Disclaimer: I don't own this. Guess what? I get lonely sitting at my computer hour after hour. If anyone wants to IM me my AIM name is 'Me Before E' or 'Am I Plausible' or sometimes I still use 'SeverusIscariot'. So feel free : )
SLYTHERIN BOY
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: Krummy Luck
"Just what is the nature of your relationship with Severus?" Dumbledore asked, his fingers steepled.
Ron swallowed. "I… really don't know, Headmaster," he said. "He's a tease." He scowled.
"What do you mean by that?" Dumbledore lifted an eyebrow.
"Well one second he's acting like he wants me to kiss him, and the next minute he's acting as though I'm a particularly hard to remove piece of gum on his shoe." He scowled. He was uncomfortable sharing these thoughts with Dumbledore, but he felt unable to keep from spilling. He was starting to think that the Headmaster had some sort of truthing power that would make you spill your guts even if you didn't want to.
"And what happened, from your perspective, at the detention last night?"
"Well," Ron frowned. "I kissed him. He just looked so… lost. I felt so bad for him, and I went to hug him, but instead I kind of… just kissed him. He didn't mind it then. In fact he seemed to like it," Ron blushed. "Then Professor Jericho came in, though, and it got all nervous and uncomfortable. She told us to leave, and we did. Then in the hall we had a sort-of squabble over it, and he told me he didn't like me after all. Of course, I got angry because he had led me on that way, and I said, er, some nasty things to him and left. I didn't see him again after that."
Dumbledore frowned. "Ron, I don't really know what to say to you. I haven't really had much experience talking to students about relationships, particularly same-gender relationships. Plus, this one is even more unique in that Severus is mentally so much older than you,"
"He's not, though!" Ron snapped, before catching himself. He blushed, and averted his eyes. "I mean, everyone keeps saying how he's so much older. But he's not! The only difference between me and his is that he's been alive longer, he has the memories of it. But his body and the way his brain works, they're the same as mine. He's completely sixteen years old. Not a thirty-whatever year old in a sixteen year old body. He IS sixteen. I don't understand why everyone is having such a hard time grasping that. The only thing left of his old self is memories. And it wasn't even the potion that made him turn back, it was just good timing by whatever powers had decided to turn him back. Likely as not he won't find a way to turn back and will just have to live it out again." Ron said.
Dumbledore looked at him carefully. "Well, I suppose you're right. I don't think Severus sees it that way."
"I know he doesn't! He told me I should find a boy my own age. He still thinks he'll be able to cure himself. He thinks there's something dirty or immoral about being with me. He thinks I'm not good enough for him."
"Oh, come now, Ron, I'm sure he doesn't think that." Dumbledore said. "I think he feels guilty about liking you. Granted I don't know anything about his tastes in… partners. It has only just come to my attention at all that he was… homosexual."
Ron blushed angrily. "Why do you keep doing that?" he asked.
"Doing what, Ron?" Dumbledore said, sincerely puzzled.
"Every time you say anything about him being queer you pause beforehand. Tastes in…" Ron over-dramatized the pause. "Partners. That he was…" he emphasized the pause with a nod of his head. "Homosexual. Can't you just say it? Severus Snape is gay. Severus is a queer. Why can't people just say it? You wouldn't have paused if you said you didn't know anything about his tastes in women. There's nothing wrong with it!"
"I know there isn't, Ron, I never said there was. I think you're reading too much into what was only me trying to pick the most appropriate word for the situation." Dumbledore said seriously.
Ron huffed and frowned. "Well maybe I'm just being sensitive. People treat me different now. I mean I'm not even out to anyone but Harry and Hermione, but the other boys suspect. They shoot my that funny 'backs to the walls' look."
"Maybe you should talk to them." Dumbledore said.
Ron frowned. "Is Severus going to be alright?" he asked, changing the subject.
"He will be. He will probably be in the hospital wing for a few more days, he lost a great deal of blood, but he didn't cut himself deep enough to be irreparable. We're considering hiring a therapist to come to the school."
"Severus says that psychologists don't know anything, that they don't know what the hell they're talking about." Ron said.
"I'm sure he does. Which is why we're only considering it. We haven't had luck with therapists before, Severus seems to refuse to open up to them. They claim that they can't help him unless he talks to them, but you know Severus. He doesn't open up easily."
"True," Ron said. There was a pause as each of them thought. Ron felt himself getting antsy. He finally looked up, and said, "Sir, may I leave now?"
Dumbledore looked at him, before nodding somberly. "Yes, Ron, you may leave. However, feel free to come talk to me about anything. And if you notice that Severus is… acting strangely, or if you know that he is hurting himself in any way, please notify me. It is very important that we know these things."
Ron nodded, swallowing. "Yes sir." It was still on his mind that maybe if he had told Dumbledore two days before that he had walked in on Severus while he was wounded, maybe none of this would have happened.
He stood up slowly, before turning and walking out.
****
He went straight to the common room, slumping onto the couch beside Harry and Hermione. He felt rotten.
"What did Dumbledore ask you?" Harry asked.
"Just about my friendship with Severus. He was probably trying to figure out if we were in some sort of a relationship, since Severus apparently just came out to him."
Seamus and Dean, who were playing chess nearby, looked up at Ron.
"What did you tell him?" Hermione asked, her subtle way of finding out for herself.
"Well, Jesus, Hermione, I told him that nothing was going on. Nothing IS going on, other than that Severus is being a complete bastard." He sighed.
Seamus looked at Ron. "What's he doing?" he asked blankly.
