I'm so sorry about the late update

I'm so sorry about the late update! I had one packet, three papers, one logbook, and tutoring my cousin hanging over my head during Spring Break, so I didn't have time to write anything. When I went back to school, I had to read over one hundred pages in about two days time, three truckloads of homework, a field trip, and stress about the upcoming AP test to contend with. On the plus side…only three weeks of school! I don't think this chapter is pointless, but I'm not really sure.

Disclaimer: I reiterate, why would I waste my time writing fanfics if I owned Harry Potter?

"Speech"

'Thought'

/Parseltongue/

XXXXXXXX- scene change

"Do you like him or not, Harry?"

Harry rolled his eyes. The girls had been interrogating him for half an hour. Ron had lost interest in the first ten minutes, after Harry explained that he hadn't jumped to the aid of the Silver Trio because it would do more harm than good to both the Slytherins' reputations and their opinion of himself. Once Ron had left, Ginny had wasted no time jumping to the true purpose of his questioning by asking his opinion of Draco.

Since then, every single question had involved the blonde in some way. This was the most blunt inquiry that had been made by either interrogator, though.

"Define the term 'like'," Harry requested, not willing to fall prey to an oddly worded question.

Ginny rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You know good and well what we meant! Like! Fancy! Have a fondness for! Want to snog, for Merlin's sake!"

"Well, if that's what you meant, then I don't like him like that."

"Then how did you learn to get along with him so quickly?" Hermione's eyes were bright, as though she was about to learn the meaning of life. "How were you able to put aside a hatred that had persisted for five years in a week?"

"Honestly, I never really hated him." When the girls opened their mouths to argue, he held up his hands. "No, hear me out. Neither of you has known true hatred. Ginny may have an inkling, but an inkling is different than the real thing. Voldemort, I hate, Bellatrix Lestrange, I hate. Hell, I even hate Uncle Vernon! But I don't hate Draco. I may have disliked certain aspects of his personality, but he's never done anything to invoke true hatred. Besides, to hate someone who is like you would be to hate yourself. And we have much in common, he and I."

"But what about all the things he's done to us?" Ginny burst out vehemently.

"Did you know that Draco offered me his hand in friendship on the Hogwarts Express back in first year?" He received negative answers from both girls, who seemed confused by the apparent change in subject. "I didn't think you would, Hermione. I kinda thought Ron would tell you, Ginny, but evidentially I was mistaken. Anyway, you can probably infer that I turned him down. The fact that he was rejected, and in front of a Weasley no less, must have hurt. I thing the last five years were mainly to get even with me, and I don't blame him for it. Besides, we ourselves aren't exactly innocent."

"Are you sure you don't fancy him. It sure sounds like you do, from the way you talk about him."

"For the last time, Ginny, I'm bloody sure!"

"How? The only experience you've had was Cho, and I'm not all that positive that you actually fancied her."

"Look, I just know, okay? Now if you will excuse me, I wish to retire for the evening. Good night!"

Without waiting for a response, Harry stormed up the stairs to the boys' dorm. He had tried, he really had, but he had never done well with being under scrutiny. As he pulled back the covers after changing into his pajamas, Harry hoped that the girls would understand this. He heard amused hissing from under his pillow, where Aurum has slithered after he removed his robe.

/You are in for it tomorrow, Harry./

/Shut up, Aurum/ he replied, irked at the accuracy of the serpent's statement.

XXXXXXXX

"Come on! I said I was sorry!" His outburst was met with stony silence. "You two know I don't do well when it comes to questioning." More silence. "Hypocrites. It's not like you would do any better."

When Hermione and Ginny failed to respond, Harry huffed in annoyance and continued eating his cooling breakfast. Ron looked at him sympathetically.

"I'm not sure what you did to them, mate, but it must have been spectacular."

"All I did was tell them I was going to bed," Harry replied, a bitter edge tinging his voice.

"Oh. Well it must be their time of the month, then."

Ginny, hearing this comment, quickly whispered what she'd heard to Hermione. They glared at Ron and moved even further down the table. Harry smirked at him.

"Welcome to the doghouse, Ron."

Ron scowled at his friend. "Gee, thanks. And don't smirk like that; it makes you look like a Slytherin."

