AN: Hmm, there's really not much to say. This is a sort-of AU ficcie, and uh...hope you enjoy it? O.o; Oh, and the POV alternates between Draco and Harry. It should be fairly easy to distinguish who's POV and who's whatsit. If not, comment about it to me in your reviews and I'll clarify it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Boo hoo hoo D:

Pairings: Harry/Draco (weee!) Don't like it? Well bugger off :(

Summary: Both Harry and Draco hide behind masks to hide their true emotions and...physical changes. There is a prophecy where light meets dark. Harry is part of the prophecy, but he suspects Draco as his other half! However, Draco wants nothing to do with Harry...why? Harry/Draco

Have you ever felt some kind of emptiness inside
You will never measure up, to those people you
Must be strong, can't show them that you're weak
Have you ever told someone something
That's far from the truth

-----------------------------------------------------------------

I cannot fall in love.

That's all there is to it. I just can't; it is...of utmost importance that I do not feel that dratted emotion. Hell's bells, I should not be feeling emotion, period.

It's something I've trained myself to believe in.

Don't think I can't see you scoffing, you bloody piece of glass. I angrily glare at my reflection.

After all, anyone who feels cannot survive in the Malfoy family. I still shiver at the memory of Lucius—yes Lucius, what did you expect? Me to call him father or...even Daddy?—enchanting his belt to flail me for daring to smile at my mother.

Another weakness. I hiss to myself.

Feeling protective of my mother is another emotion I really ought to get rid of, though I know I conceal it well. I don't love her though. No, I don't love anyone.

Don't give me that look, I glare again, You, of all people, should know I don't even love myself.

I feel another twinge in my gut and I wince.

You have too many weaknesses, Malfoy.

When I should be feeling apathy, I feel disappointment, failure, and jealousy. Worst of all, I also feel hatred.

Hatred towards my family.

Hatred towards my colleagues.

Hatred towards my life.

Hatred towards my very existence.

But at the very least, I hide it well beneath my beautiful mask of indifference; the very same shell that's been keeping me alive all these years. I almost let out a chuckle, startling that blasted blob of a reflection in the mirror. Yes, I fool even myself with that ice-cold exterior that I had painstakingly built. I raise an eyebrow at myself.

Why the need for apathy? The answer is simple: for Survival.

In order to keep myself from self-combustion, I must feel nothing. I feel nothing when Lucius looks at me with disapproval, nothing when he lashes at me with his Cruciatus training, nothing when my mother cries over my wounds at night. Absolutely nothing.

And of course, nothing when I am forced to accept a marriage to continue my lineage.

Don't laugh at me. You don't know anything! I mentally shout.

It's not that I'm an over-sensitive, emotional git who needs protection from the world. No, I'm much more intelligent than those fools. If I feel nothing, then I will not have the will to object to my father's wishes. I won't have conflicting emotions over what is just and I sure as hell won't have any problems with marrying someone when there is no one I love in the first place.

It is better to have loved than to have never loved at all.

Bullocks. I sneer, my lips curling in disgust.

Ha, my apathy helped quite a lot when Lucius ordered me to drown that ragged dog on the streets to test my obedience. It even helped when I didn't scream or shout as he cast the blasted Crucio curse on me after.

Stop looking at me like that.

I'm completely indifferent! I don't care what happens to the world; what happens to me. I have resigned myself long ago, that I am but a tool to my family. I am not worth having emotions. I am not worth

Anything.

The slivers of glass slice into my porcelain flesh as I throw back my head in a mad cackle; my hand bloodied and torn as I tear at the remains of the mirror. Indeed, there is a fine line between apathy and insanity, and I find being one or the other just fine.

----------------------------------------------

Have you ever seen your face,
In a mirror there's a smile
But inside you're just a mess,
You feel far from good
Need to hide, because they'd never understand

----------------------------------------------------

I cannot fall in love.

I just can't. It's not that I don't want to...Well, I guess I don't.

I hide my mouth as I chuckle silently to myself. Who would've thought that the "almighty Boy-Who-Lived" did not have a lover? As aloof as I may be, even I have gotten to notice all the girls who bat their eyelashes in my presence. Which Ginny is currently doing, I'm afraid.

There's simply too many things going on to fall in love. In other words, I really don't have the time.

Lame excuse? I know, but it's true. Only in sappy romance novels that Hufflepuffs read do you hear about heroes who valiantly battle villains with a supporting lover at their side.

I am not a hero.

...nor do I want support.

Everyone expects me to be the One. Almost like that Keanu-Reeves-Neo character from that Muggle movie Matrix.

Surprise surprise, I'm just a kid forced into doing some 'prophecy' and getting people killed.

"Harry? You feeling all right? You've been picking at those eggs like you're raking for some hidden treasure in there." Hermione said, a tinge of concern flashing across her eyes.

"Wha? I'm just a bit tired, that's all." I smile back, a wave of annoyance engulfing me.

She smiled back and went back to her food as I immediately shove the remnants of the scrambled embryonic corpses into my mouth.

