Author: Masqued

Summary: Harry wants to study to become an Auror. Draco wants to get away from his friends. The Room of Requirement finds new meaning. Harry Draco

Title: The Room of Requirement

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Just the usual. I don't own any of the Harry Potter books, so don't bother yelling at me for it. But, I do own the plot.

The Room of Requirement

By: Masqued

On: 1/26-27/05

--

"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired." – Robert Frost.

--

The roar of thunder in the clouded sky was Harry's alarm for the late-November Saturday morning. He'd planned on getting up early by the by, and six o'clock was sufficient enough for him. Though Saturday's were usually devoted to Quidditch and his teammates, Harry found the need to pay attention to his studies and the call to be an Auror far greater than his want to be a famous Quidditch Seeker. Ron, one of Harry's best friends at Hogwarts, wasn't too pleased with the idea, especially because it was studying, which was never quite the companion of Harry's less academically-centered friend. Of course, once Quidditch was a part of Ron's life, academics went completely out the window, much with his patience, and he was now rather irritated by Harry's growing want for knowledge. Thankfully, Harry could confide in his other best friend, the total opposite of Ron, Hermione Granger, who was more than happy to help drill Harry in his studies.

Harry was thankful for the chance to make his way down to breakfast before he had to be badgered by Ron's complaining about missing practice, which, oddly enough, was well accepted by every other player on the Quidditch team, even the captain, who, in some impossible way, had channeled the surge to win just as any previous captain of the team. Thinking it over, Harry fought hard against the urge to become captain the following year when their current captain will have already graduated from the school. His urge to be an Auror over-powered his urge to be a Quidditch captain, and thankfully, the feeling was mutual between him and the remaining members of the Quidditch team.

Harry's brow furrowed. He was thinking far too much about Quidditch and far too little about his studies, which he'd set the day aside for. Settling at the Gryffindor table, Harry's attention averted from Quidditch and studies to food, which was appearing on his plate very slowly. Whilst buttering his very dry rye-bread toast, Harry noticed the other members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team making their way into the meal room, brooms slung over their shoulders. Each member seemed equally uneager to be in the meal room so early in the morning, Ron seeming to be the most reluctant to be up at such an 'un-godly hour of the morning' as he often called it, as they all sauntered to the mostly empty table. Harry smirked as Ron plopped heavily onto the seat beside him.

"It's too early – too damn early!" Ron seethed while angrily taking hold of a piece of toast on his plate. Harry's soft chuckling went unheard beside the muttered ramblings of the fiery red-head beside him. "I swear, you're one lucky bastard to," Ron looked to Harry and nearly leapt out of his skin. "What the hell are you doing up?! You have a free pass from practice!" Harry's laughter grew as he watched his best friend leap out of his sit and grip him by the shoulders. "You should still be in bed, you lucky bastard!" Harry's laughter still grew. Ron released his hands from Harry's round shoulders and plopped down again beside his best friend.

"Unlike you, Ron, I feel the need to get an early start on my studies." Ron's bewilderment caused Harry to double over laughter and nearly choke on the remnants of his half-chewed toast.

"Has Hermione taken over your body?" Ron grabbed Harry's head and examined it; "Has she implanted herself in your mind?" He ran a finger over Harry's skull as if checking for stitches after brain surgery. Harry was attempting to swallow his food and control his laughter. Ah, the properties of multi-tasking at work.

"Ron, I want to be an Auror, remember?" Ron sighed and looked down to his plate.

"I remember." He muttered and shoved the edge of his fork into his porridge. Harry let out one last soft laugh before finishing off the last bit of crust of his toast.

"Well, if you don't mind me, I'm off to study. Have fun at practice, guys!" Harry patted Ron on the shoulder and waved to his teammates before slowly trotting out of the cafeteria.