Harry quickly finished his meal and waited for Ron. The redhead shoveled the rest of his food into his mouth and stood up, his bag in one hand and a piece of toast in the other.

"I guess we'd better get going."

Harry nodded and stood as well, picking up his own bag.

"Yeah. Wouldn't want to be late for Potions, after all."

Behind them, the duo heard an eep followed by a scramble to stand and grab the bag that was under the bench at the same time. Harry and Ron chuckled; it was just too easy to make their bookworm of a friend panic.

After entering the dungeons, Harry suddenly paused, causing Hermione to bump into him. Ron came to a halt slightly ahead of them, turning to look back at his friends confusedly. Hermione shrugged helplessly as Harry stared intensely up the stairs. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end, an inexplicable pull causing him some slight discomfort.

Ron and Hermione sighed in relief when the Silver Trio reached the foot of the stairs. They put away their wands, which neither one had any recollection of drawing. Harry, though, didn't appear surprised or relieved at their arrival. In fact, it was almost like he was expecting them.

"Um…hi," Pansy said uncertainly. "Draco kind of drug us out here when you left."

"Really? Harry forced us to stop and wait for something. Bit of an odd coincidence, isn't it?"

"Hmm…it certainly is."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "If you girls are finished pondering the complexities of your best friend's minds, I think it would be best if we arrived at the Potions classroom before the crowd if we are going there together."

The rest of the group nodded and continued down the damp corridor. Harry turned to Draco and quirked a questioning eyebrow.

"Well?"

"Yeah. Oh, and the glamour worked. When is it going to wear off?"

"Patience, Draco. Give it at least a week."

"A week? You can't maintain a glamour for a week!"

"You can when it needs to look like you're healing from an injury. Actually, if your determination to hide something is strong enough, a glamour can be held for much longer, as long as it is removed for at least thirty minutes a day."

"Oh. I'm going to ask about how you know that later, you know. Nott's a freak."

Ron glanced down at Hermione. "Are you following this conversation?"

Hermione shrugged and shushed him as Harry responded to Draco's statement.

"I don't want to say I told you so. Something you want to ask, Ron?"

Ron shook off his surprise at being addressed and glared at his friend. "What the bloody fuck was that?"

Hermione slapped him on the arm while Harry cocked his head to the side in mock confusion. "What was what?"

Ron gestured frantically between Harry and Draco, causing Pansy and Blaise to chuckle even harder than they already were. The two boys in question glanced at each other before Draco rolled his eyes.

"That, Weasley, was a conversation. Surely even you've had one before?"

"Well, I knew that! I meant that you jumped from subject to subject with almost no transition and were still able to keep up. Not to mention the cryptic bits!"

Harry shrugged. "I just know what he was talking about. If you and Hermione are interested, by the way, we got away with our little scam. Nott did check to see if Draco was still injured. It seems that he checked both ribs and blood."

"He poked and prodded the 'bruises' on my side. It's a good thing I was still a little bit sore, or we might have been given away. He actually swiped some of the blood off of my face and licked it to make sure it was real!" Draco reiterated, shuddering involuntarily. "One of the most disgusting things I've ever seen, and that's saying something."

Ron's jaw dropped, his countenance considerably paler than usual. "That's disgusting!"

"That's Slytherin." The group halted outside the door to the Potions classroom. "We should probably split up now."

Harry nodded and moved to stand across the hall, Ron and Hermione following him. He turned his back to the wall and leaned back, arms crossed over his chest, right leg propped on the stone behind him.

"You knew Nott would check the authenticity of those wounds," Hermione stated accusingly.

"It was a suspicion, nothing more. Nott just seems like the kind of guy who would do something like that. I know I would, were I in Slytherin."

Hermione nodded her acceptance of this explanation, and the Trio lapsed into silence. It wasn't too long until the rest of the class, then Snape, came down the corridor to the entrance of the Potions room. Snape's arrival heralded a cessation to all conversation. He held open the door of the classroom, glaring at the one or two students who didn't give him their full attention.

"In," he said silkily, though the underlying tone left no room for argument. Every one of the teenagers, Harry included, jumped in place and rushed to comply. Snape, robes billowing in their characteristic fashion, followed the stragglers in and shut the door with a resounding bang.

