Chapter Four

One Nocturnal Meeting

Harry meandered around the castle toward the lake. His eyes were glued to the ground as he walked. He was still pondering who it could be that he was to meet tonight.

Harry mentally went through the list of his classmates again, and again not one of them seemed to be a feasible option. Who the hell is this 'Delectable Mystery' guy? Harry sighed.

Then he groaned. He was doing it again. Getting excited over romance stuff. A sneer painted itself on his face as he walked against the cold wind. He was still angry at himself for giving in to the silliness that was a derivative of Valentine's Day.

Harry sighed. He may have still been very cynical about the atmosphere surrounding this day, but he was still eager to meet the mystery man. He smiled faintly as he heard the soft sound of water on shore. His eyes moved from the ground in front of himself to the lake now to his right. Just visible through the murky water was one of the many residents of the lake, the giant squid. The squid was gliding around, and creating the waves that were licking at the shoreline. Harry could have sworn he saw the vaguest hint of a smile in the squid's huge, fishy eyes. Harry shook the thought from his head and walked on, refocusing his eyes on the frozen ground under his feet.

Finally, he reached the designated meeting spot. He raised his eyes slowly and stifled a gasp.

Standing before him was a tall figure shrouded in a heavy black cloak. If Harry hadn't known better, he would have sworn that the creature before him was a dementor. But even as Harry looked at the figure, he noticed that it was a couple feet shorter than the average height for a dementor. The black figure's frame rose to just shy of six feet, slightly shorter than himself.

"Welcome, Harry," said a raspy voice. It was barely louder than the whisper that Harry had heard in his ear twice that day.

Harry stared at the dark hood that hid the person's face in shadows, making it impossible for Harry to find anything to discover the person's identity.

"You won't be able to see me," rasped the person. "I've done a spell to hide myself from you until I deem it time to be revealed to you."

Harry nodded. "That's not your normal voice, then," he said.

A chuckle escaped from the shadowed hood. The hood swayed almost imperceptibly as the person shook his head. "No, it is not my voice. Right in one as usual, Harry."

Harry stared at the mystery person before him. He shivered a little as the wind licked at the hems of his cloak. He watched as the figure before him shivered too.

"So," started Harry. "Are we going to talk, or shall we just stand here in the lovely February breeze and freeze to death?" He shivered again as another gust of wind rustled his clothes.

"Here, hold on a moment," said the figure. A wand was drawn, a spell whispered, and the air around the pair warmed. Harry was impressed that this person could even brandish a wand without exposing anything that might give away his identity.

Harry smiled slowly. "Thanks," he said. "Now. Are you the 'Delectable Mystery' that sent me the rose and those notes today?"

"Ah, yes." Another chuckle floated to Harry's ears. "You would want to get right down to business, wouldn't you?"

Harry tilted his head to the side. "That is what I usually do. Although, you should know that. It seems you know quite a bit about me."

The hooded figure nodded again. "I do know a bit about you."

Harry waited for the person to speak again, but nothing came. "Are you going to tell me why you sent me those notes today, or what?"

"You want to know why?"

Harry nodded now. "Please."

The Delectable Mystery took a deep breath. "I sent you those things because I wanted you to have a good day today, for once."

"Why wouldn't I have a good day?" asked Harry.

"Oh, come now, Harry. We both know you hate being bombarded with feeling-less love letters filled with empty promises and fruitless offers for sexual favors. And we both know you hate the reason you always get inundated with all those things. You hate being treated 'special' just because you're Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived."

Harry had to concede to this. It was the main reason why he hated Valentine's Day. Meaningless offers and proclamations annoyed him to no end.

The hooded figure continued. "I figured that maybe, for once, you might want to get something from someone that actually cares about more than just the name." Harry's mysterious companion stepped closer to him. "Harry, I thought that for once you might want to be told that someone actually cares about you because of the person you are."

The Delectable Mystery was closing in on Harry now, moving ever closer. "You may have thrown off the Dark Lord as a baby, but that is not the only amazing thing about you."

Harry stared again into the hood. He could still see nothing but shadows. He wished that he could at least look this person in the eye. He stood his ground as his veiled associate came closer still. "What is it that you find so amazing?" he asked.

The mystery man stopped with a small distance still seperating them. He laughed softly. "What do I find so amazing, Harry? You actually have to ask?" The hood swayed again as the person under it shook his head.

Harry looked down at the ground. "Yes," he said softly. A gloved finger lifted Harry's head. Harry looked into the shadows, where he assumed his companion's eyes would be.

"Everything about you is amazing, Harry Potter." The gloved hand fell away from Harry's face and the secretive young man continued. "You have always been so brave. You care. Not just about yourself, but everyone around you as well. You've always cared. Your heart always has room to care about someone else. Your innocence, despite all the horrors you've seen, is still intact. That in itself is remarkable." The mystery man stopped, taking a breath. After a moment, he continued. "Harry, you're selfless. You are prepared to give your life fighting for a belief. You are so strong morally. You never back down, even when it looks as though you are sure to be overtaken. Your sheer determination in any situation is incredible. Whether it be during classes, or during Quidditch, or whatever, you throw yourself in wholeheartedly. You are an incredible person, Harry. And what's more, you don't seem to see any of it. You're humble. You never walk around the school acting as though you own it. You should know that if you asked anything of anyone, they would do it in a heartbeat. Yet you never push your advantage. You are truly the hero everyone thinks you are."

Harry snorted at the last statement, and the raspy voice was silenced. "I'm no hero," said Harry. "I'm just Harry."

"That's exactly what I am talking about. You refuse to believe that you are truly amazing. You are a hero, Harry. But not necessarily just because you've been able to stand your ground against the Dark Lord. No, you are a hero because you care. Because you never step across the line to be the arrogant son-of-a-bitch that you could be. You insist that you are 'just Harry' and that you should be treated as such. The humbleness that radiates from you is astounding. It shows everyone that even though you might be powerful, you don't have to be an ass."

The shrouded figure lowered his head. "Your heart. That's what is so amazing. Your heart is always open. You are always willing to trust. To care. To love. I only hope that one day you might know the kind of love that you truly deserve."

Harry shook his head. "I don't deserve this praise."

The darkness under the hood snapped back up, and Harry could feel eyes boring into him. "Yes, you do, Harry. You deserve so much more." Another laugh floated out from the darkness of the hood. "This is why I love you so much. So naïve. So humble. So amazing."

Harry gasped. "You what?"

The hooded figure before him nodded. "I love you. I have for a long time. I have never been capable of telling you, but I couldn't keep it to myself any longer."

Harry stared again into the dark hood. "Please. Tell me who you are."

The delectable mystery before Harry stood in silence for a while, obviously mulling over the request. Finally, he nodded. "I will. But you must promise me that you won't be upset or angry with me."

Harry nodded. "I promise. I want to know who it is that thinks I am so exceptional." He smiled at his mysterious companion.

The hood bobbed again as the wearer nodded again. "Alright then." The mystery man lowered his head. He whispered, "Finite Incantatem," and the darkness under the hood was gone. Harry could just make out the contours of a nose. Then two hands reached up and gripped at the hood. Slowly, Harry's delectable mystery uncovered his head, and finally revealed himself.

"Oh my God," breathed Harry. "I can't believe it's you."

Harry stared. His eyes took in the face of the young man standing before him. The young man looked back at Harry, hope and worry playing in his eyes.

A smile spread across Harry's lips. Standing before him in the moonlight was the one person he never could have expected in a million years.

One Draco Malfoy.

~*~TBC~*~