In Everlasting Peace - CHAPTER FIVE

Two weeks later, Ron and Draco were becoming frusterated with not being able to see each other more. It was as if they were two halves of a whole, unable to function without the other. On Thursday night, Ron was filing out of the Great Hall again from dinner and he noticed that Draco was walking in front of him. He looked back at Ron meaningfully and ropped a peice of crumpled up parchment on the floor in front of him. Ron shuffled out with it under his foot. Once the crowd had finally thinned and he had lost Harry and Hermione, he lifted his foot and picked it up. He carefully smoothed it out and read,

'Leave the window in your dormitory open tonight.

Yours,

Draco.'

Ron folded it carefully and put it in his pocket as he smiled to himself. He raced back to the common room, feeling like he could fly. Harry and Hermione were having a deep conversation by the fire, so Ron headed over to join them. He sat down in one of the chairs, grinning.

"What are you so happy about?" Harry asked.

"Food," Ron answered mechanically.

Harry laughed as Hermione said,"I think it's this mystery girl that he fancies."

Ron's face flushed as Harry raised his eyebrows and asked,"Who?!?!"

Ron shook his head and kept silent.

"Oh, comon, Ron, you can tell us. I'm happy for you," Hermione goaded.

Ron still didn't say anything.

"Is it Lavender?" Harry pleaded eagerly.

When he recieved no answer, he went on,"Parvati? Urr...I dunno, mate, tell me."

Ron shook his head again, got up, and took the stairs up to his dormitory. It was only seven o' clock...he had a while to wait. He heard someone come in and lock the door behind them. Ron looked over and was surprised to see Hermione standing beside his bed. Ron scooted over and she layed down next to him. They were silent for a long time until Ron looked over and saw tears streaming from Hermione's face. She covered her face with her hands as sobs wracked her body. Ron reached over and hugged her, and she buried her face in his chest, still crying.

"Shh, Hermione....please don't cry." Ron was near tears himself. He hated to see her cry.

"I c-can't help it, I c-care about you so m-much."

"I know," he said quietly, stroking her hair,"but listen to me. Don't live your life for one person. There are other, better guys out there for you. I mean, I know Harry would date you. I'm not the only one that has changed this year, you know."

"No, you're the only one for me. I just realized it too late."

Ron sighed and hugged her tighter as he said,"Don't think that way. You'll get over me and be happier with someone else. I know from experience."

Suddenly, Hermione sat up and pressed her lips onto his. He kissed her for a few seconds, and then remembered himself. He pushed on her shoulders and they broke away.

"Hermione, I can't."

"I'm so sorry," She sobbed back,"I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay," Ron inturrupted.

He hugged her again and she told him she'd better go get ready for bed. She got up and walked out the door, looking back sadly at him before she left. Ron looked at his watch again. It was nearly 8:30. Hermione always went to bed early, Ron thought, shaking his head and smiling at her perfectionism.

"Ugh....eleven o'clock will never come."

Ron finally got out a book and began reading, and before he knew it, the others were coming in to get ready for bed, which could only mean it was nearly ten. He could hear them chattering quietly and climbing into their beds. A short time later, they turned out the lights and closed the curtians around their four-posters. Soon the sounds of sleep filled the room. Ron saw that it was nearly eleven and got up to unlock the window. He went back to his bed and layed down, waiting for Draco to come. Draco stood outside, looking up at the tree he was about to climb. He found the lowest branch he could and jumped up to garb it. Once he had done that, he turned and placed his feet up against the trunk of the tree. He slowly manuvered his way up the tree until he got to Ron's dormitory window. He could just barely see Ron lying in his bed, staring up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. Draco inched out on the thickest branch he could find that was closest to Ron. He got to the end of the branch and jumped to the window ledge. Draco s-l-o-w-l-y pushed open the window, and Ron looked over at him. Ron jumped up and ran to the window.

"But soft...what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and you....you are the sun," Draco whispered softly as he stepped inside,"Arise fair sun, and kill the envious moon...with love's light wings did I fly over these walls, for stony limits cannot hold love out."

"I would not for the world they saw thee here," Ron whispered back, right on cue.

"I have night's cloak to hide me from their eyes, and but thou love me, let them find me here. My life were better ended by their hate than death prorogued, wanting of thy love..."

" Dost thou love me? I know thou wilst say, 'aye,' and I will take thy word. Yet if thou swearest, thou mayest prove false. O, fair Draco, if thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully, or if thou thinkest I am too quickly won, I'll frown and be perverse and say thee nay. So thou wilt, too, but else not for the world. But trust me, I'll prove more true than those that have more cunning to be strange. And not impute this yeilding to light love."

