disclaimer: Harry Potter© J K Rowling, NO characters, spellbooks, potions, places, whatever, belong to me. *Blaaaaah, wish I owned Draco though...the little cutey...*

LoL, I'm not a good writer at all :) I've written about 14 fanfics so far, but they're all not good. Besides, I've never written slash before even though it makes up more than half of what I read. Wahahaha! what's more I'm not sure if this storyline has been used, but I haven't come across one like this yet!


Written by: Hardyz Angel
Rating: PG-13 (SLASH)
Timing: 5th year
Spoilers: Not too sure, but a few hints about what happened in books 1 to 4 might leak out...
Summary: a mid-term potions project assigned by Snape forces Harry and Malfoy to work together, or perhaps discover that there's more than being forced...

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

The Gryffindor common room was quiet even though the school had the Friday afternoon off. Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting at a table and actually studying, after chasing a bunch of noisy first-years out and shouting at the rest to shut up for a bit. "Is Venus going to collide with Mars tonight? Because that's what my star chart says" complained Ron, furiously erasing away the impossible disaster that he had just predicted. Hermione didn't look up and instead turned the page of the book she was reading muttering something about the effects of sleeping potion on newts. Ron peered over 3 piles of thick spellbooks to see Harry nodding off to sleep, so he reached over and prodded him hard in the side. Typical Friday afternoon for the fifth-years...they were all desperate to get a good number of O.W.L.s and the teachers, wanting that too, had given them more homework than they could take.

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

"Monday morning again..." grumbled Harry, flipping himself out of bed and rubbing his eyes. Neville heard him and wondered aloud anxiously "Oh no...is it REALLY Monday?" Ron nodded, his hair in a mess "Double potions" he said, then added in a sarcastic tone "with the slytherins"

The dungeons were always cold, no matter what the weather. A thermometer would have exploded with boredom as the temperature was always the same. Snape, however seemed to be in a good mood that day. He actually bestowed his evil smiles on everyone as they entered instead of greeting them with the usual sullen look on his face. "Mid-term projects" he announced, once the class was seated. "First time for fifth-years and it will be compulsory until your seventh year." But the class had yet to find out what he was so happy about. "I will now read out your names so you will know..." he paused, looking around, "...who I have ASSIGNED as your partner." Harry froze. This was it. Snape was going to use this as an oppurtunity to torture him. He would definately get a Slytherin for a partner, most probably Millicent Bulstrode, or even Crabbe, or Goyle or...

"Longbottom, you will do your project with miss Parkinson"
Snape had started reading out the names...

"Finnigan, you will pair up with mr Goyle"
so Goyle was out...

"Weasley, you go with..."
Say, Potter, Harry silently prayed...

"...miss Bulstrode"
Harry's heart hit the cold floor of the dungeon. He could see Ron pretending to gag while Millicent cracked her knuckles a few places behind him.

"Granger, you can..."
Harry covered his ears and shut his eyes. 'I'm not listening' he told himself. After a while, he got a shock when proffesor Snape wrenched his hand away and barked at him "POTTER!" It was Crabbe, he had Crabbe as a partner he said to himself, sitting up straight and smoothing down his robes. "Potter..." repeated Snape, this time in a voice which displayed pure evil, "you did not hear me the first time, did you? I shall repeat what I just said then, for your benefit," the whole class was staring and the Slytherins were all grinning at him with identical evil grins. NO, thought Harry, no no no no no no....it can't be.....

"Potter, you can do your mid-term potions project with mr Malfoy" If Harry had been screaming out loud, the windows 5 floors above would have shattered. He was left in shock as Snape said "I'm sure you will both give me a reason to give you the highest mark in the entire fifth year."

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

The Gryffindors were still complaining even after lunch, especially Ron. He was heard to be saying "I can't believe he gave me a GIRL for a partner" throughout the day, at which either Parvati or Hermione would have to 'Ahem' politely at him and send him a piercing stare. Harry was feeling the most miserable and Proffesor Trelawney's predictions didn't help as usual. She had sighed deeply after looking at his completed advanced star chart, then presented him with a large amulet to protect him from the 'dangers ahead'. Harry found it odd that she actually believed his predictions, as almost all of them were so extreme that they weren't likely to happen to anyone for at least another thousand years or so. He had been daydreaming during the divination lesson again. This time, he recalled what proffesor Snape had said about the project...

"You should all make time to meet up during your spare time to DISCUSS, PREPARE, and DO your projects. All of you will have to hand it to me in a months time, no excuses, no late work or no marks. AT ALL." repeated Snape in Harry's mind.

'Rats', he thought, 'Snape made me do the project with Malfoy on purpose.' He accidentally let his anger show by banging his fist on his table and startling everbody.

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Returning to the common room after divination, Harry bumped into Malfoy with Crabbe and Goyle by his side. "Should I do the project alone, Potter, and not give you any credit? Or should I have to do it with you, because I am forced to?" asked Malfoy in a disgusted tone.

"It was Snape's fault. He put us together, like I would ever want to work with..."

"That's right" said Malfoy softly. "It's his fault, but not even I can change it, Potter"

"look, I'm sure YOU can change that, all you have to do is go up to him and demand..."

"NO" Malfoy cut Harry off, "Not even his favourite student can change that. I am FORCED to work with an enemy of four years, and that is not going to stop me from getting less O.W.Ls than my father expects."

Harry stared at Malfoy.

"I care nothing for you, Potter, only about my marks. If you want a share of them too, meet me in the empty room behind the hidden staircase tomorrow after dinner. We have to start on this assignment that we are 'forced' to do together, and finish it. get over with it, and it's done"

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::
TO BE CONTINUED...OR NOT?

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