A/N:

Thank you so much to everyone who added me to their alert list. I couldn't believe the amount of alerts in my e-mail after only being posted one day.

Also thanks to DumbledorefavoriteJam and HelloLish for being my first reviewers. I couldn't believe it but when I saw how many people liked my story it made me want to put out a new chapter asap.

Thanks for the support. Here's chapter 2!! Sorry it took so long.

Chapter 2

Mrs. Weasley bustled around the cavernous kitchen, handing the boys plates of food as she finished them. "Ronald Weasley you had us scared to death, disappearing like that!"

A faint smile tugged at Ron's face, it didn't matter to Mrs. Weasley if her son had been fighting a secret war or been kidnapped, or had even run away. All that mattered to her was that he was back and hadn't called to reassure her of his health. "Sorry mum. I was pretty busy out there. No floo."

Draco hid his own smile in Ron's shoulder.

"That is no excuse. I expect contact when you're going MIA. Understand?" Molly waved a sauce covered ladle at him, then turned on Draco.

"And you young man!"

Draco snuggled closer to Ron, trying to disappear. There was nothing like an angry mother to scare the pompous out of you.

"If you're going to disappear please leave clues or something. Poor Ron broke my kitchen counters when Snape told him you'd disappeared."

Both boys stared at her in shock. "You know?" Ron said. He could take anyone's disapproval about their relationship, but he wasn't sure how he'd handle his mothers.



"Of course I did dear. Mothers know everything. I figured it out a bit late mind you. It took you pulverizing Harry at last years Christmas dinner, because he mentioned Draco being a whore" she said that word in a whisper, as if afraid to be caught cussing " Welcome to our family Draco, or what's left of it."

"Thank you." Draco said and for the first time that night he detached himself from Ron. He stood up, walked around the table and hugged Molly Weasley. When he pulled back they both had tears in their eyes.

With a sad smile she told the boys to finish eating and left the kitchen to cry alone. They didn't need to witness anymore grief in her opinion. They'd both looked so forlorn, standing against the Order. She wouldn't lose another son and if accepting Draco Malfoy was all it took to keep hers then as god as her witness Draco was now hers too.

A cool rag wiped caked blood off Ron's face.

"This is crazy." Draco said wringing out the rag into the already pink dyed bowl of water. Ron picked up his unoccupied hand and squeezed it. The moisture felt good on his quickly heating skin. Unconsciously he leaned into the pressure.

"Everything's going to be fine now. Snape and Remus will help." His hand traced patterns on the blonde's pale skin.

"It had better be Weasel or you'll wish we'd never escaped that hole." His words were sharp, but the smile lessened his barb.

For the first time in months Ron started laughing. "You're still just a ferret, ya know that."

Draco swatted him with the rag. He really hated that nickname.

After Draco finished cleaning Ron's face and forearms, Ron started wiping the mud off of him. While he worked Draco traced the Dragon tattoo that stretched from Ron's right wrist up to his mid upper arm. The black and green beast flexed and moved with every muscle Ron clenched, stretching around his forearm like a snake. The strange way it looked alive fascinated Draco, the fact that Ron had gotten it in honor of him only boosted his ego slightly. Maybe more than slightly. In a sudden show of affection he leaned up and kissed Ron's cheek.



"Stop playing nice, Dray. If you want something just ask." Ron teased, but his arm tightened around his waist to prevent him from jerking away at the comment. "Relax. I was jestin."

Draco went to tell him exactly what he thought of his idea of jesting, but the fireplace burst to life and Lupin's head suddenly appeared in front of them.

Draco tried to pretend he hadn't tried to hide under Ron's robe and huffed at the aging Werewolf.

Ron put his wand away.

"Warn a body, would ya?" Ron said, glaring.

"Sorry." Lupin replied. "But I need to speak with you two without Harry and Hermione knowing. "

Ron leaned back in his seat, bored. Draco continued to glare. The last thing either of them wanted was a lecture on secrecy. They'd written the damn book.

"What's going on?" Ron said after a moment, returning to his forgotten dinner.

Lupin looked older than ever when he spoke. "Hermione is furious with him being here. And the rest of the group who saw your spectacle thinks maybe Ron has gone insane and needs to be locked up for some sort of rehabilitation."

"Really?!" Draco said. "The room full of wands pointed at our faces wasn't clue enough of our warm welcome. And Granger's dumbass damsel act wasn't enough to prove her love of me."

Ron smiled and patted the blonde's knee. "What he's trying to say is that we know we're not welcome, but what the hell do you expect us to do about it?"

"Harry was more worried about you than upset so he shouldn't be any trouble, but Ms. Granger has me worried. Just be careful until we contact Balvor and you two can get out of there."

