In the next Potions class that Draco had with the Gryffindors, Draco 'accidentally' found himself in the last remaining empty seat, which happened to be next to Neville Longbottom. They were revisiting how to make a potion that Draco was particularly practiced in making, while Neville... not so much. If Draco remembered correctly, the last time they had tried this, Neville's potion was amongst the worst, with disastrous results with lasting effects.
But this time was going to be different.
Because Draco's placement had not been accidental in the slightest, and either Neville had suspected this, or was simply just rather terrified of him. Draco wasn't sure which, and not sure he cared, because his goal was to change that by the end of the lesson anyway. He let Neville fumble through the note taking, and collect the ingredients, quite clumsily under Snape's scrutinizing gaze, but before Neville could even bring the cauldron to a boil, the Slytherin stopped him.
"Look, I'm not sat here to torment you."
"You're not?" Neville raised his eyebrow, and Draco couldn't say he blamed him for being skeptical.
"No. I'm not." he repeated in reassurance, "I sat here to help you through making it. I also have a few tips that might make things a little easier for you when you're working alone."
"You're joking," Neville spluttered, "This isn't some horrible joke?"
Draco shook his head, "No, I mean it."
"I knew you'd been different lately. You know... the hair, the defiance with Snape, the muggleborns. That sort of thing. But I didn't realise-"
"I know. It's probably hard to believe, and I don't expect you to believe it right away. That's why I want to prove it. This is one way I'd like to try and do that."
And it was settled. The two got on with their potion, Draco guiding Neville, and keeping a watchful eye as he made the potion. Draco did barely anything to actually make the potion, leaving Neville to simply follow his vocal instructions. The result was a potion not quite to Draco's usual perfect standards, but it was not explosive or corrosive, and was actually just a little beyond satisfactory - though Snape would never admit that to him. Neville was so overwhelmed with relief, and pride, he didn't say a thing when Draco walked out with him at the end of class, and walked beside him until they reached the steps up to the rest of the castle.
"Neville..." he began stopping by the wall, so people could, and would pass.
The other boy turned to look at him, a little confused by the looks of it, but not at all as apprehensive and cautious as he had been at the beginning of the lesson, which was progress in Draco's eyes.
"I was wondering... without sounding too much like... well, me. I'm rather a lot better at potions than you-" Neville blushed with embarrassment at that, "-and I didn't know if maybe you think you would benefit from tutoring?"
"That's really... kind, Mal- uh, Draco. But... I doubt you'd find anyone willing to tutor me."
Draco chewed his lip, "I actually meant about giving them to you myself."
"Oh."
He raised his hands, "You don't have to say yes. I get that it might be a bit too soon for you to actually trust anything I have to say. I just thought that if I suggested it, y'know, the offer would be there and you-"
"Actually I-" Neville interrupted, "I'd really appreciate some tutoring."
"Really? I-I mean... okay! So, when do you want to start?"
"Whenever really... might be nice to get something in before our next lesson though."
Draco nodded absentmindedly, "Alright. Then how about right after classes, we meet in the library? That'll give us more time than if we did it after dinner, and-"
"Okay." Neville nodded, then with a small, unsure sort of smile, he headed off.
And Draco couldn't hold back his smile, and wouldn't have been able to even if he tried.
---
After classes, and a quick farewell to Pansy, Draco made his way to the library, after a pit stop to his dorm to pick up anything related to Potions he thought could be useful at all. There would also be a whole range of books at their disposal in the library. He thought that maybe it was weird that he was excited about this, but he couldn't help it. If all went how it should, then this would mean one more person with the knowledge of what he was doing, and why. And maybe Neville, being a Gryffindor himself, would be a big enough step that it finally wouldn't be seen as a trick or a temporary thing. That's what he hoped at least.
He wasn't waiting long before Neville showed up, and his hair made him easily noticeable that the blonde boy spotted him immediately. He too had brought his Potions gear, and Draco was glad that Neville seemed keen to get right on with the tutoring, and the two worked at a good pace through their books, Draco explaining parts of recipes he didn't understand so he could jot notes in the margins of his notes, and showed him his own Potions books so Neville could copy the notes in his own textbook's margins.
"How do you know all these little tips? And why do you write in the books, Hermione would go ballistic."
"Well, I payed for the books, or rather my parents did, and they're quite happy to let me scribble all over them so long as I can prove that it helps in my learning. As for the tips, Potions is just a forte of mine," he reddened slightly, not wanting to seen like he was showing off, "That, and Snape is my Godfather. When I was younger, if I ever had to stay with him for any reason, I'd always bug him to show me how to make Potions, or let me read his books."
"That definitely explains it," Neville mumbled.
"A lot of these notes I found in his books to begin with so, you can be sure that they'll work."
"Oh, I'll bet." Neville allowed a small laugh, before bowing his head to begin scribbling away.
