Chapter Three:

Unmasked

Draco watched her sit on the stone bench and stare at the sun as it rose. She looked so different, so beautiful...-

"Stop! Stop! Stop! She's a damn mudblood!" Draco chided himself in a whisper. His verbal rationalizations seemed to help. As he continued to stare at her sitting there, he made a list of reasons why he had kissed her the night before. He had been completely unaware of who she was last night. Thinking about it now, he wondered why he hadn't seen it before. Then again, he could also understand why he hadn't seen it. This girl didn't look like Hermione Granger at all. No more frizzy hair or flat chest. Her face hadn't been hidden in a book the entire night, and her voice was silky smooth. More seductive than Draco remembered. When Harry and Ron had crashed out the castle doors the night before, Draco had caught a glimpse of her face. Although barely recognizable, she was undoubtedly Hermione Granger...and he had kissed her. He, Draco Malfoy, had kissed her, Hermione Granger. It was definitely a mistake. Given the situation over again, he wouldn't have allowed her a minute of his time. When he had first realized who she was, his first reaction was 'who knew she kissed so well?'. Then his next reaction was 'wait...this is Hermione Granger. The mudblood.' and the realization scared the shit out of him. He made his escape although he was almost reluctant to do so. Now he comforted himself by saying that his hormones were out of control or something like that. There was no way he would have wanted to stay there, alone, with Hermione Mudblood Granger if it were a mind matter. But hormones kicked in for a moment. Now she would find out who she was with last night, and she'd probably freak. He had. But no matter what he told himself in his head, he could not deny that she was beautiful. She had been under his nose all along, and he had never seen her so vividly as he had last night. He sighed as she walked back towards the castle, glancing over her shoulder ever so often. He forced himself away from the window and flung himself down, harshly, on the couch in front of the fireplace. He willed himself to think about something else...anything else. There was a new Slytherin girl this year. Evelyn Channings. Draco had seen her talking with Professor Snape at the masquerade. She was tall and thin with hair red enough to give the Weasley's a run for their money. Wait...what money? Draco chuckled softly at this thought. When the Weasley's had money, that's when he would even be the slightest bit interested in Hermione Granger. Shit, how did I get back to thinking about her? Draco smacked his forehead and shook his head vigorously, trying to rid his mind of the thoughts. Evelyn was very pretty with violet eyes as deep as Loch ness. Suddenly an owl flew in through the open window, almost beaming Draco in the head. He glared at the jittery bird and snatched the parchment.

Dear Draco Malfoy,

Please report to my office this morning after breakfast. You will be shown to your Head dormitories, and will be acquainted with the Head Girl. Enjoy your breakfast.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Grinning, Draco dropped the letter onto his desk. He'd finally be getting out of the Slytherin dormitory. It was a general stereotype of Slytherin males to be heartbreakers. And he, himself, was the king of all Slytherin heartbreakers. Therefore, the Slytherin dormitory was always bustling with girls from various houses coming and going at all hours of the night. When his roommates had girls over at nights, Draco slept on the couch in the common room. It was just sick to stay in the room. He wouldn't get any sleep there anyway. Apparently he was sharing the Head dormitory with the Head Girl. It could definitely work to his advantage if the Head Girl happened to be gorgeous. He started sorting out possible applicants. His thoughts settled on the most likely candidate. Granger. He groaned and ran his hands through his hair. She wasn't leaving him alone. Following him around like a plague. There was always a chance that she wasn't Head Girl, but Draco knew the odds of that. She was, by far, the most intelligent girl in the seventh year. She had always been the smartest girl since year one. It was common knowledge. He cringed slightly at the thought of sharing a dormitory with her. She'd probably nag him all the time for being messy or not doing his homework right away. Soon, other Slytherins began waking and heading down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Eager to finish breakfast so he could meet the Head Girl, Draco made his way to the hall. He scanned the various house tables, looking for options besides Granger. But suddenly, silver met amber, and the gazes locked. He watched the slow realization seep into her mind, and her eyes widened just a bit. Then she broke their stare, and appeared to be trying to occupy herself by moving her food around her plate. Draco got enjoyment out of watching her squirm. He began to think of more ways to make her even more uncomfortable. He could partner up with her in classes. Appear out of no where when she was studying alone in the library. His evil schemes were interrupted by Pansy.

