This story was originally published from 2007-2010 before I removed it around 2012. Recently, I decided to rework it and republish it.

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Harry was rudely awoken by an impatient Malfoy poking him in the ribs. He groaned and blinked owlishly up at the blond.

"What?" he asked. His brain was still half asleep and the logic of the real world hadn't kicked in yet.

"Well, for one thing," Malfoy snapped, crossing his arms in front of him. "It's lunchtime." Harry sat up, shaking his head to clear the last of the sleep from his brain.

"Are Ron and Hermione looking for me?"

"No. Maybe. I don't know. I haven't seen Granger or the Weasel. I imagine they're still working on their potions."

"Then why the hell are you here?" Newly awoken Harry was quite blunt, Draco realized. No tact at all. He wondered what things he could get him to confess to in this state. He filed that information away for later. He needed to apologize to Harry before he lost his nerve.

"I came to say that I was sorry," he said quickly. Then he studied his nails, pretending to find them very interesting so that he wouldn't have to see the shocked look that was sure to be passing over Harry's face.

"That's very big of you, Malfoy." Harry swung his legs off the couch and stood up. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gotten so angry."

"No," Draco said, now staring at the floor about two feet to the left of Harry's foot. "You had every right to be upset. I shouldn't have avoided the subject. The truth is I'm not very good at talking about my emotions or my personal life. And it's all the more complicated because it's you." Harry walked up to him and took one of his hands. Then he reached up with his free hand and lifted Draco's chin up until the blond was looking at him.

"It's okay," Harry whispered. "I get it. You don't want anyone to know about us."

"Well, no," Draco said. "But that's not what I meant."

"I'm not going to say anything to anyone. I'm a very private person too, you know, despite what the Daily Prophet might have you think. As a rule, I don't talk about how I feel, unless it's something physical like my scar hurting, so I'm not very good at it either." Draco gave him a small, disheartened smile.

"Damn it, Potter, I'm trying to talk about how I think I might like you."

"And I would like to say for the record that I didn't hate last night either and I might just like you too." They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity but in reality was only a few seconds. Then Harry glanced down at his watch and said,

"Oh! Time for lunch." He made to pull away but Draco gripped his hand firmly.

"Oh, no you don't, Potter," he said. "You don't get to just walk away after all of that without kissing me again."Harry smirked at him.

"Good," he said. "I'm glad you said that as I feel the same way." He reached up and cupped Draco's cheek in his hand before leaning in and pressing their lips together.

Apologizing, Draco decided as Harry's tongue ran over his bottom lip, wasn't so bad after all.

…

They were fifteen minutes late to lunch, but they were still two of the first Gryffindor and Slytherin sixth years to sit down at their respective tables. Harry spotted Hermione at the Gryffindor table and sat down across from her. She was engrossed in the potions book that she was annotating, so he waved at her briefly and then began to fill his plate with food.

It was a full ten minutes before Ron dropped his bag down next to Harry and joined them.

"Mental," he said. "That woman is absolutely bloody mental. Snape clearly paired us so that I would fail this assignment." He piled sandwiches on his plate and began shoving them into his mouth. Hermione sighed and put down her quill.

"Was it really that bad?" she asked.

"Yes," Ron said vehemently. "I was trying really hard to do things right and she kept blaming me for the fact that it wasn't going as well as it could be. It was infuriating, which of course made it go even worse." Hermione reached over and patted him gently on the forearm.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's not the end of the world, though. One of the good things about this potion is that there's time to fix things that go wrong." Ron groaned.

"Stop reminding me that this damn thing is going to take six weeks. Six weeks! I don't know if I'm going to make it." He buried his head in his arms.

"How did you potion go, Harry?" Hermione asked. She looked at him with concern. "I can't believe Snape paired you with Malfoy again. I can't imagine that went well." Harry shrugged.

"It was fine." Ron looked up from his arms. Harry shrugged again. "Malfoy is good at potions, so he was all business. At least until we had finished adding ingredients for the time being. Then, of course, he was a git." Ron nodded sagely.

"Git," he agreed.

Harry was pleased with how the conversation had played out because technically it was true. They had been civil until they had finished working for the lesson and then they had argued. His only lie was one of omission, when he failed to mention their make up (and make out) session.

"How 'bout you, Hermione?" Harry asked. "You got to lunch before I did." Harry wondered if he would have been the first to lunch if he hadn't fallen asleep.

"It could have been worse," Hermione said. "Zabini and I at least seem to share the same desire for good grades."

