AN: Well here's part two of "The Honorable Thing." I hope everyone is
enjoying it so far. I plan to write a bit more yet so don't worry about
finding out what Ron is expecting. It's coming up at the end of part 3.
hehehe. P.S. I appreciate the reviews I've gotten so far. :)
Harry tried to talk to Ron all that day but Ron seemed to be avoiding him. Finally later that evening back in Gryffindore tower he managed to corner his red headed friend.
"Ron, we have to talk."
"What about?"
"Don't play the innocent with me Ron, you know what we need to talk about."
"Ok, ok, keep it down already. Look tomorrow is the start of a Hogsmeade weekend right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"So let's drop the subject til then. We can get some butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks and discuss it without an audience."
Harry considered this a moment, and came to the conclusion that Ron was right. There were too many pairs of ears nearby at any one time in the Gryffindore common room for any conversation to ever really be private. At the very least at the Three Broomsticks they could take a room for an hour or so to talk in private, and maybe even get some snogging in...Whoa! What was going on? First he finds himself thinking Ron is cute and now he's thinking of snogging him? What was happening to him? Realizing that Ron might misinterpret his continued silence as disagreement he hastened to answer. "Sure that sounds great."
Looking at Ron's stomach he still couldn't believe that his child was growing inside the other boy. True his life had never been anywhere near that of a normal wizard so far, but this situation took the cake. He had fathered a child on another boy! A boy who had been his best friend since the first day of their first year. Looking at the "mother?" of his unborn child he could tell that the other boy was almost asleep on his feet.
"Come on Ron, it's time for bed." _______________________________________________________
The next afternoon found the two boys sitting in one of Madame Rosemerta's private rooms. Neither boy seemed to quite know where to begin at first. Then as if on cue both began to talk at once.
"Ron I..."
"Harry I..."
"You first Ron."
"No Harry you first."
"Ron why didn't you tell me? Were you so ashamed of me that you couldn't tell me?"
"N-no Harry. I only found out the other day. But I was also afraid."
"Afraid? Afraid of what?"
"Afraid of your reaction. How you would take the news. Afraid you might not want it. Afraid that our friendship would be over." Ron began to cry.
Rising from his chair Harry crossed the room and knelt in front of his best friend. "Ron, Ron look at me." Ron did.
"Ron I'm not angry at you. And I'm certainly not going to turn away. Do you remember the tri-wizard tournament during our 4th year, when you were in the lake?" Ron nodded. He had awakened to find himself under water.
"Ron the reason you were under the water was that the champions had to prove their courage by retrieving the most important person in their lives from the bottom of the lake. For me that was you. Not Ginny, not Dean, Seamus or Neville, not Hermione, you. I'll always be there for you Ron, and I'll prove it."
"H-how?"
Searching the pockets of his robe Harry found an empty chocolate frog box which he proceeded to transfigure before presenting it to Ron. Ron opened the box and gasped aloud. He looked at his best friend of almost seven years in amazement. Inside the transfigured box lay a beautiful engagement ring.
"Ron Weasley will you marry me?" __________________________________________________
Harry was miserable. Ron had broken down in tears before accepting his proposal, and all had been right with the world until he had put his foot in his mouth. He'd told Ron that he believed in doing the honorable thing, and had set the red heads Weasley temper off. The result was that Ron had come to believe that Harry didn't really want him, but just wanted to avoid a scandal. They had then fought and Ron had run off leaving his fiance to kick himself in regret. He should have been more careful of his words. Ron was emotional enough at the best of times, but now with the extra hormones flooding his system it was a given that he'd need careful handling. And Harry had blown it. He sighed. Well there was nothing else to do but try to find Ron and grovel as he'd never groveled before. He was so intent on his mission that he never even heard the stunning curse before it hit. One minute everything had been bright as midday (which it was) and the next everything went black. _______________________________________________
He awakened an unknown time later to find himself chained to a wall in a cold, dark room. Ron was nowhere in sight, but Harry sensed that he wasn't very far away.
"Well, well, Harry Potter, we meet again."
He turned toward the voice. Great, as if things couldn't get any worse, now Voldemort had to put his two pence in. Not for the first time he wondered if the universe had a personal vendetta against Harry Potter.