Walking down the slowly filling corridor, Harry pondered something he'd been thinking about the night before. As much as he wanted Hermione's help, he also wanted to be independent – be able to say that he'd proved himself to be the best of his ability all on his own. Hermione had actually mentioned that he should take the liberty of studying on his own. Now, the original idea was to go outside and study beneath the usual birch tree, but the weather had soiled his plans. Still wanting to be alone, Harry knew for a fact that his dormitory wouldn't be the best place – he had too good of a view of the Quidditch arena and wouldn't be able to concentrate. The common room would be littered with people, so the idea of that wouldn't prove itself useful either.

Exasperated at having to plan so much to simply study, Harry threw himself onto the common room's worn couch and stretched his body out. He really did need a place to study, a place to hide - a place no one would think of.

As if a light bulb had appeared over his head, Harry's mind flashed a very familiar room and its whereabouts in his mind. Of course, to be on the safe side, he would tell only one person that he could trust. Or, at least, leave her a note. He couldn't wait for too long, considering Hermione wouldn't be awake for at least another hour given the time it was, and needed to get to his destination before some first years or a random teacher found their way into where he was expecting to go.

Clambering up the steps that led to the boy's dormitory, Harry swept passed the open door of his sleeping chambers and lunged for his trunk. Thankfully, Neville was already out and about and Seamus and Dean hadn't woken up yet. They were both rather sound sleepers, so Harry was positive that they wouldn't stir if he were to pour through his trunk for his invisibility cloak.

Throwing open the trunks top, Harry dove into his possessions and produced a silky cloak that was hidden at the bottom beneath one of the five sweater's he'd received from Mrs. Weasley every Christmas over the past years. Harry tossed the cloak over his shoulder and gently set the top of the trunk down. After making sure, just for good measure, that Seamus and Dean were still sound asleep, Harry pulled the cloak over his head and watched everything from the neck down disappear. He smiled at his vanished body then pulled the cloth over his head and turned to see nothing in the mirror. He smirked, though unable to see it, and turned sharply to exit. On his way out, he strode passed his books and scooped them into his arms and carried them beneath the cloak as well.

Taking his time down the steps, Harry turned his attention to a piece of parchment on top of his books that he was scribbling frantically on. A short note was written to Hermione, as to not make her worry at his whereabouts, and he folded it. Scratching across the front of the fold, Harry wrote out "Hermione" and then beneath it, 'Aparecium'. He knew he didn't need to, but just incase, he wrote it to remind her. Then again, Hermione was a bright girl, so he scribbled the word out to not allow any other member of Gryffindor read the note he'd written and intrude on his studying.

Casting a wary glance at the few occupants of the common room, Harry gently placed the note onto the table while two second years were scribbling furiously at their homework, too deep in thought to notice the floating piece of parchment that now lay to rest beside them. Harry sighed with pleasure as they ignored the parchment, but just to make sure that Hermione would receive the letter, he whistled.

The girl at the table, a bright girl with blond hair and clear blue eyes, shot her head up and looked around. The boy that sat across from her refused to pay attention to the whistle, or perhaps had not heard it at all, but did glance up momentarily to see what the girl was looking at. The girl shrugged, but managed to notice the note.

"Oh! A note for Hermione! Sam, I'll be right back – I'm going to go give this to her before I forget to." She looked at the note and opened it to see what the contents were, but was surprised to see absolutely nothing. Her left eyebrow rose in suspicion, but she used her better judgment on the matter and raced up the steps to the girl's dormitory to had Hermione the letter she'd found.

Harry smiled and reassured himself that Hermione would be satisfied with the note. Letting out another whistle to see if the boy wasn't paying attention at all, Harry let out a rather audible laugh that made the small boy's head shoot around for a second. Harry reached his fingers over his mouth to suppress the laughter and strode off, carefully watching his feet as not to trip on the cloak.

Striding down the hallway, Harry watched as people walked passed him, not even giving him the slightest of glances. A sigh of relief washed over him as he relished in the fact that he would, for once, walk down a crowded hallway without being stared at, pointed out, giggled at, or whispered about. A group of third years were striding passed him with their hands waving maniacally as they went on about something.

"…And then Cho just fell! Straight onto her…" Harry lost interest. It was satisfying enough to hear that the girl had fallen. Yes, harsh, but Harry had feigned interest in the girl after their first experience together for only so long. She'd become too weepy, too fast, and Harry didn't need the pressure of her emotional problems on top of his. So, their first encounter was their last, and he was very comfortable keeping it that way.

