Must I Hide?

Must I Hide?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything else to do with Harry Potter. I am making NO money off of this.

Prologue

He was the ultimate accessory to have on your arm for public appearances. His celebrity status was known throughout even the lesser parts or Britain. Where he was going to be, a crowd would draw, if only for the chance to see a glance from him. Guys wanted to be him, girls wanted to be with him. Mothers dreamed of matching their daughters up with him, while fathers figured out which spell would work best to make sure he never showed around again.

He was mysterious, although the world covered his every move. He was secretive, even with old acquaintances selling photos of him to the tabloids. He was noble even though he wasn't royalty. He was beautiful and graceful. His muscles rippling with every move.

He was broken in more ways then could be counted, but the world would never know that. His eyes had a magical way of lighting up when he was around those who expected it of him. Then, the light would go away once he was alone again. His face could go from pensive to inanimate with the simple click of a door as someone left.

His life was a show. His demeanor an act. His schedule was a daily juggling contest and he would never allow himself to be the first to drop a ball. He dressed in the latest fashions always. He knew the hot spots to party. He knew the best places to play quidditch. He was good friends with all the best chefs.

He could move from person to person, making each one feel special. A smile here, a touch on the arm there. That was all it took. And then, just as swift as he had come up, he would move on to the next person. Telling a funny joke, or regaling stories of when he had been in school. He knew when to wink, laugh, smile.

He knew how to lie, manipulate, and fade into a shell of a person.

He didn't live his life for himself anymore. There was no point. His one reason for living had left him one morning with a note written in the mist on his bathroom mirror while he was showering.

"Love is like a role that we play. I'm sorry, I was never a good actor."

He had stared at his mirror as the mist slowly faded away and he was just left himself to stare at. It was at that moment that he decided that if what he had had with her was love, then he no longer wanted any part of it.

He had never thought he would love to begin with. Then he had met her. She had been beautiful, funny, smart, talented, everything a guy could ever want. When she was happy it showed through her entire face. Her eyes lit up, her smile was brilliant, her laugh was beautiful. He first saw her at a function laughing and from that moment he wanted to dedicate every minute of his life to making her always want to laugh.

He immediately had become infatuated with her. Approaching her was no easy task, and he had never been so nervous. And when he had finally gotten up the nerve to approach her, he almost didn't say anything. Some how though he had managed to win her over.

It wasn't long before hands were slipping under shirts, and buckles were coming undone. Passion didn't nearly describe what they had together. Their bodies reacted like there was no other out there. They fit together perfectly in every sense. He knew when to bite her neck to make her scream and she knew when to scratch his back to hear him moan.

Their relationship was dangerous in the way that all passionate ones are. Still, he was more in love with her then he had ever been for anyone. And she was as in love as she had wanted him to believe she was. In the end though, she had taken his heart and torn it in two.

She had always left him breathless, from the moment he first met her. And, as always, while staring at that note, she had left him breathless. But this time, he didn't want to breath, he didn't want to go on.

It was in that moment he swore off ever letting anyone effect him ever again. She had played him, and a fool he had been. Never again. From now on he would control everything. He would break hearts, and leave notes written in mist.

And as every girl he had been with since could tell you. He knew every word to whisper while in the throws of passion. He knew how to touch a girl to make her toes curl. He knew how to wine and dine and romance until she fell in love. And then, just as she was getting truly comfortable with him, he'd be gone.

He was the ultimate accessory that never went out of style. He was the ultimate bachelor to capture. He was the ultimate heartbreaker. And that's all he wanted to be anymore.

Draco Malfoy had been broken, and no one knew.

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She had never been one to fall in love. Not for fear of love, and not for disliking it. She didn't have the time, the drive, or the focus. She was too fickle to stay with one boy for long. She was too busy to devote herself to a relationship. And she just didn't care enough that she hadn't yet gotten married to change it.

She had many suitors vying for her hand. Not because she was, necessarily, the most beautiful girl. Although she was beautiful. Mostly she was just a breath of fresh air to be around. She was friendly and sociable to everyone. She laughed at everything, never bothering to notice the sad things in life. She didn't waste her time with boredom. She found interest in anything and everything.

She was at heart a homebody, but loved to go out with her best friends to parties and bars. And her circle of best friends was always changing, not that she ever had a falling out with any of them. They would just eventually get married and get busy and she would find new people to hang out with.

Her motto in life had become work hard and play harder. She worked long hours to improve the hospitals she worked at and then played even harder on the weekends. Sometimes her family worried about her. Worried that she wasn't taking care of herself enough. But she didn't care, she knew her limits.

Her friends saw her as lively and fun, never doubting the good times they had with her. However, there were times when she felt something off. Like really she was living a lie and that truly she wasn't happy. Sometimes she felt that she was living such a facade that she didn't even know it. But, as far as she knew she loved her life and she wasn't going to delve into feelings she barely bothered to acknowledge.

