Because Hate Is Just Love's Reflection
*Author's Note: This story takes place in the 6th book when Harry finds Draco crying in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and uses sectum-sempra on him. However, in this version, he uses his trademark expelliarmus instead, and events turn out quite differently as a result. Enjoy!*
Harry grimaced slightly to himself as he reached out to push open the heavy door to Moaning Mytle's bathroom. His fingers froze, however, just as they grazed the cold metal of the door knob. Was that someone crying in there? Harry blinked in shock, surprised to hear anyone in this particular bathroom at all, (people tended to avoid this restroom like the plague. It wasn't exactly a pleasant experience to be peeing and suddenly have a ghostly head pop out of the toilet between your legs to complain about the troubles of living in a U-bend.) but he was even more surprised to hear that is was a boy crying. Technically this was supposed to be a girl's lavatory. Although, to be fair, Harry had himself been about to go in there, so maybe he shouldn't have been quite so shocked.
Harry quietly pushed the door open, trying not to alert whoever was in the room to his presence. When the door swung open, Harry's green eyes widened in shock as he saw the hunched form of Draco Malfoy bent over one of the sinks, examining his own haggard reflection. He was supporting his shaking frame with his elbows resting on the countertop to stare hopelessly at his own wan features stained by desperate tears. A sudden urge to comfort Draco, an instinctual impulse to help someone who looked so lost and alone, made Harry take a step forward, inadvertently coming into Draco's view. Their eyes met in the mirror, each staring at the other's reflection in shocked stillness for an instant before Draco's face contorted in embarrassed rage and both boys went for their wands.
"Cruc-" began Draco, but he was stopped from using that unforgivable curse on Harry by Harry's cry of: "Expelliarmus!" Draco's wand was blasted out of his hand by Harry's spell, and the blonde boy was knocked back against the edge of the sink. A grimace of pain flashed over Draco's pale features before he opened his eyes to glare up at Harry who was aiming his wand at Draco's chest.
"Aren't you going to jinx me, Potter?" snarled Draco, clenching his hands into fists at his sides. Harry appraised Draco silently for a moment, taking in the soft glisten of tear trails on Draco's flushed cheeks. How thin Draco had become. Whatever was stressing him out enough to make him cry had taken its toll on his body, stripping any excess fat from his bones and making him look almost fragile. Harry lowered his wand slightly, sympathy welling up in him as he said, "No, I don't think I will."
Stunned fury spasmed through Draco and he leapt upright as he shouted, "Don't you dare, Potter! Don't you dare pity me!" Pity meant that Harry was looking down on him, that he thought Draco was weak. "I don't need the great Harry Potter's pity," Draco spat contemptuously, "Just jinx me! Just do it!" He was yelling now, his eyes bulging with rage and desperation. He was not going to let Harry look down on him, no way.
"No," said Harry, lowering his wand completely, "It would be a coward's move to jinx someone who was without a wand. I wouldn't live up to being a Griffindor if I attacked a defenseless opponent." Harry turned his back on Draco, reaching out to push open the door to leave Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Draco growled in fury, his body tensing. Defenseless? Draco Malfoy? Draco leapt, tackling Harry's unprotected back and knocking him to the ground.
The pair rolled across the floor, kicking and scratching at each other. Angry tears blurred Draco's vision; he would not let stupid, famous Harry Potter pity him. Finally, Harry managed to pin Draco beneath him, using all of his weight to hold the writhing boy down. Years of being bullied by Dudley came in handy sometimes. Harry's furiousness at being attacked while his back was turned (just like a Slytherin to pull a cowardly stunt like that) melted away as he saw the fresh tears in Draco's eyes.
"Draco-" murmured Harry, his voice filled with concern.
"Shut up, Potter!" exclaimed Draco, anger at the sympathy in Harry's expression causing him to struggle harder in the other boy's grip.
"What's wrong, Draco? Why are you-" Harry tried again, gazing searchingly into the blonde's eyes.
