A/N: Thankyou to Elendil Snape, YG, Aeryn Alexander, Shannon and Ivory Tower for their reviews. It means a lot :)

Disclaimer: as we all know, I'm not JK Rowling, and I don't own the characters. Or the books. Movies, anything at all. This is just for fun. I like my jeans.

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Sacrifices

Part Seven - Unanswered Questions and Confusion

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1

Draco awoke to the sounds of footsteps. For a moment or two disorientation took hold, and he wondered where he was. The room certainly didn't look like the Slytherin dorms. But then the events of the last day returned. He hurriedly moved his hands to his head and was relieved to discover that all traces of the extra set of ears had disappeared.

"Yes, Master Malfoy, the potion was successful. You can have breakfast, then see how you feel. If you're still tired you can have another rest"

So it was Madam Pomfrey's footsteps that had awoken him. Draco yawned and attempted to rub the traces of sleep from his eyes. He opened them and took his bag from the desk beside him. The medicine glass was still there, but it was now empty. He blinked in suprise. He couldn't remember drinking it. Had he? As far as he could remember, he had gone directly to bed after taking the Bruise-be-gone. Of course he had changed his clothes, but had he remembered to take the other potion? He didn't think so. Madam Pomfrey, meanwhile, was fussing about him, fluffing up his pillows, and practically pushing him down into a lying position again. Draco almost told the woman to sod off, but restrained his sharp tongue, and instead decided to ask her about the mystery of the empty glass.

"You don't remember taking it?" She asked, then shook her head and tut-tutted. "My, my, you must have been tired. You were sleeping when I came around, just before ten o'clock, like I told you. I woke you up, and you drank it. You weren't exactly coherent, mind, but I thought you'd remember"

"I must have still been half-asleep" offered Draco. Madam Pomfrey nodded.

"Indeed. Now, I'll fix you some breakfast, then we'll see if you can go or stay"

"I'll go" said Draco quickly. The prospect of facing the other students didn't appeal today and more than it had the night before, but it had to be done, and he knew that the longer he waited the more nervous he would become. Besides, he didn't have to worry about Potions class anymore. He was eager to do the potion again - perfect, this time - so he could win back Professor Snape's respect.

"We'll see" replied Madam Pomfrey, after a moment's pause. Then she bustled out the door. She paused, and poked her had back in.

"Anything in particular you'd like?"

"Umm, dragon eggs and bacon?" asked draco, hopefully. Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips.

"I'll bring some fruit and cereal" she said, and walked away, not noticing (or choosing to ignore) the scowl on Draco's face.

"Crazy old bat" Draco muttered, before opening his bag, taking out a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and bar of soap. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and walked into the bathroom.

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2

Severus Snape walked into his classroom and opened one of the cupboards. He removed what he needed, shut the doors with a deliberately loud thud, removed an empty flask from a box on his desk, and placed it and the various potions on a silver tray. Then he walked out of the room, using his foot to kick the doors open, smirking slightly at the loud thud as they closed, echoing through the corridor. He liked to be dramatic.

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3

When Draco emerged from the bathroom, his breakfast was waiting for him. He eyed it with slight distaste, thinking longingly of the feast the other students would be having. Still, he supposed it was better than nothing, and he was rather hungry, afterall. He realised that he hadn't eaten last night. He wondered why. Perhaps it had something to do with side effects to the potion. He shrugged, then sat back on the bed, and pulled the tray onto his knees. He was almost finished when he heard the doors open. He wouldn't have looked up, assuming it was Madam Pomfrey, but the doors didn't just open. They flew open. He looked up and he mouth fell open in suprise as Professor Snape strode into the room, his robes swishing behind him.

"Malfoy, please shut your mouth. I'm not at all interested in seeing what you had for breakfast"

Draco felt his face flush hot with embaressment. He shut his mouth with a snap, and looked down at his food for moment, trying to regain his composure. He then looked up when he was no longer flustered and looked Snape in the face.

"Professor Snape, what are you doing here?"

Snape motioned with his head to the tray he was carrying.

"This isn't a social call, Malfoy. I need you to do the Revelio Potion now. All the other students have finished. I can't make them do it again, and I can't have you falling behind, either. Today's potion is a lot more difficult and I'll need your full attention. So you'll have to do it now."

Snape watched Malfoy's face intently. He expected to see some sort of unease after seeing the boy's reaction last night. And so it was suprising (and more than a little confusing) when Malfoy simply smiled - yes, smiled, it wasn't even his usual smug smirk - and nodded.

"Fine with me, sir. Mind if I just finish breakfast first?"

