Harry felt old. He felt all the years he had lived weighing down on his shoulders, increasing ten-fold. His eyes beyond his glasses ached, and there were hard bruised bags under them, making the emerald green look dull. P
He walked slowly, slept little, and hardly ever ate. Those around him worried about his health and safety, but none knew what to do- to make him feel better. P
Sometimes, when he was all alone, Harry would cry until all the came were dry, heavy sobs. P
Nothing seemed to matter anymore. Nothing at all.P
///P
"Hey, Potter." P
Harry didn't turn around at the familiar voice. It was still haughty and irritating, but it wasn't laced with the usual malice. Harry couldn't remember the last time it had been. Harry didn't remember much of anything anymore.P
"Potter, look at me." P
Harry didn't turn. There was a hard, heavy sigh, and a streak of pale sat before him. Harry's eyes fluttered up, and then back down again.br
"Fine, don't look at me, Potter. Don't even pretend that you're listening," there was a pause and then Draco Malfoy continued, "I know you're listening to me anyway. There's nothing better for you to do, and you don't really think about things anymore, do you? Not about the future, anyway. P
"I heard what happened to Sirius Black. My father told me your reaction with glee, after he was arrested, when mum and I visited him. br
"We're not so different, you and I."P
This time, Harry looked up and his gaze focused on the man who sat before him. Blonde hair, pale skin, pale eyes that sparked with something resembling life. Draco smirked at Harry and Harry noticed that his lips were chapped. Draco's eyes looked bruised as well. They both resembled corpses. One dark, and one pale.P
"And how is that?" Harry asked, coldly. P
"We both hurt." P
Inexplicably, and with hard rage, Harry launched himself at Draco. He felt skin beneath his hands, he felt hair, and he tugged at it. He felt others trying to pry himself off Draco, but he shook them off easily, his rage making him strong. He heard Draco's laughter from under him, saw his face bruised and cut.P
"Harry!" P
Harry turned at the sound of his voice coming from Hermione's mouth. She was standing with her hair disheveled, uniform wrinkled and eyes wide with shock. Harry got to his feet. Draco was held up by several Ravenclaws. There were no Slytherins in the library. P
"Harry," Hermione said again, this time softer. She was looking at him in shock.P
There was a laugh behind him. Harry turned around. Draco was painful to look at. Harry looked at his hand. It was covered in blood.P
"It hurts, doesn't it." Soft, like a whisper.p
///p
"What happened?" Hermione asked on their way back from the Hospital Wing. Ron and Hermione were on either side of him.P
"Nothing. He didn't say anything warranting what I did to him. I just hurt him because I wanted too." P
///P
"Hey." Harry said, sitting next to Draco. Draco looked over at him, his grey eyes still sparkling with life. P
"Hey, Potter." Draco said, giving Harry a small smile. P
"I'm sorry." P
"What, for this?" Draco gestured at the cuts on his face, "They're nothing. I've experienced a lot worse than this. In fact, this felt nice compared with what I've been going through."P
Harry looked at the blonde quizzically.P
"I mean of the emotional variety, nimwad. Not every sort of pain is brought about physically. Not the worst kinds, anyway."P
"I think I know what you mean." P
"Do you? I don't know about that." P
Those grey eyes sparkled again, and taken with a very sudden urge, Harry grabbed Draco by the shoulders, planted his lips firmly on his mouth and kissed him with such force that for minutes afterwards, both were left breathless. P
"I don't know what you want from me." Harry said, finally. Every word took an effort. P
"I do. I want you to realize that you're a blind little idiot. I know what a lot of things feel like. And you know what? I'm still fighting. I'm going to keep fighting until there isn't a single threat left in this world. You think you're the only person who has lost something in this war? Grow up, Potter." P
Harry stared at him in shock., and when Draco wrapped his arm around his neck and pulled him down into an embrace, Harry didn't resist. Instead, he flew towards Draco like a magnet, and they kissed.P
Harry felt all the weight on him fly away into the air, and float to the sky into nothing.P
/// P
"Why did you kiss me that day?" Draco asked, as Harry drew patterns on his stomach with his finger. He shifted under the blankets and looked Harry in the eye.P
"Your eyes." P
Draco lifted his eyebrows.P
"My eyes," he said flatly, "I was really hoping you'd say something more romantic than that." P
Harry laughed. p
"Your eyes were so... alive. And you made me see... you made me see the hurt inside myself, and the hurt I was causing everyone around me." P
"It hurts." Draco said, looking back up at the ceiling, as Harry drew him into his arms. P