He shook his invisible head, clearing his mind of thoughts of the girl of his past and looked up to the destination that he'd been searching for. Passing it once, then turning, re-passed it again, then turned one last time, and passed it again, and a door appeared. He smiled, gripped the door knob, looked left to right, then strode into the door and closed it softly behind him.

Shaking off the robe, Harry glanced around the dimly lit 'Room of Requirement'. A petite, wooden desk stood in the middle of the room, a burgundy golden trimmed armchair sitting beneath it. Harry placed his robe over his shoulder again and strode quickly to the chair. With a loud bang, he dropped his books onto the desk. A little ways in front of the desk was a blazing fire, cackling with freshly placed wood. Harry sank into the chair and pulled one of his books forward, 'Magical Drafts and Potions', and flipped to the page he'd left off on.

Tracing his finger lightly down the page, Harry swept his fingers across a line he'd circled with his quill. Taking his glasses from the bridge of his nose, Harry squinted for a second and began to read down the passage, soaking in as much as he could. His eyes would read a few lines, and he would race his quill over the parchment to his right. Read, race. Read, race. Read, race. This went on for at least twenty minutes before Harry felt he'd 'absorbed' enough information from the book that lay flat on his lap.

"Curse Snape," was all that emitted Harry's pink lips as he snapped the book closed. "And curse potions, as well." He added bitterly and placed the book down onto the desk next to the pile of books he'd brought. He sighed and pulled up his Transfiguration book up next.

"A chair to an octopus? How on earth is that ever going to be useful?!"

--

"Come on Draco!" Blaise Zabini was tugging at the hem of Draco's robes, attempting to pull the blond out of the common room faster.

"Blaise, you blundering git, would you let me go?" Draco snapped, grabbing his robes from his best friend's fingers.

"Oh, snappy, snappy!" Blaise grinned to Draco and lazily draped his arm over the blond boy's shoulders. "Something wrong, Malfoy?"

"No, and don't touch me, Zabini." Draco brushed Blaise's arm from his shoulders. "Do you want to eat or not?" Blaise held his hands up defensively.

"Hey, no need to ask me twice!" The two started down for the cafeteria. Blaise was rambling on about something, but Draco tuned the boy out as he considered ways of secluding himself for the day. All he'd been able to do for the past few days was be attacked by Pansy and Blaise and therefore be forced into sitting with the two idiots for hours at a time, getting absolutely nothing substantial done.

Blaise snatched a handful of Draco's robes; the blond was about to walk right passed the cafeteria. "Come on, you almost passed it," he muttered into Draco's ear. The blond still seemed to not be listening whatsoever. Blaise didn't care, though. That's why he and Draco were best friends – Draco would never bother to chatter on about useless gossip, and Blaise would barely ever listen to anything but his own, lustrous voice.

Draco scanned the table. Oh, how wonderful, Pansy was already there. He could only put on the façade of caring for so long, and it was beginning to wear off because of the forced amount of time he was put with her.

"Draco, so you decided to show up." The pig-faced girl muttered, giving the blond a wavering glance. "What took you so long?" Draco ignored her and pulled his toast to his mouth.

"Oh, you know him Pansy… hair has to be perfect, or else little Draco has a fit." Blaise teased, giving Draco the gentlest of nudges in his ribs. Draco shot the boy a glare. Blaise simply chuckled in return.

"I'm going for a walk. I'll meet you guys back in the common room." With that, Draco had lifted himself from the table, piece of toast in hand, and was out of the meal room.

He walked down the corridor, definitively in the opposite direction of his common room. The less amount of time he had to spend with them, the better. And it wasn't that he wasn't proud to be a Slytherin, he was quite proud of his House, but when someone needed to be alone and be with themselves in times other than sleep and were not given that time, the chances of said person snapping and loosing all sanity were very, very close.