"Now, onto the first order of business. I thought we could have an oral quiz." The whole class groaned, but Snape's threatening glare swiftly silenced them. "I will select two students, one from each house. Each of the chosen students will answer two questions. If both are answered correctly, the entire house will receive an Outstanding. If one is answered correctly, the house will receive a Poor, No correct answer will, of course, merit a Troll. The students that will represent their houses are Mr. Malfoy for Slytherin and, for Gryffindor, …Mr. Potter."

A collective groan rang out from the Gryffindor side of the room. Harry, though, was actually somewhat relieved. He had been getting tired of playing stupid, anyway. His only concerns were exactly what questions Snape would ask and how his classmates would react to his minor revelation.

Draco and Harry stood from their spots and walked to two desks in the front of the room, presumably put there to increase the pressure on the selected students to do well, thus making failure more likely. They each sat in the desk in front of their own house, both outwardly the picture of calm. Harry, though, couldn't help but feel like an animal on display at the zoo.

"Potter, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry sighed. It was just too typical of Snape to ask a question he'd used to humiliate Harry back in first year. He cast his mind back, trying to remember how Snape had phrased his answer.

"Asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion know as the Draught of Living Death."

Snape looked at him with suspicion. "Very good, Potter. Malfoy, what ingredients are used in the Draught of Peace?"

"Powdered moonstone and syrup of hellebore, sir."

"Excellent. It seems that neither house will receive a Troll today. Now Malfoy, list the ingredients of the Polyjuice Potion."

Harry stole a glance at his friends and saw that Hermione had to literally hold onto her right arm to keep from raising it and that Ron had placed his hand over his mouth to hide his grin. Harry himself had to work to keep his face blank; all three of them were able to answer that question no problem.

"Fluxweed, horn of bicorn, knotgrass, lacewing flies, leeches, boomslang skin, and part of the person you wish to impersonate, I believe." Part of Harry was crowing in glee at the note of uncertainty he detected.

"Perfect. Ten points to Slytherin." When Snape turned to Harry, he wore a rarely seen grin that did not bode well for anyone it was directed towards. "Potter, is powdered galena used in Wolfsbane Potion? Explain your answer."

Harry gaped at the professor. There was no way that was on the sixth year curriculum. In fact, he would be willing to bet that it wasn't on the Hogwarts curriculum at all. Looking at his classmates, he saw that they had similar reactions. Hermione, who usually know everything about anything, appeared to be drawing a complete blank, as did Pansy and Blaise. Even Draco was at a loss, though he wore a thoughtful expression.

"Well, Potter? We're waiting."

Where had he heard of galena before? He knew it was recently. Suddenly, he remembered. It was in that book he'd read the night before. He'd begun a habit of reading books not related to school when he couldn't sleep, and had happened to pick one on minerals that night.

"Three…two…"

"Powdered galena is used in Wolfsbane Potion, sir. Werewolves are allergic to silver. If they consume it, they can become incapacitated or even killed. However, galena contains only trace amounts of silver. The silver weakens the werewolf body and mind, allowing the human to remain aware of his or her actions. The growth that occurs during the transformation is also inhibited, so the werewolf will remain the size of a normal wolf. The only known side effects are bouts of headache and nausea."

By the time Harry finished his answer, the whole class was openly gaping at him. Snape, who was normally controlled and unreadable, seemed to be the most surprised of all. Harry could almost literally see the gears turning in his head in an attempt at figuring out what to do in this unexpected situation. Finally, he came to a solution, albeit an unsavory one.

"A very…thorough and…competent answer. Especially for you, Potter. Ten points to Gryffindor." Snape muttered the last part, shuddering in disgust at the words leaving his mouth. "I would like to see you after class. Now, everyone sit with their partners."

As the rustling of books and papers rang through the air, Harry and Draco returned to their normal places. Harry only remained on the Gryffindor side for long enough to collect his belongings, then he spun on his heels and sat beside the blonde.

"We will be brewing several difficult potions this term, including the Polyjuice Potion and a memory restorative. Along with teaching you the subtle nuances involved in potion making, these lessons are designed to strengthen the bond between yourself and your partner and to teach each of you your own strengths and weaknesses."

