This Is My True Mask

I woke up quietly to the caressing of my lower stomach. I didn't open my eyes and I had forgotten where I was. Their finger tips were frigid and made my skin jump. I lethargically turned over to face the person and opened my eyes. Once I saw Lucius, smiling down at me with his head resting on his hand and on his side, my skin relaxed. I had forgotten that I was sleeping in his bed, was I really that tired?

I snuggled my head into the crook between his neck and his broad shoulder. I yawned while sluggishly slipping my arm under his arm that he had been using to rub my lower stomach and pulled myself closer to him until I was in a lose hug. I wish I could wake up every morning like this, it was calming. Lucius could give me what guys my age couldn't. When I slept with someone — even Bret — and woke up next to them, it didn't feel like this. I couldn't believe how someone like me was falling in love. I am, right? To be quite honest. . .I'm afraid of love. Look what happened to my father. He got his love murdered — I don't blame my father for my mother's death, not completely.

"Did I wake you, Bry?"

"Yeah, but it's fine." My voice was hoarse and hardly audible.

"We have to get up. It's already ten and every one is downstairs. Get up or I'll throw you in the pool." He teased, testing me to see if I would get up.

"Then it looks like you'll be throwing me in the pool, Mr. Malfoy, because I'm going back to sleep," I yawned out, nudging his neck slightly as I kept my eyes closed and waited for the quiet to fill over me and drift me back to sleep.

. . .However, that did not come. Before I knew it, my body had come in contact with the warm water of the Malfoy pool. I shot up from underneath the water and brushed the water out of my eyes. I glared at Lucius. He smirked the infamous Malfoy smirk and chuckled slightly. "Are you going to get up, now?"

"Fine," I spat and held up a hand up to him, "just help me out of here. I have to pee badly and unless you want your pool to be a large piss pool, take me out of here."

He did possibly, the stupidest thing he could — he gave me his hand. I gripped it and yanked him in. You dump me in the pool and you're coming with me. I moved out of the way and started laughing my arse off once he touched the water. I'm surprised no one heard us from whatever room they were occupying. I was laughing pretty loud.

"You little bitch!" Lucius howled as he splashed me with water. I laughed harder and splashed him back. We were like little kids — playing in the water and splashing each other until I surrendered. "Damn right you surrender to me," he said seductively and swam over to me and pulled me close, wrapping my arms around the back of his neck and my legs around his hips. I blushed slightly after I had wrapped my legs around his hips. Lucius seemed to notice seeing as he started to grin alluringly. "Sorry, it is the morning."

"You walked around the house with your. . .friend happy?"

"Merlin's beard, no. I avoided them."

"I bloody hope so." I said nothing else as we both smirked and I leaned in, kissing him deeply. His tongue was almost instantly brushing up against my tongue inside my mouth as he swam forward until I was pressed against the wall of the in-ground pool. I groaned softly as he pushed me slightly hard against it. He brushed his hips against mine as I ran my hands through his hair, pulling slightly when he made me groan softly. All was going well until one of the House Elves walked in.

"E-Excuse Wanda, Master," she squeaked. When we broke apart from our kiss and looked in her direction, Wanda bowed, shaking nervously and fumbling with the rag that she called clothes in her hands. "Y-y. . .Young Master is wondering where Master i-is. . ."

"Wanda! What have I told you about interrupting me while I'm busy?!" Lucius snarled.

I pulled his hair slightly to get him to stop while I smiled at Wanda. "Thank you, Wanda, don't mind Mr. Malfoy. You can tell Draco we'll be there in a second, all right?"

"Y-yes, Miss! I's tell Young Master that Master and Miss will be there shortly. . ." She bowed once more before leaving the room in a hurry.

I pulled Lucius' hair softly to make his head tilt back so I could kiss his exposed neck. I got a groan from him when I bit softly in the sensitive spot on his neck, teasing him. "Stop. . .we should go see Draco before there's a fuss. And I still don't see why you're nice to the House Elves. They're pathetic and almost useless creatures."

