A/N: *holds notebook up as a shield and vainly hopes its fireproof* Ah! My dears, your flames hurt! Have you no faith in me whatsoever? Does it not say in my summary that this is Draco/Harry SLASH? Don't question that! The only thing to question is how this is going to remain Harry/Draco SLASH. *looks ruefully on the scorched notebook and folds her leathery wings away*
Thanks to: All of you! Even you flamers! Please forgive me for not mention names right now. I'm too upset to look for names.
Anyway, the knot becomes more tangled. If you must flame, please no tantrums.
***
Part Twenty-Two
Neville found Ron crying in the dorm. Well, he didn't actually find Ron with tears streaming down his face. He heard muffled sobs, followed by thwacking noises coming from the drawn curtains of Ron's bed. His first impulse was to find out what was bothering Ron, but Ron had a really bad temper and Neville didn't want to be caught up in the middle of this anymore than he had to... Which didn't explain why he found himself standing by Ron's bed, asking him if he was all right.
Ron gave a bitter laugh. "Yeah, bloody fantastic, Neville. Never *thwack* been *thwack* better."
"I don't believe you," Neville said quietly.
"I didn't ask you to."
"I take it things didn't go to well with Harry," Neville ventured, timidly drawing back the curtains to Ron's bed. *Why am I doing this? I'm really more of a non-confrontational kind of guy...* Ron punched his pillow. *Thwack*
"What gave you that idea?"
"What are you doing?" Neville sighed.
"I'm pretending this pillow is the person I currently hate."
"Who would that be?"
"Draco," Ron replied immediately. He sighed. "Or myself. I'm kinda alternating right now."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Good. I'm listening," Neville said, sitting down. Ron looked bewildered. Even Neville was a bit stunned by his own boldness.
Ron flopped down next to Neville. He closed his eyes. "Where do I begin?"
"Your huge crush on Harry might be a good place to start," Neville said softly, almost encouragingly. Ron looked at him with undisguised shock. *Does anything get behind those soft blue eyes? * he wondered.
"No, nothing gets past me. Yes, I do know everything about you and harry and Hermione, and Seamus and Dean and everyone else in Gryffindor," Neville said, as if reciting it from memory. He smiled comfortingly. Ron smiled back.
"Right, my huge crush on Harry. How-"
"I'm asking questions, if you please."
"Fine. I don't know when I started liking Harry. He was - Do you mind if I don't go into detail? I'm-"
"Not this most articulate person in the world?" Neville finished. Ron nodded.
"Like, I said, I don't know when I started, but I just kind of ignored these feelings for so long, I forgot about them, but then I saw harry and Draco kissing and it just-" Ron faltered.
"Hit you?"
"Like a ton of bricks," Ron said. "I just wanted to kill him. Actually, I just went numb. Then I think I went into denial. Now I want to kill him."
"We've all been there. I don't think there's a person who has met Draco Malfoy that hasn't wanted to kill him at some point," Neville laughed. Ron agreed whole-heartedly.
"What happened?" Neville asked.
"He wanted to talk."
"And?" Neville prompted. Ron sat up.
"I just kinda blew up and-"
"Yes?"
"God, I kissed him!" Ron covered his face.
"Ah!"
"Don't look at me like that. I feel completely stupid now. I don't even know why. It was just so wrong."
"Wrong how?"
"I shouldn't have. He's Harry, for Christ's sake."
"So what if he's Harry?" Neville asked. Ron looked at him like he was psycho.
"He's my best friend. He's Harry fucking Potter, savior of the wizarding world. He's-"
"A he?"
"That's not the point."
"Are you sure?"
"Damn it! I'm so confused Neville. I don't know what's going on anymore," Ron said, breaking into tears again. Neville hesitated, and very awkwardly, put an arm around Ron's shoulders. Ron leaned against him. Neville wrapped the other arm around him.