"Morning, Draco! How are you?"

"Peachy. I've got to go. Meeting with Dumbledore." He excused himself quickly, deciding that he wanted to be the first one in Dumbledore's office so he could see the Head Girl enter. Besides, it gave him a reason to leave Pansy. As he walked out, he shot one more glance at the Gryffindor table. She was gone. Heading up the staircases to the statue of the gargoyle, he tried not to think about Granger, and the possibility of her being Head Girl. Not knowing the password, Draco leaned against the wall, waiting for a teacher to come by and let him in. Eventually, the gargoyle sprang aside and Dumbledore strolled out.

"Ah, Draco! Good morning. Follow me. The Head Girl is already unpacking her things in your new living quarters." Hiding his disappointment, Draco nodded and followed Dumbledore down a hallway he had never really seen before. In front of a portrait of a knight embracing a princess, Dumbledore paused and turned to Draco.

"The password is diamond dust. Your things are already inside, but you might want to arrange them yourself."

"Thank you, professor." Dumbledore smiled and left Draco standing in front of the portrait. The knight stared down at him, impatiently.

"Well, are you going to go inside?"

"Oh good. I thought I was going to have a crabby painting to deal with." Draco remarked sarcastically. The princess smothered a giggle, and the knight glared down at him.

"Say the password and leave us."

"Diamond dust." Draco rolled his eyes. The portrait swung open and Draco walked hurriedly inside. Looking around the common room, Draco missed the girl standing in the doorway of her bedroom. Tall floor to ceiling Monticello windows lined the walls, allowing sunlight to stream through. They provided a beautiful view of the lake and the Forbidden Forest. The furniture was upholstered in red, gold, silver, and green. If the school was trying to push for house unity, they had a funny way of proceeding. A tall fireplace stood against a wall and a warm fire crackled inside it. There was a long wooden table with several chairs for studying or eating. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow on the room. The Head Girl had already dumped some of her books out onto one end of the table. Draco fixed on the door that led to the bathroom. Sharing a bathroom with a girl would definitely be a problem for him. He shifted his eyes to the door on the right of the bathroom. Engraved in gold letters were the words Draco Malfoy, Head Boy. Almost tentatively, Draco let his eyes wander to the door on the right of the bathroom. His heart did a funny flip. It tried to sink and soar in the same moment. Not allowing his conflict to affect his stance, he smirked at the Head Girl. Hermione Granger.

She watched him as he entered the dormitory. Yes, he was taller, more muscular, extremely attractive, and had kissed her the night before, but he was still Malfoy. Once a Malfoy, always a Malfoy. Hermione told herself as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Granger...I think you're lost. This is the Head Boy and Girl dormitory." He flopped down on couch as though he owned the place. He stretched out on it and ran a hand through his silky blonde hair.

"Very witty, Malfoy. How long were you working on that one?" Hermione retorted, digging through her backpack to find her novel she was reading. Malfoy seemed to have chosen to ignore her, because he did not reply. Hermione was grateful for this. She didn't feel like wasting her time fighting with the stupid prat. As far as she was concerned, their kiss had never happened. It was a mistake, and mistakes should be forgotten. He wasn't worth a minute of her time. Besides, she wanted to be able to concentrate on her novel. She took a seat in one of the armchairs, and glanced at Malfoy, daring him to speak again. When he didn't, she returned to her book. Unfortunately, just as she opened to where she had left off, Malfoy spoke again.

"Still reading, Granger? Tell me, does it ever end?" He eyed her book in what looked like disgust. She was almost horrified to see someone react in such a way to her book, which happened to be an amazing piece of literature.

"How you managed to become Head Boy, I cannot fathom. Did daddy threaten a few people?" She asked in a cold voice. Draco's eyes went dark.

