It wasn't until almost a month later that Harry got some sign from Malfoy.
He was sitting in the hall, pushing porridge around his plate (he had not
eaten properly since that night), when a small piece of parchment landed on
his desk. Sensing it was private, he slipped it into an inside pocket in
his robes before anyone noticed.
He stayed at the table for as long as was necessary, and then slipped off, muttering something about going to the toilet. He locked himself in a cubicle and opened the note. It read
'Tonight, 11, prefects' bathroom.'
He made a mental note and ripped the note up, flushing it down the toilet. He breezed through the lessons of the day, barely listening, wondering, worrying about tonight. He was pretty sure the note had been from Malfoy, but what if it hadn't? What if it was a joke, and something terrible was going to happen? Harry soon realised that he didn't care. He just needed something to happen.
Harry hadn't been to the prefects' bathroom since his fourth year, when Cedric had offered it to him to help with his clue in the Triwizard Tournament, but he remembered exactly where it was. He reached the fifth floor and found the statue of Boris the Bewildered. He tried the handle, but then remembered that there was a password.
'Um, pine fresh?' he said, tentatively.
The door didn't move. Nothing happened. The password had changed. Harry kicked himself for not asking Ron, or Hermione what the new password was, but then realised that that would just have led to more awkward questions. He stood in the passageway, not sure what to do. It was only 5 to 11. Maybe Malfoy would get there soon and open the door, and let them both in. Or maybe Malfoy was already in there, waiting for him. Or maybe Malfoy wasn't coming at all. He had done that once before. Said that he would meet him, and then not turned up, but sent Filch after him. Harry grew more and more worried, wishing he had brought the invisibility cloak. He decided he would wait until 10 past 11, and then go back to Gryffindor tower.
At exactly 11 o'clock, Harry felt a tap on his shoulder. He jumped, and whipped around, wand in hand. He was confronted with Malfoy's grinning face, and put his wand away. Saying nothing, Malfoy slid past him and opened the door. Harry followed him inside the bathroom, and closed the door behind him.
The room was very different from how it was last time he had seen it. The bath itself had shrunk to the proportions of a large, but normal, bathtub. It was lit by a small army of candles, which crowded almost every surface, and soft music floated through the air. The toilet, sink, and any other traces of a normal bathroom had disappeared.
As Harry took all this in, Malfoy leaned against the bath, still silent. Eventually Harry realised someone would have to say something.
'So. Why did you ask me to come here?'
'I didn't. You chose to come. I just told you where I'd be.'
'What do you want me to do?'
'Well, that's up to you. What do you want to do?'
'I want. . .'
Harry stopped, and realised he didn't know what he wanted. He had been thinking about this moment for almost a month, but had never thought about what he would do, what he would say, when it came down to it.
And then he realised.
'I want you.'
He stayed at the table for as long as was necessary, and then slipped off, muttering something about going to the toilet. He locked himself in a cubicle and opened the note. It read
'Tonight, 11, prefects' bathroom.'
He made a mental note and ripped the note up, flushing it down the toilet. He breezed through the lessons of the day, barely listening, wondering, worrying about tonight. He was pretty sure the note had been from Malfoy, but what if it hadn't? What if it was a joke, and something terrible was going to happen? Harry soon realised that he didn't care. He just needed something to happen.
Harry hadn't been to the prefects' bathroom since his fourth year, when Cedric had offered it to him to help with his clue in the Triwizard Tournament, but he remembered exactly where it was. He reached the fifth floor and found the statue of Boris the Bewildered. He tried the handle, but then remembered that there was a password.
'Um, pine fresh?' he said, tentatively.
The door didn't move. Nothing happened. The password had changed. Harry kicked himself for not asking Ron, or Hermione what the new password was, but then realised that that would just have led to more awkward questions. He stood in the passageway, not sure what to do. It was only 5 to 11. Maybe Malfoy would get there soon and open the door, and let them both in. Or maybe Malfoy was already in there, waiting for him. Or maybe Malfoy wasn't coming at all. He had done that once before. Said that he would meet him, and then not turned up, but sent Filch after him. Harry grew more and more worried, wishing he had brought the invisibility cloak. He decided he would wait until 10 past 11, and then go back to Gryffindor tower.
At exactly 11 o'clock, Harry felt a tap on his shoulder. He jumped, and whipped around, wand in hand. He was confronted with Malfoy's grinning face, and put his wand away. Saying nothing, Malfoy slid past him and opened the door. Harry followed him inside the bathroom, and closed the door behind him.
The room was very different from how it was last time he had seen it. The bath itself had shrunk to the proportions of a large, but normal, bathtub. It was lit by a small army of candles, which crowded almost every surface, and soft music floated through the air. The toilet, sink, and any other traces of a normal bathroom had disappeared.
As Harry took all this in, Malfoy leaned against the bath, still silent. Eventually Harry realised someone would have to say something.
'So. Why did you ask me to come here?'
'I didn't. You chose to come. I just told you where I'd be.'
'What do you want me to do?'
'Well, that's up to you. What do you want to do?'
'I want. . .'
Harry stopped, and realised he didn't know what he wanted. He had been thinking about this moment for almost a month, but had never thought about what he would do, what he would say, when it came down to it.
And then he realised.
'I want you.'