"Hush, now. Everything will be put to rights soon, I promise," he whispered, stroking Ron's hair.
***
^.^ Okay, dears. Another chapter down! Please, review. I honestly do appreciate them.
Luv ya!
J. Silver
Thanks to: All of you! Even you flamers! Please forgive me for not mention names right now. I'm too upset to look for names.
Anyway, the knot becomes more tangled. If you must flame, please no tantrums.
***
Part Twenty-Two
Neville found Ron crying in the dorm. Well, he didn't actually find Ron with tears streaming down his face. He heard muffled sobs, followed by thwacking noises coming from the drawn curtains of Ron's bed. His first impulse was to find out what was bothering Ron, but Ron had a really bad temper and Neville didn't want to be caught up in the middle of this anymore than he had to... Which didn't explain why he found himself standing by Ron's bed, asking him if he was all right.
Ron gave a bitter laugh. "Yeah, bloody fantastic, Neville. Never *thwack* been *thwack* better."
"I don't believe you," Neville said quietly.
"I didn't ask you to."
"I take it things didn't go to well with Harry," Neville ventured, timidly drawing back the curtains to Ron's bed. *Why am I doing this? I'm really more of a non-confrontational kind of guy...* Ron punched his pillow. *Thwack*
"What gave you that idea?"
"What are you doing?" Neville sighed.
"I'm pretending this pillow is the person I currently hate."
"Who would that be?"
"Draco," Ron replied immediately. He sighed. "Or myself. I'm kinda alternating right now."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Good. I'm listening," Neville said, sitting down. Ron looked bewildered. Even Neville was a bit stunned by his own boldness.
Ron flopped down next to Neville. He closed his eyes. "Where do I begin?"
"Your huge crush on Harry might be a good place to start," Neville said softly, almost encouragingly. Ron looked at him with undisguised shock. *Does anything get behind those soft blue eyes? * he wondered.
"No, nothing gets past me. Yes, I do know everything about you and harry and Hermione, and Seamus and Dean and everyone else in Gryffindor," Neville said, as if reciting it from memory. He smiled comfortingly. Ron smiled back.
"Right, my huge crush on Harry. How-"
"I'm asking questions, if you please."
"Fine. I don't know when I started liking Harry. He was - Do you mind if I don't go into detail? I'm-"
"Not this most articulate person in the world?" Neville finished. Ron nodded.
"Like, I said, I don't know when I started, but I just kind of ignored these feelings for so long, I forgot about them, but then I saw harry and Draco kissing and it just-" Ron faltered.
"Hit you?"
"Like a ton of bricks," Ron said. "I just wanted to kill him. Actually, I just went numb. Then I think I went into denial. Now I want to kill him."
"We've all been there. I don't think there's a person who has met Draco Malfoy that hasn't wanted to kill him at some point," Neville laughed. Ron agreed whole-heartedly.
"What happened?" Neville asked.
"He wanted to talk."
"And?" Neville prompted. Ron sat up.
"I just kinda blew up and-"
"Yes?"
"God, I kissed him!" Ron covered his face.
"Ah!"
"Don't look at me like that. I feel completely stupid now. I don't even know why. It was just so wrong."
"Wrong how?"
"I shouldn't have. He's Harry, for Christ's sake."
"So what if he's Harry?" Neville asked. Ron looked at him like he was psycho.
"He's my best friend. He's Harry fucking Potter, savior of the wizarding world. He's-"
"A he?"
"That's not the point."
"Are you sure?"
"Damn it! I'm so confused Neville. I don't know what's going on anymore," Ron said, breaking into tears again. Neville hesitated, and very awkwardly, put an arm around Ron's shoulders. Ron leaned against him. Neville wrapped the other arm around him.
"Hush, now. Everything will be put to rights soon, I promise," he whispered, stroking Ron's hair.
***
^.^ Okay, dears. Another chapter down! Please, review. I honestly do appreciate them.
Luv ya!
J. Silver