Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters from it. Harry Potter is the property of J. K. Rowling.

Potions

George leaned his head against the back of his chair as he thought about the letter he just received from Ginny. A large smile spread across his face. A glitter bomb, something he had never heard of. 'It does sound very intriguing. Just the thing for April Fools.' His smile wilted a little. 'Too bad Fred can't be here to enjoy it with me.' George sighed. Life had been very hard without his twin. He could no longer bounce ideas back and forth with Fred. Or even just laugh with him. He sighed again. 'He wouldn't want me to focus on the negatives of life. Fred would want me to live life to its fullest, no matter how difficult.' He straightened in his chair. 'And that is exactly what I'm going to do.' He looked back at Ginny's letter. 'A Muggle prank, something no-one will expect. I'll have to find a way to see how one works without magic. Before magnifying the effects. I don't want to actually hurt anyone. Though, perhaps I could make it similar to a Christmas cracker-' "Ah!" He cut himself off with a loud voice. "Before I focus on that I should work out at least the basics of an imperturbable cloak. It really is a great idea. How come Fred and I never thought of it?"

"So, no one has commented on them? At all?"

Draco looked at the fingernails on his right hand. "No, but to be fair I haven't interacted with many people since you and Ginny painted them for me."

Hermione nodded. "That's true. And you're really not worried about possible reactions to potion ingredients?"

"It'll be fine." Draco said in his usual confident voice. "If for whatever reason it isn't, I have my dragon hide gloves in my bag."

Just then Ginny, Harry, and Ron joined them.

"Cutting it kind of close, aren't you?" Hermione's voice was slightly concerned.

"We're good. Snape hasn't opened the door yet." Ron's reply was offhanded.

"It's Professor Snape, Ron. Why do you always forget to say Professor?"

Ron simply shrugged.

"Some habits are hard to change Hermione." Harry responded trying to head-off an argument. "Besides isn't it okay so long as Professor Snape isn't here to hear the drop of the title?"

Hermione sighed but couldn't respond because right at that moment the classroom door opened, and Severus Snape stepped out.

He silently waited for the students to file in, followed them, and shut the door with a quiet click behind himself. He moved to the front of the room and waited for the students to sit.

Draco frowned as Hermione sat across from him rather next to him, as she normally did. "Why are you all the way over there?"

"I don't want to be spattered by anything that is possibly affected by your polish."

"Oh, come on. Don't you trust me?"

"Not at all." Hermione said with a smirk.

"Don't pout Draco. I'll sit next to you." Ginny took the chair normally occupied by Hermione.

"What are you three talking about?" Harry asked in a quiet voice as he sat at the table next to theirs.

In response Draco held up one of his hands so that Harry and Ron could see it dark green nails.

Harry and Ron's eyes got huge.

"Won't tha-"

"If you are done discussing frivolities, it is time for class to begin." All five young adults jumped and looked up. Severus Snape was standing in front of both desks scowling at the occupants.

"Sorry, Sir." Draco spoke for the other four. Though he did not sound very sorry.

Severus narrowed his eyes and turned to walk back to the front of the room. The young adults looked at each other and shared grins. Severus Snape was still very strict, but he had mellowed a bit since the war. If they had been talking like this at the beginning of one of his classes before the war all of them, including Draco, would have been put in detention.

"Now then, since half of the students in this room have finished talking, we will begin." Severus tapped his wand on the black board and the instructions for the day's potion appeared. "It is a guarantee that all of you have heard of this particular potion. Though, it is doubtful that all of you have brewed it. Though, I do know that one of you has indeed produced this potion before." His eyes found Hermione's and held them until she blushed and glanced away. He smirked before continuing. "This will be a month-long project and at the end of the month you will be testing your potions on each other. Thus, mistakes are not recommended. Begin." With that he sat down at his desk and began grading papers.

"When did you brew Poly Juice?" Draco asked Hermione as they were making their way to the student's store cupboard.

Hermione blushed even more, while Harry and Ron quietly snickered.

"I'm not saying." Hermione's tone was final.

"Why not?"

"Because it's embarrassing."

"So?"

Hermione didn't answer and began prepping her ingredients.

"Don't worry. We'll tell you tonight after dinner." Harry said to Draco as he sat back down. "It's a rather entertaining story."

Hermione gave Harry a betrayed look, but he ignored it.

An hour and a half later the bell rang.

