Look like th'serpent, but be the innocent flower under't

A/N: 'ello me again. Thank you to all you cuddly adorable people who reviewed I love you all!! And a special thanks to Kat (Chaos' dragon) for generally being amazing! Love you forever pixi!!! I'll make this chapter a wee bit longer hopefully so here goes...

*****

Hermione rested her head genteelly on the gangling shoulder of her fiery red-haired friend as Harry grinned into his cauldron with dismay. Six years and they still feverishly denied that either cared anything for the other despite glances across the common room and the loving laughter in each of their smiles.

"Granger, Weasley! Ten points from Gryffindor for disgusting the rest of the class with your pitiable romantic intentions." Snape bellowed over the babble of the class. Harry held his stomach to prevent exploding and polluting the Potions masters dungeon with his laughter. The scarlet faces of his disbelieving friends shone through the dank air and Harry nestled his head in his shoulder to conceal his smirk. As Hermione and Ron shuffled their stools apart, all self discipline ruptured, along with his insides, as he cackled deafeningly at Snape's crooked back. The figure spun slowly on his heel,

"And for your constantly obnoxious behaviour, Potter, a detention" Harry slumped back into his chair and said nothing to ensure he didn't give his least favourite teacher any further pleasure though his face was still flushed with laughter. He was home. Harry knew his instinctive response to the Hogwarts environment was clichéd – past generations had no doubt felt the same way, though few would have felt the homeliness during a lesson in Snape's dungeon. Nevertheless, here he belonged; whether it was the dungeon or the Gryffindor Common Room, it didn't matter after six weeks at the Durselys'. Even Snape and the prospect of a detention was a welcome break.

"Now if I may, Potter, I would like to start the lesson," Snape willed Harry to attack him for being an insufferable bastard hoping to deduct more points from the outspoken Gryffindor. Harry smiled and, relieved to be addressing Snape and not Vernon, cleared his throat.

"Yes Professor Snape, I see no reason why not." Harry glanced around the classroom, indicating that he could see no reason for delaying the lesson as all pupils seemed to be present. Receiving encouraging and daring looks from the Gryffindors and Slytherins respectively, Harry stared at Snape square on before straightening his parchment and neatly aligning his books on his desk.

"Thank you, Mr Potter. Your generosity is unrivalled." He scowled at Harry with exceptional loathing. "You may choose your partners today; I'm feeling in a charitable mood." No pupil in the whole of the school would believe Snape was capable of charity, but if his sarcasm worked to their advantage, few were prepared to complain, grabbing at the small pleasures offered. "Except you Potter, and your little clique. Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy, I must apologise. Crabbe you're with Weasley, Goyle with Potter and Granger, you're with Malfoy."

*****

After what seemed like hours, slaving over his cauldron as sweat glistened down his face, Harry was beyond frustrated with Crabbe who did nothing to help with the potion, instead choosing to lean back against the table and sleep. Clearly, he had to catch up after a vigorous late night spree, which primarily focused on the torment of first years. No doubt he would want to test the finished potion, if he ever woke up; Harry personally prayed he wouldn't, but then again – if he didn't the snoring would never stop. Upon awakening, he would be greeted with the ability to breathe fire painlessly. Sixth year potions may not be all it could be especially with Snape as a teacher but the brews, at least, had some entertainment value on rare occasions.

"Potter, I know fame has blinded you but what colour is this... concoction?" Harry frowned at his green potion. He'd only trusted Goyle to remain asleep and not tamper with the potion whilst he cut the last roots he needed.

"It's green I believe Professor."

"Green, Potter? And what colour did you intend it to be?"

"I intended it to be red sir but my partner clearly didn't agree," Harry frowned at Goyle, (who had reverted back to his sleeping position, snoring more loudly than he had preciously) before turning and attempting to stare out the black pools of Hades scowling down at him.

"May I help Professor?" The voice came from behind them but for once, it wasn't Hermione.

"Draco?" His name stopped at the back of the professor's throat and Snape's startled face shone with bewilderment, as did many others. Draco Malfoy was offering to help Harry Potter because one of his goons has sabotaged his potion? Something was clearly not right, yet the conviction conveyed by his engaging features was firm. Draco swaggered towards Harry's desk, his chin high and with his arms behind his back, exposing his chest as if at were a primeval gesture of trust.

"Can I not try to make amends Har- Potter?" At this, Snape swallowed; he had never understood Draco, or where his intellect originated as it certainly wasn't inherited from his father's side but now wasn't an appropriate time to analyse the situation. Nevertheless, he was his prize pupil and so Snape chose to dart off, robes billowing behind him. Harry said nothing and continued trying, in vain, to correct his potion. After a drawn out silence, Harry found it impossible to ignore Draco's presence.

