Story Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series nor am I affiliated with Harry Potter and Co. The Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowlings.
This story is dedicated to Mikell (Miz Thang) and Fleur (Siaram). I would like to thank them both for supplying me with the inspiration needed to let my imagination run wild and also for taking the time to be two of the most wonderful friends ever. You're both always there when I need you and never get tired of me when I'm ranting about my silly ideas. Thank You.
A/N: I began writing this story before Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was released therefore it has now become an AU story due to the fact that Professor Dumbledore is still the Head Master and Professor Snape is also still the Potions Master.
Chapter One: A feud can only last so long before another one begins.
Dancing yellow sunbeams playfully enveloped the Charms classroom as this year's seventh year future Aurors, Ministry Executives, and Medi witches alike filed into the room. As predicted, the small group of assorted students separated into their respective houses and took their seats at different corners of the room then patiently awaiting their professor.
Professor Flitwick walked briskly into the room, as fast as his tiny body could manage and took his usual stance on a tall stack of books behind his desk. "Why good morning seventh years," he said cheerfully.
Expect only the little man, brilliant yet oblivious, to be bubbly in a room filled with a lingering sense of animosity. He grinned lopsidedly and continued on, "Professor Dumbledore has requested once again that all students be seated with someone from another house. Since I am your first teacher today, whomever you are seated with here will be your counterpart for every class you share together. However some professors may change you around a bit if they don't find your pair suitable," he announced.
"Watch it be my luck that I end up sitting with Malfoy," Harry grumbled to Ron.
"How unfortunate that only twelve of you decided to continue Charms," he said sadly, "Anyway, mustn't waste any time."
He looked around at the twelve students and smiled, "Mister Goyle," he called, "Why don't you and Miss Padma Patil take the first table."
Padma's eyes grew wide as she headed toward the first table where two chairs waited in the front of the classroom. She was followed annoying close by an even bulkier Gregory Goyle who occasionally grunted as he walked.
"Miss Parvati Patil, would you also take your stuff and sit at the second table with Mister Boot," Professor Flitwick smiled.
"So far, so good," Ron muttered quietly to Harry and Hermione who were both looking on eagerly.
"What are the odds of one of us having to sit with Malfoy?" Harry asked quietly.
"Mister Malfoy," Professor Flitwick called as if on cue, "third table please with Mister Potter."
"I had to ask, didn't I?" Harry mumbled bitterly. He took his books from where he sat next to Hermione and Ron and walked to the third table forlornly only to be greeted by a malicious looking Malfoy.
"Mister Zabini, you and Miss Granger can sit at the fourth table and Mister Longbottom and Miss Perks at the fifth. Mister Weasley and Miss Parkinson at the sixth table if you will," he finished.
When everyone was seated the tiny professor continued, "These may or may not be the same partners you have in each class since not all of you have taken the same courses but you will be doing many projects and reports with your partner in many classes, my class especially so I would advise that you form some sort of friendship to make the workload easier."
Hermione smiled politely at Blaise. "Thank Merlin," she whispered softly.
"You're telling me," Blaise laughed. "I thought I would get paired up with Longbottom."
"We won't be doing any work today since I thought it would be nice for all of you to acquaint yourselves with your partner. Tomorrow, however, the real work will begin," the professor smiled.
Harry turned around and looked at Hermione sadly. "I'll trade partners with you," he pleaded.
"I'm touched Potter." Blaise smiled, "Is Draco too much for you to handle?"
"I can hear you Zabini," Draco turned around scowling, "I wouldn't mind having the Weasel for a partner instead of this sad excuse for a wizard."
A smiled tugged at the edges of Hermione's lips, "He's a better wizard than you'll ever be, Malfoy." She spat bitterly.
"Oh look its Granger," Draco replied sinisterly. "You're still sticking your nose in other people's business as usual I see."
"Young love," Blaise smirked mischievously. "Can't leave the two of you together for one minute or you'll be down each other's throats." He grinned at the double meaning of his words as they caused Draco to break out in a fit of nervous coughing.
Harry frowned when he noticed what Blaise had implied, "The only way I see them ever being down each other's throats, Zabini," he said seriously, "is during a dueling match that most likely Malfoy would have started."
"I think so too," Blaise replied, feigning seriousness. "He'd probably also take the opportunity to show her his lucky charms."