"Shut up." He demanded harshly. Hermione smothered a gasp as she realized why her comment had affected him so. Lucius had died while in Azkaban. Something spilled through Hermione making her feel horribly. I'm feeling guilty about something I said to Malfoy? It didn't make sense. Neither of them felt any guilt about being cruel to the other. They had to be apathetic when it came to insults. The exception came now.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize what I was saying." Hermione tried to redeem herself, but ended up trailing off when she realized she couldn't take back what she had said. She settled with a simple apology, but didn't feel any better. She glanced up at Malfoy, who was staring out of one of the many windows. His eyes were full of pain and agony. Something she hadn't seen in Malfoy. He had always been so strong and nonchalant even in the most trying situations. Hermione knew how much Malfoy had wanted to please his father. Her guilt deepened, and she attempted to get her mind off of it by reading. It seemed to work for awhile. The room was silent for almost an hour. The rain started as Hermione was putting down her book and preparing to take a nap in the comfortable chair. The raindrops were large, and they pounded harshly against the windows. Both Hermione and Malfoy stopped what they were doing to look out the window to marvel at the sudden downpour. Hermione was the first to break her gaze away from the rain. She moved around, making a comfortable sleeping space for herself. She shivered in her short black skirt and red halter-top. Eagerly she settled deeply into her chair that served as makeshift bed and pulled her cloak up around her.

"Beauty rest isn't going to help, Granger." Malfoy said suddenly, surprising Hermione. She glared at him.

"Yes, I notice it hasn't done anything for you." She rested her head on the arm of the chair and attempted to calm her mind. The reading had been tiring due to the sleep she had missed the night before, and coming up with new insults to shove Malfoy off his perch was trying. Unfortunately, Malfoy sense her weakening.

"Where are your little sidekicks? Off trying to save the world?"

"They aren't allowed in the Head dormitory."

"Of course...says the rule breaking mudblood." This forced Hermione to sit up abruptly. Her eyes flashed with anger and frustration.

"You know, Malfoy, it's our seventh year. We've been enemies since day one. It's our last year at Hogwarts-"

"Thank god for that." Malfoy cut in while Hermione paused to take a breath.

"Don't you think we can at least try to get along for our last year? Especially since we're Heads now, all of the younger students look up to us." Malfoy's face turned falsely solemn. He stroked his chin with long, slender fingers in mock perplexity.

"You know, Granger...you're absolutely right. I should just forget about that slap in the third year." A grin spread across Hermione's face at the memory.

"You were asking for it. I never said this was going to be easy. I have to let go every time you've ever called me a mudblood."

"That's different. You don't have to let it go you just have to go into a state of denial. Just keep telling yourself that you don't have dirty blood. Of course you'll only be lying to yourself if you do that-"

"Holy god, Malfoy! This isn't that hard!" Hermione was on her feet in flurry of emotion and rage. Malfoy straightened from his relaxed stance to his full height of six feet, towering over the five foot eight Hermione. Nevertheless, she glared up into his icy blue eyes.

"Scared, Granger?" He whispered in a dangerous tone.

"Absolutely not." She answered quickly. He took a few steps towards her so that there were mere inches apart. She had to lift her head to stare him in the eyes.

"You should be." He whispered, his breath warm on her face.

"Oh I am...of your breath. Honestly, have you ever heard of mouthwash?" Hermione backed away from Malfoy. He didn't, of course, have bad breath, but he didn't need to know that. She heard, to her surprise, Malfoy chuckle softly.

"I leave that to my girls." Hermione almost threw up when she realized what he was actually referring to.

"You are disgusting."

"I am a sex god. That's all. Girls can't keep their hands...or tongues for that matter, off of me." Hermione felt her stomach lurch again.

"Malfoy! I'm not interested in your sex life."

"Granger, I know you're jealous and want to be a part of it, but-"

"WHAT?" Hermione exclaimed, shrilly. "Oh that is it, Malfoy! Your ego is so fucking big. I'm surprised a broom can even support you. What would ever make you think that I would want to be a part of your sex life?"

"I see the desire in your eyes."

"Desire to puncture your inflamed ego perhaps, but not to actually...oh that's nasty."

"Watch your fantasies, Granger. I play dirty, but not with dirty blood." Hermione sighed, realizing that this was hopeless.

"You know what, Malfoy? I want you to shut up for the rest of this year. I'm already sick of hearing your voice."