While it may be illegal to brew several of the potions I will teach you, I have received special permission from the Ministry itself. I will inform you beforehand if a potion is illegal, so it will be your problem, not mine, if you get caught trying to brew it outside of this room. That aside, open your books to page three hundred and twenty-four."

XXXXXXXX

"Do you really think he'll teach us illegal potions?" Hermione asked nervously, worrying her bottom lip.

"Of course. The illegal ones are some of the most powerful. Besides-"

"You know what we brewed in second year, 'Mione. If memory serves me correctly, that was illegal."

Draco slapped the back of Harry's head playfully. "Shut up, you dimwit! I was talking. Now, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," Draco glared at Harry, sending him a look that clearly said they would have a discussion later, "not all illegal potions are dangerous. There are actually several very powerful healing potions that are considered illegal."

"If they aren't dangerous, then why are they illegal?"

"Some of the ingredients themselves are harmful or extremely rare."

"Like what?"

Harry and Ron rolled their eyes as the two continued talking. Discussing potion as enthusiastically as they were just wasn't normal. Blaise came to walk beside them after Pansy joined in the conversation.

"Is this going to be a normal occurrence?" Ron asked in distaste.

"Knowing them, it probably will be."

Harry nodded in agreement with the Italian and ran ahead to open the doors to the grounds when he saw that Draco, Pansy, and Hermione were completely oblivious to their surroundings. When he turned his attention to the other two boys, he saw Ron's ears steadily growing redder.

"Why you slimy little-!" Harry grabbed the back of Ron's collar and drug him away before he could finish.

"Honestly! I can't even leave you alone for one second, can I ?" he asked in exasperation.

"I didn't even do anything!"

"Yes you did, Zabini!" Ron snarled. "You called Hermione a mudblood!"

Harry raised an eyebrow at Blaise, who genuinely confused.

"I did?" He thought back on the conversation, flushing when he remembered. "Um…oops. Slipped into my persona for a minute there."

As they walked into the greenhouse, their other three friends glared at them.

"What took you so long?"

"Well, Pansy dearest, the three of you were so wrapped up in your conversation that we thought we'd wait for you to finish before we caught up."

Harry winked at Blaise and slid into the seat beside Draco, not noticing the scowls directed at both Blaise and him.

"So, Potter, what did Snape want after class?"

Harry shrugged. "Not much. Just wanted to know how an 'incompetent' fool like me knew the answer to his questions, especially the second one."

"Well, how did you know the answer to that one? No one else did, myself included."

Harry flinched when he saw that his and Draco's conversation was no longer private. "A combination of things, really. I just happened to read a book that mentioned galena last night. I figured that, logically, Wolfsbalne would have to include some silver to work. The fact that galena provided the silver and the effects it had on the werewolf were nothing but guesses. I also had a conversation with Lupin about the side effects of Wolfsbane last month."

Draco shook his head in mock annoyance. "I never thought that you of all people would be able to fake your way through class in such a Slytherin manner."

"Thanks." Harry couldn't help but feel that this was a backhanded compliment.

Any further conversation was cut off as Professor Sprout entered the greenhouse. She bustled into the room, bringing with her the strong scent of dragon manure.

"I apologize for my tardiness," she huffed. "The carnivorous roses in Greenhouse Four were giving me a bit of a hard time. Now who can tell me about Venomous Carnations? Mr. Longbottom?"

"Venomous Carnations come in two varieties; yellow pods and purple blossoms. There has been debate about which of these is the most dangerous. Yellow pods have been known to eat humans and vomit an extremely corrosive acid, while purple blossoms will throw poisonous darts at any possible threats, which is anything that comes within fifty feet of the front or either side."

"Splendid, Neville! Ten points to Gryffindor. Today we will be clipping the barbs of the purple blossoms and collecting the poison within. Once this is done, they will be harmless for three months, the time it will take for the darts to shed naturally. This is a potentially dangerous operation, so listen closely to the procedures."

