The science lab was crisp and cold, as Snape's voice droned through it.
"Now - energy level diagrams can tell us how much relative energy's contained in…"
Draco was sitting at the back of the room, trying to block out his teacher's voice. He usually rather enjoyed chemistry, but since they'd been separated from the Gryffindors, Draco had just found it relatively boring. Where had they taken his eye candy, and why wasn't it directly in front of him? With no Harry to ogle, chemistry was just like any old subject.
Reluctantly, Draco looked up toward the board, to copy out what Snape had written up there.
'During any chemical reaction, all of the current chemical bonds are broken so that new bonds can be created. Energy must be provided to break bonds, and is released when bonds are produced.'
Draco stared at it for a moment, before an idea struck him, and he let out a smile.
It was lunchtime, and - as they always were - Harry, Ron and Hermione found themselves sitting down the art corridor, alongside Dean, Seamus and Neville, and odd Weasleys when occasion allowed.
They had been deep into a game of cards, when suddenly Draco appeared, smirking down at them.
There was silence for a minute, before Seamus asked, "yes, Malfoy?"
"I figured that I'd join you today for lunch," Draco replied, his attitude merry, as he strode into the corridor and seated himself directly between Harry and Ron.
Ron let out a disgruntled groan. "Do you mind?"
"Oh, not at all," Draco said, producing a lunchbox from his backpack. "Mother made me sushi today, it's really delightful, care for a nibble?"
He waved the box under Harry's nose, who leant back automatically. "Look, Malfoy, I don't care if you're planning to poison me or whatever your game is, but can you just leave us alone?"
"Game? Nonsense! Can't one student sit with his fellow pupils without there being cause for suspicion?"
"Not if it's you."
"Oh hush, smart one," Draco snapped at Hermione. "I just thought we could sit and talk. Or, if you don't want to sit here, I'll gladly let Harry come and sit with my fellow Slytherins."
Harry's eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"Conversational purposes, of course," Draco answered. "Talk's getting a little dry, it's always the same sort of thing, 'let's go break Potter's neck', or 'look what Daddy got me today'. it really is becoming rather dull. No offence boys," he added, nodding toward Crabbe and Goyle, who were standing awkwardly at the end of the corridor, unsure of whether or not they were meant to follow Draco in, or merely stand there all lunch.
"Oh, for hell's sake, Malfoy," Dean said to him. "Just go away. We're not in the mood for one of your tricks."
"Tricks? Why, I'm offended…"
"Malfoy," Harry said this time, glaring at the blond before him. "Just go. Your lackeys are waiting."
Draco's eyes passed form Harry and back to Crabbe and Goyle, still looking uncomfortable, before turning back to Harry. "Fine. But I will be back."
And with that he stood, and stormed out of the corridor, and down toward Maths - where the rest of the Slytherins would be. Crabbe and Goyle chased after him.
"Err… Draco, what were you doing?" Crabbe asked.
"Trying to break their bonds, naturellement."
"But… why?"
And at this, Draco smirked to himself. "So that I can form new ones."
The following day, Draco went to Maths ten minutes early so that he could secure his seat next to Harry, where Ron usually sat. Crabbe and Goyle dithered for a while, before deciding to take the seats in front of him - usually belonging to Hermione and Neville.
When the rest of the class showed up, there was a slight pause as they looked at Draco, before taking their own seats. It wasn't until Harry and his gang showed up that problems actually arose, though.
"Malfoy, get out of my seat," Ron snapped, dropping his bag to the floor.
"But I like this seat, it's so close to the radiator, I couldn't possibly give it up."
"What d'you want, Malfoy?" Harry intervened, before Ron could yell back. "Why d'you keep bugging us?"
Draco's eyes narrowed. "Maybe I'm just a friendly person."
"But you're not a friendly person."
"Well then maybe I'm trying to be."
"I find that highly doubtful."
The two glared at one another, as Professor Flitwick entered the room. "What's all this about?" he asked, at seeing the commotion.
"Malfoy's in my seat," Ron answered.
"Well," said Professor Flitwick. "Malfoy, I'd personally rather you'd have asked me first, but I don't see it such a bad thing that the houses are mixing."
