Yes well I got this idea for Halloween and it wouldn't go away. If you don't like slash or this couple please don't read. Just a cute bundle of fluff, I don't own the characters, happy Halloween. This has gone through a checker so go easy on my spelling and grammar.
Hallowed night.
Part one: In the mask.
It was the night of Halloween, Severus Snape was as usual to be found skulking around in the dungeons, however tonight the potions master was aggravated as he was being denied his favourite activity the bat of the dungeons was not allowed to give detentions or take away house points and why was this it was because the students had been allowed by the batty old coot of a headmaster to stay up until the early hours of the day to celebrate Halloween. So now instead of the usual silence that filled the castle at this hour music filled the halls of the school even down to the dark dungeon and despite the late hour the children of the school still roomed the castle in all sorts of costumes having fun.
Unable to sleep because of the noise Severus went for a walk the dark haired man soon found himself at his class room, hoping that maybe this room would be quieter than the rest the potions master opened the door to his class room, sure enough it was empty of people but was instead filled with sliver moonlight, the bat of the dungeon let out a sigh of satisfaction at least this room had not been disturbed by the celebrations and was a lot quieter than most other places in the castle tonight.
Suddenly Snape felt as though he were being watched, getting ready to bellow at whoever was there the potions master turned round but instead of the gaggling group of student had had expected to find there he found only one man behind him, this man was tall and very elegant in a regency gentleman's outfit, a top tall dark hat atop dark locks and his grey eyed were framed by a silver mask which concealed the top half of his face from Severus.
At the sight of this man the Slytherin head of house froze, instantly questions sparked in his mind, who was this man and why was he here in the dungeon? Shaking himself from his revelry, Snape approached the man, the potions master tried to move round him to get to the door, but the elegant man moved into his way, Snape tried again but again he was blocked by the other man, quickly the gentle men reached out, one of his hands found Severus's waist and the other found the potion masters other hand.
The bat of the dungeon flinched at the contact, he wondered for the briefest of moments what this man was going to do and then much to his surprise Severus found himself being gently but firmly lead round the room in time to the music from the room above, it was a smooth stately waltz, the man gazed into Severus's dark eyes a soft happy smile slowly curling his lips. Snape felt wonder fill him nothing like this had ever happened to him before no one had ever done something so divinely romantic for him before, no one had ever wanted to at least not before now.
Far too soon for the potion masters liking the dance was ended, the gentle man held the dark haired man for close to him for a few moments, then slowly he leant in gently he kissed Severus's lips briefly before pulling away and dashing from the room in a swirl of sandal wood scent.
Severus stood there dazed for a moment, then the potions master shook himself, quickly the dark eyed man ran into the corridor he could still see the gentleman ahead of him, swiftly the head of the Slytherin house ran down the corridor after the man in the mask. "Wait!" The regency man froze and slowly turned towards him.
Something in his posture also stopped Severus from getting any closer. "Why, why did you do that?"
"Because I love you Severus." The man said simply a strangely sad smile playing on his lips. "I wanted to be able to be close to you just once."
"Who are you?"
"No one, something that by dawn will have died just as all dreams must."
Tentatively Severus stepped closer. "I don't understand why must you die? Why can't you stay? Would you love me just to leave me?"
"I must leave, I must die, and I must be a love that is only spoken once, for this is the only night I can do so without being judged by you. I have said and done what I have always wanted to and now you must let me go."
Carefully the potions master moved even closer to the masked man. "But I find I do not want to let you go, I do not even know why, I don't even know who you are but I know that I want to keep you here with me you are my dream."
The dark haired man moved even closer to the masked man quickly Severus reached out he grasped the gentleman by the arms and hauled him to him in an embrace so strong that it even surprised the dark eyed man himself. "Don't go... if you know me you know how much I am going to hate saying this, but please don't go I don't want you to leave I want to see who you really you are."
"Severus if you know who I am you would not be happy you would be angry, mad beyond compare." The masked man told him softly.
"But why then, why do I find myself suddenly unable to give you up?" The Potions master asked still not releasing his hold on this other man.