Snape curled his lip, and Malfoy evidently decided that breakfast could wait. He pushed the tray to the end of his bed, and made room for the one Snape was holding. Draco looked at the various chemicals, and went through each step of the potion in his mind before starting. He wanted to prove to Snape that he was fully capable of the task. He needed to show him that just because he messed up once didn't mean that he was about to do it again. He was still his best student. Better than the mudblood, even.

Snape watched as Malfoy seemed to be thinking intently. For moment he misinterpreted it. He thought that perhaps Malfoy didn't know what he was doing afterall. He suprised himself by feeling almost relieved. It was such a simple answer. He just honestly didn't know how to brew it. But then the boy opened a bottle, and began mixing it. Correctly. Perfectly. To the last drop. One of the best things about the potion was that it left room for mistakes. It was hard to mess up, even if you added a little more than was needed, or left a drop or two out. That was why it was deemed so simple. Yet Draco didn't only get it approximately right. He mixed the potion with a precision that made Snape silently applaud him.

"That's quite sufficient, Malfoy" He commented, though tonelessly. Malfoy's face relaxed and broke into a small grin.

"Now all you need to do is to try it" he added. He once again expected Malfoy to attempt to avoid drinking it, but once again he was proved wrong. Draco took the glass, held it to his lips and drank till there wasn't a drop left. Snape eyed him curiously for any changes. None occured. Nothing. No pimples, moles, warts. Not a blemish at all, actually. He stayed completely the same. This was another confusing development.

"Crabbe mentioned your arm was sore." he said, and this time was rewarded with a slight change in the boy's demeanor. He wouldn't have noticed at all, if he hadn't been looking for it. Malfoy's eyes widened slightly, and his lip twitched, but as quickly as it occured it disappeared and Malfoy's face returned to its usual expression (though he noted it was absent of most of its usual smugness).

"What's wrong with it?" he asked, and Draco's yes moved downward. Lying was easy when it was to someone he didn't like. Which meant that lying was easy almost all the time. But when it was to someone he respected, he hated it.

"I pulled a muscle practicing for Quidditch." The lie was easy, simple. It made sense. So why did he feel so damn rotten?

"I see. Would you like me to take a look at it, then?" asked Snape, but Malfoy quickly shook his head.

"It's fine now, sir. Madam Pomfrey gave me something for it last nght, and it's healed today."

Snape stared at him a moment longer, then started gathering up the potions. He lifted the tray.

"Very well. You received an 'A' for the potion, by the way. It would have been 'A+' if you'd got it right the first time. Nevertheless, it's still equal first." he said. "Funny," he added "How much a simple nights rest can do. One day you manage to mess it up completely, the next day you manage to put in an effort that I doubt I could top"

Draco stared at him, open-mouthed. Did he just say what he thought he said?

"I think you've been hanging around with Crabbe and Goyle a little too much. You're developing a rather nasty habit"

"Huh?"

"Close your mouth"

"Oh" Draco obediently did as he was told. Snape said nothing more. He simply turned his back on him and walked out in much the same way as he had walked in. With gusto and drama. Draco watched the doors slam closed and felt a surge of pride course through him. He came equal first with Granger. His mouth twisted into a wide grin. Take that, you bloody mudblood, he thought with pleasure. He couldn't wait to tell his father. Surely he'd be proud of him then.

`~`
4

Snape was striding down the corridor when Madam Pomfrey's form came into view. He passed her with a nod of the head, and walked another two or three steps when he abruptly turned back round.

"Poppy?"

She turned and gave him a questioning glance.

"Yes?"

"What did you give Draco for his arm?"

She looked confused.

"Arm? What arm would that be?"

"His arm. He hurt it in Quidditch practice?"

"Don't know what you're talking about, Professor. But quidditch practice doesn't start till next week."

Snape blinked. Of course it didn't.

"Is something wrong, Professor?"

Snape shook his head. "No, it's fine. Thankyou, Poppy." And with that, he was back on his way. He wasn't in a very good mood. At least fifth year potions was his first lesson. He could let loose a little steam on Potter and his friends. He scowled to himself. How was it that he had more unanswered questions and confusion than when he woke up that morning? He strode into his classroom and found the class talking amongst themselves, Granger, Weasley and Potter among them. The class was instantly silent when he entered the room, but the damage had been done.

"Granger, Weasley, Potter, five points from Gryffindor. I won't tolerate talking out of turn in my class"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other and groaned. It was going to be an long lesson.

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There we go, folks. Another installment from my twisted little psyche for your enjoyment. R/R and make me smile.

Next chapter? Don't know, really. I just hope it comes out as easily as this one did (this one pretty much wrote itself, which was a relief for me. The last chapter took a lot more work from my part). Maybe I'll bring Lucius into it soon. But it probably won't be next chapter, though. Quidditch will start soon (hurrah) and maybe that'll be when Lucius comes into it.