Ron swallowed, thinking about what Dumbledore had said to him. He decided that he didn't care what they thought, and that if they didn't like him being gay, that was their problem. He wasn't going to pretend he was straight for their sakes. "One minute he acts like he likes me, and then all of a sudden he doesn't again. He's being a complete and utter tease," he said.
"So… you like him then?" Dean asked. His eyes were wide.
"Well…" Ron blinked at him. He was worn out. "Yes, I like him. A lot."
"So… you're… er…" Seamus began awkwardly.
"I'm queer." Ron said. "Yes, I am queer."
Dean looked a little squicked. "Why?" He asked.
Ron stared at him. "What?" he asked blankly.
"Why would you be gay? Why aren't you straight?"
"What?" Ron said incredulously. "I don't know, that's like asking 'Hey Ron, why would you have straight hair? Why isn't it curly?' or 'Ron, why are your eyes blue? Why don't you have them as brown?'. It's not something you can just change. I can't just be like, 'okay, I'm straight now.' It doesn't work that way, Dean. It's not like it's a choice!"
"Well, sure it is," Dean said. "You're saying it's not a choice who you kiss? Who you shag?"
"I'm saying it's not a choice who I LIKE. You've like Lavender for what, a year now?" Ron said.
Dean frowned a little. "Around that, yeah, probably."
"Well, you can't just choose not to like her, can you? You still like her even after she's turned you down. It's not about the fact that it's a choice to kiss someone. Anything you physically do is a choice. But the actual attraction to someone… that's not a choice. I can't just choose to be attracted to a girl." He said.
"Whatever," Dean said. He blinked, before standing and walking up towards the dorm. "Just don't come near my arse," he said nastily.
Ron's mouth dropped open at the injustice of the statement. "Hey Dean, if you can't even get a girl, why on earth do you think a boy would want you?" He snarled up the hallway.
Seamus looked at Ron. "It's okay, Ron. He'll come around." He said.
"So… you… don't think it's weird?" Ron asked.
"Well, I mean, I never really suspected until Snape came around. But it's not that big of a deal. My eldest brother is gay." He shrugged. "I don't have a problem with it. I know you're not going to, well, come after me or anything. Hell, I can't get a girl either." Seamus winked.
"Hey, I had an idea the other day, Ron, but I got distracted by the whole Draco thing," She swallowed and frowned slightly.
"What was it?" Ron asked. Hermione perked up again.
"Well, I was reading about how there was this school in the US where they started a Gay-Straight Alliance." She smiled. "It's like a support group thing for gay students. I mean straight kids go too, it's like so you can meet people who you know won't discriminate against you. There was an article about it in the newspaper. The group would schedule things like going out to see plays and films and stuff that gave a positive message to gay youth and whatnot. We could try something like that, couldn't we? I mean we could get permission from Dumbledore, I'm sure he'd let us," she said.
"Oh, I don't know Hermione," Ron said. "I don't really want to become the gay pariah of Hogwarts," he scowled.
"But you won't!" Hermione said.
"Of course I will. You will start it, and everyone will know you did it because you're friends with me. They'll think you're starting a dating service or something. Poor ickle Ronniekins can't find a date, so super-brain Hermione makes a club for all the gay kids to get together and give head." Ron sneered.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Ron!" Hermione snapped. "Only the close minded people will think something as stupid as that, and you wouldn't want to be friends with them anyway, would you?"
Ron grunted. "Whatever." He said finally. "Yeah, I guess. It is a good idea. I just don't like being the mascot."
Hermione smiled. "You're not a mascot, Ron. It will be a good thing. Other gay students might be able to have somewhere to go, then, where they won't feel awkward."
Harry grinned. "I can think of a few Gryffindors who would join. I mean of course me and Hermione, the straight ones. But I'm sure the Creevey brothers would join, too," Harry winked. Hermione grinned in spite of herself.
"Now, you don't know that they're gay, Harry,"
"I can see it," Ron said.
Harry laughed, and Hermione elbowed him in t he ribs. "Right," she said. "Honestly, you two are as bad as Dean,"
****
Severus blinked. The white antiseptic feeling of the hospital wing hit him instantly. He sat up, instantly aware. Usually he woke groggily, and it was strange for him to be so suddenly alert. He looked around. Lupin was sitting in a chair next to his bed.
"What do you want, Lupin?" He snapped. He had no idea why the Werewolf would be visiting him.
"I was waiting for you to wake up."
"I can hardly think of why," Severus snapped.
"Look, Severus," Remus said. "I know you don't like me. Okay? You don't need to keep throwing it in my face." He stood up, dropping a newspaper into Severus's lap. "I just thought you might be interested in this article. Seems you aren't the only one who's hit a time warp these days. Sorry for bothering," he scowled and left.
Severus blinked at the empty door that Lupin had disappeared through. He looked at the newspaper, his eyes drawn to the small article. It was a scientific research newspaper, presumably for doctors. Severus imagined Lupin would skim it for articles on breakthroughs in the Werewolf department.
Severus supposed he should be grateful to the Werewolf. He had indeed found an article on someone else with the same predicament as Severus. He read a few paragraphs, taking particular interest in the story of how it had happened to the 'patient'.
"…Doctors are baffled by Krum's sudden bodily transformation to a younger form. His physique changed after playing Quidditch with his younger brother. He was hit in the head with a bludger, and plummeted from his broom to the ground, where he promptly underwent a physical change to the body of himself at 15 years old. It has been months since the transformation, even passing his '16th' birthday, and no progress has been had in finding the cause or cure…"
Severus swallowed. Looked like Lupin had found a clue. He pushed a buzzer next to his bed, calling Dumbledore to the room.
****
A/N : Sudden inspiration : ) lucky yous, eh ? ;)