"I've fixed it myself but thank you for the thought - Malfoy," Harry spat as the potion momentarily changed to the burning red colour expected before returning to a slimy shade of green.

"It seems you really do need me Potter!" Raising an eyebrow, Draco casually grabbed a handful of the salamander skin which Harry had discarded and tossed it into the cauldron turning the potion the mandatory red. Harry was nothing less than gobsmacked although he couldn't bring himself to thank his rival. Why should he? One good turn did not make a slimy Slytherin bastard like Malfoy virtuous.

"Everyone must drink their potion," Snape angled his glare in Neville's direction, "and anyone who breathes fire towards any other pupil will have detention every day until the end of the year and will lose 100 house points for ever day they dare to live through the humiliation." The class turned glumly to their cauldrons and drank, hoping they wouldn't wake up having vile potions poured down their throats by Madame Pomfrey. Pansey in particular was imagining the unflattering infirmary robes misshaping the curves she believed she possessed.

Hermione was the first brave soul and apprehensively sipped at her potion, aware that Drac0 would find it near impossible to resist tweaking the potion to his own exclusive version. The mixture swirled deliriously around her tongue until the vanilla pods burst into flames inside her mouth. The potion burnt its way down her throat, scorching her stomach and she lent over desperately concealing the pain coursing through her. She looked towards Malfoy, her eyes flaming with anger. She wanted to scream, making sure that he knew only too well that she thought he was a hard-hearted bastard but feared he may be honoured by it. Instead no words came, only a hiccup followed by an apathetic puff of smoke and the pain subsided.

"Oh sorry Miss Granger. I forgot to warn you that such a potion could have side affects on mudbloods like yourself," Draco sneered. Luckily for his own personal safety, it was only said loud enough for the two of them to hear.

Harry glanced behind and found himself looking into the glistening eyes of Malfoy, grinning laughably at the handsome Slytherin.

"Drink up Harry," Draco murmured lustfully. 'What am I thinking?' Harry said to himself. 'Malfoy? Handsome?!' Nevertheless, he was so caught up in the hormonal moment; he drank the potion without a second thought.

No pain and no apparent side affects? Harry just couldn't understand this seemingly reformed Draco nor why he kept looking his nemesis up and down, admiring his well toned seeker torso. One of his deadly blond hairs had left itself on the shoulder of Harry's robe and he plucked it off with remarkable gentleness. Harry scowled inwardly to himself. 'What was that about? A bloke? And Malfoy of all people! Don't be so fucking ridiculous!' Harry turned to Ron on the table next to him who gawked, pallid faced back at him as if reading his thoughts.

"What?" Harry questioned angrily, fearing the worst yet assuming that his best friend was staring at his scar. Despite everything they'd been through together Ron still found it hard to accept it all. He was from a respected wizarding family but his ambition drove him to strive further than he ever truly believed he could reach. Striving for that position in life which could only lead to disappointment. The position that Harry held in society - that was life Ron could only dream of. One day he would wake up from the unattainable dream and begin to understand that life could never be so simple.

"It's...Harry it's...well it's just...your, um, hair, Harry." The class turned to him and erupted in fits of laughter, even the loyalist Gryffindors.

"Lord save us!" Draco cackled, "It seems we have another addition to the Weasley family. How will they afford to keep you Potter?" He turned to his goons and sniggered, "Accio specularis!"

A glimmering silver snake trimmed mirror hovered in front of Harry's face but instead of his customary wild jet-black hair, it was now the colour of a flaming fire. Harry flushed a clashing shade of pink and sprung at Malfoy, though not due to his earlier desire.

"You slimy good for nothing son of a bitch!" Harry grabbed Malfoy around the neck, forgetting that his wand would be the more effective weapon. Draco refused to fight back, his face turned a faint shade of blue but still the grin on his face was irremovable.

"Out Potter. Now!" Harry refused to let Malfoy go and continued in his attempts to strangle him as Malfoy began to turn a serene shade of blue until he felt himself being grabbed by the waist and somehow hurled out of the door by Snape. "Dumbledore. Move Potter!"

Having landed on his hip bone, Harry winced and rose to his feet, peeking in through the door frame and watching Draco's amateur dramatics. He could not longer tease Harry with his smile and so chose to act like his life was over, his neck bruised and the dawning embarrassment of the class seeing his blue face. Harry, quickly bored, slide back against the wall until his bum hit the stone floor with a crack.

"Shit!"

*****

There all done. Don't like the ending to this scene but I wanted to get this finished so I could do some coursework over Christmas! Love you all!