Draco quietly entered the Defense classroom. He was dreading this moment, because he'd have to face Snape after having stormed out on him last night. He hoped Snape wouldn't be out for his blood.

Ah, and there was Mr. Golden-Boy-Who-Lived himself, Draco sneered.

"Hello, Potter," Draco spat as he walked to the other side of the room, but he stood face to face with Potter when the other boy stood. "Ready to get your guts splattered all over the wall?"

"Get lost, Malfoy," Potter shot back. "You don't even know how much better this room would look with your guts as decoration." Draco internally winced, but he had asked for it, he supposed. Antagonizing Potter actually was a stress reliever for him. Few people could bring out the smart, cutting remarks the way Potter could. But before he could come up with another witty comeback, Snape blew into the classroom.

"Potter," Snape said softly, but not less threateningly, "sit down this moment and quit provoking Mr. Malfoy." Potter sighed dramatically, but complied with the order. Snape's eyes flashed as he glared at Potter. Draco quickly sat in his usual seat in the back of the classroom.

"Today will be a practical lesson," Snape drawled from the front of the classroom where he paced back and forth. "The Headmaster has given me permission to teach you a curse - extremely useful - which is the sister curse to the Cruciatus.

"It has not been declared an Unforgivable due to its lack of long term effects like the Cruciatus. Whereas prolonged exposure to a Cruciatus will leave you a drooling idiot," Snape's eyes flicked momentarily to Longbottom, "prolonged exposure to this curse will do nothing other than extend your agony. In many ways it is a much more - merciful - curse, and it can easily be disguised as a Cruciatus if done wordlessly."

"What is the purpose of learning this?" Granger's hand shot up as she asked the question. Snape sneered at her.

"It is useful when you wish to convince your enemies you are that ruthless, while either not wishing lasting effects upon your victim or not wishing to land in Azkaban." Snape looked at him, Draco, momentarily, but Draco dropped his gaze and began to furiously take notes. "Now, if there are no more ridiculous questions, I will begin a demonstration with a colleague of mine."

Snape drew his wand and dramatically blasted the door open. If there was one thing Draco could take away from listening to Snape's classes, it was presentation. No one had presentation quite like Snape. Of course, the whole class wanted to know which professor would have agreed to help with a demonstration like that. Draco grimaced when McGonagall walked through the door. It made sense when Draco thought about it. As far as getting along went, Snape seemed to be able to tolerate McGonagall more than some of the other professors. She was a skilled witch and fairly open minded. Plus, Draco suspected she a member of the Order of the Phoenix, so if Dumbledore had given Snape permission to teach this, McGonagall would not only have had to do what her boss ordered, but her superior in the resistance too.

Potter and his gang seemed to relax a bit in her presence.

"Professor McGonagall has agreed to help me demonstrate this curse," Snape continued. "Like an unforgivable, you have to mean this spell." Once again his eyes fell on Draco. "So I will pair you up today with someone you will be most likely to mean such a spell with. Potter, Mr. Malfoy!" Draco had seen that one coming as soon as Snape announced his philosophy for pairing them up. And honestly, if Potter thought that Draco enjoyed this pairing anymore than he did, he was sorely mistaken. The necessity to perform well had just skyrocketed. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard Snape continuing to call out obnoxious pairings.

"Well?" Snape snapped. "What are you waiting for? Find your partners!"

Draco found Potter with little difficulty and the two of them eyed each other warily.

"Before you do anything," Snape continued when all the students were in position, "watch, while Professor McGonagall casts the spell on me. You will watch wand motions and listen to her incantation. I don't plan on undergoing this more than strictly necessary." He stood glowering at his students for a moment and then tossed his wand on his desk. He faced McGonagall and signaled her he was ready.

McGonagall raised her wand and nodded at him.

"Angoro!" she screamed as waved her wand in an S formation, bringing it up sharply at the end. Snape screwed his eyes shut and leaned against his desk, but he never let out a sound at the torment. He raised his hand slightly, and McGonagall stopped the curse.

"So get to it!" Snape shouted at them. "You saw the spell. Professor McGonagall will help you if you need help." Then he added to her, more quietly, though Draco heard, "If you need another demonstration, let me know. I just need to sit down for a moment."

"Of course, Severus," she replied.

"So, Potter," Draco taunted, turning to his opponent. "Scared yet?"

"We had this conversation in second year," Potter said coldly. "You wish." Draco didn't waste any time getting down to business. He focused on his long established rivalry with Potter, his jealousy of the boy, and his anger, fear, and guilt from the night previous. He knew he was capable of casting such a curse. The fact that he still lived that day proved it.

