Title: "Mask"

Author: Lyla Hayden

Rating: Mature, "R", "M", whatever. Warnings are; slash, gore, the usual nasties but nothing too graphic.

Pairing: HP/DM, what else?

Summary: When one bears a mask to become someone else, sometimes that mask becomes who you are, despite all your true thoughts and feelings. Such a mask cannot be shed easily and often times it takes another to rip its roots out. Harry's mask has deep roots, but the one who helps him remove them is the one he would least expect.

A/N: Hehe…n.n Part Six! Thank you to everyone reading my stories, even if you don't leave a review. Oh, and I threw in an odd couple, one of my favorites, though, for explanation and the fact that I don't see too many people pairing them together. No real plot-line purpose for them together, fyi. Well, onto the update!

"Mask"

Part Six:

"Lucius' Gift to Narcissa"

Harry laughed and looked over at the blonde. Silver moonlight made his pale skin and blonde hair glow beautifully. Harry sat up and looked down at him in silence. Steel eyes watched him with a growing curiosity. Caught up in the moment, Harry leaned down and kissed him softly.

Pushing up off the ground minutely, pressing up into the kiss. A cough broke them apart, both turning to the source. "As cute as that is, boys, I do think I should protest to such intimate behavior on school grounds."

Both boy jumped to their feet, faces burning crimson with embarrassment. Thin wire glasses were pushed up by a scarred finger, cool hazel eyes shimmering wickedly. "Professor Lupin, I was just…"

"Enough, Mister Malfoy. I saw your…display at the Manor. No need for explanations. However, you both should be in bed and keeping such activities in private, away from the school." Remus sniffed, shifting the blanket around his shoulders.

"Remus, wha…How did you…?" Harry stuttered, unable to keep from blushing all the more.

"I went as a favor to a friend of mine. Regardless, I think you should hurry up to bed before I am forced to discipline you; both of you." Without need for more, the two hurried back inside, not even looking back.

Remus sighed, letting his glasses slide down his nose a bit so that he could pinch the space between his eyes where a headache was forming. Getting older was such a pain; not to mention the werewolf in him. He hadn't even needed glasses until just after the war.

"Nicely handled, Remus," a warm voice whispered into his ear, strong arms wrapping around his shoulders. "It's not good for you to be outside this late. You'll catch a chill." Smooth black hair caresses his cheek as a gentle kiss was pressed to the side of his neck.

"It's not good for you to do things like that to me in public, Severus," Remus responded, turning to meet the pestering lips with his own. Severus pulled back a bit, leading the tired man through the twists and turns towards the dungeons.

The next day, classes were held like normal, but Draco took every opportunity to be with Harry while Harry did the same. This went unnoticed for the first five seconds. "Oi, Ferret-boy! Why are you over here and not with your murdering buddies?" Ron growled, unable to control himself.

The comment earned him an elbow in one side from Hermione and another in his gut from Harry, although that one made him cough and wheeze. Hermione looked off in another direction, purposefully ignoring how hard Harry had struck him. He deserves it, she thought quietly, watching as Harry left with Draco.

After a few minutes of silence, Draco said, "Is it bad that Lupin saw us?" Harry stopped in his tracks and stared at the blonde. "I think I'll take that as a yes."

"No, no. It's not bad that Remus saw us. It is bad that Snape saw us last night."

"Naw. He wouldn't say anything." Draco nodded proudly. "But the fact that both of them were there makes me wonder who else was. It was supposed to be a private party. Only family and close friends knew about it. Only those invited would be able to find the manor, anyway." When Harry looked at him oddly, he explained, "It moves around a lot. That's why the portkey would only work for a short amount of time."

"Oh," Harry muttered. "Who else went, then?" Draco shrugged. "Let's hope that no one would get us in trouble from all that." Draco nodded, then froze as if just remembering something. He grabbed a hold on Harry's hand and ran off towards the dungeons.

"What is it, Draco?" The blonde said it was a secret, a devious look on his face as he absent-mindedly muttered the password into the Slytherin dorms. Pulling Harry past all the doors, he came to a room at the end of the hall and muttered yet another password.

The door swung inward, revealing a large four-poster bed, bathroom off to the left, dresser, and even a large closet. Harry barely managed to make a squeaking noise as the door shut behind him. "My room," Draco told him matter-of-factly as he dove for the large trunk at the end of his bed. "I know it's in here, I swear!"

"Know what's in there? What are you looking for?" Harry walked over, dodging books and clothing as Draco tossed them aside. Growling with frustration, Draco ran to the closet, dragging out another trunk. Diving into this on with the same ferocity as the last, he continued tossing things behind him and, not intentionally, of course, at Harry.

"Found it!" he announced after a minute of intense digging. He held up a small navy blue book proudly in both hands. "It was Father's first gift to my mother," he explained as Harry opened his mouth to ask.

"Oh," Harry nodded, eyeing the box curiously.

"This shade of blue is…was her favorite color," Draco muttered, running his fingers over the top and sides of the silky box. "He gave it to her on their first real date. Yes, Harry, it was an arranged marriage, but they both fell in love. Sadly, it was after they'd married. When they realized they were in love, they went to have dinner at Indulgence, a very expensive restaurant, even for him. After they ate, he gave her this as a token of his love."

"But when I saw them together last, they seemed so distant from each other," Harry said, hesitant to rain on his parade. Draco just laughed and nodded, clutching the box tightly to his chest.

"Outside the house we were all different. We only had a heart at home, alone." Draco stared at the box, sadness creeping in around the joy he'd had at finding the box and explaining it's significance to Harry.

It took the Slytherin a well-timed breath before he could open the box at last. Harry stepped closer, leaning over to see inside the delicate box. It was a ring. Tiny dolphins leapt across the wiry silver band, their eyes made of shinning sapphire stones.

"It doesn't look like much, but Mother wasn't a very flashy person. She always had favored the simple and small." Draco picked up the ring and admired it with loving eyes. "Father had put a protection spell on it for her. Should the bearer get attacked, the force would be weakened greatly.

"Mother wore it until the day she died," Draco added sadly. Harry placed a hand on the blonde's arm comfortingly. "Yes, well, I want you to wear this." Harry's breath stopped. "If it's too girly, you can use a concealing charm. No, I'm not asking you to marry me. I'm simply asking you to…be my…uh…boyfriend." Draco blushed a bit, having ended up muttering the last part.

To Be Continued

A/N: Heh… (Cough) I swear I didn't leave a cliffy! I swear it! …Okay, so I did…But I felt so…I just wanted to leave a bad ending. I've already started the next chapter and I may even have it posted by the time you read this, if you're lucky. Uhm, so…review? n.n And be nice?