"Put a sample of your potions, clearly labeled, on my desk for grading."

"See?" Draco commented as he bottled some of his potion. "There were no adverse reactions. You were worried about nothing." He labeled his potion and with a wave of his wand emptied his cauldron. 'There were also no comments'

"Fine, you were right. I was wrong. Are you happy now?" Hermione tried to sound annoyed but couldn't quite manage it.

Ginny and Draco both laughed. "To be fair, I was worried too. After all we told you we didn't know if there would be any problems with nail polish. And that's why we never painted our fingernails."

"Well, now you know for future reference."

"Yes, yes we do."

"Why did you want your nails painted anyway, Draco?" Harry asked as they finished cleaning their tables.

"It sounded fun, and it looks interesting when all is said and done. I think I'm going to keep doing it."

"Do you mean doing it yourself? Or keep having Hermione and I do it?" Ginny shouldered her bag looking at Draco.

"I'll do it myself, but I'll do it when you and Hermione are also painting your nails. That way you can help me use that cuticle cutter thing."

"Oh, you mean the item that made you squeal like a little girl?" Hermione teased.

Harry and Ron busted out laughing.

"You actually squealed like a girl?" Ron choked out.

Draco's cheeks turned pink, and he walked up to Severus' desk to turn in his sample.

The others followed him. Harry and Ron still laughing.

One by one they set their potions on Severus' desk. Hermione was last. She made to set her's on Severus' desk, but he held his hand out for it directly. Hermione blinked before handing her potion to him. She turned for the door but was stopped by his voice.

"What were you and my Godson discussing at the beginning of class that was so important, Ms. Granger?" Severus looked at her with a blank face.

"Nothing, sir." Hermione looked down at her feet.

"Really? Was it really nothing that caused you to change seats?" Severus was smirking. He found that since the beginning of that school year he could not resist making Hermione squirm.

When Hermione gave Severus no answer he spoke again. "Answer me Ms. Granger. Why did you suddenly change where you sit?"

"It was- Well- I mean-" Hermione sighed, squared her shoulders, and looked up at Severus' face. "I moved seats today because I didn't want to be injured if any of the potion ingredients, we were working with somehow reacted to the nail polish on Draco's fingernails. Obviously, it was something that I didn't need to worry about, but I couldn't help myself." Hermione's face was crimson once she was done talking and it took everything she had not to look back at her feet. 'Why was Professor Snape forcing this issue? It isn't as though my changing seats made any difference in class today.'

"I see." Severus' voice was quiet and the smirk that had been on his face was now nowhere to be seen. "Would you mind telling me why his fingernails were painted?"

"Why don't you ask him, sir?" Hermione's voice held an edge of defiance to it.

"I'm asking you Ms. Granger. Now answer me. Neither of us has all day."

Hermione sighed internally. 'Might as well tell him and get this over with. Though why he wants to know is beyond me.' "Ginny and I were having some girl time Saturday evening in the Eighth-year common room. We were just talking, and painting are nails when Draco came in. He got curious about what we were doing and asked that we paint his nails. So, we did." 'And ended up thinking of a stupid prank.' Hermione silently added. She was looking directly into Severus' eyes but failed to notice the gleam that lit them up for a second.

'I'm sorry Ms. Granger.' Severus thought in apology. 'I was not trying to hear your thoughts, but you do tend to broadcast them. Now to determine what this prank is. And if necessary, how to stop it.' "I see. Well, this explains why Draco's nails have been an unusual color. Thank you for telling me. You may leave." With that Severus started examining the sample of Hermione's potion.

Hermione stood there for a couple moments, shocked at the abrupt dismissal, but she quickly gathered her wits and left the classroom. 'So strange,' she thought as she made her way to transfiguration. 'Why didn't he just ask Draco? I suppose it will be impossible to fully understand Professor Snape.' She caught up to her friends just as the door to the transfiguration classroom opened.

"What kept you?" Ginny asked as they walked into the classroom.

"Snape didn't give you a detention, did he?" Ron asked quickly.

"Professor Snape, Ron, and no he didn't. He just had a couple questions for me."

Ginny gave her a confused look. "Questions about what?"

Hermione shook her head. "I'll tell you about it later." She gave Ginny and Draco a significant look as she spoke.

Ginny's eyes sparkled, while Draco's seemed to dim just the smallest amount.