The one thing in her life that she didn't like were her dreams. They were never happy. Her dreams were nightmares, that occurred every night, most times more then once a night. They were terrible dreams that she couldn't tell anyone about. None the less they tended to weigh heavily on her mind.

Ginny Weasley had a fabulous life, yet she couldn't manage to have sweet dreams.

(A/N Thanks to my BETA. I'm sure if I try and stop writing this she will kick my ass for you guys! Sound cool? Yeah ok.. well READ AND REVIEW! Please and thank you!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, thanks I wish.

Chapter 1: Not All Fairy Tales Have Happy Endings

Draco was ready to walk the walk and talk the talk. He was in his finest wizard robes, his hair slicked back. He looked as ravishing as he could look with a mask strapped onto his face. Tonight was a charity masquerade for the hospital or witch's center, or something. He could never keep track.

He was only going because it was expected of him and he had been asked. Lydia Cartwright was tonight's screw of choice. He was sure that as soon as they got back from the party his clothes would end up strewn around the room as would hers. At least he would get something out of the evening, even if it were just another mindless fuck.

The trick though was getting through the party without turning his wand on himself. The various parties and balls and charity auctions were always filled with the same shallow people, who were there for the same reason. To be a pretty person. And they always turned into the same contest. Who looked the best. Who had the hottest date. Who gave the most to the charity.

It was all always a contest. And Draco always won. He was the most attractive, and he always had the most attractive date. And he was, without a trace of a doubt, the most generous donator to charities. He might not care about them at all, but he would win the contests that went on unspoken. It was the only way he could truly hide, by being the best. No one would look too closely to him as long as he kept up the facade.

He readied himself for another night of fake smiles and fake people while he waited for Lydia to show up. They had decided that she would pick him up since they would probably end up at his apartment at the end of the night.

He stared at the clock on his wall almost angrily. She was late and he hated that. Being late was one of the rudest things possible. It was like saying that her time was more important then his. And no one's time was more important then his.

Finally, after being half an hour late she arrived. He looked at her with a hint of disdain as he said hello and she picked up on it. She blushed slightly under his gaze as she sheepishly explained her reasons for being late.

Her hair.

Draco sighed loudly as he escorted her outside so that they could apparate. They arrived on a red carpet with cameras flashing all around them. Lydia instantly turned on her smile. Posing and laughing for the cameras. She tugged Draco around to each set of cameras and he let her. This was the easiest part of the night. This was expected.

Draco slowly started dragging Lydia into the party where cameras weren't allowed. Later when they left the cameras would still be there, to take pictures of them without the masks. That's when the true judging would start.

Inside it was loud and everyone was having a good time. Draco however was already getting a headache. He made the rounds with his date. Saying hello to everyone who mattered, which at parties like this was everyone. He was bored by the third hello, and generally annoyed by the tenth.

Finally Lydia got pulled onto the dance floor by a wizard from Bulgaria and Draco was able to retreat to a back corner. He watched the charity ball from a distance, enjoying the solitude.

His quiet, however, was disturbed by a young witch throwing her arms around his neck.

"Look, I know you do not know me, and I do not know you." she whispered quickly in his ear as she hugged him. "But for the past fifteen minutes I have had the same guy following me around and asking me to dance. I need you to pretend you know me and dance with me so that he won't think I was lying about my boyfriend just being in the bathroom."

Draco peered at her as she backed off of him slightly, her arms still around his neck. "Would you like to dance?"

She smiled at him and quietly hissed, "You are a life saver. Thank you so much."

Draco offered her his arm and she quickly slipped her hand in the crook of his arm. Together they walked to the dance floor and he directed her into his arms how he wanted her. The music was a slow waltz and he knew every step.

"Have you ever thought of being direct with a guy and just telling him the truth?" Draco asked.

The girl looked up at Draco and smiled, "Of course, but some guys don't take rejection well."

"So instead you throw yourself in the arms of someone you don't know?"

"It isn't like you were doing anything." she pointed out to him. "Plus this is a charity masquerade. What better charity is there then helping out a damsel in distress?"

"Something makes me think that in any other situation had I called you a damsel in distress I would have been told I wasn't being politically correct."

She laughed quietly, "I agree. However I'm using this very instance to my advantage."

Draco nodded, "Smart."

"Why weren't you dancing?"

"My date deserted me for someone else." Draco told her.

"Seriously?"

Draco shrugged, "Possibly. She is dancing with someone else right now. However she may, or may not come find me when she is done."

"Don't you care?"

"Why would I? I'm not in love with her. She's just an accessory on my arm."

The girl shrugged, "Awfully cynical don't you think?"