"What!?"
"There's always far too much of a split between the houses in this school: especially between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Weasley - take Malfoy's old seat, next to Zabini. And Granger, Longbottom, you can sit where Crabbe and Goyle used to be."
"You have got to be kidding me…" Harry droned, but apparently he wasn't, as professor Flitwick took his seat by his desk, and waited for the rest of his students to sit down. Reluctantly, Harry took his place next to Draco.
"Lovely to see you cooperating, Potter."
"Piss off, Malfoy."
"Right," Flitwick interrupted. "Today we're doing a little pair work, continuing what we were doing yesterday. I want you to each come up with a simultaneous equation for your partner to solve. And make them hard - exams are less than a month away, we've got a lot to get through."
"Here," Draco shoved the piece of paper under Harry's nose. Harry blinked at it.
"That was quick."
"I prepared it last lesson."
Grudgingly, Harry looked at the equation, and began to work his way through it.
"If H is… and D…" he mumbled under his breath, going over the equations and occasionally scrawling things down. "Umm… H is five, and… so is D."
"Wow, H and D turned out to be the same," Draco replied, faking shock. "Isn't that surprising?"
Harry glared, cottoning onto what his partner was saying. "Very."
Quickly grabbing at his own workbook, Harry began to write out his own equation, before passing it to Draco. The blond eyed it cautiously, before trying to solve it.
"Err… it seems that D is one and… H is ten…"
"Oh, how shocking, H is worth ten times of D," Harry retorted.
Draco smirked at him. "Touché, Potter."
The bell for the end of class rang, and once Flitwick had dismissed them Harry was the first person to leap up and run over to his friends. Draco was left smiling evilly to himself. And so the plan was to begin.
"Harry?"
Harry looked up at Hermione. "Yeah?"
"I was, umm, wondering if…"
"…yeah?"
"If something had happened between you and Malfoy that you… well… decided not to tell us."
Harry's brow furrowed. "'Course not. Why?"
Hermione looked uncomfortable. "Well," she turned to Ron for help, but he seemed unwilling to elaborate, and so she continued. "I don't know if you've noticed, but… he seems to be… flirting with you. Just a little bit, and it's not as if you're flirting back, but it's really… weird."
"Malfoy has not been flirting with me," Harry retorted, but as he did so, he looked up to catch the blond in question winking at him. Furious, Harry turned back to Hermione. "How long's he been doing this for?"
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know."
"'Mione and me only noticed last week," Ron added, hastily. "But he's quite open with it, and it's just… kind of worrying…"
"So we were wondering if you'd been leading him on, or anything."
Harry looked up at Hermione: eyes dark. "Leading him on? Malfoy?"
"Well, we've never spoken of your sexual preference before this…"
"I never thought we needed to!"
"Look, mate," Ron said. "The point is Malfoy's flirting with you, and you need to stop it. Soon. Before it gets out of hand. Like - before other people notice."
"So no-one else has noticed?" Harry asked hastily.
"Well, not that we know of."
Although, as he said this, the Weasley twins walked past, and - catching sight of Harry - raced over to him.
"Alright, Harry?" asked Fred.
"Not in any kind of pain?" George added.
Harry's eyes narrowed. "…no."
"None, whatsoever, in any of your… nether regions?"
"No."
"Ah, see, I told you our boy Harry was on top," Fred said, happily. "Good on you, Harry."
"Lee owes us fifteen quid for that."
"I am not on top of anything!" Harry yelled.
"Oh? Really?" George replied. "Well, don't tell Lee that, we can't afford to owe him anymore…"
"But really, I'm ashamed of you. Always assumed you'd step up to the plate when the time comes."
"I'm not sleeping with Malfoy!" Harry bellowed, before realising what he'd done. He clasped his hand quickly over his mouth, and froze.
"Why, Potter, I'm wounded," came the voice Harry had been most dreading to hear. "I never thought you'd try and shy away from our relationship…"
Regardless of the situation, the Slytherins still laughed haughtily at this, and Harry went a deep shade of red.
"Shut up, Malfoy."
Draco just smiled, as him and the rest of the Slytherins walked away.
