Draco Malfoy seemed to idle, turning unhurriedly towards Potter, almost careless of the Gryffindor's mounting rage. All an illusion of course, and Blaise knew him well enough to feel his actual tension, buried beneath yards of black wool and years of training. "You know what your problem is, Potter?" Draco Malfoy said, tipping his hand just slightly by using Potty's proper name. He didn't think even Blaise would notice, though.

"What?" Harry Potter growled, his teeth clearly on edge. He really should learn to calm down, Draco Malfoy thought, he's going to self-immolate if he keeps up this internalized rage.

"You're boring. Entirely too predictable. Really, not a challenge at all." Draco Malfoy drawled, using his normal speech patterns to paint a picture of disinterest.

"What are you on about?" Harry Potter said.

"I can insult you the entire day, can't I, Scarhead?" Draco said, jutting his jaw out just so.

Harry Potter rolled his eyes, looking at Draco without saying a word, his anger nearly manifesting as flames shooting out of those green rimmed orbs.

"But - let me say one word, just one word, against a friend of yours, and you lose it. Completely." Draco Malfoy said, ploughing deliberately over whatever nonsense Potter was about to say, "Allow me to demonstrate -" his eyes flashed, cutting across Potter's as if steel across flint - striking sparks.

"I don't see - " Potter got out, before Blaise touched a hand gently to his arm. Potter looked at Blaise in some confusion, as Blaise simply shook his head, mouthing the word "Watch."

Draco Malfoy approached Hermione Granger, who was currently pretending to study her potion recipes. Draco could easily tell that she was just pretending - she was so tense her hands nearly shook. "Hey, Mudblood. Tell me, who wrote those for you?" Hermione didn't so much as look up. In fact, she sat like stone, as if she didn't care a whit.

Draco Malfoy rounded on Potter, his smirk widening into a genuine smile. "Tell me, Potter - if she doesn't care, why are you sticking up for her?"

Harry Potter shook his head, growling and nearly spitting, "Because she does care. Because you're doing it to hurt her, and I don't like it."

Draco Malfoy raised an eyebrow, and said, "Granger!" Then he whirled away from Potter, squatting down in front of Hermione Granger, and continued the catcalling, "Granger! Granger! Granger!"

"Will you stop it!" Hermione Granger huffed, exasperated.

Draco Malfoy stood, whirling to look at Potter. "Why haven't you punched me yet? That's more reaction than I've gotten from her in days of insults."

Hermione, still looking down at her papers, said unflappedly, "Draco Malfoy, you are a despicable piece of slime."

Blaise Zambini, never one to back away from starting a war between other people, did the most childish thing that Draco could think of, saying "OoooOOhhh."

Draco Malfoy simply looked at Potter, smirking, "Caring what someone thinks about you takes some element of respect for them."

"So, you're saying I respect you?" Harry Potter said, his hands curling into fists.

"More than Granger does, apparently." Malfoy said, smirking.

Harry Potter blinked, and then started to pace, up and down the classroom. Draco Malfoy relaxed against the wall, content to let Potter's massively unused brain work up a sweat. "You've just been using those words to rile me up?"

"Very good." Draco Malfoy snarled, his hands clapping mockingly. "But, amazingly, you keep falling for it."

"So, you don't really mean it?" Harry Potter asked, "Why'd you decide to do it today, then? You've held off all year."

"Getting a bit rusty, then, aren't I?" Draco Malfoy asked rhetorically.

Blaise drawled, "Either that or those clods you call friends decided that seeing Potter get a detention would be a fun old hobby to indulge in again." Draco Malfoy simply shrugged. It was the truth, anyhow.

"I still don't like you." Harry Potter growled, ignoring Blaise's comment entirely, like the prattish fool that he was.

"I know, Potter, I know." Draco smirked with glee. Mission accomplished.

[a/n: can you guess what Draco's mission was? Other than not getting immolated or punched in the face (the later would be humiliating!).

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