"What do you want Voldemort?"
"Why I'd think that was obvious Mr. Potter. I want you to die in pain. Crucio!"
Harry screamed as pain flooded his body in waves for what seemed an eternity. Suddenly the curse was lifted. He drew on his reserves of strength to look Voldemort in the eye.
"Oh no Mr. Potter we aren't done yet. Far from it. You will suffer far more before you die. First I will kill your 'friend' and the unborn spawn that he carries. Oh yes Mr. Potter I know all about your children. It was I who gave the order for the son of that muggle lover Weasley to be given the Gravis potion. Killing your friends is pleasant enough, but killing your child right in front of your eyes will be a luxury." A moment later, as if by a silent signal two deatheaters dragged a struggling Ron Weasley into the room and threw him at the feet of their master.
Pointing his wand directly at Ron Voldemort began to speak the killing curse. "Avada..." It was then that something unexpected occured. Harry suddenly felt a burst of energy well up from inside himself and then he was unrestrained, standing on the floor and certain of what he had to do. Without thinking he grabbed a very shocked Voldemort by the left forearm and concentrated. At first everything was darkness and silence except for a tiny glowing spot upon which he focused his total attention. Then the sound of multiple voices screaming louder and louder in pain reached him while at the same time the glowing spot got dimmer and dimmer.
Back at Hogwarts Severus Snape, potion master, and ex-deatheater suddenly dropped to the floor of his office, out cold. Other loyal deatheaters were not so lucky. Whereever they were, working at the Ministry of Magic, at home on their family estates, or out on errands for their master, they dropped in their tracks, dead. As did Voldemort himself. The instant Voldemort was dead the world flooded back into Harry's mind. He was so tired. Opening his eyes he saw his love lying unconscious on the floor. He crawled slowly over to Ron and lay his head on the other's chest. The sound of a slow but steady heartbeat reassured him, but he knew that he had to get them back to someplace safe lest any of Voldemort's supporters were still around to finish what the dark lord had started. Allowing his head to rest upon Ron's chest he concentrated on appearing as close to Hogwarts as possible. He felt himself falling and then he was lying on solid ground again. Raising his head he could see the gates of Hogwarts just a short distance away. Wandlessly he cast a simple fireworks spell, then let oblivion claim him.
Harry tried to talk to Ron all that day but Ron seemed to be avoiding him. Finally later that evening back in Gryffindore tower he managed to corner his red headed friend.
"Ron, we have to talk."
"What about?"
"Don't play the innocent with me Ron, you know what we need to talk about."
"Ok, ok, keep it down already. Look tomorrow is the start of a Hogsmeade weekend right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"So let's drop the subject til then. We can get some butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks and discuss it without an audience."
Harry considered this a moment, and came to the conclusion that Ron was right. There were too many pairs of ears nearby at any one time in the Gryffindore common room for any conversation to ever really be private. At the very least at the Three Broomsticks they could take a room for an hour or so to talk in private, and maybe even get some snogging in...Whoa! What was going on? First he finds himself thinking Ron is cute and now he's thinking of snogging him? What was happening to him? Realizing that Ron might misinterpret his continued silence as disagreement he hastened to answer. "Sure that sounds great."
Looking at Ron's stomach he still couldn't believe that his child was growing inside the other boy. True his life had never been anywhere near that of a normal wizard so far, but this situation took the cake. He had fathered a child on another boy! A boy who had been his best friend since the first day of their first year. Looking at the "mother?" of his unborn child he could tell that the other boy was almost asleep on his feet.
"Come on Ron, it's time for bed." _______________________________________________________
The next afternoon found the two boys sitting in one of Madame Rosemerta's private rooms. Neither boy seemed to quite know where to begin at first. Then as if on cue both began to talk at once.
"Ron I..."
"Harry I..."
"You first Ron."
"No Harry you first."
"Ron why didn't you tell me? Were you so ashamed of me that you couldn't tell me?"
"N-no Harry. I only found out the other day. But I was also afraid."
"Afraid? Afraid of what?"
"Afraid of your reaction. How you would take the news. Afraid you might not want it. Afraid that our friendship would be over." Ron began to cry.
Rising from his chair Harry crossed the room and knelt in front of his best friend. "Ron, Ron look at me." Ron did.
