Excited chatter rang out in Hogwarts many corridors as students of all ages swarmed out of the Great Hall to the first class of the day. Beams of sunlight danced in from extravagant windows, forecasting for a beautiful day.
Despite the cheery weather Ron sulked silently as he, Harry and Hermione made their way to their first class; Potions. He had missed breakfast completely, and thrown up what little Madam Pomfrey had managed to get into his stomach a few minutes ago in the boys bathroom. Consequently, he had begun to bemoan his lack of food and had fallen into a bad mood.
"Oh Ron, lunch isn't that far away, and when you are unwell normally you tend to eat less anyway," Hermione waved over her shoulder at him in a preoccupied manner, and carried on shifting around in her oversized bag.
Harry snorted at her. "Ron always eats more than the normal person, whether he's ill or not."
"Shut up Harry," Ron punched the raven haired boy on the arm and continued to sulk.
Harry laughed at the red head and rubbed his arm, "You nasty git you, inflicting violence on us innocents."
Ron couldn't help but laugh and pushed Harry around a corridor, "Move, oh innocent one."
Laughing Harry stumbled past the corner and came to an abrupt halt as he walked straight into Hermione. Harry tumbled over the brunette girl perched on the floor, with half the interior of her bag scattered around her feet. Landing with a soft thump he groaned.
"Ouch."
"Oh, Harry! Sorry, I can't find my potions essay, dammit, I just can't seem to find it," Hermione gave her boyfriend a five second glance and went back to the scatterings of her bag.
Ron chuckled at the look of mock outrage on Harry's face at Hermione's five second glance of concern and stretched a hand to help the boy up.
"Not just me attacking the innocents today," he said.
"Oh, ha ha, hitting the floor face first, is what I relish doing before potions, just so you know," replied Harry, dusting himself down.
Ron snorted.
"Harry, I need to go back and get my essay! It's not here! It must be in the common room, or, oh-" Hermione stopped. Wringing her hands, a red flush rose up her face and she began hurridley cramming things back into her bag, "-just don't lose things, where the hell-"
"Maybe it's up your over-sized arse Granger?" drawled a sarcastic voice.
All three of the trio stiffened reflectively and Ron turned to the voice. A voice he would recognise in the largest crowd, the deepest water, the loudest wind.
There, Draco Malfoy stood with his chin tossed upwards and a sneer etched onto his aristocratic features. His school robes parted slightly to show expensive looking grey trousers and black loafers.
"What did you say Malfoy? Not have enough fun yesterday?" Ron seethed, his bad mood developing into a fury in under a minute at the forceful reminder, sneering at him, of yesterday's events and his entire night of vomiting. His face turned an alarming shade of red and his fists clenched and unclenched in intervals at his sides.
Hermione bustled infront of the red head, clutching her now full bag, with a worried look upon her face, and said anxiously, "Ron, please, just leave it, he's an insufferable pratt that we are rid of forever in a few months, just forget it."
Breathing in rough gasps Ron gritted his teeth, nodded at Hermione and turned away from the blonde. Harry shot the Slytherin a dirty look and he too turned away from him.
Draco sighed, he loved getting reactions from the fiery red head, but it seemed Ron had refused him this. He had wanted to wind the red head up to the point of throwing himself at him. Draco smirked at the thought of Ron's fiery body drapped over him. Well fine then, if Weasel had denied him now, he would get him to fire up in potions.
Harry glanced back for the second time to see the smirk dangling on the blondes face. Harry frowned at Malfoy's expression for a split second and pulled Hermione into his side. As soon as Harry had hugged Hermione, Ron spotted his chance.
He whirled back around and swung an anger powered fist, missing the blonde's face by inches as Draco leaned his head back and away at the last split second, a delighted smile crossing his face as he did so.
Draco wiped his face clear as a snarling voice rang out in the corridor.
"Mr. Weasley."
Snape.
Draco gritted his teeth. Silently he raged. Yes, he did love Severus more than he had loved anybody, but why, for the love of God, why was he appearing now? Why? Every bloody time I almost get the Weasel to throw himself at me somebody always bloody interrupts?! Destiny is a fucker, he decided. He had a most uncomfortable bulge in his pants over the fiery Gryffindor and was supremely grateful for the support of his expensive trousers that hid the bulge.
