Disclaimer: We own nothing but our original characters (Myrddin & Teressa), JK owns everything and other authors own poems/books we reference.

Authors' Note : This is written by two people in our HP fandomness(ish). So there will be two different kinds of writing styles expressed here. Please read and review. By the way - I know a lot of people don't like to read fics with original characters because of various reasons (they're not developed, a lot of them are Mary Sue's, etc) but please give us a chance. This is chapter one and we hope to get a second chapter up soon. We're not sure if the next chapter will be as long as this one, but we'll try. This should be a relatively short story. We're not sure how the format is going to show up, we've fixed it many times, but FanFiction does not seem to want to cooperate so we apologize in advance if it's not indented, etc. One of us writes the Myrddin scenes, and the other writes the Teressa scenes. Enjoy!

Chapter One: Mysteries and Realizations

She stood at the other side of the Hall, looking angry and slightly regal. Her flowing deep green gown was of the Italian Renaissance. Black lace delicately covered the emerald fabric and carried the bell sleeves on for a good three inches. Her dark hair was put into a strict bun with curls hanging from the back. Two shorter curls framed the richly jeweled mask she wore around her eyes. Diamonds and emeralds were patterned around the outside while amethysts dotted the area of it. Small silver feathers lined the border and spoke of elegance and mystery.

He stood near the back, flaunted by many adoring girls hoping for a dance. Dressed in a silver tunic and trousers, he displayed a rather balanced elegance. Diamonds cuffed his long ruffled sleeves, showing his wealth and good taste. His high place in society was shown in the form of a blood red mask surrounded with short black ruffles and behind them, black feathers. The eye holes were bordered with a pattern of black diamond and bright ruby. His warm hazel eyes contrasted greatly with what he wore, making him all the more desirable.

At the moment of ten o'clock, the two locked eyes: Warm hazel to cold brown. After taking in her beauty, he planted a smirk on his slightly tanned skin. Her full, shapely lips quirked slightly, giving him the impression that she was interested. He slowly got up, taking of his fur-lined red throw cloak with a flourish, making her right eyebrow rise.
He steadily made his way across the dance floor to the table at which she stood. He reached her in good time, proving his eagerness for her. He was right in front of her now. Time seemed to take a pause. The figures only a few feet from them seemed to have stopped turning and stepping gracefully. Though he towered over her slightly petit form, she was not intimidated; just impressed. He took her gloved right hand and gently kissed it. She smiled her approval. He took her hand in his and innocently gestured to the dance floor. "Shall we?" He asked, his voice strong and youthful. She nodded. The two, hand in hand made their way to the crowd of dancers.

Myrddin walked into the Great Hall unnoticed. Unusually shy, she hid in the back of the room, towards the giant Christmas tree. Illustrating once again why she is widely known for her book-wormish tendencies, Myrddin pulled out her latest novel and leaned against the wall. She sank down, finding that her shoes were more comfortable when she wasn't standing. She tightened the strings on her mask, and then was completely devoted to reading her book.
A pair of fancy period dress shoes appeared in front of her. The boy wearing them cleared his throat loudly. Myrddin looked up. "Do- do you want to dance?" he asked awkwardly. The naive side of Myrddin got the better of her.

"Why?" The boy shifted from foot to foot.
"Everyone else is." he suggested as an explanation.
Myrddin put her book down and stood up. "Let's jump on the bandwagon then, shall we?"

You never would have guessed it, but Myrddin's partner was an extremely good dancer. "How do you know all this?" she asked. He looked embarrassed.
"My family has a lot of dinner parties, so they hired a special tutor for me."
"Myrddin laughed. "A dance tutor? I'm so sorry." The boy nodded.
"I'm used to it, though. They've been trying to force this life on me for a while. Nothing I can help. Truth be told, I'm their disappointment child." Myrddin raised an eyebrow. "It's true." he continued. "I'm more of a rebel than a socialite. If it wasn't for my sister, -" Myrddin cut him off.
"Sh! No hints or giveaways here!" She said, tapping his mask lightly.

While dancing the Tarantella, a boy in a pale blue jacket and a black mask tapped Myrddin's partner on the shoulder. He turned around. "Yes?" he asked.
"May I have this dance?" The boy in the blue jacket directed at Myrddin. Myrddin glanced at her previous partner before answering a firm "Yes."
The boy in the pale blue jacket led Myrddin to the back of the Great Hall. They began to dance a slower dance. The song had changed. It was Corelli's Adagio. The boy pressed his forehead up against Myrddin's. He smiled and laughed. He stepped away from her to stare for a moment. He laughed again. "Myrddin..." he sang."I had to pay a pretty penny to find out who you were on the floor."