"Just shut up!" Draco screamed. He couldn't take that stupid, soppy look on Harry's face for one more second. Since his arms and legs were pinned, Draco took the only option left available to him and craned his neck forward to slam his lips against Harry's. Harry gasped in shock and Draco used this opportunity to bite the boy's lower lip. He would not let 'the chosen one' have power over him. Harry tried to pull away, but Draco was having none of that, following Harry's movements by painfully stretching his neck even more before thrusting his tongue into the other boy's startled mouth.
Harry couldn't contain a surprised moan as Draco's tongue slid against his and a sadistic thrill of victory surged through Draco at the sound. Harry squirmed under Draco's ministrations, letting go of Draco's wrists so he could retreat farther away from the blonde's prying tongue. Draco used this new found freedom to sit up and shove Harry off of him, knocking the other boy to the ground.
"What the fuck was that?" asked Harry, pushing himself up on one elbow as he wiped a thin film of saliva from his lower lip.
"Surely even the pampered Harry Potter has been pushed enough to recognize a shove when he receives one." drawled Draco as he leapt to his feet. Harry frowned, standing up as well as he said in frustration, "I'm not talking about you pushing me. I'm talking about you…" he paused as though trying to find the right words for what had happened, unable to instantly apply the word 'kiss' to Draco's actions, "kissing me."
There was an awkward silence. Now that it had actually been said out loud, neither boy knew what to do. They couldn't even look at each other; Draco, panting from his calming anger, stared down at his own feet, and Harry suddenly discovered a previously unknown fascination with a crack in one of the mirrors. Finally, Harry snuck a glance at Draco and was surprised to see the blonde boy looking right at him. There was no anger in Draco's face anymore, just a quiet thoughtfulness as he examined Harry as though trying to decide something.
"Malfoy?" Harry asked apprehensively, backing up until his back was pressed against the smooth wood of the door as Draco began to walk towards Harry, his eyes gazing intently into Harry's face. Harry was frozen, his confusion sticking his feet to the floor more effectively than any curse ever could. Draco moved until he was just inches away from Harry, close enough to see the flecks of darker green in Harry's eyes.
"I hate you." murmured Draco, his voice trembling with the intensity of his quashed emotions, before he closed the space between Harry and himself to press his lips harshly against the other boy's. His lips moved slowly over Harry's, but there was an edge to the kiss, a contained anger. "I hate you." he whispered between kisses, "I hate you. I hate you." The phrase became a quiet mantra that slowly seemed to become less for Harry's sake and more for his own: a soliloquy Harry was intruding on. Harry stayed completely still, feeling as though if he moved, the emotions that were slowly seeping out of Draco would gush out instead, and Harry was afraid of what that myriad of emotions could contain. Better not to find out and just try not to startle the blonde boy.
A needy tongue pressed against the seam of Harry's closed lips, causing Harry to reluctantly give in to the pressure and allow Draco access to his mouth. Draco slid his tongue against Harry's, his stream of "I hate you"s broken by a guttural moan. Harry's eyes were open despite typical kissing courtesy, and he searched what little of Draco's face he could see for any sign of why this was happening. Draco's features were fuzzy with their closeness and it was difficult to focus on his face, but Harry could still see that Draco was frowning as though furious with the actions of his own body. He looked so mad at Harry, at himself, and this conclusion was further backed up by a sharp nip on Harry's lower lip.
Finally, Harry snapped out of his shocked stillness, and he twisted in Draco's grasp, turning his head to the side and away from the blonde's probing tongue.
"Malfoy, what-?" He began, grabbing Draco's shoulders and trying to push the other boy away from him, but he was interrupted by Draco trailing sloppy kisses over the exposed skin of his neck. Harry let out a surprised gasp as he felt one of Draco's hands clumsily grappling with the buttons on his pants.
"Malfoy!" Harry said frantically, reaching down to push Draco's hand away before he managed to unzip his pants as well, "What do you think you're doing?" This seemed to make Draco snap to his senses and he froze, looking away from where he had been trying to undo the fastenings on Harry's trousers to stare into Harry's eyes. He looked so scared. Not scared due to confusion like Harry was, but a penetrating terror more intense than anything Harry alone could cause.
