Body Warnings and Disclaimers: Please refer to chapters 1, 7, or 14.

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this going again. I hope this meets your expectations.

All I Need To Know From You Is All I See

The night before we were to return to Hogwarts was a rather interesting affair. Hermione had already gone to sleep on the couch in the living room and so Ron, Draco, and I were alone in our bedroom. Ron's reaction to Draco was surprising. I kind of figured that he would just tell him to go sod himself and then tell me the same. Instead, he gave us his blessing, and that was worth all the pain and trouble Draco and I had been through from the very beginning. At any rate, we were all checking to make sure that all of our school things were together and ready to go when Ron asked a very interesting question.

"So, what are you going to do tomorrow?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, totally baffled at such an ambiguous question.

"I mean, what's going to happen tomorrow when everyone sees the four of us together at the station? Or at school?"

That was a very valid question that I honestly hadn't given much thought to. I couldn't imagine that everyone else at Hogwarts would be as accepting of mine and Draco's relationship as Ron and Hermione had been. Then there was the issue of Draco's fellow Slytherins.

"I guess they'll just have to get over it, won't they?" Draco replied rather offhandedly as he placed the last of his books in his trunk. "It's not like I'm just going to go on like I always have and treat you like shit. I already tried that and it didn't work. Besides, what can anyone honestly do?"

"They could lynch you," Ron replied dryly.

"Ahch. They will not," Draco stated with complete and utter confidence. "My father already tried that and if he couldn't do it, I seriously doubt a bunch of undergraduate witches and wizards will succeed."

The way he said that -with such lack of emotion and like it was an everyday part of life- made me visibly flinch. I still had a hard time thinking about what had happened to Draco two months ago without flinching. I probably always will, though. But ever since he had been pulled out of his father's dungeon, he had been a totally different person. The way he was with me when we were alone had become his demeanor all the time. He was no longer afraid of what those around us would say once they figured out that we were a pair. It was like he had lost all notions of fear and discomfort that had permeated his very existence not two months earlier. While this was undoubtedly a very positive change, his lack of emotion toward what had befallen him was almost upsetting.

"What about all the other people in Slytherin?" Ron was continuing to press the matter.

"You know, I never thought of that," Draco said with a smile. "I wonder what they'll think?"

"You don't seem overly concerned," pointed out Ron.

"Really, Ron, don't you think that Dumbledore has already taken all this into consideration? I am more than reasonably certain that he would not put anyone into a dangerous situation. So don't worry about it," Draco finished.

No sooner had Draco finished speaking did there appear an owl at the window. I didn't recognize it; it was a great big horned owl that looked rather menacing. Opening the window, it flew inside and perched on the back of the desk chair. Once I had untied the letter from its leg, it flew off out the open window.

"What's that, Harry?" Ron asked, leaning forward in his chair.

"I don't know. But it's addressed to you, Draco."

Reluctantly, he took the letter from my hand and opened it carefully. Ron and I were both staring at him as though silently willing him to tell us what the letter contained. A moment after starting to read, Draco's face broke into a wide smile. "See, Ron, I told you so," he said as he handed the letter to the boy in the chair.

"Huh. What do you know?" Ron replied with a grin, giving Draco the letter.

They were acting as though I weren't even in the room until Draco turned and said, "Bet you never thought I'd make it as a Gryffindor, huh?"

"What?" I was totally confused.

"Draco's gonna stay in Gryffindor with us this year," Ron answered happily. That kid was too weird. I never thought he would ever welcome Draco into his life with such open arms.

"For real?"

"Yes, for real." Draco was grinning from ear to ear. "I may be a tease, but not about something like that."

At that, Ron burst into a fit of laughter. Taking my opportunity while Ron was distracted, I pulled Draco into my arms and kissed him. I seemed to have forgotten how engrossed in kissing him I could get that I didn't even notice that Ron had stopped laughing. Draco pulled away and turned his head to stare at him.

"You all right, Ronnikins?" Draco asked sweetly, laying his head on my chest. "You're looking a bit pale."

"S-sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Hey, if I were in your place I don't think I could keep from staring at us, either, we're so damn sexy," he replied as he hugged me just the slightest bit tighter. Even though I couldn't see his face, I knew he was smiling like a fool. There was that note in his voice that simply gave him away.

"No, it's not that. It's just... I don't think I've ever seen two happier people in all my life," he replied very matter-of-factly.

