Chapter 12
"Hey Babe," a voice that was constantly grating on Ron's nerves shouted through the small flat they'd been sharing for three months. He was a good looking man, he had a decent job, he had a nice personality, and Ron's family loved him. He was good in bed, and that was the reason Ron did not kick the annoying man out. Truthfully, it was the name. Why did the man insist on calling him "Babe"?
"Yeah, Josh," Ron called back. He didn't have it in him to give Josh a pet name. Draco had been his Ferret, he'd been Ferret before they started going together. George told him that the next person he fell in love with would not just drop into his lap like Draco did. That was part of the whole problem. Draco was his soul-mate, they were destined. Josh was going to be alright until he called Ron "babe" on the wrong day, and the straw on the camel's back broke.
"Have you seen my tie?" That was another thing. Draco, even in that one month they actually ended up spending every single night in their Room, always knew where his clothes were. He also knew what colors went together and looked good on his skin. Josh had a good way of dressing that only made Ron want him naked so he didn't have to look at the eye sore.
"Did you check the rack in the closet?" Ron called back from the living room. He banged his head against the table when he got a negative reply. Granted Josh was younger than him by two years, but still. Ron signed up for a lover, not a child to babysit.
Walking into the kitchen with his flipping clip-on, Josh saw Ron sitting in an awkwardly bent pose over the table. He looked at his boyfriend in concern, sitting down and rubbing circle on his back. "Are you okay? We don't have to go if you're not feeling up for it."
"Yes," Ron growled, "I do. I'm part of the Golden Trio, I have to give a speech. This is the fifth anniversary. I have to go."
"Okay," Josh pulled his hand away at the growl. Ron looked up, "Is Simon going to be there tonight?"
"You know that it is weird, right?" Ron smiled. Simon was a good friend, and Josh and he got along greatly. Simon was Ron's ex-boyfriend. They'd been together for eight months, even had a magazine wonder if they were going to get married. Simon had actually been taken aback by the answer Ron gave and said that if Ron wasn't ready to look for that just yet, they shouldn't be together. It had been an amicable split. Ernie and Ron had run ins every once in a while. Ernie still glared, and hated Josh. Josh did not like him all that much either, but that really did not matter to Ron.
"Oh come off it," Josh brushed him off. "Simon is awesome. I like that we can be such good friends. He was really important to you in a hard time of your life. Is it easier, now that it's been over two years since you've started trying to move on?"
"Started?" Ron chuckled. "I think I have sufficiently moved on." He wrapped his arms around Josh's waist and pulled the smaller man against him. If he had a type, it was the man had to be thin and shorter. It helped when his mind wandered from the actual events.
Josh hummed as he draped his arms around Ron's neck. "Can we leave after your speech?"
Ron laughed, "We'll see. Let's go."
Draco had proved a good employee over four years, and had been transferred when a new branch opened up in Hogsmeade. The transfer was a great opportunity, he know ran the Hogsmeade branch of the bookshop. It did not take long for the shop keepers to catch onto who he really was. One look into his silver eyes when he was in a great need of a Firewhiskey had Rosemaretta running around the bar and hugging him tightly as she plastered his face with kisses. She'd thanked him for giving the warning and ensuring that Harry and Ron and Hermione could do what they did. The others caught on to. Since it confused the hell out of his customers why the other shopkeepers were calling him "D" and his badge said "Frank" he got rid of it. "D" worked, and he was in a place where he could protect himself if Death Eaters tried to attack him.
The professors' reactions had been even more entertaining then the shopkeepers. He'd been walking the street when Hagrid spotted him. The man was only about eight feet tall, and Draco was easily six-feet, but Hagrid was ridiculously strong and seeing Draco walk down the street he'd picked Draco up and stared at his face before he crushed him to his chest. McGonagall had saved him, ordering Hagrid to put the poor man down. Draco had never seen the slightest flicker of emotion cross her face, so when the tears shined in her eyes it felt as warm as the hug that Hagrid had just given him. He'd asked one favor of the "friends" he was collecting around Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, no one else was supposed to know unless they figured it out themselves. So far they had all kept it.