One partner, preferably whoever has the better reflexes, will stand in front of the flower to distract it. Meanwhile, the other partner will come up behind it and gently but firmly grip the base, preventing the expulsion of the poisonous darts. The person who was in front of the bloom can now approach and clip the tips off of the barbs. After this is done, the person holding the base will tip the blossom downwards and allow the poison to drain into the jar I will give you. This poison will be used as a potion ingredient later, so I'd suggest harvesting it correctly. Any volunteers for the first go?"

As one, the class stepped back, leaving Neville and Goyle in the front. They glared at their classmates accusingly before quickly deciding who would do what. Neville moved to the front of one of the purple flowers, making sure he was just close enough for the plant to sense his presence. While it was distracted, Goyle quickly moved in and grasped the base from behind. Neville stepped forward and clipped the five barbs inside the flower, then his partner gently tipped the flower, allowing its dangerous poison to drain into the jar Neville held. The Gryffindor screwed the lid on the jar, and the two boys took their seat.

Professor Sprout beamed at them. "See! It's not so hard. Any more voluntees, or shall I start picking groups myself?"

Draco and Harry shared a glance before stepping forward in unison. Professor Sprout handed Harry a jar and stepped back.

"Feel free to begin once you decide who will be the diversion."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "We're both pretty fast. It doesn't really matter who does what."

Harry smirked at his partner. "Thanks for volunteering to be the bait."

"Oh no! That's not what I meant!"

"Sure sounded like it."

"You bloody snake!"

The class gasped at Draco's exclamation while Harry chuckled. "So says the Slytherin. Seriously though, since I'm the 'brave Gryffindor,' I'll be the bait."

Draco, who had opened his mouth to retaliate, snapped it shut when he realized what Harry had said. He shrugged carelessly. "Fine by me."

Harry nodded and moved toward the plant, ducking as two barbs flew over his head. Two more flew by his right side even before he's completely righted himself.

'It figures that we'd get the violent plant,' he thought derisively.

The barbs continued to zoom by Harry, forcing him to move faster to dodge them each time. Within a few minutes, all the class could see of Harry Potter was a blur of movement. Harry flinched as one of the darts buried itself in his upper left arm. In the back of his mind, he knew he should tell Sprout of his injury, that he could be in serious danger if it wasn't treated soon. His Gryffindor side, the side that was in control at the moment, just wanted to finish the appointed task as quickly as possible.

As soon as Draco had a firm grip on the base of the plant, Harry ran in and cut the barbs' tips with a trembling hand. He then opened the jar and, after making sure that it was properly aligned, signaled to his partner to tip the bloom over it. He and Draco watched as the vivid violet liquid emptied itself into the container, Harry's vision starting to blur around the edges.

"I think that's the last of it," Draco said quietly, noticing that Harry didn't look too good.

Harry nodded imperceptibly and pulled the jar away after the last drop of poison had fallen in, Draco releasing the flower as he did so. He quickly resealed the jar, not knowing where the strength to fight off the poison's effects was coming from. Harry had enough presence of mind remaining in his jumbled thoughts to place an Unbreakable Charm on the jar and a Sticking Charm on the lid.

As soon as he did this, the last of his strength failed him. His knees buckled, and his hands let go of the vessel of their own accord. Both he and the jar fell, though none other than Draco stopped Harry's progress. The blonde gently lowered his partner to the greenhouse floor, laying his head in his lap, as the rest of the class and his professor rushed forward.

"Malfoy, what happened?" Sprout asked worriedly. Draco looked up, his normally stoic gray eyes flashing his frantic worry to anyone who cared to look.

"I don't know, Professor!" Softly, discretely holding one of Harry's hands in both of his own, he muttered, "I don't know," to himself.

'If I didn't know any better, I'd say Draco was upset that I was hurt,' was the last thing Harry thought before his world faded to an ever-consuming darkness.

Finished with the longest chapter thus far! I honestly didn't realize this chapter was so long. Actually, I may re-post it as two chapters if you readers think I should. The voting for animagus forms is now officially closed! However, I am still taking votes for songs.

This chapter was written in very tiny increments while I was on the bus going to school every morning. In other words, I was either half-delirious due to not being completely awake, or completely delirious due to only having two hours of sleep the night before. If nothing makes any sense, then that's why. Now I'm going to start doing what I should have been doing instead of typing this: HOMEWORK! Again…

Thanks to the chapter 9 reviewers:

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