In Everlasting Peace - CHAPTER SIX
The rest of the fall passed slowly. Ron and Draco had Potions together first still, but that was the only time they saw each other during the day besides meals. They made plans to meet in Draco's deserted classroom and usually spent the night there, keeping warm with a few thin blankets and each other. On the first Thursday in December in Potions, Snape assigned them to test out their Paralyzing Draught on each other. Snape had brewed some antidote, which he set on their tables after he examined the potence of their potion. He held a large clipboard and two vials of antidote as he came to Draco and Ron's table. He had already given the potions a grade, now he wanted to see their effects. Ron gulped down Draco's potion first and felt a shivering sensation go from his head to his feet. He went limp in his chair and lost conrol of all his bones and muscles. He could no longer even move his eyes around the room. Snape examined him, then shoved a bottle of antidote at Draco. Draco acted like he was disgusted as he poured the antidote down Ron's throat. This time, Ron felt warm and tingly. The process was repeated again on Draco, and then the malicious potions master moved on, collecting all the empty vials as he went.
"Meet me in your room at lunch. I need to talk to you," Ron said with a serious look on his face. He grabbed Draco's hand as he replied,
"Sure."
After their second class, the bell rang for lunch and both Draco and Ron raced to their abandoned classroom. They got there at about the same time and went in together.
"What's up?" Draco asked.
Ron sighed as he said,"Draco, I think we should concider coming out together. I mean, I'm tired of making excuses all the time for where I go, and it's hard to hide my feelings for you around everyone else."
Draco heaved a huge sigh, too as he ran his fingers through his hair again and paced back and forth.
"I feel the same way, but Ron, you're going to have to be prepared for people's reactions. I want to be sure you're ready, because I know you have good friends here, and you may have to sacrifice some of them. This will change all of your relationships with everyone you know. And don't forget about your family."
Ron sat down at the window and looked out as he said sadly,"I know. But I'm tired of lying to everyone. I want them to know that I care about you, and if they don't like it, then they can go to hell."
Draco smiled and hugged Ron. He was a little scared, too, but he knew he needed to be strong not only for himself, but also for Ron.
"Are you sure about this?" Draco asked him.
"Let's do it tonight at dinner. Walk in with me."
"Alright, if you're sure this is what you want."
"Do you want to?"
"I'm scared of what my father will do, but you know I'd do anything for you."
"Will he hurt you?"
Draco hesitated for a fraction of a second, concidering his answer.
"No," he lied.
"Good. Meet me at the door before dinner, alright?"
"Okay. We had better get out of here, it's been nearly fifteen minutes. I'll see you later, alright? Don't be scared," Draco said as he kissed Ron and walked out quickly. Ron gave him a few minutes' head start and then trailed after him. Ron bolted down his lunch with Harry and Hermione staring at him.
"What?" He asked through bites of food.
"With your mystery girl again?" Harry asked him for the twentieth time that week. Hermione's face tensed up as she finished up her lunch.
"Uhm...yeah- Oh, Hermione, don't give me that look. If it makes you both feel any better, you'll find out who it is tonight at dinner. I'm going to walk in with them."
"Seriously?!" Harry nearly yelled with excitement,"Yesss! Finally! Damn, I was wondering if it'd be sometime in this life."
Ron's cheeks flushed as he too finished his lunch quickly.
The rest of Ron's classes passed much too quickly for his comfort. Before he knew it, the bell was ringing again for classes to let out. He still had ten minutes to be down at the Great Hall concidering his break. So he trudged back to his dormitory and shoved his bag into his trunk. He knew already that he was going to have a horrible night. He headed back down to the common room to be sure that Harry and Hermione had already left, he didn't want them sneaking around when he met Draco. Ron walked slowly down towards the Great Hall to wait for Draco. To his surprise, Draco was already there, and miracle of miracles, he had managed to shake Pansy as well. He waited until everyone was in the Great Hall to walk towards Draco.
"Ready?" Draco asked him nervously.
"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."
Ron tried to stand up straight and hold his head up as they started towards the open doors. They stopped again just before they came into view.
"Are you sure?" Draco had to ask again, grabbing Ron's hand.
"Yes."
Draco squeezed his hand and they walked into the Great Hall. Heads turned as they walked past, jaws dropped, and silverware clattered as it was dropped in shock. They panicked for a moment, not knowing which table to sit at, but Draco pulled Ron over to the Gryffindor table.
"Move," Draco said to a shell- shocked Harry, whose mouth was still open.
"Not for you," Harry finally managed to spit.
"I wasn't suggesting that I wanted to sit beside you, Potter. I assumed Ron wanted to sit by you."
Harry looked at Hermione, still shocked, and said,"Can you believe this? This can not be happening! This has got to be a fucking parallel word or something!"
Hermione got up to leave as she struggled,"I can't deal with this. I'm sorry, Ron." She ran out crying harder than ever.
"I can't believe you'd do this to me, after I've been your friend and stood beside you through thick and thin for five years! Now you betray me because you want to butt- fuck some other guy, and not only that, the person I despise the most at this school!"
"No, Harry, it's not that way, just give me a chance-"
"No! I am through with you! You'll both be sorry. Your name is nothing to me, and trust me, there will be consequences for you whether I dole them out or not."
The whole hall stared as Harry stormed out after Hermione. Ron and Draco sat down as Ron said,
"This was a mistake."