"You won't be saying that when you have to do all the house work." I giggled out, unlatching myself from him and climbing out of the pool. I looked like a drowned rat. My long, golden-blond hair was everywhere and Lucius' shirt and boxers that I had been wearing were dripping. I tried to dry them slightly by squeezing them. Lucius did the same with his boxers. I raised an eyebrow at him as to ask him if we were going to walk into the house with me in his wet clothes and him in just soaking boxers.

"If we don't, he'll think we're fucking and that'll cause more of a disruption. I really want to just see what he wants so I can take a real swim." I smiled and took his hand, walking towards the house.

We walked inside of the house and entered the kitchen, still dripping, hand-in-hand. Bret, Dorea and Draco were sitting on the island in the middle of the kitchen, drinking tea.

"Bryony. . ." Dorea groaned, turning her head. "Really?"

"What?" I questioned while surveying their faces. What was she talking about?

"Oh, hi Bryony's nipples, how're you on this fine morning? All right?" Bret smirked deviously as he nodded to the shirt I had been wearing. I slowly looked down and realized what everyone was saying. The shirt — since it was wet — had been see-through and what was showing, was what Bret had pointed out so kindly. I gasped slightly and covered my chest, pouting. "Not like anyone here hasn't seen them, Bry. Though. . .I'm not sure the bra I bought you will fit, you do look bigger since you're pregnant."

I slapped my hand over my face, "Bret. . ." I loved Bret. He was the only one who could be a complete pillock and be completely hilarious. I don't think Lucius thought it was funny because he was gripping Bret's shirt.

"Woah, there, muscle man. You should be happy, right? I would if my girlfriend's boobs were getting bigger."

I tugged Lucius off of Bret and shook my head, trying not to laugh, "but you don't have a girlfriend."

"Hence I'm noticing your change."

"If you don't shut the bloody hell u—"

"Enough, Bret. So what did you want, Draco?" I turned to him as well as Lucius did.

"We were wondering where you two were. Father doesn't sleep this late."

"I was pushing your father in the pool. Speaking of which, we'll be right back. I don't think Lucius wants the floors covered in water."

I walked out with Lucius behind me. I giggled as he walked briskly up to me and grabbed my waist. I pushed his hands off and ran up the stairs only to hear him run up the stairs after me. I couldn't help but to laugh more as I heard him run. I screamed slightly when I saw he was close, laughing while I ran into his room and hid in the closet.

I could hear Bret yelling from downstairs that we sounded like two love-birds. His comment made my cheeks burn furiously with colour as I stood there, thinking. I had never been able to be myself completely and one-hundred percent around anyone, not even Bret. But around Lucius. . .it was different.

"Found you!" He yelled, grabbing me and pulling me close into a passionate and deeply desired kiss. I squealed when he pulled me and giggled into the kiss.

"Would you. . .help me undress, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Why yes, I would, Miss Valentine." His hands made their way up from my hips to the bottom of my shirt and pulled upwards as he magicked the door shut. When we were both undressed, I had pushed him on the bed and crawled on top of him. I kissed my way down from his lips to his jaw line, to his neck, to his chest and all the way down to his belly button. I kissed one inch lower from there while my hand travelled slowly up his thigh. I stopped and sat up, getting off him.

"Time to get dressed!" I got up and over to his dresser and opened the drawer he had gave me to put my clothes since Narcissa was moved out.

"You are such a tease. . ."

"I know." I turned and smiled at him before dressing myself in black jeans, black flats and a light green turtle neck. I threw on all of the jewellery that I had received from Lucius and walked over to him. "Here, let me do it." Lucius gave a slight nod and allowed me to button up his shirt. All was going well until he grabbed his left forearm and his breathing picked up. I knew what was happening, the Dark Lord was calling his Death Eaters. Lucius. . .are you okay?"