Ron, however, froze in his rampage, looked up towards the voice and scowled even deeper in his anger.
"I do believe you are late for my class, are you not?" drawled Snape, smirking sideways at Draco.
"Yes, Sir." Ron spat, bearly containing his contempt for the man.
"And why are you late for my class Mr. Weasley?" questionned Snape, a particularly vicious glint in his eye.
"Because-" began Ron, but Snape cut him off with a menacing look.
"It is rude to interrupt a person who is speaking. Did your misfits of parents not instruct you in that?" said Snape.
Ron visibly bristled. Hermione layed a hand on his arm and Harry moved closer to the red head.
"No, well, I suppose not. However, you are late, Mr. Weasley, as far as I can see from here, because you have, once again I might add, started a brawl with Mr. Malfoy here. Fifty points from Gryffindor," sneered Snape.
"But he-" cried Ron in outrage and pointed at Draco, his hand shaking in anger.
"No buts Mr. Weasley. You will serve two weeks detention beginning tonight at seven. Until then, I do have a class I would like to conduct."
With a billowing of robes Snape turned on his heel and headed back into a dungeon door. Draco followed him, still silently ragin himslef at the injustice of life.
As soon as Draco disappeared from view Ron exploded, "That little fucker! Another fucking two weeks! I have a bloody month now because of that little shit, the fucking-"
"Mr. Weasley, you will now serve three weeks of detention, for foul language, and a month if you dawdle any longer outside my door," said Snape from within the Potion's room. Giggles followed.
"Not fucking happy," muttered Ron.
Hermione pulled him towards the dungeons door and Harry followed the pair. This was going to be a bad day.
The Potions room fell silent as Ron, Harry and Hermione made their way to the back of the back of the room. The trio sat and began pulling out textbooks. Ron slammed his on the desk with such ferocity that a few other students jumped. Hermione shot him a small disapproving look.
"Mr. Weasley, for that, you will be cleaning each and every desk after this lesson has come to an end and then we shall discuss your detention duties-" Snape looked down his long nose at Ron and waved his wand at the board, "-however, Instructions for today's potion are on the board, begin."
Draco who was seated a good few rows from the trio, dropped his head to look at the desk and flashed his trademark smirk at the wooden surface. He would 'forget' his quill and have to return to the potions room after the lesson, when Ron was cleaning the tables. Oh yes, that's what he would do.
Hermione's hand shot up a moment later. Snape raised a sardonic brow at her, "Yes ...?"
"Sir, you haven't explained what we are making!" exclaimed Hermione.
"Ms. Granger, if you had been on time you would know exactly what we are making, as I have already gone over the potion once. The instructions are on the board, " said Snape as if talking to an incompetent child.
Hermione slowly flushed a deep scarlet and nodded. Snape rolled his eyes and walked to sit behind his desk. As chatter began to fill his class, he added, "In silence."
The chatter died down and the only sound in the dungeon was that of chairs scraping along the stone floor and students collecting potions ingredients and caludrons.
An hour of silence later Snape stood from his desk and lazily waved his wand. Neville squeaked as his potion vanished from his cauldron, along with the potion attempts from Seamus, Ron, Lavender and Harry.
"The students who managed to successfully brew today's potion will collect a sample and leave it on my desk. Those who have not, will write me and a foot long explaination of how and where they went wrong. The entire class will write a foot on the properties of the potion which I expect from every individual in this class, including those who are already writing me an essay. Last lessons homework shall be handed in next week as it is joint with this homework," said Snape, swooping down on the unfortunate Dean.
The class sighed collectively.
Students began bustling from the room as Snape grilled Dean. The Slytherins who still had joint potions with the Gryffindors nodded at Snape as they left.
Hermione began collecting a sample of her potion as Ron and Harry returned their now empty cauldrons to the supply cupboard. Emerging from the cupboard as Hemione was carrying her cauldron in Harry and Ron went to collect their bags.
Ron had been muttering obscenities under his breath for the majority of the lesson and Harry chuckled as he pulled his bag onto his back at Ron's more outrageous imaginings involving Snape, Malfoy and potion ladles.
"Mr. Weasley, do get started on the tables, Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger you may leave," said Snape, a smirk playing on his face as Ron sighed and began work. He hated all Slytherins. All of them. He would make the ferret's life hell for this. Oh yes he would. Ron's face screwed up into a small smirk and began scrubbing at the table.
