A/N:
Ok chapter 1, kind of melodramatic lol but I hope you enjoy anyway :) It may seem a bit of a slow start in this and the next chapter or so, but they aren't too long and there will be plenty action and romance after, so I hope you're not all put off! Haha, enjoy …
Draco pulled the mask from his face and took a moment to drag his sleeve across his forehead. Tonight's events had left him numb with shock; a cold sweat beaded his brow. The mask weighed heavy in his hands. He looked down at it, repressing a shudder as the hollow eye sockets stared back at him.
Dead eyes. Unsettlingly like those of the Death Eater he had killed tonight.
It had been accidental. He'd been about to leave the Ministry, relieved that nothing had gone wrong and at the same time frustrated that his excursion had once again been fruitless. The man had walked straight into him.
No warning, nothing.
If he was discovered, it was all over. The lives of his friends, family and countless others would be forfeit. He would have to watch as Voldemort killed them one by one, knowing he would be the last to die.
He had panicked.
He didn't remember saying the words. One searing moment of fear, the next …
Those dead eyes, staring up at him.
He shivered. The words rung in his head like a death knell.
Avada kedavra.
Irreversible. Unforgivable.
An owl hooted outside his window and he flinched violently.
Just an owl, Draco. Relax.
Pulling himself together, he rose to his feet. It would do no good to brood over what he had done. It was all for good in the end. The lesser of two evils. Dumbledore had, at least, taught him that.
He tossed the mask onto the bed and stretched, feeling the ache in his muscles. Then he drew his wand to perform the spells that had, in the last few months, become ritual.
It took a while to stop his hands trembling.
With a few well-wrought charms, the mask was concealed under a loose stone in the floor. He smoothed the moth-eaten silk carpet carefully back over it, eyeing his work appraisingly.
Once done, he pulled off his black cloak and robes and quickly changed into his cotton pyjama trousers. Goosebumps prickled on his skin in the chill night air.
Quickly, he hung the black clothes in the wardrobe and rummaged around in a drawer, swearing under his breath as his numb fingers fumbled noisily over its contents.
If anyone heard him …
At length, he withdrew a tiny crystal vial. Tomorrow morning, it would join the others under the loose stone.
Grimacing slightly, he put his wand to his temple and drew out a glistening strand of memory. It shimmered in the moonlight as he prodded it down into the vial, which he hastily stoppered.
Almost done. He let out a shaky sigh. The paranoia that his nighttime endeavours engendered was almost not worth it. Almost.
He padded over to the four poster bed, eager for the relief it would shortly bring, and tucked the crystal vial into a bedside drawer. Wearily, he slid under the silk sheets.
One last thing to do.
Moonlight gleamed on his wand as he pointed it into his own face.
"Obliviate."
A/N: please review, pretty please :) with a great fat Toblerone on top.