Chapter Three – The Table for Two

"So what should we do after we eat? Did you want to take a stroll out by the Shrieking Shack?"

"That sounds wonderful. Oh, but it'll be so cold."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'll keep you warm."

Harry almost gagged at the exchange. He was currently walking behind his two best friends towards the Great Hall for lunch. Listening to them plan their romantic evening together wasn't very high on his to do list. Suddenly, he didn't feel very hungry anymore. Harry slowed his pace as the other two, trapped in their own little world, walked on. When it was clear, he turned back around and headed out into the courtyard.

The icy winds of winter pecked at his cheeks as he walked out onto the snow-covered grounds. He looked out to the lake and sighed.

'I hate being alone on Valentine's Day. Everyone's so caught up with each other making the lonely ones only too aware of their singularity.' Harry bent over a rail that separated him from the long drop down. He rested his head in his right hand and frowned. 'Before, I had Cho and Ginny to distract me. But now, in my last year of classes, there are no distractions. Just me and myself.'

Harry watched his breath dance in front of his eyes. He thought about the two girls. 'I thought I liked Cho and I probably did at one point. But then she got so jealous for nothing because of Hermione. And I thought I liked Ginny at one point, but… she's more like a sister to me than anything.'

Harry flipped over, leaning back against the rail. He closed his eyes, folding his arms over his chest. 'And since then, no one's really sparked my interest. Ron and Hermione are so lucky that they have each other. And it's not just for Valentine's Day either. If either of them is upset about anything, they have each other. And I know that they're my friends and will support me during anything, but it's not the same. I just wish I could find someone for myself.'

Harry opened his eyes and looked at his shoes in the snow. The white reminded him of the lilies he saw in the field yesterday afternoon. Thinking about the flower brought a small smile to his lips. They were just so nice with their simplicity.

'Malfoy was actually pretty nice, too. He even thanked me in the end. If he acts that way with his crush, I don't think he'd have too hard of a time succeeding. I wonder why he thinks I can be of help to him.' Harry thought hard. 'All of his friends are from pureblooded families; rich kids. Maybe… maybe Malfoy's crush isn't that well off. That sort of makes sense. I would think that a person with a rich background would have expensive tastes, but maybe someone of lesser means would like other things. Maybe Malfoy figures I'm not that well off.' The boy chuckled. 'Well, by Muggle standards, I'm rather worthless. But in this world, I have my own small fortune from my parents and the Black family. I wonder how much Malfoy's worth…'

Harry didn't know when his smile had gone from tiny smirk to a full grin, but he suddenly didn't feel so down anymore. And despite the bitter cold from the winter air, he felt a little warm inside.

'I should go back inside before I freeze out here.' Feeling better than he had when he first stepped out, Harry left the frozen courtyard and went back inside the school. 'The Formosa Lily…' Harry smiled and hurried to find his friends.

---

Harry was pissed. He had been feeling pretty good since stepping outside earlier during lunch. Everything seemed to be going great, but things took a turn for the worse during his last class of the day. He wasn't exactly sure why he was standing outside the Room of Requirement today, especially after what had happened in Potions.

Malfoy was his usual annoying self again. This time, while working on a potion with Seamus Finnegan, the Slytherin thought it would be hilarious to drop in a special ingredient. Just as Harry turned to add the last element to the bubbling cauldron, the contents exploded, launching the purple substance at the golden boy. All the Slytherins laughed, as did a handful of other students in the class. And to top it all off, he lost twenty points from his house for a failed potion.

Harry spent the next half hour trying to get the purple goop out of his hair.

And now he stared angrily at the empty wall that was the entrance to the Room of Requirement, wondering just what the heck he was going to do when he saw the blonde bastard.

"Sorry I'm late, but I had to make some arrangements in the kitchens, and plus I knew you would need the extra time to clean up that-"

Harry rounded the Slytherin as he walked up, hands clenched in fists and face contorted into a sneer. "You've got some nerve, Malfoy."

The other boy smirked and waved his hand. "It was a prank, Potter. Get over it."

"I will not! You humiliated me in front of our entire class, you got me and Seamus a bad mark for the day, and you cost us house points!"

"Look. I know what will make it better." Malfoy reached into his satchel and pulled out a lily. "Here. I noticed you didn't take one yesterday and I know you really liked them so I-"

"Argh!" Harry growled. He walked in a tiny circle, running his hands through his hair before rounding up on the Slytherin once more. "You don't get to do that, Malfoy," Harry seethed. He was torn. He was angry with the other for what had happened in class, but he was also surprised and heartened by gesture. It only served to fluster Harry even more.

"What?"

"You can't be mean to me one second and then be nice the next. I can't do it. If you want my help, act like it. Stop messing with me."

Malfoy's face was serious. "All right, Potter. I get it."

"So?"

"So… fine. No more pranks."

Harry exhaled. "Good."