"They have, he has my family." Draco whispered, his eyes still looking at Harry, but no longer seeing him, "and if I don't succeed, if I don't do it, he'll, he'll…" Draco trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. He clung desperately to the front of Harry's robes, crumpling the dark fabric in panicked fists. It wasn't going well; his plans to fulfill the dark lord's orders were crumbling around him, but he couldn't fail, he had to be in control. They had his family. But no matter how many times Draco told himself he couldn't fail, he still was. He couldn't control that. He couldn't control anything anymore.
Draco crumpled against Harry, and with a surprised yelp, Harry caught the other boy's limp frame. Draco had to be able to control something. He had to. He couldn't stand to be helpless, to be weak. He couldn't stand to see that pity in Harry's stupid, worried eyes.
Draco collected himself, gathering his limbs under him and standing upright. Harry left his hands on the other boy's sides, fearing Draco would collapse again at any moment. He had no idea how to deal with this situation; clearly Draco was going through something very intense, but it was almost too much to handle for Harry to alter five years worth of hate and contempt to comfort the distressed boy. Harry's mind was soon jerked away from that particular preoccupation, however, when Draco tugged down the fabric of his shirt to kiss the exposed skin of Harry's collarbone.
Harry tried to squirm away again, but Draco yelled against his skin: "Don't, Potter! Just don't. I have to, I have to…" I have to control something. Harry couldn't hear how Draco's thoughts completed that sentence, but he could hear the desperate panic in Draco's voice and instinctively knew this was bigger than just a kiss, bigger than just two bodies rocking against each other, and when Draco went to finish unzipping Harry's pants, he let him.
Draco kneaded Harry's flaccid cock through the thin fabric of his boxers, moving from kissing Harry's clavicle to return to kissing Harry's lips. This time, Harry kissed back, moving his lips almost tenderly over Draco's. Draco growled in frustration against the other boy's lips, tasting the sympathy in Harry's kiss. He still couldn't be free of the boy's pity. He had to be free of it. Draco thrust his hips forward, pressing his erection into Harry's growing one, and both boys groaned softly at the motion. The feeling of the friction from Harry's clothed erection against his was so tantalizing, Draco had to do it again, rocking faster and faster against the other boy.
Harry's eyes fluttered shut as the pair thrust against each other, faster and faster until Harry's knees were weak and he suddenly found himself grateful of Draco's hands on his hips. They were the only things keeping him up since his knees had turned to jelly. Their breath mingled in the air between the boys' faces, tinged with the sounds of their moans as they came, bodies spasming in pleasure.
The bathroom filled with the pants of the two boys as they stood perfectly still, not moving from their positions in front of each other. Draco's eyes remained closed, his face tilted down, as though even though his eyes were shut, he still wanted to avert his gaze from Harry's. Harry, however, was intently scrutinizing Draco's face, watching as Draco's frown slowly faded, leaving his features calm for the first time that evening. Draco's eyes flickered open, and he met Harry's gaze squarely.
"I hate you, Potter." Draco said flatly, still staring straight into Harry's eyes.
"I hate you too, Malfoy." Harry replied just as calmly. The pair stayed like that for a minute, just looking at each other in silence before, as if by unspoken agreement, they both leaned forward into a gentle kiss.
"Oh. My. God!" an unnaturally high pitched voice squealed and the two boys instantly turned towards the source of the noise, jumping away from each other guiltily. Moaning Myrtle was frozen, her translucent body half way out of the drain in one of the sinks, and she looked as if, if she weren't already dead, she would have died of shock right then and there. Before she could say another word, however, Harry yanked open the door and both boys sprinted out of the bathroom, fastening their pants as they ran. The two may have been divided on many things, but Harry and Draco were totally united in wanting to get the hell away from Moaning Myrtle in that instant. A fleeting glance was the only other thing they shared though as they ran out into the corridor, and after an embarrassed look at one another, they each sprinted off in opposite directions down the hallway, neither daring to peek over their shoulder at the retreating back of the other.
They hated each other, but hate was just love's reflection. It was hard to tell the difference sometimes.
*Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed reading this story! Please review with any feedback! Also, I'm taking requests, so if anyone has an idea for a story or couple please just let me know! Thank you!*