I Told You I Don't Care

I don't own anything you see used here. Life is sad and confusing that way.

Author: Dimitri Aidan

Rating: R to NC-17

Fandom: Harry Potter

Pairings: Percy/Oliver and Ron/Draco are the main pairings. Harry/Hermione and Ginny/Colin, as well as others, are also present

Genre: Slash, Romance, Angst, Action/Adventure.

Summery: Ron had life figured. But Harry and Herm being married and Percy and Draco as members of the Order didn't figure in, until he finds himself working with them…not to mention falling for a certain blond.

Recap: Where we just left off Ron and his 'partner' Oliver had been whisked way to a hotel room. This of course happened after Hermione became Mrs. Harry Potter, thus breaking Ron's poor ickle heart. Oh, yes, and you were left to ponder the possible connotations of 'partner'.

Notes: Ugh. Such an overachiever. No more updates until next week…

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Chapter Two

Find my way back again

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Oliver flopped onto the bed and reached for the phone on the side table. "I think I'm going to get something to eat. Interested?"

"As long as it doesn't involved whipped cream." Ron murmured. Oliver chuckled, and a smile crossed his lips. Ron couldn't help but smile at the memory as well.

"I did that once. And can you really blame me? I was trying to go for romantic."

"Yes. It was embarrassing. The look on Mum's face…I'll never be able to forget it." Ron shook his head. "We still can't have cream in our hot chocolate without the twins snickering."

"I'm sorry, okay? A million times over." He didn't really look sorry Ron couldn't help but notice. In fact he looked downright amused. Ron arched an eyebrow and Oliver sighed then gestured him over. "Come on, you might as well take a load off while we're here. It's not every day we get to sit around in a hotel and do nothing."

"Every other day." Ron muttered, sitting down next to his partner.

"You're so pessimistic." Oliver said as if it were something tragic. "Sometimes I don't know what to do with you."

"Nothing." Ron said dully. Oliver's hand touched the small of his back, in a gesture nothing short of sincere and soothing.

"I'm sorry about this. I know it was a bad day for you."

Ron opened his mouth to reply, but the door opened and he suddenly was kissing Oliver (or was Oliver kissing him?) and thinking with a note of amusement that Oliver was really a nice kisser. Such a shame it had to go to waste on him.

"Oh my god."

Ron pulled away from Oliver and turned to the source of the oddly familiar voice. His mouth literally fell open. "Percy? What in the hell are you doing here?"

Percy was staring at him, blue eyes wide and shocked. "I was told to come here. I'd ask you the same, only it looks pretty clear that you were snogging Oliver Wood." Percy seemed to have a hard time getting past that. "Which is just wrong. Sick and wrong."

Percy did look genuinely distressed, which made Ron feel a little better about it. He hadn't spoken to his older brother since his fifth year, when Percy had gone from just annoying to being a total ponce, and he really didn't think now was the time to be changing that.

"I never thought you'd be so desperate as to go after the likes of Weasel." A painfully familiar drawl accompanied those words and Ron was willing to swear this was by far the worst day of his life. And that was saying a lot, because he'd had some pretty horrible days over the years.

Percy glared over his shoulder. "Draco, if you find being civil such a chore, perhaps you'd like to go back downstairs."

Draco sighed. He was leaning against the door and looked annoyed. "Fine Percy. For your piece of mind, I won't insult your git of a brother."

"Well, I can't speak for Mr. Weasley, but I certainly appreciate the gesture. Do go into the room will you, and give this old man a chance to sit down."

Draco and Percy moved out of the way quickly and Dumbledore walked in. In spite of his words, he didn't look any older than he had in Ron's first year. He sat at the chair before the desk and let out a small sigh, before looking around at the assembled people.

Ron couldn't help but follow his lead.

Oliver, in Ron's opinion, looked much the same as he had years ago. Still tall and sturdy looking, muscular in all of the right places. His nose was crooked, as it'd been broken two years ago in a nasty broomstick collision while playing Quidditch and…about half a dozen other times since. He also had a myriad of scars from various injuries. His hair was dark blond and cut close to his head, to avoid it getting in his way, and his eyes the same warm chocolate brown they'd always been. He was, as far as Ron was concerned, rather handsome.

Percy however had clearly changed. His glasses, which had always looked if they should belong to an old man, were now oval, silver frames, which complemented his blue eyes nicely. Percy and Ron had been the only ones to inherit their father's blue eyes. He looked even thinner than he'd once been, which would have made their mother mad if she could see it, and maybe a little paler as well. His hair had grown out and fanned against his cheeks.

Strangest of all was the way he was dressed. A pair of jeans with one of the knees ripped away, boots that weren't shined to perfection, and a simple white button-down, un-tucked. It was all…very un-Percy.

Draco…well, he looked like his usual annoyingly…blond ferret self.

…Fine, maybe that wasn't exactly true.

