Chapter 5
"Dear Ron..." The letter began. "I am really sorry I didn't reply to any of your letters these holidays. It's a long story. I want to talk to you urgently. Meet me at midnight tonight in the Head Boy room. Send my owl back with a reply as soon as possible." D.M.
Draco put down his eagle-feather quill and picked up the letter. After checking it he folded it up and tied it to the leg of his owl. "Take this to Ron Weasley, in Gryffindor. Don't let anyone see you." Draco told the bird, watching it fly effortlessly through the open window.
Please come. Draco thought. He couldn't bare it if Ron didn't turn up. Hopefully he didn't think Draco wasn't interested, because he hadn't answered a single letter throughout the holidays. When the owl disappeared out of sight Draco decided to go and have a bath in the prefect's bathroom, which was near his bedroom. He grabbed his bathrobe and headed for the bathroom, hoping that nobody was already using it. He opened the door and saw that no one was in there. He went over to the massive bathtub and turned the tap on. Hot soapy water poured out filling the room with the sweet smell of strawberries. Draco stripped off his robes and slid into the hot bath, the heat penetrating his sore muscles, he could feel the tension melting away. He slid into a doze, with his head resting on the soft edge of the bath, the strawberry bubbles floating around him. Hours passed and the water kept reheating itself, each time with a new flavour of bath bubbles. Suddenly Draco was snapped out of his daydream by a knocking at the door.
"Draco?" came a soft voice. "Are you in there?"
Draco sat up, his eyes wide. "Who is it?"
"Who do you want it to be?" the voice replied cheekily.
A smile crept across Draco's face. "Ron Weasley."
"Well it's your lucky day!" Ron replied. "Now are you going to let me in, or do I have to stand out here all night?"
"Just wait a second." Draco replied as he climbed out of the bath and wrapped a fresh, clean towel around his middle. "Okay, you can come in now."
The door creaked open and Ron's freckly face appeared. Draco's heart started racing and he couldn't keep the smile off his face. Ron entered and walked slowly over to Draco.
"I was looking for you." Said Ron. "You weren't in your room and it's half passed twelve."
"Must have lost track of time." Draco replied. "I didn't mean to be so long."
Ron hoisted himself up onto the bench and stared at Draco. "So?" he said, "what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"
Draco sighed and sat himself down on the edge of the bath so that his legs were submerged in the warm water, which had just reheated itself, this time with apple flavoured bubbles.
"Why didn't you reply to any of my letters? I was getting really worried. I started thinking you were just using me." Ron said randomly.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Draco replied. "My father."
"Your father?" Ron questioned.
"My father saw to it that my letters were destroyed, I got none of them. When he found out about you..." Draco trailed off.
"What happened?" Ron asked, the concern evident in his voice.
"He locked me in the tower. I don't know how long for, I was unconscious."
"I'm really sorry." Ron said, "If I knew I could have – "
"Don't worry." Draco cut in. "It's over now. My father's gone, I don't know where, but he's gone, and he's taken my mother."
A single tear escaped Draco's eye and ran down his cheek.
"What happened to your mother?" Ron asked.
There was silence, and then a soft voice replied, "She was murdered."
"What?" said Ron, "by who?"
"You-Know-Who."
Ron gasped. "Why?"
"That's just it!" Draco said loudly, "Not even I know why. Father wouldn't tell me."
Ron didn't know what to say, he had no idea Draco had had such a hard time at home.
Draco was staring down, watching the bubbles circling his legs. He jumped when he felt a warm arm around his shoulders. He looked up and saw Ron sitting next to him, the bottom of his black robes floating on top of the water.
"I'm really sorry." Ron whispered in Draco's ear. "I had no idea."
Draco looked Ron in the eyes and smiled. "It's not your fault." He moved his hand and placed it on top of Ron's freckly hand.
Draco stared at Ron's pale skin and the light dusting of cinnamon freckles that made him so unique. His bright blue eyes had a sparkle that Draco rarely saw in anyone. He is so beautiful, Draco thought to himself. It seemed like an age before any of them moved. Draco leaned closer to Ron and whispered in his ear. "I love you."
Ron stared at Draco, his silver eyes so innocent and trusting.
"I love you too." Ron replied. "I really missed you, and when you didn't reply to my letters and on the train you ignored me I thought - " "You thought wrong." Draco said. "I would have written to you if I could have and I would have been all over you on the train if I could have but - "
"You would have been all over me?" Ron asked smiling.
"Yeah." Said Draco offhandedly. "But Potter and Granger were there."
"Yeah I know they can get a bit annoying." Ron joked.
Draco stared at Ron. "You look so good when you laugh." Draco told Ron.
Ron blushed. "So do you." Ron replied. "Though I haven't seen you do it for a while."
"Yeah, well I haven't had much to laugh about." Draco said.
"Well," said Ron, 'I'm gonna change that." He leant over and placed a soft kiss on Draco's cold cheek.
Draco's eyebrows rose. "I wasn't expecting that." He was usually the one to make the first move.
"Did you like it?" Ron asked.
"Yeah it was alright." Draco said casually, "I've had better."
Ron hit Draco on the back playfully. "You've had better? Who?"
"Let me see..." Draco scratched his head. "Hmm...can't think of anyone, maybe it is you."
Ron smiled.
"Let's go back to my room." Draco said, "It's more comfortable."
Ron stood and helped Draco up. The towel that had been wrapped around Draco's middle was soaked and he was getting cold. He let the towel fall to the floor, while he put his bathrobe on. For one glorious second Ron saw more of the soft, pale flesh that filled his dreams. Once Draco had his bathrobe on they slowly walked back to Draco's room.
