1996

Even though most would find it very hard to believe, Harry didn't think he had ever felt so jittery in this particular dungeon classroom before. Most of the combined class of Slytherin and Gryffindor were already seated, waiting for Snape.

Harry figured he wouldn't have been so nervous if he had seen just a glimpse of the man last night. Snape, for the first time since Harry had been at Hogwarts, hadn't been at the Welcoming Feast, and Harry felt sure the Potions master had somehow missed the Feast to torture him, though of course, Snape could have no idea that he was feeling so anxious.

It was an anxiety not born entirely of anger, either. Harry had stayed awake most of last night and the night before, fretfully angry at both his mother and James, but mostly at Snape. Harry was furious that the three of them had kept this from him, had lied to everyone about his true parentage, but there was also something else that Harry didn't want to admit to feeling.

And he wouldn't admit it out loud, but the fact was that Harry was hurt. Hurt that Snape, someone as loathsome as Severus Snape, didn't want him for a son. Just how bad could he have been as a baby to make his own father hate him so much?

And then, mingled unevenly with the anger and hurt was a fair amount of disgust as well. Even though known only to three of his friends, the idea that the most hated professor at Hogwarts was his father did generate within Harry a fair amount of repugnance.

Harry shuddered as he heard the classroom door slam shut and then the unmistakable flap of Snape's robes as the professor strode down the narrow aisle toward the front of the classroom. Harry closed his eyes, in a childish effort to avoid dealing with his fears, and hoped fervently that Snape would not notice him. That, of course, was a very foolish wish.

The next thing Harry heard was Snape's icy question, "Bored already, Potter?"

Harry's eyes snapped open and Snape drawled, "You may have been forced unfairly upon me and your more competent classmates, Potter, as your O.W.L. scores were expectedly abysmal, but even you should realize that Potions class is not an appropriate place for a nap."

Harry clenched his fists in front of him on his desk, his eyes snapping in anger. But he wasn't going to start off the first day by getting himself a detention, so he forced down the desire to snap at the man.

Snape narrowed his eyes at Harry, and Harry met the Potions master's glare evenly, because even though he wasn't going to give the man a blatant reason to give him an unfair punishment, he certainly wasn't going to let Snape see him cower, either.

Snape, it seemed, wanted to see Harry (not to mention his fellow Gryffindors) do exactly that. With a flick of his wand, Snape set the instructions for the day's potion on the board and intoned, "For the duration of N.E.W.T. level Potions, we will employ the practice of inter-house pairs. Though most of you are probably capable of choosing your own partners, I believe it would be prudent to make sure those of you less capable have competent partners... don't you agree, Mr. Potter?" Snape paused as though expecting Harry to answer in the affirmative, and when Harry didn't respond, preferring instead to seethe silently, Snape smirked.

"Nothing to say, Potter?" Snape turned toward Malfoy, and with an apologetic look, he said to the Slytherin boy, "I do regret having to burden you, Mr. Malfoy. However, as you are the most competent of our House in Potions, perhaps with your assistance, Potter can at least scrape by with an Acceptable this afternoon."

Harry expected Malfoy to be mimicking Snape's malicious sneer, but the Slytherin boy wasn't even looking at Harry. Malfoy wordlessly nodded at Snape, which seemed to make the professor purse his lips in agitation. Snape didn't comment, however. Instead, he snapped at the class to get started and then began his usual prowl around the classroom.

Hermione and Ron were giving Harry sympathetic looks, to which Harry only shrugged and tried to decide if he should move over to Malfoy's table or let the other boy come to him. The decision was made for him as Pansy Parkinson tossed her bag down forcefully, right on top of Harry's books.

Harry glared up at the pug-faced girl, but she spoke before he had a chance. "Move, Potter. Draco's waiting," she snapped out, and Harry rolled his eyes at Ron, who was looking up at the Slytherin girl with a fair amount of fear.

"Well, I wouldn't want to keep his highness waiting, now would I?" Harry asked Ron sarcastically and thought Ron tried to choke out an answer to him, but it sounded more like a strangled cough than any coherent words. With a sigh, Harry relinquished his seat to Ron's new partner and walked slowly over to Malfoy.

