Title: Red Roses Too
Author: LunarRaindrop
Summary: Harry is singing a song before bed and it sparks a discussion about what is wonderful in the world and what isn't. Lots of talking involved.
Genre: General, Humor.
Warnings: DH spoilers, kinda. Some mild slash-iness.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Characters by J.K.Rowling and few little lines of lyrics from 'What a Wonderful World' by Louis Armstrong.
"What a wonderful world," Harry sighed, half-singing and half-speaking, falling onto the large, soft bed, his white bathrobe falling open and revealing his legs. He was rudely interrupted by a muffled snort from behind the half-closed bathroom door. "What?" Harry asked, leaning up on his elbows.
"The world isn't that wonderful," the voice replied archly, still muffled.
"Yes, it is. The world is amazing," Harry replied dismissively before he continued with his song. "Skies of blue...Clouds of white..." The door opened and Draco Malfoy stepped out, his face pink from the steamy bathroom, his hair slicked back tightly. Harry sighed when he saw him. "You know I like it better when you leave your hair loose after a bath," he said in exasperation. "What's the point of growing it so long if you only leave it like that, even in bed?"
"It's not fitting for a Malfoy to have hair like yours," Draco answered primly but with a teasing smirk, sitting down on his side of the bed, his own black robe contrasting against white sheets. Harry stuck out his tongue, drawing Draco's eyes immediately to it. The blonde tilted his head and tried to grab Harry's mouth with a kiss but instead Harry grinned mischievously and reached over to muss Draco's hair, jumping backwards nimbly once the damage was done.
"Ha!" Then Harry continued singing as if there had been no interruption while Draco tried to smooth his hair back into perfection, his thin, soft lips pulled down in a frown of frustration.
While Draco played with his platinum locks and watched himself in the large mirror opposite their bed, he went back to the previous subject. "You know I don't like it when you start your singing marathons either, especially when you're singing such shallow songs."
"Shallow!? Have you ever even heard this song? It's very beautiful and very truthful. The world is wonderful," Harry retorted, crossing his arms huffily. "Also, I like singing, thank you very much."
"Only 20 of the world is wonderful," Draco answered easily. "And, dearest, you can't sing. Why don't you just turn music on?"
"I like to sing without music sometimes and there are more good people than bad which means it's more like 90 wonderful," Harry said stubbornly.
"Who likes singing without music and where on Earth did you get such an idea, Harry?" Draco asked in surprise, his hands dropping from his hair to look at Harry incredulously. "There are definitely more bad people than good people out there. I know most of them, too." Draco snorted, hoping that would be the end of the conversation as he turned back to his hair.
Harry shook his head and continued. "I do and, no, there are more good people. For example, at Hogwarts, we had four houses. Of those four only one house got all the bad people and some good ones too. Therefore, the bad people couldn't even fill one house!" Harry said enthusiastically.
Draco laughed and now Harry looked surprised. "Harry, there are bad people in all the other three houses as well, besides the fact that we were all sorted at eleven. You can be loyal and kind to some people and go murder others, you can be courageous and righteous but fight for an evil cause and you can absolutely crave knowledge and then use what you know in bad ways. Not only those who are ambitious are evil, you should know that." He moved his gaze from his reflection to Harry's, his hands still fretting with his hair. "If you would sing with music, you know, it wouldn't sound quite so bad."
"Singing wouldn't be quite so fun if you didn't squirm whenever I reach a high note. With music playing, you wouldn't be able to hear me." Harry retorted. "I do see what you mean about the houses, even if I can't imagine a Hufflepuff killing someone, but really, I've known more good people than bad!"
"I'm sure you have, you surround yourself with good people who you like, that makes sense. It doesn't mean the rest of the world is the same way. My family surrounded itself with bad people, so, I know a lot of bad people and Harry, dear, nothing could drown your 'high notes'. " Draco settled himself back into the bed, giving up on his hair at last. It had mostly dried, the mess reaching his shoulders like a fountain of silver.
"Which doesn't mean the rest of the world is the same way," Harry quoted back at him, leaning over to run his hands through Draco's hair, the strands sliding around his fingers like silk. "I love your hair...but all that prettiness must hide some bad ears if you think my singing is that horrible."
