Rejection and Acceptance

Ron and Harry woke up slightly late and had to rush to get to breakfast. Once they arrived at the table, they got the requisite lecture from Hermione, and they were told how lucky they were McGonagall had not yet reached their seats. Looking around, he saw that many students already had their timetables and he grabbed a couple of spoonfuls of eggs before he was forced to go to class.

Withing five minutes their head of house reached them and frowned and the two boys gulping their food.

"You were late." She stated obviously unhappy.

"But we're here!" Ron grinned.

"Yes, barely. You had better not be late for your first class of the year however. Potions for the three of you. With the Slytherins, of course. I hope I won't have to hear of any... Misbehaviors from my students this year, hmm?" With that she walked on to the next students.

"Double potions!!!" Ron groaned unhappily. "What did we ever do to torture people?"

"Umm, well, you DID start fights with Malfoy..." Hermione answered the rhetorical question.

"I said PEOPLE not FERRETS." Ron laughed. Hermione giggled a bit, while she tried to keep a straight face and lecture him. Ron turned to get a high-five from Harry, but was startled when the raven-haired boy didn't even look at him.

"Alright, to class!" Hermione announced, ushering them all forward. Harry followed lost in his own thoughts. Once they got to the dungeons and seated in their regular seats, Ron tried to figure out what was wrong. But even though, he waved his hands in front of Harry's face, jumped up and down and yelled in his ear, Harry seemed not to notice a thing. Even Hermione was getting a bit worried. But when they tried to do anything else, Snape billowed into the room and slammed the door shut, which seemed to snap Harry out of it.

"Students, I see you have all seated yourselves. I hope you haven't unpacked anything of course. I shall be assigning partners and seats for this year. Starting with the pairings, Draco Malfy and Harry Potter, Vincent Crabbe and Neville Longbottom, Pansy Parkinson and Hermione Granger, Blaise Zabini and Ron Weasley, Gregory Goyle and Dean Thomas..." He continued to pair off the two houses, when he was done he looked around. "Well, stand next to your partners unless you are so incompetent you don't know how to move." He sneered at the Gryffindor side of the room.

All the Gryffindors looked terrrified of how the houses were set up. Then Harry took a deep breath, stood up and walked beside Draco Malfoy. Taking their cue from him, the rest of the Gryffindors slowly moved towards their partners, and the Slytherins also began to move. Everyone started to sit at a new workplace when Snape snapped at them.

"I will be assigning seats as well. Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter, the first seat here please. Then Mr. Goyle and Mr. Thomas,..." He had made a chart, separating the Gryffindor trio. It had been the headmasters idea to pair off the Slytherins and Gryffindors in order to promote inter-house dependancy and Snape thought it useless and an utter stupidity, however there were no going against Dumbledore's orders. "You will help your partner with every potion, BOTH partners must do work, there will be no using your partner to get good grades." He sneered at Harry. "Each group will get marks together on everything EXCEPT tests. Potions, assignments and everything will be done in the groups I have assigned you. If you have a problem with your partner, whine to your friends OUTSIDE this classroom, I have no wish to hear your snivelling and complaints. We shall be making a Veritasserum potion today... Begin." He announced, waving his wand at the blackboard and bringing forth the chalk instructions.

The groups stared at each other dumbfounded, then slowly stood up to get the needed ingredients. Slowly, arguments started breaking out over who was to do what, and how chopped and cut were not the same. It was a much noisier class than any they had seen since the beginning of first year. After one or two fights broke out, Snape dealt with them harshly, and the students didn't resort to them to win arguments.

"So... what are your best skills?" Draco asked Harry.

"Umm, I suppose i could get the ingredients and cut them, and measure them..." Harry said.

"Alright, but what are you REALLY good at?"

"I don't know...I've never been taught very well on how to do these things." Harry flushed at the admission.

"Right, no magic." Draco nodded with understanding. "Alright, I'll start helping you learn the basics then."

"Uh..." Harry didn't know how to answer.

"It won't be hard, and it doesn't have to make us friends if you don't want. Just call it me wanting to get top grades." Draco supplied for him. With that, he sent Harry to get the supplies as he started up the cauldron. Throughout the class he explained the art of cutting, chopping, measuring and each of the particular needs for different ingredients. The rest of the class slowly watched them work and took their cues from them.

Slowly the class became quieter and the class learned to listen to the partner that was best in the partnership. Students learned and for the most part the class was quiet. However, within five minutes of the started calm, Ron Weasley and Blaise Zabini were at each others throats. Literally. They were each yelling at the other about how to do the potion correctly, and insisting they knew best.

"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Zabini, if you cannot agree and work on that potion together, i will be forced to send you to see the headmaster! As it is, you BOTH have detention tonight!" Snapped a furious Proffesor Snape.

"Yes sir." Blaise aquiesced hanging his head. Ron merely glared at the proffessor and without a word returned to his work. Within moments the two boys were again fighting over the right ingredient to put in the potion. Weasley whipped out his wand, Zabini following his movements and soon the boys were hexing each other while their classmates ducked.

Harry and Draco put a shield around their potion even as they were ducking and smiled awkwardly at each other. This however, was not unnoticed by Ron and caused him to freeze in surprise, giving Zabini the time to hex him rather magnificently.

