Title: Journeying: Chapter 6: Surprises
Summary: Draco and Ron are caught in the act.
Notes: None.
Feedback: Yes please. If I don't know what was bad, it ain't ever gonna get better.
~Surprises~
It was bound to happen sooner or later. Draco was actually surprised that it hadn't been sooner. He and Ron had, at times, been less than discreet. Harry and Hermione had been very suspicious these last few weeks. Ever since that one morning when Harry woke up and Ron was missing. Ron had evaded Harry's questions of course, but Harry knew something was up. Ron's ears always turned beet red under pressure. Draco thought it was one of his more endearing traits.
So, when Ron sneaked out of his room late one night to meet him, Harry followed. Neither of them noticed Harry until Ron started reaching for the silver clasps on his robes. That was when Harry made his presence known.
He screamed quietly, if such a thing is possible, "Ron! Get away from him!"
Ron looked from his boyfriend to his friend and whispered, "No. Go back to bed Harry."
Harry obeyed, though it didn't look like he knew why. Perhaps he had actually been shocked enough that he would obey blindly. Ron let out a small sigh of relief and turned back to Draco. "Now where were we?"
Ron's large hands traveled back to Draco's buttons, but the fey boy pushed the digits away listlessly. Ron could easily have pushed back and won, but he let Draco do what he wanted.
"What are you going to do about him?" Draco asked forlornly. His entire posture had become limp.
"I'm sure things will work out in the end," Ron reassured.
"And what about the jeers behind our backs?" Draco asked, becoming more animated as he spoke. "What about your precious friends? You know that they're going to try and kill me for corrupting you, no matter how much you argue that you wanted to be corrupted," Draco said, laughing depreciatingly.
"Don't ever joke about things like that," Ron whispered fiercely.
"Things?" Draco asked, confused as to what the other was referring to.
"Getting killed."
"Why not? You know it's going to happen someday." The Slytherin in Draco was coming to the forefront by trying to protect itself, to hell with how his boyfriend might feel about.
"And I'm going to do everything I can to try and stop it." Ron's voice was getting angrier.
Draco was taken aback by the emotion hidden in Ron's words. He hadn't expected the boy to get protective of him. "I didn't know you cared so much Weasley," he replied in mock surprise.
"Of course I care, you stupid git." Choking back a sob, Ron swept the slightly shorter boy into his arms. The stayed like that for a few seconds; Draco resting his head against Ron's shoulder, and Ron holding him carefully like a precious gem. Both drawing comfort from the other. Simultaneously, the sweethearts turned their faces to each other and kissed.
Tonight, the mood had been killed. The kiss didn't progress to anything beyond a simple kiss. After, each went their separate ways back to their respective rooms. When Ron went to bed, Harry was already asleep with the curtains drawn around his four-poster for privacy.
By getting up early and skipping breakfast and sitting far away during classes, Ron was able to successfully avoid Harry. Even so, he still felt Harry's green eyes, as well as Hermione's brown ones, drilling into his head. Harry must have told the honey-haired girl what had transpired at some point.
At lunch, Ron decided to hang out in the library. One could get lost among all the rows of books. He went to one far corner and sat down in one of the ever-present uncomfortable chairs that libraries seem to have. Pulling out some parchment and a quill, he thought that he could at least try to get some work done.
Ron was deeply absorbed with bullshitting his Divination homework when he heard someone sit in the chair next to his. He glanced up and did a double take. It was Hermione! And she was facing him with a patient smile formed on her lips.
"Hi Hermione," Ron stated awkwardly.
"Ron," she whispered furtively, "we need to talk."
Ron was about to bolt for the door when Hermione said, "I'm not going to condemn you."
Ron settled back into his seat and his heart started slowing down. "So, talk."
"First I've got a question for you. Are you serious about Draco? It's not just some prank? Because if it is, it's in the worst taste ever."
"Yeah, we're serious," Ron said slowly.
"Good." Hermione turned businesslike. "I'll tell you up front; Harry's not pleased. He thinks that you betrayed him."
Ron exploded. "But I didn't! It just sort of happened that we got together. It wasn't like I chose to fall in love with Draco!"
"Shh!" Hermione whispered. "You don't want to attract a crowd, do you?"
"No," Ron said in a contrite voice.
