Idril.tinuviel: Here's the next chapter just for you because you asked so nicely, hope it's quick enough for you.

Leean Meanlock: Yeah, this is going to be Harry/Draco slash, eventually at any rate.

A/N: Here's the next chapter, hope you like…

"Get out of my way, out of the way, please...excuse me, move, please…" Elbowing his way through the thronged corridors, scowling, Draco sighed under his breath as he pushed awkwardly along, pushing unruly blonde bangs from his face. With age he had grown taller, and was now almost a head above the youngest students, but still was unused to having to jostle. Talk about indignity! Hence the fact that, whilst he was going as fast as he could decently go, he was still almost twenty minutes late for his last lesson-Potions. Still, Sev-Professor Snape, of course, would let him off without his usual rebukes. Besides, this year he had Potions with the Gryffindors again, so his godfather was bound to have some more worthwhile punishment to attend to….

It had been five days since the last Transformations (as he had unconsciously dubbed it) class. As he stalked out, having been wrestling Potter for the privilege of first exit, he dimly remembered McGonagall's rebukes being tempered with reminders to learn….something. The rules, maybe? What, all seven hundred and sixty four? That was ludicrous! He had been prepared to work hard, but at this rate he would have to spend his whole weekend in the library! That said, he wasn't sure which was more annoying: the idea that perhaps Potter wouldn't need to learn it, the git might already know all the wretched things, or the prospect of spending the entire weekend in the same room as scar-boy himself! It was bad enough inhabiting the same, planet, country, school, even! Still, if he wasn't there then it was the grim reality that it was only he, Draco, who was incapable of learning those goddamn regulations. It was getting embarrassing, actually, being the only one who seemed, or at least felt, completely ignorant on the topic! The youngest Malfoy, in a long line of successful people both academically and in sport, he was taking not being able to excel, easily, in their new lessons rather hard. Suppose Potter, Granger, that Hufflepuff and Amsterdam were able to transform when the time came, and he was left? He felt, finally reaching the door of his potions class and sneaking to his seat, that the humiliation might kill him. If that didn't he might curse himself…wouldn't be the first time he had bemoaned the fact that Avada was only a bestowment curse. He could perform it, actually, heinous and illegal though it was, his father had taught him the previous summer. Even before the impostor 'Alastor Moody' had showed up, the entire Malfoy family were more than capable of performing each and all of the curses that an ignorant and feeble Ministry deemed 'Unforgivable'. Anyway, forget that. Who cared about the whole hypocritical lot of them? However badly school was going he could always depend on the relief that at least he weren't at home.

Ugh. Severus had to have some kind of fixation with gutted flobberworms! This was the third lesson that Draco's class had reluctantly devoted to attempting to distil its essence…as though its essence wasn't bad enough already! Even with one hand pressed over his nose and mouth he could smell, almost taste its strong, pungent aroma. Ugh! If he could still smell it on his robes that night then he was personally disowning Severus as a godfather, whether the guy looked out for him or not! And smearing him on the walls of the dungeons. Possibly with a spatula.

The entire week, set off by Monday's weariness after their midnight lesson, had been disastrous. Potter and his lackeys had been childish and rude as ever, their muttered giggling hounding him when even he hadn't the appetite for a fight. Wasn't Potter embarrassed by their behaviour? Hardly mature, sniggering and carrying on like infants, even Crabbe and Goyle weren't that embarrassing! They hadn't enough brain-cells between them to get a joke, let alone tell on, but that wasn't a problem. He had long ago been taught the tactic to make 'useful' acquaintances. The Goyle and Crabbe families were archaic, archetypal Slytherin families, brought up like Draco had been. Their fathers associated with his, their customs and family traditions were much the same. Rich, too. Beneficial all 'round, and his father was proud that he made their acquaintance. Charles Rosier, Artemis Wilkes, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle…all names whose fathers he knew were a part of his father's inner circle. Someone else's inner circle, too, even Draco wasn't impervious to the dark little hints. He knew his father's business well, and the bitter politics that had governed family, and school life for as long as he could remember were helped along by his reporting from school. Amazing what his strategic friends let slip, now and again, and Draco's father was always grateful. Making Lucius proud was an uphill task that Draco had never quite considered himself equal to. He hadn't told his father about Potter's appointment into his Animagus classes, though. He wasn't quite sure why, his father had owled just a day later, yet Draco had left that part out. Everyone knew why Potter had been appointed, of course, flouting rules and long-laid regulations to become an unwanted addition. Just as he had in the Triwizard championships, and it was thanks to his interference and downright cheating that some poncey Hufflepuff git had died. Not that Draco cared, of course, that the twat was dead. Why should he? Still, it was obvious that Potter was learning in the hope to use his newly found skills to fight You-kn…Voldemort, but he hadn't let on, all the same. Lying to his father for Potter? No, of course not…merely withholding the truth from an undeserving recipient. Yeah.