Ron grimaced at the mention of the wizarding go-between. You only used Balvor a: when you had too much money on your hands and were bored or b: when your life was royally fucked up and needed to move across the country without contact from Muggles or Wizards. A new age Underground Railroad.

"Fine." Ron said.

"I don't have to like it." Draco spat, his gaze boring holes in the ancient wood work.



"No one said you did. Now why don't you tell me how you went missing for so many months Ronald. You told Severus and I you'd be done in three weeks." Remus put his glasses on, which meant he was taking notes. Draco made a strangled sound. He really didn't want to talk about it. It was humiliating to remember everything they'd done to him. Ron knowing was bad enough. No, no he couldn't do this tonite. But he would not look lower himself any further tonight. He had a reputation somewhere under all this filth and his clinginess to Ron was not helping at all. Not like it was his fault thought, they'd had no one but each other for three months; he couldn't be expected to share nicely now.

"I checked out that Manor outside Chelsea just like you guys asked. There were so many wards put in place that it took me four days to search the house. When I reached the basement the guards doubled along with a few Guardian animals who took some bites out of me. That's where I found Dray."

Ron didn't elaborate on the condition he'd found his Partner in or how Draco hadn't believed it was really him and had tried to kill him when he'd broken through the multiple locks.

"After I got him out we took off. I couldn't apparate and about three miles outside the house we were attacked. I don't know by who. They came at us in hooded robes."

Lupin looked disbelieving. "Deatheaters?"

"No. The robes were Gold. Not black and their masks were different. More insubstantial, they kept shifting shape. After we got away we started running. Two and a half months later here we are."

Ron left everything about their trek across the English countryside out of the description. After the attack they'd taken Ron's wand and both men and been forced to "rough it" like muggles to survive. Every few weeks they'd come close to being discovered. The endless cycle of cat and mouse had exhausted both men beyond recognition.

"What'd they do to you Draco? Do you know who took you?" Lupin gave us on the I-know-there's-more stare and turned to Draco.

"No." Ron stood up, placing both hands on the table. Draco looked grateful. It tore the redhead up to see him so distraught and he'd had enough. They both deserved a good sleep in a real bed and Ron would be damned if Lupin drove Dray to nightmares. He'd dealt with his Partner's nightmares almost every night for the past two months and the horrors from that cell would not be dragged back out. Not when they were both to tired to ward off the demons.

"I said no Lupin. We've had enough." With that Ron took Draco's arm and led him out of the kitchen, the audible pop of the fire connection ending echoed, promising the same questions in the future.

They reached Ron's room upstairs and Draco sneered at the meager furnishings. "This is how a hero lives?" He said, glaring at the moth ball ridden room.

"Nah. The Hero is next door with a closet."

"Lucky bastard."

Ron laughed, a note on his dresser caught his eye and he walked over to read it.

Ron,

We need to talk. I just want to make sure you're going to be okay. Plus you need to tell me about Draco and how you discovered he wasn't a Deatheater.

Please,

Harry.

The note was short, but it portrayed Harry's trust in him and that was promising. If Harry was willing to believe Ron hadn't gone off his rocker and brought a Deatheater into the house than Ron could give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it wasn't him who'd hidden Draco in the Chelsea Estate, but someone who'd known that he and Ron were intimate and that Ron would be meeting Draco that day Gringotts had had to take him. But maybe…not Harry. The note gave him hope, something he was in dire need of.

"I will not sleep in this bed." Draco declared standing the least dusty corner.

"Please blondie, compared to our last place of residence this is five star."

Draco didn't answer him, only continued to stare around the room, wary.

"It won't bite."

No response.

"Fine. Whatever. I'm exhausted Dray and I'm going to bed. Whenever you feel ready to brave the cotton sheets I'll be here."

"I'll do as I please." Draco said, turning to strut (yes strut) to the dresser.

Frustrated Ron rolled over. "Suit yourself.

He knew Draco was upset, but pain pulled at his back muscles and fatigue was dragging him down. It had been so long since he'd slept somewhere he felt even mildly safe that all his energy had seemed to desert him. No matter how much he loved the blonde he couldn't coddle right now. All he wanted was sleep.

Seconds from sleep cold hands wrapped around his stomach and tugged at his torn t-shirt. It made a soft thwump as it hit the floor.

As soon as Ron resituated on the bed Draco's cool body molded itself to his overheated one.

"It's not so bad if I close my eyes."

Ron rolled his. "Go to sleep, ferret."

Okay so this is actually a continuation of Chapter 1. Sorry. I'd lost this file and just found it and you guys need the helpful hints given in this section.

The wait for this chapter was longer than I wanted, the next will be out quicker. Promise.

If you have any questions please review!!