A cool breeze startled Harry as he attempted to sleep. Keeping his eyes closed, he reached for the warm red blanket and wondered silently whether or not it was Neville or Seamus who opened the window to their dormitory. When a blind search for the blanket bore no fruit, Harry opened his eyes and was immediately surprised at the sight. A tangle of hair greeted him, face down on the bed, while creamy shoulders barely peeped out from a snowy white blanket. Harry rolled over in search of his glasses, and found them on a bedside table. He put them on and breathed a slightly silent "Oh." He was in the Room of Requirement, which currently resembled a bedroom. Two sets of Hogwarts uniforms were scattered across the floor, one with a shiny silver badge labeled P attached. Harry closed his eyes and tried to remember the previous night.
Harry stood on the Astronomy Tower, looking out at the stars. His invisibility cloak was wrapped tightly around him and the silent cool of the November night was the only betrayal to his presence. Harry could hardly sleep, the pressure of trying to relieve Professor Slughorn of his memory as well as his other responsibilities kept his mind from relaxing. He had been up here for at least two hours every night for the past month, if circumstances allowed. Tonight his mind was even more full than usual. The mystery of his spell book warranted solving, but it was proving too useful to matter at present. He was also fighting conflicting desires in his heart. He felt close to two girls, although one was not his to have and the other was… impossible. He also had a slight crush on a girl who had grown to be beautiful. The problem wasn't his crushes, it was how they always haunted his dreams, rose red lips just barely out of reach. They seemed to exist in his dreams just to torture him, at a time when sleep was a precious commodity. He tried not to dwell on those visions of beauty, but his mind kept coming back to them, and his body seemed to want to fulfill his minds desire. Then Harry felt a presence behind him and turned to find HER on the Astronomy Tower. Beautiful hair pulled back, moonlight dancing across her pale skin, she was a radiant moon maiden here in the flesh, as well. He unconsciously began breathing harder and the girl paused in her meditation.
"Is someone there?" The voice was barely a whisper, and the wind carried the smell of perfume to Harry's nostrils. Harry remained silent and the vision of beauty turned away and began talking to herself. Harry was compelled to watch, until the girl's lips began to look a little blue, and she began shivering.
"You look cold." Harry heard himself saying, and took off his invisibility cloak. He gave it to his moon maiden who glared, but took it thankfully.
"Were you here the whole time?" the girl asked
"I… I didn't want to disturb you." The feminine face softened, and she whispered.
"Hold me Potter. Its cold and I cant sleep. If…" Then Harry's arms were around the shivering form as they both stood on the Astronomy Tower and watched the millions of stars twinkle their way across the night sky. They stood that way for half an hour, then the feminine form turned around in Harry's arms and her voice said
"Harry. Why do you stand up here?"
"I cant sleep most nights. Coming up here helps me think. What about you, why were you up here tonight?"
"You. I… " and the feminine form stood up on her toes and kissed Harry full on, her mouth seeking permission only Harry could grant.
Harry remembered now, fully remembered. He looked over at his moon maiden, with her pale skin, and wondered quietly what time it was. He leaned over and kissed the bare shoulder that stuck out from under the blanket they shared. He resolved to be glad it was a Sunday morning and nobody would be looking for him or his maiden for hours. She was a Prefect, and he had his Invisiblity Cloak. He snuggled down into the bed, back under the blanket he had thrown off in the night and reached his arms around her miniscule waist. The tangled mess of hair leaned back to rest against his chest, and the smell of tropical scented shampoo filled his nostrils. A feminine hand intertwined it's fingers with Harry's and soon her breathing returned to a slow pace, signaling sleep. Harry found himself drifting off to sleep as well. He closed his eyes and heard her voice once again, whispering and begging for him. He remembered her lips, which tasted of cherry and were as soft as rosebuds. The wonderful memory continued into his dream for the next hour. He slept soundly until a sudden emptiness caused him to jolt awake. He opened his eyes, and his wonderful moon maiden was bathed in sunlight streaming from the window. He opened his mouth to wonder, but his question was answered by her voice.
"Prefect meeting after breakfast. I can't be late, and I still need to shower and clean up. We can't tell anybody… Harry." She paused in her frantic hurry to get dressed to lean back across the bed and wrap her body around Harry's once more. She kissed him deeply before brushing a lock of hair behind her ear and standing back up. "They wouldn't understand, at least not yet. Thank you. We should…" her voice was interrupted by Harry standing up and kissing her once more. "Tonight." He whispered in her ear. She nodded "Every night we get a chance…" She ran a well manicured hand down his bare chest, sighed and finished gathering her belongings. Harry stared after her for a while, then prepared his own exit from the Room of Requirement.
That night Harry stood on the Astronomy Tower and watched a comet making progress across the night sky. He had been on the roof for about an hour, and had almost given up on his moon maiden returning. He soon felt delicate hands reaching around his waist, and a head resting into his back and just breathing with him. She pressed into his back, as if needing to be as close to him as possible. He turned around and embraced her. He kissed her and they found themselves in the Room of Requirement once more.
They continued on a nightly basis, always meeting on the Astronomy Tower, or during terribly cold night, wherever was private and inconspicuous. Each night they whispered unending devotion to one another, and each day they had to pretend nothing mattered. Harry eventually got the memory from Professor Slughorn, and found out that the Half Blood Prince was Professor Snape. The two lovers spent their nights together until the night before she turned 17.
"I have to go. We cant… They'll find out after tonight."
"How?" Harry looked at his moonlight maiden
"Special spell. I love you Harry Potter. I always will, no matter what happens afterward."
Harry looked at the maiden in his arms. "You mean…."
"Yes, love. They expect me to, and I'll likely end up in worse shape than not if I don't. Predestination, and all of that. But we have tonight, and I suggest we make the most of it."
Harry nodded and the two spent the night intertwined in each other's arms, both afraid to let go. Eventually dawn cracked the sky and Harry lost his moonlight maiden to the world.
He saw her again, a few nights after the attack on Hogwarts. He stood on the Astonomy Tower roof, anger and fear swirling around in his mind. The stirrings of spring and the smell of blooming flowers seemed inappropriate for his stormy soul at the loss of Dumbledore. Then another smell caught his attention and he turned to see his moon maiden once more.
"Harry, lover." She ran at him and they kissed passionately
"I thought that…"
"They aren't monitoring me anymore." His moon maiden declared
Harry kissed her once more. "Are you ok?" he noticed the tears rolling down her face.
"No, but one last night with you before… well before the end will make it all better."
"But I…"
"I don't care Harry. I need you. They've taken away everything else… and they want to take you too. I need you."
The pair spent the night together one last time, and as dawn made her entrance through the window of the Room of Requirement, his moon maiden, basking in the golden hues of dawn stood up and showed her creamy body to him.
"Remember this. Next time you see me it will be different. It will be too late…"
Harry seemed confused, and then realization dawned on him. "No… they cant…"
"They can and they will. I have no choice. Few of us do. "
"We still have at least three hours before we need to be at breakfast… we should enjoy them."
"We should." His moon maiden smiled and returned to his arms. "Remember, Harry. I love you, first, forever and always no matter what."
"I love you too, Pansy. " Harry breathed into his moon maiden's ear, and they enjoyed the last few hours of peace together before the war officially began, a war in which they were on opposing sides.