"I know you can't help who you fall in love with. Believe me, I know." Ron looked at his friend asking for an explanation with his eyes, but Hermione didn't elucidate. "You've got to talk to Harry. Try to make him understand. Everything with You-Know-Who hasn't gone away yet, and he's going to need your friendship to help him get through it."
"I can try, but I don't think he'll willingly talk to me."
"Don't worry about it. Just be in the old Charms room tonight after dinner. I'll get Harry there."
"Thanks Hermione. You're a great friend." Ron stood and leaned over to Hermione, kissing her lightly on the cheek. Ron left and a faint blush graced Hermione's cheeks.
*****
Draco was wandering the halls of Hogwarts at night. He wondered what had transpired since Harry had caught him and Ron together yesterday. He'd not had a chance to talk to Ron and was therefore out of the loop. Suddenly, he heard voices coming from inside one of the rooms. They sounded angry.
Draco jogged down the hall and peered into the room that the voices were coming from. Inside, Harry and Ron were facing off. They were on opposite sides of the room, separated by several feet. Draco decided to stay and watch but to do so secretly. He went into the room to the right of where the fight was. He slipped into the closet there; the two small classrooms shared one closet. Opening the door to the other room a crack, Draco could watch easily, but the darkness of the closet concealed him from sight.
"No, Harry!" Ron yelled at his best friend. "I am not going to give this up because you said so!"
Harry crossed the floor and planted himself directly in front of Ron. Draco watched from the sidelines. He'd never had someone defend him before. It was rather nice. Then Harry shoved Ron. Not hard enough to make the taller boy fall, but enough so that he knew Harry meant business.
Ron's voice, which before had been vocal with anger, now became very quiet as he addressed Harry. "I don't care what you think. I've found happiness and I'm going to fight for it. For this. *For Draco*."
Ron curled his hands into fists as Harry continued shouting. "You can't be serious! This is Malfoy we're talking about here! You've hated him ever since our first year! He must have bewitched you or something."
Quirking up one side of his mouth, Ron replied, still in that oddly quiet voice, "Why, it almost sounds as if you're jealous, Potter."
And then Ron let one fist fly and punched his friend, his best friend, hard in the jaw. Ron beat a hasty retreat with as Harry watched. Draco hadn't actually expected the friends to come to blows over him. Harry turned around and spotted the partially open closet. He squinted trying to make something out in the darkness. Draco froze. It couldn't be *him* that Harry saw.
But it seemed like it was. Harry strode over and yanked the door the rest of the way over. Both boys stared at each other until Harry punched Draco in the gut.
Doubling over, Draco managed to say, "Shit! That hurts!"
"It's less than you deserve, you bastard," Harry spat. "Ron says he loves you and I don't doubt that he thinks he does, so I don't blame him for his behavior."
"Let me guess," Draco said through clenched teeth, "you blame me."
"Right in one." Harry snarled and punched Malfoy again, this time in the chin.
Malfoy hissed, but didn't show any other reaction. He didn't even try to fight back.
Harry paused. "Why aren't you trying to me?" he asked, confused, but keeping his fists up in case Malfoy tried something.
Draco straightened. "Because happiness is transitory."
"Huh?" Harry still didn't understand why his school nemesis wasn't jumping at the chance to hurt him.
"I am happy now. This means that it must end. Why should I fight it?"
"Malfoy, what the hell are you talking about?" Harry brought his fists down so that they no longer threatened.
"I should have known that you'd be too simple to understand easily," Malfoy said, antipathy starting to show in his voice.
"Quit with the insults and just spell it out for me." Harry was losing patience with Malfoy's roundabout answers.
"Fine! You really want to know? I love Ron. I have no idea why and it's scary. I am actually, for the first time I can remember, content with my life. Whenever I have gotten anywhere near being this happy, life has pulled the rug out from under my feet. *Every* time. Why should I have expected this to be different?"
As Harry watched, he saw one glistening tear make its way down Draco's face.
"Look," Harry started, "I'm sorry. I just couldn't believe that Ron would willingly want you."
Grinning lopsidedly, Draco said, "Yeah. Sometimes I have trouble believing it too." Draco thought that perhaps, judging by Potter's tone, things could be worked out.
Harry stuck out his hand and Draco looked at it inquisitively.
"Truce?" Harry asked.
"Truce."
Both boys smiled and shook hands, sealing the bargain.