"And I'm already sick of seeing your face, but I'll deal with it." Hermione groaned in frustration and flopped down on the chair. Her little speech had worked for awhile. Malfoy remained silent until the she got up to retrieve another book. Even then he found it useless to speak. It seemed as though she was in another world, not hearing anything except the soft tune she was humming to herself. Classes began tomorrow, thanks to Dumbledore, who decided that it was too much for students to begin school the day after a fabulous party. Hermione buried herself in the book she had bought over the summer about Apparation. She was going for her exam over the Christmas break, and she wanted to make sure that she would pass her first time. She noticed that Malfoy was eyeing her, and finally it grew frustrating.

"Did you want something?"

"Besides you?" He raised his eyebrows, and Hermione almost choked on her own spit. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "I was just kidding, Granger. My god. Anyway, I just happened to notice that you're reading about Apparation. I took my test over the summer."

"Did you pass?" Hermione asked, suddenly interested.

"With flying colors, Granger. More than you'll be able to say." He grinned at her smugly before heading towards his room. Hermione glowered at his retreating back. How she loathed him.

"Granger! Get out of the bathroom!" Draco pounded angrily on the door of their shared bathroom. He heard the splashing of water from inside and rolled his eyes. She had been hogging the bathroom for the past half-hour.

"Go away, Malfoy! I'm in no mood to deal with your immaturity." Her voice came from inside. Draco groaned and slammed his fist onto the door.

"I want to go to bed now, but I need to take a shower."

"Why? You'll still smell horribly afterwards." Draco was so close to exploding, he forced himself to take five steps away from the door and take a few deep breaths. He glanced at the clock. It was eleven o'clock at night. He was tired from their first week of school, and he needed to bathe after the rigorous Quidditch practice he had just returned from. As captain, Draco wanted to schedule as many practices as possible so that Slytherin would beat the pulp out of Gryffindor when the games began. He had been looking forward to a quick hot shower, then going straight to sleep. Tomorrow was Saturday, and he planned on sleeping right on to twelve o'clock.

"I just returned from Quidditch practice. I'm hot. I'm tired. I need sleep."

"No kidding. I saw you nodding off in History of Magic this morning." He could sense her smiling behind the closed door.

"Binns is a loony. He's completely off his rocker."

"He's already dead. He can't be senile."

"He probably died senile and stayed senile." At this, Granger laughed in a way he had never heard. Especially around him.

"Well, senile or not, you can't fall asleep in his class. We have N.E.W.T.S to take."

"You can't honestly say Binns doesn't put you right to sleep. He drones on and on about stupid goblins, giants, and other magical miscreants that may have had a chance of being interesting. Provided of course that another less boring teacher was presiding."

"Oh will you quit complaining for once in your life? You're such a whiny little brat."

"Don't talk to me about whining. What about last night when you practically begged at my feet for my advanced copy of Hogwarts: A History? You were whining like a spoiled child when I refused."

"I wasn't that horrible. You're exaggerating."

"I'm not, and you know it."

"Look, it's decent reading. I've actually used it many times in the past."

"Used it to break rules, you mean."

"Will you knock it off? You're not exactly the law-abiding citizen. Girls aren't allowed in the boy's dormitories, but I happen to know that you've been inviting them there anyway."

"That was two years ago!"

"It was last year, Malfoy. I remember Lavender talking about it."

"Oh yeah, Lavender...she was a good lay."

"For the last time, Malfoy, I really do not need to be hearing this."

"You brought it up." Draco heard her mutter something that sounded like 'arrogant bastard'. He smirked and leaned against the doorframe. "Let's go, Granger. I'm getting impatient." Her laughter mocked him.

"Should I be frightened of an impatient Malfoy?"

"Terrified."

"You wouldn't dare do anything."

"Oh really?"

"You wouldn't have the balls."

"Want to bet?" He dug out his wand. She could call him a coward, but once she insulted his package, it got personal.

"Sure." Her voice sounded confident. Stupid, Granger...so stupid. He pointed his wand at the doorknob.

"Alohomora." He muttered and the door sprang open. As he had expected, her scream came loud and shrill. She did her best to hide herself in the bubbles, but Draco had caught a glimpse of her shapely body. He wondered when she had gotten such sultry curves and full breasts. Sitting in the bathtub, blushing with modesty, she almost looked pretty. Of course, Draco wasn't about to admit this...even to himself.

"Malfoy! Are a fucking idiot? What the hell do you think you're doing?" She shouted, furiously. Draco grinned and hoisted himself on top of the marble counter.