"Yeah," Ron said. "Plus he's not an ass like Malfoy."

"Well, he did seem a bit annoyed to be stuck working with a Muggle-born," Hermione continued, rolling her eyes. "He was quite reluctant to hold hands while we were adding the ingredients, but he did manage to in the end."

"I really don't understand these pureblood morons," Ron said. "Don't they understand what inbreeding is?" Harry snorted with laughter and Hermione gave Ron a small, grateful smile.

"Yes, well," Hermione said. "If you don't like Muggles, you probably aren't going to appreciate their science, are you?"

"But see Hermione," Ron protested. "I learned!" He seemed very proud of himself.

"Yes, Ron," Hermione agreed, trying to keep the condescension out of her voice. "You did eventually." Ron grinned and Harry did his best not to laugh.

…

At seven that evening, Harry stood up.

"Well," he announced to Ron, Hermione, and Seamus. "I'm off to work on our potion." Hermione looked at the clock and frowned.

"You're leaving rather early," she said. "I don't need to be there until seven forty and you didn't arrive at lunch until well after I got there."

"We finished decently early," Harry said. "But then we spent a good while insulting each other. Plus, I want to be early so that I can get started on the ingredients so that we can spend as little time working on it as possible."

There was a moment in which Ron, Hermione, and Seamus all looked at each other before they began to gather their things as one, in unspoken agreement that Harry was right. Harry grinned and stuffed his herbology homework in his bag along with the rest of his books.

…

Draco looked around the common room in irritation. Someone had pointed out the giant squid in the window and now the First Years were crowded around and squealing at it. One of them was tapping on the glass trying to get the squid's attention.

"Ooh no, Thomas," one of the girls cried. "What if you break the glass?"

"Scared of getting wet, Millie?" the boy called Thomas sneered. A chorus of laughs and jeers followed. Draco ground his teeth and glared over at them. Didn't they have any homework they were supposed to be doing?

"Stupid Firsties," Pansy said, looking up. "They'll learn."

"You're damn right they will," Draco muttered. He pulled out his wand, pointed it at the First Years and said, "Silencio." He, Blaise and Pansy watched as the First Years continued to mouth at each other, becoming more and more panicked as no sound came out. Thomas's eyes bulged and he clutched his throat. Blaise shook his head.

"Finite incantatum," he said and the common room exploded in the sounds of First Years screaming.

"Idiots," Draco said. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was time to go. "Well, time to get back to potions." He put extra effort in sounding as unexcited by the prospect as he could. "See you later." He picked up his books and stalked out of the common room. Pansy looked at Blaise who shrugged and continued working on his Charms essay.

Draco did his best not to seem too happy to see Harry when he walked into their private room. His shock at the fact that the brunet was already slicing the mushrooms that were their next ingredient was genuine however and he did little to hide it.

"It seems someone has trained you well, Potter," he said. Harry looked up and frowned at him but continued slicing.

"I just figured this way we could be finished more quickly," Harry said coolly.

"Fair point," Draco agreed. He began to roll up his sleeves. "I'll tackle the polar bear liver then, shall I?" Harry wrinkled his nose and nodded.

"Please." Draco rummaged around in his bag for his dragon skin gloves and pulled them out triumphantly. Harry looked up from the mushrooms and gave him a quizzical look. "What're the gloves for?"

"I'm not touching polar bear liver," Draco said. "I don't want my skin to fall off." Harry rolled his eyes.

"I think that only happens if you eat it, Draco."

"I'm not taking any chances," the blond replied. He left Harry to the mushrooms and walked across the hall to the chilled storeroom. Picking up his and Harry's allotment of liver, he noticed that they were the first to get to this point and he smiled to himself as he turned to leave the room. He dropped the smile when he saw Hermione standing in the doorway.

"Granger," he said, nodding at her as she walked into the room.

"Malfoy."

"I say that I was surprised that you were here so early, but then both you and Blaise are such goody two shoes that you probably cooperated quite well for your potion."

"I'm surprised to see you here before me," she retorted. "It's almost as if you and Harry were getting along while making yours."

"Don't mistake my desire for good grades for any kind of desire for that speccy git," Draco replied and pushed past her out the door. Hermione raised her eyebrows but said nothing. A second later Draco hurried back. "I meant 'desire to spend any time with that speccy git'. It's late and I'm in a hurry to get these back to prepare them." And he left the storeroom again cursing under his breath.