Title: Vivica, Chapter Eighteen

Author: frkwerewolf

Fandom: Harry Potter

Pairing: Draco/Ron, Lupin/Snape

Rating: R

Summary: Changes are in the air and Draco discovers something about himself that will change everything he knows.

Notes: A lot of people who reviewed at claimed confusion at Lucius being mad at Draco for the Veela thing. Yes, Lucius does have dormant Veela blood. But since when does Lucius think properly? He's much to obsessed with his pride and such to think about the simple fact that his son is unable to control what's happening.

Chapter Eighteen

Ron awoke on Christmas Day feeling, of all things, serene. His typical excited attitude had dimmed slightly, but he could not call himself depressed. If Ron was totally honest with himself, he would have to admit he was missing a certain Slytherin. But Ron would never admit that. Once he was dragged out of bed by Harry and Hermione brought her presents into their dorm, they began the typical Christmas activity of unwrapping presents. It became a huge shock to find that each of them had a present from Draco.

"I'm not opening mine." Harry announced, pushing the offending box away.

"Oh, come on." Hermione said in a tired tone. "He's not going to send you something dangerous. Not when he knows me and Ron are sitting next to you at any rate." This earned her a glare, which she chose to ignore. "Ron, you go first."

Ron ripped the wrapping off the package and lifted the lid to the box open. Reaching inside, he pulled a set of soft, expensive looking robes. For a moment Ron thought Draco had bought him dress robes, then he realized they were of the everyday variety. At least, everyday robes for the wealthy. As Ron folded out the clothing, a piece of paper drifted to the ground. Picking it up, he read it quickly. "If your going to be my mate, you better get use to dressing better. Here's some starter robes."

"That's sweet of him." Hermione gushed.

"Are you kidding me?" Harry blanched.

"Oh, Harry." Was all Hermione said, before opening the big fancy bag containing her present. She pulled out the thickest book the boys had ever seen. They watched, unable to read the title themselves, as Hermione examined it. Slowly a deep blush began to appear on her face. Eyes wide, Hermione shoved the book back into the bag. Taking a deep breath and setting it the side, she forced a smile. "Alright. Harry?"

"Oh, no." Harry shook his head. "I want to know what that book was about."

"It's my present, Harry." Hermione said stiffly, before turning and looking at the robes Ron still had out. Harry narrowed his eyes before sneaking a peek into the bag. Ron watched as Harry's own eyes grew large and the Boy Who Lived fought to not laugh. Ron raised an eyebrow at Harry, but he just shook his head and mouthed 'later'.

"Alright, I suppose I can open my gift." Harry said, snickering slightly. Harry picked up the small box and shook it slightly. Frowning at the lack of sound, he yanked it open and peered inside. "He's so immature!"

"What is it?" Ron asked, folding his new robes up. Harry pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to Ron, who read it aloud. "If you think I'd buy you anything, Potter, then that scar must of done damage to your brain."

"How immature is that? He bought Hermione a present." Harry complained.

"Why, Harry, are you jealous?" Ron asked, grinning. Harry mumbled something, looking away.

"Hey, Ron, you forgot one." Harry suddenly said, reaching under Ron's bed and pulling out a box. He handed it to Ron, who looked at the tag on the top before turning a pale shade of pink. "Who's it from?"

"My mum." Ron replied. The room grew quiet and Ron slowly opened the package. Inside he found the one thing he never thought he'd be happy to see: a maroon sweater with the letter R. Pulling it out, Ron quickly pulled the sweater over his head, not paying attention to the attentive looks his friends were giving him. He then peered once more into the box and let out a long breath.

"What is it?" Hermione asked carefully.

"Letters." Ron told them. He reached back inside and lifted a thick stack of envelopes bound together by string. Ron looked up at the other two, biting his lip.

"Harry, why don't we go for a walk." Hermione suddenly suggested.

"Why?" Harry asked. Hermione glared at him before standing. Soon, Ron was the only one who remained, sitting in a pile of discarded wrapping paper.

The Christmas break ended quickly. Before anyone could blink, the halls of Hogwarts were once again bustling with students. After unpacking his things, Draco made a beeline for Gryffindor Tower. Ignoring the odd looks he got from being in that hall, Draco waited outside the portrait for Ron to exit. The Fat Lady stared at him the entire time. Draco was not perturbed, instead staring at the ground and waiting for the flash of red to alert him of Ron's presence.

The flash of red came and Draco strode forward. Before he could realize his mistake, he had stepped in front of Ron's sister, Ginny, instead of Ron. Ginny raised her eyebrows at Draco's frustration. "Malfoy? What are you doing here?"

"None of your business, Weasley..ette." Draco finished lamely. Ginny merely chuckled before brushing past him to continue on her way. Just before she got out of earshot, he heard her call back to him.

"Ron will be out in a minute."

It actually took five minutes, but Draco was not looking at his watch. Draco thanked his lucky stars that the hall had emptied out by the time the Golden Trio walked through the door. Before he could approach Ron, Hermione stepped up to him and began poking his chest violently.

"How dare you send me something like that!" She cried, emphasizing each word with a bruising poke. "Do you realize how hard it was to hide that from Harry and Ron?"

"Oh, come off it, Hermione." Harry said, grinning. "We won't tell anyone about your 'Witch's Guide to Erotic'."

"Honestly!" Hermione threw up her hand, her face pure red. Glaring at the three boys, she finally walked off toward the Great Hall with a humph. Harry followed a short distance behind her, chuckling.

"You are so evil." Ron told Draco as they headed in a different direction than his friends.