The two stood in a rather awkward silence. Harry felt that he needed to say something, but he didn't exactly know what. He had just blown up at the boy. He was still riding out the waves of frustration. But Malfoy had readily agreed to back off, so Harry was relieved, but he found he couldn't really look the blonde in the eye just yet. He looked at the flower instead, still in Malfoy's hands. "You- um… you picked it… for me?"

The other boy, who had been looking solemnly at the ground, looked at the lily and then at Harry. "Yeah…" he murmured. "I… thought you'd like to have one." He held it up to the brunette.

Harry was a mix of emotions. He was frustrated and relieved, and now he felt the tiniest bit of exuberance in knowing that Malfoy had thought of him, and not in a negative sort of way. Malfoy had committed a kind act for Harry. It was enough to let Harry forgive the boy.

He took the flower and smiled at it. He looked back up at Malfoy. "…Thanks."

The blonde just nodded slightly. "Well, come on. They'll be waiting for us by now."

"Who?"

"Just… come on."

Malfoy walked up and down the corridor, concentrating on the room he needed. When it was ready, the two walked in.

Harry was kind of disappointed when he entered the Room of Requirement with Malfoy today. Yesterday there was a huge field of flowers in a bright and sunny afternoon. Today, there was only a small table with two chairs and another small table off to the side.

"Well, sit down," Malfoy half-demanded.

Harry did as he was told and took the seat across from the blonde. "What are we doing today?" He asked.

"I want to know what kind of food to eat on Valentine's. You're going to help me decide what to get."

"But what if your crush doesn't like what I pick?"

"Unless they're allergic to whatever you choose, I doubt there'd be much of a problem. It's food."

"Well… true, but what makes you so sure that your crush would like what I like?"

"You're very… similar."

"How so?"

"Potter, just eat. I'm not going to tell you who it is, so stop prying."

Harry frowned. "Fine."

Apparently, the small table off to the side was connected to a table in the kitchens so that food would magically appear. The portions were small so that Harry and Malfoy could taste them all and not get full. They tried three different entrees: seafood, a steak, and pasta. After gulping down some water to clear his palette, Harry suddenly felt happy that he didn't get a chance to each much during lunch period, otherwise he would've felt incredibly stuffed.

"I don't know. They were all good."

"There had to be one better than the rest."

"Well then… I guess, the steak."

"You guess?"

"I told you, I don't know."

"Come on, Potter. You're supposed to be helping me."

"Well, I don't know!"

Malfoy shook his head dejectedly. "Well what do you think? If you were going out to have dinner with your girlfriend, where would you want to go?"

"Honestly? This is supposed to be a romantic evening with your special someone, right? I wouldn't go anywhere."

"What?"

"I guess… I've always been fonder of home cooked meals. I mean, not back home where all I get is toast and jam, but whenever I stayed with the Weasleys, I always loved eating whatever Mrs. Weasley cooked up for us. Despite how cheesy it sounds, everything just tasted better because I knew that she was cooking with love. I never got that at my home. So when I do have it, I love it."

A look of concern and dread came over Malfoy's features. "Are you seriously suggesting that I cook on Valentine's Day?"

"Well, no. See! This is why this doesn't work. I have my own opinions about things and my reasons are far different from any one else's. I say pasta, she'll say fish! This won't work."

Malfoy sat back in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest, and closed his eyes. He was solemn.

Harry bit his lip. 'Great… now look what I did… he just wants my opinion. It's not like he's going to decide everything based on my answers. I can't forget that.' He looked up at the other boy. "I'm sorry. That's not helping, I know. I… really liked the way it was seasoned… the steak, I mean."

One silver eye opened after the other and met with Harry's green irises.

Harry continued. "Pasta's messy most of the time, so your date would probably be worried about that… and the same goes for any sort of shellfish. It may be fun at home, but no one really wants to be seen going hands-on with their food at a fancy restaurant."

Malfoy moved to say something, but decided not to. Instead he looked at Harry. "Thank you."

Harry let out the small breath he'd been holding. He offered the other boy a small smile. "You're welcome."

---

That night, just as the boys in his dorm drifted off to sleep, Harry placed his lily on his nightstand. He stared at it contently before removing his glasses to lay them down next the flower.

He wasn't exactly sure how tomorrow would go now that Malfoy had promised to be good. But for whatever reason, Harry felt a little excited. He and Malfoy had a mutual agreement to not torture one another. And when Malfoy wasn't being a jerk, he wasn't terrible company. He seemed genuinely interested in Harry's opinions. And though Harry doubted that the two could become the greatest of friends, he felt that there was a light possibility that they would no longer be enemies. It was this thought that made Harry smile. Tomorrow couldn't come sooner.

Author's Notes: Harry seems to be a bit emotional, no? A little too sensitive, perhaps? Well… he's frustrated. He's lonely and as it turns out, the person he's spending more and more time with is Malfoy. That's gotta be confusing, right? He's just a confused teenager. Haha. I don't know what else to say. So… Hello!