Opposites - a Drarry Story

Opposites- Ch. 2

Draco Malfoy was a queasy stomach.

Draco Malfoy was furrowed brows, sly smirks, and threatening glances. He was a downturned mouth, a wrinkled nose, and hateful eyes. Malfoy was an all-too-perfect appearance, with hints of jealousy in a gaze that you were carefully avoiding. He was a side plot, and everything Harry saw in his peripheral vision.

Draco Malfoy was the best bad thing, or maybe, the least bad bad thing. He was an enemy in its most classic form, but one of the only constants in Harry's life.

Draco Malfoy was one of the only people Harry had ever hated.

And yet- when he caught a glimpse of Draco through the train compartment door- He couldn't bring himself to despise him.

Maybe it was the way his head seemed to hang dejectedly from his pale neck, or maybe it was the way he was walking; like he was hiding himself instead of strutting proudly. Or, it could've been the way he slinked into an empty compartment all by himself, and slammed the door shut behind him. Malfoy was sitting alone...

Wait... Malfoy was sitting alone?

"Harry? Is something wrong?" Hermione inquired.

Harry looked at her quizzically, and then realized that she was referring to his labored leaning toward the compartment door. Harry immediately sat back.

"um- er- I'm fine." Harry said, rubbing his neck embarrassedly. "It was just... uh... nothing."

Ron and Hermione were looking at him skeptically from across the compartment. They knew him too well, they could always tell when he had something on his mind or when something was up. Harry was seated in the bench across from them, and they were holding hands. This sort of thing no longer bothered Harry, He had gotten quite used to the hand holding, and even the occasional snogging didn't really irk him anymore as long as it was kept to a minimum.

"are you sure? You really have been spacing out a lot lately." Hermione looked worried.

Harry rolled his eyes, then turned to Ron, expecting a similar response in return, but Ron shook his head.

"sorry mate," he said. "I'm gonna have to agree with Hermione on this one."

Harry tossed his head back, frustrated. As much as he loved her, he really couldn't stand Hermione's sympathetic looks sometimes. If he thought Voldemort's death would put a stop to these sort of conversations, he was apparently wrong.

"Look, 'You-Know-Who' isn't inside my head anymore, Hermione. I'm fine, and I'm quite ready for you two to stop worrying about me, thanks."

Hermione went slightly pink.

"You know I didn't mean that, Harry..." Hermione said quietly. "It's just- well, I'm a little concerned about the emotional state that...um... everything has left you in."

"Anyone would be." chorused Ron.

"Well you can stop being concerned, and I would really not like anyone's sympathy." Said Harry. "Not now, not ever."

Ron and Hermione went quiet.

Suddenly, a loud bang from a near by compartment shook the floor and made them all jump.

Harry leapt to his feet and slid the compartment door open.

"Harry, don't-" began Hermione, but he was already stepping into the train corridor and swinging the door shut behind him.

"Malfoy," Harry muttered, striding bravely toward the compartment he saw the boy enter. "That noise came from his compartment..."

With a rush of familiar adrenaline, Harry yanked open the compartment door.

Draco was lifting one of his trunks into the luggage compartments, his back turned to the door. Harry cleared his throat, and Draco instant spun around, wand drawn.

His eyes went wide at the sight of Harry.

"Potter." He spat, wand pointed at Harry's chest. He was looking Harry up and down with furious eyes. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Harry ignored the question. By this point, his wand at was outstretched in defense as well. Harry desperately hoped no one walked by to witness the scene in this compartment. Draco's face clearly said 'one wrong move and I'm going to jinx you into oblivion'.

"What was that noise I heard?" Harry asked.

"My bloody trunk fell." Draco jerked his head toward the luggage rack, wand still aimed threateningly at Harry's heart. "Its called gravity, Potter. Did that damn werewolf neglect to teach you physics? Or did you reckon another dementor was out to get you?" Draco's lip curled up into a leer. "Go ahead, cast your brilliant patronus charm on me. Go ahead, I want to see it!"

Malfoy's condescending drawl crawled up Harry's back. He didn't realize Draco was so furious. Maybe it had been better he didn't start anything with him again.

"got nothing to say?" Draco said, taking another step towards Harry. "Why don't you just tell me why you actually bothered to come in here and gloat at me."

Draco's wand was now getting dangerously close to Harry's neck.

Harry considered a response, then realized that he didn't really know what to say; he wasn't sure he had an answer. He didn't know why he bothered to march into Malfoy's compartment, wand raised, without evidence that he was up to something. He supposed he'd done this sort of thing in the past, especially in his sixth term at Hogwarts, but there was a verdict that had never dawned on Harry before: Did he like "investigating" Draco's actions? Harry wasn't even sure what that meant.

He exhaled.

"why are you sitting alone?"

"Because I'm sitting alone, Potter. Why are you avoiding my questions?"

Harry suddenly felt tremendously stupid.

"No, seriously- why are you sitting alone?"

Draco scoffed.

"Since when have you ever cared?"

"Since now, apparently." Harry stammered.

"Take a wild guess, Potter. After all the rubbish that's gone on, I'd be shocked out of my mind if anyone dared sit in alone in a compartment with me, and... I wouldn't blame them, would you? Can't imagine anyone jumping at the chance of a train ride with me, especially not your 'perfect' self."

Oh, so I'M the self righteous one... Harry thought to himself.

"Yeah, I reckon not." Harry said quietly.

He noticed they both still had their wands raised. He lowered his arm and stuffed his wand back into his robe pocket. Draco did the same.

An awkward silence ensued.

"So, er... Can I sit?"

"Can you what?!" Draco was looking at Harry like he'd just sprouted a second head. Harry was starting to think that maybe this attempt wasn't such a good idea.

Harry slid the compartment door shut and planted himself onto the seat across from Draco.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Draco huffed and sat down carefully, before running his fingers through his hair, smoothing down his disheveled blond coif. Harry adjusted himself to gaze out the window at the rolling countryside, pretending to ignore Malfoy, but he could feel his sharp eyes fixed on his face. Eventually, Harry felt the other boy relax slightly and his scrutinizing glare faltered, but Harry noticed that Draco never took his hand off his wand.