by Perr

Ron's POV

He's distracted again; he's always distracted. Ok, that's alright, but Harry's always silently distracted by himself nowadays, because it's usually me distracting him with noise, or with notes, or a fantastic piece of news to do with Quidditch. Even Mione seems like she wants me to grab his attention. She suggested a knife if speech didn't work.

She elbows me in the ribs and nods towards Harry.

"Hey, you alright?" I ask him in response to that. He shifts and replies with a 'yes', then resumes his stoning daze, looking bored as ever. Well, at least he looks bored instead of dead.

I wonder when's dinner.

I went to pick up some books for Hermione; they're awfully heavy. I decide to leave them on her bed and head for Harry's dorm room because she wants to 'have a chat' with him. Pssh! Last time she told me that, she screamed at me and sent me a howler the next morning. I only cut a bit of Crookshank's tail off. I mean, I already did her a favour by giving him a haircut. Women. Never satisfied or grateful.

When I turn the knob of the door open, I overhear Hermione talking about Dumbledore's surprise. I don't think I like surprises anymore, after all the surprises I've had these years. Dumbledore hasn't said a word about it in ages since that day when he made his announcement.

I sound my arrival. "Ronald Weasley is here."

Before I know it, we're talking about Malfoy. What's the bloody deal about him? I've heard about his bedding skills, and other unmentionables that I simply don't want to know but know them anyway. Harry being hung up about the arse is definitely not a normal situation at all. Mione exits the room angrily after she feels annoyed at his secret keeping. I never even got the chance to rub her back for her.

So, what's with you, Harry?

"Will it help if I told you that I got my second kiss?"

"You kissed someone?" I tilt my head in interest and look at him. "Who?" Way to go Harry. Alexis? ...But she can't be bothering you so much!

He says it's an accident. Yeah, you tripped and you fell on someone's lips.

"Remember that pair of two-way mirrors I bought a few months ago? Well, I gave one to Malfoy."

You what?!

"You what?!"

He looks very stressed about this. I'm sure the furrows have appeared in my forehead already, and I don't like where this is going. It's about Malfoy AGAIN! I mean, what's he going to tell me, that he's in love with that sadistic annoying nut? Oh, suddenly dinner doesn't seem like a good idea. Too much info.

"We agreed on a truce and things have gotten a little more complicated, since. Like... He was the one who kissed me."

He kissed you? You kissed him? What? ...What?

"Ron, the thing is, I think I'm bisexual." He looks at his feet poking up from under the blanket.

You're what?

It's only when I feel the dryness in my mouth that I realise my jaw has been hanging for a long time. "Ron?"

"No!" I say, shaking my head.

"No what?"

"No, you don't like boys." I start to feel uncomfortable. And a bit sick. "You can't like boys."

"Why not?"

"Because I'M a boy!"

This is very disturbing. "Ron, that's insensitive and discriminating and surely not supportive for a best friend!"

And it's also a very normal reaction for a big ol' homophobe like me. "Why couldn't you choose me or someone else, then?" Did I say that?

"What? You did not just say that."

"NO, no, no," I quickly reply. "I mean, of all people Malfoy?" You could've hit on Seamus or something. At least he's captain of the Quidditch team. After all, he doesn't look all that bad in the showers and---

YUCK! YUCK! ERRRGH! Save me, Mione, someone!

I take a lot of time to absorb everything. About his situation with Alexis (which is actually, a no-go on BGR terms), about Mione and I (thank goodness he's ok with that, I love her too much), about injuries and Malfoy. We shake on a promise not to tell Mione about any of this for now, because I'd definitely hate to experience more howlers, sitting next to Harry in the Great Hall, you know?

"So, are you still enemies?"

He looks at his covered feet. "I don't know. For now, I don't think so, because the truce is still intact."

"Harry, you sure you'd like to feel that way about Malfoy?"

He looks confused and upset at the same time, then he purses his lips very tightly and buries his face in his pillow to say loudly, "I KNOW YOU ALL HATE HIM, I HATE HIM TOO BUT I CAN'T HELP MY FUCKING SELF, AND HECK, IT WAS ONE KISS THAT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO MEAN ANYTHING AND---"

"OK!" I interrupt, slapping him on the leg. He yelps and sits up so his feet now touch the floor. "You're such a girl." He glares at the comment. "Ok, I promise I'll try to accept all the jumbo you've told me."

He laughs at me. "Gee, Ron, you know me so well."

"Yeah, I also know that I've got a stupid soft heart for best friends." I pause. "Oh hell, it's Malfoy, GROSS!" He punches me in the arm and we laugh.

