the larger trees so that he could better observe the interaction.

"Now, onto the matter of your grades," Lucius was saying.

"My grades will be fine. I just had bad week," Draco's voice was weak, almost as if he expected his father to not believe him before he even spoke.

"You just had A bad week," Lucius let out a long sigh. "Honestly, Draco. It's as though you aren't even trying."

"In my schooling?"

"Don't get smart with me," Lucius snapped.

Draco dropped his gaze to the snow between their shoes.

Why wasn't he standing up for himself? It was an honest question and he obviously meant no malice behind it. Harry was genuinely confused by it all.

"Your English, Draco, is atrocious."

Draco was silent.

"Why do I bother hiring you tutors when you are useless?"

Again, Draco answered his father with silence.

Lucius stepped towards his son and forced Draco's chin up so their eyes met. "You will answer me."

"Mother speaks French," Draco said, gaining some power behind his voice.

"Your mother spoke French," Lucius's voice laced with annoyance. "Why do I even bother with you?"

"Vous êtes juste en travers parce que la mère m'a aimé plus qu'elle ne vous a jamais aimé," Draco snapped back, his eyes a blaze, body tense. (You are just cross because mother loved me more than she ever loved you.)

Lucius's hand whipped out and stuck Draco across the face, his head snapping to the side, the crack ringing out across the empty trail.

Draco turned his face slowly back to look his father in the eyes. From this angle, Harry could clearly see the angry red mark blossoming across Draco's cheekbone. It was in stark contrast against his ivory skin.

"You will live up to your name, or you will not have it all," Lucius said, his voice like ice. Then he turned and strode down the trail, away from Hogsmeade.

When he was out of sight, Draco's body relaxed and his shoulders sagged. He pulled his coat tighter around his thin frame and turned to face the forest where Harry was watching.

Harry quickly ducked behind the tree, but he obviously wasn't fast enough.

"Enjoy show, Potter?"