Voldemort. Despite his upbringing, Draco had never quite been comfortable saying that name.

                                                            ***

Harry groaned slightly as he ran after Hermione and Ron. The three of them were late once again for their potions class. He wasn't quite sure how they'd managed it, he could have sworn they were only two minutes away five minutes ago. Damn the bloody changing staircases. Snape was going to eat them alive.

They reached the dungeon door panting heavily and entered as silently as they could. Which wasn't silently enough. "Aaah, Mister Potter, Miss Granger and Mister Weasley, how nice of you to join us." Snape's falsely courteous voice floated through the room as the three sunk into their seats and quickly started pulling out their equipment. "You're late! Fifteen points from Gryffindor!" Snape snapped, "Please try not to let it happen again." Was his last sarcastic comment before he returned to explaining the potion they were going to be producing. Harry and Ron sulked as they copied down notes while Hermione just had a look of; well it was our own fault. How she could be like that, neither Ron nor Harry could figure out. As they finished scribbling the last notes down Ron whispered to Harry, "Wonder where Malfoy's got too." Harry looked over and found Malfoy's usual seat empty. Harry shrugged, "Hopefully had a tragic accident that he died in." As usual Harry's wishes concerning Malfoy were not fulfilled as he slipped into his seat a few moments later. Both Ron and Harry waited for Snape to tell Malfoy off but as Hermione was expecting it never happened. The two boys glared at Malfoy as Hermione dumped the ingredients they needed on their bench. After seeing who they were glaring at, she rolled her eyes and said, "You know Snape never tells him off so there is no point in wasting your time in glaring at him." The two boys scowled and set about their work.

About half an hour later as the three friends were waiting for their potions to come to a boil Hermione brought up the subject of the impending Animagi lesson. "Have you learnt the rules Harry?" Harry looked up, his hand covering his mouth and nose trying to keep the smell of boiling flobberworms away. "What rules?" he asked his voice all muffled. Hermione rolled her eyes. "The animagi rules." Harry looked horrified.

"All seven hundred and sixty four?!" he gasped. Ron looked sympathetic.

"Glad I don't have to learn them." He muttered.

"You will once I can figure out how to decharm the parchment." Hermione told him sternly. Ron groaned loudly causing Snape to look at the three of them. Which wasn't a good idea. Harry was stood gaping at Hermione and Ron was slumped over the bench. "Work!" he snapped. Harry jolted out of his daze and hastily set about looking busy while Ron did the same. Hermione watched the two frantic boys amusedly.

A couple of moments later when he was sure Snape wasn't looking Harry hissed over at Hermione, "But I always copy yours anyway!" Hermione looked at him in disdain.

"I know." She answered clearly disapproving. "But with Malfoy sitting in between us that'll be slightly difficult." Harry opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off swiftly, "and anyway, I need to go to the library to find a book on how to decharm the rules for Ron to read." Ron groaned at hearing this. "All three of us can go after potions has finished."

"What about dinner?!" Ron squawked quietly. Hermione just looked at him while Harry muttered under his breath, "We could always get there early so Malfoy didn't have to sit between us." Luckily Hermione didn't hear or Harry would have subjected to another of Hermione's glares. 

The last fifteen minutes of potions passed slowly, with Neville blowing up his cauldron once again within the last five minutes. Harry wasn't quite sure how he's managed it as they were only clearing up. He shook his head to get rid of trying to get his head around Neville's latest disaster. This resulted in worries about the ever drawing closer animagi lesson. He really wished Ron would be there with him but Ron was learning illegally. He knew it was only for two hours but he really didn't want to be stuck in a stuffy room with Malfoy for two hours. Breathing the same air, Harry shuddered at the thought. Mariah and Justin were nice enough. Both quietish but clever, Harry could deal with them. He was glad that Justin had forgiven him for the snake incident in second year. If he hadn't, Harry could have betted his life that the lesson would have been twice as bad as they already likely to be.

Although Harry had all these reservations about the lessons he was actually quite interested in finding out what Professor McGonagall was going to tell or teach them. This was the one subject in which he didn't mind learning the theory in, although having to learn every single one of the rules off by heart in a week seemed a bit extreme. Harry decided that taking Hermione's advice might actually be for once a good idea. That way if Malfoy didn't know them Harry could show him up. That thought made Harry wonder whether Malfoy had already learnt the rules. What if Malfoy was in the library tonight? He knew Mariah and Justin wouldn't be, they were like Hermione, never left anything to the last minute. But Malfoy. Malfoy, Harry wasn't sure about. He groaned, hoping against hope that Malfoy had been organised. Which was probably a bad thing to hope for considering Harry's luck with all things concerning Malfoy.

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