Title- Masks

Author- Cassidy

Rating- Pg-13 to R (just to be safe)

Summary -The gang's been at Hogwarts for a while So far Dawn and Harry are dating. Then suddenly ba ba ba Dawn meets someone new who can help her break free of her depression.

Parings- DS/DM, mentions DS/HP maybe R/H very little, more later… maybe

Other main peeps include Connor, Faith, and Harry, and Spike

AN- Reviews are my motivation!

Fic-

In the training room Spike and Dawn had been pummeling each other.

"So Nibblet, how've ya been?" he said before receiving a sharp kick in the ribs.

"Ok I guess. I'm a little worried about singing in front of Lorne with so many people watching."

After Spike got in a few more good punches he said she's done enough for one night and they should go get ready for tonight.

In reality Spike was afraid about his own turn singing in front of the school. He was supposed to be scary; someone not to be toyed with. He didn't really care about the singing thing so he'd let Dawn pick out a song for him. It was a good song too; it really showed a lot of emotion. But every time he heard it, it reminded him of Buffy. How he'd felt so powerless in front of her. But he knew it would be even harder for Dawn.

Her song let her mask fall. Ever since Buffy died Dawn had been strong. She'd put up a façade of cheerfulness and everyone bought it. Except Spike. He was the only one she'd told anything truthful. How torn she always felt, how she'd felt about Willow's failed attempt to bring Buffy back.

Most importantly, how she felt about Harry. Dawn thought he was obnoxious. Everything was about him and his scar. "Oops I had an itch on my forehead, the world must be ending" Spike had tried to convince her to break up with him, but she felt like she needed him to fit in.

Spike quickly got out his duster and went to the great hall for his performance.

Once on the stage he wasn't even thinking about the school below it was all himself.

"…Little angel go away come again some other day, devil has my ear today. I'll never hear a word you say. Promised I would find a little solace and some peace of mind. Whatever just as long as I don't feel so desperate, yet again, so weak and powerless desperate, yet against weak and powerless over you, over you."

The school stood and clapped while Lorne beckoned Spike to the corner.

"Honey, why didn't you tell anyone about you and Dawn? She needs help."

"When she needs anyone else she'll ask for them, until then she's fine with me. Now we'd better get back in there, she'll kill us if we miss her."

Lorne nodded despairingly and followed Spike. He knew as much as he wanted to help Dawn only Spike could. When the two got into the great hall Dawn was just starting.

"Here I go again, slipping further away.

Letting go again, of what keeps me in place.

I like it here, but it scares me to death.

There is nothing here.

Light is beautiful, a little darker than life.

You are wonderful,

But this moment is mine!

All of this past, all of this dust,

All of this over and done and never coming back

All of this forgotten,

Not by me

I find comfort here, because I know what is lost

Hope is always fear, for the pain it may cause

And I have searched for a reason to go on,

I've tried and I've tried, but it's taking me so long

I might be better off closing my eyes

And god will come looking for me in the past!

All of this past, all of this dust,

All of this over and done and never coming back

All of this forgotten,

Not by me

I can see myself, I look peaceful and pale.

But underneath I can barley inhale.

I can hear myself singing that song

over and over until it belongs to me."

Dawn stepped off the stage meekly and met with Lorne.

"Hey Lorne, did you see any 'potential for evil' in me?"

"Surprisingly, yes. But no more than Spike or me. Honey, do you want to talk about anything? Harry maybe?" when he saw Dawn's look, he knew he'd gone too far.

"Lorne, I don't know what you saw, but I do know the whole point of this isn't to snoop. The point is to find Voldermort's followers; I don't have anything to worry about so let's just leave it. Me and Spike can handle anything that may involve Harry." Lorne thought he saw Spike in his vision, but in his heart he felt it was another.

Across the hall Draco Malfoy was mesmerized. Who was this new student who had spoke to his heart? As most of the other students sang all he could think about was her. He almost didn't notice when his new H.o.H. appeared behind him.

"So Draco, how do you feel bout goin up there?" said the tall ominous man with the oversized forehead.

"Oh, um yeah I guess it'll be ok."

"Good", with that he was gone.

e's one weird poof that onthought Malfoy.

Then in no time it was his turn to step in front of them all. He wasn't exactly new to this, but it was weird in front of an empath.

"…Now it's time to wrap our fears in the night, and on the first day, we'll dress this city in flames. After the things you say, you hate me for being this way, and still you won't let go of flawed ideas, there is no headline to read at night, when the record skips and you're not holding a new one. We al sing the songs of separation and we watch our hearts bleed out of our hands. That's how it was on the first night, that we saw Paris in flames.

Here in this collapsed lung of a burrow there is no sunlight, the sunlight is manufactured in a windowless room, disinanante , incoherent business men hang themselves. We al sing the songs of separation and we watch our hearts bleed out of our hands. That's how it was on the first night, that we saw Paris in flames…"

In the crowd Dawn was with Harry and his friends Ron and Herminie.

"What a prat." said Harry.

"Huh" Dawn thought he looked pretty cool.

"Malfoy, he's an asshole, all the Slytherins are"

"I don't know he seems pretty good to me."

"That's because you haven't met him." Of course Ron always had to add his two cense.

/I wish I could meet him, he seems so sad, I feel like he needs someone. Besides if Harry doesn't like him we'll probably get along very well./ Dawn thought.