The door clicked after Harry and Hermione.
Snape stood up from his desk and gathered the scattered vials of potion on his desk. His robes billowing around him, he disappeared into the supply cupboard.
The door clicked for a second time and Ron started slightly. He spun around and came face to face with a sneering blonde. Glowering at Draco, Ron did not say a word and turned back to his desk, scrubbing even harder, as his anger from an hour ago began to bubble again. He would make the ferret's life hell, but not right now, right under Snape's hideous nose.
The Slytherin merely licked his lips at the sight of Ron leaning over the desk and scrubbing furiously. It was quite an erotic sight for the Veela and for the second time that day, he was immensely gratefuly for his tight trousers as Snape strode out from the supply room.
"Mr. Mafloy?"
Not quite taking his eyes off the rocking form of the Gryffindor Draco mumbled at the Potions Professor, "Hmm?"
All coherent thought flew from Draco's mind, and with that, his reason for coming back to the potions room. All Draco's attention was slowly being focused on Ron. His lips parted.
Raising his brow at the sight Snape opened and closed his mouth, at a loss for words for a moment.
Draco appeared entranced by Ron moving up and down in the process of scrubbing the table and was licking his lips rather enthusiastically.
Ron did not see any of this as he had turned away from the blonde and merely continued to scrub, not realising the effect he was having on either of the other men in the room.
Draco was flushed all the way down into his school robes and was breathing very hard by this time.
Snape merely looked revolted. Then a light errupted behind his eyes, and, if possible, he looked even more disgusted then he had done a second ago.
Draco, by this time, had a mere string of control left of his Veela instincts to jump Ron at the moment and his skin began to glow softly.
Indecision flickered on Snape's face, and before he had even realised his mind was made up, he had reached out to grab Draco's shoulder. At Snape's touch Draco's head shot away from Ron and he gulped for breath like a fish out of water. Draco looked completely bewildered and was having difficulty breathing.
"Calm down, get a hold of it, just breathe," whispered Snape calmly, placing his other hand on Draco's other shoulder and steering him into the supply room.
Ron continued to scrub, his anger making him oblivious to the room and its occupants around him.
Draco half collapsed against a shelf laden with jars of all sorts of things that normally would have revolted him. He clutched for the pendant under his shirt and drew it out. The Vindescrisate Pendant was no longer glowing as it had done for the past two weeks, but was now a dull silver.
Snapes eyes widened minutely and he scowled down at the blonde who he considered his son in everything other than blood. "You do know your chosen mate, don't you?"
Draco looked up at Snape and nodded.
"Why didn't you inform me you dolt?"
Draco gave a small smile at the insult, knowing this was Snape's way of expressing his worry. "You hate him," he replied.
Snape rolled his eyes, and avoided the statement by reaching out for the pendant. "I presume this just collapsed?"
"Seems so, yes," said Draco, and blinked a few times.
Snape spun around and slid his fingers along a few vials before stopping. He pulled out a vial of a bright red solution and turned back to Draco, "Drink this," he instructed and held the vial out to the blonde.
Draco took the vial and gulped it down. He shot Snape an extremely relieved look as his airways softened and breathing was no longer painful. Taking in a deep breathe Draco stood up away from the shelf he has been leaning on for support.
"That was the full hit, wasn't it?"
Snape nodded at Draco and parroted the blonde's early reply, "Seems so, yes."
"Wow," uttered Draco, slightly awed at the full extent of his Veela powers that had almost choked him with desire a few moments ago. The Vindescrisate Pendant had just come to it's end apparently and unleashed all of his Veela desires upon Draco with no warning.
"Draco, we need to visit Albus."
Draco sighed, "Yes, I- I know."
"Professor Snape?" Ron called out from the potions classroom, having finished all of the desks.
Snaped sighed loudly and replied, "You may leave now, Mr. Weasley."
The click of the dungeon door followed and Snape turned back to the other Slytherin, "As must we, come along Draco. I can lecture you later, but, for the time being, we must see Albus."
Snape shot Draco a worried look and strode from the supply room. Draco followed in his wake, still marveling over the strength of the Veela wave that had hit him.
A/N Thank you to all my blessed reviewers! : : offers cookies to all : :