Pairing: Ron/Draco Slash
Warning: Mentions of character death (not Ron or Draco).
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Beta: Many thanks to Pinkelephant.
A/N: Sorry it's not a new chapter of "A Wizard Disguised in Muggle Clothes". Before I started writing the next chapter of it, I had to let this one out. I got the inspiration when I traveled to England in October, 2006, plus listening to Nickelback's "Follow You Home".
Follow You Home
It was becoming a part of Ron's daily routine to take the Muggle tube back home from work at the Ministry. It wasn't that he couldn't Apparate. Though he had failed his first Apparition test in his sixth year at Hogwarts (for the lame reason of having left half an eyebrow behind), then failed to take the second test (if that test had even existed in the middle of the war), he was one of the first to pass when the Apparition Test Center re-opened after the war. He passed with flying colours, not that anyone took notice.
It was after he'd lost his father in the Final Battle that Ron's obsession with Muggle apparatuses and vehicles started to sprout. He wasn't really interested in their mechanism or anything. He didn't have the enthusiasm or the brains to fully understand them, anyway. However, putting himself in the peculiar Muggle world made him feel close to his father and know him further, even after he was gone. Somewhere in his mind, Ron had developed a strange sense that Arthur could somehow see and hear through his eyes and ears, and it made him feel comfortable.
When the tube wasn't crowded, Ron sometimes sat on the seat, although he often ended up standing again. If any Muggle chose to sit across from him, he didn't know where to bring his gaze in such close proximity. Add to that, he was never sure if he didn't look different in the eyes of the Muggles. He suspected that the candid gazes he received from Muggle strangers once in a while had something to do with the way he dressed. He eventually positioned himself at the side of the door, half sitting on the windowsill and looking out the window. If he stood straight, his head would touch the curved ceiling.
Every day, he blankly watched the people getting on and off the train, each heading to their destinations, wherever they were. He sometimes passed his station either intentionally or unintentionally. He had no reason to rush back home.
It had been like this since Ron started working at the Ministry. He was always undisturbed in this deep, secluded Muggle underground and was able to keep his equilibrium... until the day he saw that blond figure.
Ron had been staring absent-mindedly at the doors when the tube had stopped at Victoria station. As a wave of Muggles got off, he felt his hair stand on end as if he were being stared at. He made a quick sweep of the carriage to find the culprit of the stare, but found nobody looking in his direction.
That was when he found Malfoy.
Ron almost missed him since Malfoy was standing at the rear end of the carriage, but just almost. His silvery blond hair was too prominent not to notice. Malfoy's expression was hard to tell from just his left profile, but he looked as if he wasn't interested in anything besides the grey underground walls visible from the window. He wasn't showing any hint that he'd been watching Ron, or that he'd ever recognized his presence.
Ron didn't know what the blond was playing at, but decided that he didn't want to know. It was Malfoy, and of course it couldn't be anything pleasant. So Ron saw it fit to ignore him and got off at his station.
If the rumours were true, Malfoy was still living in Wiltshire in the Malfoys' old manor, alone, and not having much contact with the wizarding world, except for the occasions when he had to visit the Ministry to settle inheritance matters.
Ron concluded that Malfoy was on the same tube, same time, by mere coincidence, and that was it. Or so Ron wanted to believe.
However, he was forced to discover the next day that he'd been wrong.
Ron had totally forgotten about the incident the day before until he, again, felt someone's eyes on him, which made his hair stand on end. When he flicked his eyes around the carriage, oddly enough, his eyes didn't meet anyone's. He scanned through the passengers until he spotted Malfoy in a distant seat. The blond was folding his long legs and giving a sour glance at a tourist group who'd been talking in volumes way above average.
It was unmistakable. It had to be him who'd been staring at Ron. Ron could've walked straight up to the slimy bastard and ask what he wanted, but didn't. He decided that the same coincidence could happen twice. His inner self told him he was wrong once again, but he didn't mind.