Malfoy didn't look up as Harry slid into the seat beside him; he was busy setting out the ingredients listed on the board, but the motions looked almost mechanical to Harry, as if Malfoy had something else on his mind, but since Harry had spent almost no time over the years alone with Malfoy, he really couldn't be sure.

With nothing else to do, Harry began setting up his cauldron, but only with a half-hearted effort, as he expected Malfoy would break in with a snide comment about Harry's half-blood cauldron not being good enough, but Malfoy didn't appear to notice Harry's movements.

When Harry had charmed the cauldron to warm, Malfoy was still methodically setting out each ingredient on the desk in front of him. When he got near the end of the list and seemed not to have a particular ingredient in his Potions case, he silently walked over to Snape's classroom supply closet and got what he needed.

By the time Malfoy returned, Harry was more than a little annoyed. Although he was more than happy to ignore the beastly Slytherin, Harry didn't see how they were going to do much together this way.

Just as Harry was opening his mouth to say as much, Malfoy suddenly asked, "Do you want to slice the Findicuular Root, or shall I?"

Harry's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Malfoy had delivered the question without a trace of animosity or sarcasm in his voice; Malfoy was almost indifferent. What was he up to? Malfoy was watching him, waiting for a response, and Harry shrugged as casually as he could. "I'll do it," he told the Slytherin. Malfoy gave a short nod and then took up his mortar and pestle and began pounding his Bicorn Horn into a fine powder, as required.

Harry and Malfoy completed the rest of the potion in near silence. They only spoke in order to divide the work and Harry was shocked at how fair Malfoy was. The Slytherin cut up the toad livers without Harry asking him to and even took his turn when it was time to stir the potion exactly fifty times.

By the time they had finished brewing a near-perfect potion, Harry had almost decided that working with Malfoy wasn't so bad after all.

Until Snape swooped down on them, that is.

The Potions master had left them alone throughout the class, but as soon as he saw their completed potion, he announced loudly for the whole class to hear, "Well, Potter, it seems as though you are capable of brewing a decent potion... that is, if you have Mr. Malfoy doing all of the work for you."

Harry clenched his jaw against the foul words that were fighting to come out. He tried to convince himself that it wasn't worth it just to save his pride, but he wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing, so he bit out, "I did just as much work as Malfoy." He left the 'sir' hanging in the air at the end and Snape's nostrils flared at the intentional disrespect.

"Impossible, as Mr. Malfoy hasn't been sent to Madam Pomfrey to re-grow any limbs this session. Ten points for lying," Snape finished evenly, ignoring the indignant spluttering from the other Gryffindors and the gleeful smiles of the Slytherins as he turned his back on Harry. "Class dismissed," he snapped, and the students hurried to clean up their messes and re-pack their bags, the Gryffindors still muttering under their breaths as they did so.

Harry glowered at Snape's back as he put his supplies away, ignoring Malfoy as the Slytherin packed his ingredients back into his expensive case. After Harry had crammed his belongings haphazardly into his bag, he stomped out the classroom door, where Hermione and Ron were waiting for him.

Ron exploded the moment the classroom door closed behind Harry. "That arse! I can't believe that that git is your-"

"Ronald!" Hermione interrupted him in mid-rant, and Ron shut up instantly, looking around a bit wildly as if to see if anyone had noticed his overly-loud voice.

"Sorry, Harry," he said sheepishly to his friend, who just shrugged.

"Harry," Hermione began in a soothing voice, only to be interrupted by him.

"I'm fine, Hermione. It's not as if I was expecting anything else," he said carelessly and wished that Hermione wouldn't look at him with those sympathetic eyes. He addressed his next words to Ron, just to avoid looking at her, "I'll tell you what, though... Malfoy was acting very strangely. He didn't say one mean word to me the entire class."

Ron raised his eyebrows, but said wisely, "He's up to something, that one."

Harry nodded his agreement while Hermione tilted her head in concentration. "What could Malfoy be up to, though?" she asked to no one in particular.

Harry laughed. "It's Malfoy. He could be up to almost anything." Ron snorted, and the three of them continued on their way up to the Tower, their conversation straying to lighter topics as they climbed higher.