"Maybe because for the first time in your life you know someone really loves you, or maybe because I am a mystery that will not let you solve it. Come now it's growing late, you have classes tomorrow we both need rest."
"I'm not going to let go until you promise that you will come back." The death eater said determinedly.
The gentleman sighed. "Very well I will return again, should you wish to see me simply place a red rose in a vase on your desk and I promise that at the end of the week I will come to you but in return you must promise me that you will not try to seek me out."
Slowly Severus pulled back from the other man, "I promise I will not search for you." He said reluctantly, as he hesitantly let go of the masked man.
The gentleman bowed to Snape, before taking one hand and placing a kiss to the back of it. "Good night Severus."
"Good night." Severus whispered in return.
The man turned, he walked off into the corridor the very shadows of which seemed to swallow him whole, suddenly feeling cold the potions master wrapped his arms round himself and hastened back to his chambers.
The Slytherin head of house found his dreams plagued by the man in the mask, and his days more lonely then they had ever been before. Almost a week had gone past since Severus had first met the man in the mask, the potions master felt like screaming he kept smelling sandalwood all over the school, and he was desperately clinging to his promise not to search for the man in the mask.
Finally he surrendered to the want to see his mysterious man again, and that Monday he carefully placed a vase containing a single red rose on his desk. Severus gazed at the rose, he was convinced that his pupils were going to think he had gone crazy, but the potions master knew that this was the only way to get him to come, even then the bat of the dungeons knew he would have to wait till the weekend for him to appear, Severus sent a prayer to every God and Goddess he knew that his patience would last that long.
The days passed, Severus couldn't help noticing people looking at the flower in the vase on his desk, every time someone looked at it he had to fight the urge to either blush or throw it away. Even Harry Potter had noted the flower, the dark brows had risen in silent comment, Snape had been completely surprised by the young man he made no derisive comment about the rose instead he had gone to his seat and sat quietly threw class.
Severus was patrolling the dungeons when he realised it was Friday midnight, he had made it through the week and now officially it was the weekend, the dark haired man felt anticipation flair he wondered when his gentleman would arrive. A few moments' later footsteps echoed behind him, with a hiss of surprise the head of the Slytherin house turned round to find a regency gentleman now watching him from not that far away. "Your here." The potions master said simply.
"Yes I am after all its past midnight which means it is now the weekend and I promised you that I would appear at the end of the week."
"So do I just get to see you for this one time or can I see you again over the weekend? After all you didn't say what day of the weekend I would get to see you on."
"You crafty Slytherin you." The gentleman said with a smile, and a shake of the head there was a tone of gentle laughter to his voice as the masked man spoke. "I should have known you would find any wholes in my promise which would bend to what you want."
Severus couldn't help it a small smile tugged up his lips. "Well that's the first time being called a Slytherin actually sounded flattering."
The smile on the gentleman's face grew and he moved closer to the potions master. "In answer to your question I will come tomorrow night and Sunday night. I was worried about you Severus you seemed to be having even more of a problem with you attitude then you usually do this week, what was the matter love?"
The dark eyed man closed his eyed briefly at how wonderful it felt for some to call him love and actually mean it, slowly he opened his eyes and met the grey ones of the masked man. "I missed you I barely know you yet somehow I missed you terribly and I only just managed to stop myself braking my promise not to look for you."
The man's shook his head an amused smile spread over his face. "You really wanted to find me that much?"
"Yes. I don't understand this at all this isn't like me at all, I keep smelling your sandalwood scent all over the school it's maddening, yet rather than getting annoyed like I usually would I just find myself just wanting to get closer to you find out who you really are so I can keep you."
"We talked about this before if you knew who I was all of this would change I don't want this to go away no not this exactly it's you I don't want to lose."
"Maybe it won't go away." Severus said moving forward and meeting the other man in the dappled candle light of the hall way.
The grey eyes met his black ones. "Who knows you may well be right, but only time can tell us for sure."
"Exactly." Said Snape he looked down into those grey eyes for a moment before pulling the other man close and embracing him tightly. "I missed you."
"And I you." The Masked man said as he placed his own arms round the taller man returning the embrace.
(yeah first chapter lord knows why I'm writing this.)