Silence fell over the three of us, but it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable. It was like we were all just assessing each other, appreciating the moment and all of that which it entailed. It was the first time that the three of us had really talked about Draco and I. In the few conversations we had had on the subject, Ron never told us exactly what he thought. We both knew that he approved and that he was indeed happy for us. Ron never really talked about his view of things, he always just gave rather impersonal answers to the questions he was asked. Ron really was a guy's sort of guy, you know, all macho and tough. But at that particular moment, he was just as real and straightforward with us as we were with him. Pretensions and expectations were insignificant in that moment.

"Besides, how often does one really get to see two damn hot guys with their tongues down each other's throats?" Ron added on with a smile.

"Ha! The truth comes out!" exclaimed Draco with a laugh.

Releasing me from his embrace, Draco jumped on the bed and then off, right in front of Ron. In one fluid movement, he pulled Ron out of his chair and threw his arms around his neck. Ron just stood there for a moment with a shocked look on his face, staring at me as though I could explain to him the reasoning behind this sudden outburst of emotion. Then, much to my surprise, he wrapped his long arms around Draco's narrow frame and hugged him back. He was smiling at me, albeit a bit confusedly.

"I'm sorry I gave you so much shit about being poor," Draco said.

The smile on Ron's face faltered for a moment before he replied, "Yeah, well, we all make mistakes." He then mouthed, 'What the hell?' in my direction.

All I could do was shrug my shoulders in response. I knew that Ron hated being called poor, even if it was true. Not that I could blame him. But I also knew that Draco meant it as a sincere apology and not with any maliciousness. I think that Ron knew it, too, because he squeezed Draco and then let him go.

"Truce, then?" Ron asked.

"Wasn't that apparent?" replied Draco with a slight frown.

"Yes, I was merely being sarcastic."

"Oh. Great, then." Draco was grinning again. "You know, Weasley, you're all right."

"Thanks, Malfoy. You're not so bad yourself. Even if you are a spoiled brat."

Draco laughed as he made an obscene finger gesture at Ron. Throwing himself on the bed, he looked quite content. His eyelids closed and Ron took his seat in the chair again. "You know, I think that this is the first time in my whole life that I actually felt real. This is the first time in my life that I've ever had friends and a real home, you know?" Draco made himself more comfortable and a smile curled the corners of his beautiful mouth in an expression of complete happiness. "I could get used to this."

Ron and I were staring at each other with what I imagine were identical expressions of abject horror. Some of things that came out of Draco's mouth were absolutely terrible but he didn't see it that way. And that was why it was so terrible. To think that he had never had a real home or friends or anything like that was enough to break my heart. That he only found that with me was a bit flattering, but that sentiment was more than just slightly overshadowed by the fact that it took him that long to achieve it. Not that my life had been all that much better. Except that I had friends even if I didn't have a real home.

Obviously he sensed the awkward silence, because he opened his eyes and looked from me to Ron and back again. "What's the matter? Did I say something wrong?"

"Uh, no love, it's not that. It's just..." I trailed off. I didn't know quite how to articulate my sorrow for all the things that had befallen him in his life.

"Okay, put yourself in my shoes just for a moment," Draco started. "You're Lucius Malfoy's son and Lucius Malfoy just happens to be the Dark Lord's second in command. Your whole life you've been taught to hate those that are different from you in any way, and that includes the person you've been in love with since you were able to understand the depth of such emotions. When you 'step out of line' you get the shit beat out of you and raped by your father and all of his friends as punishment. You've got to watch your father berate your mother for being a halfway decent human being day in and day out. Then, when it comes time to go to school, you've got to condition yourself into believing things that you know are inherently wrong so that you make the Sorting Hat put you into the 'correct' house. And then you've got to treat the person you're in love with like the scourge of the Earth, and that includes his friends, as well. So, when you finally break the cycle of lies that you've never been away from, you're totally blown away at how life is for everyone else. Everyone else around you has friends and is loved and they don't have to maintain a certain image to ensure the well being of an absolutely deplorable cause. I only got sorted into Slytherin because I had to. I only made fun of you because I had to. I had to keep myself separate from everyone and everything so that no one else would get hurt. What other choice was there? So now do you understand why I feel absolutely nothing about my past?"

