A Lion and a Snake

Chapter 9

Dedicated to Country_Kid824 Thank you so much for commenting!!! (The only one commenting deserves a dedication.) Please, please, please, comment people! I want to know your thoughts!

Harry's POV

The rest of the day was very simple. DADA was my favorite class, and I was paired with Zabini in it, which wasn't that bad-he was actually a bit of a challenge when we dueled, which is what we were working on for the time before Christmas break. Then we would move on to some creatures and curses and other reviews for NEWTS.

Both of the new teachers were great, although Professer Smith wasn't quite as good as Remus Lupin, my third year DADA teacher, and Professor Baxter wasn't quite as strict as McGonagall when it came to the noise level, so the Transfiguration classroom was similar-in noise level anyway-to the Charms classroom, in which I had been paired with Padma Patil, Parvati's twin sister in Ravenclaw.

~time skip to the first Potions class~

Professor Slughorn came in for our first Potions class looking very pleased with himself and very tired. It was the first class of the day-and it was a double. Great.

"Welcome." Professer Slughorn said, smiling at the class. "Today we will get our partners then make a potion-just to get us back into the groove of things-and our real lessons will resume tomorrow.

"Now, Ms. Granger is with Mr. Zabini, Mr. Longbottom is with Mr. King," I zoned out as Professer Slughorn kept talking. That is until Ron paled slightly next to me.

"What is it? Are you with Mal-Draco again?" I asked. It was hard calling Mal-Draco Draco, okay? I was used to calling him by his last name.

"No, Harry, you're with Malfoy." Ron said.

"Now, please move so you are sitting with your partner." Professer Slughorn said. I was frozen. But what was the point in a truce and trying to be friends if it wasn't put to the test?

I got up and grabbed my stuff before moving back towards Mal-Draco. Draco, Draco, Draco. I repeated over and over in my head.

"So, Harry, what potion are we doing?" Mal-Draco asked. It was strange how easily the change had gone for him, and how hard it was for me.

"Er-I'm sorry, what?" I asked, blinking.

"Potion. We're in Potions. So we need to make a potion." Draco said. I nodded.

"So what potion?" I asked.

"That's what I just asked you."

"Weren't you paying attention?"

"Yes and Slughorn said it was up to us what potion we made. Obviously you weren't paying attention, Harry, or you'd know this." What would usually sound rude coming from Draco sounded playful now.

"Oh, yeah, right."

"So what potion." Draco sounded bored.

"Erm..." I grabbed my Potion book out of my bag and flipped through it, before finding a potion that didn't look too hard but also not to easy.

"What about this one?" I asked showing Draco the potion.

"A spell strengthener? And not even a good spell strengthener? Harry, honestly, do you want a good grade?"

"Why don't you just choose the potion then." I demanded, handing him the book.

Draco smirked. "With pleasure."

I found myself staring at every attribute of Draco's face. His platinum blonde hair looked softer than was humanly possible, especially since he had stopped gelling it. His skin looked soft, his grey-blue eyes shining with intelligence as he scanned the potions book. Draco was biting his lower lip slightly as he read over potions.

Why am I looking at his lips?!! I asked myself. I focused on his eyes. They were truly beautiful, really, they were. They weren't one solid color like most people's. Around the pupil they were pale blue, fading into a silver color for most of the colored part of the eye. At first glance you would think they were grey-blue, just like I had previously thought, but if you looked more carefully you realized they were really more blueish silver than grey-blue. And more silver than blue.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Draco muttered. "It's a little unnerving, Harry."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize I was staring." I said, glancing at the cauldron. "Have you figured out which potion yet?"

"Yes." Draco handed me the potions book. He tapped the page on the right hand side.

Memory-Boosting Potion

It was very complex, at least to me. It looked like something Hermione could do, but not me. I would need a lot of help for that.

"Um, I don't know. It's kind of complex, don't you think?" I asked nervously, running a hand through my already messy hair.

Draco frowned. "Well, no, not really." He said. "It's pretty straightforward, I promise. Just do as I say, and we should be fine."

"Uh huh. Okay." I said. I was still doubtful. Not at Draco's skill, but at my own. I wasn't very good at potions at all. Two years ago, I had been using Snape's book and it had been very easy-that is until I hid it in the room of requirement because-

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Draco's POV

Harry gasped, his bright green eyes wide.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I-I'm so sorry." Harry stuttered looking at me in shock. "I-sixth year. The sectum sempra, that-that was wrong. I-I don't know what came over me." It took a second or two for me to figure out what Harry was talking about.

Then I remembered. The fight. In the bathroom. I had been about to use the Cruciatus curse, because I had forgotten where I was, and who was in front of me. I had thought-just for a second-that it was the Dark Lord, and that if I could just force him to tell me I didn't have to do it-

"Oh, it's fine." I said, my cheeks heating with shame. "I-we all have our moments."

"Right." Something in Harry's eyes told me he hadn't believed that I forgave him. I sighed. How could I prove it?

"One hour left!" Professer Slughorn called. "You all best start your potions if you haven't already!"

"Oh!" I exclaimed, grabbing the book. "Go get these ingredients. We have to get started." I quickly wrote down the ingredients on a spare bit of parchment and handed it to Harry.

"Okay." Harry walked towards the student store closet to get the ingredients and I got to work setting out all the things we would need.

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Yes, Potions class is important. It's going to take up at least one and a half chapters. Also, my family jus got Disney+ soooo... I actually have something to do in my free time other than write! (I love writing, but sometimes I just want to do something different, you know?)

Anyway, thanks for reading, fellow Drarry shippers!!