A group of third year Hufflepuffs hurried passed him, muttering something or other that was in gibberish and therefore of no concern to him. Draco only lifted his ear to gossip that either concerned him, or concerned "The Golden Boy", Harry Potter. Any juicy tales of the boy were worth any amount of time, especially if they were scandalous and true. He prided himself on being one of the first to every one of Harry's accusations, and knew a lot more than common Hogwarts students.

Shuffling passed another group of third years that were giggling madly about some boy, Draco sneered to himself, wondering why Potter had come up in his mind so eagerly. There was no real reason for it and he almost felt the need to scold himself for subjecting his mind to something so nonessential to his early morning thought process.

"Draco! Draco!" Pansy was racing down the hallway in pursuit of the tall blond. His eyes widened but he kept a steady pace of walking as though he hadn't heard anything. The girl's footsteps grew dangerously close to where Draco was, but he just reached a corner and made a sharp turn. Ironically, there was a slight indent in the wall, big enough to hide him from the oncoming female that apparently was seeking his company.

"Draco?" The girl looked from side to side and Draco took in a sharp breath, sucking his stomach up as not to allow it to protrude forward to show his thin figure to her gaze. "Hmm. Where'd he go?" She shrugged and started to run down the hallway, shouting his name. Still, Draco dare not move in fear she would hear him or catch him from the corner of her eye. Conveniently, there was a door to his left and he prayed anxiously in hopes that it was open. Grabbing hold of the door knob, he gave the door a gentle shove and squeezed into the small opening, gazing through the thin slit before shutting it and resting his forehead against the wooden frame.

"Thank Merlin," he muttered, and turned to look at the room he'd just entered, immediately freezing.

--

Harry heard a few shouts from the hallway, but turned a deaf ear to them and continued his reading. The passage he was traversing through was actually very fascinating and he could barely tear his eyes away from it in fear of missing a word or losing his place and train of thought.

"'And within the transformation, the DNA of the body will have virtually altered itself as to create a new strand which would allow the transformer to become-'" Harry's reading halted as the door to his secret study room was opened. A flash of a figure blurred passed Harry's unfocused as. Black robes fluttered around a thin frame as it rested against the door frame.

"Thank Merlin," a voice that sounded far off muttered. Harry grabbed his glassed and pulled them onto his nose to examine the intruder. Said intruder turned around to look around the room and froze, staring directly at Harry.

"Potter?" Harry raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Yes?" Draco Malfoy straightened up and examined the room.

"Hiding from your friends?" Harry rolled his eyes.

"No, Malfoy, I do believe that's what you're doing." Draco stiffened and narrowed his eyelids, glaring through slits at the brunette in front of him.

Harry, though he had been reading, could not mistaken the shrill screams outside the very precarious voice of Pansy Parkinson, who, in Harry's mind, would never be etched from his memory because of the mere horror she imposed by her appearance. She'd obviously been following Draco and the blond was obviously determined to escape her.

"What are you doing in here?" Draco asked curiously, quickly switching the conversation from him to his whereabouts. His eyes scanned the room and then flicked back to Harry, still a little confused by the room's sudden appearance.

"I'm studying…" Harry's shifty eyed-glance turned to the books on the table and the book in his hand. "Auror studies."

"You? An Auror? Don't make me laugh, Potter!" Draco stared indignantly at Harry as he approached the desk the brunette was sitting at.

"All right than, Malfoy, I won't. Now, if you wouldn't mind-"

"Is this room a common room?" Draco cut Harry off and Harry raised his left eyebrow again.

"No, in fact, it's not. I'm surprised you don't remember this room." It was Draco's turn to raise an eyebrow in question. Remember this room? There was nothing special about the room, it was dimly lit and poorly decorated. In fact, the dank and moody appearance gave a vintage feel that Draco did find minutely familiar.

Harry let out a sigh.

"Obviously not. It was the room that you and your little squad caught us in that one day when we'd had a meeting?" Draco's eyes sparked for a second.

"Oh, right, I remember. You and your lame friends the Weasel and the Mudblood." Harry growled.

