Borrowed the potions scene from HBP for this and reworked it...characters don't belong to me, belong solely to JKR...WB...
Draco got to potions just before the bell rang where he noticed Potter sitting with Prewett and Theo.
How did Potter get into NEWT level potions?
Taking the seat next to Blaise and across from Pansy, Draco nodded to his mate and set his book bag on the ground near his seat.
Then the door opened and out walked a rotund man with a beaming smile upon his face.
"Welcome to NEWT Potions. I would like all of you to gather around the front of the classroom as we have a special demonstration for you today."
Everyone made a semi-circle around several cauldrons that were simmering and one vial that looked to be no bigger than a large gobstone with some kind of liquid inside.
"Now, I have brewed a few special potions for your perusal today. Can anyone tell me what these might be?"
Hermione raised her hand, and Slughorn beamed at her while Theo and Potter chuckled.
Pansy just scoffed and rolled her eyes.
Draco watched Hermione walk over and gently sniff the first cauldron and he watched her observe the contents closely before she spoke.
"That one is veritaserum. It's a truth telling serum. And that one is Polyjuice Potion. It allows the drinker to temporarily turn into someone else for no more than an hour." She moved to the last cauldron and grimaced. "This one is terribly tricky to make. It's Amortentia...the most powerful love potion in the world." Draco watched her swallow as she looked back hesitantly at their Professor. "It's rumored to smell differently to each person according to what attracts them." She glanced back at the cauldron and moved a bit closer before she spoke again—her voice hesitant...
"For example I smell New Parchment, sandalwood and..." Draco's gaze lifted as he waited for her to say the last item but she seemed to be struggling for a few seconds.
Then she finally bit out, "Spearmint toothpaste."
Draco smirked inwardly. She had just lied. That wasn't what she had smelled but he had to give her credit. Whatever it was—had shaken her to the point that she either didn't want to acknowledge it or didn't know why she was smelling it.
Curious.
"Now Amortentia doesn't create actual love," Professor Slughorn admonished playfully, "that would be impossible, but it does cause powerful infatuation or obsession and for that reason it's probably the most dangerous potion in this room."
Draco grinned at Blaise, who was watching several of their female classmates walking towards the cauldron in a trance. When the Professor put the lid on the top of the cauldron, several of the girls stepped back.
Katie Bell, once she was feeling a bit more herself, said, "Sir, you haven't told us what's in that one?"
"Ah, yes...what you see before you ladies and gentlemen is a curious little potion known as Felix Felicis. It is more commonly referred to as..."
"Liquid Luck." Hermione blurted out and Slughorn nodded at her proudly.
"Yes, Miss Prewett. Liquid Luck. Desperately tricky to make and disastrous should you get it wrong. One sip and you will find that all your endeavors will succeed. At least until the effects wear off." Draco's gaze locked on the small bottle with intrigue.
"So, this is what I offer each of you today. One tiny vial of Liquid Luck for the student in the hour that remains manages to brew an acceptable draft of living death. Recipes for which can be found on page ten of your books. I should point out however that only one student managed to brew a potion of sufficient quality to claim this prize. Nevertheless, good luck to you all. Let the brewing commence!"
Draco grinned inwardly pleased—as he'd brewed this potion with his godfather several times and knew that the recipe in the book was utter rubbish.
He went to his work station as he heard Potter claim that he hadn't the book for their class—as he'd enrolled in the class late. Slughorn directed him to the back of the classroom where the extra books were held in a cupboard and Draco didn't listen any further as he proceeded with his task.
It was nearly an hour later when he looked down at his cauldron and smirked.
His potion was perfect.
When he gazed up, he grinned at Hermione who appeared frustrated...her hair back to looking like its former frizzy self and he chuckled at how adorable she was.
He didn't realize how much he missed her curls until this moment.
Well, teasing her about said curls.
When their Professor got to him, he looked into the cauldron wide-eyed and beamed in delight before taking a leaf and dropping it in.
"Excellent work, Mr. Malfoy! Your potion is perfect!"
Draco nodded and when he caught Prewett's glare, he smirked and winked.
Then Slughorn got to Potter and the man gushed over his potion too. Draco's gaze narrowed in disbelief as there was simply no way that Harry fucking Potter would have known all the modifications of the textbook recipe required to make a perfect Draught of Living Death.
But Slughorn was heaping praise on the Boy Who Lived, and then said, "In all my years I've never had two students brew such perfect potions! Therefore this prize will be shared between the both of you. Come back tomorrow and I will make sure you each have your fair share."
Harry just nodded smugly at him, but Draco smelled a rat.
After they cleaned up, Draco saw Potter put his tattered potions book into his book bag. He followed the wizard out of the classroom until they had made their way around the corner and towards the stairs before he called out Potter's name.
He watched the Gryffindor stop and stare back at him, while Hermione just seemed confused.