Summary: Draco and Ron are caught in the act.
Notes: None.
Feedback: Yes please. If I don't know what was bad, it ain't ever gonna get better.
~Surprises~
It was bound to happen sooner or later. Draco was actually surprised that it hadn't been sooner. He and Ron had, at times, been less than discreet. Harry and Hermione had been very suspicious these last few weeks. Ever since that one morning when Harry woke up and Ron was missing. Ron had evaded Harry's questions of course, but Harry knew something was up. Ron's ears always turned beet red under pressure. Draco thought it was one of his more endearing traits.
So, when Ron sneaked out of his room late one night to meet him, Harry followed. Neither of them noticed Harry until Ron started reaching for the silver clasps on his robes. That was when Harry made his presence known.
He screamed quietly, if such a thing is possible, "Ron! Get away from him!"
Ron looked from his boyfriend to his friend and whispered, "No. Go back to bed Harry."
Harry obeyed, though it didn't look like he knew why. Perhaps he had actually been shocked enough that he would obey blindly. Ron let out a small sigh of relief and turned back to Draco. "Now where were we?"
Ron's large hands traveled back to Draco's buttons, but the fey boy pushed the digits away listlessly. Ron could easily have pushed back and won, but he let Draco do what he wanted.
"What are you going to do about him?" Draco asked forlornly. His entire posture had become limp.
"I'm sure things will work out in the end," Ron reassured.
"And what about the jeers behind our backs?" Draco asked, becoming more animated as he spoke. "What about your precious friends? You know that they're going to try and kill me for corrupting you, no matter how much you argue that you wanted to be corrupted," Draco said, laughing depreciatingly.
"Don't ever joke about things like that," Ron whispered fiercely.
"Things?" Draco asked, confused as to what the other was referring to.
"Getting killed."
"Why not? You know it's going to happen someday." The Slytherin in Draco was coming to the forefront by trying to protect itself, to hell with how his boyfriend might feel about.
"And I'm going to do everything I can to try and stop it." Ron's voice was getting angrier.
Draco was taken aback by the emotion hidden in Ron's words. He hadn't expected the boy to get protective of him. "I didn't know you cared so much Weasley," he replied in mock surprise.
"Of course I care, you stupid git." Choking back a sob, Ron swept the slightly shorter boy into his arms. The stayed like that for a few seconds; Draco resting his head against Ron's shoulder, and Ron holding him carefully like a precious gem. Both drawing comfort from the other. Simultaneously, the sweethearts turned their faces to each other and kissed.
Tonight, the mood had been killed. The kiss didn't progress to anything beyond a simple kiss. After, each went their separate ways back to their respective rooms. When Ron went to bed, Harry was already asleep with the curtains drawn around his four-poster for privacy.
By getting up early and skipping breakfast and sitting far away during classes, Ron was able to successfully avoid Harry. Even so, he still felt Harry's green eyes, as well as Hermione's brown ones, drilling into his head. Harry must have told the honey-haired girl what had transpired at some point.
At lunch, Ron decided to hang out in the library. One could get lost among all the rows of books. He went to one far corner and sat down in one of the ever-present uncomfortable chairs that libraries seem to have. Pulling out some parchment and a quill, he thought that he could at least try to get some work done.
Ron was deeply absorbed with bullshitting his Divination homework when he heard someone sit in the chair next to his. He glanced up and did a double take. It was Hermione! And she was facing him with a patient smile formed on her lips.
"Hi Hermione," Ron stated awkwardly.
"Ron," she whispered furtively, "we need to talk."
Ron was about to bolt for the door when Hermione said, "I'm not going to condemn you."
Ron settled back into his seat and his heart started slowing down. "So, talk."
"First I've got a question for you. Are you serious about Draco? It's not just some prank? Because if it is, it's in the worst taste ever."
"Yeah, we're serious," Ron said slowly.
"Good." Hermione turned businesslike. "I'll tell you up front; Harry's not pleased. He thinks that you betrayed him."
Ron exploded. "But I didn't! It just sort of happened that we got together. It wasn't like I chose to fall in love with Draco!"
"Shh!" Hermione whispered. "You don't want to attract a crowd, do you?"
"No," Ron said in a contrite voice.