"You are just spouting wisdom tonight, where did you find such truly intelligent words?" Draco chuckled at Harry's annoyed expression. "Unfortunately for me, your singing really is that bad. Your ears must be broken and you don't even have the excuse of gorgeous hair," he continued with an obnoxious smirk. "Also, I'm sure if you ask a homeless, starving person, they will usually say that the world is an ugly, horrible place. If you ask a person who lives in comfort, like you, they will usually say the world is wonderful. Both would be true, for them. But there is still more bad in the world."
"There can never be more bad in the world because the good always outweighs the bad," he answered with a final, grave tone. Then he smiled impishly, his eyes dancing with mirth. "Draco, please. The way you tug at my hair sometimes, and play with it whenever you can, I know you love it." He continued twining Draco's hair around his fingers gently, enthralled by how it caught the light of the candles nearby.
"No. Say, if you have your fingers and toes cut off, then you get a free pair of shoes, you would still be more affected by having bits of you cut off instead of the good that came after it." Draco grimaced at the thought and Harry shook his head. "Besides, you and I both know I only play with your hair because I still have some hope of one day fixing it and lessening the resemblance it bears with a mop."
"Oh, shush, I know you love my mop." Harry grinned cheekily. "If you, while getting your free shoes, meet the love of your life and get married, you would think that having your toes and fingers cut off was the best thing that ever happened to you," Harry argued."If my hair were to change, you would be devastated and you know it. What happened to your muttering that it was like black silk, hmmm?" Draco sighed as he realized his partner wasn't going to give up.
"Harry, honestly, I said it was like defective black silk. Far too wiry. My hair is like silk. Your hair, on the other hand..."
"...Is the colour of the deep night sky and hangs about my kind, tanned face like the frame of a portrait, haunting your mind with the stunning image?" Harry inquired, grinning.
"What are you, a poet? No, it's more like a collection dark wires that spring out in whatever direction each, individual hair pleases. Anyway, about the lost digits, can't we just agree to disagree tonight?" Draco asked, pouting and leaning over Harry seductively, letting his hair brush softly against Harry's collar bone. Their faces were inches apart and Draco kissed him lightly on the nose, smirking as his hand traveled slowly towards Harry's robe belt. Harry smiled briefly but then he frowned, his forehead wrinkling. Draco pouted once again and sat back, huffing, knowing what his partner's expression meant.
"Listen, if there is a glass filled exactly half way with water, would you see it as half full or half empty?" Harry asked, speaking gibberish again.
"What? There are no half-filled glasses around here, the house-elves would fill them up instantly," Draco responded, insulted.
Harry shook his head, grinning. "It's a Muggle thing. If you see your glass as half empty, you're pessimistic. If your glass is half full, you're optimistic."
"Even without the glass, I can tell that you're the optimistic type." Draco answered, exasperated.
"And you're pessimistic, which is strange, considering how wonderful our life is," Harry replied, tapping his finger against his lip, an adorable habit he had taken up whenever he was thinking. Draco watched him and decided he really, really wanted to finish this conversation.
Unfortunately, Harry wouldn't stop talking about it until one of them had won. "No, I'm not pessimistic, merely honest. What you are talking about is twisting words, although saying the cup is half full or half empty really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things."
"Oh, really? So, what would you say?" Harry asked again.
"I would say that the glass needed to be refilled," Draco responded smugly, crossing arms.
"Fine! Be that way," Harry muttered childishly.
"I will."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Grrr..." Harry said in frustration. "You win that round, then," he conceded. "Only because you're afraid to pick one, though."
Draco smiled slyly and leaned towards Harry, drawing the man's pouting lips into a deep kiss. He pulled away and laughed when he saw that Harry's previously annoyed expression had melted completely. "Harry, I win every round," he gloated, leaning forward again eagerly. "And I'm not afraid of a metaphorical glass.'
"Sure, I believe you," Sarcasm really did not suit Harry, Draco decided. "...and we're not done here," Harry replied, dodging Draco's kiss. Draco frowned and flopped against the thick pillows, bothered because he couldn't seduce his partner away from this long conversation. "Remember, you started this when you called my song shallow," Harry laughed at Draco's disbelieving face and then he winked at the blonde. Once he had caught his breath, he continued. "Now. People die to keep their families in this world, you think they sacrificed themselves uselessly for a place that's sick and ugly?" Harry asked quietly.