"Insidiae," Harry told the Fat Lady, and with a lazy sweep of her hand, she allowed the trio entry into the Gryffindor common room.

Harry grinned when he spotted Ginny seated on one of the sofas near the fireplace. She was reading a book, her slim legs curled to the side. She looked up when she heard their voices and waved them over, a smile on her face.

"How did it go?" Ginny asked without preamble.

"Snape took points for Harry actually being competent, that's how," Ron growled and Harry gave him a look.

"Actually being competent?" he mocked back and Ron made a face.

"You know what I mean," his friend groused.

"Well, at least you didn't get detention," Ginny said with a grimace and a comforting pat to Harry's hand.

"Well, it is only the first day, Gin. There'll be plenty of opportunities for Snape to give me detention," Harry assured her with a grin. Ginny shook her head in amusement.

"Tell her about Draco," Ron suggested, and at Ginny's look of interest, Harry did.

"Not one snide remark?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"Not a one," Harry insisted with a laugh.

"Of course he's plotting something. I can't figure out what it could be, though." Ginny wrinkled her nose as she thought over the possibilities, and Harry stared at her, fascinated despite himself, until Hermione nudged him gently.

He said lightly, "Well, whatever it is, I'm not going to sit here worrying about it. Maybe that's his plan... to make all of us barmy with our speculations."

That made Ginny laugh and Harry wondered how he had never noticed how nice the sound was. He settled down on the couch next to her and pulled out his Transfiguration Text. McGonagall had loaded them with work, after a very long lecture about how challenging her class was going to be.

Ron and Hermione took out their books as well, though Ron only after grumbling for a good five minutes about how it was only the first day of school, to which Hermione replied, "We're N.E.W.T students, Ron!" and then they all settled into a comfortable silence, broken only by Hermione's occasional comments about how fascinating Transfiguration was going to be this year. Harry grinned into his book each time she said it and decided it was very good to be back at Hogwarts.

xxxxx

Severus closed the door to his classroom with a wave of his hand, activating the silencing spells around the classroom before walking over to Draco's desk.

"Are you all right?" he asked the boy quietly. Draco started at the sound of Severus' voice so close to him. He looked up at the man and nodded.

"I'm fine, sir," he answered, quiet as well.

Severus studied his pupil closely and then said to him, "You did well today." It did not matter that the words did not wish to pass his lips.

Draco lifted his shoulders slightly. "It was easier than I thought it would be."

Severus raised an eyebrow at the young man as he tempered the sarcastic response, "Yes, it is easy to work with someone when you do not give them anything to fight against. You would have found it much more difficult had you actually spoken to Potter."

Draco looked up sharply at the quiet reprimand. "You're a fine one to give advice about getting along with Potter, Severus. You just took ten points from him for lying when you know very well he didn't."

Severus glared at Draco. "My treatment of Potter is not your concern, Draco."

Draco smirked at him. "Don't you mean mistreatment, Severus?"

Severus raised an eyebrow at Draco's insolence, though he was relieved to see a bit of the boy's old self resurfacing; there would be less to concern himself with that way. "Mind your tongue, Mr. Malfoy," he told the boy anyway, not wanting to encourage Draco's impertinence, no matter the circumstances.

"Yes, sir," Draco said, without a trace of chagrin.

Severus favored the boy with a hard look before saying seriously, "I believe your father and I spoke to you about wondering about the castle alone. You should have left with your classmates."

Draco slumped a little in his chair. "I'm not a prisoner," he said sulkily, and Severus had to purse his lips to keep from snapping at the boy. Well, at least it hadn't taken long to snap Draco out of his mood, Severus thought sourly before shaking his head at the boy.

"No, you are not," Severus agreed. "You are, however, to follow that one rule. It is non-negotiable, Draco. You cannot give yourself unintentional opportunities," he pressed on when Draco tried to protest.

Finally, Draco huffed with ill grace, "Fine."

Severus nodded, relieved to be finished with this conversation. "Gather your belongings, then. I will walk you back to the common room."

Grumbling, Draco picked up his neatly filled bag and followed his professor out into the dungeon corridors.