Continuation for all stories!

Author's Note: Yes, it has been a while. Blame AP tests and
final exams. Not to mention a few million other distractions,
most originating from school. Anyhoo, this portion continues
from the last multistory part- once the students are out of
potions class it will return to the usual separate stories,
however, so bear with me here if you prefer that :-)

Disclaimer: THIS IS S-L-A-S-H! And this is where it starts to
show up, not all that physically quite yet, but if that sort
of thing offends you for whatever bigoted reason you may have,
then go read something else. Please. Otherwise, read on, and
I'd love to hear from anyone with similar tastes :-)

PS: For those of you who clamoured for more of Harry- I don't
remember who it was, but I'm sure it was someone- you'll get
it in this chapter!

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Harry stood in the back of the potions classroom, akwardly
gathering his ingredients together as he searched the room
for a partner. For a moment, however brief, Harry wished
that Colin Creevey were in the class- at least then he
wouldn't have to be alone. As it was, the only Gryffindor
without a partner was Hermione. And Harry refused to humble
himself by going over to her. Which left the Slytherins.
Well, what the hell? Neville had done it. So could he.

Pansy Parkinson edged away from Milicent Bulstrode warily.
She looked around hopelessly for Draco, but he was nowhere
to be found. Not again! Pansy was sick of Draco avoiding
her- she'd waited for him for over an hour in the library
that very morning when he said he'd meet her there, but
he never had. And now, he'd left her to babysit Millicent.
Well, not today. Marching to the back of the room, Pansy
went to confront Draco- and almost collided with Harry.

Harry gritted his teeth in annoyance as several of his
carefully chopped glow worms went flying from his cauldron.
"Is there some reason you're running through the classroom,
Parkinson?" He snapped icily.

"None of your business, Potter." She noted with surprise
that the boy wonder was working alone. Oh no, Pansy- you
aren't really thinking that. Well... why not? At the very
least, it might make Draco jealous. "Potter... do you need
a lab partner?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione tossed the last of the ingredients into her potion,
setting it to boil with a flick of her wand. She glanced up
at the clock- Ginny would be in Transfiguration right now.
Mayhbe working on her shielding spells would help Ginny blow
off some steam. Hopefully. Because otherwise, she would have
to get Ron to tell Ginny that there was nothing going on
between them.

And that would be problematic... because Hermione wanted Ron
to ask her to the upcoming Yule Dance. She couldn't exactly
go with Ginny, and as a prefect she needed to be there. If
at all possible, she had to settle this without getting Ron
involved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ron stared in awe around the room that served as Snape's
"office." Everything was black, green, or silver- clearly,
Snape's devotion to House Slytherin ran deep. Or he wanted
people to believe it did. Either way, it didn't surprise
him. What surprised him was that this was clearly no office.
A wardrobe and bookshelf lined one wall across from a
luxorious four poster bed, but there was no desk in sight.

Severus fumed silently as he led Ron into his chambers.
The image of Lockhart suffering through the night as he
lost some of his newly regained memories was still fresh
in his mind, and it was hard for him not to give into the
temptation to strangle Ron right then and there. However,
he valued his position at Hogwarts too much for that.
And besides, physical strength had never been one of his
traits.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Any student at Hogwarts could attest that there was
nothing quite so terrifying as being stared down by Snape.
For Ron, the terror was twofold, as he hadn't the slightest
idea what he'd done to deserve the Professor's rage. Snape's
gaze had the same ability to petrify as the stare of a
baskilisk, and Ron felt that all too clearly now as he
quivered before him. When Snape *still* did not speak,
Ron could handle it no longer.

The first words to escape Ron's lips were- unsurprisingly
considering who he was faced with- an apology. "Professor
Snape, I'm sorry I didn't make it to mix the potion for
you yesterday... but I couldn't get out until late and
then it was time for light's out..."

Snape rolled his eyes in disgust. "And just why was it,
Weasley," he murmured venomously, "That you couldn't
find the time for it earlier? This isn't some assignment
you can blow off and forget about.

