A/N: This was written a while ago. Un-beta'd. All mistakes are completely my own. The idea may not be my own; I see resemblance to His Spectacles' "Ginger Snaps" (you should look that one up).
Warnings: Language, I guess. Mentions of You-Know-Who.
Disclaimer: Is any of the boys gay in the books or the movies? No? Well, I don't own them then...
Ron Contemplates
Maybe I should have known it would end up like this. I mean, I've been Harry's best friend since age eleven, I should have guessed something. But no, to this I had been completely clueless.
Sure, I noticed he seemed to have a thing for blondes, but... no, scratch that, he had a thing for blond idiots, but I never would have guessed...
I guess I should start from the beginning with this. See, Harry is gay... Okay, I know realise I'm a horrible best friend, I definitely should have seen that one coming, but no, I didn't. Too much in love with 'Mione, I guess. And besides, Harry seemed perfectly comfortable with my sister, why would I even contemplate the fact that he was bent? Well, I didn't so when he broke things off with Ginny, stating it was because of his sexual orientation I was shocked, to say the least.
We had been through so much together; Voldemort, the war and everything, but this was different. This was just so normal. I didn't know how to act around him anymore. I kept getting ideas that he would interpret everything I did, anything I did, into me liking him. Don't get me wrong, I like him, but not in that gay kind of way. And I kept wondering if had ever checked me out. It wasn't that I flashed myself in front of him, but I mean, he must've seen me naked a time or two in the showers.
"Ron," he said a week and a half after his revelation, "I know you're uncomfortable with me and I know it because I'm... you know..."
I don't know if he didn't say the word gay because of it scared him or because he was scared it would scare me off.
"I'm not," I lied and tried to look for an escape.
We were alone in the room and I couldn't see a very plausible way of getting out. I turned to him again. He merely raised his eyebrows, not even commenting on my lie. It was that obvious.
"Have you ever checked Ginny out?"
"What?" I yelped. "Merlin! No! Why...? How...? That's disgusting!"
Harry laughed a little and I calmed down slightly.
"You just don't check out family members, do you?" Harry said and I silently agreed with him, wondering where this would lead. "I see you as a brother."
And just like that, my uneasiness around him disappeared. He wasn't and had never been interested in me. After that me and Hermione got to hear much about his romantic rendezvous with different guys, starting with Zacharias Smith. I will never know what Harry ever saw in him. After they broke off Harry said, "He was kind of a git, wasn't he?" I could only agree wholeheartedly.
A few years passed and Harry never seemed to stick to the same guy for a very long time. George and I used to bet on how long his relationships would last – don't ever tell Hermione about that! Not all of them were blond, but many of them were and even more of them turned out to be idiots.
Suddenly something changed. He had met someone that meant a lot to him. I think he fell in love on their first date. He wouldn't tell us who it was, just give us a secretive smile and we would nag him about it, but I guessed he would tell us when he was ready. Almost six months into their relationship – the longest yet, George, I and Lee had grudgingly realised – Christmas came upon us and we began to ask Harry to bring his special someone to mum and dad's annual feast on Christmas Eve.
Standing here now, eggnog in one hand, I'm beginning to regret ever asking Harry anything about his new boyfriend. Harry has his hand clasped around another male's pale hand; it looks more as if he's trying to keep his boyfriend from running away. It feels as if the whole world has just stopped, everyone stares at Harry and Draco Malfoy, who apparently is his secret boyfriend. Malfoy looks like he's going to be sick. If he wasn't such a bastard I might have felt sorry for him. I, like the rest of my otherwise quite loud family, just stare at them.
"Hello," Harry says and is greeted by silence.
He takes a step into the room, dragging Malfoy along with him. Malfoy throws a quick look at the door, maybe he's wondering if he'll make out if we decide to hex him.
It's not that stupid a thought of him, actually.
"Sorry we're late," Harry says to the room in general.
I can see he's very uncomfortable with the silence and as a best friend I probably should help him out. Problem is I can't find anything to say. Maybe he could have given us a heads up, a slight warning, before he drags an ex-Death Eater, son of a Death Eater, our school time nemesis, Draco fucking Malfoy into my parents' home?
But no, trust Harry to make an entrance.
He never gave me any warning before kissing my sister in public, at the time I thought a "hey, Ron, I fancy your sister" would have been very much appreciated. Or maybe not appreciated, but preferred from the sudden sight of my best friend's tongue down my little sister's throat. I inwardly shudder.
Maybe I should have guessed this, though. Malfoy is more of an idiot that any of the other of Harry's casual flings. His hair is definitely more blonde.
Maybe Malfoy is perfect for Harry.
"Well, about bloody time, Harry – thought we would have had to start the Quidditch match without you," I say and everyone's eyes turn towards me. "Malfoy, you can be seeker in my team. Make sure to beat Harry, though."
Malfoy stares at me as though I've grown a second head. There's a moment of silence before everyone bustles around, trying to move out to the garden for the annual Quidditch match. I catch Harry's eyes and he mouths a 'thank you' at me and I just grin.
I stood by him when people thought he was the heir of Slytherin, I think I can trust him just enough on this, too.
Though if Malfoy ever hurts him, the boiling, very painful warts on every part of Zacharias Smith's body will seem like a bed of roses.