My appetite is ok again.

After my stomach is temporarily filled, I start to notice that Harry is eating well, until we both realise Draco Malfoy is missing. I always thought he was always looking at Harry because he wanted to pick a fight, not because he was a queer. Ugh. This is making that pudding climb up my throat (which would be a waste if I puked, because it was actually really good). I mean, how can Harry even... fancy him? I hope he doesn't fancy him. I can't believe I didn't see it coming. Mione is going to freak if she finds out. I never knew all those notes they kept sending each other were something outside a rivalry. I think he should have better taste.

I look at Mione and she spots our friend wondering where Malfoy is. She's got great, soft curls in her hair today. It makes my fingers itch to touch them. Then again, she might smack me for laying my 'oily, chicken-smelling, after-dinner hands' on them. It's happened. Don't think I felt my face for a week.

"You don't have to worry. I took care of the matter."

You hit him again? Just as I am about to congratulate her, Harry's very scary "RRAGH" vibe passes through my skin.

"What do you mean 'you took care of the matter'?"

She says, "I know you refuse to tell me anything, but I kind of figured things out. Told him to stop doing whatever he was doing to you; told him to go away. The detested little..."

I know the next word is 'bastard' because she always calls Malfoy that 60 of the time, but she is cut off by a scary Harry (who is scary indeed) who snaps, "Hermione! This does not concern you!" and then he escapes the scene to search for the absent blonde.

"Err," I begin, directing speech to a fallen-faced girlfriend, "I guess he wanted to take care of him himself." I notice the various students curiously wondering about his words and intentions. I suppose, I sigh, I've got to cover for him now. "You know how much he hates the git, and he hates other people meddling in his personal life, and he'd rather much be doing it himself." You owe me, Harry. "I think I'll go after him.

"Ron!" Mione says.

"I'll see you later!"

Oh bugger. He could be anywhere.

I got some information from a passing Colin Creevey, who frighteningly exclaimed, "Harry Potter runs wild to the dungeons for mysterious rendezvous!", I had to then erase his memory of seeing Harry with a hex. Hopefully, my spell worked right.

I also bump into Blaise Zabini whom I've never really liked because he snoops around too much. Sometimes he pays Colin or other people to dish out the dirt on selected targets for sheer pleasure; his nature is pretty much typical Slytherin Sadist. As our shoulders knock, he narrows his eyes at me with a silent threat. The dungeons are just up ahead.

It's quiet outside. The doors are slightly open, and I don't hear anything except some movement. I decide to enter.

"Ay, Harry! I heard you were---"

My eyes catch a glimpse of what seemed to be a very, very close encounter between Harry and Malfoy. I feel like plucking my eyes out and soaking them in cleansing solution.

My eyes! My eyes! Blinded by the sight of best friend and worst enemy... together!

"---down here..." I finish my sentence after that long, almost eternal moment of wondering if they were on to something has passed. "...What are you doing down here anyway?"

Harry's mouth almost twitches into a smile, while he scratches his head. Then sets his hands to his hips. I see Malfoy's eyes checking out his arse with two raised brows.

MY EYES!

"I think we'd better leave." Indeed, we'd better. I can't stand all this animal magnetism I feel in the room. Disgusting, I tell you. The Slytherin doesn't look very pleased.

"I was just about to." My white English pureblood arse you were about to. He seems like he doesn't want to leave, like he's anchored to the cement floor. Oh no you don't, Harry, you'd better follow me back to the dorms, I think, and like he reads my mind, he walks towards me with guilty stride and we take our leave.

"My god, Harry, what did you think you were doing?!" I say, once we're some distance away from the dungeon doors. "Wait, don't answer that. I don't think I want to know."

"I think I was saying sorry," he says anyway.

"With your lips? People don't say sorry with---" I stop. "That's not the point anyway."

"Ron, at least be glad you didn't see us kiss or something more, like---"

"Nonono, Harry, my eyeballs are already diseased, I don't want my ears to fall off too."

He punches me hard in the arm. "Ow!" I shout. He makes a face. "That's for being a real big shit on the party."

"Party in your pants." I can't believe I said that.

"What?"

"Nothing."

He hits me this time. "Oi! That's for being a good friend."

"Harry, sarcasm doesn't work very well with you."

"...I wasn't being sarcastic."

I am quiet for the rest of the time back, mostly with a smile on my face. Hermione would be proud. If only she knew.

"But you know, even if he's still a terrible seeker, Malfoy still is a good ki---"

I drag my feet all the way back after that. "Harry..."