It was almost...scripted. As if it had been written down in some ancient magical tome.
The light and the dark.
The good and the bad.
However, where Harry was entirely good, Draco was not entirely bad.
He didn't really know where he'd gone wrong. His parents both seemed to support the Dark Lord entirely. Hell, his father had even gone as far as take the Dark Mark to pledge the Malfoys forever under the scrutiny of Lord Voldemort.
And, even then, Draco could not find one good quality about himself. Not one. Whether he was walking down the corridor, or speaking to his fellow house mates, or even when he was eating. It seemed like bad just followed Draco around despite his will to keep himself neutral. He'd sneer at the younger years on his way to class, or make up an even worse rumor when Pansy tried snitching the latest during breakfast, or send a permanent glare over the Great Hall as he dined.
It really wasn't intentional. He was just raised that way. Always be the smartest person in the room. Keep your enemies far, and keep your friends even farther. If you will learn to do anything, learn how to survive.
Draco was taught to always watch his back, to always protect himself, to run if the going got hard.
But Harry. Oh, Harry Potter.
A beacon of pure good. There was not one bad bone in that boy's body. Everything about him screamed light. Draco supposes the only bad quality of Harry Potter tended to be his hair.
And that fashion sense of his.
Draco shudders. Alright, the only two bad qualities.
Oh, and that terrible habit of his of jumping into situations headfirst. Dear God, how Draco despises that one.
Three terrible qualities, then.
Regardless. How on earth does it make sense? Didn't Mother always say that opposites attract? Take his parents, for example. Narcissa was all cool and collected, gentle upturns of the lips and discreet nods.
Before their marriage, his mother always said Lucius was boisterous, too flirty to function and only half as collected as he is now--courtesy of Walburga Black's Pureblood Instruction Manual and a few well-placed leg-lock jinxes. Even before everything went to shit, when they suppose Draco isn't looking, Lucius would take Narcissa and twirl her about in the ballroom, dancing to the beat of her laughter.
So how is it that Harry Potter is all good--and some bad--and Draco is not all bad--yet not exactly good--and they still can't seem to have one full, functional conversation without spitting at each other's shoes? They're balancing opposites, according to Mother Earth's law, and yet, the only time Draco can really tolerate Harry Potter is when he's silent and passing him ingredients to add to their brew in Potions.
How different could they be to not get along at all? Is it because of their beliefs? Because Draco doesn't really have beliefs, just strong opinions. And his opinion is that the Dark Lord can go suck a butter sock if his favorite pastime is targeting eleven year old boys because they didn't die when he wanted them to.
Draco never really understood the Dark Lord's reasoning. Alright, he hates muggles. There are a few other wizards who do, so why couldn't he just make a club--a non-violent one--and call it a day? He really had to go kill a child to make his point?
Which brings Draco's curios mind to his next query: If Draco doesn't believe in the Dark Lord's reign, are him and Harry really that different?
To hell with being sorted in houses. Draco can be brave; he offered his friendship to Potter when they first met even though all he wanted to do was run for the hills. And Harry can be clever; Draco knows that Harry has a way around the castle after dark without being seen. So, technically, with or without outstanding qualities, Harry and Draco are just two boys caught in the crossfire of a cataclysmic event their parents didn't want to take care of when they had the chance.
