Far
~~~
"Lonely is all we are. Lovely so far but my heart's still a marble in an empty jelly jar."
--- TV on the Radio: Young Liars ---
~~~
"Dark-and-light obsession...."she giggled slightly, hand held over her mouth as if she was ashamed of showing her teeth.
"He's just blonde," Harry answered, eyes dark. The hood of his sweater concealed his own black hair, tousled from too much tossing and turning last night.
"It does make it intriguing, though, don't you think..." she had a habit of letting her sentences run dry in the end, totally unemotional.
Harry thought of Draco.
~~~
He had met Laure at his old working place in the Ministry of Magic. That was before he called it quits, of course, so infuriated with the tiring bureaucracy that he immediately took up his old teenage dream of playing Quidditch professionally.
He played seeker. It was okay.
Laure was still stuck with her old job. She said he should be more grateful for what he had. She said it jokingly, but Harry knew she meant it.
~~~
He hadn't seen Draco for a total of five years since Graduation. That wasn't very long, considering he had been sure they would never meet again.
Secretly, Harry had also toyed with a different idea, though: Draco, having risen up in the ranks of the Death Eaters would meet him again in the great battle, and they would fight each other to the death.
Harry liked playing out that daydream. Sometimes his fantasy took on a disturbingly erotic character, as they spit insults and ground their bodies together as if they were kids. Which they weren't.
Sometimes, none of them died. They met in the aftermath and shook hands after the losses and terrors they both had experienced, both finally even.
Harry didn't know why he was even wishing for reconciliation with Draco. It wasn't like him. He hated Draco.
~~~
He met Draco in a locker room after practice. Draco was looking for his office room. He had taken on some sort of management job.
Harry wasn't sure what to say.
Draco looked at him as if he had forgotten who he was.
Then he said: "Potter."
And it was like no time had passed between them, as if they were still the same. As if the war wasn't still raging, like constant needles pricking Harry in the neck as if someone was watching him.
~~~
Draco was sitting with everyone else in the stadium, watching the team play.
It irritated Harry immensely.
He didn't play well in the beginning, then somehow managed to finish the match brilliantly.
He had seen a flicker of a scowl crossing Draco's otherwise bland face. Or maybe he had imagined it.
~~~
Hermione called after a month of silence.
She said she was coping. She said someone had to take Ron's dog. She had no time for it now she was in that new job. She said it wasn't possible to leave the dog alone all day.
Harry agreed to take it just so he wouldn't have to listen to her anymore.
~~~
Harry had to go to Draco that week. There was some tactic stuff to work on.
Harry had been voted team captain only days before and he was sullen because of the responsibility.
"You're not listening." Draco stated blankly.
Harry crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I'm not able to concentrate."
"You have to." His tone bored.
Harry rose up sharply from his seat. "Why the fuck did you take this job anyway, Malfoy?"
His anger was met with icy silence.
"You don't give a damn about the team, so why do you even bother."
Draco stared. "Do you?" he finally replied.
Harry flinched.
"Not much."
~~~
There had been another Death Eater attack in the morning. Harry found out on the Quidditch field, lazily overhearing a team mate's conversation.
It wasn't his task to stop those. It was his task to fight Voldemort once he was found. But Voldemort had been gone for years now, operating somewhere in the underground.
Harry could do nothing about him. It felt as if he had forgotten to do his homework.
~~~
Draco cornered him in the evening, as Harry was just going to leave.
"I'm not a Death Eater anymore." He said.
"Obviously," Harry countered, feeling stupid.
"We don't have to fight each other."Draco added, his voice like inertia, dragging Harry's thoughts downwards.
Harry gave a small laugh and gripped his Quidditch bag tightly. "We never had to."
"I had to." Draco answered darkly, his eyes fixated on something far away.
Harry pushed past him, pulling a door open and trying to enjoy the rush of fresh air greeting him outside.
"Why are you telling me that?"
Draco managed to halt Harry by stepping up in front of him.
"So that we can stop." he said very seriously.
Harry opened his mouth and shut it. "What?" he pressed out.
Draco gestured a little. "This. Everything. You and me."
Harry narrowed his eyes. "You're making no sense."
"Potter." Malfoy took a step forward so that they almost touched.
"I just want to forget. Hogwarts. My Past. Which happens to include you. But I can't forget you if you don't forget me."
Harry wondered if Draco had gone just a tiny bit insane.
"Forget me, Potter." He wasn't begging, but his eyes were as pleading as Harry had ever seen them.
Then, as if Draco had noticed, arrogance sprung back into his face like a jack-in-the-box.
"I think I do deserve a clean slate. Just like everyone else."
Draco turned and walked away, his striding steps clacking on the pavement.
"You don't deserve anything!" Harry shouted into the impending darkness, but he was sure Draco had been too far away to hear.