'I'm a Slytherin, I should know better than to make a bet that I'm not guaranteed to win.' Draco silently fumed to himself as they headed to Transfiguration.

The group sat next to each other and waited for the class to start.

"You alright, Draco? You look a little peaky." Harry commented as he noticed Draco's tense face.

"I'm fine. I'm simply determining what color or colors to paint my nails next."

Harry and Ron both stared at him.

"What," Draco asked in annoyance.

"You really are going to keep doing it?" Ron's voice was full of surprise.

"I said I was going to, didn't I?" Was Draco's exasperated reply

"Well, yeah. But I thought you were joking." Ron shrugged.

"Well, I wasn't. So, you can stop asking stupid questions."

Ron shook his head half in annoyance half in confusion.

"I don't get it, but more power to you, Draco." Harry said.

As he was speaking Professor McGonagall walked into the classroom. The small class fell silent as she made her way to the front of the room. "As you will recall at the beginning of this term all of you were required to take certain exams. I believe in the Muggle world these would be referred to as placement exams. It is thanks to your responses in those exams that today we will be studying something that was previously not taught at Hogwarts. Do any of you have any idea to what I am referring?"

Hermione and Draco both raised their hands.

"Mr. Malfoy."

"How to be an Animagus, Professor."

"Correct, five points to Slytherin." Professor McGonagall gave a very slight smile. "As you all know the process of becoming an Animagus can take years. However, we will be starting the process today. And there is always the possibility of some of you succeeding in this endeavor by the end of the school year."

The rest of the class was spent with the students taking notes as Professor McGonagall gave a detailed explanation on the workings of becoming an Animagus.

"Based on our personalities." Ginny commented to herself once the class was over, and they were heading to lunch. She shot a sly glance at Draco. "Think you'll become a ferret?"

Draco's cheeks tinged pink as the others laughed. "Wouldn't be any worse than being a weasel." He shot back.

Ginny and Ron scowled as Harry and Hermione laughed even harder. Their laughter was so infectious that the other three couldn't resist joining in.

After they calmed down Ron commented. "Do our Patronuses indicate what animals our Animagus forms will be?"

"I doubt it. Patronuses can change, while our Animagus forms can't." Hermione said, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Even though it is based on our personalities, I wonder if we have any actual say in what our forms will be."

"I suppose it's possible. The essays we have to write before our next transfiguration class will probably help us answer these queries." Draco responded as they made it to the Great Hall doors.

The others nodded in agreement as they made their way to the Gryffindor table. Nobody thought anything about Draco joining them. He had been eating with them since almost the very beginning of the term.

"We should probably start on those essays this afternoon. Considering we all have free periods." Hermione said lightly as she sat down and pulled out her Transfiguration textbook.

Though before she could open to the chapter on Animagus it was pulled from her hands by Ginny. Hermione glared at her. Ginny simply ignored her and set the textbook on the bench next to where she sat. "You can be sociable during lunch. It's good for you to interact with other humans. You'll be able to lose yourself in your schoolwork after you're done eating."

The boys snickered as Hermione continued to glare, even while she served herself some food. Ginny smiled and also began to serve herself.

"She is right Hermione." Harry said in a gentle tone, trying to sooth Hermione's ruffled feathers.

Hermione didn't say anything, but her glare did lessen. Which was taken as a victory by her four friends.

Severus watched the fire in his private quarters thinking about what had happened that day. Draco had seemed lighter than he had before. Severus felt happy for his godson. He had come a long way since Voldemort's death. 'It is quite entertaining to see him interact with his friends. I truly would never have imagined that those four Gryffindors would befriend him. Though, I suppose their bleeding hearts didn't give them any choice.' Severus smirked as he raised a tumbler of fire whiskey to his lips and took a sip. 'And the things he now does thanks to them. Having his nails painted? I don't know whether Lucius will laugh or cry when he finds out. I'll have to be certain to tell him in person to see his reaction. Not only did he paint his nails, but he's planning a prank with Hermi- Miss Granger and Miss Weasley. I wonder-'

His thoughts were cut off by a knock at his door. He frowned before stating, "Enter."

The door opened and in came one of the people occupying his thoughts. "Draco. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

At first glance Draco appeared his usual calm, collected self. However, Severus had known him long enough to see that he was anything but. 'Interesting. I haven't seen him agitated like this all term.' "Draco?" Severus prompted in a calm voice.

Draco closed his eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath and saying. "I need your help Uncle."