Disgusting.

No, not the embryonic corpses, though it does taste a bit bland after being poked at so many times. It's revolting the way everyone clamors over each other in mock concern. Oh sure, you're worried about Mr. Hero, but what about Harry?

If you were but a normal Gryffindor, no one would be asking where you were even if you cast the killing curse on yourself in a hidden corner. In fact, no one would even know you were there until you were all but ashes.

I smile absently at Ron, who apparently just made some incredible joke. He and Hermione know I've been keeping things from them, but like I've told them a trillion times, I just want some time alone.

Isolation would be a better word.

Sometimes I wonder if I've become stoic; a lack of emotions when it comes to anything. Ever since this entire...Hogwarts-Voldemort thing, I've gone from 1st year happiness and wonder to 7th year...nothing?

Oh yes, there are some emotions still alive: disappointment, failure, and jealousy. Don't forget about hatred; mainly hatred.

Hatred at Voldemort.

Hatred at my past.

Hatred at my life.

Hatred towards my very existence.

Before I had a plan to cover my increasing pile of bitterness, my "friends" (Hermione, Ron, and the rest of the bloody world) were immediately on my case. Then my plan started. Guess what it was?

A mask.

A mask of complete innocence; Beautiful and unflawed, it came complete with a smile and masked everything. Yes, I was Harry Potter, the pure Golden Boy who was everything anyone would want. Harry Potter the hero.

Harry Potter the fake.

I know all this negativity is going to combust on me one day; it'll blow my stone handiwork into smithereens. However, I won't think about that. I cannot think about that.

Who would have thought? Wonder Boy Harry Potter is a complete fraud, I hear my inner conscience whisper, the Boy-Who-Lived lost his innocence long ago.

It suddenly dawned upon me that, contrary to belief, I am nothing; the wizard world is depending on absolutely nothing. And I'm definitely not worth

Anything.

I brush the unruly strands of hair off my face as I chuckle, earning startled glances from the rest of the Gryffindors. I continue laughing, the tears rolling down my face as I cover my face with my hands, even as Hermione and Ron are gently patting my back to make me calm down.

Indeed, there is a fine line between deception and insanity, and I find one or the other just fine.

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"What have we got this year?"

"We have...You have got to be bloody kidding me! Potions with Snape...Again!"

"Ron! He's actually a competent Potions master!"

"But Hermione, he has got to be the most biased, vilest, cruelest being alive!"

"Look who we have today. The Hero, the mudblood, and his fool of a sidekick." A voice drawled out.

"Merlin's blasted boots, shove off, Malfoy."

"Hm? I didn't know that weasels could speak."
"I should have known that ferrets bite." A feminine voice snapped. I raised an eyebrow.

"You'd think that incident was so...oh what do those mudbloods say? So...yesterday," Grinning in mock triumph at my knowledge of a Muggle word, I continued, "Anyway, I was talking to Harry, not boring myself silly with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum."

I gazed into Harry's eyes, forcing him to challenge my glare with his own sullen ones.

"I haven't heard of you this whole summer. Did you finally stop causing people to die?"

I smile to myself as I see Harry visibly flinch. Weasley had turned as red as his hair and Granger looked like she was about to knock my britches off. Not that she could.

"How can you be so cruel?" She whispered to me.

"He's a Malfoy, what do you expect?" Ron glared.

To answer your question, it's because I have to.

True, the words that Harry and I exchange have gotten crueler over the years; in fact, we've even delved into the sensitive issue of deaths, both sides trying to cause as much emotional damage to the other as possible. It's almost a surprise that we haven't bitten each other's throats off yet.

Then again, I notice to my amusement, we have too much control for that.

You see, I know that he wears a mask to cover up everything he feels. He bottles up anything and everything, which I use to his advantage. And him?

"I don't know, Malfoy, but I haven't heard from you either. Was it hard to cover the deaths of those that you Deatheaters killed?"

It takes one to know one.

Although no one ever mentions it, his remarks towards me are just as cold and sharp-edged as my own. A tingle of excitement flares throughout my body, my eyes glowing in eerie delight.

"Potter, you tell me. After all, you're the one who's responsible for all of it."

I know I've sworn to apathy, but humans were born to rebel.

And Harry Potter's resistance to my taunts is bloody worth not feeling apathy for. Had I jeered at anyone else, even a Slytherin, they would have slinked away with their tails between their legs.

But Potter, ah, Potter. He is the only one who still makes me feel like I'm...alive; like I'm not a tool meant to be used and thrown away. Yes, he resists me and challenges my reason for existence.

I sneer at him and walk away with a swirl of my robes, casting off a faint smirk as I notice that the people around me, male and female, Gryffindor and Slytherin, staring at me with a glazed, lustful look on their face.

Poor dearlings, I murmur secretly to them, I am but a tool, and tools do not love, merely destroy.

----------------------------------------------------

"Are you going to let him walk away with the final word?" Ron gasped angrily.

I stare at Draco's retreating back, his superior smirk causing at least half of those around him to faint.

