Chapter 7

Looking around the homes of his siblings and friends he found the many things that made his relationship with Draco look like it was less than what it had been. They all had pictures, several of them, of their partners. Even the ones that did not live together had things at the others place. He'd only gone into the Slytherin Common Room once, and Draco only came to the Gryffindor Common Room twice. That had never bothered Ron before. None of these couples could say that they had a room at Hogwarts that had been designed souly for them. None of them had to keep themselves a secret in fear that one of their father's would kill them.

He had decided that it was time to move on, but it was not an easy task. He'd started by telling Ernie good-bye. Ernie had taken it even worse than Lavender had when Ron had finished that facade on Draco's insistence. He threw things at Ron for no reason, and shouted, "You son of a bitch. I'm at your fucking beck and call, and now you decide you want something serious but you're not willing to give me a chance. What, did I not suck you right? Was I not tight enough? Or is it that I'm of the wrong House? You miss your Death Eater that much?"

"Ernest," Ron growled. Ernie threw a lamp at his head. He dodged. "Why am I taking this shit? Good-bye, have a nice life."

Ron dodged another flying apparatus as he moved towards the door. Ernie threw some creative curse words, an actual curse, and another piece of small décor at Ron before Ron was able to safely shut the door behind him. He appariated to Grimuald Place as soon as he was outside of the house. Harry opened on the third knock. He took a look at Ron's disheveled state, "How's Ernie?"

"Pissed off," Ron answered as he stepped inside and went straight to the kitchen. He pulled out tumblers and a bottle of Ogden's Old. He looked up at Harry, "Kiddo asleep?"

"He's been out like a light for an hour or so," Harry nodded as Ron began to pour a tall glass of whiskey. Harry took the offered shorter glass, and took a sip. "You two don't really fight."

"We do when I end it," Ron shrugged.

"You ended it," Harry repeated in shock. Ron nodded. "Why?"

"It was time, it is time." Ron said. Harry raised his brow, "It's been three years Harry. I still go to Charlie's grave looking for advice from my big brother. I have five others, six if you include Oliver, and yet I go to the dead one for advice? I'm not healthy, and it's time I figure out how to get healthy. I have to let Charlie go, and I have to let Draco go."

"What does that have to do with Ernie?" Harry wondered.

"In order to get healthy I have to have a healthy relationship, when I'm ready. Ernie and I are not healthy, and I'm not ready." Ron explained. Harry nodded In agreement before allowing Ron to drift into the silence he wanted while he enjoyed his drink.

"I'll always love you," Ron said as he lay with Draco curled into his arms. It was the November of their Sixth Year, and they were lying in their bed in their Room. They'd gotten more and more casual about falling asleep in there instead of going back to their dormitories. The room had provided a dresser with uniforms that had their house colors and a stocked bathroom that kept with the color scheme of the bedroom. Draco looked up into his eyes and wore that sweet smile he did whenever Ron told him such things.

"I'll love you forever," Draco countered. Ron leaned in to press a kiss against his soft lips. He was chaste. After the urgency of the earlier part of their relationship wore off, they found themselves able to appreciate such simple and sweet gestures. They were even more welcome when they were lying tangled after coming apart in each others arms. Draco pushed Ron's hair off of his forehead. "If I die, promise me you'll let yourself fall in love again."

"No," Ron denied. "But you go ahead."

"No," Draco dismissed, "No one will ever love me like you love me."

"Maybe not, but someone else could love you. You could let them, if you want." Ron urged.

Draco moved so that his body was resting against Ron's chest, his face hovering above Ron's. "If they can't love me as good as you do, then I'll not want them. No one will ever be willing to look past everything you did to find the real me. I'm not even sure I know who the real me is, but you do. Only you can ever love me, only you'll ever be willing to. So many could love you though. You're the most amazing and loveable person in the world. You need it too. Promise me, Weasel, promise me you'll let yourself find someone to complete you."

"I already did," Ron said, rolling them so that he was above Draco. He lifted Draco's leg and slid into his body to prove his point. "This is what completes me. This is all I want. This is all I need."

"Oh God, Weasel, I'll love you forever," Draco sighed as Ron slid in and out of his body.

"I'll always love you, Ferret." Ron countered as he pressed a kiss against Draco's throat.

"You can't be an auror," Draco sighed. Ron frowned down at the boy laying beside him. He was sitting up, his back pressed against the headboard and his charms book in his hands. Draco had just asked him what he wanted to be when he graduated, and Ron had answered honestly. Draco smiled up at him, "I want a big house, aurors make shit money. However will you take care of me on that salary? I'm accustomed to a certain lifestyle."

"And what about you?" Ron wondered, "What are you planning to do after you graduate?"

"Pretending that I can actually do anything," Draco disclaimed, Ron frowned but did not interrupt. "I have it all planned out perfectly. I'm going to stay at home with the house-elves, and make love to you when you get home and be even more amazing on the days you bring me pressies."'