"This is a man's mind. Does that mean nothing to you?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Neville's potion making abilities suffered from his
perpetual distraction, and though he had the decency not
to comment, Draco was beginning to get more than a little
frustrated with him. Finally, when Neville looked up
from his cauldron to glance at the door of Snape's office
for the sixteenth time- Draco had been counting- he could
take it no more. "What is it, Neville?? Is there something
fascinating about that door the rest of us just can't see?"

Having the decency to blush at the question, Neville said
in a whisper, "It's nothing, really."

Draco smiled cynically. "My dear Neville, 'nothing' isn't
worth all the attention you've been directing over there.
So what is it?"

"Well..." Neville giggled, a rather feminine sound for all
that it came from the mouth of a teenage boy. "I was just
wondering what Ron and Snape are really up to, I guess."

"I bet they're making out."

"Draco!" Neville gasped with a mix of embarrassment and
shock. "Really... that's just bloody unlikely."

"You think so, eh?" Draco smirked. "I'll make you a bet.
If Ron comes out of there looking...satisfied, you buy
me dinner tonight in Hogsmeade."

"Well..." Neville pretended to consider it. "That's not
really fair, is it? He could come out of there looking
happy for some other reason, for all you know."

Draco gave him a look. "Oh yes, because we all know that
being dragged into Snape's office is an occasion for
such joy and celebration. Especially when Snape looks
as mad as he did earlier."

Neville grinned- Draco certainly had a point. It wasn't
like Snape had called Ron in there to throw him a party
or something. "Alright, it's a bet. But if... correction,
*when*... I end up winning, you owe me dinner tonight."

The two shook on it, both confident that they would win.
Neville was certain of it, even.

After all... if Ron were gay, surely Neville would have
noticed it before now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry and Pansy labored in silence, neither one willing
to be the first to speak. The cauldron between them
simmered as it boiled while the two of them simmered
equally inside- with the heat of rage. Ever since being
cast off by their respective significant others, both
had been alone. And from their loneliness only hatred
had risen.

If anyone had told Harry a year ago that he'd have more
in common with Pansy than with Hermione, he'd have laughed.
But now, as he fell deeper into self imposed isolation,
he felt a kinship with Pansy that he would never before
have imagined.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione hovered over her potion as it boiled, checking
and rechecking the list of ingredients as she put the
finishing touches on it. Now all she needed was for
Snape to come out and criticize it... should only be
a few minutes from now, she thought wrily, glancing up
at the clock.

Even after several years of taking potions, a way to
please Snape with her endeavors had still not come to
her. She'd read all the textbooks, made all the potions
with enviable precision, and none of it seemed to have
helped. And now, she had another perfect potion on her
hands that he would pass by with only a snarl.

Hermione looked again at the list of ingredients. What
was it Ron had said yesterday... ingredients not making
sense... Hmm. Why was it, she wondered, that unicorn
hair was in here? Phoenix feathers would be more
effective...

Suddenly resolved, Hermione went and poured her potion
down the sink, ignoring the horrified gasps of her
classmates. Returning to the ingredients table, she
began to pick out new supplies... this time with her
own variations.

For once, her grade was the furthest thing from her
mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco and Neville sat on the bench near their cauldron,
bored. Their potion had been finished over fifteen minutes
before, thanks to Draco's rather inventive shortcuts.

Neville watched as Hermione dumped her entire potion
into the sink. "What do you think got into her?" He
whispered, nudging Draco and gesturing over to Hermione.

Draco grinned, a hearty laugh escaping him. "Maybe the
little Granger finally wisened up."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of the second joint part in the series! Please review:
what do you think of this style? There will be another part
like this to finish off the sequence before it returns to
my usual style :-D

ATTENTION ALL READERS: I'm looking for a beta reader for
future parts... there are so many details to keep track of
these days that I need some help. If you'd be willing to
help out, leave a review with your email address.