Snape cursed Draco mentally as he walked through the dark corridors to get to his office. He'd gone up to the dorms with the full intent of shouting at Draco for being so irresponsible to have missed the feast. A similar incident had occurred a few months ago. He'd gone up to the dormitory to find Draco heavily inebriated lying with his head in the lap of a more sober Blaise Zambini. Luckily for him, Draco had no recollection of the incident. But Snape was glad he had entered at that time. The looks Zambini had been giving Draco had been positively lecherous. And worst of all, he'd seemed not at all concerned that Draco couldn't stand up. Quite the opposite.

He sped up as he reached his office. Grabbing a couple of potions he thought briefly of the sight that had met him as he entered the room.

Draco had been splayed awkwardly over the pillows. His eyes flickering as he struggled to grasp the conversation. It had taken Snape a good few moments to realise that he was ill. After he had, he didn't see how he could have missed it. How could Lucius have not seen this illness?

Without a backward glance, he took the vials and headed back to the Slytherin common room.


Draco still winced with the recollections of that night. Snape had returned and attempted to get Draco to drink the potions. Shortly afterwards Draco was violently ill all over the floor. Draco knew Snape had been close to sending him to Madame Pomfrey that night. He'd been very lucky to avoid that one. The mediwitch would immediately know that something was seriously wrong. And Draco wasn't about to let her know about the… stuff.

Shuddering slightly at the thought he returned to staring at himself in the mirror. It was the first day of term and he'd spent much of the night being harassed by Snape. And it showed. His reflection was pale and sick looking with greyish looking shadows under his cheekbones and black shadows around his eyes. It wasn't pretty. There had to be a way of changing it.

He was alone in the dorm Most of its other occupants had arrived this morning and Snape had forced Crabbe to sleep in the common room. It was too late for them to be around anyway. It was at least three quarters of the way through breakfast time.

He weaved slightly across the floor as he walked around the room searching for his wand. Once he found it, he muttered a concealment charm. He felt his skin writhing as it tried to change its appearance but the charm wasn't strong enough. Hissing in annoyance, he leant his weight onto the bed as a tried to find an appropriate spell book. Flicking to the index his eyes unsteadily searched the page. Occulto Eximius Valde. That looked promising. He flicked to the page and glanced briefly at the description. Suitable for the concealment of most skin problems including cuts and bruises, scars, most forms of acne, uneven skin tone and discolouration.

It took Draco just three tries to get it perfect. Staring back at him from the mirror was a lean but healthy looking Draco Malfoy. Draco was also pleasantly surprised when he discovered that the spell had covered up the marks that crisscrossed haphazardly over his arms. Smirking at his reflection he turned sharply to leave the room. He lurched forward unsteadily and then came unexpectedly face to face with his bed. His head thudded dully as he ran vaguely into the bed post and then found himself staring up at the ceiling from where he had landed on the floor.

"Who put this here?" he mumbled to himself dazedly.

Looking around slowly to see if there was anyone else in the room he stood up and walked towards the door, far more conscious of any more inanimate objects that may be in his way.