THE END
~~~
"Lonely is all we are. Lovely so far but my heart's still a marble in an empty jelly jar."
--- TV on the Radio: Young Liars ---
~~~
"Dark-and-light obsession...."she giggled slightly, hand held over her mouth as if she was ashamed of showing her teeth.
"He's just blonde," Harry answered, eyes dark. The hood of his sweater concealed his own black hair, tousled from too much tossing and turning last night.
"It does make it intriguing, though, don't you think..." she had a habit of letting her sentences run dry in the end, totally unemotional.
Harry thought of Draco.
~~~
He had met Laure at his old working place in the Ministry of Magic. That was before he called it quits, of course, so infuriated with the tiring bureaucracy that he immediately took up his old teenage dream of playing Quidditch professionally.
He played seeker. It was okay.
Laure was still stuck with her old job. She said he should be more grateful for what he had. She said it jokingly, but Harry knew she meant it.
~~~
He hadn't seen Draco for a total of five years since Graduation. That wasn't very long, considering he had been sure they would never meet again.
Secretly, Harry had also toyed with a different idea, though: Draco, having risen up in the ranks of the Death Eaters would meet him again in the great battle, and they would fight each other to the death.
Harry liked playing out that daydream. Sometimes his fantasy took on a disturbingly erotic character, as they spit insults and ground their bodies together as if they were kids. Which they weren't.
Sometimes, none of them died. They met in the aftermath and shook hands after the losses and terrors they both had experienced, both finally even.
Harry didn't know why he was even wishing for reconciliation with Draco. It wasn't like him. He hated Draco.
~~~
He met Draco in a locker room after practice. Draco was looking for his office room. He had taken on some sort of management job.
Harry wasn't sure what to say.
Draco looked at him as if he had forgotten who he was.
Then he said: "Potter."
And it was like no time had passed between them, as if they were still the same. As if the war wasn't still raging, like constant needles pricking Harry in the neck as if someone was watching him.
~~~
Draco was sitting with everyone else in the stadium, watching the team play.
It irritated Harry immensely.
He didn't play well in the beginning, then somehow managed to finish the match brilliantly.
He had seen a flicker of a scowl crossing Draco's otherwise bland face. Or maybe he had imagined it.
~~~
Hermione called after a month of silence.
She said she was coping. She said someone had to take Ron's dog. She had no time for it now she was in that new job. She said it wasn't possible to leave the dog alone all day.
Harry agreed to take it just so he wouldn't have to listen to her anymore.
~~~
Harry had to go to Draco that week. There was some tactic stuff to work on.
Harry had been voted team captain only days before and he was sullen because of the responsibility.
"You're not listening." Draco stated blankly.
Harry crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I'm not able to concentrate."
"You have to." His tone bored.
Harry rose up sharply from his seat. "Why the fuck did you take this job anyway, Malfoy?"
His anger was met with icy silence.
"You don't give a damn about the team, so why do you even bother."
Draco stared. "Do you?" he finally replied.
Harry flinched.
"Not much."
~~~
There had been another Death Eater attack in the morning. Harry found out on the Quidditch field, lazily overhearing a team mate's conversation.
It wasn't his task to stop those. It was his task to fight Voldemort once he was found. But Voldemort had been gone for years now, operating somewhere in the underground.
Harry could do nothing about him. It felt as if he had forgotten to do his homework.
~~~
Draco cornered him in the evening, as Harry was just going to leave.
"I'm not a Death Eater anymore." He said.
"Obviously," Harry countered, feeling stupid.
"We don't have to fight each other."Draco added, his voice like inertia, dragging Harry's thoughts downwards.
Harry gave a small laugh and gripped his Quidditch bag tightly. "We never had to."
"I had to." Draco answered darkly, his eyes fixated on something far away.
Harry pushed past him, pulling a door open and trying to enjoy the rush of fresh air greeting him outside.
"Why are you telling me that?"
Draco managed to halt Harry by stepping up in front of him.
"So that we can stop." he said very seriously.
Harry opened his mouth and shut it. "What?" he pressed out.
Draco gestured a little. "This. Everything. You and me."
Harry narrowed his eyes. "You're making no sense."
"Potter." Malfoy took a step forward so that they almost touched.
"I just want to forget. Hogwarts. My Past. Which happens to include you. But I can't forget you if you don't forget me."
Harry wondered if Draco had gone just a tiny bit insane.
"Forget me, Potter." He wasn't begging, but his eyes were as pleading as Harry had ever seen them.
Then, as if Draco had noticed, arrogance sprung back into his face like a jack-in-the-box.
"I think I do deserve a clean slate. Just like everyone else."
Draco turned and walked away, his striding steps clacking on the pavement.
"You don't deserve anything!" Harry shouted into the impending darkness, but he was sure Draco had been too far away to hear.
THE END