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Foot Rubs

Ron shifted his feet, letting Harry sit on the couch where he was sprawled. Only a few hours ago Ginny had been lying here while Harry gave her a foot massage that had put her to sleep. Arthur had woken her reluctantly, and Charlie had gone ahead through the Floo with the idea that he could steady her when she stepped out. Harry pulled Ron's feet into his lap now, and started rubbing them absently.

"Mmmmm," Ron wriggled closer, "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Sarah," Harry smiled fondly, "Her feet went up like balloons towards the end."

Ron let it drop, enjoying the massage immensely. He made appreciative noises, and Harry ended up laughing at him, ceasing the massage but still cradling Ron's feet. Other parts of Ron were interested in a massage now, but they could wait until Harry was also interested.

"What's happened to our class?" Harry's question came out of the blue, "Neville and Dean and all that?"

"Hmm," Ron muttered, peeling his eyes open and shifting, reaching for his friend. Harry wrestled with him lightly, until he was sprawled on top of Ron, snuggling into the redhead's chest and sighing happily when he was comfortable. Ron wondered where to begin, his classmates had scattered far and wide once graduation was done, and it was kind of interesting to think about. If he were going to tell Harry about their classmates, he'd actually have to start with someone who wasn't even from their school.

"Well, Fleur Delacour broke off her engagement to Bill the year after we graduated," Ron began, "She wanted him to stop travelling around the world and start working his way up the ladder in Gringotts. You know Bill - the job is about the action, not the money, and he'd be miserable behind a desk, so… she took up with someone who was already rich. Malfoy was of course hideously delighted until they were married and he realised he had to live with her. He's working in a potions lab, doing research. Snape got him into it."

Harry grunted and hugged Ron in a strange sort of comforting gesture that made Ron smile a little and hug him back. He thought that Bill had a lucky escape, and he knew his oldest brother felt the same way.

"Crabbe is working as a shop assistant in Knockturn Alley somewhere, and Goyle is working for Tom at the Leaky Cauldron. He hefts the stock about and sometimes the customers," Ron rubbed his hand idly over the small of Harry's back, "Pansy Parkington is working for the Ministry with Blaise Zabini. Seamus is their supervisor, and it's pretty funny to watch him order them about. Parvati and Lavender opened a teashop together. The shops pretty cool actually, they sell a huge variety, some really decent stuff. And of course they get a fair number of clairvoyants in there. They live above the shop and have three children between them to different fathers. I think they're married to each other, and Parvati is working on their fourth kid."

"Bloody hell, I'd never have guessed," Harry squirmed closer and Ron laughed.

"After you left, there was a … strange atmosphere to the school. It changed people," he kissed messy black hair and thought about who else was around, "Neville went to Wizard University and became a herbologist. He's always travelling in the field, comes back to Britain about once a year brown as a nut and full of wild tales. When Professor Sprout retires in ten years time the word is that he'll be offered her spot."

"Go Neville!" Harry cheered under his breath, and rubbed his hand over Ron's side, rucking up his shirt and burrowing down to warm skin. Ron leaned into the touch a little and tried harder to concentrate. Having Harry's fingers swirling idle patterns on his side was highly distracting.

"Padma Patil is working for the Daily Prophet as a reporter, and Colin Creevey is a photographer there too, and Luna Lovegood is working for her dad at the Quibbler. Hannah Abbot married Terry Boot and is a stay at home mum with six little kids; Terry is a bookbinder for one of the magical publishing houses. Susan Bones is working for the Wizengamot of course, and she married Justin Finch-Fletchly, who works for Gringotts as a liaison for the Muggle banks. And Cho Chang is an auror with Hermione and I, though we don't have much to do with her. Different area."

And the fact that Hermione had a habit of slapping the other woman when she started making a big deal out of her disastrous dates with Harry in his fifth year. Harry didn't need to know that and Ron didn't feel like disrupting their peace at the moment.

"I've missed so much," Harry mourned softly, and Ron nodded. His friend had missed a lot in the ten years he'd been away.

"You knew where we were," Ron reminded him without rancour, "You could have contacted us earlier."

"No I couldn't," Harry sat up abruptly before pulling away and pacing around the room, running his hands through already wild hair, "When he… when the Headmaster organised this for me he told me to stay away. He said that contacting anyone, especially you and your family, could be dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Ron hissed in fury, "Harry, surely you don't think…"

"No!" the word burst from Harry, "He… The Headmaster said that the Death Eaters would be watching for any sign that you knew where I was. There would be only two people I'd contact, the Headmaster who was safe at Hogwarts, or my family. They'd be watching your house for Hedwig, or signs that I was Flooing home. The Death Eaters tortured the Longbottoms into insanity to get information out of them… if they thought mum and dad knew where I was…I couldn't take that risk!"

"And I'll bet he reminded you of the Longbottom's," Ron growled, "Harry, he's been manipulating your life since you were born!"

Harry's shoulders slumped and he sagged to the floor abruptly. Ron leapt to his side, wrapping his arms and legs around his friend, who subsided against his chest, shaking a little.

"You didn't see what I was like," Harry's whisper floated on the air, "I was a mess Ron. I couldn't believe my magic was gone, and kept trying my wand. I couldn't eat or sleep much, and when I did I felt sick or had nightmares. At one point I climbed up onto the tallest building I could find with the intention of jumping, another time I sat with a knife to my wrist for hours."

Ron made a noise of horror and tightened his grip on Harry who huddled closer.

"I didn't… if I'd been with you all… I had to accept it Ron," Harry turned his head, leaning his forehead on Ron's cheek, "I wouldn't have if I'd seen you performing magic when I couldn't. I had to make my life work again, and it was hard, and I missed you all so much, and I wanted you with me, but I had to do it alone. Maybe the Headmaster's warning was just the excuse I needed to stay away."

"You're a protector, Harry, you always have been," Ron mumbled, "Old Dumbledore played on that to ensure you would stay away. He betrayed your trust, and abused you as badly as the Dursley's did."

Harry shivered and Ron gathered him closer, much as he had the day his friend defeated his greatest enemy and rocked them both on the floor, mourning with Harry the loss of the last ten years.

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