"Since when is that news?" Draco asked calmly. They made their way out of the castle and into large property. A few people sat in the grass here and there, eating their lunches and telling others about their Christmas. Draco walked a foot ahead of Ron, aiming for the lake and the exact spot they had their first serious conversation.

Ron immediately sat down, stretching out his long legs. Draco watched as the pants rode up, showing three inches of ankle. Then, carefully, he sat next to the redhead. They both looked around, as though checking to see if anyone saw them. They were too far out for the other students to acknowledge who they were, thankfully.

"I see your not wearing the robes I bought you." Draco said, though he did not sound offended.

"I'll wear them." Ron muttered. Draco reached over and tugged on his arm, pulling at the maroon sweater.

"I can't believe you wear that." Draco said.

"My mum sent it to me. I didn't think they would." Ron smiled slightly. "They got over me being gay, apparently. All of them wrote letters, talking bout how bad they felt. Got a bit boring in the end. I was thankful when I got to Ginny's. All she did was complain about me not having a boyfriend. She seems to be under the impression that I need to hurry up and get one so she can tease me relentlessly."

"Got a good head on, that one does." Draco replied. Ron snorts.

"Anyway, I'm happy. My mum has been sending me food daily." Ron grins. "Care for a pie? I've got about five up in the dorm."

"How about we go up there and-"

"Oh, no you don't." Ron narrowed his eyes, though his grin did not fade. "You've sent me enough letters this break telling me about shagging me until I can't walk. I don't need to actually hear the words out of your mouth."

"You disappoint me, Weasley." Draco told him.

"As always." Ron leaned back onto his elbows, and stared out at the lake.

"Had a nice Veela talk with my parents this break." Draco announced, changing the subject to one better suited. That is, a subject centered around him.

"Oh?" Ron looked over at him. "What says the old man?"

"Apparently, I'm no longer worthy to carry the Dark Mark." Draco said calmly, a slow smirk appearing on his face. "Such a shame, let me tell you. He seems to think that I would disgrace the family name under Snake-Head. I don't think he quite understands the fact that I get the Veela blood from him."

"Your father really is an idiot, Malfoy." Ron said seriously.

"For once, your blunt mind has created the perfect truth."

"How do you do that?" Ron suddenly asked.

"Do what?" Draco frowned.

"Manage to insult me and comment me all at the same time." Ron replied.

"It's a gift, Weasley. Get used to it." Draco smiled. "Your stuck with me forever, you know. You'll need to get used to a lot of things. Like wearing better robes. I can't believe your not wearing the one I got you."

"The thing is, Malfoy, my family doesn't have that much money." Ron started.

"Obvious-"

"Shut up." Ron glared before continuing. "There is no way anyone in my family could afford that set of robes. Don't' you think it would be a little odd for me to suddenly be dressed that way? People would talk. And I don't' want to bring attention to the fact that I've been hanging around your here lately. Do you?"

"I don't really care, Ron." Draco said honestly. Ron raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, I don't. Do you really think that social gossip matters to me anymore? Well... To some degree it does. But in general it doesn't. The Veela in me can't be bothered by it and the human in me is sick and tired of following everyone else's rules."

"You never cease to amaze me and change my opinion of you." Ron told him, dropping back onto the ground. He winced slightly, before reaching behind him and pulling a stick from behind his back. Tossing it to the side, he continued to gaze at the cloudy sky.

His vision was suddenly blocked by a pale face, with paler hair. A pair of gray eyes stared down at him. A thin mouth twitched, as though trying not to smile. For a moment Ron really though, no hoped, that Draco was about to kiss him. Their last kiss had wrapped itself around his mind, coming to life during night when he was tempting to sleep. But Draco didn't kiss him. Instead, the Slytherin reached out one delicate hand and stroked his cheek.

Ron couldn't take it anymore. He quickly slipped his hand behind Draco's neck and pulled the smaller boy down to him. Their lips crashed, teeth clanked. Draco stiffened slightly above him in shock, before pulling back slightly and restarting the kiss. This time they met gently, lips rubbing softly against the other.

Draco quickly took the initiative this time and slipped his tongue into Ron's mouth. Ron grunted underneath him, before meeting Draco's tongue with his own. Draco tasted like vanilla, Ron briefly noted. They tangled their tongue together, the kiss never losing it's gentle caress. Slowly, they parted.

"Wow." Ron whispered. "Um, Ma- ...Draco?"

"Yeah?" Draco replied, his voice low and throaty. Ron gulped.

"I think... I think... Oh, bloody hell." Ron closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I want to be your mate."

"Really?" Draco asked in a strained voice. He fought against his own instinct, screaming at him to take the redhead. Take him now. Mark him and claim him, so no one else can touch him.

"Yeah." Ron let out his breath. Draco jumped to his feet and began pulling at Ron's arm. "What?"

"We got go to Dumbledore, quick." Draco said through clenched teeth.

"Why?" Ron asked, standing and yelping as Draco started yanking him toward the school.

"Because if we don't' get permission for you to move into my chambers now, then I'm going to tackle you down and take you here and now." Draco let go of his arm and straightened his robes, attempting to calm himself. "I'm keeping control. I can do this. I would rather not get in trouble for having you in there, like last time. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Ron said, smiling nervously. Ron followed a jittery Draco all the way to Dumbledore's office, unsure if he had made the right choice in telling Draco the decision he had made over Christmas break. Pushing away the thoughts, he looked over at Draco. It was apparent from the look on Draco's face what was going to happen. Ron was going to be losing his virginity soon.