Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the related characters, plots, places, or creatures.

Warnings: Slash HP/Dm

Authors Note: Don't ask me how I wrote this during final time. I don't know. This is different from my usual writing, but I kinda like it. I sat down to write last night, and this came out, even though it was so not what I was planning to write at all. It confused me, but I'm pretty happy with it. Thank you Cyhyr for betaing, as usual, even though I know you probably have finals of your own.

Every Sense

Draco Malfoy is not brave.

Draco Malfoy does not care about other people.

Draco Malfoy is a Slytherin in every sense.

Except for the fact that he's not.

Draco is, in reality, a very courageous person. It may not be clear in his every day actions, but Draco is utterly fearless when it comes to interacting with other people and animals. Unfortunately he also cares about people, far more than he feels he should. He is almost a Hufflepuff in the fact that he would do almost anything for his friends. In fact the only reason that Draco Malfoy is a Slytherin is because he has an amazing mask. Draco can be any person at any time. He has mastered the art of deception. Very few people have seen the true Draco Malfoy, and of those that have, only one knows that he has seen it. The others believe it is just another mask that the prince of Slytherin wears.

That one person is Harry Potter.

Harry Potter is brave.

Harry Potter does care about other people.

Harry Potter is a Gryffindor in every sense.

Except for the fact that he's not.

Harry is terrified by any and all social situations, especially those that involve confrontation. He wants nothing to do with fighting Voldemort, and if wasn't for the fact that his loved ones are in danger, he would probably go hide in an out-of-the-way corner until everything had worked itself out. Believe it or not he could do this with a clear conscious too. Because he doesn't give a damn what other people say. After all, other people aren't him. And of course he isn't a Gryffindor. Anyone with eyes could see that. Besides the little fact that he almost got sorted into Slytherin, Harry has no desire other than to survive and then run away. Clearly self-preservation is strong within him.

Unfortunately for the two of them, the world thinks them to be their opposite. It's probably why the two get along so well. Because each of them is pretending to be what the other one truly is. That's the way of the world it seems. We are always attracted to those who have what we can't, but want. But we never take into account that maybe the person who has it wants something else. For all we can see is the beautiful vision that we have created for ourselves that someone else has.

And as for all things like this, the good can only last so long. An illusion can only last as long as someone is dreaming. And as soon as you awaken, the vision disappears on the wind. Unfortunately when your dream is a relationship, pain is also involved in the awakening.

Because after Voldemort is defeated everything changed. Harry no longer had to worry about his friends being in danger. He was free to become the recluse that he'd always wanted to be. He shunned everyone and eventually moved to the States. This, of course, prompted an outcry from the wizarding world, many thinking that Harry would go on to become the next Dark Lord. But no, Harry just wanted some peace and quiet, far away from everyone.

For Draco it was different. Once his life was no longer in danger, he allowed himself to become more open and outgoing in society. He let down many of the Slytherin walls that he'd hid behind and showed the world a calm, polite young man. The wizarding world quickly fell in love with him. He got a job at the Ministry and had become the youngest and most beloved minister at the ripe age of 33.

Now isn't it strange how life goes? And how what you know of one person can change overnight. You wake up one morning and find out that someone changed and that they are no longer who you thought they were. But as one person changes, so does another, a person who was just waiting to take the first one's place.