Stunned into silence by Draco's speech, all Ron and I could do was stare at him. It was all starting to gel. Everything that Draco had been for so many years was all explained, just like that. I had never really looked at it in that light before, and I had no idea what it was really like to be Draco Malfoy. I knew he was just like me in a lot of ways, which was why I pursued him to begin with; I knew he was always hurting and always alone. But I had no idea just what it was that he went through every single day of his entire life.

"What do you mean you made the Sorting Hat put you in the 'correct' house?" Ron asked very quietly. "No one has any say about what house they get sorted into."

"For the most part, you are very right. The Sorting Hat was designed to see into a person's heart and see what kind of a person they really are. But not even that kind of magick is infallible. It is a relatively simple task to convince anything, especially a magickally altered hat that's what? a thousand years old?, that you've got a rotten heart. It's much more difficult to make it see that you really are good," he responded with a patience I didn't know he possessed.

Forehead furrowed in thought, Ron seemed to be digesting this information thoroughly. "I think I owe you an apology, too."

"No you don't. You don't owe me shit. Even after all the rotten things I've done to you, you still accepted me as one of your own, and that is worth a thousand apologies."

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Then Ron said, "I understand."

For the first time in all the time I had known Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy, they were truly on the same level with each other. This kind of equality had not a thing to do with me, and I had never felt better about myself than I did at that moment. I couldn't possibly begin to explain why, but there was something passing between them that made me feel absolutely fabulous.

"Do you think the rest of Gryffindor will?" Draco asked.

"Yes, I do. And if they don't, sod 'em," Ron answered with a smile. "And now I think that it's time we get some sleep. Got to be at the station before eleven, you know." And with that he started unfolding the chair he'd been sitting on to the cot he would sleep on.

Stripped to our shorts, Draco and I climbed under the covers together. Ron put out the light and, after saying our 'goodnights', all was silent. Before that night I had never appreciated Draco's warmth to the extent that I did then. Of course I knew what he had been through, he had told me himself. It just never really sunk in, I guess, how much he had overcome. I thought about that night we first met in the Astronomy Tower and how, if I hadn't insisted that he meet me, we would not have been laying together like we were. He might have been dead long before we'd reached that point. I thought about him laying in the infirmary, bruised and broken. I had never appreciated spooning him like this as fully as I should have before that night. So, pulling him as tightly to me as I could, I kissed the back of his neck until we fell asleep.

*****

So? How do you like my explanation of Draco's getting into Slytherin? Too unbelievable? Not very likely? Will he make it in Gryffindor? Too many questions, I know. Review, lovies. Cheers!

And thank you infinitely, all those who reviewed: first and foremost, The Goddess Shinigami, you are my sweetheart like no other. Thank you so much for all your lovely words and thank you so much for going out of your way to find something to criticize. I laughed at that and it really made me feel pretty sodding wonderful. This is all for you, lovie. *blows great big FAT kiss*; Prongs, it is always so lovely to hear that you like my work. I hope that this pleases you; shinji, you are so my favourite. *great big kiss with tongue and everything* To hear praise from you is worth all the galleons, sickles, and knuts in the entire wizarding world. Your flattery is all the reason I need to keep on writing. I love you. I really, really do; Cat Samwise, no, this ain't it, you'll know when it's done. I promise. But, um, Ron did find out. In chapter 12. Did I not make that clear enough? How could I improve? You really must tell me. Thank you for wanting more, I will do my best to give it to you *giggles in an extremely juvenile fashion*; Web Witch, thanks a ton *smiles*; Juliana Black, *giggles* I knew they were, too. And I just kind of threw the Muggle waiter part in for a bit of cheer on Severus' behalf. He really needs to get some, too, you know. Besides, where else was he going to get it? Remus is already taken, Draco's already taken... who would you prefer? Anything for you, my dear, for calling my work awesome. *kisses*; Alynnia*McKinnon, thanks, that's what I've heard; Britt, my goodness! Thankyouthankyou thankyou! I rather liked my Dumbledore, but hearing from someone else that he's one of the best... *wipes tear from eye* I'm really chuffed. Really. And my goodness, so much praise from one source... I'm going to have to start carrying a pin around so that I can reduce the size of my head from time to time. I hope you like this bit, and I hope it doesn't sound too OOC. If it does, I am more than certain that you will let me know; and, most of all, Rubicon, without whom this story would really suck if it existed at all. You are my inspiration and my reason for being. I love you. Thank all of you again. Without you, I'm nothing. May muses attack with a vengeance, may you always be full of love and light, blessed be, and Cheers!