"I guess this means I won the bet."

"I can't believe you actually-"

"Broke open the door? Apparently you don't know me very well."

"I don't think I want to know you, Malfoy. Now get out."

"No."

"Malfoy...you have ten more seconds before this gets ugly. Now leave so I can get out." Reluctantly, Draco left the bathroom, flopping down on the couch in their shared common room. A triumphant smile crossed his lips. Underestimation will be her undoing. Now and later. He chuckled to himself as he replayed the scene. The expression of utter mortification and shock on her face had been priceless. Worth everything. Moments later she came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her. She had already magically dried her hair and it was twisted into two French braids. Her only acknowledgement of Draco was a cool glare as she crossed the common room to her bedroom. Draco rolled his eyes. Just like Granger to be incapable of laughing something off. He headed into the bathroom and proceeded to take a shower. After washing off, he just stood beneath the refreshing waterfall and closed his eyes. His seventh year so far had been hell. The schoolwork was harder and it required more and more time for homework and studying. His fellow Slytherins ceased to stop teasing him about living with a mudblood. His only real friend was his black owl, Poseidon. For a brief moment, he had thought about considering Granger a friend. It wasn't as though she acted like his friend, but at the moment, she was the closest he had. Just like the previous years, girls were drooling over him, but he knew that they were just in it for the sex. Truth be told, Draco was getting tired of one-night stands. He was ready for something more solid. It was in that moment, at 11:24, in the shower, that Draco discovered his maturity. Students said that they usually slack off in their seventh year, but Draco was determined to do the opposite. He rationalized that if he didn't have numerous friends to occupy his time, he could study more often. If he studied more often, his grades on the N.E.W.T.S. would be higher. If Granger was the closest thing he had to a friend, then... Well, then I'm getting pathetic.

It was almost midnight when Draco came out of the shower. He had expected Granger to be in bed already, but when he entered the common room, he saw that he was wrong. She was sitting at the long wooden table with books spread out all over. She was scribbling furiously with her quill, her mouth moving slightly as she wrote. Draco smirked and walked over to her as quietly as he could. When he was right behind her, he bent down next to her ear.

"Granger!" She shrieked in surprise and whirled around, the end of her quill streaking across Draco's face. A line of black ink stretched across his left cheek. They both remained silent for a moment; Draco analyzed the damage to his flawless face.

"Well...that's what you get for sneaking up on me like that." Draco glared at her. She was trying, unsuccessfully, to hide a smirk.

"What the devil are you doing working this late anyway?"

"Snape's assignment is a killer." She muttered, turning back to her notes and books.

"Snape's assignment on the importance of wizard eyelashes in potions? That's not due until next Friday."

"I'm perfectly aware of that, Malfoy."

"You're bloody insane."

"So I've been told." She replied, not even glancing up from her books. He shook his head sadly and started walking towards his room. "Would you like to join me?" She asked suddenly. Draco froze. Not a muscle in his body moved. He didn't even blink.

"What did you say?" He asked, thinking that he had to have heard her wrong.

"You're complaining that you never have time to do your work. So work with me. We'll finish twice as fast, and you'll be done a week in advance." She spoke so matter-of-factly, he knew it made perfect sense. Draco disappeared into his room and reentered with his Potions supplies. He settled down across the table from the hard working Gryffindor and spread out his books and parchment.

"So what is the importance of wizard eyelashes in potions?" Draco asked, picking up his quill and doodling little snitches on his parchment.

"Can't you read?"

"Of course I can read, why-"

"Then read chapter six." She cut him off without offering a glance. He glared at her and began leafing through his Potions book. At chapter six, he read the title. The Importance of Ingredients. He wished that she didn't have to tell him where to look. It was completely obvious and it made him look like an idiot. He found the paragraph on wizard eyelashes and scanned it briefly. Then he began to write. After a moment, Granger looked up from her own work and stared at him. He attempted to ignore it, but soon it was so frustrating, he glanced up at her.

"What are you staring at?"

"Why are you already writing the essay?" She asked, confused. Draco didn't know what kind of a trick question that was.

"So I can finish it, Granger." He spoke to her as though she was an idiot.

"You don't outline your essays?" She tried again, her voice still patient. Draco raised his eyebrows.

