6th Year, January
The rain was streaming down the windows and the wind was howling around the walls. It felt as though it would never end – three days of gales now. Despite the size of the castle, everyone was beginning to get edgy, feeling cooped up. Arguments were breaking out everywhere. Harry left the common room when Ron and Seamus nearly came to blows over a game of exploding snap. He needed somewhere quiet and thought he knew where, if only no one got there first. Eventually he reached the corridor outside the Room of Requirement, and began to pace up and down.
Just as the door appeared he heard someone behind him, and turned quickly.
"Oh it's you again. I just needed to get away from all those arguments for a while."
"Me too. What are you doing?"
"You know about the Room of Requirement?"
"I've heard rumours. Is this it?"
"Yes, come on in," and Harry led the way in. This time it was a small comfortable sitting room. There was a roaring fire in the hearth, and a thick rug in front of it, two comfortable looking armchairs near a low table, and thick curtains drawn over the windows.
Draco and Harry sat in the armchairs and smiled at each other. Although they hadn't spoken alone since Christmas, and in class Draco was still using his old arrogant persona, the silence was friendly. The logs in the fire shifted and settled, sending sparks up the chimney and breaking the silence.
"Hey, we should make toast! I remember my mother doing that on days like this!"
"How?" asked Harry, never having made toast without a Muggle toaster.
"We need toasting forks, and bread, and butter, and ….. Oh, I suppose we can't." Draco looked disappointed.
"Yes we can. That's what the room does. Just think about what you need and the room gives it to you," Harry explained.
Draco closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, on the table were toasting forks, bread slices, dishes of butter and honey and jam, everything you could need for spending a cosy time in front of the fire. There was even a jug of hot chocolate. Quickly Draco showed Harry what to do, and the two sat on the rug in front of the fire making toast. Although Harry's first slice ended up rather black, they soon had a pile of toast and began to eat.
Finally Harry felt he had eaten enough. He turned to look at Draco and started to laugh.
"What? Why are you laughing?"
"The perfect Draco Malfoy has got toast crumbs round his mouth!" Harry just could not stop giggling, even as Draco narrowed his eyes and glared at him.
"Yeah? Well the great Harry Potter has got butter smeared on his chin so that makes us even!" As he said that Draco began to rub the back of his hand over his mouth to remove the crumbs, and then licked his lips to check that he had got them all.
"You've missed a couple," and Harry leaned closer, using a finger to rub some crumbs from Draco's cheek. Draco looked up into Harry's eyes, opening his mouth as if to say something but no words came out. Harry closed the remaining distance and pressed his lips to Draco's mouth. Nothing else, just the slightest pressure. Pulling back he looked into Draco's grey eyes again waiting for a reaction; Draco's face was totally blank for a moment. Then his hand moved; he touched Harry's chin and wiped off the butter, bringing his finger back to his own lips and licking it. Still holding Harry's eyes, Draco leaned forward and kissed him. The pressure was stronger this time, and then Harry felt the tip of Draco's tongue asking for entrance, which he quickly granted. Draco's hands were holding Harry's face gently; Harry's hands found their way around Draco's waist. Slowly they began to explore each other's mouths.
It seemed like forever that they kissed, learning each other's flavours and textures. Eventually their mouths separated and they rested their foreheads together.
"That was ……."
"Yeah," Harry sighed. "Another memory that I'll never forget."
''''''''''''''
6th Year, February 14th
"Come on Ron – time to wake up!" Harry shook Ron's shoulder for the third time. He really was impossible to wake in the mornings!
"Go 'way! Five minutes more!" and Ron rolled over.
"Gentlemen, this calls for extreme measures!" Seamus looked at the other occupants of the dorm, all of whom were fully dressed. "On a count of three. One…..two……three!" Dean and Seamus pulled the bed covers off, Neville used a frost charm on Ron's feet and Harry squeezed water from the facecloth over Ron's head and shoulders.
"Argggh! Alright, I'm awake! Let me alone!" Ron glared at all of them. "Why did you do that?"
"Breakfast, Ron. And it's Valentine's Day. We need to get there early to see who gets the most cards," said Dean.
"It'll be Harry. With all those people outside the school as well as the girls here, he always gets the most!" This was true, though rather embarrassing. Harry always did get a lot of cards from totally unknown senders. Ron was dressing quickly while the others talked.
"Tell you what, I'll disqualify my external post, and just count the ones delivered by school owls. Then you can see who gets the most."
"Okay," said Seamus. "So who's everyone picking? I bet it's Malfoy"
"Eew. Lisa Turpin," offered Ron.
"Ginny," said Harry.
Seamus scribbled their choices onto a small piece of parchment, adding Dean and Neville's choices too.
"Right," he said, "Each of us counts the one we've picked, and then we check Harry's total from school only. Next Hogsmeade trip the winner gets treated by each of us. Now, let's go to breakfast," and with that they left the dorm.
Having collected Hermione and Ginny on the way, the Gryffindor sixth years quickly occupied their usual places at the long table and ate. Then the sound of hundreds of pairs of wings alerted everyone to the arrival of the post. Harry could hear Seamus counting, presumably the owls lined up in front of Malfoy, as Ginny took cards from the four owls in front of her. Ron made a surprised noise as a school owl offered him a card, and Harry noticed Hermione smile secretively as Ron opened it. Harry as expected had a long line of owls, and he took each card as quickly as he could, setting them in two piles depending on whether they were brought by school owls or strangers. Eventually all the owls left the Great Hall and the buzz of conversation started up again.
"Right, Harry, how many?" Seamus asked.
"Ginny got four, and I got five from in school, though one doesn't look like a proper card," replied Harry, picking up the small pile of envelopes. He decided not to open the larger pile until there were fewer people around AND he had his wand ready. If there was a singing card like last year he did NOT want to be embarrassed like that again!
"Okay so that means Malfoy got the most, with thirteen, and you lot all owe me! So I'll start thinking what you can buy me in Hogsmeade," and Seamus grinned and happily left the Hall with Dean and Neville.
Harry began to open the five cards that he was holding, leaving the slightly odd looking one till last. He soon had four typical Valentine cards in front of him; the usual pulsating hearts and moving cupids. While he didn't know who sent them, he suspected one was from Ginny. Then he turned to the last envelope. It was much smaller than the others, and whatever was in it felt loose, as though it was too small for the envelope.
As he opened it a sprig of heather fell out, and then a Muggle postcard. It showed a view of the mountains near Hogwarts, their lower slopes covered with heather, set against a bright blue sky. Turning it over, he found the words "Another memory for you" written on the back. Looking across the room, he nodded to the blond seated at the Slytherin table, receiving a nod in return. This was a memory he would keep forever.
''''''''''''
TBC
A/N I am currently stuck on the next scene, but hope to update soon. I know where this is going, but I'm not sure how to get there.