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, showing signs of a very confused psyche. Her puzzled demeanor continued as she stared at Blaise before she turned to Harry, completely ignoring Malfoy in the process, and continued, "Am I supposed to know what you're talking about?"
"Of course not." Draco drawled. "Wouldn't expect the little Gryffindor virgin to know what such lewd words mean," he finished in a mocking tone.
"What did you just call her?" Harry asked in outrage. He seemed to have been the only one paying attention to what Draco was saying, as Hermione had turned around before Draco had even began to reply and was now conversing animatedly with Neville who was sitting at the table behind.
"Leave it alone Draco," Blaise cautioned before the blond Slytherin had time to repeat his previous statement. "Shouldn't you and Potter be forming some sort of bond like the professor advised? I do believe a lot of your grades will depend on your cooperation with each other."
Harry laughed dryly as he looked between Blaise and Hermione, who still wasn't paying any attention to them, "You spend way too much time with her," he said to Blaise. "Next you'll be telling us to study for our N.E.W.T.S."
"Actually, it's funny you should mention that, Potter," Draco said snidely. "It was only last night that I mentioned to Zabini how much he was beginning to sound like the little mud-" he cut off abruptly only to add, "like Granger."
Harry stared almost accusingly at Draco for what could have been a good minute. He then looked at Blaise who was grinning almost devilishly, and lastly to Hermione who wasn't even paying attention to them since she had gone into an all out speech about Neville being able to handle whatever foul things Snape would think up this year to say to him.
"What are you playing at, Malfoy?" Harry asked in a tone that one would only presume meant trouble.
Draco's features visibly hardened as he stared viciously at Harry. "What nonsense do you have playing around in that tiny little brain of yours Potter?" he spat condescendingly.
At the exact same moment that the insult left Draco's mouth, Hermione turned around briskly and shot flaming daggers at him. "Why Malfoy, you mustn't think that everyone's brain is the same size as yours. I can assure you at this very moment that we don't all have peanuts for thinking like you do."
Draco scowled menacingly at her and opened his mouth to retaliate but was cut off soundlessly by Blaise, "Oh look at that."
Blaise pointed to Padma and Goyle who were at the front of the room. Padma had her left hand pressed firmly against Goyle's immense shoulder while her right hand held a book which she seemed to be using to hit him over the head. All the while Goyle just seemed to be grunting.
"Miss Patil!" Professor Flitwick squeaked from over the top of his stack of books behind his desk. "Stop this instant!"
His voice however was drowned out by shouts from the remaining unruly students and by Padma's screams of rage and Goyle's hideous grunts.
"Relashio!" the professor squeaked which caused Padma to release the book. He then followed the previous charm with a simple, "Wingardium Leviosa," and levitated Goyle away from Padma's still striking right hand.
"I can not believe that my seventh years would resort to such childish behavior," Professor Flitwick said his tone laced with disappointment. "Miss Patil, you and Mister Goyle will be serving detention with each other for the rest of this week with any professor that is willing to have you help them clean out their classrooms and offices."
"Yes, professor," the two mentioned students mumbled.
"Now the class is almost over anyway. You may all leave."
The twelve students all gathered their things and surprisingly enough headed to the dungeons. It was refreshing to the five Gryffindors that they did not have a double of Potions with a room full of Slytherins. Yes, there may still have been four of the most notorious Slytherin seventh years in the classroom but the light sprinkling of Ravenclaws caused a slight glimmer of hope.
Unlike the previous class, they all kept silent as they sat in the same order Professor Flitwick had arranged. They all assumed that Professor Snape would comply with Dumbledore's orders to enforce house unity, so it was a surprise when he stormed into the room and started barking commands.
"I will not tolerate any mishaps in my classroom this year," he eyed them hatefully. "Get up and stand against the wall on the far left of the room."
Hesitant at first, everyone seemed to wait for someone else to be the first to get up.
"Get up!" Snape bellowed, causing shrieks from the Patil twins.
Draco, Blaise and Pansy all got up leisurely and strolled to the appointed spot on the left of the room followed closely by a still grunting Goyle. Seeing that the Slytherins had made it safely across the room, everyone else followed.
