Notice: the next chapter will be the LAST. Anything ya'll have questions on, put them in reviews and i might seperately post some random scenes as one-shots that explain any confusion.
chapter 1 - chapter 5.2 - chapter 4.1 - chapter 3.1 - chapter 6.1 - chapter 14.1 - chapter 5.1 - chapter 10 - chapter 11.2 - chaper 13.2 - chapter 2 - chapter 4.2 - chapter 3.2 - chapter 4.3 - chapter 7 - chapter 9.1 - chapter 6.2 - chapter 9.3 - chapter 11.1 - chapter 8.2 - chapter 14.2 - chapter 15.3 - chapter 17.3 - chapter 12.2 - chapter 15.2 - chapter 16 - chapter 17.2 - chapter 9.2 - chapter 12.1 - chapter 15.1 - chapter 13.3 - chapter 8.1 - chapter 13.1 - chapter 17.1 - chapter 17.4 - chapter 8.3 -
March - 2001 -
These encounters began to steadily increase as the months went by. I wasn't pleased with myself, but I found lips pressed hard against mine more often than I could push away from, and I eventually began to make excuses to myself about the encounters. They were feeble, but they allowed me an escape from the guilt my participation afforded me. I never mentioned the situation to Hermione or Harry, but I could tell that Harry suspected something when I conveniently dropped my case against Malfoy in favor of 'more pressing matters'. He gave me a reproachful look every time Raleigh mentioned Draco's name. Our run-ins went on for seven months before they stopped abruptly. He disappeared from radar for a long time, but I refused to allow myself to look for him. He was probably in Italy with the evil little bint he'd married.
I was spending the afternoon in Diagon Alley two months after my last encounter with Draco when I saw familiar blonde hair moving through the crowd. My heart began to speed up again and I slid into an alcove to keep from detection, curious to see what he was doing. I was surprised when the blonde finally reached my full view and I discovered it to be not Draco, but his mother, looking regal as ever in filmy pale blue robes, a stroller gliding on its own in front of her. In the stroller was perched a little girl of about two with lengthy, black hair and large blue eyes. Amelia, Draco's little girl. Interested, I slipped out of my alcove and followed a bit behind them. They headed for Flourish and Blotts and I followed them in. Narcissa was talking to the little girl, asking her what kind of books she'd like for her birthday. I didn't catch her response, but they made their way to the children's isle at the back of the store and I slipped into the next row, grabbing a book and pretending to be interested in it as I listened. Narcissa handed the little girl several books for her perusal, and read the titles out loud. There was a long bit of silence in which time I decided shadowing Draco's mother and daughter was a bit nonsensical and turned to leave only to find Mrs. Malfoy standing in front of me, giving me an appraising look. I could see Amelia through a gap in the shelves, kicking her feet in her stroller and giggling at pictures in one of the books.
"You're Ronald Weasley."
I would have been surprised to find out that she knew my name if it weren't for the fact that Harry and I had been the two key players in the execution of her husband. "Yes, ma'am." I was suddenly very nervous and a little shaky. Her eyes never left mine and she had a piercing glare that reminded me very much of Draco.
"You had liaisons with my son during school, didn't you?" I froze, unable to answer. Was I supposed to confirm or deny this? "Your relationship with Draco made Lucius incredibly angry. Angrier than he had been when the Dark Lord died. He and Draco fought for weeks over you. Right up until the wedding." Her eyes flicked to Amelia and the silver turned to a stormy gray. "Draco is not happy with this marriage, it isn't right for him, but he refuses to leave without an heir. He's in Italy right now trying." My heart dropped to my stomach at the thought that he was with his wife, allowing her to touch him, be with him, surround him, when it should have been me. But then I scolded myself for that thought. Her eyes returned to mine and a little of the storm subsided. "You were wondering; that's why you followed us. You love him, don't you?"
I swallowed and turned away, but she moved closer so that I had no choice but to look at her and I nodded, "More than I'll ever admit to."
A small smile graced her lips and she reached up a hand to touch my cheek, "I know it may not seem like it, but what he is doing is something that needs to be done. He will never be content if this is not done, it has been ingrained into him for far too long. Be patient."
I was unclear as to what she meant. Was I supposed to wait for him to return so that we could continue to grope at each other in the back isles of shops? Did she know about these encounters? She obviously knew something about our interaction if she knew about me outside the circle of her husband's death. My eyebrows knitted together to show my confusion, "Ma'am?"
Her smile grew and warmed with the uncertainty of my voice and she brushed a bit of fringe from my eyes, "My son does not talk of much to me, but I know him far better than he thinks and far better than he knows himself. He is stubborn and very much set in the tradition that he was taught, but he knows what is in his heart. He will come back to you. Don't worry." I could feel my hands quaking in confusion and nervousness, but she seemed completely at ease. Her hand wrapped around my wrist, tugging me down slightly to reach her, and she kissed my cheek in a way that could only be described as reassuring. Stunned, I watched as she turned down the isle and returned to her granddaughter, whispering something to her and taking the books the little girl had chosen. With a final glance back at me, she and Amelia made their way up to the front to pay and then disappeared from the store. I stood, frozen for much longer, and only came out of my thoughts when my wand started vibrating, indicating that Harry needed me.