"If all you're going to do is persecute my friends, you can do it elsewhere, because I won't take it. Out." Harry stood from where he was sitting. There was a tiny glance of worry over Draco's features, but he covered it up with a sneer.

"And what if I don't want to leave? What are you going to do about that?" Harry sighed. He couldn't throw Draco out, because if he did, his whereabouts would be noticed by at least someone, and he'd be forced to leave. But if Draco didn't leave, there was a great chance that only one of the two would leave the room alive. Plus, he would most likely not get any studying done.

"Nothing. Fine, stay if you want, but quiet. I'm studying." Harry flopped back down into his seat and pulled the Transfiguration book in front of him again retracing his finger to line he'd left off on.

"What is it you're studying?" Draco strode over to the desk and leaned onto the wood to peer into Harry's book. Letting out a reluctant sigh, Harry turned his immense green eyes to stare at Draco.

"Transfiguration." Harry then proceeded to pull his glasses off his face to read better.

A wave of emotion swam over Draco's stomach. He searched the brunette's face, noticing the way it changed with the absence of glasses. Harry was ignoring his staring, ignoring the suave blond that had the ability to swoon anyone. Harry was ignoring Draco, and Draco didn't like it.

"You should do that more often." He needed to break the silence. Harry let out an irritated sigh.

"What, Malfoy? Do what?" His spectacle free green eyes shot up to Draco, throwing him off guard. Without his glasses, Harry had striking features. Emerald eyes complimented a very lightly tanned face. Black, silky locks flopped against his forehead, adding a strikingly sexy aura around the boy. He radiated sensuality, even if he didn't mean to.

"Take your glasses off, it flatters you more when you don't wear them," Draco muttered absently, tracing a finger around Harry's eyes. Harry raised his eyebrow yet again in suspicion to why Draco was, not only complimenting his features, but caressing his face as well.

"Thanks. Now, if you don't mind?" Harry held the book up for Draco to see what he was doing. Draco, who was utterly disappointed with the effect his compliment made, slumped down to sitting on the desk.

What was he doing? Why was he complimenting Harry Potter? What in him was making him change his emotions so quickly? Had he really spent that much time with Pansy and Blaise that he'd officially lost his mind and could no longer contain his emotions around anyone? If that was the case, the real question was whether or not he had feelings for Harry Potter.

Slinking away from the table, Draco's absence caused Harry to miss the boy. A little. But he shook away that feeling and attempted to concentrate on his studying again. He needed to study his book, his notes, his golden hair and gray eyes… Harry snapped. He needed to stop that, which was for sure.

"'When transforming…'"

--

Hours. Draco and Harry were together, in the room, for hours. Harry was sitting in his chair, flipping through his Potion's book again. An empty cauldron was sitting on the desk and a few various ingredients were scattered on the desk, a few empty bottles and small cups with clippings and powders.

"What are you doing over there, Potter?" Draco sauntered over to Harry, peering into the empty cauldron.

"Attempting to make something. Why, waiting to watch me mess up?" Draco smirked.

"No, you're doing this wrong."

"Oh, like you'd know." Draco smirked again and turned around the table so he was standing beside Harry.

"Want to bet?" Draco grabbed a few of the ingredients and re-read a few of the instructions before applying them in order. "Watching, Potter?" Harry let out a sigh and nodded, then flopped back down onto his chair.

"Yeah, I'm watching." This was disinteresting. He didn't exactly like Potions in the first place, more so because it was taught by Professor Snape, but also because it was a less entertaining class.

His eyes scanned Draco. The blond was moving swiftly, picking up the materials very delicately and adding the direct amounts. Tapping the side of the cauldron with his wand and then circling his hand counter-clockwise twice, the liquid simmered.

"See?" Harry nodded.

"Thanks," he muttered beneath his breath, mostly to hide his gratitude, but also not to seem appreciative. Surprisingly, all Draco did was turn to him and smile.

"You're welcome," he murmured back and then turned to go back to his seat. Harry's eyes followed him. Now, that was un-Malfoy like. The blond had offered his services, helped Harry, and then was nice about it after he'd finished. Harry was intrigued.

