Moments

5. Ice-skating

(990 words)

Harry was standing in his pyjamas in front of the huge window in the common room watching the snow fall. It was early, the sun hadn't yet risen, but he couldn't sleep.

He felt Malfoy's presence before he saw him. Maybe it was those now familiar fading notes of bergamot and aromatic spiced aftershave.

'What are you doing up at this time, Potter?' Harry could discern an element of concern under the accustomed drawl.

'One could ask the same of you.'

They stood side-by-side watching the large flakes as they flurried against the window. It was the second week of snow, though the temperature had been steadily dropping since early November and, by the time the first snow had fallen, the Black Lake had a thin layer of ice forming over its surface. That was some weeks ago.

'It's all so quiet,' Malfoy said.

'Yes.' It was true. There was something in the way the snow dampened everything. Harry wondered if it was the silence which had awoken him. 'I don't like snow,' he said.

'You don't?'

'It lies. It covers everything with apparent purity and beauty and it's all a lie.'

'Oh...' Malfoy said.

'You sound disappointed.'

'You sound bitter.' Malfoy paused before saying, 'I like the peace of it. I've never met anyone before who didn't like snow.'

'I suppose I don't have good associations with it.' Harry could feel Malfoy studying him, contemplating his silhouetted profile.

'Go and dress up warm, I'm taking you out there to see if I can change your mind,' Malfoy said.

Wrapped up in warm winter gear, they crept through the slumbering school, ever cautious of Mrs Norris and Filch despite the fact they didn't have a curfew to abide by. Malfoy carried two pairs of skates, slung by the laces over his shoulder.

When Harry pushed open the door that would lead them down the steps to the boathouse, there was a dull depressing greyness to the sky. Malfoy didn't seem to notice; the first thing he did was stick out his tongue to catch a snowflake on it. When he succeeded, he turned to a bewildered Harry with a big grin on his face and said, 'you do it.'

Harry shook his head.

'Go on.'

'No!' he felt foolish.

'Chicken!' Draco smirked.

Harry stuck out his tongue, feeling silly as he tried to chase falling flakes. But it turned to giggles and soon they were both laughing.

'Mother says its good luck to catch a snowflake on your tongue.'

'Is it?'

'Don't be fucking daft!'

They both laughed again.

As the sky began to slowly lighten, the snowfall was lessening and for the first time in a few days it looked like there might be a reprieve.

'Come on,' Malfoy grabbed Harry's gloved hand and pulled him down the long winding steps but Harry dragged behind. He hadn't been to the boathouse since the war, since Snape... he felt the colour drain from his face as his legs came to an involuntary halt.

Malfoy looked at him, nodded, and pulled him off down a path towards one of the beaches instead. It was harder work because of the deep snow and occasionally they lost their footing and tumbled in the snow together. But when that happened, Malfoy would laugh and scoop snow into Harry's face until a mock fight occurred and one of them would shout 'YIELD!' and they'd have to go back to retrieve the skates from where they'd been dropped.

When they reached the shore, Malfoy pointed his wand at the lake's surface, muttering a spell. The snow compacted tightly onto the ice below leaving a perfectly smooth surface. There was a brief glow of bottle-green from the surface which faded slowly.

'It's safe,' Malfoy said. 'My father...' he faltered and Harry understood, Lucius's death was still raw and painful. 'My father taught me those spells for the lake at the Manor. Come on.'

'You know I can't skate, right?' Harry said but he pulled on the cumbersome skates anyway and watched as Malfoy stepped onto the ice carefully. He glided away from Harry elegantly, turning with ease and skating backwards as he watched Harry try to step onto the ice without his feet sliding away from him.

'Fuck!' Harry muttered as his skates appeared to be doing something different to his feet.

Malfoy skated back towards him and took his hands. 'First of all, stick your bum in and stand upright, you inelegant horklump.'

Malfoy guided him gently across the ice with so much care that Harry was taken aback. He seemed so different from the boy of the past seven years. He wondered what life would have been like if they'd been friends from the start.

'What are you being so maudlin about?' Malfoy was watching him intently.

'The past...' Harry sighed. 'I wonder what we missed by not being friends...'

Malfoy smiled sadly. 'It was all I wanted, really. I just wasn't very good at dealing with rejection.'

He let go of Harry's hands and skated away. Harry's arms windmilled as he lost his balance and his legs went from under him so he landed on his arse with a loud bang.

'Fuck!' he repeated.

Malfoy skated back and hauled him up, laughing.

'Tosser!' Harry said, light-heartedly.

'Look at the view, Potter.'

The snowfall had stopped and the sun had broken through the clouds, sending a golden glow through the Forbidden Forest. It took Harry's breath away.

'It's magical! Like someone's sprinkled gold dust on the snow,' Malfoy said softly.

'You sentimental poof!' Harry said, teasingly.

Malfoy turned to him sharply. 'You know I am?'

'You are what?'

'Oblivious twat! A poof - gay.'

'Oh, okay,' Harry said, uncertain what the right response was supposed to be. 'You know I don't mind, right?'

'Good,' Malfoy said matter-of-factly. 'Come on, try again.'

They were both blushing slightly but Harry decided it was probably just the cold.

*****