Drarry AI Oneshots

Reflections of Us

It had been an awkward arrangement at first: Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, eighth-year roommates at Hogwarts. After years of animosity, they found themselves sharing a dormitory, and the air between them was thick with unspoken history. But something surprising had happened over the first few weeks-they had learned to tolerate each other. More than that, they had learned that neither of them slept particularly well.

The nightmares plagued them both. For Harry, it was the war-the endless memories of loss, of screams, of cold nights hunting Horcruxes. For Draco, it was the weight of guilt, the faces of people he had wronged or failed to save, and the shadow of his family's dark legacy.

It didn't take long for them to figure out that they weren't alone in their sleeplessness. On the third night of Draco tossing and turning in his bed, he had noticed Harry getting up and slipping out of the dorm. The next night, Draco had done the same, only to bump into Harry in the corridors, both of them surprised to find the other wandering the castle at midnight.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Harry had asked awkwardly.

Draco had sighed. "No. Seems we have that in common, Potter."

After that, it became routine. When sleep evaded them, they'd find each other in the quiet of the castle, wandering the dark hallways, sometimes in silence, sometimes making light conversation about anything that wasn't the war.

They never talked about the nightmares. They didn't have to.

One night, after a particularly restless evening, they found themselves wandering further than usual. The castle was eerily quiet, the only sounds their footsteps echoing against the stone floors. The air between them was comfortable now, the awkwardness that had once defined their relationship replaced by something closer to understanding.

As they rounded a corner, Harry stopped suddenly, his eyes catching on something familiar. A doorway-a familiar, ancient one-stood at the end of the hall. It was ajar, and a soft, silvery light spilled out into the corridor.

"What is it?" Draco asked, noticing the way Harry had frozen.

Harry frowned. "I think I know what that is."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Care to enlighten me?"

Without answering, Harry started walking toward the door, his heart pounding slightly. He hadn't seen the Mirror of Erised since his first year at Hogwarts, but he recognized the light, the feeling of being drawn toward something both magical and dangerous.

Draco followed, curiosity piqued, though he didn't press Harry for answers. When they stepped through the door, they found the Mirror of Erised standing tall in the center of the room, just as magnificent and mysterious as it had been all those years ago.

"The Mirror of Erised," Harry murmured, more to himself than to Draco.

Draco stood beside him, staring at the massive mirror. "What is it?"

"It shows you your heart's deepest desire," Harry explained, his voice soft. "Whatever you want most in the world."

Draco frowned, his eyes flicking over the ornate frame. "So it's a mirror that lies to you?"

"No," Harry corrected. "It shows you the truth. But sometimes, the truth is harder to face."

Draco looked at Harry for a moment, his expression unreadable, before turning back to the mirror. He stared at it for a long time, his brow furrowed as though he was trying to understand what Harry meant.

"Potter, it's a mirror," Draco said finally, sounding puzzled. "I see us."

Harry blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

Draco tilted his head slightly, his eyes still fixed on the glass. "It's a mirror. I see you and me standing here."

Harry's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected that answer. He had expected Draco to see something grand, something reflective of his past ambitions-perhaps power, or wealth, or his family restored to their former glory. But Draco was just... staring at their reflection.

"You don't see... anything else?" Harry asked, his voice quiet, uncertain.

Draco finally turned to look at him, a small frown on his face. "What are you talking about? What else would I see?"

Harry's mind raced. He remembered the first time he had looked into the mirror, all those years ago. He had seen his parents, smiling and alive. But now, standing here beside Draco, he realized he hadn't looked into the mirror himself this time. He hadn't dared. Instead, he had been more concerned with what Draco saw, and the fact that Draco didn't see anything unusual-just them.

"Draco," Harry said softly, his heart pounding, "the mirror doesn't just show reflections. It shows what you want most."

Draco's frown deepened, his eyes flicking back to the mirror, then back to Harry. "So... what are you saying?"

Harry hesitated, unsure of how to put it into words without sounding foolish. "If you only see us... maybe that means..."

Draco's eyes widened slightly, realization slowly dawning on him. His lips parted, but no words came out at first. He glanced back at the mirror, then at Harry, and for a moment, they both stood in silence, the weight of unspoken feelings hanging between them.

"You think..." Draco started, his voice quieter now, more vulnerable than Harry had ever heard it. "You think I want this? Us?"

Harry swallowed hard, his pulse racing. "Do you?"

Draco stared at him, his expression conflicted. He had never considered it, not consciously at least. But now that Harry had pointed it out, the truth felt inescapable. Draco had spent so many nights teasing himself with the idea of being close to Harry, of having more than this strange camaraderie they had developed. He had hidden it behind layers of sarcasm and mockery, but standing here, in front of this mirror, the truth was impossible to deny.

"I don't..." Draco's voice faltered, and he shook his head, as if trying to clear his thoughts. "I didn't realize."

Harry's heart pounded, a strange mix of hope and fear twisting in his chest. "Maybe we've both been avoiding the truth."

Draco met Harry's gaze, and for the first time, he allowed himself to really think about what that meant. He had been walking these halls with Harry for months, sharing moments of quiet understanding, moments where the unspoken tension between them had felt like it was building toward something more. And now, here they were, standing in front of a mirror that showed their reflection-just them.

"I don't want to see anything else," Draco admitted quietly, his voice barely audible.

Harry's breath caught in his throat. "Neither do I."

For a moment, neither of them moved. The room was silent, the air thick with the weight of the confession that had just passed between them. The Mirror of Erised stood in front of them, reflecting their images back at them, but it no longer felt like an ordinary mirror. It felt like it had shown them something they had both been too afraid to see.

Slowly, Harry reached out, his hand brushing against Draco's. Draco didn't pull away. Instead, he turned to face Harry fully, his eyes searching Harry's for any sign of hesitation.

But there was none.

Harry took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest. "Maybe what we want most isn't so impossible."

Draco's lips twitched into a small, tentative smile, the first real smile Harry had seen from him in a long time. "Maybe not."

And as they stood there, side by side, in front of the Mirror of Erised, the reflection of their future-of what could be-shone back at them, clearer than ever before.