Disclaimer: Harry Potter doesn't belong to me (sobs hysterically)

Timeline: October, in Harry's seventh year.

Warnings: Snogging, and slash. Don't like it? Don't read it!

Behind the masks

Part Five: Detention anxieties

"I'm so sorry, Harry. I really am, I thought I was grabbing the crushed ingredients." Hermione pitifully lied for the hundredth time since their last Potion's class.

Harry, Ron and she were walking back from dinner and towards the Common Room when Harry took the time to remind her that he had detention tonight, AGAIN.

"Really, I truly am sorry." The girl grabbed his arm and gave him her 'please, forgive me' eyes that a little sister would use on her big brother.

"It's alright, Hermione. Snape probably would have given me detention anyway." Harry finally grinned down at her.

The Dungeons were cold and damp like normal as Harry made his way down to detention with Snape. The moody professor sneered at him while he approached the table at the front of the room.

"Finally on time I see, Mr. Potter." Sneered Snape as he pointed to the long wall where the cauldrons sat.

Harry followed his gesture and saw that Malfoy was scowling and scrubbing the cauldrons by hand. Draco's robes were off and the sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his elbows. He looked like a prince that had just been told to scrub the johns around the castle.

As Snape glared at him Harry tried his best not to grin like a fool. "Hurry up then, Potter. You both may leave when you're done. If anything should happen Mr. Malfoy knows where to find me. I'll have Filch check up on you in a bit."

"Yes, sir." Harry said absent-mindedly as he dropped his robes over a desk and started to roll his sleeves up.

Malfoy seemed to be distracted with something for he dropped the cauldron he was working on as Harry rolled his sleeves up all the way so his entire tanned arms showed. Harry gave him an odd look as Malfoy glared at the cauldron as though he loathed it. Their eyes never met while they cleaned the rows of pots thinking to themselves about anything they pleased.

The Quidditch season is going well, Harry thought to himself to make his job more pleasant. Ron's actually doing good, too…

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard murmuring from a few feet away. Malfoy must have been very agitated because he was grumbling to himself. Something about not knowing what to do, curse Snape, stupid token and some other things Harry didn't quite catch.

"Do you talk to yourself often?" Harry asked in a humor voice that would have pleased his godfather.

Malfoy's glaring eyes sent daggers at him. "No Potter but I wasn't talking to you so shut up." Malfoy spat.

"Whoa o.k. whatever I'm just saying that you know if you didn't know they pay people to do that kind of stuff. You know give you the special attention you deserve." Harry chuckle as he continued to scrub

"Is that so Potter, why would I have to pay someone for special attention when Calli gives me all I want for free." He automatically replied. SHIT! Malfoy yelled at himself as Harry's hand flew to his back pocket and pulled out his wand pointing it between Malfoy's eyes which crossed to look at the tip.

"Calli would NOT be with a filthy ferret like you!" Harry shouted.

Draco paled horribly averting Harry's eyes. He never wanted to hear those words coming out of Harry's mouth. Not caring what Snape did to him Malfoy turned his back and started to walk from the room but Harry jumped on top of him and started to shack him by his neck.

"TAKE IT BACK! CALLI WOULD NEVER BE WITH YOU!" Harry shouted.

Draco chocked on air forcing back the embarrassing hot tears behind his thick dark lashes. "H-harrrreeee…" He chocked.

Harry pulled Draco nose to nose and glared at him. The blonde's gray/blue eyes opened watering as they did. "Harry." He whispered. "Please stop."

His emerald eyes met the blue/gray ones of his enemies for a moment until horrified Harry pulled back. No, no he couldn't have just felt something for him. No, no. Harry chanted as he fumbled off him quickly.

Draco rolled to his knees and with great difficulty got to his feet trying to breathe, though his heart told him to stop. Harry nearly felt dizzy as he tried to block out those bright eyes.

"Sorry…..I…I shouldn't have…grabbed you." Harry whispered.

"My fault." Draco managed.

Both of them continued scrubbing not sure what they felt or what was happening.

What was with those eyes? Harry wondered in confusion, scrubbing one of the cauldrons a little too long.

The next hour was complete silence, their eyes never meeting. It was approaching 9:30 when a bushy brunette poked their head into the room looking excited.

"Mione?" Harry turned around as she frowned at Harry then at Draco's back who didn't bother to turn around. "What are you doing down here?"

Hermione wore jeans and a pink hoody as she placed a firm looking smile on her face, as if determined to make the best of something. "I was wondering how your detention was going?"

