A/N: Another entry for the International Wizarding School Championship. This is another short drabble, but this time it's pre-Drarry for my Drarry followers. Yay! Just some sweet talk of love in honour of the Valentine's Day weekend.
Entry information:
IWSC Writing School Challenge Round 3
Story Title/Link: Extraordinary
School: Beauxbatons
Technique: Making dialogue flow
Prompt: 1. "I don't want normal and easy and simple. I want painful, difficult, devastating, life-changing, extraordinary love." – Scandal
Year: 6
Word count: 985 (10% leeway)
Additional A/N: AU only in that it's Not Epilogue Compliant
Extraordinary
They were sitting in a Muggle pub not far from St Mungos. It was a strange reality they found themselves living after so many years of being at odds. They had common ground now. They both wanted to help Andromeda heal, and they needed to care for little Teddy Lupin while she was ill. The close proximity in which they often found themselves had begun to form the early stages of friendship.
Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter, friends. Not just friendly, but actually becoming friends. It nearly was too much to believe, but Draco found himself enjoying their conversations. Sometimes, their discussions were just light banter about mutual acquaintances or current events, but other times, like now, they ended up in deep philosophical conversation. He never would have thought Potter had it in him, but now that he knew Harry better, he'd learned that the man seemed to live inside his head a good deal of the time, quietly analysing the world around him.
Today's awkward topic? Love. He was discussing the idea of love in a Muggle pub with Harry Potter. Surreal.
"I just don't understand why anyone would want boring when it comes to love," Draco huffed. "I don't want normal and easy and simple. I want painful, difficult, devastating, life-changing, extraordinary love."
Harry just shook his head. "I understand wanting exciting, but who says that normal and simple can't be life-changing and extraordinary? Love should not be difficult. I think if it's painful and difficult, you're doing it wrong."
Draco rolled his eyes. "You're such a Gryffindor sometimes. For every emotion, there is an inverse feeling. The intensity of one influences both. Pain is intense, but so is the joy when the pain is gone. You can't have true joy without experiencing the pain."
"I agree, but can you have true joy if the person you love is the one creating the pain? How can you trust them if they cause you pain? Life gives you difficulties and pain enough without the person you love and trust creating the situation."
Draco considered that for a moment, but then realized he wasn't ready to give up his argument just yet. "I want a love that will change everything, that will turn my life upside-down, that will push me to be the best version of myself. I'm not going to get that with something that's normal and easy and simple. I know myself too well to know that I wouldn't grow in a relationship like that. I'd take it for granted and be the same prick I've always been."
Harry gave him a knowing smile and took another drink. "Yeah, I want that too, but I still don't agree that you need to have the negative elements in order to grow. I think the problem here is that you're equating boring with simple and easy. To me, simple and easy means that you love the other person for who they are, and you accept them whole-heartedly. You don't push them to change to be what you want them to be, you don't pick at them for mistakes, and you don't berate them or make them feel less. Instead, you support them, and lift them up, and push them to change to be what they want themselves to be. And that, that should be easy. That should be simple because you should want the best for them even more than you want it for yourself. And they should return the sentiment."
Draco took a moment to think that through while he ordered another round of drinks. He returned to the table to find Harry building something out of his cocktail coasters. "I can't leave you alone for five minutes without you playing with something, can I?" Draco kept his tone light, hoping Harry would hear it for the tease it was.
Harry laughed. "Look, I was thinking about what I said before you left. I see it like this." Harry took the two coasters and laid them flat on the table. "What you're suggesting is that love be like this." Harry took one coaster and pushed it around the table with the other. "The two are together; they influence one another." He changed direction and pushed the first coaster with the second. "They can change each other and where they go. But they are always the same, just in different places."
Draco raised an eyebrow and gestured for Harry to continue.
"But if they work together, if they each appreciate the other for what it can do, they grow." He propped the two coasters on their sides and leaned them together like a little tent. "That's simple. That's easy. It's not boring, but it is life-changing. When the pain and difficulties come along, it's not the two creating the pain and difficulty for the other. It can't be, because they are too busy holding the other one up. They weather the low-times together because they are partners in every sense of the word, so when that passes, your inverse feelings can soar even higher, because they're duplicated from both."
They sat in silence while they both absorbed the conversation. Draco stared at the coasters while he attempted to reorient his world-view just a bit. Harry made complete sense, and he found himself wanting what he described. No, not just wanted it. He ached for it. It sounded extraordinary.
"Draco, are you okay? Did I break you?"
Draco looked up to see intense green eyes staring at him in concern. He reached out and grabbed Harry's wrist, stopping him from moving the coasters. "No. No, you didn't break me. You might have actually fixed me just a little. That— No, not that. You. You were amazing just now. Thank you."
Harry smiled and shrugged, placing his own hand over Draco's, still resting on his wrist. "You're welcome."
So yeah, they were friends now. That felt good.