The next day, when Harry got to school, he noticed that Ron was acting a little off with him, although he didn't say anything. When Hermione came, and didn't seem all too happy with Harry herself, he decided to question it.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked, as they sat down for registration.
"I think you know what's wrong," Ron replied, and Hermione just remained silent.
"Honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about."
Ron looked at Hermione, before saying, "Look, we get that being with Malfoy is embarrassing, but you didn't have to lie to us."
"Lie to you about what?" Harry snapped.
"About last weekend, when you said you couldn't go out with us because of your aunt and uncle."
"I couldn't! They dragged me to one of Dudley's stupid boxing matches!"
"Or the weekend before that, when you couldn't go to the cinema before they wouldn't give you any money."
"You know that they never give me pocket money, and I couldn't sneak my parent's bank card out - Aunt Petunia locked it in her bedroom."
"Or when you told us your Uncle was making you clean the house, or your Aunt was forcing you to prune the garden, or you couldn't stay over because they didn't want you to have a sleepover."
"But that's all true!" Harry said to them.
"Look, we know it's not, you don't have to lie to us," Hermione said. "It's just… if you wanted to meet up with Malfoy, you could've just told us. I mean, we don't like him… but we would've trusted you, if you do…"
"But I don't!"
"And besides," Ron added. "I figured we'd be more important than him anyway."
"You are!"
"Whatever, Harry," Ron replied. "Come on, Hermione, let's go find ourselves better seats."
"What?" Harry asked. "What about me?"
"Why don't you go sit with your boyfriend."
Ron nodded toward Draco, who was making his way toward them as he spoke. The two stormed off, and Harry was just about to follow them, when Draco grabbed at his arm.
"Had a tiff, did you?"
Harry glared at him. "You did this, didn't you?"
Draco faked innocence. "Did… what?"
"Don't act stupid with -"
"So would you say that now, your old bonds are broken?"
"What?"
"Well, would you?"
"I… if you mean will Ron and Hermione speak to me, then they probably won't."
"Good," Draco said. "Fancy making some new bonds?"
"What are you on!?"
"I'll take that as a yes." Draco produced a pair of handcuffs, cuffing himself to the angry brunette.
"What are you doing!?"
"Why, making new bonds."
"WHAT!?"
"You asked for it."
"I did not!"
"Don't yell, Potter. Really, it's quite unbecoming."
Harry glared at him. "You told Ron and Hermione all those lies, didn't you?"
"I might've supplied them some valuable information."
"You bastard. Why?"
Draco's eyes took on a mystical look. "It was the only way…"
"The only way to what!?" Harry yelled, but Draco didn't answer him, so he instead said, "can you just uncuff us, please?"
"I'm afraid to tell you that Crabbe ate the key…" Draco said. In the background, Crabbe nodded.
"Why would he do that?"
"Not a clue; but it's awfully convenient, isn't it? Now we can form new bonds!"
"I'm going to kill you, Malfoy."
"Yes, I'm sure you will. But until then, want to make out?"
"What? No!"
"Ah, maybe tomorrow."
"Never!"
"Friday?"
"What!?"
"I'll take that as a yes."
"No!"
"And then we can be married."
"What!?"
"I'm afraid so. It's the only way I'll tell you where the spare key is."
"That's blackmail!"
"Isn't it just?"
"I hate you!"
"And yet I love you. Isn't it so terrifically tragic?"
"No!"
"And romantic. Very romantic."
"I… I… argh!"
"Why, aren't you ferocious today?"
"What!? No! Malfoy! Malfoy, what are you doing!? Malfoy! Stop that! We're in a classroom! No! Leave my belt alone! MALFOY!"
"Oh shut up and accept it: you want me."
"I do not!"
"I beg to differ."
"Me too."
"And me."
"Really, you've loved him for ages, Harry."
"Precisely. Now - shirt off."
"Malfoy!"
Yeah, I'll admit - not much of an ending here... but there you go... oh, if you didn't realise it's set in a non-magical, non-boarding school environment; hence the lack of magic and presence of the Dursleys. So, umm... yeah, read and review, and thanks:D