Let's tell the Family...or Not

"Hey, are you alright?" Harry called to Ron from the hallway. They'd been together for three weeks now, and luckily for Ron, he hadn't had an episode yet. Until today.

"Yeah, I'll be right out!" Ron called back from the other side of the door in the bathroom. Harry heard a clutter of things happening from behind the door and he waited patiently, but very worried. Ron opened the door and jumped when he saw Harry standing in the hall. Harry just studied the red head. His face was pale, he hair was disarray, his boxers were crooked and he had no shirt on because he'd shot out of bed and ran to the bathroom this morning. He grabbed Ron's hand and pulled him closer before wrapping his arms around his neck and hugging him. Ron responded stiffly at first, a little afraid that Harry was suspecting something, but after a moment the feeling of his lover relaxed him and he returned the hug gratefully.

"Lets get you back to bed, love. You don't look so good. D' you think we should head over to St. Mungo's?" Harry asked lightly as he started to lead Ron back to the bedroom.

Ron shook his head. "No, I'll be alright,"

"D' you want me to call you mum or anyone?" Harry asked.

"No, Harry, I'll be alright,"

"Well I'm going to call her and tell her that we won't be coming over for supper tonight,"

"No, Harry, I'll be fine. We can go tonight. We can't keep making excuses as to why we aren't telling them about us,"

"Are you sure?"

Ron wasn't able to answer because another pang shot up through his spine and down his chest. He doubled over and vomited all over the floor.

"Nope you definitely are not sure," Harry answered his own question. He leaned over and picked Ron up, carrying him over to their bed and laying him down. He situated Ron so that he was comfortable. He grabbed his wand from the bedside table and raised it, in his head chanting the words, until a large bowl came through the door and landed in his open hand. He set the bowl next to Ron so he could use it instead of running off to the bathroom when he got sick.

"It's just a morning thing, Harry, I will be alright by noon," Ron assured him. Harry shook his head and sat down on the bed next to Ron's hand. "You will be so weak by noon, you will just want to lay around for the rest of the night. We have the rest of our lives to tell your family, Ron, we don't need to do it tonight,"

"Yes we do!" Ron yelled, making Harry jump. "We DO need to tell them tonight, Harry! If we don't I won't ever tell them! And maybe our lives won't be as long as we think!"

Harry stood up from his seat; his face was screwed up and hurt as he watched Ron's face relax a little from its frantic state.

"Harry, I don't want to tell my family. The last people in the world I want to know is my family," he whispered.

Harry shut his eyes tight. "If you're that ashamed of us, then why are you even with me?" he growled.

"Because I can't help that I'm in love with you,"

Harry opened his eyes again and glared at Ron. "Why are you ashamed? Is it me? What have I done?"

"No, Harry, it isn't you. I'm ashamed of me. I'm a damn Weasley, Harry! I'M SUPPOSED TO LIKE GIRLS!" Another pang through his back and up his chest. Damn it! He grabbed the bowl and threw up. When he was finished he leaned back against the headboard of the bed, closing his eyes and trying to catch his breath. Harry walked closer to the bed again and pointed his wand at the bowl so it was clean. He looked back at where Ron had gotten sick on the floor by the door and cleaned that up, too. Then he looked down at Ron's sweaty pale face and he ran his hand down his cheek. "They'll get over it, Ron. The world will get over it. Yeah, we'll get dirty looks from some people, but it isn't the end of the world,"

Ron shook his head and grabbed Harry's hand from his forehead. He pushed it away and looked up into green eyes. "Is that what they do in the muggle world? Because Harry it isn't right in the Magical world. It isn't accepted. It is the end of the world."

Harry screwed up his face. "So what! Fuck the world then. Fuck them all. At least your family will be alright with it, right? Right, Ron!"

"I'm afraid I just don't know, love."

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"Hello, mum, hi dad," Ron greeted as he was passed around the room to his family. No one had seen Harry or Ron for the past three weeks because they'd been hiding out in that house. Hermione would call through the fire every couple of days or so just to check up. She knew that they just needed a break from the war. Everyone needed a break. Mrs. Weasley had invited them over in hopes that they would finally get out of the house.

