Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to JKR.

"Contrast."

Harry made a face, stretching on his side of the couch and letting out a sigh. "That's not very exciting, Draco." He said teasingly.

The room of requirement served a grand purpose of studying as the two slowly worked on their Charms assignment. Unfortunately, Harry's page consisted of doodles and Draco's was mostly blank, aside from three sentences which said the same thing, though reworded differently to create the illusion of well though-out arguments.

"You asked." Draco said coolly, letting his legs fall from their lounging position on the table and also stretching tiredly.

"I was expecting something with more feeling… exciting, exhilarating… endearing, even."

Draco snorted. "I believe I found the perfect word to describe our relationship, Potter."

"Contrast? And call me Harry, you great prat."

The blonde smirked, crawling over to his boyfriend of eight months with indifference etched across his face. "I hardly find anything about studying nearly every night exhilarating, Harry."

"What about when we go out flying, then?" The Gryffindor said with a small smile, clasping the blonde's smooth hand so they were sitting close next to one another.

"It's still contrast."

"But we're not so different—"

Draco scoffed, and let his hand run through his hair. "Physical contrast, first of all." He stated, oddly monotone. "I'm pale as death, while you're a lively, emerald-eyed centaur, or so one would think."

"Are you saying I'm hung like a horse?"

Draco's eyes suddenly widened and he sent a shocked gaze to his partner. Harry let out a howl of laughter then, not simmering down until at least five minutes had passed, clutching at his sides.

"You want feeling, you say, and here you are laughing yourself into oblivion."

"Laughter is a feeling."

Draco rolled his eyes, picking up his Charms essay and writing down a fourth sentence. "Of course, what was I thinking…Gryffindor's can't be deep."

Harry gave a wolfish grin, before placing Draco's essay back onto the table. He wrapped his arms gently around the narrow waist and kissed the pale neck softly. "They can sure kick your arse at Quidditch, though, can't they?"

Draco let out a huff of indignation, before turning around so he was straddling the other boy. "Contrast." He repeated in a warm voice, entwining his fingers with Harry's.

Harry smiled tenderly, lifting his chin and brushing his lips across Draco's. "The same." He said, before letting his tongue slide into the other's warm mouth, feeling the blonde let out a small sigh.

"You're good…" A tongue brushed across his own, and Draco shivered, his hands falling onto Harry's shoulder. "…I'm evil."

Harry laughed sweetly; their mouths still open enough to let muffled words escape. "Not evil." He said quietly, feeling himself being pushed against the backrest of the couch as his mouth was being devoured by Draco's thoroughly.

Pulling away for a brief second, Draco pressed their bodies together. "I'm going to end up killing you." He said, after a comfortable pause.

Harry's eyes flickered with regret, before he shrugged. "And I'm not going to let you." He felt hands tangle in his hair as Draco leaned forward again, kissing the side of his mouth.

"You better put up a worthy fight."

Harry stroked Draco's side, his eyelashes fluttering as the warm mouth moved hotly against his own. Then, he gently pushed Draco onto his back and leaned over him, smiling hollowly.

"We can treat it like Quidditch."

And with that, they were kissing in a tangled mess, limbs curled with limbs as lips crushed against each other, stray noises escaping trembling throats.

x.x.x.x

"Contrast." Draco whispered, a finger smoothing down his mark.

Harry took in a shuddering breath, watching carefully as Draco stared at the mark nonchalantly.

"You're good." He said again, smiling eerily. Harry found he didn't like the smile that curved on those delicate lips. It seemed almost…

"Evil." Draco said, looking up at Harry with a half-lidded gaze. "I'm evil."

Harry found himself unable to deny the statement for several moments, before he shook his head.

"It's only a scar."

Draco blinked, looking at his hands briefly, before meeting emerald eyes. "You of all people should know that scars can change futures." He smiled grimly, and it looked more human—human enough that Harry found himself able to deny the fact more vehemently.

"You're not evil."

Draco shrugged, his eyes finally taking in their surroundings. He finally registered Fawkes' keening cries and the overwhelming smell of blood.

"I killed."

Harry swallowed, looking pointedly away from the sweat-soaked blonde and his ragged, torn robes. "We all did."

Draco grinned emotionlessly, shaking his head. "Not you."

Harry never replied, choosing not to react to the soft pull of fingers on his own as the blonde kissed a quivering fingertip.

"Contrast."

x.x.x.x

"We're at war."

Harry swallowed as Draco kissed his neck swiftly, licking at it tenderly for a moment before rising to meet the former-Gryffindor's mouth.

"Doesn't it remind you though…" He said quietly, his voice quivering and his face still marred with tear tracks. "Of when we used to stud—" He let out a soft whimper as Harry trailed a affectionate hand down his side, evoking emotions that he couldn't afford to show. "—study in the Room of Requirement?"

Harry bit his lip, shaking his head. "Nothing feels that good anymore, Draco. People are dying."

The blonde leaned his forehead against Harry's shoulder in a resigned way. "Can't we forget that for just this one night?"

Harry hugged Draco tightly, stroking his hair. "Forgetting them would be killing them all over again."

Draco smiled thinly, shaking his head. "I can forget."

"You have to. You'd go mad if you didn't."

Placing his glasses back on Harry's nose, Draco stood up suddenly, and brushed off his robes. "Because I'm the one that's killing."

Harry was silent, before nodding slightly.

