Still thinking about the strange love? letter she had received the day before, Hermione Granger strode into Potions class, stopping as she stepped inside the door. It was the first day, and she wanted to get a good partner. Ron and Harry had already commandeered a desk near the middle of the class (not too near any of the edges, Prof. Snape liked to pace.) In fact, all the Gryffindors were paired together, except for Neville Longbottom. And Hermione swore that she wouldn't fail Potions simply for not letting Neville touch anything. "Pick your partner, Miss Granger. You'll be together for the rest of the semester." Prof. Snape smirked, his eyes sparkling with an unholy delight at her misfortune. The only other choice was Draco Malfoy, himself enough of a bastard to give even a determined-to-succeed-at-all-costs girl like Hermione a bit of a pause. What if he tried to hurt her grade? It was enough to get Granger looking at Longbottom again. Then reason reasserted itself. No, he wouldn't dare. Even if he's only beating me because Snape plays favorites. He'd lose points too, and that would look simply horrid to daddy dearest. With a crisp firm nod of thanks at Professor Snape, Hermione strode over to the desk with Draco Malfoy beside it.
Draco Malfoy, meanwhile, was not paying much attention to the class, mainly because it hadn't started yet. He was flipping through his own book on the uses of boomslang skin... until he saw freckles on a hand in his peripheral vision. That's... not Pansy. What happened to Pansy? Draco Malfoy looked up. Hermione Granger was sitting at his desk. Shite, he needed a plan. And fast. If only his brain would stop trying to freeze in its tracks... Please don't faint.
"Malfoy." Granger said crisply, aware as he looked up that his already nearly colorless face had gone whiter - and she hadn't known that was even possible.
"Mm-Granger." Malfoy said, knowing the instant he said it, that it would be taken completely wrong.Wait, was that a good thing? Frowning to himself, he gently closed his book, pulling out the actual potions book (and trying not to steal glances at Granger's surprisingly nimble fingers). Yeah, probably better if she thinks I almost called her mudblood - instead of Miss. Probably better if I see exactly how quickly I can get her to complete outrage. Malfoy looked at Granger, taking in that slight lifting of her chin, the glint in her eyes. "Finally decided to admit defeat and get a few lessons from your betters?"
"As if you'd know the difference between boomslang skin and okapi skin in a health potion, anyway!" Granger shot back.
What the hell was an okapi? Malfoy thought, rummaging through his head. Right, something muggle and boring - at least it had stripes. "Muggle ingredients don't belong in healing potions, at least if you mean to use them on the magically inclined."
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me! Such an elementary mistake! Are you sure you're getting the highest grade in the class? Everyone knows that rue is muggle, and you use it for depression and for anxiety."
"Those are mental health potions, totally different. Minds aren't inherently magical, bodies are." Malfoy shot back.
"Would I poison someone if I put rue into a healing potion?"
"Only if you diluted the asphodel concentration."
"So I could improve the taste, without destroying the benefits."
"Point to you, mudblood." Malfoy affected an air of bored unconcern, despite their conversation rapidly ranging across the discipline, and their lively argument continued throughout class.
This was the first day in a while that Professor Snape hadn't patrolled the class, his head bent over papers that he wasn't really reading, his hand twitching under his desk at every mention of the word mudblood. Professor Snape's control was perfect when absolutely necessary. But he hadn't time to prepare, and this was not standing before the Dark Lord. He was used to his classroom being his own, and his urge to hex his godson was abrupt and fleeting. And very troublesome.
Only Blaise noticed that Crabbe and Goyle had completely stopped making their potion, and instead were taking notes... (as they left, they muttered about how Malfoy was easier to understand than their Head of House).
Pansy had taken over the entire potion brewing process (Neville being a lost cause) - but at least Neville's cutting wasn't a complete abomination. And Neville was trying to memorize everything that Hermione was talking about.
Draco Malfoy left potions class in a good mood. The same could not be said for Hermione Granger, who knew a challenge when she saw one, and felt that a gauntlet had been thrown down.
[a/n: read and review, please! Also, let me know if you want more arguing! I could do an entire class worth of dialogue if you want...]