Theo's smirk was telling though.
"Okay Potter, want to explain just how you did that?"
"I don't know what you mean Malfoy?"
Draco sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before he jutted his chin to a side door and gestured for Potter, Theo and Hermione to follow him inside.
Blaise came with him, as his mate was silently laughing under his breath.
When they were all in the room, Draco silenced and warded the room.
"I'm going to give you one chance to make this right Potter. There is no possible way you could have brewed that potion on your own."
"Malfoy..." Hermione's voice was cold and held a warning edge, but he just put his hands up placatingly.
"Look...My Godfather is Professor Snape and I have been brewing potions with him since I could sit at a cauldron and pay attention. So I know that our books instructions are utter rubbish. There are so many modifications to that potion that only someone who's brewed it on multiple occasions would know that the sophorous beans need to be crushed...not chopped. And that 13 beans need to be used, not 12. That there is a clockwise stir after every seven counter-clockwise stirs." Draco's gaze was blistering as he moved into the Gryffindor's personal space and demanded in a harsh voice, "Now tell me Potter, how in Merlin's name did you know how to do that?"
Hermione eyes widened comically and then she turned the full force of her glare on her brother and held her hand out.
Harry, looked down in shame before he took the potions book out of his book bag and handed it to his sister.
She opened it to page ten and gasped in shock.
"Harry James Potter!"
"Sorry Mione."
She flitted through the pages until she got to the front cover and saw the inscription inside.
"This book belongs to the Half-Blood Prince? Who in Merlin's name is that?"
Draco scoffed and gave Harry his most contemptuous sneer.
"That, my dear Prewett—is Severus old potions textbook."
"Huh?"
"His Mother was Eileen Prince."
"Oh?" She blushed and handed the book to Malfoy and then smacked her brother upside the head. "Harry, do you realize what might've happened had Malfoy chosen to go to Professor Snape with his suspicions?" She then shook her head. "Please give that back to Professor Snape, Malfoy."
"I will." He then leveled another caustic sneer at Potter. "I won't embarrass you in front of Slughorn, Potter. The man obviously has a huge crush of some kind on you or maybe it's just misplaced hero worship." Blaise and Theo snorted while Potter glared, his face turning red.
Hermione just shook her head and mouthed, 'really?'
Draco shrugged but went on. "You pick up your winnings tomorrow and then give it to Theo to return to me and we will forget this incident ever happened."
"What are you going to want from me Malfoy?" Harry bit out while Draco smirked triumphantly.
"Who knows Potter. Your firstborn, your firebolt?" Draco cupped his hand on his chin as he hummed seriously at that brilliant idea—but Hermione's playfully irritated 'Malfoy' had him re-thinking that idea. "I'll come up with something."
"I bet you will." Harry muttered petulantly and hissed when his sister wandlessly zapped his arse, causing him to yelp.
"Hey!"
"Don't 'hey' me brother mine. You cheated and not very smartly. What have I told you about that?"
"Don't do something unexpected unless I know I won't be caught."
"Exactly."
Draco coughed out a laugh and even Blaise and Theo snickered.
"Do tell, Miss Prewett."
"Please Malfoy, as if I'm going to share my more dubious exploits with a Slytherin."
"I'm sure Theo knows." Blaise parlayed back and Theo just folded his arms over his chest in smug satisfaction.
"Because she knows she can trust me."
"And I'll set his arse on fire too, if he betrays me."
"Yes, that too." Theo winked, and Hermione could only smile fondly at her cousin.
She really had come to care for him quite a lot.
"Are we good here?" Theo asked, and Draco nodded before he and Blaise left the room.
When they were gone, Harry just stared morosely at the closed door.
"You got off easy mate." Theo offered evenly. "Draco could have had you brought up on disciplinary charges if nothing else. Dumbledore would've been hard pressed to save your sorry arse for cheating in a NEWT class and your Auror aspirations?"
Theo made the explosion sign with his hand and Harry nodded solemnly.
"No, I get it. I'm just surprised is all."
"I'm not." Theo said softly. "Draco put our whole house on alert last night. If anyone uses the word mudblood he made it clear he would go after them. He wants to try and make Slytherin respectable to other houses."
Both Hermione and Harry stared at Theo in disbelief.
"Why?" Hermione bit out and Theo shrugged like he was wont to do.
"Honestly? Now that the Dark Lord is gone I think Draco sees this as the freedom he was never able or allowed to have while the threat of Voldemort loomed large over his family. Lucius has made it clear he wants the taunting to stop. He thinks that in order for those in our house to be taken seriously, changes need to be made."
"And you believe he's sincere?" Harry asked incredulously and Theo nodded.
"He is."
And with that, both Harry and Hermione watched Theo walk out of the empty classroom with matching stunned looks plastered upon their faces.