21st July, 1998

The Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts was eerily quiet. There were no classes being held there, no couples who had sneaked up for some time alone. It was as though it had been abandoned.

"Are you going to finally tell me what's been bothering you, Draco?" Harry's voice broke through the stillness of the Tower as he and Draco appeared seemingly out of thin air.

"I don't – I'm not sure – Harry I don't even know for certain what's got me in this mood," Draco replied, sounding utterly helpless and defeated. "You know I'd tell you if I knew."

"I know," Harry murmured understandingly, pulling Draco down to sit besides him on the stone flooring. "But something's bothering you, Dray, and I'd really like to know what that is. You've avoided the Tower the entire year, and suddenly tonight you wanted to come here specifically? I can't help but worry about you."

"I just – why are you in love with me Harry?" Draco asked, sounding almost tired.

"Dray, where is this coming from?" Harry replied instantly, worry clear on his face.

Draco shrugged and stood up, starting to pace around the Tower. The look on his face was an odd mixture of defeat, defiance and disbelief.

"It's just – look at the two of us! We're as different as anyone could imagine! You're the poster boy for the Light. Me? At best, I'm neither Dark nor Light, but grey. At best. You saved the world; I nearly destroyed it because of my cowardice. You're bloody perfect – famous, good looking, well connected, and just inherently good. You've got men and women swarming all around you, people who would give up anything to date you. People who are much better than me. What do you see in me? There's nothing I can bring to our relationship, nor do I have anything left to offer you. It's just – I just don't understand why, of all the people you can have, you're in love with me."

Harry was quiet for a moment, trying to process what Draco had just told him.

"Draco, why – what happened to make you think this way? Is it something I did or said?" Harry finally asked, his voice pained.

"Harry no, not at all. It's not you. It's anyone but you," Draco said quickly, hating that he had managed to hurt Harry. It was the last thing he had wanted to do.

"Then who's making you feel this way Draco?"

"It's obvious to anyone with eyes, Harry! You deserve so much better than me! I killed Dumbledore right here, which was what caused the entire British Wizarding World to fall into chaos. You were the one who rescued it. You were the one who killed the Dark Lord, while I'm one of his Marked followers.

Harry sighed, finally understanding where the conversation was going. They had had similar conversations ever since the two of them had gotten together. The war had stripped Draco of his characteristic bravado, making him doubt himself and his decisions often. The fact that the rest of the world reviled him and thought that their relationship was a huge mistake just made it all the worse.

"Draco, you know I don't blame you for Dumbledore's death, or anything that followed. You were in an impossible situation. All you wanted was to protect your family, and that's perfectly understandable."

"You might not blame me, but the Ministry does! The rest of the world does! I'm not stupid, Harry. I know everyone but you and your little band of friends absolutely despises me, and even they aren't sure about our relationship. And they're right to hate me! You cannot deny the last year of the war was entirely my fault."

Harry's expression grew serious. "It wasn't your fault Draco," he said, sounding completely sure of himself. "If there's one thing I learned from Dumbledore, it's that misguided guilt is never helpful. If you want to blame someone, blame Voldemort. Blame the situation he grew up in. But never blame yourself. You were just a child, Dray. It wasn't your fault."

"Harry I don't – I can't –"

Looking at the helpless, defeated boy in front of him, Harry's face softened. "Come here," he said softly.

When Draco was right in front of him, Harry reached out and pulled him down into his arms.

"It wasn't your fault, Dray," he murmured. "They all know that, they just need someone to blame. And with Snape a dead war hero and Voldemort gone, they're using you as a scapegoat. It's not fair, I know that, but it'll blow away soon. And that's not going to happen if they think you agree with them. They're wrong, Dray. Wrong about the war being on your head, and definitely wrong about our relationship. We're perfect for each other."

Draco started to protest, but Harry shushed him. "Let me continue. Sure, we're complete opposites, but that just means we complete each other. And as for what you bring to our relationship – well, you're smart, gorgeous, wickedly funny, and a much better person than anyone, including yourself, gives you credit for. And you're the only one who can make me smile most of the time. You're the only one who can chase the ghosts away. You're my light Dray, the one person who shines in the darkness for me. So don't say you don't give me anything. The fact that you're with me, the fact that you love me is enough for me."

By the end of Harry's impromptu speech, Draco had tears in his eyes. "How are you even real, Harry? How are you mine?" he whispered, gently tracing Harry's face with his palm.

"Dray –"

"Shh, this has nothing to do with what I was saying. It's just a question."

"Dray –"

"I love you, you know," Draco whispered, before pulling Harry in for a kiss.

Their problems were far from resolved, but for just that one perfect moment, the world and its judgments melted away, leaving behind only two boys who had the most powerful force of all time on their side – love.

For:

The Create-A-Potion Challenge

The Title Swap Competition II

The Marauders Map Contest II

The If You Dare Challenge, Prompt 786. The Highest Tower

OTP Bootcamp, Prompt 14. Helpless

Slash/Femmeslash Bootcamp, Prompt 2. Damage

HP Potions Competition, Love Potion

Florence and the Machine Challenge, Breaking Down

Fantastic Beasts Challenge, Glumbumble

Diagon Alley Fic Crawl, Rose Lee Teabag