The next day, Ron got on a different carriage than he usually did. He was rather proud of this clever decision. He looked around the carriage. No blonds, No Malfoys. He had succeeded at getting rid of the creepy stalker. A victorious smile spread across his face.
After some time, without warning, the tube took a sharp turn, and Ron staggered to the nearest seat and sat on it. That was when he noticed Malfoy sitting just a few seats away from him, face hidden behind a Muggle paper. A Muggle paper.
After letting out an irritated sigh, Ron looked at Malfoy and asked languidly, "What do you want, Malfoy?"
After a long pause, Malfoy slowly lowered the paper and locked eyes with Ron. His grey eyes didn't show any emotion except for the slight annoyance, like he didn't recognize Ron but had been disturbed while reading. Without a word, the blond resumed reading his paper as if nothing had happened.
From that point, Ron started to suspect if this really was Malfoy, because Malfoy, as far as Ron remembered from their last encounter at Hogwarts, wouldn't take Muggle transportations, wouldn't read Muggle papers, and wasn't so tall as to graze the curved ceiling of the tube when he was standing. Above all, Malfoy wouldn't unwrap a Muggle candy bar on a train and start nibbling at it, however graceful he managed to carry out the deed.
When the tube stopped at Earl's Court, Malfoy folded his paper and got off without a glance at Ron. All Ron could do was stare at Malfoy's back.
Is this Malfoy?
The more Ron thought about it, the more his suspicions grew. If this blond guy wasn't Malfoy, then why did it seem like he was following Ron these couple of days? He had to find it out, tomorrow.
The next day after work was the first time that Ron actually looked forward to seeing Malfoy, or the Malfoy look-a-like. With a placid face, Ron stepped into the familiar carriage of the Piccadilly Line. There was no Malfoy. Ron moved his gaze to his right, to his left, to his back, in random patterns, but still, there were no signs of Malfoy.
On Friday night, the tube was carrying a lot more passengers than usual. Ron made his way through the Muggles to an empty corner. His eyes rove around the carriage, looking for a certain blond. When he couldn't find him, he started to feel anxious.
Ron moved to other carriages, his strides gradually becoming faster and longer at each carriage, occasionally bumping into other passengers and receiving disapproving looks.
Before Ron succeeded in finding Malfoy, the tube stopped at Earl's Court, the station where Malfoy had gotten off the other day. Just before the automatic door shut, Ron found himself sliding through it and stepping out on the platform.
He immediately scoped out the length of the platform, but predictably, there was no Malfoy. When a lukewarm wind stroke Ron's face, he realized he was out of breath, and sweat was forming on his forehead. He swore out loud and kicked the platform bench.
Shortly, he came to himself and shook his head.
Looking for Malfoy? Have I gone bonkers or what?
Ron took the next tube that came in the platform and went home. His hunch told him that he wouldn't see Malfoy again. He hated himself for feeling a mild disappointment for fear of never finding out what Malfoy was up to, or if it was even Malfoy to begin with.
When Ron got on the tube the next day, he knew everything had gone back to normal, to the days before he'd first seen Malfoy on the tube, and he was supposed to feel glad about it. He looked out the door window, and as usual, all he could see besides the dark underground walls were himself and the faces of the passengers reflected in the window.
When the tube stopped at a station, the tube doors opposite where Ron was standing opened, and a wave of Muggles started to leave the carriage.
Ron was facing his side of the door, absently watching the faces of the leaving passengers reflected on the window, when his attention was pulled towards a pair of eyes fixed straight at him. It was him. Ron snapped his head around, but the blond had already turned away, disappearing in the batch of people descending from the train. Without thinking, Ron quickly walked up towards the door, just behind the last Muggle man getting off the tube. Ron stamped his feet, on the verge of pushing the old man to the side.
Outside, he looked around frantically, and soon spotted Malfoy about a hundred meters ahead of him, heading toward the exit. Ron practically ran towards that direction, as he saw Malfoy turn around a corner.
