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Disclaimer: I don't own it. Not Harry Potter, not the characters, not the setting, nothing. And you probably don't either. And if you do, uh, that's cool but what are you doing here? You're kinda scaring me.

Author's Note: Inspired from a Reddit prompt by Ekyt at HPfanfiction.

Chapter 1

"Potter!"

Harry blinked as he heard his name. He paused mid step before turning around. He noticed Pansy Parkinson approaching him, casting glances around the near-empty corridor, a slightly hesitant look on her face.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Do you want to study potions with me?"

Harry blinked, his mind almost disbelieving at what he had just heard from Pansy Parkinson, who used to hang around Malfoy at all times.

"Why?"

That simple question, which had a little more bite to it than he realized, caused Pansy to shuffle awkwardly and fiddle with her book bag; she glanced around nervously once more. However, she took a deep breath through her nose and managed to look him in the eyes, "B-because I noticed... Snape-"

"Ah, here to make fun of me too, are you?"

"N-no!" Pansy quickly replied, her cheeks tinting pink. "I'm being serious. Do you want to study potions with me?"

"Once again, why?" asked Harry. He knew he was being quite obtuse right now, but after everything Malfoy and his cronies had done to him and his friends, he was a little wary of Pansy, justifiably so.

"B-because...I...want to apologise," she finally said, although it looked like it took great courage for her to say that to him. "For what I've done in the past...for my actions to not only you but to your friends too."

She clasped her hands behind her, shuffling her right leg, raising the foot until only the tip of her toe was tracing circles on the floor. She eyed the ground in favour of looking into the emerald green eyes of Harry, which were burning holes into her lowered scalp.

He never really noticed how short she was. He certainly wasn't tall due to his malnourishment, but he still towered over her almost by a full head.

Harry stayed silent, his mind going over what was told to him. Of course, Pansy took his silence as a negative and shuffled her leg again.

"Plus!" She squeaked out, almost trying to entice the prospect of this, "It'll get Snape off your back in Potions...probably. If not, then at least you can get him off your back for a while."

That did sound good in his mind. Since his first day here, Snape has had it out for him and looked for any reason to punish him with point deductions. Even if he did admittedly save him from harm in his first Quidditch Match in the First Year, and had thrown himself in front of him, Hermione and Ron when Remus transformed into a Werewolf, he was still a mighty git.

"Fine," Harry finally said after considering it. "But only if I can bring my friends along because, to be frank, I still don't fully trust you."

"That's fine, Pot—" Pansy stopped herself and shook her head, quickly correcting herself "Harry. Meet me on the Sixth Floor, by the abandoned classrooms, on Saturday morning, and bring plenty of spare parchment."

With her peace said, she offered Harry the faintest of smiles before she glanced around the near-empty corridor, almost as if she was looking out for somebody spying on them, before she quickly turned on her heels and promptly fled the area.

All the while, Harry blinked at the sudden encounter. He still didn't feel at ease about this, but at least she agreed to let him bring his friends along so he wouldn't be completely alone with the former Slytherin bully.

Now, how would he break this new development to Ron and Hermione?

~ O ~

Pansy darted through the corridors as fast as decorum allowed her to, no longer looking around her nervously, which was why she was caught by surprise when a pair of big strong arms shot out from behind a pillar she was passing, one hand going around her mouth, muffling her shriek, and the other snaking around her waist and pulled her into his hold.

Wide dark blue eyes stared up into the deep grey eyes belonging to one Draco Malfoy.

When the tension in her body relaxed, Draco released her, and Pansy took one step back, her expression shifting from the somewhat meek, awkward and demure display she'd maintained earlier, and took on a more familiar, haughty demeanour.

"So, did he buy it?" asked Draco.

There was a sliver of doubt in even Pansy's own confidence as she replayed the interaction between herself and Harry...Potter...Harry, she needed to get used to addressing him by his first name.

"Yes...I think so," she replied.

Draco picked up on the pause, and the tone of self-doubt. His hand was lightning quick as it seized her face, his thumb and fingers squeezing her cheeks painfully and awkwardly.

She hated when he did that!

"You think so, or you know so?" he demanded.

"D-Draco, stop, that hurts!"

"Then answer the bloody question, Pansy!"

"Yes! Yes, I am sure!"

She reached out and wrapped one hand around his wrist, but didn't try to pull his hand away. That would have much more repercussions. Eventually, he let go, and she released his wrist too, rubbing at her reddened cheeks, both from the pressure and humiliation.

He gripped her necktie rather suddenly and pulled her into a searing kiss.

Both desire and a need for balance led to her snaking her arms around his back and neck as he leaned forward and she leaned backwards. She idly played with his hair, loving the silky-smoothness. But he always hated it, and pulled back shortly, forcing her to let go as he quickly stepped back, his face an unreadable mask.

"The first step this year is underway," said Draco, "Keep it up, Pansy, and you know you'll get everything you want."

"Of course," replied the girl, giving him a cold smile, which he matched.

She didn't follow him when he turned and left, but she instead twisted herself so she could lean against the pillar and sighed.

"The things I do for love."