That damned mask of his is so flawless and beautiful that it attracts even those who hate him. Then again, so does mine. Hmm? How do I know he wears a shell like me?

It takes one to know one.

I match his every blow with an equal blow; his smirk with an equal smirk. I even match his bottomless limit of cruelty.

Oh, but you're Harry Potter! How could you be anything but innocent? A voice mocks inside my head.

Sod off. I snarl back, I don't need my own mind whispering the lies that those around me say already.

"Let's just go." Hermione mutters as she tugs at my arm. I grab Ron's arm in return and smile at him, telling him that everything's fine.

As we walk to class, I let a hint of amusement creep onto my face, remembering the sense of satisfaction I got when Draco shivered at my Deatheater comment.

Without Draco, life would be so boring. I surmised.

It is only Draco who could flare up the dead feelings that people know as "positive emotions": Excitement, thrill, adventure...Yet without Draco, the ability to shy behind my mask would also be much easier. It is human nature to rebel against their orders, as I am rebelling against my own will to live a perfect lie. I assure Hermione and Ron that we will get Drac—Malfoy, as they like to call him, in the next Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch game, earning myself a few pats on the back as the other Gryffindors immediately jumped to the occasion of tossing more jeers and taunts at the pale boy.

I narrow my eyes slightly and quickly change the topic. The familiar feeling of jealousy flares into my stomach.

Draco Malfoy is mine.

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"The score, 50 – 10, Gryffindor in the lead!" Madam Hooch booms, the crowd wild with excitement.

"Fancy seeing you here," Draco whispered into my ear as he flew near me, "thought your 'friends' would be too overprotective of you to even let you walk."

As he flew off, I roll my eyes, a genuine smile flitting across my features as I continue searching for the golden snitch. Suddenly, I see Draco zooming back towards me—No, past me as he tries to reach something! The snitch was right behind me!

I turn around, racing him towards the object that would win the pride for our House. Higher and higher we go, the snitch still unreachable. Our hands outstretched, I grab his and as he looks at me in alarm, I whisper back,

"Fancy seeing you here. I thought you wouldn't have enough flying talent to even reach this far."

He hisses at me as I release his hand, spinning in front of him towards the snitch. In a flash, he—what?

The Draco Malfoy just leaned in closer, his back brushing against me, leaning to me—Oh. He's trying to knock me out of my broom.

Since I match him blow for equal blow; sneer for equal sneer—there's no way he's besting me in this. I grab hold of him as I intentionally fall from my broom.

"Isn't this fun? We're both going down." I breathe into his ear, my arms tightening painfully around his petite frame. He trembles, presumably from fear, and my smirk widens.

"I knew we were the same." He whispers back, turning his head to the side so that I can see his smirk, "once those sidekicks of yours are gone, we're identical, really."

A suppressed laughter clouds his eyes as he watches me stiffen.

"It's nothing you and I don't already know." I sneer, eyes widening slightly as he nods—almost dreamily—in agreement.

Together we fall, two fallen birds dropping from the sky; too entwined together to escape and falling to their immediate deaths...

I sense Draco relaxing as my own eyes close. Funny how neither of us care if we're rescued or not.

After an eternity and a day, I can hear the spells that the professors cast in alarm over me. If I weren't holding onto Draco, the poor boy would have broken his neck.

Just like them to go for the fraud and leave the broken doll alone.

Both of us land softly onto the grass, eyes snapping open and both of us leaping away from each other. Almost in a perfect act, we glare at each other and hiss.

Professor McGonagall was on the field in an instant, as was Professor Snape and Dumbledore.

If any of the other players fell, it'd just be Madam Hooch telling them to drop by the Infirmary.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I saw young Malfoy pushing Potter off his broom." McGonagall declared, glaring at me with a harsh look.

"I beg to differ; it was Potter who grabbed Draco off his broom!" Snape spat. The two professors glared at each other. Albus merely shook his head and sighed.

"I do believe it was a bit of both. Let's just make this simple and prevent some headaches, hm? I should disqualify your teams, but since both were at fault, there's not much I can do. Instead, you will both do detention for a month. Report to Hagrid tonight, as he has been asking for some assistance."

Snape and McGonagall watched Dumbledore strut off the field with equal gapes of horror. Playing my role, I sputter and shout,

"A whole month! With POTTER!"

"Malfoy! Silence before I take points from your house!"

I shut my mouth and glare, almost guffawing in an un-Malfoy-like manner as I notice Harry bristle at my comment. I smirk to him as he keeps his mouth shut, playing his own role of the "abused Hero".

Whatever happened to the true Harry was gone, and I almost missed it. Almost.

Malfoys do not miss anything. Hell, a stoic Malfoy should not miss at all. Even that small itch that there was someone alone like me was rubbed down harshly and slapped. Don't forget the surge of acceptance and belonging that I quelled with ferocity equal to a dragon protecting his treasure.

Harry sighed and looked at me with coldness.

"I guess I'll...see you tonight, Malfoy."