"By yonder blessed moon I vow, that tips with silver all these fruit trees-"

"O, swear not by the moon! The inconstant moon, that monthly changes in a circled orb, lest thy love prove a likewise variable."

"What shall I swear by?"

"Do not swear at all. Or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self, which is the god of my idolatry, and I will believe thee."

Ron looked deep into Draco's eyes as if he really meant what he was saying, not just reciting part of a play, and grabbed Draco by the shirt collar. He pressed his lips up against Draco's for a minute, and then broke away and led Draco to his bed. Draco climbed in, being careful not to make too much noise. Ron followed Draco and situated himself next to Draco, closing the curtains carefully. He turned to Draco and whispered again,

"When did you read Romeo and Juliet?"

"My father confiscated it from my mother when they learned that ole' Billy was a muggle. Father stormed around for ages muttering,'I can't believe the rubbish muggles come up with...' I went into his study one day last summer and found it in the bin next to his desk. So, I took it out and hid it under my mattress."

"Oh," Ron replied simply, resting his head on Draco's chest. They lay like that for a minute or two, just enjoying being with each other. Draco was playing with the hair at the base of Ron's neck and Ron was holding his other hand.

Ron cut into the silence with another whisper,"When did you figure out that you're gay?"

"A few years ago. My father and I both knew that I had a tendency to want more male attention than female attention, so he tried to squash it out of me. He thinks I'm what he calls 'normal' now. I guess growing up, my father was really the only one that ever acknowledged me, even if it was to put me down or yell at me. The others just ignored me, which was worse. At least when father yelled at me, it made me feel better afterwards to know that I mattered enough for him to care what I did. So, I tended to lean more towards wanting male attention because I felt like they understood and generally acknowledged and cared more about me."

"That's really deep, Draco."

Draco shrugged and said,"I dunno, I've thought about it a lot."

"Mmm," Ron said, rolling over so that he was lying on his stomach with his face in the pillow. Draco leaned over and kissed the back of Ron's neck. Ron shivered and then relaxed as Draco continued to kiss Ron's neck and shoulders. Then Draco kissed his jawline and rolled over himself. Draco stripped down to his boxers and carefully hid his clothes under Ron's bed. Ron also stripped, throwing his shirt, pants, and socks into his trunk. As they lay back down, Draco whispered,

"O blessed, blessed night...I am afeared, being in night, all this is but a dream, too flattering and sweet to be substantial."

Ron smiled and nuzzled his neck as he whispered back, "I don't know why, but I feel so close to you, like I've known you forever. Yet, we only kissed for the first time today, and here you are in my bed."

"I guess it was just meant to be," Draco said mocked quietly, giggling.

The next morning, Draco woke up to sounds of Ron's friends waking up. He heard Harry ask someone about some homework they had yesterday.

"Damn you, Potter...please just let me have a few more minutes of bliss," Draco muttered under his breath as he looked down at Ron sleeping against his shoulder. Draco kissed his forehead and put his arms around him. Ron opened his eyes and Draco put his fingers to his lips. Ron closed his eyes again and sank into Draco's chest. Draco put his right hand at the back of Ron's head and closed his eyes again as well as he waited for everyone to leave the room for breakfast. When they finally did, Draco started to get up, but Ron held on to him and said,

"Thou needest not be gone yet."

"I must go and live, or stay and die."

Draco pulled on his clothes from the day before as well as his shoes. He ran his fingers through his hair and turned back to Ron.

"...A thousand times the worse to want thy light," Draco whispered as he kissed Ron,"Love goes towards love as schoolboys from their books, but love from love, towards school with heavy looks."

And then he left, going the same way he came. Ron stretched, threw on his own clothes, brushed his teeth, and ran down to the Great Hall. Draco was already there, trying to get Pansy to leave him alone again. She looked very gaunt, Draco took it that she hadn't gotten very much sleep. She wasn't as perky as usual, actually, she was rather depressed. He would have to break her heart more often.

"Who is she? Tell me, I swear, I'll beat that damn barbie bitch til she wishes she wasn't born."

"Millicent Bulstrode," Draco said just for the fun of watching the scared look on Pansy's face. Millicent could probably sit on Pansy and kill her without even firing a blow.

"You're kidding...surely...that nasty, fat, thick lump of a human being?"

Draco didn't answer her.