Draco shook his head, not looking away from Harry's intense green eyes, sensing something more serious about the direction this conversation was now headed. "They still suffered and died, Harry, that makes the world seem a bad place to them, no matter what they thought they were fighting for. And seeing how much discussion can spring from that one song, I take back my previous comment."
Harry laughed shortly but he still continued. "They didn't suffer as much, mentally, because they knew they were dying so their families could live freely. That kind of bravery and courage and love makes the world wonderful even without the blue skies and rainbows. Even when it's grey and stormy, while there are people out there who would sacrifice themselves for those they love, the world is beautiful," Harry answered, a strange expression on his face.
Draco finally broke eye contact, knowing that Harry was thinking of things long past, people long dead. They had never really talked about this before, how Harry had allowed himself to die for the Wizarding World, or how many other lives had been extinguished in the Battle. "Harry, can we just not talk about this?" Draco asked. "I'd much rather be playing with your hair," he admitted.
"No. If you have something to respond to what I just said, say it, Draco," Harry replied, his voice tight, although his lip did twitch in amusement.
Draco sighed and shook his head. "Fine, fine. But if this becomes an argument, it's your fault. To me, they wasted their lives. You know I believe in taking care of one's self above all else. Sacrifice is not a show of love, its a show of weakness to throw yourself away for eternity on the wild hope that it will matter in the grand picture. It doesn't always matter and the nameless dead are just like everyone else who has ever died. Once you're dead there are no sides of war, no enemies, nothing to separate one from the other. Everyone is equal in death." Draco spoke tiredly, knowing that Harry was not going to like this view. "Those who die like you are describing leave their families and friends to grieve because, for those left behind, the world ended the minute that person died. If you died to keep me alive, Harry, no matter how selfless and beautiful you thought it was, I would never forgive you."
Harry regarded him for a long, silent moment. "I know. If you...if you tried to jump in front of a curse that was heading my way and died because of it, or some other scenario like that, I wouldn't forgive you either but you...would you forgive yourself if you watched me die? I couldn't stand by and watch you die. Just...Sometimes it's better to sacrifice your life with the wild hope that the death saved someone you loved rather than wonder if you could have prevented their death for the rest of your time on Earth." His face closed off again as his mind went back in time.
"The idea that people have to choose between one or the other just proves that the world is a sick place," Draco responded lightly, though he watched Harry with worry, knowing the topic meant something to him, something it didn't necessarily mean to Draco except for how it affected his partner.
"Maybe." Harry now seemed tired and Draco frowned.
"You're supposed to argue," he pointed out. It made him uncomfortable to think that Harry would give up on his rainbows and kittens view on life just from one conversation. Harry looked up and smiled slightly in reassurance, his eyes glinting, and Draco sighed mentally in relief. Outwardly he blinked in curiosity at Harry's already triumphantly glowing face
"Well, you asked for it," Harry started off with a bright grin, his previous mood disappearing. "You're saying, basically, that the world where we met and fell in love is a sick place? That all we've been through together and all we have waiting for us in the future takes place in a world that is horrible and awful and twisted?" Harry asked, his eyes twinkling as he unraveled his secret weapon, the conclusion to the whole discussion that he had most likely been sitting on since they began.
Draco groaned and shook his head, his hair tumbling into his eyes. "Oh, fine. Harry, you know that any world where we could find each other, where I could love you and you could love me, despite our past, is a wonderful place full of kittens and laughing babies," Draco said in defeat, his pale, manicured hands grasping for Harry's tanned, calloused ones. He brought the other man's hands to his mouth and placed a single kiss on his skin, bathing in Harry's happy grin.
"So, love, what do I get for winning?" Harry asked with a devilish smirk that he had obviously learned from his partner. Draco growled and dove for Harry, grabbing him around the waist and pulling his warm back to rest against Draco's pale chest, leading a trail of kisses from his partner's tanned shoulder to his cracked lips, one arm tightening around his body as the other reached up to dig a hand in Harry's short hair. Harry laughed and tilted his neck back to lean his head on Draco's shoulder, his cheeks flushed, a large grin on his face.
"An entire wonderful life, in a wonderful world, together..." he answered, whispering into Harry's ear. "Maybe the red roses, too." Harry sighed happily and claimed Draco's mouth in a kiss to seal the deal.
"Yes I think to myself... what a wonderful world."
A/N Thank you for reading and please review.