legalese - I don't own 'Harry Potter'.
Lyrics, chapter titles and story title are from Vertical Horizon's album 'Running On Ice'.

Running On Ice
Chapter: Japan

* * *

I saw a young man by a telephone
He was sitting alone in the rain
I said, "Hey, young man what you doing here?"
He said, "Sir, I'm going insane"

See I love an American beauty
But nobody here understands
So he looked to the sky with resentment in his eyes
And said, "Lord, why am I in Japan?"
Lord why am I in Japan?

He told me a story about yesterday
How he walked in the search of a friend
But nobody came to his rescue
So he came to his bitter end

He pulled me close and said
"They all stopped and stared
As I walked down the street alone
And nobody knew my name
Nobody knew my name"

* * *

The Greenhouses that Neville Longbottom worked in were located near the Leaky Cauldron in Muggle London. Ron found himself going inside with the supposed pretense of buying a plant for his new flat - which, after two weeks of looking, was within walking distance of the Greenhouses and Diagon Alley. Ron now had a sunny little windowsill that looked empty without anything on it, as the window refused to close, so Ron really was planning on buying a plant... Maybe a fern or something equally green and about as dangerous.

"Ron?" He was walking between the rows and rows of plants, just staring when he heard the familiar voice. Ron spun and grinned.

"Neville!"

Neville walked over, wearing a nametag and an offical Greenhouse polo shirt. "I heard you left the country!"

"I did. I've been living in Seattle for the better part of six years." Ron said. "I was transferred back when Bill got hurt."

"I heard about that. Is he okay?" Neville asked as Ron noted that the blonde's voice had lost its stutter. "And what do you do now, by the way?"

"He broke his back, might not walk again, but if I have anything to say about it, he will." Ron replied, as he looked around at the plants surrounding them. "I'm a doctor, in the wizarding world and the muggle world. I specialize in back, neck and head trauma."

"Wow." Neville said with a smile. "That's a big accopmlishment."

"So is yours, from what I hear." Ron said. "Percy tells me your 'man of plants' now. Specializing in things you would fins in Professor Sprout's greenhouses."

Neville blushed. "Yeah... Uhm, are you looking for anything."

"Yeah, actually. I have this sunny windowsill in my new flat, and I'm looking for something pretty, green, easy to take care of and about as dangerous as a fern."

Neville smiled. "Flowers?"

"Sure, why not?"

"What color?"

"Uhhh..." Ron's eyes crossed as he thought, causing Neville to laugh. There was a bug on Ron's nose, he swatted at it. "Purple."

"Purple?"

"Yes, purple."

"Okay." Neville said skeptically. "Follow me."

The blonde led Ron down the row and toward the back of the first greenhouse. He stopped in front of a little green and purple plant that had a silver fuzz all over the flowers and leaves. Ron looked at it, his head tilted to one side.

"What is it?"

"Crystal Moonflower." Neville replied. "It's very good with cleaning the air around it and it's all silver and comes out during the day, unlike the regular moonflower."

"Which is white?"

"Yes. This one's purple."

"Purple's a nice colour."

"Sure."

"It is!"

"I believe you... Purple is a very nice colour."

"Good to know you see it my way."

"...Right..."

"Hey, what are you doing for dinner?"

"I - " Neville stopped short and gawped at Ron. "A-are you asking me... out... like on a date?"

"Depends on your answer."

"Well, I'm not doing anything - how's chinese."

"I was definately asking you out." Ron said after Neville answered, looking relieved. "Chinese is perfect. I'll take the purple plant too. You min if we drop it by my flat on the way to dinner?"

"Depends on where your flat is. The resturaunt is within walking distance." Neville replied.

"So's my flat. Heck, they may even be in the same direction." Ron said, picking up the plant and following Neville to the check out.

"Wouldn't that be a feat?"

"It would, wouldn't it?"

* * *

Ron decided that chinese food was his new favourite food. Neville made it seem like an adventure, he'd even forced Ron to eact with chopsticks, much to the amusement of everyone around them. Over dinner they'd caught up on their lives. Neville had gone to a special school that dealt in magical plants, and Ron told Neville everything from the summer after seventh year all the way up to three weeks ago when he'd last seen Harry and Hermione. It seemed that Ron had been right to assume that they would avoid him.

"Isn't all this magical creatures and artifacts dangerous though?" Neville had asked, looking slightly nervous.

"Yeah. But it's the only thing I have right now that reminds me that I'm alive." Ron had replied, a saddened look in his eyes. "I have all these scars to remind me that I'm human, but they don't remind me that I'm alive."

Neville had shocked Ron then buy running his hand over the length of Ron's only visible scar. Neville had smiled sadly at Ron and said. "Just because you're human doesn't mean you're not special, Ron."

"When did you get so smart?" Ron had asked, bewildered.

"I was involved in the war longer than you. I ended up fighting the Lestranges about two years after you left, a few months before the last battle, and that taught me a lot." Neville replied sadly. Ron winced, but didn't reply as they finished their meal.

Now though, Ron was walking his date home, and they were strolling down the street hand in hand. Ron wanted to go to his parents and tell his mother about Neville, and he would after Neville was safe at home. When they got to Neville's flat Ron had asked Neville out again and they'd parted ways, looking forward to lunch the next day. Ron apparated to the Burrow to see lights on downstairs. Ron enterted the house to find his parents sitting at the table with Fred and George, talking away.

"Evening all."

Fred and George looked up in shock as Ron kissed his mother on the cheek and sat down, a grin on his face.

"What's got you so happy?" Mrs. Weasley demanded to know.

"I just dropped my date off at his place. We're meeting for lunch tomorrow." Ron replied, stealing Fred's cup of tea and draining it.