He'd not seen Potter, Granger, or any of the Weasley's since returning to Britain. He had not seen any Death Eaters either. Correction, he'd not seen them in person. He saw them in the magazines and the Daily Prophet when another Death Eater was pulled in. The boyfriend that the Wizard had thought Ron was going to marry had broken up with him. According to all of the sources it was amicable, but Draco had a feeling that the Simon character wanted more than Ron was willing to give. Now he was with some little boy called Josh, supposedly he was nineteen and Ron wouldn't date anyone that was not out of Hogwarts, but the boy had a fashion problem and a baby face. Just from the pictures Draco knew he did not care for the boy. He'd fallen out of his chair when Rosemareitta had told him that Ron had "gone with" Ernie McMillan for a time. The only thing Draco could say for certain about Ron's taste was that, anybody else could tell he was missing Draco's body.
Ron was standing in the Great Hall with Hermione and Harry. Ginny and Fred were standing nearby, but Simon had pulled Josh away while the reporters asked the Golden Trio their questions. Harry called on another reporter. Hermione fidgeted with her dress, hoping to hid her growing baby bump. Ron stood stoically by Harry's side. The report stood, "What can you tell us about the rumors that Draco Malfoy is back in Britain?"
"Not a thing," Harry answered, as he always did when a reporter used the word rumor. He probably hadn't even heard the rest of the question. He tended to shut down at the "r"-word. Hermione stared at the reporter with her mouth agape. Ron's expression was brought to life, and he looked at the reporter eagerly. Harry called, "Next question."
"No," Ron and Hermione challenged. Harry looked between his sidekicks.
"What rumors," Hermione was quick to ask as Ron brushed Harry back.
"Supposedly Draco Malfoy is running the bookshop in Hogsmeade village." The reporter explained. "You have no information about this?"
Ron looked over at the two forms of his current and ex-boyfriend laughing about something. He hoped it wasn't him, but at that moment he couldn't care. Ron shook his head in answer to the reporter's second question. "How long has he been back?"
"Six months," another reporter remarked. Ron and Hermione looked at the new man, "Sorry, James Fletcher, with the Wizard. One of our sections,"
"Where in the world," Ron interrupted, "yeah, I know it."
"Right," Fletcher continued, "We've been getting readers writing in about the bookshop in Hogsmeade and claiming that a man called "D' with silver eyes that have to be Malfoy eyes has been running the shop."
"Six months," Ron repeated. Fletcher nodded.
Catching up, finally, Harry said, "Alright, I think it's time to start this party. If you'll excuse us."
He pulled a dazed Ron behind him as he and Hermione exited the group of reporters. Ron turned to Harry as they walked, "Six months. Harry he's back, and he's been back for six months. Why hasn't he tried to find me? If anything he should have gone to Diagon and checked in with the Twins."
The moment the invitation came Draco had been torn. He'd said that he was going, but that was just in case he decided that he was. He knew Ron was going to be there, and if he so much as stepped into the room he knew he'd be looking for his Weasel. Five years or two minutes, Ronald Weasley was Draco Malfoy's. Boyfriend or not, Ronald Weasley was Draco Malfoy's. If he walked in and saw that Josh boy wrapped around his Weasel, he'd probably pull him away and snog the red-head like he'd never been snogged in his life. He was completely convinced that Ron would be responsive at first. He had the evidence of the first time Draco gave him a blow job to know that was fact. Pulling away though would be the problem. Draco had no idea how the Weasley's felt about him or how they felt about Josh. Maybe they liked Josh and would go on the defensive if Draco tried to steal back what was already his.
He was staring at the black suit that still fit him even all these years later. He'd not worn it or any of the others in quiet a long time. The black suit was Ron's favorite, and it was laying over his recliner just in case he decided to go. If he was going he was going in that. He liked to think that if Ron saw him in it that particular outfit, he'd forget about boys named Josh and Simon, and crush Draco to him like a drowning man. He wondered if the Josh boy looked smaller than he actually was and if he'd be the one swinging at Draco if the Weasel and Ferret collided like they were so good at. The scenarios that played out in his head were tempting, but there was always the chance that it wouldn't be like that. This was what made Draco fearful of going to the party. He did not know if he could take be rejected by the only person he'd ever loved.