"A night with Golden Boy, be still my heart." I comment dryly. McGonagall cleared her throat and I get back onto my broom.

--------------------------------------------------

As usual, I get the snitch and my fellow Gryffindors pat me on the back.

"Stupendous job!"
"You sure showed them!"

"You're the best Seeker a team can have!"

Oh please, I snorted, isn't this a team effort? Stop congratulating me, you nincompoops.

Of course, I kept my smiles; my laughter. It was my voice that everyone heard ringing down the Gryffindor common room; it was my laughter that reached the ears of those around me at the Dinner Hall.

However, it was to no one but my own ears when I snuck away and silently walked toward Hagrid's hut, the crinkling of the dry leaves beneath my feet lulling me into a relaxed stupor. I had decided to go early, relishing my isolation.

"Potter."

I hissed to myself, part of me wanting to lash out at the disturbance, the other part of me intrigued by the familiarity.

"Malfoy. You're early."

I turn to see him. He had washed the disgusting gel from his hair and the pale strands of hair were softly blowing over his face.

I sneer to myself. Had there been moonlight, hundreds of romance authors would be furiously scribbling down fantasies of how it was "dramatically" cast upon his "angelic" features. However, there was none of that sort. The moonlight was covered with fog and naught but shadows showed upon Draco's face.

The shadows shifted and swayed, marring the flawless complexion of Draco's mask. It flared and swept across every angle of the sharply-featured Malfoy, like a snake slithering slowly across pale glass. He gazed lazily at me, one hand in his pocket as he leaned in a casual manner. He, like me, wore all black robes that billowed about him as the wind outlined his small frame.

"Find something you like?" He asked, an eyebrow raised in interest.

"You look different." I acknowledged. He ran his hand over his hair, pushing the platinum tendrils away from his face.

"What's the point in primping up when there's no one to impress?" He sneered.

"Sod off, it's obvious that you use gel to repel others from you." I hiss. His eyes widened slightly, granting me a small sense of victory.

"You should know, Potter, that I attract people no matter what I do." He drawled, "though if you insist, I admit that my hair would steal all your admirers if I let it roam free." I roll my eyes at him.

We walked on in silence, staying as far away from each other as possible. Like two magnets, we alternated between being strongly attached (in the forms of vicious bantering) and strongly repelled (through our need of isolation).

I cast occasional glances at Draco, his eyes focusing straight ahead of him, making it seem like he wanted nothing but to get the detention over with. I nearly smile to myself when I feel him glance at me as I slipped on my mask of indifference, seeming like I did not care if I had detention or not.

We arrived at Hagrid's hut and the large, burly man burst through, engulfing me in an enormous hug.

"Why Harry, what a pleasant surprise! I thought I'd be getting two slimy blokes for detention, but instead I get you!" He roared, deafening my ears.

"Ha-Hagrid, it's great to see you." I choke out. It was then Hagrid noticed Malfoy's presence, standing silently as a shadow behind me.

Hagrid regarded him silently, as if unsure of what to say. Instead, he turned around, informing us briefly that we were to go to the Forbidden Forest to collect some items he needed.

"But...the forest is dangerous! If Lu-If my father finds out about this-"

"Harry's quite well adapted to this forest," Hagrid interrupted as he ambled back into the hut, "I've taught him well enough. I assume he'll show you the ropes."

Draco hissed and clenched his fists, seeming to seethe in anger as he glared at the man's back. I chuckled to myself in amusement.

"The forest isn't as intimidating as it seems...although I'm not sure if you'd be Gryffindor enough to survive it." I snickered at the Slytherin.

"Oh sod off, Potter. You'll be so scared you'll soil yourself." Draco hissed back.

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow to mock the Malfoy heir, "it was you who was running off like a scared ninny last time." Another tingle of excitement flared in me as I watched the boy sputter and cough at a lost of words.

Harry 1, Draco 0. I laugh to myself.

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I curse my luck for the nth time as I follow Harry into the dreary mass of overgrown trees that one calls a forest.

Breathe, you ninny. I scold myself, Malfoys fear nothing.

However, considering what happened in my last experience of the forest, intrepidation ran violently through my veins.

You don't fear the Cruciatus curse, you don't fear being beaten, yet you're scared of a forest because its...mysterious? My conscience scolded, Do grow up, Malfoy.

I shake my head, unconsciously scooting closer to Harry.

"Need to hold my hand, Malfoy?" He said with amusement, holding out that blasted limb towards me. I slapped him away.

"Sod off. You were the one who rejected my hand the first time." I snarled, "what objects do we need to find?"

"Let's see...Hagrid told us to get...one moonlight petal, a handful of darkness shrooms, a spoonful of..."

I rolled my eyes as Harry read the list that seemed to be infinite.

"How exactly are we going to find all of those items?" I snapped. Harry shrugged.

"Guess that's why it's going to take us a month to obtain?"

I hiss angrily and swallow my fear as I push Harry aside.

"I'll look for the first five items, you find the rest." I order as I stalk off to one side.