"Harry, dear, you look quite well. Has Ronald been feeding you well?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she looked the brunette over.

Harry chuckled. "Yes, Mrs. Weasley,"

"Alright, everyone, we have supper on the table, so make your way in there!" Mr. Weasley shouted at the big group in the front room. Harry and Ron stayed back and watched as everyone made their way to the kitchen. Everyone was there; Bill, Fleur, their baby, Charlie, Fred, George, Ginny and Dean (who'd married last year), and Hermione. When they had all gone into the kitchen, Harry and Ron exchanged a small glance. Ron's face was a bit frantic and Harry comforted him the only way he knew how: he smiled. And in that moment, they both realized that they weren't going to tell the family that night. It just didn't feel right, yet. They needed more of each other before there was a chance that they were pulled apart. Ron cursed himself for caving. He cursed himself for being in love with a man. And then he shook his head and took a deep breath, following Harry into the kitchen.

Dinner went by slowly for the forbidden couple, but they survived. Hermione sat between them so they weren't far apart, but it felt as if they were. They had just finished eating and Mrs. Weasley had gotten up from her seat to clear the table and grab dessert when Ron felt another episode coming. He closed his eyes tight and grabbed his stomach. Before he could do anything about it, he vomited all over his lap.

"Ron!" Hermione screeched into his ear, but Ron could barely hear her. He was drifting and he couldn't hold on. Harry watched in terror as Ron fell out of his seat and landed in a heap on the floor. Thinking quickly, it didn't cross his mind to be cautious of what he did since their relationship was a secret. He leapt up from his seat and knelt next to Ron. He could see that the red head was breathing, so felt Ron's head for a temperature. His fingers were wet from the sweat on Ron's forehead, but he was hot to the touch.

"Come on, love, lets get you upstairs to a bed," Harry muttered more to himself than to the apparently unconscious Ron. He didn't want to take Ron to St. Mungo's because he had told him earlier that he didn't want to go there. He looked up from Ron and jumped to see that he was surrounded by the rest of the family. Bugger. They heard him say that, didn't they? Fuck. He couldn't believe he'd let it slip. He bit his lip and looked up to find the one face he was positive would understand: Hermione. Sure enough, there she was and she let him catch her eye and smiled a small, understanding smile. She knelt down and said calmly, "Let's take him up to my room,"

And so Harry lifted Ron up into his arms for the second time that day and he led him up the stairs and into Hermione's room where he layed his lover down in the bed and tucked him in tight. Hermione watched from the doorway in quiet confusion, waiting until Harry could explain. She blushed when Harry leaned down and kissed Ron's forehead and she played with her hands when he walked over to her.

"So?" she asked. Harry glanced back at Ron's sleeping form again and then walked back over toward him. He grabbed a chair from the desk in the room and placed it next to the bed. Then he sat down on the bed and gestured for Hermione to sit in the chair. She did so.

"He's going to be angry when he wakes up," Harry told her quietly, staring at his hands.

She screwed up her face. "What about?"

"I let it slip. We weren't going to tell anyone yet. He said it wasn't aloud, he said we would be separated and I can't do that, Hermione, I can't be separated from him. And he wasn't ready for everyone to know and he wasn't ready for everyone to rip us apart and I fucked up and he's going to be angry with me,"

"No, I'm not. Now get up here and lay with me," Ron's raspy, sleepy voice came from the pillow. Harry got up and walked to the other side of the bed so that he was facing Ron's back. He took off his shoes, opened the covers and climbed in. He scooped up behind and wrapped his arm tightly around Ron's waist to keep him close. He put his head on the red head's shoulder and sighed. When he heard the door open and close, he looked up to find that Hermione was gone.

"I'm not mad, Harry. They had to find out somehow. And at least this way we didn't have to flat out say it," Ron whispered. At Harry's silence, Ron turned his head to look at Harry's face. "They can't separate us. I promise,"

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Ron's POV

I was right; my family couldn't separate us. But, Merlin, did the rest of the world know how. Little did we know, it wasn't long before I got really sick…leading to the rest of the world finding out our secret.