When Ron reached the corner, he was taken aback by the crowd of people waiting in front of the lift doors that had just opened. As the people started walking inside the spacious lift in droves, Ron quickly skimmed through the crowd and looked for Malfoy. But as far as he could see, the blond was not inside the lift, and wasn't in the queue either.
After the last Muggle got on and the double doors of the lift closed, Ron kicked the shut door in frustration. He was rather overwhelmed by the disappointment of having lost Malfoy to even notice the pain in his toe. He felt the need to have a cigarette later on. When Ron turned on his heels to go back to the platform, he didn't notice the second lift doors opening until he was abruptly pushed inside. He turned his head around in alarm to be greeted by Malfoy and his familiar smirk.
"Malfoy?" Ron scowled at the blond.
The doors shut behind them with a thud, with just the two of them inside.
"Look what I've caught, a weasel stalker. Looking for me, Weasley?"
So it was Malfoy. He was somewhat relieved that it was now unmistakable that this was Malfoy, but the blond's arbitrary comment and sardonic smile thrown at him set him off. He stepped closer to Malfoy and looked menacingly down at him.
"In case you haven't noticed, you are the one who's been following me," said Ron fervently, almost spitting at Malfoy. "You are the one who's been ferretly staring at me as if I haven't noticed, and that was fucking creepy!"
The lift made a rattling noise, sending vibration from under their feet. Other than that, dead silence filled the lift.
Malfoy stared intensely at Ron, then burst into a chuckle.
"What's so funny, Ferret?!" said Ron in a loud voice, feeling his ears go pink.
After letting out a low muffled chuckle for a while, Malfoy finally looked up at Ron.
"Have you heard of wandless magic, Weasley?" Without waiting for Ron to answer, Malfoy continued, "That's what I've been aiming at you, pulling at a few strands of your hair, and all you felt was someone staring at you? You must have a really thick skin under those freckles that makes you impervious, or is it the freckles that make you impervious?"
This made Ron's blood rise to his face, and he roughly pushed Malfoy's shoulder against the wall behind him. Ron leaned in close to look threateningly into the blond's eyes.
"Stop messing around and just tell me what you're up to, Malfoy."
Malfoy stopped laughing, but the smirk was still there.
"I wasn't up to anything. I was just - I see it's back now."
"What are you talking about? Make yourself coherent, Malfoy."
Ron pushed Malfoy's shoulder harder. This time, he was able to wipe off the obnoxious smile on Malfoy's face.
"I see the fire in your eyes again," said Malfoy.
"Huh?" Ron furrowed his eyebrow in perplexity.
"When I saw you at the Ministry a week ago, you looked all bloodless and lifeless that I almost thought I was looking at a different person, maybe one of your siblings since there are so many of you lot."
"What do you care?" Ron glared at Malfoy, but the blond didn't so much as flinch.
"I brought back that fire in you," said Malfoy. After a pause, he added, "I like that."
Malfoy wasn't smirking any more, but he was just looking straight into Ron's eyes, and for the first time, Ron was at a loss for words. All he could do was give Malfoy a funny stare.
The lift stopped its ascent with a jolt, opening its double door and revealing the automatic ticket gates some feet ahead. Malfoy stepped out of the lift, his silver blond hair melting into the electric Muggle lights that lit up the tube station. He looked back at Ron.
"What are you doing, Weasley? You can't go underground forever. There's so much above there that you've been missing."
Ron wondered if Muggle papers and Muggle candy bars constituted a part of the things he'd been missing, and he still couldn't quite figure out what Malfoy was up to.
There was only one way to find out. Ron stepped out of the lift.
As if to have read Ron's mind, Malfoy turned his face back forward and muttered, "To clear my name, don't think I'm into crappy Muggle reads or candies or anything. They were just weasel baits, and I see they worked."
- finis -