18. Half A Secret
-Draco-
Things were working out mostly pretty good for Draco these days. His secret of being poor was still safe. And now his secret of going out with Ron was safe too. They managed not to talk to each other or look at each other too much in between meeting in the study or going on patrol together.
Draco was really happy being with Ron. The Gryffindor was really nice and a lot of fun to be with. Sometimes he told Draco silly jokes that made him groan.
On Saturday night, after they finished patrol, they went to their special room together.
"No need to leave early tonight. Everybody else is at Hogsmeade on dates!" Ron said.
"We're just having our date here instead," Draco said. "It's cheaper." That made Ron laugh.
Ron leaned over and gave Draco a kiss on the cheek. Then he took Draco's hand and played with his fingers. "Draco, I need to ask you something."
Draco looked at Ron. Ron looked a little nervous. Draco hoped this wouldn't be anything too bad. "What is it?"
"Well, I know that we have to keep this secret and I understand that, but I would really like to tell Harry and Hermione about my being gay. Do you think that would be alright, if I didn't say about you and me?" Ron's face went all pink at this and he squeezed Draco's hand.
Draco thought for a minute. "You can tell them if you don't tell them about me. What do you think they'll say?"
"I don't know," Ron said. "But I'm tired of hiding it from them."
"If you even get a chance to talk to them. They are always together making gooey eyes at each other." Draco laughed a little. Even though he liked Ron a lot, he still didn't like Hermione and Harry at all. He thought they were both stuck up. Plus Harry had wrecked a lot of things for Draco. But he was just as glad that they were going out because it made Ron freer to spend time with Draco.
The redhead smiled. "Thank you. Now I just have to figure out what to say and when! Maybe tomorrow after breakfast."
"As long as you don't want to go to Hogsmeade and find them now!" Draco kissed Ron and they started making out.
-Ron-
Ron was really pleased that Draco didn't mind his plan of telling Harry and Hermione that he was gay. It had been weighing on his mind lately. Actually, he wished that he could tell them about Draco too. He wanted them to know why he was happy all the time these days.
After he and Draco left their special study at 11 PM, Ron went back to the Gryffindor common room to think about what he would say. All he could think of was just to tell them bluntly. He hoped that would work out well and not be too much of a shock.
Maybe he should have been dropping hints somehow before this. But what? Like mentioning how attractive Seamus was? That didn't seem like a good idea, especially if they told Seamus what he'd said.
He stayed up thinking until midnight. Harry and Hermione were still not back from their date, even though they were supposed to be in at 11:30 PM. Ron wondered how Harry had managed to convince Hermione to break the rules and stay out. Then he thought maybe he'd rather not know that.
Ron went to bed. In the morning, he went to breakfast with Harry and Hermione. They were talking about their date in Hogsmeade the night before.
"We went for coffee first," Hermione said. "And Harry bought me a rose!"
"Then we went to a new club that's just opened up: Goldenwands. A lot of people were there dancing."
Ron sighed a little when he heard that. He wished that he and Draco could go out on Hogsmeade dates too. But even if their relationship weren't a secret, neither of them could afford it anyhow. He looked over to the Slytherin table and caught the blonde's eye. Draco gave him a small smile. Ron returned the smile, then tried to listen to Harry and Hermione some more.
"I know you have to patrol on Saturday nights," Harry said. "But you have time for a date after. Next week you should ask some girl out and we'll all go together."
Ron felt a little sick inside when he heard that. He had to tell them today! After they were done eating, Ron made a suggestion. "Let's go out for a walk now, before we start our homework. We never go for walks anymore."
Harry and Hermione agreed and they went out to walk around the grounds. When they got near to the lake, Ron started walking a little slower as he got his nerve up. Then he stopped.
The others took a second to notice that. Then they came back to him. "What is it, Ron?" Hermione said.
"I want to tell you something," Ron said. He knew his face was getting red.
"I knew it," Harry said. "This is about that girl, right?"
"What girl?" Ron said.
"The girl that makes you smile all the time," Harry said and socked Ron in the shoulder.
"No," Ron said. "There is no girl. In fact, that's kind of what I want to tell you." Then he stopped. His tongue felt kind of numb and it was hard to get more words out.
Hermione put her hand on Ron's arm. "You can tell us, Ron."
Ron felt like there were ice cubes in his stomach. He knew he'd better just say it right out. "I'm gay," he said.