"Fine, I'm glad you stopped for a visit but if they find you here you'll get in trouble, too." Harry told her.

She nodded. "Just wanted to stop in for a moment." Her eyes looked over Harry's shoulder to the blonde.

"Well I have one more cauldron then I can head off." Harry told her returning to the last one on his row.

"Okay." Hermione lodged herself between Harry and Draco who was still silent.

The odd trio stood in silence again while the boys finished up. Their silence made the girl curiously look between them when Hermione noticed something on the side of Draco's cheek.

"What happened to your cheek?" She suddenly asked.

Draco's hand slowly reaches up and touched the sore bruise on the side of his face. "Potter happened." He said in a low unemotional voice before returning to his cauldron.

Hermione spun around. "YOU HIT HIM!" She demanded as if defending her little brother.

"Tackled." Draco corrected.

Harry shot him a look while Hermione smacked his arm. "You tackled him you git?"

"What's the problem it's just Malfoy it's not like I haven't done it before!"

"Harry, get out!"

"What?"

Hermione repeated himself giving him a shove now. "GET OUT!"

Harry scowled as he dropped the almost finished cauldron and trudged from the room more then a little upset. He nearly ran into the wall when he saw Malfoy stick his nose up into the air. Why did that look so familiar?

Hermione turned quickly to Draco and pulled out her wand. "Let me heal that."

"Don't bother." He said throwing down the cauldron and grabbing his robe. "I think I'll keep it, maybe then I'll remember to keep my fat mouth shut." He slammed the door to the Potion's Room leaving Hermione biting her lip miserable.

Harry stormed into the Gryffindor towers throwing his tie and robe onto his bed before kicking the post. This was quickly followed by him hobbling around the room holding his foot.

"Damn, ferret!" He hissed collapsing on his bed so not to wake up his best friend.

Just the very fact that Malfoy had mentioned that he was with Calli drove him to new heights of annoyance. Just the thought of his blonde beauty locking lips with that stuck up only slightly adorable other blond.

No, no, Malfoy was NOT adorable. Just because he had that childish stubbornness thing going on for him does NOT make him adorable. Yeah, just because when he looked upset it was like what a cute kid looked like when you take away their lollipop.

Harry tried to physically smoother himself with his pillow as his awful minds eye pictured Malfoy gingerly sucking on a cherry red lollipop.

DIE, IMAGE, DIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Harry stood up starting to pull off the rest of his uniform when his breath stopped. He felt like someone had suddenly pulled a drain plug inside of him and everything was rushing in. "Don't want to feel, can't breathe, don't want to breathe, O, Harry I don't want to breathe…" The voice inside Harry's head was so panicked and seemed so far away but he understood it perfectly.

No, no, my love. fight. breathe. Harry commanded inside his head with all the power he possessed. His own breath was becoming erratic like he was having troubles breathing himself. Breath…keep breathing…get help, GET HELP NOW CALLI!

(Slytherin Dungeons)

Draco's steps were slow and unsteady. True, he was getting one in front of the other to cause motion but he was trembling. His hands were limp at his sides while his lean, slender shoulders were hunched, eyes towards the ground. His face showed no emotion though behind his watery eyes it showed so much feeling anyone would hurt to look upon them.

The portrait of Salazar Slytherin opened into the common room void of all life but two third years finishing up their homework very late. Draco watched his feet until he made it to his room and shut the private door from the rest of the world. The moment his back hit the closed door Draco broke. His legs slide down tucked up tight to him as he wept; hands trembled viciously as they clung harshly to his blond hair.

"…filthy ferret…" The taunting voice in his head whispered causing Draco's body to shudder as he sobbed. "What's the problem? It's just Malfoy."

He rocked himself back and forth covering his ears with his hands in some vain attempt to keep the voice of his father and his lifemate out of his head. "I can't feel…mustn't feel…don't want to feel…please, Merlin don't let me feel…" He chanted in between the gasps of his anxiety attack. "…take it away, make it go away…can't feel… don't want to feel….please… please…please…take it away… make it stop…please… don't want to feel…."

Draco was trembling so hard he stopped being able to speak as images started to appear before his eyes until he was unable to tell what was real. He tried to gulp in air for his breaths were coming in as wheezes. Need help, can't breathe…O, Harry, I don't want to breathe anymore…

A rush of power over took him; it didn't feel like it was his own. He felt Harry's arms wrap around him like he was next to him. "No, no, my love, fight, breathe." The voice commanded to vibrant for Draco to ignore.