"But Draco—" Harry began.

Draco?

I whirl around.

"You have no right to call me that, Harry." I hiss as I grab the collar of his robe.

"Just as you have no right to call mine?" Harry stated. I stare at him and let go.

"That's right," I whisper, "I despise you."

------------------------------------------------------------

I despise you.

"As do I."

I smile inwardly to myself as I watch Draco give me a hard glare.

"But Hagrid did tell us not to wander off alone—"

"What are you, a useless Hufflepuff who can't disobey orders?" Draco scoffed, "I'll meet you back here at midnight."

I gazed at his retreating back, making it known to him that I can see through his defenses. My mind wandered back to the time when he and I fell from the sky.

Our first confession of our true identities.

I absently gathered Hagrid's required items, not paying much attention to whatever I was looking for.

We've both retreated back to our respective shells, neither of us admitting what happened up in the open sky, where birds once flew free. Glancing around quickly to make sure no one was around, I breathe out a sigh of relief.

Even the mask itself was a constant burden that lay heavy in my mind. Forgoing the mask, I took off my glasses.

I haven't needed them since last year, but it's not like I'd tell anyone. It was my symbol of the constant mask that I put upon myself. I sighed again, feeling the magic being released after taking off the spell I used every day.

My eyes began to glow the strange green glazed with gold that everyone said my mother used to have. Imagine everyone's surprise—and possibly fear—if they knew that my eyes glowed in the dark. I flicked my tongue over my sharpened canines—really, what was I, some monster? I don't know. Just...

Different.

My hair grew longer, some of the straight strands falling over my face. It wasn't just black hair, it was midnight black hair that gleamed a strange, contrasting chestnut brown. I washed my face in a nearby river and smiled. If McGonagall knew how much transfiguration and shapeshifting I knew, she'd faint right on the spot.

The fake tan sheen of my skin melted off, revealing a lighter, glowing complexion. I relaxed and smiled as my entire body elongated, my fingers growing longer and my nails taking a slightly sharp shape. It was evident to everyone that I was not tall; not short either. I was supposedly a normal 5'7".

...I'm really 6'2".

My slightly cherubic appearance gave away, relaxing back into the narrow, angular form that I really had. I leaned back and felt the weeds of the ground scrape across my face. I stretched my now-lanky legs and arms, wondering for the hundredth time how people would react if they saw me now. Would they be frightened? Or, like most others who saw me, would they feel desire? Merlin, if anyone knew how much my mask hid, they're definitely in for a surprise.

I stood up, not caring that my heightened senses could now hear the rabbits crawling back into their dens, my eyes watching the eyes of an owl as it stared back at me, my skin feeling the warmth from the blood of the creatures around me.

I continued gathering herbs, relaxing into the peacefulness that the night brought to me, encompassing me with the much needed coldness and darkness that it offered. I kept my senses out for Draco, making sure he would not be around to catch my true form; he knew I had a mask, but he surely did not know the fake exterior I had was in a very...literal sense.

I hissed to myself for making the mistake of calling him Draco in my conversations. It was only in my head that I dared say his name. Why or when I began calling him Draco? Simple. When I noticed his mask and realized that we were

The same.

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I walked quickly away from Harry, making sure that he did not follow. I realized that I did not know what items I was supposed to collect, but I really did not care. I just needed a time to shed away my mask and take the time to hide within night's embrace. True, the forest scared me, but at the same time I realized that it held a sense of comfort; a comfort where I could hide myself and no one would find me.

I slipped into a small, hidden clearing, allowing myself a rare smile as I slipped off my Malfoy ring. I gritted my teeth as I felt the familiar, dull pain burn within me as I released my illusion.

When I first experienced the changes, my mother grew very afraid. She pulled me close and told me never to mention it to Lucius. Why, I did not know, but I sense that he would have killed me or some other of the sort.

My platinum blonde hair grew and swirled softly to my back, giving me an (unfortunately) feminine look. My eyes changed from a cold silver-blue to a pure silver covered with remnants of gold. My seemingly small 5'7" body grew back to my normal 6'. I sighed in delight as I felt my teeth sharpen and clenched my fists as my nails grew, cutting softly into the flesh of my palms. My already pale skin began to glow with a luminescent sheen, one that my mother had described as "otherworldly". Apparently she knew what had happened to me, but she has yet to explain.

As I dropped to the ground, my hair draped over my shoulders, sparkling with its familiar golden sheen. I smile as I chuckle to think of Pansy's reaction towards me; she was already trying to fling herself at me, much like the rest of the student population...but with my now lanky—perhaps a bit too thin, but what do I care—and lean form, my small shoulders and pointy face with features a little too sharp yet exotic, what would they say?

I knew I looked barely human—Merlin, even my ears pointed slightly. I slipped a golden stud that my mother gave me onto my left ear and tied my hair loosely behind me with a golden rope. I idly wondered if I should cut my hair, but remembered that it grew back whenever I tried to get rid of the long strands.