"Ron I'm not angry at you. And I'm certainly not going to turn away. Do you remember the tri-wizard tournament during our 4th year, when you were in the lake?" Ron nodded. He had awakened to find himself under water.
"Ron the reason you were under the water was that the champions had to prove their courage by retrieving the most important person in their lives from the bottom of the lake. For me that was you. Not Ginny, not Dean, Seamus or Neville, not Hermione, you. I'll always be there for you Ron, and I'll prove it."
"H-how?"
Searching the pockets of his robe Harry found an empty chocolate frog box which he proceeded to transfigure before presenting it to Ron. Ron opened the box and gasped aloud. He looked at his best friend of almost seven years in amazement. Inside the transfigured box lay a beautiful engagement ring.
"Ron Weasley will you marry me?" __________________________________________________
Harry was miserable. Ron had broken down in tears before accepting his proposal, and all had been right with the world until he had put his foot in his mouth. He'd told Ron that he believed in doing the honorable thing, and had set the red heads Weasley temper off. The result was that Ron had come to believe that Harry didn't really want him, but just wanted to avoid a scandal. They had then fought and Ron had run off leaving his fiance to kick himself in regret. He should have been more careful of his words. Ron was emotional enough at the best of times, but now with the extra hormones flooding his system it was a given that he'd need careful handling. And Harry had blown it. He sighed. Well there was nothing else to do but try to find Ron and grovel as he'd never groveled before. He was so intent on his mission that he never even heard the stunning curse before it hit. One minute everything had been bright as midday (which it was) and the next everything went black. _______________________________________________
He awakened an unknown time later to find himself chained to a wall in a cold, dark room. Ron was nowhere in sight, but Harry sensed that he wasn't very far away.
"Well, well, Harry Potter, we meet again."
He turned toward the voice. Great, as if things couldn't get any worse, now Voldemort had to put his two pence in. Not for the first time he wondered if the universe had a personal vendetta against Harry Potter.
"What do you want Voldemort?"
"Why I'd think that was obvious Mr. Potter. I want you to die in pain. Crucio!"
Harry screamed as pain flooded his body in waves for what seemed an eternity. Suddenly the curse was lifted. He drew on his reserves of strength to look Voldemort in the eye.
"Oh no Mr. Potter we aren't done yet. Far from it. You will suffer far more before you die. First I will kill your 'friend' and the unborn spawn that he carries. Oh yes Mr. Potter I know all about your children. It was I who gave the order for the son of that muggle lover Weasley to be given the Gravis potion. Killing your friends is pleasant enough, but killing your child right in front of your eyes will be a luxury." A moment later, as if by a silent signal two deatheaters dragged a struggling Ron Weasley into the room and threw him at the feet of their master.
Pointing his wand directly at Ron Voldemort began to speak the killing curse. "Avada..." It was then that something unexpected occured. Harry suddenly felt a burst of energy well up from inside himself and then he was unrestrained, standing on the floor and certain of what he had to do. Without thinking he grabbed a very shocked Voldemort by the left forearm and concentrated. At first everything was darkness and silence except for a tiny glowing spot upon which he focused his total attention. Then the sound of multiple voices screaming louder and louder in pain reached him while at the same time the glowing spot got dimmer and dimmer.
Back at Hogwarts Severus Snape, potion master, and ex-deatheater suddenly dropped to the floor of his office, out cold. Other loyal deatheaters were not so lucky. Whereever they were, working at the Ministry of Magic, at home on their family estates, or out on errands for their master, they dropped in their tracks, dead. As did Voldemort himself. The instant Voldemort was dead the world flooded back into Harry's mind. He was so tired. Opening his eyes he saw his love lying unconscious on the floor. He crawled slowly over to Ron and lay his head on the other's chest. The sound of a slow but steady heartbeat reassured him, but he knew that he had to get them back to someplace safe lest any of Voldemort's supporters were still around to finish what the dark lord had started. Allowing his head to rest upon Ron's chest he concentrated on appearing as close to Hogwarts as possible. He felt himself falling and then he was lying on solid ground again. Raising his head he could see the gates of Hogwarts just a short distance away. Wandlessly he cast a simple fireworks spell, then let oblivion claim him.