Where Draco tries to jump from the Astronomy tower after getting assigned the task to kill Dumbledore and Harry tries to talk him out of it.
Sixth year!Drarry
---
With one leg swung over the rail of the Astronomy tower and the other following close behind, Draco lets off a broken sob. It didn't matter what Voldemort wanted; Draco didn't have it in him to kill his Headmaster. He would rather die than end someone else's life.
The blond takes a final deep breath, shutting his eyes tight and right before he allows himself to fall he hears, "Malfoy, what the bloody hell are you doing?"
Draco's eyes shoot open in surprise at the voice and his grip on the rail instinctively tightens. He looks back, tears still streaming down his cheeks and says, "Leave me be, Potter. I don't want you here,"
"I'm not going to leave because I know if I do you'll pitch yourself from this tower," Harry says and Draco groans, shooting him an irritated glare.
"Just leave," He snaps. "You don't even like me anyway," Draco's voice comes out small, vulnerable and it causes Harry's heart to break.
"What caused this, Draco? What happened?" Harry asks gently, edging closer and Draco sways once he puts his hand out.
"The Dark Lord..." Draco cringes. "He– He told me I have to kill Dumbledore. Or-Or he'll kill me," He whispers, a broken sob leaving his mouth soon after. "I can't do that. I can't, Harry and I won't give him the pleasure of killing me so I'll... I'll do it myself,"
Harry's face goes paler than Draco had ever seen it. He seemed to have thought the Slytherin lost his mind. And maybe he had. "Give me your hand," The dark haired boy whispers, arm outstretched toward the opposing wizard.
"N-No," The blond stammers, looking away from the Boy Who Lived, shutting his eyes tight. The chilled air clung to him like a coat and the boy sways against the cool railing, knuckles stiff as a coiled wire. "Get away from me, Potter," Draco snaps. "I don't need your help. I don't need anyone," He hisses.
"You deserve to live, Draco. You're not like them. You're good and–"
"I'm a Death Eater, Harry," Draco steps in, irritated now. "There's nothing good about me,"
"That's not true," Harry says softly, hoping to console the boy. "You don't find pleasure in hurting people. I saw the way you reacted when you hexed Katie Bell. You regretted it. Other Death Eaters wouldn't have. You feel like you need to do this because Voldemort chose you to but you don't, Draco. I can help you,"
"Don't act like you know me," Draco snaps, allowing his tears to dry childishly on his cheeks. "You know nothing about me, Potter. What I'm capable of,"
"You could kill him. I know you could. But that's not you," Harry whispers. "So please, Draco. Don't jump,"
Harry's words ring like bells in Draco's ears. That's not you. That's not you. That's not you. The blond's hands tremble, grip uneasy on the Astronomy rail and, with a quivering lip, swings a leg back over, back to safety. Once both feet were firmly on the ground, Harry lets off a sharp sigh. "I don't get it," Draco murmurs after a few moments of silence. "Why do you care so much?" Harry shrugs at this, trying to seem nonchalant, failing miserably. "It's your hero complex, isn't it?"
"No," Harry says instantly.
"What is it then? Tell me, Potter. I'm just dying to know,"
Harry frowns at his choice of words but nears closer to the boy. "I did it because... I care about you," He says eventually which causes Draco's silvery eyebrows to furrow.
"You... care about me?" He asks, disbelieving.
"Yes," Harry huffs, irritated the boy didn't believe him. "Is that so hard to accept?"
"When your enemy of six years suddenly tells you he cares, yes I'd say that's a bit hard to chew on," Draco says, tone on edge.
"I never hated you," Harry murmurs. "You made me angry and sometimes I thought I hated you but I don't,"
"So what do you think of me, Potter?" Draco asks, not meeting his gaze.
"I think you're smart," The boy begins. "And witty and... an idiot sometimes. I hate that you don't see how good you are, Draco,"
"It's hard to love yourself when no one else does,"
"Don't say that," Harry says instantly. "There are people out there who love you,"
"Like who?" Draco snorts, no traces of humour in his tone. "C'mon, Potter. Tell me one name,"
Harry takes a deep breath, thinking things over before closing the gap between them and pressing his lips to the blond's. The world seems to have stopped spinning. Time and space no longer mattered. All that mattered was the fact that Harry was kissing Draco Malfoy and the Slytherin wasn't pulling away. "Me," Harry manages to choke out, breaking their kiss after a few moments and reconnects their lips seconds later, not letting the Malfoy respond. But neither seemed to mind.
---
Sorry I haven't updated in MONTHS, pals. I rarely write one shots anymore but am going to try to get back into it! Thanks for 1k c: Much love.
-Landen xx