"Angoro!" Draco screamed and a shot of light left his wand. Potter stepped out of the way and it hit the wall. The whole class stopped to watch how this would finish.

"Really, Malfoy," Potter drawled, and Draco suddenly realized it was an imitation of Snape. "What sort of a pathetic display was that? Can't the heir to the Malfoy estate do any better than that?" The two were so focused on each other that they didn't see Snape get up from where he was resting to come over to them.

"Watch me," Draco hissed in reply. "Angoro!" Potter screamed and fell to his knees. "Expelliarmus!" Any hope Potter had of a countercurse flew out of his hand with his wand. "Immobulus!" Potter found his couldn't move. "Flipendo!" Potter flipped over on his back, still unable to move. "Incarcerous!" Ropes grew up from the ground and tied Potter down. Draco would have gone on with his list of incantations against Potter, who was now on his back, writhing and screaming, his wand useless next to him on the floor, except that Snape, who was closer than his colleague, chose to intervene at that moment.

"Finite incantem!" he shouted and all of Draco's spells were cut short. Draco was brought out of his delirium of anger, and realized that no good could come to him from the look on Snape's face. Snape stepped over to Potter and eyed him coldly. Potter, who had regained mobility, cringed away from Snape's proximity.

"Goading Mr. Malfoy and mocking a teacher, Potter?" Snape's soft voice came. Potter looked shocked for a moment, speechless.

"I - It was just - " Potter stammered, once he was on his feet and he backed up a step.

"Detention," Snape sighed and turned away from the situation.

"And you're just going to let Mr. Malfoy off?" McGonagall said, astonished. Snape turned, looked at her, but didn't reply. His expression was unreadable.

"Mr. Malfoy, I'm a professor here," McGonagall continued, entirely unnecessarily, "so I will assign you a detention. You will serve your detention with Professor Snape with Mr. Potter tonight. Severus, you will treat them the same for once."

"You can't do that!" Snape shouted at her.

"I'm the deputy headmistress!" she reminded him, equally loudly. "Albus will listen to me if you would rather we go to him about this!"

"Fine," Snape hissed at her. "You have no idea what's best for my students, but fine!"

Class had finished without any more incidents. At least nothing major. But Draco still did have a detention that night, with Potter and Snape. He internally groaned at the thought of just how horrible that was going to be. He was sure it would be something truly horrible like having to talk to Potter nicely. His only hopeful thought was that Snape hated Potter as much as he did.

He got to Snape's office and knocked. This time he waited for an answer, and Snape opened the door. Draco looked over his shoulder and saw Potter sprinting down the hallway. At least Snape didn't have to answer the door twice, Draco thought.

Wordlessly, Snape eyed both of them with a disgusted look on his face and closed the door after they had both entered.

"Draco, you may begin writing an essay on why losing your temper may prove fatal someday and ways you will learn to control your temper," he said coldly. "Potter, wash out the cauldrons." He gestured to a pile of at least a dozen gooed up cauldrons.

"What about treating us the same?" Potter challenged. No, no, no, you don't challenge Snape when he has that look on his face, Draco thought, his eyes widening some. What was Potter thinking?

"I am treating you the same," Snape replied, more calmly than Draco thought possible. "If Draco's last name were Potter, he would be scrubbing cauldrons too." Draco quickly ducked his head to grab a parchment and quill from his bag before he would have to meet Potter's inevitable gaze.

He saw what Snape was doing, at least for him. If he lost his temper around Death Eaters, it would be a fatal mistake. He would have to learn how to take goading from anyone and everyone or he would quickly end up dead. Draco glued his eyes to his paper and began to write. As his quill made annoying scratching sounds on the paper, he could hear Potter scrubbing at the cauldrons.

Once in a while Draco risked a glance at Potter, and saw that the cauldrons were some of the worst possible. The goo was all over the outside and the insides of them, and he could see that it was half hardened as well. Some of those cauldrons were big enough that Potter pulled them on their sides and crawled inside to get a better angle on the goo. Potter was careful to always leave one foot outside the cauldron though to make sure it didn't go rolling away with him inside. Perhaps Potter had learned that the hard way, Draco thought.

This whole detention was clearly unfair, Draco realized and shrugged it off. It wasn't his fault and there wasn't anything he could do about it really. He might as well finish his essay. He had plans he needed to work on and enact before tomorrow's sun set.

When Snape dismissed both of them, Draco noticed Snape slip Potter a vial of potion. No words, no explanation, but Draco thought it looked like a pain relieving potion, perhaps with a couple other potions mixed in. Draco was relieved that Potter wouldn't have to suffer longer from any effects his curses may have left on the other boy's person.