Sometimes I wonder if Harry has a literal mask like mine. Probably not, since well, the chances of that happening are...indescribably low.

Harry Potter, I mused silently, what would possess you to say my name?

It is important that we keep ourselves distanced, our hatred towards each other deep.

Why? A breeze whispered into my mind.

Why? Why not? I was most certainly brought up to hate Harry with a vengeance.

Then why call him Harry? Why not Potter?

Simple. He shares a mask like me. No matter how much we hate each other, we share the familiarity of hiding ourselves behind a shell. With his mask, him and I are

the same.

I lay on the ground peacefully, lazily searching for the moon hidden behind the gray, tumbling clouds. Sighing, I felt the slight vibrations that the animals gave to the ground as they walked around, the scent of the coming rain, the sound of—what was that? Whimpering?

I shot up, scanning the ground. This was no forest animal; on the contrary it was...

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It's been the same thing for a week now. Draco and I would walk to Hagrid's hut early, receive the basket and list of things we need to obtain, then part ways until midnight. There we would check off the items that we have found (though Draco, that lazy git, didn't get nearly as many things as I did!) and we would walk back in silence.

However, there's something odd going on with Draco. He always seems nervous when parting ways, almost rushing through a familiar trail in the forest.

Is he hiding something? I've taken it upon myself to find out what that stubborn bloke is up to; surely he could not have been meeting up with spies of Voldemort...could he?

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I hastened my steps, quickly pulling out a hidden bag from my robe. The need to get to the shelter overcame my urge to break free of my mask; after all, if I could stand holding a mask this long, what harm is it if I keep it on a few minutes more?

Reaching the shelter, I look around to check for any movements. The same whimper I heard the first day caught my attention, and I pulled aside a nearby bush.

Lying there was a puppy of a mere few weeks old. Its soft downy fur glistened a pale blonde—much like my own hair—and it's dark eyes and nose gave it the perfect image of innocence. Why it was here was a mystery; it wasn't even magical. I picked it up into my lap and carefully fed it the ham that I had smuggled from dinner.

Lost in my own thoughts and care for the pooch, I failed to hear the rustling of the bushes...

-----------------------------------------------------------

I saw it before it even came. Quick as lightning, the troll burst through a giant bush with a roar, nearly knocking off Draco's head with a club. To my relief, he had the sense to roll away, patting the—was that a puppy?—on the back and urging it to run. The poor mutt, however, tripped on its own feet and howled.

My mouth dropped in horror as the troll roared again and swung at the puppy. The puppy yelped as Draco, with quick reflexes, spun around and grabbed the mutt, earning himself a solid smack on the shoulder by the troll. He grunted and flew a few feet before landing into a tree, completely stunned with a puppy crying in his arms.

Luckily, I remembered my wand.

"LUMOS!" I yelled, blinding the troll with a flash of light as I grabbed Draco and ran away, the troll howling its rage as I left.

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"The weapon was poisoned!" I shrieked in Madam Pomfrey's infirmary, causing her to wince.

"Calm down, Harry, I'm sure he'll be fine. He's just...not reacting to the antidote."

"WHAT!" I hollered again before Dumbledore strolled in.

"Harry, I do believe we need to talk." He said firmly.

"But Professor..."

"It's important." Albus said, raising an eyebrow at me to signify what it was about. I sighed and followed him back to his office, the puppy in my arms.

Albus Dumbledore sank into his plush seat gracefully his robes settling around him as he offered me a few lemon drops. When I declined, he then offered tea. Declining that again, he was about to offer me sandwiches, but I once again declined and asked him what he wanted to talk to me about.

"It's about your...changes this past year." He told me, stroking his beard, "I've found out that the prophecy is about to begin."

"Prophecy?" I leaned forward, "you mean the one that told me that I would meet my other half?"

"Yes, stunning memory, Harry!" Albus said proudly.

"But...what does the last part of the prophecy mean?" I whispered, "dark encounters light, either cancelling existence or blending into dusk; destroying prophecies or completing fate"

Dumbledore watched me with amusement, "That is for you to decide."

"But...how will I know this other person? Is this person from Hogwarts?" I insisted.

"This person, like you, has also cast an illusion over his appearance. However, unlike you, it was not made by me."

"He? My other half is a male? You know him?" I all but shrieked.

"Perhaps I know him..." Albus smiled with that eerie twinkle in his eye.

"Why can't you tell me?" I whined, the puppy whimpering in support.

"Then it wouldn't be fun now, would it?" The old man twinkled again.

"AAAAARGH!"

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I sat next to Draco's bed, pondering over Dumbledore's latest revelation.

So my other half is obviously not going to be my future lover, since he's a bloke. What else...he's most likely from Hogwarts, meaning I must know him. Hmm, he's got an illusion on like me, but I won't be able to tell because the illusion was not made by Dumbledore! How am I supposed to find this person!

As if on cue, the boy next to me groaned.

"Dra-Malfoy, you up?" I said as I glanced over at the pale blonde beside me.