They worked right up until dinner, and Neville didn't seem as eager to rush off as Draco had imagined.
"Can we do this again?" The Gryffindor asked, "Only, it actually really helped, and if it helps me improve, you know?"
"Yeah, of course. It'd be my pleasure. Any times specifically? I can do pretty much any time, any day that isn't class or after curfew."
"I say we stick to after classes until dinner. If that's okay?"
"Sounds great."
And thus a routine began. Every day after classes, the two would meet and work on Potions. Before long, the two had taken to working for a few hours at weekends as well, and as they finished looking through notes and textbooks, so they moved out into the courtyard where possible, and began working on the practical side of things, making some of the easier, or shorter Potions. Within only a matter of weeks, Neville was beginning to show impressive improvement in classes, to the point where Snape was getting confused when there were nowhere near as many negative things for him to point out about Neville's potions. Draco simply gave him discreet smiles and thumbs up in these situations, and Neville always smiled back. Always.
Soon, their time in the library also became time for them to complete their homework, which they mainly did individually, but would often talk about various topics as they worked. Overall, it was rather a nice atmosphere, and Draco all but cried in joy when Neville quietly admitted that he was starting to think of Draco as a friend, and was so incredibly grateful for the help.
But one day, the atmosphere changed.
Neville was absolutely the same as he had been for the whole period, but as he had entered the library, so had Potter and his friends. They had sat a little bit away, but Neville had seemed tense, and began making silly mistakes as they ran through a Potion they were being tested on the following week, Draco figured it couldn't be coincidence.
"You had this down last week. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Neville gave a pathetic attempt at a smile.
"It's because they're here isn't it?" Draco subtly pointed to the trio with a nod of his head.
Neville didn't answer for a moment, and Draco almost wished he hadn't asked. Maybe he wasn't quite allowed to ask that sort of thing so freely just yet, and it was understandable. He was about to apologise for asking, and suggest they move on when Neville answered, and didn't seem the slightest bit bothered to be doing so.
"Yeah..." he admitted. "I told them not to come. It was Ron more than the other two. He was concerned that you couldn't have actually been the reason I've been doing so good in Potions lately because you're-" he reddened and shut up abruptly.
Draco steeled himself for the worst, "Because I'm what?"
Neville didn't meet his eyes, "Because you're 'racist scum' and 'too much of a git to be so helpful to anyone.' I told him it wasn't true, that you're actually nicer than even the rumours have been saying, and that it really is thanks to you that I'm not so awful anymore. What he said wasn't fair."
"Actually, I was expected a lot worse," he laughed, and Neville joined in.
It might have been the laughter that brought over the trio, with a furious looking Ron Weasley in the lead.
"What is your problem?" he fumed, his face as red as his hair.
"I don't have a problem."
"You're such a git Malfoy. Why are you doing this? What do you hope to get out of this bloody charade you're playing?"
"Well, right now I'm hoping that people will start to see it's not a charade and that maybe there's a lot about Malfoys that nobody knows."
"Like what?" Hermione asked softly, smiling in a way that Ron wouldn't notice, giving him a chance to do with Ron what he'd done with her and Neville, and make him see.
"Well, for one, that not all Malfoys are walking stereotypes, and that some might actually want to change and mean it," Hermione nodded to him with a wider smile, so he turned his attention pointedly at Ron, "While some, like my Father for example, are worse than you could imagine, and just so happen to keep a stash of dark objects under the library in Malfoy manor. A stash that if someone - let's say, a Ministry worker - found, would get him into a lot of trouble."
He had to keep his intense gaze on Ron for a long moment before the boy realised what he was hinting at, and he visibly calmed, his mouth falling open in shock, his ears remaining red, but this time in what seemed like embarrassment. He tried to stutter something out that sounded like an apology, or an understanding, or something but eventually had to give up. He paled, and stammered a quiet 'got to go' before hurrying off. Hermione snickered, and hurried after him, but Harry lingered for a moment. He was looking right at Draco, a confused expression on his face as though he still couldn't understand why Draco was doing this. The Slytherin blushed under the attention, but held Potter's stare until the boy realised what he was doing, shook his head, and hurried off after the other two.
"I should probably go too." Neville trailed.
"Ye-yeah. Yeah, go- go ahead. I- um..." he stuttered, making a rush of putting his books away.
He almost didn't see the sly smirk Neville was giving him.
"You like him don't you?"
"Who?" Draco spluttered, going even redder.
"You know exactly who."
Draco bit his lip, letting out a low, lingering sigh, and looking down. The heat in his face blurring his vision slightly as he messed with his books, and refusing to meet Neville's eyes. What was the point of lying anymore. To Neville, or to anybody else for that matter. Besides, it wasn't like Neville would tell him. He would know it wasn't the sort of thing that was supposed to be common knowledge until his explicit get go. Wouldn't he?
He sighed again.
"Yeah." he muttered, "Yeah, I do."