"Dear Ron..." The letter began. "I am really sorry I didn't reply to any of your letters these holidays. It's a long story. I want to talk to you urgently. Meet me at midnight tonight in the Head Boy room. Send my owl back with a reply as soon as possible." D.M.
Draco put down his eagle-feather quill and picked up the letter. After checking it he folded it up and tied it to the leg of his owl. "Take this to Ron Weasley, in Gryffindor. Don't let anyone see you." Draco told the bird, watching it fly effortlessly through the open window.
Please come. Draco thought. He couldn't bare it if Ron didn't turn up. Hopefully he didn't think Draco wasn't interested, because he hadn't answered a single letter throughout the holidays. When the owl disappeared out of sight Draco decided to go and have a bath in the prefect's bathroom, which was near his bedroom. He grabbed his bathrobe and headed for the bathroom, hoping that nobody was already using it. He opened the door and saw that no one was in there. He went over to the massive bathtub and turned the tap on. Hot soapy water poured out filling the room with the sweet smell of strawberries. Draco stripped off his robes and slid into the hot bath, the heat penetrating his sore muscles, he could feel the tension melting away. He slid into a doze, with his head resting on the soft edge of the bath, the strawberry bubbles floating around him. Hours passed and the water kept reheating itself, each time with a new flavour of bath bubbles. Suddenly Draco was snapped out of his daydream by a knocking at the door.
"Draco?" came a soft voice. "Are you in there?"
Draco sat up, his eyes wide. "Who is it?"
"Who do you want it to be?" the voice replied cheekily.
A smile crept across Draco's face. "Ron Weasley."
"Well it's your lucky day!" Ron replied. "Now are you going to let me in, or do I have to stand out here all night?"
"Just wait a second." Draco replied as he climbed out of the bath and wrapped a fresh, clean towel around his middle. "Okay, you can come in now."
The door creaked open and Ron's freckly face appeared. Draco's heart started racing and he couldn't keep the smile off his face. Ron entered and walked slowly over to Draco.
"I was looking for you." Said Ron. "You weren't in your room and it's half passed twelve."
"Must have lost track of time." Draco replied. "I didn't mean to be so long."
Ron hoisted himself up onto the bench and stared at Draco. "So?" he said, "what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"
Draco sighed and sat himself down on the edge of the bath so that his legs were submerged in the warm water, which had just reheated itself, this time with apple flavoured bubbles.
"Why didn't you reply to any of my letters? I was getting really worried. I started thinking you were just using me." Ron said randomly.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Draco replied. "My father."
"Your father?" Ron questioned.
"My father saw to it that my letters were destroyed, I got none of them. When he found out about you..." Draco trailed off.
"What happened?" Ron asked, the concern evident in his voice.
"He locked me in the tower. I don't know how long for, I was unconscious."
"I'm really sorry." Ron said, "If I knew I could have – "
"Don't worry." Draco cut in. "It's over now. My father's gone, I don't know where, but he's gone, and he's taken my mother."
A single tear escaped Draco's eye and ran down his cheek.
"What happened to your mother?" Ron asked.
There was silence, and then a soft voice replied, "She was murdered."
"What?" said Ron, "by who?"
"You-Know-Who."
Ron gasped. "Why?"
"That's just it!" Draco said loudly, "Not even I know why. Father wouldn't tell me."
Ron didn't know what to say, he had no idea Draco had had such a hard time at home.
Draco was staring down, watching the bubbles circling his legs. He jumped when he felt a warm arm around his shoulders. He looked up and saw Ron sitting next to him, the bottom of his black robes floating on top of the water.
"I'm really sorry." Ron whispered in Draco's ear. "I had no idea."
Draco looked Ron in the eyes and smiled. "It's not your fault." He moved his hand and placed it on top of Ron's freckly hand.
Draco stared at Ron's pale skin and the light dusting of cinnamon freckles that made him so unique. His bright blue eyes had a sparkle that Draco rarely saw in anyone. He is so beautiful, Draco thought to himself. It seemed like an age before any of them moved. Draco leaned closer to Ron and whispered in his ear. "I love you."
Ron stared at Draco, his silver eyes so innocent and trusting.
"I love you too." Ron replied. "I really missed you, and when you didn't reply to my letters and on the train you ignored me I thought - " "You thought wrong." Draco said. "I would have written to you if I could have and I would have been all over you on the train if I could have but - "
"You would have been all over me?" Ron asked smiling.
"Yeah." Said Draco offhandedly. "But Potter and Granger were there."
"Yeah I know they can get a bit annoying." Ron joked.
Draco stared at Ron. "You look so good when you laugh." Draco told Ron.
Ron blushed. "So do you." Ron replied. "Though I haven't seen you do it for a while."
"Yeah, well I haven't had much to laugh about." Draco said.
"Well," said Ron, 'I'm gonna change that." He leant over and placed a soft kiss on Draco's cold cheek.
Draco's eyebrows rose. "I wasn't expecting that." He was usually the one to make the first move.
"Did you like it?" Ron asked.
"Yeah it was alright." Draco said casually, "I've had better."
Ron hit Draco on the back playfully. "You've had better? Who?"
"Let me see..." Draco scratched his head. "Hmm...can't think of anyone, maybe it is you."
Ron smiled.
"Let's go back to my room." Draco said, "It's more comfortable."
Ron stood and helped Draco up. The towel that had been wrapped around Draco's middle was soaked and he was getting cold. He let the towel fall to the floor, while he put his bathrobe on. For one glorious second Ron saw more of the soft, pale flesh that filled his dreams. Once Draco had his bathrobe on they slowly walked back to Draco's room.