He shock his head in a futile attempt to tell them no.

"Breath…keep breathing…get help, GET HELP NOW CALLI!"

Draco was helpless to say no to his lifemate so he crawled through sobs and wheezes to his dresser and fumbling pulled out the Malfoy family ring. He thrust it on and spun it around his ring finger three times before it activated the port key and Draco felt a tug deep behind his navel and the room stood empty.

(Malfoy Manor)

Lucius Malfoy was usually a night person but he never slept late in the morning that would be inappropriate for the gentlemen of the house. He worked late into the night on papers that his associates took care of under "their" names while he was on the run from the law. Staying hidden in his private estate that only certain people knew about until the time when he was summoned to go to the Dark Lord.

To try to sleep was useless so he stayed up late and worked on the papers in his study. Always keeping his thoughts busy, they had to remain busy, no time for it to wonder…to other things…

POP!

The room was interrupted by a figuring collapsing in front of his large wooden desk. Lucius lunged for his wand but that's when he heard the sobs and wheezing.

He rounded the corner of his desk to find his heir and son clumped on the floor turning an odd shade of violet. "DRACO!" Lucius grabbed his shoulders turning Draco to his back and looking his body quickly over to make sure he hadn't been physically hurt.

"What has happened, Draco? BREATHE DAMNIT!" Lucius shouted.

That's when the older Malfoy realized Draco couldn't breathe as he tried to gasp for air.

"Stay still!" Lucius ordered marching across the room to his cabinet. "Alohamora!" He commanded as the doors spun open.

The father grabbed the tiny blue vile that sat in rows of dozens in his own personal closet. He made it back to Draco's side in seconds holding his head up. "Drink this, quickly."

Draco opened his mouth though it was difficult. His father practically rammed it down his throat and massaged his neck as his son started to chock.

"Try to stop crying, Draco, stop crying." Lucius knew if he started to yell at his son while he was in the throws of a panic attack he could might as well sign his death certificate. "Let me help you," Lucius said in a very un-like him soothing tone. "What has happened?"

Draco started to feel his limbs tingling, his head started to grow light. He wasn't sure if this was from the potion or lack of oxygen.

"L-l-life…" He swallowed his sobs stopping but his breathing not back to normal while his lungs erratically contracted. "…m-m-mate."

Lucius felt a hideous taste scorn his mouth. Not Draco, too. This can't be happening to him as well. "Are they...dead, Draco?"

His son, much to his own relief nodded no quickly.

"Well, then, nothings permanent." Lucius said helping him up deciding on a little bit of tough love at the moment. "Sit down now that you are not dieing, TRY to act like a Malfoy at least." His father with returned dignity went back to the black leather chair behind his desk.

Draco collapsed into one of the red velvet chairs in front. His breathes were gulps now that quickly turned to shudders that sounded painful as his lungs were overly sensitive from the attack.

Lucius waited patiently until Draco seemed to have himself under control then levitated a glass of water to his son who took it and slowly started to gulp.

"What happened?" Lucius asked in his normal, slow voice.

Draco ran his finger tips along the ring of the glass. "My lifemate hates me."

Lucius scowled. How could those damn Fates keep bloody well doing this to Malfoy heirs?

"But you have already bonded with them?" Lucius already knew this question before he asked.

"Yes, father." Draco said still not meeting his eyes.

"Well, why did they bond with you if they hated you?" Lucius asked in an airy sort of tone.

Draco played with the glass in his hands. "They thought I was someone else, I was in disguise at the time."

"The veil?" Lucius asked as though it happened every day.

His son looked up confused. "How did you know?"

Sighing Lucius sat back in his chair. "I'm afraid I've been in the same situation. I was only able to see my lifemate when I was pretending to be someone else."

"Wait a moment; mother isn't your lifemate is she?" Draco asked in confusion.

"No, Draco."

"What happened to your lifemate?"

"They're dead." He replied a numb look in his eyes that seemed to scare Draco because he gripped the desk and started to wheeze again.

"Stop it, Draco. I'm sure your lifemate is plenty safe where they are." Lucius commanded feeling like he wanted to take one of the blue potions himself.

"What did you give me?"

"A Sedative Potion, it calms your feelings, your lungs, your heart, your thoughts, it's more commonly referred to as a tranquilizer." His father explained.