"So, because you're lazy I can't do what I want to with me life?" Ron smirked. Draco tapped his jaw in thought before he smiled wide and nodded. Ron put his book down and laughed as he moved down the bed and rolled over so he was on top of Draco. "That isn't going to work love, if you want the things you're accustomed to. I'm going to be an auror, which means if you want to be bringing in more than four thousand galleons you have to get a job."

"Four thousand galleons?" Draco gasped, "How can you possible expect us to live off of four thousand galleons? Are we going to live with your parents?"

"It's not that bad of money, " Ron laughed, "And that's starting price anyways. Actually, four thousand is more that I'd be making."

"More than? You wouldn't even be making four thousand galleons?" Draco gasped as though this was a strange and confusing concept. He shook his head, "I love, I'll love you forever, but I'm sorry. You're going to have to stay my dirty little secret, my paramour if you will. I can't possible live off of such a small salary."

"You're paramour?" Ron repeated shaking his head. "Nah-uh, when we get out of here I'm gonna become your husband, and I'm gonna take care of you. I'm gonna do so off of an auror's salary, and we're going to figure out a job you can do that you'll enjoy. We're probably going to have a nice, medium-sized home, and we're going to adopt a cute pair of kids, and you're never going to want for anything. You know how I know all of this is an accurate prediction?"

Draco shook his head, his smile was soft as though the idea of that life sounded just fine by him. Ron kissed him before he answered, "Because I love you, and you love me, and once we've got that, well Baby we've got everything."

"How do you plan on letting him go," Harry broke Ron from his silent thoughts. Ron sighed, shaking his head he shrugged. Harry frowned, "Mate I can't help you, you know that right? I don't have any idea what you're going through. I've never had the chance of actually losing the only person I've loved. I had a crush on Cho, but I gave my heart to one girl and she married me."

"Rub it in," Ron mumbled.

"I'm sorry, I'm just saying, I think you've finally found the one problem neither Hermione nor I can help you with." Harry explained. Ron nodded. Harry spun his tumbler before saying, "You know who could help you, and probably with both of your problems?"

"Who," Ron sighed.

"George," harry offered, "He's your older brother, and he's actually able to give you advice instead of you waiting to hear the wind bring you news from Charlie." Ron grimaced and nodded. Harry continued, "Then he's had that whole, Katie, Angelina thing going on forever. Now that he's got Katie pregnant, and they're engaged, you can see how he's let go of Angelina."

"I don't know if that's quite the same thing," Ron argued. "He loved them both already. I'm trying to let go of someone I promised a future to so I can go look for someone else."

"Yeah, but he still might have some decent advice." Harry countered. Ron nodded in agreement that it really couldn't hurt.

"My Brother," George greeted happily as he sat down the next day in a booth across from Ron in an Indian restaurant off of Diagon Alley. Ron hugged him before they slipped into the booth. George smiled, "I can't believe you asked me to lunch. We always have to forcible drag you. I had to brag to Fred, of course, that our Ickle Ronnikens invited me and me alone. I feel honored." Ron shook his head at his energetic brother. George leaned across the table and his face turned searching. In a whisper he wondered, "So what 's up?"

"Can't one brother ask another brother out to lunch without something being up?" Ron wondered.

"Sure," George answered, "If those brothers don't happen to be you and me, just me. If you had asked both Fred and I then I'd think nothing of it. You specifically asked for me, so again, what's up?"

Ron sighed, "I'm ready to let go of Draco, but I don't know how."

"And you want to know how I've let Angelina go without beating the shit out of Lee," George clarified.

"Yeah," Ron agreed.

"The latter part is the easy part," George started, "I'm not good enough for either Katie or Angelina, and I've been selfish to keep stringing them both along. Now that the decision has been taken out of my hands I'm glad that Angelina is with someone that is good enough for her. Lee will treat her right, and let's be honest, that's not something I ever did."

"And the former," Ron pressed, "How did you let her go?"

"I told her that Katie was pregnant and that I was the father. She walked away and I've lavished my attention on my growing family." George shrugged. "You think I stopped loving her? I will love her until the day I die, and Lee is thankful I love him enough to have let her go and root for them. No one in our family may understand this relationship, but you're never going to get over Draco. What you do is accept that you do deserve to be happy with someone that loves you. Then you understand you are never again going to have someone drop into your lap like Draco did and that you have to go look for that person. Then you go out, and one day you find that person and you don't let them go."

Course all of the decision making in the world couldn't keep his subconscious from old habits. He'd had lunch with George, that first time, three weeks ago. Since then he'd joined some of his single friends, and there wasn't a whole lot, in going to clubs and bars. Some of the girls had gotten him to take cooking classes with him and he'd joined a book club. Alright, he'd gone to book club once, didn't read the book and didn't go back. The cooking classes were fun and provided entertainment at Sunday lunches, since his mother thought his teacher was a bit too scientific. He and George were having lunch every Saturday, and he told George of his progress in moving on. He was not going home with any guy that offered, which is a big step away from where he was a year and a half ago. A guy in his cooking class though was an interesting person to talk to, and the night before he'd plucked up the courage to invite Simon to work. His dreams though were still splattered with images of the things he'd longed to do with that body he once knew better than his own.