"No.who does that?" At this, she blushed and held up her outline. It was extremely neat and organized, listing everything she was going to add into her essay.

"I think it helps with length. If you plan it out before hand, you'll never come up short on length and you won't have to bull shit your way through another roll of parchment."

"Isn't that time consuming?"

"Of course. But it's worth it when my essay comes out as I planned."

"That's stupid. No wonder you're always working past midnight." He grumbled, looking back down at his book.

"Fine. I was just trying to help, you know. But I should have known that Malfoys don't find organization to be important. Just reckless chaos."

"I'm too tired to argue with you, Granger. So just shut up and let me work." Draco gave her a withering look before continuing his essay. She shrugged and stood up.

"Fine. Then I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning." Then he heard her add in an undertone, "Unfortunately." He chuckled to himself and watched her disappear into her room. Sighing, he glanced at the clock. Twelve thirty...he should be getting some sleep as well. He closed his books and stacked them neatly in a pile. See. Malfoys appreciate organization as much as the next family. Curiously, he leaned over the table and picked up Granger's outline and essay. The essay was unfinished, but her outline clearly stated what would be discussed in the rest of the paper. After reading the first paragraph, he put it down in shock. No wonder she was Head Girl. Her essay was brilliant. Maybe it was the outline that made it so incredible, he mused. Ignoring his sleepiness, Draco sat back down at the table and constructed his own outline. It was one thirty when he finished, and feeling sleepily triumphant, he crawled into his bed. He awoke the next morning, twelve hours later. Feeling still sleepy, he decided that the brisk morning air would do him good. Dressing quickly in black pants and a white shirt with thin baby blue stripes, Draco made his way through the castle, deciding that fresh air would help. The kiss was on his mind. It haunted him and he didn't want it to. He had tried various methods to make the memory go away, but it always came back, relentlessly strong and vivid. Walking on the grounds a few minutes later, Draco attempted to think this through carefully. Hermione Granger was a mudblood. A know-it-all snob, a smart ass, and... the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Draco sighed in defeat, as this thought popped into his head for the hundredth time. He kicked a rock as hard as he could.

"Ouch!" A girl shrieked. Draco looked up to see whom his rock had clobbered. Suddenly his body went numb. The girl staring back at him was none other than Hermione Granger. They both had tried to avoid this confrontation, but it was inevitably going to occur. Unable to say anything, both of them remained silent and stationary. Think, Draco, think! And don't sound like an ass this time.

"Sorry about the rock." He muttered. Finally able to control his own body again, he turned and started to walk away. A hand grabbed his arm to stop him.

"That's all you're going to say?"

"What did you want me to say? Oh Hermione Granger, I humbly apologize for kicking that rock! I had no idea it was going to hit you!" Draco bowed slightly to add to the sarcasm. She rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about the ball!" Draco straightened up and began walking through the trees at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"What about it?" He attempted to play dumb, but he knew that wouldn't get him anywhere. She exhaled sharply.

"You know exactly what I'm referring to, and you'd like me to say it out loud where there's always a possibility someone will hear it, then I shall."

"All right, all right." Draco muttered in surrender. "What is there to talk about it? We both made a mistake, and now it's over." Hermione bit her lip.

"No it's not over. You've been thinking about it too, haven't you?"

"No, I haven't Granger. You're just upset because I haven't the slightest interest in you." Draco tried to lie his way out of an uncomfortable conversation. His attempt failed.

"Don't lie to me, Malfoy. You're horrible at it."

"There's nothing we can do about it. It's gone. It's dead. It never happened."

"So that's it? We're just going to pretend it never happened and hope it dies?" He heard her voice crack slightly and he glanced down into her amber eyes. A tiny section of his heart melted at her wet eyes. Obviously, she had been thinking that their kiss was more than just a mistake. Maybe it wasn't, but that wasn't the real issue. The real issue was what they would have to face if they accepted that it wasn't a mistake. Draco was certainly not ready for that, and he doubted he ever would be. It was definitely in their better interest to just let it go and forget about it.

"Yes." He replied, unable to maintain their eye contact. Then he turned and walked quickly in the opposite direction, not wanting to look at her face. He didn't stop walking until he reached the stone bench that they had sat on the night of the masque. Something tugged at his heart, but he ignored it.