"...Sod off, Potter." He gritted as he turned over to his side. Madam Pomfrey rushed in, exclaiming that Draco needs to stop moving.

"Really, Mr. Malfoy, I wonder what has gotten into your system; the poison just isn't flushing out!" She scolded him as she forced some strange potion into him, "and how you got to this stage is a mystery in the first place."

"He protected this puppy against a troll." I muttered to myself, my eyes widening at the though.

Draco protects puppies?

Madam Pomfrey clucked her teeth as she scooped the dog from my arms.

"So this is the little rascal who started it all eh?" She gently dropped it into Draco's lap, where the puppy curled up and seemed to fall asleep. Giving me one last check up, she told me to go back to class.

"He'll be fine, Harry. The poison isn't lethal; it's just going to give him some headaches and stomach pains."

I nodded and as Madam Pomfrey left, I looked over Draco one last time.

"You know, most antidotes don't work on me either," I began, "I wonder why you—Malfoy?"

The Slytherin had fallen asleep again, one hand lazily resting on the puppy as he breathed in a rhythmic tone.

It was then I took notice of his appearance; he almost shimmered, his pale blonde hair falling gracefully down his face—wonder if he'd ever grow it long—and his pale skin slightly ashen from the poison...my eyes then rested on his ring.

Funny, I've never noticed it before.

I picked up Draco's hand, looking at the strange ring with the Malfoy signature. It was a brilliant pale gold with a glowing emerald on the inside. Of course, it had a golden M in the middle. However, there were also some light scribblings on the side of the ring. Without knowing, I had gotten my hands on it and was about to take it out when—

"Potter, as much as you fancy me, let go of my hand." A voice snapped, forcing me to drop his arm. He held it to himself almost protectively.

"I never knew you swung that way." He continued to drawl as my ears flushed in embarrassment.

"I was just trying to see your ring." I pointed out.

"My what?" He stared at me suspiciously, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me! It's right there you slimy bloke!" I insisted, pointing to his ring which was clearly on his finger. Draco seemed to freeze, looking at me with his mouth gaping open like a fish.

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How had he known? How can he see it? My mind raced furiously as I gaped at him.

"Stop being stupid, Malfoy. You look like a fish out of the water." The voice snapped at me. I shut my mouth.

"Wha-What about my ring?" I drawled, covering up the traces of my stuttering with an arrogant toss of my head.

Well, that didn't help my headache much. I hissed as my head flared with pain and fell into Harry.

My eyes shot wide open again. Funny, my headache is gone. And so are all effects of that blasted poison that were running willy-nilly through my veins earlier.

"Potter...?" I choked.

"What?" He snapped again, traces of worry lining his gold-covered eyes.

Step back, Malfoy, you're going crazy. Potter has completely green eyes!

I blinked. You're right, they're just...green.

"What did you do?" I ask him curiously. His eyebrows creased in frustration.

"I grabbed you when you fell! What...did you want me to let you fall or something?" He started ranting.

"Oh stop being such an emotional git!" I snapped back, "You cured my poison!"

Harry blinked.

"What are you spewing? It was the antidote that Madam Pomfrey gave you." He said hesitantly.

"I'm immune to antidotes, you foo—" I stopped, clasping my hands over my mouth.

"Draco dear, you must not tell anyone of your circumstances." My mother whispered to me, "it can be...detrimental on your life."

"Yes, mother." My younger self nodded, "I understand."

"Until you find your other half, you are in danger of all poisons and we cannot have anyone using that to their advantage." She whispered again, "don't tell anyone your secret. Promise me."

...Oops.

"You're what?" Potter stared at me incredulously. Funny how I start calling him Potter again when I'm panicking.

"Nothing!" I snapped.

"How are you feeling, Dra—Oh!" A gasp came from behind us.

Madam Pomfrey was staring at us, a slight blush tingeing her rosy cheeks as she clasped the potion she was holding against her.

I looked at Potter...and realized just exactly how close I was to him.

"For Merlin's sake, what are you doing Potter!" I hissed at him, pushing myself off of him in a haste, "if I had known you would fancy me to such an extent..."

"Don't flatter yourself!" Harry hissed, "With the way you were over me, one would think you were the one trying to get into my britches!"

"Boys, boys!" Madam Pomfrey shouted, her face flushing red again, "As much as you two would like to argue, Draco's still poisoned!"

"I'm perfectly fine now." I said sourly, giving Harry the same glare he was giving me.

"Really? Dumbledore said it wasn't likely..."

My ears perked upon the mention of Dumbledore.

How would that old bat know...? Does he know my secret?

I felt Harry stiffen by my bed.

Does Harry know something that I don't?

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Dumbledore knows.

I vaguely remembered a flash of gold flicker through Draco's eyes when I caught him. I also felt a strange heaviness in my head fly away when I felt his body land on mine. Funny how I was thinking of just letting him fall, but my blasted "Gryffindor" nobility caught him by reflex...I think. No, I'm sure!

And besides, the only person with gold eyes is me—and my other half.

My other half?