"Who are you, then?" she asked, slightly annoyed with the fact that the tantalizing plum she was holding over this boy's head had been plucked, so to speak. The boy laughed and shook his head. They started dancing again.

"Master and Commander." the boy said. Myrddin stared at his smug face. "The Muggle book?" she asked, unsure of the context he was using it in. He shook his head and laughed again. "That's what I want you to call me."

"Alright, Amadeus." Myrddin replied using her own historical slur. The boy laughed. "I expected as much from you."

The last dance before midnight, Myrddin was still dancing with her "master and commander". The boy hadn't even hinted a clue about himself or his life. Myrddin gave up trying to guess when he told her what to call him. Myrddin laughed at the thought.
The boy leaned in to kiss Myrddin, but she laughed and gave him the cheek. "What?" the boy asked, mildly and comically irritated.
Myrddin kept a straight face, but with much difficulty when replying, "You didn't ask." The boy laughed and started to walk away.
"You're a clever one, aren't you?" he turned with his back to her and began to walk away. "You'll regret not kissing me!" he yelled behind him.

This really got the Irish up in Myrddin. Not only was he right, but he was right this soon after she had denied him. Not to be outdone, Myrddin ran down the hall, yelling out, "Oy! Master and commander!". He turned around, clearly pleased that she had taken the bait. Myrddin pulled his face to hers and kissed him fiercely. She was mildly surprised when he kissed back and pulled her closer. The boy pulled away and laughed.
"Amadeus indeed," He laughed again and walked away, his mask still on. "Just in case you were wondering," he added, yelling behind him, "This isn't the last you'll be seeing of me, I promise you that!"

Teressa and James had been having a wonderful time, just enjoying the other's company. "What am I going to call you?" Teressa asked.
"Call me?" James said. "Like a pet name?"
"No," She began, "I'm not supposed to know who you are yet. And I can't just not have something to call you. What if I need your attention at some point?"
"I don't think you'll ever loose my attention." He was a bit shocked to not see her blush. Their heads snapped to the front of the room as Dumbledore announced the start of the last dance.
"I think . . . I'll leave now." Teressa stammered.
"What? Why?" James tried to read what was going on through her eyes.
"I don't think I'm entirely prepared to know who you are." She said, softly.

"But the unmasking isn't until Saturday!" He tried to coax her to stay. "Just one more dance - " She cut him off by pressing her lips to his. However, before he could kiss her back, she had pulled away.
She leaned up to his ear, "I'll see you tomorrow then. Meet me on the balcony at ten." She turned on her heel and disappeared within the large crowd.
"See you, then." he whispered to no one in particular.

That night, Myrddin dreamed about the boy in the pale blue jacket. The kiss they had shared haunted Myrddin. She hadn't wanted it to end. And who was he? These thoughts plagued her mind and prevented her from sleeping.
A strange noise woke Myrddin from her fitful sleep. It sounded like someone walking around. Myrddin threw back the curtains around her bed and saw the boy in the pale blue jacket standing in the open window, holding a single rose out for her, illuminated by the moon. He smiled at her and held out the rose. "I come to thee by the moonlight, fair maiden." he said, holding the rose out to her. Myrddin smiled and took it. Then she realized something.

"How'd you get in? You couldn't have come up from the boy's dormitory. You wouldn't be able to climb the stairs." she asked, genuinely curious. The boy jumped into the room and looked out the window. He looked back at Myrddin and shrugged.
"It wasn't that high of a climb." he said nonchalantly. Myrddin laughed and walked forward. She looked down at the grounds and estimated that they were at least 15 stories away. To climb the wall would be insanity.

The boy came up behind her and whispered in her ear. "I used a broom." Myrddin spun around at an alarmingly fast pace. She began firing questions at him like bullets.

"Your broom?"
"Erm..."
"Are you a Quidditch player?"
"I- "
"What team?"
"I won't say!"
"So you are a Quidditch player!"
"Well, depends what you mean by 'Quidditch'!"
"Gryffindor?"
"I won't say."
"Ravenclaw?"
"I won't say."
"Slytherin?"
The boy's face became stern.
"Never that." he replied forcefully.
Myrddin studied the rose. It was pale; almost white. She looked back up at the boy. "I'm sorry." she apologized. The boy nodded.
"It's all right. You didn't know." Myrddin perked up again. She walked forward and stood directly in front of him. Their faces were barely an inch apart.
"If you tell me, I will know." She kissed him, making it harder for him to leave his mask on. He held her at an arm's length.
"You're a clever little thing, aren't you?" he laughed. It was almost painful for him not to tell her.