"Why are you being so nice, Malfoy?" Draco turned around sharply, glaring at Harry.

"Nice? I'm not being nice. I just can't stand your idiotic mistakes." Harry snorted gently.

"Whatever, bouncing-ferret." Draco's eyes narrowed.

"Shut up, Potty." Oh, it was on.

"Prat."

"Golden Boy."

"Snape suck up."

"Dumbledore suck up."

"Sleazy Slytherin."

"Half-blood twit."

"Death Eater."

Draco froze. They'd only just started their bickering and his blood was boiled.

"What did you just call me?" He seethed between his gritted teeth, glaring harshly at Harry.

"Death Eater. Why, afraid of your own title?" Draco strode quickly to Harry, staring him in the eyes and tugging on his collar, demanding the brunette's attention.

"I am not a Death Eater." Harry snorted.

"I'm sure." Draco pulled Harry even closer, their noses touching lightly.

"I am not my father. My father was a disgrace to the Malfoy family." Harry's eyebrow rose again and he whipped his hand up to brush Draco's hand away.

"Don't touch me, Malfoy." Draco refused to let go, still demanding detention from Harry.

"No, I want you to hear this." He glared through slits at Harry. "I am not a Death Eater, I do not support Voldemort! Just because you and I do not get along does not-" Draco was cut short.

Harry had grabbed Draco by the back of the head and then pressed their lips together. Surprised, Draco was too rigid and shocked to react, and before he could even think of returning the kiss, Harry had pulled away. Green eyes met gray and there was a suspension in time. Harry's fingers slipped from the back of Draco's head and he wiggled from the blonde's grip on his robes, plopping back down into his seat.

A rage of red had appeared on both of their cheeks. Draco still hadn't moved anything but his eyes, following every movement that Harry made. Absently, he brought his fingers to his lips and traced where Harry's had just been. He gripped his emotions and straightened his face.

"I would advise you to refrain from doing that again." Harry nodded.

"I know," was the small reply. Green eyes were set down onto the parchment beside his books. Draco scanned the brunette with his eyes, expression softening only a little. Harry Potter had just kissed him, in a secluded room that neither could leave until they were positive there wouldn't be anyone finding their whereabouts.

Harry seemed rather subdued. They'd gone from fighting to completely silence in a record time of fifteen seconds. Draco's emotions sank. He hadn't reacted. He sank his bottom teeth over his upper lip. What to do, what to do, Draco didn't know. Then, as though he'd been given a revolution, the blond leapt forward, pushed everything off the desk with the exception of the lamp, grabbed the book from Harry's grasp and dropped it onto the floor with the others, then took hold of Harry's robes and tugged him, gently pushing him onto the desk.

"Draco-" Harry's eyes had snapped open in utter shock, but his words were cut off by a fierce, passionate kiss applied to his lips. After staring at the initiator of the kiss for a few seconds, Harry closed his eyes and brought his arms up and around the boy above him, tugging him down closer to him. Draco's fingers reached up Harry's neck and through the brunette's hair, releasing a soft moan from Harry's lips. Draco's tongue darted out and dipped into Harry's mouth, causing yet another moan to emit the brunette. Harry was now clawing at getting Draco closer to him, loving the boy's taste and scent and feel on him.

Harry's own tongue slipped from his mouth and licked against the blonde's bottom lip, feeling the boy on top of him shudder with pleasure. The two quivering mouths engulfed one another, hungry for the others taste, pleading for more of one another. Harry's arms grabbed Draco by the waist and pulled him so that their bodies were mostly molded against one another, in heat of the passionate embrace.

"H-Harry…" Draco shuddered as Harry's lips swept passed Draco's and to his jaw line, trailing soft kisses down the nape of the pale boy's neck. Harry nipped slightly at the boy's flesh, causing Draco to yelp softly, but also take a tighter grip of Harry's scalp. Moans softly emitted his lips as he felt Harry's lips suck warmly at his neck.

"You – called – me – Harry," muttered Harry through kisses on the boy's neck. Harry pulled his head away and turned to look into Draco's eyes, which were unmistakably filled with immense lust.