"Why do you have so many of them?" Draco asked.

Lucius looked at him. "Can you not figure it out, Draco?"

His brows creased when finally a look dawned on his slender face. "You're prone to panic attacks, too, since your lifemates dead once you had already bonded."

"Not panic attacks just unpleasant emotions and we can't have those in the way now can we?"

For a minute Draco wanted to call his bullshit about the attacks but he just quickly shakes his head because he didn't like the look in his father's eyes.

"They aren't…muggle…are they?" His father asked watching him with narrowed eyes.

Draco cried out in shock and quickly nodded no.

"Good, the damn Fates have had enough laughs at the Malfoy's expense." Malfoy replied quickly turning away trying his hardest to block out the memories that were surfacing in his head.

Draco starred at his father confused at the exact moment Lucius seemed to remember something. "I've been to see the Dark Lord, Draco. His informants tell him Harry Potter has found his lifemate also."

Draco drastically paled. "I…I wouldn't know father I…"

"Don't lie, Draco." Lucius quickly replied almost in humor.

His son almost jumped out of his chair and almost went running from the room.

"I know you are after the same girl Potter is."

Oh, thank Merlin, he doesn't get it! "I'm not after her father, I'm just annoying Potter that's all." Draco told him quickly.

"Very well then, if your lifemate hates you I'll give you potions that will keep you sane…"

Draco paled.

"…you are to keep going after the masked girl…"

Wait a minute; Potter doesn't know who she is.

"…try to get closer to her…"

Didn't Draco say his lifemate doesn't know who he is?

"…await my orders till the time is right…"

The veil is still over Potter's eyes but his lifemate is completely bonded with him. The same is with Draco and his mate, right?

"…then you will snatch his little lifemate and bring her to us at a designated hideaway."

But then that would mean…Draco and Harry were lifemates…yes, it did actually fit. How clever of those little Fates, boy-who-lived with the information and guidance of a Death Eaters son, yes very clever indeed.

Lucius' face was completely unreadable as Draco stumbled for words. "She's…Calliope's bonded with H-Potter." Draco caught himself hoping it wasn't noticeable. "She won't want me, father, honestly I don't think…"

"Did I ask you to think, Draco?" His father asked in a calm voice that always meant trouble.

"N-no, Father."

"Then do as I say."

"Yes, Father."

"Good back to school then, take a few vials with you when you start to become emotional."

Draco quickly grabbed a fist full of thin bottles and turned back towards his father who was giving him a rather calm look. His calm looks were always terrifying, it was the look of complete control, he was in control and he knew it.

"I will not see you a mess again like you were tonight, that is not the way Malfoy's behave."

"Of course, Father." Draco quickly nodded.

"Now leave."

Pulling his left hand out his spun his ring three times and watched his father giving him a menacing grin as he disappeared back to his room.

Lucius stood up. How very interesting. My own son and Potter, lifemates? That was very interesting.

Images of bouncing brunette curls and laughter made Lucius wince. "Luci, Luci don't frown don't you know you get wrinkles that way?" The voice of the lifemate tormented his mind with that bubbly laughter.

With his own lungs starting to contract and his own hands moved itchy at his sides. Grabbing a vile of the blue potion and swallowed it in a gulp. He had to go to the Dark Lord. During the right time he would bring Draco to him, have Harry come to save him thinking it was that girl "Calli" and once the boy-who-lived was no longer living, Draco would just have to live on the potions as Lucius did.

It was just going to have to be that way. Lucius opened a hidden door out from under the lush Persian carpet in the center of his study. He pulled out his Black Death Eater cape and quickly put it on clasping it with the snack pendent. He reached in and pulled out the case that held the port key.

He ignored the normal screams of his lifemates voice while she died as he transported out of his study. He'd make sure Draco wasn't there when Potter was killed. The screams of ones lifemates could keep you awake years and years after they had finally died. They seemed to live inside of your skin and surface just when your thoughts seemed to quiet for slumber.

Yes, yes, he wouldn't let Draco hear Potter being murdered, it was the least he could do for his son…

He only wished his own father had given him the same courtesy….but no…Lucius had been forced to kill Abraxas Malfoy, his father just the same, for making it happen.

Lucius didn't favor Draco coming for him one day. But then again, like father, like son…

Ohhhhh, poor-poor Draco. Just wanted to hit Harry over that head when Draco was sobbing. I think I'll just have to get them to kiss and make up…yes, yes, that will do a nice make up kiss!