"Now that you've all decided to use your brains and followed instructions, we can stop wasting time," Snape whispered dangerously. "I won't have a bunch of incompetent fools mucking up everything. You'll be partnered with someone of equal potion making skill," he eyed Neville spitefully.
"Both Patils at the first desk," he barked. "Perks and Boot at the second desk. Goyle and Longbottom, take the table behind them. Weasley and Parkinson, fourth table. Hurry up, Weasley! We haven't got all day." He reprimanded Ron, who was in a bit of a stupor after processing that Pansy would be his partner again.
"Malfoy and Granger, fifth table, and Potter and Zabini, take the sixth desk." He commanded with flourish.
No professor in their right mind would leave three of the most unstable students at the back of a classroom, but Professor Snape seemed to think that it would be beneficial to him since he smirked almost appreciatively. His eyes lingered for a moment on Harry and Blaise, both having managed to sit without complaining about their partner. He then focused on Draco and Hermione who were the exact opposite, sitting so far away from each other that their chairs were barely behind their shared desk.
"Five points from Gryffindor Miss Granger for attempting to block the passage way," Snape sneered.
Hermione unwillingly brought her legs under the table, moving her chair away from the passage way and closer to Draco, who was obviously thinking along the same lines; that it would be unprofitable to try Snape's patience. Thus, causing him to slither closer to Hermione until they were seated like everyone else and Snape looked away.
A double of Potions didn't come across as horrifying for the first ten minutes of class to the uneasy students until the silence sustained and became completely unbearable. Professor Snape sat behind his desk as if silently analyzing each of them individually, causing Neville's eyes to twitch when Snape stood up abruptly and waved his wand at the clean chalkboard whispering a simple spell that produced the day's instructions.
Mutely hoping that it would be anything that involved the least amount of work with their partners, the unusual group scribbled down their assignment and quickly set to work only coming up for air; or so it seemed, when the bell rang.
It would have been a complete miracle if everything had gone perfectly for the Gryffindors but of course Snape had his way and Ron was left to clean up the mess Pansy had accidentally spilled when she pushed over their cauldron. Muttering darkly to himself, Ron had set to the task while everyone else left the room and headed for lunch in the Great Hall.
Draco seemed to be the most relieved as he stormed out of the dungeon without a second glance at the morbid Potions professor who was looking darkly at the pitiful attempt Ron was making at cleaning away the sticky mess on the table.
Slightly worried, Harry and Hermione slowly trudged out of the class after being assured by Ron that he would catch up with them at lunch or in their next class. Blaise realized that he had no one to walk to the Great Hall with and followed closely behind the duo, until he found himself striding alongside them.
"Remind me again," said Harry, addressing Blaise as they walked along together, "why you call Malfoy your best friend?"
"Harry!" Hermione shrieked. "That's very rude."
Blaise grinned slightly; this was probably the fifth time this year that Harry had asked him the same question and it was only the first day back for crying out loud. "Again Potter, my answer is the same as the last couple of times you've asked me. Draco and I are too similar for our own good and I find it much better to be working together than against each other. It's quite advantageous, really."
By the time they had ascended the steps, Ginny was already there, waiting eagerly for Hermione. She pulled her away from Harry and Blaise, wanting to retell what she'd found utterly hilarious in her own classes.
Blaise chuckled slightly as Harry shivered inwardly with a look of horror on his face. "She's not as big a nut job as my sister," Blaise remarked, "So be happy."
As if Blaise's words brought him out of his horrific day dream, Harry looked across at him sternly, "What were you and Malfoy playing at this morning in Charms?"
"What are you talking about, Potter?" Blaise asked impishly, grinning from ear to ear.
"Don't play dumb with me, Zabini. You and Malfoy, you're up to something. Why were you hinting at him like that about Hermione? And why did he stop himself from calling her a… you know what?" Harry responded, not wanting to hear himself say "mudblood" anymore than he liked hearing Draco say it.
"He hasn't called her that since fifth year," Blaise stressed. "Maybe he's changed," he said offhandedly, "Who knows with him anyway?"
"Zabini, Hermione's your friend," Harry warned. "You'd protect her, wouldn't you?" he sounded more like he was reassuring himself rather than asking Blaise a question.