May 3 - 1998 - Seventh Year -
It was a Hogsmeade weekend, unknowingly our last. I spent the day with Hermione, doing our usual shopping and then grabbing a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks with a few members of the DA. Harry hadn't been allowed to come because of tighter security around him. You-Know-Who was planning some form of an attack on the school and no risks were being taken with the Savior. He hadn't been allowed to even leave the castle for a month. I had no idea what Hermione would have done if he had been allowed to come, though, so his restriction could be seen as a blessing. Harry still refused to be within vocal distance of me except when unavoidably in the dorms, and even then I think he'd started rising early to avoid me. I was hurt by the treatment, but not enough to let my relationship die. Draco was finally consistent and faithful, if a bloody git, still. We passed him a few times and passed glares, Hermione tightening her grip on my arm, and the last time a note sending me to the Hogs Head in half an hour. I made sure that Hermione was safely installed on the arm of Dean Thomas with Ginny on his other arm and hurried to my meeting.
"So what is it? I don't like this place." I asked as I sat down across from him at a small table hidden in a dark corner of the grungy bar.
"Nothing, I just needed an excuse to get away from Pansy." He took a sip of his butterbeer and looked away from me. I studied him a few moments; something was off. He reclined in his sit with one arm bent over the chair back, and to an untrained eye appeared to be as relaxed and pompous as usual, but there was something in his eyes and the way his other hand fiddled with the bottle. He almost seemed… twitchy.
"So I'm a distraction?"
His lips curled into a smirk, "You're always a distraction." My ears turned red and I looked down to draw circles on the table. "Even so, you aren't doing the distracting today, I am." My eyes turned to his just as I heard a loud scream from outside. The Attack. His eyes looked up at the door then back to his bottle. "They should have her now. You can go if you want." He took another sip and there was something about his mannerism… I didn't stay to find out. I ran from the place, down the street, passed screaming, flailing groups of students. On the main street I could see Harry running from hop to shop, looking in for something. The Death Eaters were nowhere to be found.
"Harry! What are you doing? Get back to the castle, you git!"
He stopped and glared at me, "They took her! Where were you! You were supposed to be with her!"
All the blood drained from my body and my eyes went wide, understanding what Malfoy had meant in the bar and what Harry was rushing, looking for now. "I left her with my sister and Dean. Where did they take her?"
"Headquarters, Riddle House. I can take you," spoke a drawling voice behind us. Harry's eyes narrowed and I turned to see Draco standing in the littered streets, looking almost guilty. I opened my mouth to yell at him, but Harry beat me to him, shoving passed me.
"Take me." Harry's voice was determined as he tried to reach Draco, but I dodged between them before he could take the last step.
"No! Wait for Dumbledore. He'll kill you and probably Hermione, too, if he hasn't already. I'm not letting you go."
"Fuck you, Ron! I'm going! I'm the only thing standing between Voldemort and death and I'm going to end it, whether you want me to or not. Don't make me hex you." He was shoving at me, but I wouldn't let him pass. I could feel him shaking and was resolute.
"Fine, then I'm going, too. You aren't going to fight him alone again." He searched my eyes for a second before nodding. We turned to Draco, who was glaring at me.
"You are not going, Weasley. I am not bringing you to your death."
"Shut up and fucking take us, Malfoy!" Harry yelled, eyes flaring and chest heaving with anger.
Draco remained calmly glaring, but his eyes turned to Harry. "I will not allow him to die."
"Well, Harry's not going without me. And what do you care, anyway! Just fucking apparate us!"
He looked slightly startled, but calmly reached into his robes and held out a deflated, chewed toy. "It's a portkey actually, and I don't care. I'd just rather keep my steady fuck, but if this is what you want…" Harry and I both reached for it without hesitation, my glaring at him, and a few seconds later, I felt the tug at my navel and we were gone.
March 22 - 1998 - Seventh Year -
Crabbe and Goyle had gotten to Justin again and I was panicking as I watched him from across the chessboard. His lip was cut in several places and his left eye was a dark indigo. He had been grumbling about why they'd suddenly decided to torture him and my mind was racing a marathon. I hated keeping things from him, especially things that so obviously hurt him, but how was I supposed to tell him that Draco had a vendetta against him that would only stop when I stopped seeing him and started letting Draco have his way with me again? I don't think even a Hufflepuff could forgive my affair. My only feasible option was to leave Justin, not because I wanted to, but because I wanted to keep him safe. I would not give in to Draco, but at least if I let Justin go, Draco would have no more reason to harm him.
"Justin, can we talk?"
I bit my lip nervously as he looked back at me and reached across the table to take my hand. "Of course, love, what is it?"