-Draco-
Things were working out mostly pretty good for Draco these days. His secret of being poor was still safe. And now his secret of going out with Ron was safe too. They managed not to talk to each other or look at each other too much in between meeting in the study or going on patrol together.
Draco was really happy being with Ron. The Gryffindor was really nice and a lot of fun to be with. Sometimes he told Draco silly jokes that made him groan.
On Saturday night, after they finished patrol, they went to their special room together.
"No need to leave early tonight. Everybody else is at Hogsmeade on dates!" Ron said.
"We're just having our date here instead," Draco said. "It's cheaper." That made Ron laugh.
Ron leaned over and gave Draco a kiss on the cheek. Then he took Draco's hand and played with his fingers. "Draco, I need to ask you something."
Draco looked at Ron. Ron looked a little nervous. Draco hoped this wouldn't be anything too bad. "What is it?"
"Well, I know that we have to keep this secret and I understand that, but I would really like to tell Harry and Hermione about my being gay. Do you think that would be alright, if I didn't say about you and me?" Ron's face went all pink at this and he squeezed Draco's hand.
Draco thought for a minute. "You can tell them if you don't tell them about me. What do you think they'll say?"
"I don't know," Ron said. "But I'm tired of hiding it from them."
"If you even get a chance to talk to them. They are always together making gooey eyes at each other." Draco laughed a little. Even though he liked Ron a lot, he still didn't like Hermione and Harry at all. He thought they were both stuck up. Plus Harry had wrecked a lot of things for Draco. But he was just as glad that they were going out because it made Ron freer to spend time with Draco.
The redhead smiled. "Thank you. Now I just have to figure out what to say and when! Maybe tomorrow after breakfast."
"As long as you don't want to go to Hogsmeade and find them now!" Draco kissed Ron and they started making out.
-Ron-
Ron was really pleased that Draco didn't mind his plan of telling Harry and Hermione that he was gay. It had been weighing on his mind lately. Actually, he wished that he could tell them about Draco too. He wanted them to know why he was happy all the time these days.
After he and Draco left their special study at 11 PM, Ron went back to the Gryffindor common room to think about what he would say. All he could think of was just to tell them bluntly. He hoped that would work out well and not be too much of a shock.
Maybe he should have been dropping hints somehow before this. But what? Like mentioning how attractive Seamus was? That didn't seem like a good idea, especially if they told Seamus what he'd said.
He stayed up thinking until midnight. Harry and Hermione were still not back from their date, even though they were supposed to be in at 11:30 PM. Ron wondered how Harry had managed to convince Hermione to break the rules and stay out. Then he thought maybe he'd rather not know that.
Ron went to bed. In the morning, he went to breakfast with Harry and Hermione. They were talking about their date in Hogsmeade the night before.
"We went for coffee first," Hermione said. "And Harry bought me a rose!"
"Then we went to a new club that's just opened up: Goldenwands. A lot of people were there dancing."
Ron sighed a little when he heard that. He wished that he and Draco could go out on Hogsmeade dates too. But even if their relationship weren't a secret, neither of them could afford it anyhow. He looked over to the Slytherin table and caught the blonde's eye. Draco gave him a small smile. Ron returned the smile, then tried to listen to Harry and Hermione some more.
"I know you have to patrol on Saturday nights," Harry said. "But you have time for a date after. Next week you should ask some girl out and we'll all go together."
Ron felt a little sick inside when he heard that. He had to tell them today! After they were done eating, Ron made a suggestion. "Let's go out for a walk now, before we start our homework. We never go for walks anymore."
Harry and Hermione agreed and they went out to walk around the grounds. When they got near to the lake, Ron started walking a little slower as he got his nerve up. Then he stopped.
The others took a second to notice that. Then they came back to him. "What is it, Ron?" Hermione said.
"I want to tell you something," Ron said. He knew his face was getting red.
"I knew it," Harry said. "This is about that girl, right?"
"What girl?" Ron said.
"The girl that makes you smile all the time," Harry said and socked Ron in the shoulder.
"No," Ron said. "There is no girl. In fact, that's kind of what I want to tell you." Then he stopped. His tongue felt kind of numb and it was hard to get more words out.
Hermione put her hand on Ron's arm. "You can tell us, Ron."
Ron felt like there were ice cubes in his stomach. He knew he'd better just say it right out. "I'm gay," he said.