A Tale as Old as Time (Harry James Potter x OC)

Chapter 13...Do You Go to the Same Hairdresser as Snape?

The potion's classroom felt like a dungeon as Professor Snape handed Harry and Draco toothbrushes, his demeanor as imposing as ever.

"Malfoy, Potter," his voice dripped with disdain at the latter name, "you will clean every inch of this room. No magic, no cleaning products. You will use no more than a toothbrush to make every cauldron in here shine and glisten."

Two "yes sir's" echoed from the blonde and brunette boy. In turn, they glared at each other angrily, blue and green eyes fiery and menacing. However, Snape quickly put a stop to this.

"Let us not forget," he lectured, "what got you into detention in the first place." The two teenage boys lowered their gaze and fiddled with their robes as Snape continued his speech and said something alone the lines of "failure is not an option" and "Potter, you are as stupidly arrogant as your father."

After sufficiently embarrassing the Potter boy, Snape swiftly left the classroom, the hinges of the rickety wooden door squeaking in his wake. Good riddance, Harry thought.

Once the two boys were alone, the tension only grew. It didn't take long for the uneasy quiet and occasional sound of the toothbrush bristles gliding along the crevices of every nook and cranny to give way to some familiar exchange of verbal jabs. After all, since when did they listen to Snape? The guy couldn't even wash his own hair.

"So, Malfoy," Harry began. "Do you go to the same hairdresser as Snape?"

The blonde clenched his teeth in disdain. "Shut it, Potter." He furrowed his brows at the boy before an idea came to mind and a mischievous smile settled on his pallid face. "You know, Rose has always said she rather likes my hair." He brushed his fingers through his platinum locks, eyes glistening in hopes of getting a rise out of the Potter boy.

"Piss off," Harry growled jealously and turned his back to the boy to continue scrubbing away the time locked in this hellhole with Satan's bleach-blonde spawn. Still, even if Harry refused to take the bait for once, Draco was determined to crack him.

"You missed a spot, Potter," the Malfoy boy, looking over Harry's shoulder, teased.

Harry shot back, "Oh, my bad. I was too busy trying to avoid your reflection in the cauldron."

"Watch your mouth, Potter. Or better, wash it. Clearly needs some cleaning," he quipped. "And speaking of things that need cleaning," his tone dripping with sarcasm, "how's your love life going? I for one know that Rose prefers guys with a bit more...refinement."

Jaw tightening, Harry managed a smirk. "I wouldn't worry about it, Malfoy. Last I checked, she's not exactly swooning over pureblood snobs." For someone so self-righteous, one would think that Draco himself would be some kind of saint. Harry knew that he himself wasn't exactly the best person. He was lazy and somewhat egotistical—okay, fine, VERY egotistical—but at least he was self-aware. Draco acted like he could do no wrong. It was just annoying at this point.

The blonde curled his lip as his sneer deepened. "At least I don't need to rely on my popularity to impress her. Unlike some people, I've got charm and wit."

Harry nearly laughed at the irony in his words. But instead, he opted to roll his eyes. "Right, because nothing says charming like a guy who's clearly never cleaned or done anything himself in his life," he said, pointing out the fact that Draco obviously did not know how to clean the cauldrons. He looked like he was just tapping the poor object with the toothbrush and expecting it to magically cleanse itself.

Almost comically, Draco lowered his toothbrush ever-so-slightly. "Oh, please. Don't tell me you have." Actually, Harry has. Both Lily and James forced the boy to complete chores every week and help around the house. Surprisingly, Harry was happy to do it. While he may come off as arrogant and shallow, he actually enjoyed being treated like a normal kid in spite of the facades he assumed. But he certainly wasn't going to tell Draco Malfoy this. So instead, he allowed the boy to continue. Brushing a blonde hair out of his eye, Draco sneered, "Everything in your life has just been handed to you."