"You're doing fine. You're right. You're okay. They're just being idiots."
"A curse on both your houses," Ron mumbled, quoting Romeo and Juliet again.
Ron set his elbows on the table and covered his hands with his face. Draco put his arms around him and glared at anyone still staring. Ginny was stitting two seats down with an expression of complete shock etched on her face.
"What are you looking at?" Draco spat at her as she turned away.
"Comon, Ron, let's get out of here. Let's go somewhere."
"I know where we can go," Ron replied through his hands.
He got up and Draco followed him. Ron led Draco down countless hallways and many staircases before they reached the Room of Requirement.
"See that door? That leads into the Room of Requirement, but before we go in, think of a place you'd be most comfortable in with me, and walk past the door three times as you think."
They walked up and down the corridor, thinking about each other and where they would like to be at the moment. On their third walk past, Ron grabbed Draco's arm and they opened the door. The floor was of stone, but wasn't cold as they slipped their shoes off. There were three windows, and they could see stars shining outside of them even though it wasn't dark outside yet. The windows had light, flowing curtains that swished about in the warm breeze from the windows. There was a huge bed up against the middle of the wall facing them. It had a black duvet, stuffed with goose feathers and a matress stufffed with the same. Ron crawled into it, sinking into it's warmth as he pulled off his socks, shirt, and pants. Draco did the same and they lay there, thinking about what had just happened.Draco turned to Ron suddenly.
"Was it worth it?"
"For this moment? Yes. Besides, if Harry can't trust my judgement, he wasn't my friend in the first place."
"Exactly. I just want to be sure you're okay with what happened."
"I'm not okay with what Harry said, but I'm more than fine with what we did."
"Good."
Draco pulled Ron on top of him and covered both of them up with the duvet. Ron had his head up against Draco's chest again, his favorite place to be.
"I can hear your heart. It's beating really fast."
"I'm excited."
"To be with me?"
"Yes."
Ron smiled into Draco's chest and whispered,"Me too."
Ron kissed his chest and Draco let out a sigh as his laid his head back against the pillow. After a few minutes, Ron rolled off Draco and Draco started kissing Ron's jawline like he had before.
"Mmmmm. I like it when you do that."
"Ron?"
"Hmm?"
"Can I keep you?" Draco whispered.
"...Only if I can keep you," Ron whispered back, falling asleep.
Draco fell asleep soon after, holding him. They both fell into a dreamless sleep, but woke up occasionally to move closer to the other. Ron woke up the next morning to to Draco strumming a guitar quietly beside him.
So Far Away Lyrics
Ron, now fully awake, simply stared until Draco bent over and kissed him.
"It reminded me of how I feel about you."
Ron smiled sleepily and put his arms around Draco's neck as he arched his back, stretching.
"Ugh....got to go face the rest of the school," Ron said sadly.
"And I'll be right by your side," Draco responded angrily,"if they say anything to you-"
"You will be cool and not say anything," Ron cut in.
"Over my dead body."
"But I don't want you to die."
"I won't."
"You will if you fight with them."
"I suppose," Draco sighed,"but at the same time, I'm not taking crap from them."
"Okay. Just don't get yourself a shiner for Christmas. Then I'd be in Azkaban for murdering whoever the poor soul was that brutalized your beautiful face."
Draco laughed,"No, I'd rescue you."
"How?"
"Uhmmm.....I'd transfigure you into a bug or something so you could crawl through the bars. I dunno."
"That's creative."
"Yep."
Ron sat up and Draco laid his head in Ron's lap. Ron ran his fingers along Draco's jawline as Draco closed his eyes. Ron brushed his fingers lightly over Draco's lips and eyes softly. He traced Draco's brow with his thumb and brought his fingers back down to Draco's neck. He ran his fingers over Draco's pale flesh lightly as he kissed the tip of his nose. Draco laughed softly.
"Draco?"
"Mmm?"
"I...think I'm falling in love with you," Ron whispered in to Draco's ear.
At this, Draco's eyes jerked open and he sat up.
"What- what did you say?" Draco croaked, his eyes prickling and his throat getting tight.
"I- I love you," Ron repeated softly.
Draco came at Ron suddenly and embraced him tightly as he started to sob into Ron's shoulder.
"What's wrong?!" Ron asked, scared.
Draco sobbed harder, but managed to choke out,"N-nobody's ever-EVER told me t-that before."
Ron started crying too as he hugged Draco back harder and rocked him. They stayed like that for a long time, hugging and rocking and crying.
"I love you," Draco finally whispered back to Ron, resting his head on Ron's chest.
Ron leaned down and kissed Draco as he wiped the tears off his face.
"A lot of people throw that word around and don't mean it, and we've only been dating for four months now," Draco said quietly, hoping with all his heart that Ron wasn't just saying it.
"Yes. But I know I love you. The difference is that I'm saying it because I actually WOULD sacrifice anything, everything....for you. I would give up my life for you. You understand me the way no one ever has or ever will. You are so smart...funny...beautiful. The most beautiful person...I...I just know," Ron answered him slowly.
Draco started crying again as he looked into Ron's eyes, and grabbed his shoulders with both hands as he said this.
"Oh my God," Draco cried.
Ron wrapped his arms around Draco again, and said,
"I love you so much. I really, really love you....God, I love you."
"I love you, too."