Myrddin stared almost pleadingly at him. He brushed the hair out of her face and smiled. "You will know in good time", he said softly. "But, I'm afraid, you're not ready yet." He kissed her once more, then ran over to the window. Myrddin smiled at him.
"They died, you know." She said. "Bess and the Highwayman. She gave her life for him and he died trying to avenge her death." The boy smiled.
"Let's try to avoid that, then, shall we?" he said smiling.

The boy saluted Myrddin and jumped backwards. Myrddin gasped and ran over to the window and looked out. The boy was no where to be found. Myrddin leaned back into the room, but stayed at the window. Something black floated down to the window sill like a feather and landed on Myrddin's hand. She looked down and picked up the boy's mask. Her heart raced. She turned it over to find a name, but only a rose petal resided in the lining. Myrddin took the mask and the rose and placed them under her pillow. She climbed into her bed and closed the curtains. She sighed once, and then fell asleep.

Speeding away on his best friend's broom, Gilderoy Lockhart brushed back his hair and sighed. He reached to undo his mask, but found that it was already gone. He considered going back to get it, but he couldn't risk it. He flew faster to the Quidditch field where his friend was waiting for him to return the broom. He would see Myrddin again the next night at the masked ball.

James was sitting by the lake, thinking of his dance partner. Sirius Black, his best friend came up beside him. "So Prongs, did you find the one?" He said jokingly.

"I think I did." He smiled, "How about you?"
"Ditto, only she was stolen from me by that prat, Lockhart. I'd like to clock him one." Sirius spat the name. "I bet you in ten years, no one will even know his name."

"I smell jealousy. This must be some girl," James said.
"You won't believe she was reading a book when I asked her to dance." Sirius stated.
"Wow." James raised his eyebrows. "She was that bored with you then? Sheesh, Padfoot, you're loosing your touch." He smirked through a punch from Sirius. "Come on, Sirius. We'd better pack in." The two friends got up and began walking toward the castle.

"What house d'you reckon your partner is in?" James asked.
"Probably Ravenclaw. I mean, the whole book thing . . ." Sirius reasoned, "And yours?"
"Gryffindor for sure. She's stunning, mysterious, and she gets her way." They both stopped in their tracks, thinking of the sorting hat, 'Those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends.'
The two looked at each other, "Nah," They said in unison.

Teressa Rhima looked at her self in the mirror before taking off her stunning mask. "Blaise?" She called on one of her fellow Slytherins that she shared a dorm with, "Have you seen my mask for tomorrow night?"

Myrddin skipped into the Great Hall for breakfast. She sat down next to Sirius and across from James. James looked up at her.
"God, Myrddin, you look like hell," he said, noticing the bags under her eyes.
"I didn't get any sleep last night." she replied happily. Sirius snorted.
"Then you had a good night?" Sirius asked sarcastically.
Myrddin shoved him. "Don't be gross, Black!"

Myrddin leaned in and whispered excitedly. "The boy that I danced with came to my dormitory last night." Sirius laughed.
"So it was a good night!"

"Was he your partner the whole night?" James asked, gossiping like a school girl.
"Well, no, actually. He was the second. The first partner interrupted my reading." She said. James looked at Sirius. Myrddin continued. "I was actually rather upset that he did. I mean,- well, you both know how I am with my books." Sirius felt hollow. "But he wasn't a bad partner all in all." James looked at his friend. "Sirius, are you all right?" Sirius shook his head. "No, actually. I'm feeling a little under the weather." He stood up. "I think I'll go to lie down." He walked out of the Great Hall.

As soon as he was out of sight, Sirius went on an angry search for Lockhart.
James looked after him, concerned. "What's up with Sirius?' Myrddin asked.
"Erm - - nothing. I think he might've had some spiked punch," James said distractedly. "I'm gonna go too, I'll see you later, Myrddin," He headed over to the Ravenclaw table apparently searching for someone.

Gilderoy Lockhart sat by himself at the Ravenclaw table. He hadn't touched his food was day dreaming about Myrddin. However, the fact that she had his mask made it a little more difficult. Suddenly, there was a tap on his shoulder. Gilderoy turned around and faced an irate James Potter. He leaned in close and whispered fiercely.