I avoided his eyes and looked down at the hand still in my lap, "I um… I've been thinking and… er, well… I don't know if it's exactly safe for us to be seeing each other."
"What? What do you mean it isn't safe? Is this about the Slytherins? They aren't doing this because of our relationship. I'm just their muggle-born victim of the week." He squeezed my hand for reassurance, but I just shook my head at him. If I was going to break things off, he at least deserved to know the truth.
"No, you're not. Their attacks have everything to do with our relationship. I was afraid to tell you before, only Harry knows about this, but you deserve to hear it and judge it for what you may." He was looking at me quizzically and the guilt was making my stomach swirl in an uncomfortable manner than made me want to search out a loo. "Before we started dating, I was in another relationship… well, a relationship of sorts anyway… We had a row and I left him and now he's angry and he's been doing everything he can to get me to go back to him. For a while he only worked with presents and jealousy, but when I started dating you… He started threatening. When I kept refusing him, he sent his henchmen to hurt the one thing he knew would hurt me the most… you."
I ventured a look at his reaction and he was staring at me in stunned silence. He slowly withdrew his hand from mine, "Are you telling me what I think you're telling me?"
"I've been sleeping with Malfoy, yes, for a long while. It was a bit after a year when I ended it."
"But… you hate him and he hates you…"
"Yeah, I know. I was repulsed the first time he kissed me. It was such a shock. I got so mad I punched him a couple times and kneed his bits. And we had the huge row about it with screaming and punching, slamming against walls, a few hexes… And right in the middle of it we started snogging and it just kind of felt natural, like it was another way to get out our aggression towards each other. After that we started meeting in secret and it just kind of escalated…"
He was glaring at me now, "Are you going to go back to him, then? Is that why this is ending?"
I shook my head adamantly. "No, I broke up with him because he was with someone else and I don't want to be with him anymore. I'm doing this because I care about you and I want you safe. The only way he'll stop is if you aren't with me anymore. He'll have no reason to hurt you anymore."
"Right." He looked down at the table with this forlorn disappointment in his eyes. I looked down as well and began to fiddle with a fray in my robes. Time passed in silence. I didn't hear him get up, but when I looked back up his chair was empty and my heart sank into my stomach as I melted into my chair. It hurt worse than I thought it would, but there was nothing I could do to change the situation. He was safe now and that was all that mattered.
August - 2000 -
Days were beginning to blend into each other as I worked with Harry to hunt down the remaining death eaters. The execution Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy had been my only day off in six months. Harry and I had had front row seats, Harry twitching next to me as he and Lucius shared a visual duel, and he didn't look away until both bodies were being pulled from the platform. We passed Narcissa Malfoy on our way out and I was surprised that, though tear tracks traced her cheeks, she still looked as relieved as Harry. She caught sight of my glance and followed me out the door with her eyes.
Draco conveniently ran into me three weeks later in a tiny bookshop in Knockturn Alley while I was looking for a Dark Arts book to study up on the latest curses. He shoved me against a row of shelves with this malicious little glint in his eye and began to kiss my neck while his hands wandered into my robes. I tried to shove him off, but he wasn't having any of it. "You're coming back to my flat with me tonight," he whispered hoarsely in my ear.
I close my eyes and fought my body's reaction to him. "You know the rules."
"Yeah, no wife, no one else, I promise. She's in Italy, remember?"
"Never letting you touch me again sound like it might be familiar?"
He sighed impatiently and clamped onto my chin, turning my face to meet his. "Weasley, it's been over two years. Can you honestly tell me you aren't dying to fuck me? Even if you were sleeping with someone else, which I know you're not, I am the best fuck you've ever had and we both know it."
"Either way, I'm fairly certain the definition of 'never' hasn't changed. Now step off before I curse you." He let out a puff of indignant air, but did not remove himself. He pressed further in.
"Curse me. Please." His hand slipped into my trousers and wrapped around my length, tugging roughly. I bit back a groan and shut my eyes to avoid his insistent stare. His lips found my neck again, teeth nipping at my pulse point as he stroked me. "You want this. You want me. Stop denying yourself what is right in front of you." His voice was raspy and harsh in my ear and he nibbled on my lobe as if to emphasize the statement. I was nearly butter melting under his hands. It took all of my inner strength to tear his hand away from my pants.
"No." I opened my eyes and met his lust-filled gaze, determined not to wield. "You made your decision two years ago, you need to deal with it." I pushed him away and hurried out of the building, hoping to lose myself in the darkened shadows of the Alley and the crowds of darks wizards mulling about. Draco never followed.
a few people have asked about my possibly shuffling things around to put the story in chronological order, like i said i was thinking about in the beginning of writing this. quite frankly, as confusing as this story can be, i love that nothing is in order. the confusion makes things more interesting, i think. so i'm going to keep it the way it is on here. however, if anyone knows of a website that i could perhaps archive this story, i would be perfectly willing to chronolize (i think i just invented a word :) the chapters on another site. thanks :)