"You can't love me." Draco said at once, shaking his head in a sort of mental way. "You must hate me, after all I've done—"

"I can't hate you," Harry said, his eyes shining brightly. "Because I love you."

Draco let out a loud wail then, dropping to his knees and clutching his hair. Harry slid onto his knees as well, wrapping the blonde in a tight embrace.

"You're slowly killing yourself."

Draco swallowed thickly. "I'm slowly killing you too."

Harry kissed shuddering lips softly, before leaning a head on a furiously beating chest, and Draco looked up at him sadly.

"I told you I would."

x.x.x.x

"Contrast." Harry said aloud, making Draco flinch in surprise, almost lowering the wand pointed at his lover.

They were alone, Draco managing to trick Harry into meeting him late at night as they were frequently doing over the two years since the war had started.

"I thought you didn't believe I was evil." Draco said softly, his voice carefully apathetic.

Harry shrugged, his eyes lingering on his own wand which was definite in Draco's small grip.

"I thought you were going to kill me slowly. It'd have been more painful, granted, but I could die still loving you."

Draco licked his dry lips, before taking a step forward. "By then, you could pose a great threat to the Dark Lord."

"Call him Voldemort." Harry's voice was clear in the abandoned cottage. "…you great prat." His voice was toneless, not affectionate as it once had been.

Draco flinched once more, before shaking his head.

"Contrast." Harry said again, narrowing his eyes. "I used to think you were brave, but you're the coward everyone says."

Draco suddenly hissed, closing the distance between them rapidly before coming to a sudden stop, careful not to get too close. "I wouldn't be able to kill you if I were a coward."

"I believe the opposite."

"You never actually loved me, did you, Harr—"

Harry clenched his teeth. "Don't play your stupid games with me, Malfoy."

Draco swallowed, before lowering his wand, and catching the glimpse of hope in Harry's eyes. "I don't want you to die just yet."

"What?"

He walked over to Harry, his fingers digging into dark hair just above a smooth neck. "Not without this."

The kiss was broken as soon as it started by Harry wrenching away, a dark look on his face. "Get off of me. Or are you planning on raping me too?"

Draco's eyes widened and he dropped his hands as if they were lead. His voice quivered as he scrambled away, "I was just—I told you I'd have to do this." He said, his voice matted with tears and his hair falling slowly into his eyes. "You knew I'd have to do this."

Harry's gaze suddenly softened. "I know."

"I told you we were a contrast."

"I know."

"I told you I was e—"

Harry's lips covered his own, stopping him mid-sentence and pulling the trembling blonde onto his lap. Arms circled around his neck as a moist cheek rubbed against his jaw, incoherent words being whispered into the gentle kiss.

After what seemed like hours, Draco pulled away, panting and letting his forehead fall onto Harry's chest. He vaguely found his hands were empty and both wands were strewn across the cottage floor.

"He'll kill me."

"I'm not going to let him."

Draco swallowed, shaking his head. "He'll kill you too."

"I've put him in Azkaban before, he can't compete with Voldemort."

"He's stronger than you think."

Harry kissed Draco's wet cheek innocently, before tugging him close. "He's poison."

x.x.x.x

"We're not so different."

Harry's voice reached Draco's and the blonde's heart jumped in surprise. "Harry?"

The former-Gryffindor sat next to Draco on the bench, though a slight distance away. "Been ages, hasn't it?"

"Almost a year," Draco confirmed, staring at the graveyard and refusing to look at the young man next to him.

"What are you doing here?"

The blonde leaned against the bench, easily avoiding the question. "I thought you left London."

"I have."

"Then?"

Harry shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I heard you had your trial this weekend."

"And?"

Unperturbed by the short answers, Harry turned to face Draco, watching the other male do the same. Both felt a tremor run through them as they locked gazes for the first time in months, and Harry noticed the once vivid grey eyes were surprisingly blank—dead almost. "I wanted to testify, but they said I had too close of a relationship with you."

"I killed." Draco said, still noting the small distance between their bodies that, a year ago, wouldn't have been there.

"Lucius killed. He only used your body to do it."

"My mind isn't so weak that it can't build at least a little restraint against his taunting orders. I'm as evil as he."

Harry let out a disgusted noise, before shaking his head. "You're not evil."

"You said once yourself—"

"You never killed me."

Draco kept quiet then, before closing his eyes as he felt warm fingers enclose over his. "I'm marked."

"It's fading."

It was true; the mark was slowly fading as normal ink would. Voldemort's destruction released the murky hold.

"That doesn't make up for anything."

"You killing Voldemort made up for everything."

Draco licked his lips, feeling warmth travel up his limbs as Harry moved closer, his words whispered.

"You killed Voldemort, Harry."

"Love did."

"That had nothing to do with me. I remember saying I didn't love you and you running off to America with a broken heart." His voice wasn't meant to be cruel, just stating simple facts.

"You were lying."

"I wasn't."

Harry smiled, his nose tickling the side of Draco's neck as he let a soft kiss linger there. "Why are you here?"

Draco opened his eyes and stared at the graveyard once again. "I'm remembering."

"What happened to forgetting?"

Draco arched in the warm embrace that was slowly taking him over, letting out a long sigh.

"I can't. It's like killing them all over again."

x.x.x.x

Fingers curved against his own and Harry smiled, watching his lightly tanned thumb stroke a pale-white palm.

"We really are a contrast."

Draco looked up from his book, his expression stricken. "What?"

"Contrast. It was a perfect word."

The blonde smiled in realization and gave a slight nod.

"Contrast."

End