"I have to go." The older Malfoy looked sadly down at me before kissing my forehead softly. "I'll be back before you know it."

"Tell Father we love him if you get the chance."

One kiss and he Apparated to the Dark Lord's side.

Downstairs wasn't quiet. They were all laughing at something Bret was saying because by the time I was down there, his arms were flailing all over the place. I let out a sigh and hopped into Bret's lap.

"What's wrong, fatty?" Bret asked, poking the side of my stomach.

"Where's father?"

"Dark Lord called him."

A faint pop was heard, the sound of someone Apparating. He couldn't be back that quickly, he had just been summoned.

"The Dark Lord wishes to see you." Antonin Dolohov was standing right there in the kitchen, staring at me. What the hell did Russian-mafia-Death-Eater guy want?

"Me?" Why did the Dark Lord possibly want with me?

"Now." He yanked my arm and pulled me off of Bret's lap.

In matter of seconds, my body felt like it was being forced through a tiny hole and out the other end. The other end just happened to be in a room with the Dark Lord sitting on a chair. There had been two Death Eaters behind him — one hooded and one I recognized as Draco's aunt. I think her name was Bellatrix — Narcissa's older sister. Antonin pushed me towards Lucius who was in another corner of the room. I almost had tripped, but Lucius propitiously caught me with one arm and set me straight. He took his arm off of me and never glanced down at me. I could hear my heart begin to beat swiftly as I looked over at the Dark Lord. I don't even know how to begin the fear that was placed upon me as he mentioned me to move closer to him. I never looked at him directly in the eyes as I moved until I was in the centre of the room — he held his hand up and got off of his thrown, smirking down at me.

"Where are my manners, Miss Valentine? You look just like your mother." I said nothing as he did the same for a few seconds. "Not going to thank me? That was a compliment, my dear."

My eyes were set on the ground as I trembled, "t-thank you, m-my Lord."

"That's much better. Afraid are we?" I still did nothing but stare at the ground. What on earth was I here for? I know Father wouldn't have fucked up and Lucius hadn't had much work to do for the Dark Lord lately. "So, you are the one who's been keeping Lucius preoccupied lately? I do not like it when people are getting in the way of my Death Eater's tasks that I have assigned them to do. I like my Death Eaters to have a clear mind and not distracted by pettiness such as love at all times."

He made his way over to me and examined me closely. I continued to tremble even as he was behind me. That was when I trembled the worse — not being able to even glance at what he was doing behind me, it more than frightened me. I felt a pair of ice cold hands snake their way from behind me and made their way to my lower stomach. "Breeding me an army, are we, Lucius?" He let out a cold laugh as I heard a gasp and the hooded Death Eater that was standing next to Draco's aunt had revealed himself by lowering his hood sharply and stared at myself wide-eyed. I returned the stare when I glanced over and to see my father standing there.

"Ah, this seems news to you, Lodovico. Did not know that your daughter was sleeping around and getting pregnant by a fellow Death Eater?" The Dark Lord let out another laugh, still behind me. "Let this be a lesson to you, Miss Valetine. Do not get in the way of a Death Eater's task again and you will not have to face the same fate as your mother."

"My Lord?"

"Yes, Bellatrix." That was all he said before walking back over to his thrown.

"So you're the little whore that was sleeping around with my sister's husband?" Her wand was raised at me and without hesitation or a second to spare, "Crucio!"

I fell to the ground, thriving in pain. The pain was the most unbearable thing I ever had to go through. I was mentally begging for Death right there with how long she kept me under the Unforgivable Curse. I felt like my muscles were being torn off my bones and torn into bits. Like knives were being forced to pierce my skin. I could do nothing but to yell in pain as blood filled my ears and I could hear nothing but my heart beat faster and faster. My heart beat got faster and faster as I stopped breathing and my heart beat suddenly ceased. I felt the curse get lifted as I started to see nothing but black.

I heard something in the distance, saying something about healers and St. Mungo's. That was the last thing before I passed out.