Blaise looked at him as though wondering if the boy had sniffed a potion ingredient that had gone bad. Harry's face was contorted strangely and his eyes had that far away look in them that clearly stated he was deep in thought. Blaise knew that look well. After all, he hadn't spent all of sixth year as Hermione Granger's partner in almost every subject without at least noticing some of her quirks. The look on Harry's face was most definitely one of them.
The rest of the three point five minutes that it took to walk to the Great Hall was spent in silence. Neither boy made an attempt to converse with the other. Blaise still stared at Harry as if the boy was off and Harry kept the faraway look that rivaled that of Loony Lovegood's.
"You're walking past your table, Potter," Blaise almost laughed but was still too freaked out by Harry's actions to actually smile.
"Oh right," Harry said. "Right."
Blaise gave him another curious look and then strode over to the Slytherin table where Malfoy was already sitting, devouring a chicken leg. "Potter really is a weird one, isn't he?"
"What?" Draco paused in his eating to look up at his friend.
"He had a Loony Lovegood moment when we were walking here. He asked about you and Hermione and then all of a sudden he went off to La La land," Blaise replied.
"Enough about Potter already, Zabini," Draco began coldly. "We still haven't discussed how exactly we're going to teach those three a lesson yet."
"We don't need to plan anything for Parkinson," Blaise said calculatingly. "She's suffering as it is already. The Gryffindors are having a field day with her."
"I never thought the day would come when I would actually be thankful for Potter and the Gryffindors," Draco cackled evilly.
"Speaking of Gryffindors," Blaise grinned impishly, "I couldn't help but notice that you and Hermione were awfully close together in potions."
They both looked automatically at the Gryffindor table where Hermione was sitting next to Ginny and across from Harry, who still looked deep in thought. Neither of the girls seemed to be paying any attention to him though, as they were both conversing about only God knows what.
Hermione sputtered slightly then, causing Ginny to breakout into fits of giggles that were drowned out by the noise that was already dominating the hall. Draco and Blaise shuddered as they turned to look at each other.
"They're all mental," Draco said in disbelief. "Potter looks like he's carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders while Granger's trying to choke herself to death and Weasley's giggling like a lunatic."
"She's a strange bint, that Weasley girl," Blaise commented. He and Draco turned back to the Gryffindor table in time to see Ginny topple over a goblet of pumpkin juice that she had been reaching for.
"I never thought she was right in the head to begin with," Draco added. "Those maniacs she's got as brothers must have tested a few too many of their inventions on her."
The juice had spilled into Harry's dish, snapping him out of whatever deep thought he'd been in and making him jump out of his seat quickly. What made matters really worst was that Harry had knocked Lavender Brown upside the head while jumping up and she had managed to leak pumpkin juice all down the front of her robes. Seamus Finnigan then spewed food out of his mouth, causing Lavender to shriek.
Hermione flat out laughed as Ginny fell over backwards giggling. Harry was scowling at Ginny, not finding the humor in the entire thing, while Lavender whacked him continuously on the shoulder, whining about how hard it would be to get the stain off of her robes. Seamus was in no better position at all; Dean Thomas had to knock him on the back to stop him from choking on the residue of what had once been in his mouth.
"They're hopeless," Draco said, staring at Blaise as though it were the first time he had actually seen anything so bewildering.
Draco wanted to talk about anything but what had just happened at the Gryffindor table and had been about to start a new topic of discussion when he noticed that Hermione and Ginny had stopped laughing. Actually, it seemed as if everyone had stopped what they were doing and were now staring openly at the Ravenclaw table, gazes riveted. Hermione's jaw hung open, eyes wide in shock, and Draco looked to see what had taken her by surprise.
He too felt his jaw hang loosely as his eyes fell on Terry Boot, the shy Ravenclaw whose face was hardly ever uncovered by a thick book. The boy was engaged in some sort of war with the girl next to him. She had taken over the job of his usual textbook acquaintance and was lodged onto his face. For a moment Draco thought the girl might have been trying to suck his soul out but that was by far the least horrifying part of the whole commotion. When the female Ravenclaw surfaced for air, he was rendered senseless.
Padma Patil, the self proclaimed virgin, had been snogging Terry Boot into oblivion and looked as though she was about to go in for the kill once more.
Draco turned at breakneck speed towards Blaise, hoping that the other boy had not seen the shameful display. His nerves calmed as he noticed that Blaise was still staring at the Weasley girl whose jaw was hanging off its hinges.