"I like to think of it as self preservation."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really."

She tilted her head to the side, as if studying him. "Self preservation from falling in love? From getting hurt?"

"Both, neither." Draco replied. "Love is a game I would rather not play."

She chuckled, "You've had your heart broken. Sort of shocking considering your reputation."

"You think you know who I am?" Draco asked her.

"Why yes, I do." she told him. "Because the minute we got out on the dance floor all attention turned to us. And there is really only one guy in the wizarding world who can instantly command that kind of attention."

"How do you know that their attention isn't focused on you?"

She shrugged, "That very well could be it, except I am getting some nasty glares from the females in this room." She smirked at him, "And since girls only like bad boys, you must be Mr. Malfoy. The man known through out the world as a heart breaker."

"Well, you think you have everything all figured out don't you?" Draco asked her.

She nodded, "Yes, I do. Am I right?"

"From what I understand at midnight we are suppose to take off our masks. I suppose you will find out then."

"I can't stay that late."

"Why not?"

She smiled, "I'm pulling a Cinderella tonight."

Draco frowned, "A what?"

"You don't know?" she asked him, playing shocked. She stopped dancing, as the music had stopped. "Well, I suppose you will just have to do some research."

"How would I go about doing that?" Draco asked her.

"Well, just for giggles, I'll give you another clue." she told him, slipping off a shoe. "You keep this and go to a muggle library."

"Why do I need your shoe?"

"Trust me, just go there and you'll figure it out." she told him with a smile. "Goodnight Mr. Malfoy."

She turned from him and walked away. Draco stared after her, her shoe in his hand and for the first time since she had started talking to him he noticed that her hair was a very vivid shade of red that had only ever belonged to one girl that he knew.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ginny sighed quietly to herself as she washed her face off. The end of the night was always her favorite time to herself. There was something almost poetic about taking off make up. It's like you are erasing who you were for the day. And she was ready to become sleepy Ginny.

She took her time flossing her teeth, her favorite ritual of the night before brushing her teeth. Then, lastly, she started to unpin her hair. It had been done up so tight, in many spirals and twirls. She counted the pins as she took them out. Fifty in all.

Finally she changed into her pajamas . Simple, but comfortable, pajama pants and a tank top. She turned off her over head light and climbed under her covers.

She didn't sleep though, instead she thought over her evening. At the beginning of the night she had been having a great time. She was laughing and joking and dancing with her friends. Then the skeeze had appeared. For all she knew he could have been a gorgeous prince, but she wasn't interested and he hadn't understood that.

She had quickly devised a story of how her boyfriend was in the bathroom but he hadn't listened. He just kept following her and trying to join in all her conversations. No matter what anyone was saying he had something to say about it. If anyone had done something he had done it better.

Ginny hated guys like that. So she had quickly scanned the room, found a guy alone and went for it. She had never in her life ever hugged a complete stranger, much less thrown herself in a stranger's arms. But, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Thankfully she had chosen a nice young man who had agreed to dance with her. Imagine her shock when after pulling him into the light it had turned out to be the amazing bouncing ferret himself, Draco Malfoy.

At first she had been panicking in her head. After all, she and Draco had never gotten along back in school. In fact, saying they were enemies would be quite close to the truth. But, he had been nice, and he had been polite. It didn't hurt that he didn't seem to recall who she was.

She also noticed that he was quite the wonderful dancer. Which didn't really shock her considering the fact that he was a Malfoy. It was common knowledge that most pure blooded witches and wizards were expected to know many skills that didn't have anything to do with magic but had everything to do with social standing.

He had intrigued her with his view on his date. He didn't seem heartless as she had pegged him previously from reading the papers. Instead he just seemed disheartened. He seemed more broken then anything and it bothered her.

In school Draco Malfoy was anything but broken. He was pretentious and snobby. He knew what he wanted and he got it. He may have had wrong views but he believed them whole heartedly. He had heart, even if it was in the wrong place. Now, he just seemed like a robot. A coin operated boy. Someone who just had given up on people.

Ginny rolled over on her side. Who knew though? She was always quick to judge a person's character. Sure, she was never wrong, but there was a first time for everything. Maybe she was wrong about him. Maybe he was still a snob, an ass. Maybe he was still the pretentious wizard she knew back in school.

Or maybe he was different. Maybe he had learned to open his mind up and allow new ideas to form. She supposed she would find out one way or another. If he actually looked up what Cinderella was, she knew he would want to get her shoe back to her. That's how Draco was, and had always been. You give him a challenge and he will complete it.

She laughed quietly to herself as she thought over what she had done. What was she thinking giving Draco Malfoy a used shoe? He probably thought her crazy if he had recognized her at all. Which, she was almost sure he hadn't. She hoped he hadn't.

Please, sweet Merlin, let him have not recognized her.