Title: Pieces Of You

Summary: Ron is happy that he's not chained to Draco anymore. Or is he?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: Busy. Short chap. Sorry.

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I wanted to be normal again. Not gay. Not in love with Draco. I wanted to be okay but I wasn't. I felt empty. Desolated. How would I heal? I couldn't deal with things on my own, yet I could not tell my friends either. They would kill him. And though I wanted to hurt him I did not want others to harm him. Was I going crazy, protecting the man who had betrayed me?

As I climbed the steps to the Gryffindor Common Room I tried to keep my facial features composed. I had learned to keep a poker-face just by watching Dr... Malfoy. I could fool him into thinking that I didn't care, could I do the same with my friends? And had I really fooled Draco?

"Ron! Hey, Ron!"

Hermione ran up to me and hugged me. Surprised, I hugged back. She released me and looked up at my face.

"Are you okay?"

Dammit. Why do girls have to be so bloody perceptive?

"I mean...being chained to Malfoy...you must have had almost as bad a time as I had."

She hugged me again and I felt tears prickling in my eyes. I felt so alone. Wouldn't Hermione understand? If I could tell anybody, it surely would be her. She was a girl. My best friend. She must have seen something of my internal struggle this past year. Right?

"He was horrible."

I managed to say in a normal Draco-is-a-git-but-nothing-more sort of voice.

"Oh, tell me about it! Pansy made me sleep on the floor, without blankets!"

"Draco made me do all his homework."

I lied. Her reaction was exactly what I needed. Loathing. We walked into the Common Room together, where we found Harry sitting by the fire. We spent the entire evening verbally abusing Pansy and Draco. And I felt cold.

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The cold feeling didn't disappear as I had hoped it would. It stayed with me for the next couple of days, in which I tried to avoid as many people as I could without raising suspicion. I wanted to feel something again. I wanted to be with people but when I was I just wanted to be alone. I wanted to be with him, but I didn't want to admit it to myself. I was so angry. So hurt. I still couldn't believe that he had tricked me. And I wanted revenge.

Revenge. And being normal. The two top things on my list. So what was I to do? When she walked by, laughed at me and swayed her hips in a supposedly seductive manner...I mean come on. People would have expected it of me. Harry would have expected it of me. I couldn't just let down my best mate. Oh and then there was that slight feeling of "in your face Malfoy". If I got it on with that girl he would be devastated. He should be, at least. It was the perfect way of being both normal and getting my revenge at Draco.

Or at least, it should have been.

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It was weird, to say the least. Weird and uncomfortable and cheap. I wasn't like this. I didn't just kiss girls – let alone sleep with them – to make someone else jealous. I didn't use people like Draco did. I didn't want to be like him. I hated him.

But that girl moaned my name. Wrapped her arms around me as we were both lying naked on her bed. She wanted me there. She wanted me. And though there were so many reasons not to do this, I did it. It felt right. I felt needed. I felt right.

So I slept with her. Big deal. It's not like something bad is going to happen. Right?

Review please!