"You are special Harry," Dumbledore began, "included in countless prophecies...which would only come true if you fulfill the earliest one."

"What do you mean, Professor?"

"You were born incomplete." Albus continued, "as the light or the dark, I do not know. However, the other half of you is somewhere in this world, and to complete the prophecy is to find this person."

"How do I know who my other half is?"

Dumbledore turned to me, an odd twinkle in his eyes.

"You two share similarities that none other would have and powers that come into effect through contact with each other."

"So if someone looks like me, I'll know?"

"No, Harry, you'll feel."

I shook my head, clearing my memory.

Surely if anyone, my other half would not be Draco Malfoy! He doesn't look a bit like me anyway!

"What are you doing here anyway? Trying to gloat over my demise?" A voice hissed at me.

"No, but now that you mention it, that's a brilliant idea." I snap back sarcastically.

I continue watching as Madam Pomfrey gave Draco one last checkup before stepping back satisfied. Draco reached out a pale hand, gently stroking the sleeping dog on his lap, a trace of...gentility etched onto his features. No, not gentility...a sad sort of grief and even guilt.

"I didn't know you had a heart." I stated. Draco looked up with surprise, but he narrowed his eyes defensively when I pointed at the mutt.

"What do you want me to say to that, Potter? Deny it and enforce my crown as the Slytherin Ice Prince? Or confirm it and make myself look like a soft ninny Gryffindor?" He replied coldly.

"You have guilt etched across your face." I said simply. I noticed Draco stiffen, his face full of shock.

It wasn't everyday that Harry Potter makes a good observation—I made sure that didn't show up through my mask.

Draco looked down, random pieces of hair falling down his face.

"Call it...redemption?" He murmured, continuing to stroke the puppy.

I looked at him intently as his mask cracked slightly.

"Lucius—My father—wanted to test my obedience...to see if I would betray him or not! He pointed at a lone stray dog on the streets, one that I used to care for and feed, and he told me to drown it with my wand." He kept his voice strangely calm, almost too controlled to be human, "I...at an age of ten...I obeyed and-"

"You don't have to continue." I said softly, but he continued on.

"It was the hardest thing I've ever done! The look of desperation on the animal's face...it was my companion! And I was forced to-" The boy began to talk faster, his calm voice growing more agitated as his hands flailed in the air to emphasize his actions. I caught one of his hands in my own, making him look at me with startled eyes.

"You don't have to keep that mask up with me; I can see right through it." I murmured.

Draco glanced at me with wide eyes, as if determining what to do. Finally, he set his mouth into a scowl and yanked free from my grasp.

"I don't know what you're talking about. In fact, why I'm telling you my sob story is a mystery to me, since we hate each other so much anway."

"I don't hate you." I said softly, "There's no reason to—"

"Of course you hate me!" He exploded, "I've heckled you for over six years! Don't be such a Gryffindor and just distance yourself from me!"

I sat back, stunned. The force of Draco's words made it seem like he was almost...scared of becoming my friend. I decided not to say anything to him, nodding my head bluntly. We looked at each other for a few more minutes until I stood up and complied to his wishes; I left.

-------------------------------------------------

I glared into his back as he left, making it known to him how much I despised him.

I hate him. I scowled, I absolutely despise that boy.

I had to. It wasn't an option; tools don't look for friends.

And as a tool, I can do nothing but hate and distance myself from those who can surface my emotions. Why did Harry invoke such emotions in me anyway? I idly twirled the Illusion ring on my finger. How did he see my ring, even after all those concealment spells I placed on it? And that flash of gold...

No, he cannot be my 'other half'. I refuse to believe it.

I sighed and gently picked up the puppy. I needed a place to keep the poor thing since I wasn't about to abandon it in the forest again. The troll almost ate it last time! Brushing a few strands from my face, my thoughts wandered again to Harry.

I hate you, Harry. I never want to be your friend. Merlin, I don't want to be your anything.

...Do I?

AN: Wewt, 19 pages of introductory goodness! Yarr, my hand was itching to speed things up and make Harry jump Draco or something T.T But no, I'm trying to make this an epic-ish sort of ficcie (unlike my usual stories), unless I decide to make a sequel (which is also likely). This is probably going to be a story of Harry/Draco and their prophecy, as well as how the reactions of family/students/faculty of their blooming relationship. The sequel (if there is one) will focus on completing the prophecy, Draco/Harry's new powers together, and defeating Voldemort. Lots of angst (because I can't write anything but D: ) and...I'll try not to make things seem to go too quickly—once again, please tell me if you feel things are moving too fast, I just can't wait sometimes XD

PS: The lyrics in the beginning are by Lene Marlin (song is called Disguise). She's a wonderful singer with beautiful lyrics, please listen to some of her songs!

Next Chapter: Harry and Draco find themselves thinking of the other and of their masks, and they start talking more openly to each other during their detention. However, Draco refuses to get close to Harry, provoking poor Potter with an even more intense passion. How will Harry react? What sparks (if any) arise?

Last comment: Feel free to review, they keep me alive :)