AN: Thanks to all the positive feedback I've gotten I've been writing like crazy! Here's a new chapter and to make it more interesting, it's from Draco's POV. Enjoy!
At the end of class Draco was covered in the sticky yellow substance that was starting to form crusts. He was careful not to swallow any more, lest he start embarrassing himself again. Bloody Potter, why couldn't he just pay attention for once and at least try not to bring both of them down? Draco couldn't afford to fail potions, it had once been his best subject, besides runes, and he had hoped to pursue it in a career. But no, bloody Potter was likely to run that for him too.
Draco sighed but went back to scrubbing the floor. Good thing his father couldn't see him right now; scrubbing away like a house-elf. Speaking of house-elves, Draco was surprised to hear Blaise and mud-Granger actively discussing the rights of house-elves at the table nearest him.
"If we could just get, say all eight years, to clean our common room for a week, it might open people's minds to the plights of house-elves and they'll be more interested in joining S.P.E.W.!" Granger was saying, her eyes alive in passion. Poor Weasley, how was he supposed to compete with dirty, overworked house-elves for Granger's attention, Draco thought sarcastically while scrubbing furiously at a hardening crust that wouldn't budge.
"Cleaning is more regarded as a form of punishment, right Draco?" Blaise said while grinning at Draco. Draco grumbled, then checked if Slughorn was watching but since the teacher was busy grading essays; he pulled out his wand and muttered under his breath. The crust disappeared.
"Malfoy..." Granger said warningly. Draco, of course, ignored her.
The bell rang signaling the end of the hour. Students filed noisily out of the room as Draco finally got to stand up properly and stretch. Cleaning was hard work, maybe Granger had a point. Draco shook his head in surprise at the chance of agreeing with the buck-toothed muggleborn. He walked over to Slughorn's desk keeping his back to Potter to show that he was still furious at him for getting them both in trouble.
"Sir-" Draco began but Slughorn cut him off with a shake of his head. Potter smirked in the background.
"No excuses Mr. Malfoy, you may be good at potions but you are useless at working with a partner. Harry, I don't know what happened but you seem to have lost your potion skills and your mental focus over the summer. I think it would be best if you two join the potions club as a team. The club meets twice a week in here from 5 to 8 and-"
"But Sir, what about quidditch? We both need to train and-" Came Potter's voice from behind Draco.
"I'm sure you will find a way to balance school and quidditch Mr. Potter. This won't be for the rest of the school year if you two improve. And I appreciate your concern for Mr. Malfoy but he chose to not be on the Slytherin quidditch team this year."
Draco didn't need to look at Potter to know the latter was blatantly staring at him in surprise.
"I expect you two here tonight at five o'clock sharp." Slughorn said before returning to the essays he had been grading. Both Draco and Potter turned to leave and were almost at the door when Slughorn called out after them; "And Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter can do his own homework so I would ask you to refrain from doing his as well in the future." Potter stopped abruptly, apparently from shock, but Draco just walked out the door.
Right outside the door were Blaise, Pansy, Weasley, the she-Weasel, and Granger. Pansy immediately linked her arm through Draco's, leading him as fast as possible away from the Gryffindors as if they were contagious. Blaise followed but not before giving Granger a friendly nod, or at least as friendly as Blaise would probably ever be to a Gryffindor.
"It was so rude of Slughorn to punish you for Potter's fuckup!" Pansy was saying just as hurrying footsteps came up behind them.
"Malfoy! I need to talk to you!"
Draco turned slowly to face Potter but focused on looking at a spot slightly above his head.
"And what makes you think he would want to talk to you?!" Pansy spat.
But Potter's eyes hadn't left Draco's face which Draco felt quite unnerving. He nodded and gestured for Blaise and Pansy to go on without him. Pansy looked slightly affronted but left all the same. It seemed that Potter had had his friends leave too because they were suddenly completely alone.
"Right..." began Potter slowly. Draco made quite a show of bringing his wrist up to his face to check the time. Potter sighed uncomfortably while running a hair through his already messy hair. "You were the one that finished the potions essay for me weren't you?"
Draco shrugged and began walking down the hallway again. It seemed that Potter wasn't one to give up though because he kept following him.
"Why did you do it?" Potter had to walk quite fast to keep up with Draco's long strides. Draco knew he couldn't tell Potter the real reason he had done that pathetic assignment, he wasn't even completely sure why he had done it in the first place. It wasn't as if he owed Potter anything after he had spoken at his trial, right? Certainly Potter was too much of a Gryffindor to put Draco in his debt so why was it that this was exactly how he felt?
"Malfoy!" Potter's exasperated voice brought Draco back to the present. How ironic since it had been Draco who had tried in vain to snap Potter out of his daydreams only an hour ago.
"I was merely helping the less fortunate!" Draco snapped before storming off. He ran into Blaise and Pansy around the corner who had obviously been spying on them. Typical Slytherins.
"Sheesh Draco, what got into you now?" Blaise asked.
"We're used to you insulting Potter at every opportunity but why did youhelp him?" Pansy stressed the word 'help' as if it was a crime of the highest order.
Draco shrugged and ran his hand through his hair; he had given up using gel on it since the war. "I don't know, just forget it. Let's get lunch ok?"
Blaise and Pansy exchanged glances but then nodded and the three headed to the Great Hall.