"STOP!" Proffessor Snape snapped in his loudest and most ominous voice. "Mrs. Granger, bring Mr. Weasley to Madam Pomphrey and then soon as he has been healed to the headmasters office. If you do not, you will be joining him in detention for a month. Mrs. Parkinson you shall bring Mr. Zabini straight to the headmasters office, and if i find out you have disobeyed you will join him in detention for a month. Leave NOW." Snape ordered with a whispery smooth voice, that no student failed to recognize as his i-have-no-patience-and-i-will-snap-if-you-say-ONE-word voice.

"Yes sir." Hermione and Pansy agreed as they helped their respective classmates and friends to the designated area.

"I'm sorry Ron, i have to." Hermione pleaded as she brought Ron to the headmasters office.

"I know 'Mione." Ron sighed.

Ron and Hermione met up with an annoyed looking Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini, the latter who sneered and glared the moment he saw them.

"We can't get this stupid door to open." Pansy admitted stomping her foot.

"It can't be too hard." Ron jeered sarcastically.

After a few tries, Hermione found the right password to be Jelly-Beans. And so the four rode up the stairs with as much space between Ron and Blaise as they could get. Upon knocking, the headmaster bid them to enter, and regarded the four over his glasses.

"So." He stated in a low voice.

"Proffessor Dumbledore sir, if i may?" Hermione took a step forward. Dumbledore waved his hand for her to continue. "Proffessor Snape asked me and Pansy to bring these two. Now that we have, shall we stay here or return to class?" Hermione asked.

"You may return to class." The headmaster answered without taking his eyes off the two boys.

"Proffessor Dumbledore." Pansy spoke up. "I think it is mighty unfair of Proffessor Snape to make us work together. We do not want to."

"Go to class." Dumbledore ordered softly. Pansy allowed her head to fall and followed Hermione out of his office and back to class. "Well boys, care to tell me what happened?"

The two boys started talking furiously at once. Dumbledore raised his hand and silence fell. He pointed to Ron.

"It's not fair sir. I don't want to have to work with a sneaking, lying Slytherin!" Ron spat out the word like it was the foulest of insults.

"Better to work with one of us than a bloody pompous, know-it-all judgmental Gryffindor!" Blaise spat back, clearly indicating his thoughts.

"So, you think that the houses working together is a bad idea." Dumbledore stated.

"The worst, it would never work." Blaise admitted.

"I don't know what that idiot of a teacher was THINKING!" Ron cried.

"It was MY idea." Dumbledore said gravely. "So you think I am stupid? That being forced to work with each other will not teach you to trust one another?"

"Trust a Slytherin/Gryffindor?" The boys exclaimed equally aghast.

"Never!"

"Impossible!"

"Well, we shall see. And since you boys seem to think disobeying your proffessors is smart, we shall see how you like this idea." Waving his spell for a quick incantation, he intoned. "emanio meus vox vocis ut totus quisnam postulo." 'Spread my voice to all who need.' And in so doing, ensured that every student and teacher would hear his announcement. Speaking quietly he intoned. "Attention, attention all. This is the headmaster, and I wish to announce that because of Blaise Zabini and Ronald Weasley, in EVERY class you have with another house, you will be paired up and expected to work together inside and outside of every class. For every class that has been assigned a group, that group will work together in EVERY shared class. Any fights will be dealt with quickly and HARSHLY. As Potions is traditionally a class where Slytherins work with Gryffindors and Ravenclaws with Hufflepuffs in younger years, these classes will keep the groups Proffesor Snape has already assigned them, and in every class these houses share. There will be NO change in groups, these groups will stay until the end of the year." Then pointing the wand at himself, he cast "Finite."

Looking at the two boys who watched him with horrified expressions and jaws dropping to the floor. He announced, "Well, at least you can agree on something!" And turned away in dismissal, leaving the two boys to exit his office and enter halls in which outraged students could be heard shouting and demanding to know how and why this had happened, and teachers, attempting to regain the silence and order of their classrooms.

*AN* i am SO sorry it took so long to post. I have recently realized i actually do have a life on occasion. However i hope you all enjoyed this. I must say, i have been surprised that Harry and Draco seem to be getting along so well at the moment. I thought it would take them longer. And Snape sending the boys to Dumbledore boggled my mind. I never would have thought it... And i have never thought Dumbledore would take such a drastic action. Please, let me know what you think of this chapter. I know it surprised me with this twist, and as a little teaser. In the next chapter, i believe i shall be taking a little note from my awesome reviewer Crazy Pedantic, and we will see Ron's reaction when he confronts Harry over his smile with the lovely Draco!!!

Crazy Pedantic. And another chappie, hope you like it XD. Of course Harry can't dismiss Draco, they have to be together. But it would look stupid for Harry to suddenly turn around and be in love with him too. I don't even know what Draco learnt yet, but i am sure he will tell me... funny i never understood how people said the characters talked to them but i TOTALLY understand now. And i have agreed and taken ur opinion into consideration and i believe Ron might be his normal self in the up-coming chapters. If you find the spelling mistake, please remind me. I am usually pretty good in english, but i'm not perfect yet ;p lol. Thanks so much for reading my story.

Sheireen, hieisdragoness18 i hope you guys are still reading my story and i hope you like it too!