"Gilderoy, you prat, I have never had a real problem with you until now. You knew damn well that Myrddin was already spoken for. You knew Sirius liked her!" he spat.
"I- I didn't-" Gilderoy stuttered. He feared Sirius more than James, but James was the one bringing the confrontation.
"Lockhart, everyone knows that Sirius liked her except for Myrddin. You took advantage over that."
"James, I didn't do anything with Myrddin!" Gilderoy whispered back in his defense.

James grabbed Gilderoy by his collar. Everyone was watching now.
"Don't lie to me!" James yelled. Gilderoy's mouth got the better of him.
"Well, if you're so sure, why don't you kill me right here? Put on a show? Become a hero....again? Face it, James; you're not threatening me for Sirius. You're out for your own reputation now."

James was infuriated. He attacked Gilderoy, no matter what the cause.
By the time the teachers got there, Gilderoy was on the floor in the fetile position, protecting his face while James kicked him repeatedly. Professor Binns took James away and Professor McGonagall helped Gilderoy up. He glanced over at Myrddin while trying to stop the bleeding coming from his broken nose. Myrddin looked frightened and was holding onto the bench with white knuckles. She looked at Gilderoy with complete concern. He hid his face.
'She won't know who I am. Ever.' he promised himself. Even he recognized that it was unfair to make her choose.

Myrddin was shocked and mildly sickened. She ran to find Sirius. He was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, smoking his grandfather's pipe. He stood up when she came in.
She walked over to him and slapped him. While he was still recovering from the impact, she kissed him on the cheek. "You didn't tell me!" she shouted angrily at him.

"And what would I say, Myrddin?" he shouted back. Myrddin shook her head and continued yelling at him. "Then you had James attack the poor boy..."
"What poor boy?"
"Gilderoy, you dunce! James attacked Gilderoy for you! Are you happy now?" she yelled. There was silence.
"I love you." he said at last, sounding defeated.
"I have to get ready." Myrddin said without acknowledging that he said anything at all. She brushed past him and ran up the stairs to the girl's dormitory.

Teressa was in front of her mirror, brushing her long hair. She was debating what she would do with it. She decided to leave it down tonight; she picked up her wand and with a few swishes here, and a few sharp flicks there, her hair was finished. It lay swept off to one side, the tips curled. Tonight she wore a midnight blue gown. Her bodice was a lighter form of the color, and her lovely ancient Greek-style sleeves were a metallic sky blue. Sliver lined every piece of hemming. She had on a silver chain attached to a sapphire shaped like a star. Her mask was silver tonight, and tiny sapphires filled every space possible, however, the perimeter of the mask was once again occupied by short feathers, this time they were a pattern of periwinkle blue and a delicate white. She slipped on her elbow-length silk gloves and smoothed out her skirt. She curtsied politely to the mirror and headed to the Ball.
When she got to the Great Hall it was only nine o' clock. She looked to the balcony, he was there already. Teressa smirked; she was never late, but she hated being early. She sat down at a table and she wasn't moving until the stroke of ten.

Myrddin was in quite a black mood. Between James and Sirius, she had completely lost faith in the male gender. Never the less, she was getting ready for the second night of the masked ball.

She wore a grey dress with a black bodice. She had three-quarter length sleeves and black lace gloves. The only jewelry she wore was a small but fancy ruby necklace. Her hair was half up, half down. She looked at herself in the mirror and had second thoughts about going. She sighed and walked over to her bed. She took out the rose and the mask. Staring longingly at the mask, she made up her mind. She fixed the rose into her hair and wore the mask. She headed to the Great Hall.

She was late and was still second guessing her decision. She waited outside the doors and hid in the shadows. A boy came down the stairs. He was wearing a blood red jacket and brown trousers. His gold hair shimmered in the candle light. Myrddin tried to get a better look at him, but ended up knocking a candle fixture over. The boy stared at her. It was Gilderoy.
Madam Pomfrey had fixed his nose and most of the cuts were healed. However, there were still a few bruises and his lip was swollen. Slowly, he walked over to Myrddin.

Myrddin guiltily touched a large bruise over his right temple. He winced slightly, then smiled.
"'Tis but a flesh wound." he laughed.
Myrddin untied her mask and put it on him. She tied the back and kissed him gently. "Go ahead." she told him, motioning to the door. "I'm going to go to bed." She started to walk away.