"Guys ya know I think I'm just gonna head up to my room."

"Uh hu bye", Harry her 'devoted boyfriend' was to busy watching Cho Chang to notice her much now.

On her way to the Scoobies own private house, she bumped into someone. Dawn looked up and saw it was him, Draco Malfoy.

"Um ,sorry bout that, I was just, and then" /yeah, I'm a great talker/

" It's ok, I get it. I was kind of hoping to run into you. I heard you sing earlier. It was really…"

"Bad?"

"Powerful. I could feel the emotions radiating off you in waves. It was so pure, raw. Bloody hell, there I go again prattling off again."

Dawn smiled, a real smile, not one of those fake cheery ones, she gave Harry.

"No, it was really nice. I heard you too, it was great, Thursday right?"

"Yeah, Paris in Flames."

"Well thanks for the complement. All Harry shad to say was that it was sad."

Draco was amused. "Potter! That bloody prat, I should rip his throat out. All those bloody Griffs. are evil!"

Dawn laughed, "That's just what Harry said bout you."

"Yeah, well a right lot of us are, but at least were up front about it. Unlike Potter, whose been using that scar for popularity for years."

"Maybe I could get Faith to beat him to a bloody pulp." she said wistfully.

"Who?"

" Um Professor Dawson, Muggel defense."

"You know her?"

"Yup, she's tried to kill me twice. Now she's like a sister to me."

"Wow, I was kinda wondering, might you like to do something soon?"

"Yeah, that would be nice, but you've got to promise you wont flip when I tell you this," he nodded, "I'm kinda dating Harry."

"WHAT! THAT BLOODY POOF!"

"I know I just needed to use him to fit in."

"Oh yeah, that makes me feel so much better.", he said dripping with sarcasm.

"Draco listen to me! I thought there had to be a reason for his popularity but it was only his scar. I don't like him at all." She looked him ion the eye, "I like you."

Then she stepped forward and kissed him. They continued for around 15 minutes when Spike showed up in the hall.

"What the hell do you think your doing!"

"Spike go away!"

"No it's ok Dawn I'll go." Draco gave Dawn one last kiss whispering "Tomorrow" in her ear.

Once Draco was gone Spike exploded.

"What the hell were you thinking, snogging strange boys like that.? When I said get rid of Potter I didn't mean hop on the next guy you see!"

Dawn mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that Nibblet?" I didn't actually get rid of Harry yet."

"Oh well that's great, now your goin' round like some sort o' trollop!"

Dawn slapped him so hard!

" I cant believe you, I trusted you with everything. How could you say that about me!" With that she stormed off to her room.

In the hall outside Dawn's room you could hear Thursday faintly screaming "Cross out the eyes". The second the door was open, however, it assaulted you like a title wave. It could make any normal person wish they were deaf. Not Dawn though. Dawn got high off the adrenalin the music gave her and used it to train hard.

Connor walked right in and admired Dawn a moment. Now even though she wasn't as good as him, he was also the son of two vampires, so even her being able to catch him off guard and beat him a few times was a huge deal.

/But no she couldn't be better than, she was just human/, or at least that was what Connor was told.

Suddenly a battle axe was thrown and went into the padded wall right next to his ear. He liked to think little could surprise him, but Dawn never seemed to fail at that. His adopted little sister was just a bag full o' surprises.

"You ok Dawn, Angel said Spike was being stupid again. I kinda figured he did something to piss you off when you weren't at dinner!" Connor screamed.

Dawn stepped over and turned off the music and motioned for him to sit on her bed.

"Ya know just when I got not even a half hour of happiness Spike had to come screw it up! My Goddess, I love the man but sometimes he does seem a bit thick." she said exhausted.

"Might I ask what he did? I thought he would be smart enough than to do something like make you sad on purpose."

"Well it wasn't his fault per say. He just got caught up in the moment and said some stuff.", she said as if just telling herself for the first time.

" 'Caught up' how?!"

" Eww get your mind out of the gutter , this is Spike were talking about he's like my cousin.!"

"So then what?"

"I was kinda making out with someone in the hall. It wasn't like there was anybody else out there."

"So he interrupted you and Harry?"

"Oh Goddess NO! Draco Malfoy, he's in Sylitherin."

"Finally, I knew you liked 'good boys' but Harry couldn't suck up more if he was attached at the hip to all the teachers. I'm so happy you dropped him."

"Here's the thing, he doesn't even really know I don't like him, let alone me dumping him."

"Oh". Connor was shocked, he couldn't believe his little sister could do something like that, even if it was Harry.

"It wasn't like I went to the hall planning to find Draco, it just happened."

"Well then just go tell Harry it's over and then it's all good."

"But it's not," Dawn was so tired of people thinking every thing in life was a simple as 1,2,3. "He called me a trollop!"

"Dawn, you have to remember, he's technically evil. He doesn't try to hurt you but the man in him doesn't always win. The demon will always be there controlling him sometimes."

Dawn just looked down at her worn Chuck Taylors. "Yeah I guess your right. Well its getting late, why don't you go now and we'll talk in the morning."

Connor left without another word thinking Dawn had seen things his way.

Half an hour later Dawn was curled up in bed crying. Just when she thought she could burn her mask and be with Draco, she needs it more than ever to deal with everything else.