"I know you can't help who you fall in love with. Believe me, I know." Ron looked at his friend asking for an explanation with his eyes, but Hermione didn't elucidate. "You've got to talk to Harry. Try to make him understand. Everything with You-Know-Who hasn't gone away yet, and he's going to need your friendship to help him get through it."
"I can try, but I don't think he'll willingly talk to me."
"Don't worry about it. Just be in the old Charms room tonight after dinner. I'll get Harry there."
"Thanks Hermione. You're a great friend." Ron stood and leaned over to Hermione, kissing her lightly on the cheek. Ron left and a faint blush graced Hermione's cheeks.
*****
Draco was wandering the halls of Hogwarts at night. He wondered what had transpired since Harry had caught him and Ron together yesterday. He'd not had a chance to talk to Ron and was therefore out of the loop. Suddenly, he heard voices coming from inside one of the rooms. They sounded angry.
Draco jogged down the hall and peered into the room that the voices were coming from. Inside, Harry and Ron were facing off. They were on opposite sides of the room, separated by several feet. Draco decided to stay and watch but to do so secretly. He went into the room to the right of where the fight was. He slipped into the closet there; the two small classrooms shared one closet. Opening the door to the other room a crack, Draco could watch easily, but the darkness of the closet concealed him from sight.
"No, Harry!" Ron yelled at his best friend. "I am not going to give this up because you said so!"
Harry crossed the floor and planted himself directly in front of Ron. Draco watched from the sidelines. He'd never had someone defend him before. It was rather nice. Then Harry shoved Ron. Not hard enough to make the taller boy fall, but enough so that he knew Harry meant business.
Ron's voice, which before had been vocal with anger, now became very quiet as he addressed Harry. "I don't care what you think. I've found happiness and I'm going to fight for it. For this. *For Draco*."
Ron curled his hands into fists as Harry continued shouting. "You can't be serious! This is Malfoy we're talking about here! You've hated him ever since our first year! He must have bewitched you or something."
Quirking up one side of his mouth, Ron replied, still in that oddly quiet voice, "Why, it almost sounds as if you're jealous, Potter."
And then Ron let one fist fly and punched his friend, his best friend, hard in the jaw. Ron beat a hasty retreat with as Harry watched. Draco hadn't actually expected the friends to come to blows over him. Harry turned around and spotted the partially open closet. He squinted trying to make something out in the darkness. Draco froze. It couldn't be *him* that Harry saw.
But it seemed like it was. Harry strode over and yanked the door the rest of the way over. Both boys stared at each other until Harry punched Draco in the gut.
Doubling over, Draco managed to say, "Shit! That hurts!"
"It's less than you deserve, you bastard," Harry spat. "Ron says he loves you and I don't doubt that he thinks he does, so I don't blame him for his behavior."
"Let me guess," Draco said through clenched teeth, "you blame me."
"Right in one." Harry snarled and punched Malfoy again, this time in the chin.
Malfoy hissed, but didn't show any other reaction. He didn't even try to fight back.
Harry paused. "Why aren't you trying to me?" he asked, confused, but keeping his fists up in case Malfoy tried something.
Draco straightened. "Because happiness is transitory."
"Huh?" Harry still didn't understand why his school nemesis wasn't jumping at the chance to hurt him.
"I am happy now. This means that it must end. Why should I fight it?"
"Malfoy, what the hell are you talking about?" Harry brought his fists down so that they no longer threatened.
"I should have known that you'd be too simple to understand easily," Malfoy said, antipathy starting to show in his voice.
"Quit with the insults and just spell it out for me." Harry was losing patience with Malfoy's roundabout answers.
"Fine! You really want to know? I love Ron. I have no idea why and it's scary. I am actually, for the first time I can remember, content with my life. Whenever I have gotten anywhere near being this happy, life has pulled the rug out from under my feet. *Every* time. Why should I have expected this to be different?"
As Harry watched, he saw one glistening tear make its way down Draco's face.
"Look," Harry started, "I'm sorry. I just couldn't believe that Ron would willingly want you."
Grinning lopsidedly, Draco said, "Yeah. Sometimes I have trouble believing it too." Draco thought that perhaps, judging by Potter's tone, things could be worked out.
Harry stuck out his hand and Draco looked at it inquisitively.
"Truce?" Harry asked.
"Truce."
Both boys smiled and shook hands, sealing the bargain.