"Oh, honey, that's wonderful!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, looking extreemly happy for him.

"Wait." George said. "When the hell did you get home?"

"And what's wrong with your face?" Fred demanded.

"And did you just say 'he'?!" They said together.

"About three weeks ago, to work with Bill. It's called a scar, and yes, I did say 'he', you got a problem with that?" Ron replied. The twins looked at each other, more shocked than before.

"Are you having problems with the fact that your brother is gay, boys?" Mr. Weasley asked, amused.

"Th - Wait a minute! How did you guys find out?!" Ron demanded of his parents.

"Percy let it slip at work a few weeks ago." Mr. Weasley replied. "And Bill said something about it then too. He said you were grumbling about idiot friends trying to set you up with guys you had nothing in common with."

Ron went red as Fred and George began to laugh. "Just for that I'm telling!"

"Telling what?"

"Percy's getting married." Ron said conspiratorily.

"WHAT?!" The three other men at the table screeched.

"To whom?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "I do hope it's to that nice Clearwater girl.

"Penelope. Or Penny to her friends." Ron answered. "And yes, he is."

Percy was going to kill him!

* * *

Percy Weasley was fumung, pacing up and down the front room of the Burrow plotting the death of his youngest brother. The Twins (who had come home for christmas about two weeks early) and their parents were watching, all of them amused, and it didn't help that his fiance was laughing her head off at him.

Two days earlier Mr. Weasley had stopped by Percy's office in the Ministry to take his son to lunch. They'd talked about all kinds of things, but nothing seriously family related until Mr. Weasley had dropped Percy off at his office. Percy had moved behind his desk and hadn't quite goteen to sitting down when Mr. Weasley had turned in the doorway and said:

"Oh, by the way, Ron came by last night when the twins got in - two weeks early! - and he told ud about you and Penny. Mum wants you to bring her to Bill's welcome home dinner."

Then Arthur Weasley had left the room and meandered down the hall, humming! That night at dinner Penny had found it all rather funny and had voiced that that was 'what he gets for mentioning Ron's sexual preference without his permission'.

So here the were, two nights later, all of them lounging about the living room (except for Ginny and Mrs. Weasley, who were in the kitchen) waiting for Bill's doctor to bring him home. Percy jumped (making Penny laugh all the harder) when the front door slammed open and Ron wheeled Bill into the house. Bill, after about a month of hard therapy from his youngest brother, had been deemed 'fit to go home where he would be coddled by their mother' and where he could 'continue his therapy in a 'realatively safe' environment. Neville Longbottom followed the pair into the room, carrying a bag and Ron's satchel over his shoulder as he laughed.

Ron was making little 'vroom vroom' noised as he pushed Bill into the living room and made a strange screeching noise when he parked Bill's wheelchair next to Penny's armchair. Bill looked highly amused and was shaking his head as Ron continued to goof off.

"Neville, I demand you go out with Ron more often, you're good for him!" Bill called to Neville, who was shaking with silent laughter.

A squeal came from the kitchen and Mrs. Weasley barreled into the room with a cry of 'Neville! So good to see you!' before she hugged him. Neville went red before offering the plastci shopping bag he held to Mrs. Weasley. She looked inside, smiled, patted Neville's cheek and dissapeared again. Neville watched her go before he put Ron's satchel down by the door and moved into the living room, shaking hands with Mr. Weasley. He manuvered cautiously around Percy before he parked himself on the rug in front of the fireplace.

"Oh, Ron!" Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen. "I've invited Hermione and Harry over dfor dinner!"

The colour drained from Ron's face as he paled, his blue eyes widening. Neville looked nervous and Percy was now ready to throttle his mother, for he screeched. "WHAT!?!"

Mrs. Weasley appeared in the doorway, brandishing a wooden spoon. "You heard me, Percy. They haven't seen Ron since he got back!"

"M-mum..." Ron said, swallowing heavily. "They, uh... they don't know I'm, uh..."

"Oh, they'll be fine with it." Mrs. Weasley said, wiving her spoon in what looked like a reassuring way before dissapearing again. Ginny walked into the room, taking off her apron as she went. She walked straight up to Ron and hugged him.

"Maybe you shouldn't have come." Percy muttered to other red head. "I mean... It's not like they'd understand anyway."

"It probably won't be that bad." Ginny said.

Ron snorted. "Oh, yeah, and this coming from the girl who's dating - "

Ginny's hand had flown up to cover Ron's mouth while she traded a wide-eyed look with Percy.

"Oooh, has ickle Ginnykins got a new boyfriend?" Fred asked, cackling gleefully.

"Yes, yes, and who it is we wonder?" George asked, nearly falling out of his chair.

"Maybe you should tell them, Ginny." Neville suggested from his place on the floor. "After all, they love you too much to kill you... And you've got Percy and Ron on your side, that's two fo the six."

Ron rolled his eyes and pulled Ginnys hand away from his mouth. "Oh, yeah, that's reassuring to tell her, thanks Nev."

Neville shrugged. "I was just trying to help."

"Help another way." Percy replied with narrowed eyes.

"That's it, you're getting a plant that's going to eat you for christmas." Neville returned, rising and moving over to Ron. Ron threw an arm around his boyfriend.

"Yeah!"

"You're going to give my fiance a person eating plant?!" Penny exclaimed, looking shocked. Neville shrugged again in reply before he snuggled into Ron's side and made a noise like a purring cat.

Everyone stared at everyone else until Mrs. Weasley said it was time for dinner, which was a quiet affair, with only Mrs. Weasley talking, trying to find out what was wrong with her sons, daughter, husband and two of her sons' girl(boy)friends.