Gilderoy ran after her. He grabbed her arm to keep her in one place. He kissed her cheek and wrapped his arms around her. They stood there like that for a few minutes. At last, Gilderoy let go and walked back to the Great Hall. He opened the doors and walked in, already looking for a dance partner. Myrddin collapsed to the ground, sobbing. She was glad no one could see her.

Sirius had been hiding in the corner the whole time. He had not wanted go into the Great Hall for fear of seeing Myrddin and Gilderoy together. Unfortunately, by not going in, that was exactly what he saw. He felt the jealousy rise up in him. He knew Myrddin didn't belong to him, but it still hurt, to see her snogging someone else. And when Myrddin began crying, he suddenly felt very protective, as if Myrddin was his sister. Then, it hit him:

The only role Sirius could ever play in Myrddin's life was brother. What stung the most was the fact that he had wasted so much time coming up with this conclusion. Never the less, he went to comfort Myrddin in the corridor.

Myrddin was rather surprised to see Sirius coming her way. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him remove his mask, sit down, and wrap his arm around her shoulders. She tried to shrug him off, but it was no use. She admitted that she needed a friend. Myrddin wiped her tears away and rested her head on Sirius's shoulder. Then, it hit her:

Sirius had been a good friend all through the years. Ever since they had met, they had a connection. She was just too blind to see it. She had just never thought of him that way before. She lifted her head off his shoulder and looked at him. She leaned forward and kissed him. He didn't kiss back. The clock chimed for ten o'clock. Sirius stood up. "Well," he said, rubbing his hands together, "I must find Arabella. See you in the common room." He turned on his heel and sped towards the Great Hall.

Teressa got up from the chair and made her way to the balcony. She saw James leaning on the wall of the balcony. He was wearing a stunning costume tonight; his trousers and tunic were a metallic bronze. Tonight his cuffs were adorned with rubies and sapphires. His mask -like hers- was filled with sapphires, only his patterns of feathers were bronze and black. She strolled up to him and took his hands in hers, smiling. "Hello," She said.

He didn't know why, but James couldn't find words to put in his mouth. It seemed as if the more he discovered that he might have feelings for this girl, the more he wanted to impress her, but didn't know how to.

Myrddin hid in her room. She closed the curtains around her and thought long and hard about the events that had just occurred.

Sirius loved her, and then he didn't. Gilderoy loved her, then he was beaten up, then he hid, even though he still loved her. And she loved Gilderoy...or did she love the mysterious boy who came to her in the night reciting lines from prose and novels? She would have to figure out soon. She was running out of time.

'Anias Nin once said "The only abnormality is the incapacity to love"', Myrddin thought as she drew her knees up to her chin. 'If that's true, then why am I in such a difficult position?'

With this thought bouncing around in her head, Myrddin fell into a fitful sleep. That night, Gilderoy came to see her. He flew in with a broom and woke Myrddin up. When she first opened her eyes, she thought that he was an angel. All she could see was the moon illuminating his flaxen hair and his pale face. She had hoped it was an angel. Religious or not, she could benefit from a holy blessing either way.

"Myrddin...Myrddin, please...Wake up, Myrddin..." Gilderoy gently shook her awake. She smiled when she realized who it was. She sat up. Gilderoy backed away and put his broom in the corner. He rushed forward and kissed her. He broke away and stared at Myrddin with maniacally wide eyes. "Do you love me?" he asked frantically. Myrddin's heart sank.

"I need to think about this."

"NO!" he shouted, then regained composure. "No", he whispered, "Without thinking, tell me now. Do you love me?"

"I- I don't know!"

"Do you love Sirius?" he asked, almost accusingly.

"I don't know!" Myrddin whispered back, hoping that this was all a nightmare. Gilderoy kissed her long and hard. He pulled away and stared at Myrddin.

"I love you", he said, "But it's up to you what to do. And, please, make up your mind quickly. I don't fancy being beat to a bloody pulp again any time soon." He ran to the window and stood on the ledge. "And tell Sirius that I was here. I'm not going to be around until later in the day."

With that, he jumped out the window. Not even a second later, Myrddin heard him scream. She looked in the corner and stared at his broom. A cold dread settled in her stomach. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at the falling figure. "Wingardium leviosa!" she shouted and levitated Gilderoy back to her window. He crossed his arms.

"I didn't ask to be saved, now did I?" he snapped, slightly angry but mostly grateful. Myrddin handed him his broom and pocketed her wand.

Gilderoy sped off, leaving Myrddin with a disturbing thought.

'They're making me choose?'