"I know," was the husky reply as Draco's lips descended upon Harry's neck.

"Draco," Harry tugged at the blonde's robes to ask him to look at him. Gray eyes immediately met green.

"Yes?" Harry's heart sank slightly with the question he had to ask.

"Where does this leave us?" Draco's heart leapt into his throat and he looked away.

"I don't know," he muttered incoherently. Harry took the blonde's chin to his hand and turned his head to look at him.

"Draco Malfoy," he started and once again, gray met green. "How do you feel?" Draco shuddered. Why'd he have to bring up feelings? He looked away at the ground. "Why'd you do this, is the better question."

"I," Draco's eyes sank and he rested his head against Harry's chest. "Harry, I…" Harry softly ran his fingers through the blonde's hair, hoping to help soothe him. Oddly enough, it worked, and the blond seemed more confident to reply. "Harry, I love you." Harry's heart leapt out of his chest and he sat up, nearly causing Draco to fall off of him. He grabbed the blond securely with his arms and then smiled.

"I love you too, Draco."

--

After a long snogging session and a break to catch their breath, Draco helped Harry re-write his Potion's essay, and Harry helped Draco with his Transfigurations and Charms.

"Wait, you're supposed to what?" Draco stared, gapingly, at his paper, extremely surprised by what it was the book was telling him he had to do.

"Draco, look," Harry stood behind Draco and took hold of the blonde's right arm and pointed the wand that Draco was holding at the lamp. Leaning forward, he rested his chin onto Draco's shoulder and whispered into the blonde's ear, causing Draco to shudder at the tinkling of Harry's breath on his neck. "Say Deletrius!" Draco pointed his wand forward.

"Deletrius!" he shouted uncertainly, but managed to cause the small pillow to disintegrate. Harry hugged Draco's waist as Draco grinned.

"Good job," Harry kissed Draco's neck. Draco shuddered and turned around, facing the brunette with a large smile.

"Thanks," he leaned in and gave Harry a soft kiss, which escalated to another heated, passionate embrace. But, their embrace was cut short as there was shriek in the air.

"Harry!" Harry turned immediately to look at his best friend, Hermione, who was holding a bit of food in her hand. "And Draco!" She looked as though she were ready to faint.

"Hermione, hey…" Harry released his embrace of Draco, who looked away from the two and slumped onto a chair. "Let me explain." Hermione nodded.

"I suggest that you do." Harry smiled sheepishly and went into the entire tale of how he and Draco had ended up in the position she'd walked in on. By the end, she was batting her eyes with handkerchiefs and smiling brightly. Stepping up, she took hold of Draco's robes.

"If you hurt him Malfoy, I will come after you." Her smile had evaporated and her eyes flickered with sincerity.

"I know, Hermione, trust me. I wouldn't dream of it." Harry squeezed Draco's hand. Hermione smiled.

"Good. Now, come you two, we need to go. Dinner's already ended and we need to get back to our rooms before we get caught in here." Draco nodded and Harry gripped the blonde's hand, holding him back for a second.

"Just give me a sec, Hermione, I'll be up soon." Hermione gave Harry a wary glance, but nodded and exited the room. Draco turned in question to Harry, perplexed for a moment.

"Draco, I love you," Harry ran his free hand through Draco's hair and then pulled the blond toward him for a soft, chaste kiss. They separated.

"I love you too, Potter." Harry smirked.

"Mobilarbus!" Harry flicked his wand and his books floated toward him, followed by his invisibility cloak. "See you at breakfast, Malfoy." Harry stole one last kiss from the blond, threw the cloak around his body and disappeared before Draco's very eyes. The only way Draco knew for sure that he was gone was when the door opened and closed softly.

"Well, at least I didn't waste my day away," Draco muttered to himself, then left the Room of Requirement after Harry and shut the door.

--

A few day's later…

"Harry, where are you going now?" Ron questioned, watching his best friend stand up with his books and cloak in his arms.

"To study."

-Fin-

Well, I hope you enjoyed this. Leave me a review to let me know.

Ta 3 Masqued