"Really is a strange bint."
Draco laughed nervously.
"Wonder what she's staring at?" Blaise questioned. "They've all got that Loony Lovegood look, haven't they?"
At that exact same moment, Blaise raised his goblet to his lips and traced her view, only to send bits of shredded chicken and pumpkin juice across the table seconds later. His jaw clamped shut in anger and the hairs on the back of his neck stood as straight as soldiers.
Padma and Terry were at it again, but this time Padma seemed to have latched her arm around his neck and was pulling him with a surprising amount of strength as if to hold his head in place so he wouldn't be able to move away.
"Of all the despicable things the wretched bint could do." Blaise muttered darkly as he got up and stormed out of the Great Hall, slamming the monstrous oak doors shut.
Hermione jumped as the door banged closed, giving herself enough time to regain her composure. She glanced timidly at the Slytherin table, hoping that Blaise hadn't seen the incident, which she knew was highly unlikely. She had no doubt that Blaise had probably been the one who had left in such a hurry.
She saw that Draco's jaw was still hanging open much like everyone else's but his fists were clenched. That's when she noticed that his eyes were not on Padma and Terry but on Sally-Anne Perks who was sitting further down the Ravenclaw table with her wand pointed at the shameless couple, muttering profusely.
Sally-Anne was casting some sort of charm, Hermione was sure of it. From Draco's reaction, he had also figured it out. Draco's jaw became rigid within seconds and his eyes hardened, but before Hermione could further observe any more of his changes, Harry poked her in the rib.
"Was that Zabini that left?" he questioned at the same time that Professor McGonagall ascended the staff table and almost pried Padma off of Terry, giving them both detentions for unsuitable behavior.
"I believe he did because he's no longer in the hall," Hermione responded as her eyes once again rested on Draco, who at that precise moment had gotten up and was walking over to the Ravenclaw table.
She didn't know what to expect. Would Draco really perform some vicious act on any of the Ravenclaws for hurting his best friend in front of the entire staff table? Her question was answered shortly when Draco stopped leisurely next to Sally-Anne and smirked, causing the menacing blonde girl to giggle flirtatiously.
Harry, who was also staring at the encounter, seemed to be appalled by Malfoy's action. It was no secret to any male student and to quite a few female students as well at Hogwarts that Sally-Anne Perks was a good example of a scarlet, a heartless bitch so to speak. What was Draco Malfoy doing openly flirting with her like that was beyond Harry.
"Are you seeing Malfoy?" Harry asked Hermione, trying to make sure that he himself was really seeing the whole ordeal.
"Malfoy's lost his mind," Hermione said with finality, indicating to Harry that, that was the only explanation she had. "He wouldn't dare go behind Blaise's back like that," she added as an afterthought.
"It looks like it to me," Harry said as he nodded his head in the direction of Draco and Sally-Anne who were both strolling out of the oak doors together.
A/N: Well there you have it, the very first chapter of Slytherin Intentions. I know it has taken me over two month to update this story but I will be making up for the lack of updates all throughout this week and the next since I will continue to write until I have posted at least five more chapters.
Special thanks to:
FizzingWhizbeez: Yes I thought it would be interesting to have Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw instead of the usual Slytherin vs. Gryffindor to. I am also a Draco/Hermione fan so you have nothing to worry about and although Hermione plays a big part in the Slytherin Princes' plan she will not be used in any way that she does not allow.
Miss.Ed: Thank you very much for your kind words and I am very flattered that you would credit my writing skills and hope that you enjoy this chapter just as much as you liked the prologue.
Juidinan: After you made me blush for a good ten minutes straight I don't think it's possible for me to thank you enough. I hope that this chapter is just as satisfying as the last.
Foamythesquirellmistress: Compliments on the username. I hope your curiosity didn't get the better of you and I apologize for not updating sooner.
l-xHeRmIoNexMaLfOyxZaBiNi-l: I have indeed been to your profile page. You are very creative and I especially love your story Helping Her.
The Black Pearl is Freedom: I was very touched that you decided to add me to your Alerts list and was even more pleased that you enjoyed the prologue. Trust me when I say that you made my day when I received your review after so many months of posting this story.
Review please everyone and tell me what you're expecting because I really want to see if anyone is close to figuring out the hidden clues.
ANGEL