"Life always hurts. But when there's you, I feel whole." p
center
Fin/center
He walked slowly, slept little, and hardly ever ate. Those around him worried about his health and safety, but none knew what to do- to make him feel better. P
Sometimes, when he was all alone, Harry would cry until all the came were dry, heavy sobs. P
Nothing seemed to matter anymore. Nothing at all.P
///P
"Hey, Potter." P
Harry didn't turn around at the familiar voice. It was still haughty and irritating, but it wasn't laced with the usual malice. Harry couldn't remember the last time it had been. Harry didn't remember much of anything anymore.P
"Potter, look at me." P
Harry didn't turn. There was a hard, heavy sigh, and a streak of pale sat before him. Harry's eyes fluttered up, and then back down again.br
"Fine, don't look at me, Potter. Don't even pretend that you're listening," there was a pause and then Draco Malfoy continued, "I know you're listening to me anyway. There's nothing better for you to do, and you don't really think about things anymore, do you? Not about the future, anyway. P
"I heard what happened to Sirius Black. My father told me your reaction with glee, after he was arrested, when mum and I visited him. br
"We're not so different, you and I."P
This time, Harry looked up and his gaze focused on the man who sat before him. Blonde hair, pale skin, pale eyes that sparked with something resembling life. Draco smirked at Harry and Harry noticed that his lips were chapped. Draco's eyes looked bruised as well. They both resembled corpses. One dark, and one pale.P
"And how is that?" Harry asked, coldly. P
"We both hurt." P
Inexplicably, and with hard rage, Harry launched himself at Draco. He felt skin beneath his hands, he felt hair, and he tugged at it. He felt others trying to pry himself off Draco, but he shook them off easily, his rage making him strong. He heard Draco's laughter from under him, saw his face bruised and cut.P
"Harry!" P
Harry turned at the sound of his voice coming from Hermione's mouth. She was standing with her hair disheveled, uniform wrinkled and eyes wide with shock. Harry got to his feet. Draco was held up by several Ravenclaws. There were no Slytherins in the library. P
"Harry," Hermione said again, this time softer. She was looking at him in shock.P
There was a laugh behind him. Harry turned around. Draco was painful to look at. Harry looked at his hand. It was covered in blood.P
"It hurts, doesn't it." Soft, like a whisper.p
///p
"What happened?" Hermione asked on their way back from the Hospital Wing. Ron and Hermione were on either side of him.P
"Nothing. He didn't say anything warranting what I did to him. I just hurt him because I wanted too." P
///P
"Hey." Harry said, sitting next to Draco. Draco looked over at him, his grey eyes still sparkling with life. P
"Hey, Potter." Draco said, giving Harry a small smile. P
"I'm sorry." P
"What, for this?" Draco gestured at the cuts on his face, "They're nothing. I've experienced a lot worse than this. In fact, this felt nice compared with what I've been going through."P
Harry looked at the blonde quizzically.P
"I mean of the emotional variety, nimwad. Not every sort of pain is brought about physically. Not the worst kinds, anyway."P
"I think I know what you mean." P
"Do you? I don't know about that." P
Those grey eyes sparkled again, and taken with a very sudden urge, Harry grabbed Draco by the shoulders, planted his lips firmly on his mouth and kissed him with such force that for minutes afterwards, both were left breathless. P
"I don't know what you want from me." Harry said, finally. Every word took an effort. P
"I do. I want you to realize that you're a blind little idiot. I know what a lot of things feel like. And you know what? I'm still fighting. I'm going to keep fighting until there isn't a single threat left in this world. You think you're the only person who has lost something in this war? Grow up, Potter." P
Harry stared at him in shock., and when Draco wrapped his arm around his neck and pulled him down into an embrace, Harry didn't resist. Instead, he flew towards Draco like a magnet, and they kissed.P
Harry felt all the weight on him fly away into the air, and float to the sky into nothing.P
/// P
"Why did you kiss me that day?" Draco asked, as Harry drew patterns on his stomach with his finger. He shifted under the blankets and looked Harry in the eye.P
"Your eyes." P
Draco lifted his eyebrows.P
"My eyes," he said flatly, "I was really hoping you'd say something more romantic than that." P
Harry laughed. p
"Your eyes were so... alive. And you made me see... you made me see the hurt inside myself, and the hurt I was causing everyone around me." P
"It hurts." Draco said, looking back up at the ceiling, as Harry drew him into his arms. P
"Life always hurts. But when there's you, I feel whole." p
center
Fin/center