His hair was longer, maybe to his shoulders when it wasn't pulled back with a band as it was now. His eyes, which were a blue-gray color, were partly hidden behind feathery wisps of hair. He was thin and the shortest one in the room (But considering that Ron, Percy, and Oliver all topped six-foot, that wasn't a bad thing.), but seemed to have the same commanding air he'd always had. He was wearing all black; a pair of jeans, boots, and a black t-shirt that Ron couldn't help but noticed was…very tight. He could see the outline of the blond's nipples.

Not that he was looking, exactly. It was just hard not to notice was all.

Ron however, hadn't changed. He didn't like change much and other than 'growing into himself' as his mother liked to put it he looked the same as he always did. Red hair, freckles, and pale skin.

"I'm glad the four of you could make it to this impromptu meeting."

"Not that you left us much choice." Ron muttered, folding his leg underneath him. Oliver nudged him with his foot, silently telling him to shut his mouth. Ron just glowered at the older man.

"Yes, I must apologize for taking you away from Harry and Hermione's wedding as I was loathe to miss the occasion myself. I do hope it was a lovely ceremony nonetheless."

"Don't apologize. Mum was just starting her 'when are you and Oliver going to get married' crusade, so it was for the best."

Dumbledore smiled kindly. "Don't worry Ron, one day I'm sure things will work out."

"Eh." Ron sighed. Perhaps he should just marry Oliver and leave it at that.

"Not to interrupt this lovely moment we're having here," Malfoy said. "But why are we here?"

"That's a good question." Oliver said, sitting up some. "Though really I was thinking more along the lines of 'why are those two here'."

"You four are here because you are the only remaining members of my personal circle." There was a moment in which the shock could be felt. "I understand this may be a bit of a surprise and I feel it only right that each of you explain what it is you do for me, before we continue."

A moment passed and Percy cleared his throat. "I spy on the Ministry. It's corrupt and this corruption goes very deep, much deeper than anyone realized. And Fudge's idiocy didn't help the situation much." He smiled wryly. "When the Minister of Magic, Sandusky, took over he swore there would be no war and that was the first sign that things were not right. The fact that there have been numerous Muggle and Muggle Born deaths just makes it ever more obvious.

"Any and all information that filters through the Ministry that could be of use to explain this I take and copy for the Order to see."

Ron was totally speechless and he was pretty sure his mouth was hanging open. As long as he'd known Percy he'd been little more than a self-absorbed, self-serving prat. To hear that he'd actually done something for someone else was shocking, to say the least of it.

And he kind of felt…guilty because all he could think was 'I wonder what he's getting out of this?'

"I spy on non-Death Eater connections for Dumbledore." Malfoy said, tone one of boredom. "I've been doing it since my fourth year at Hogwarts. I used to listen to my fellow Slytherins about things their parents had informed them of: Attacks, meetings, and things of that nature. Now I do much the same thing. Though not a Death Eater people think me loyal to the cause because of my father and mother and like to tell me anything, so long as it appears I'm willing to listen."

Ron wondered idly if the world was ending around him or if hell had frozen over. Somehow this seemed akin to the apocalypse in his mind. Almost as if he sensed it, Oliver leaned over and pinched Ron's arm sharply. He yelped and glared while rubbing his arm.

Oliver just smiled, before looking over at Percy and Malfoy. "Ron and I watch members of the Order for any signs that may have defected. If they show signs we look into it, probably using information from you two. And if they have left our side we…" Oliver trailed off, looking at Ron for help.

"We fix the situation." Ron said, frowning as realization began to seep in. "Other members of the Order are never allowed to see us or know who we are until we're ordered to take care of them."

Ron couldn't help but remember a joke Harry had told once, unknowingly referring to him and Oliver as 'The Cleanup Crew'. They came in quietly once everyone had left the 'office' and took out the trash, never to be seen or heard from again. It was a dirty job that no one else would want and most looked down upon, as it seemed to have a certain underhanded quality about, but all agreed it was needed in order to protect the secrets the Order had.

Oliver frowned as well and tilted his head off to the side. Ron knew that look because he'd seen it many times before. He feared that look. When left to his own devices Oliver was a pretty carefree guy but when a mission was given to them all signs of Oliver dropped away. There was nothing but a cold and calculating mask.

One might have thought it but Oliver wasn't the muscle of their little duo. He was the planner, the thinker, the one who figured out the quickest and cleanest way to carry out their jobs. All this time as a Quidditch strategist, and a first class one at that, had given him a keen mind.

Ron was usually the one to carry out the actual killing. It wasn't that he too couldn't come up with a smashing plan of attack, because being Chess Master meant that not only could he but that it was his job to do such. It was simply that he was a less assuming and intimidating figure. He was Ron Weasley, the nicest most good-natured guy in the world.

Until he killed you.

"Well bugger that." Draco sneered. "I certainly don't intend to be taken out by the likes of you." Ron twitched and his fingers flexed as that old burning itch to smack the shit out of Malfoy returned with a vengeance. They hadn't seen each other since graduation but there was certainly the same animosity.

Him Ron might not mind 'fixing'.

Percy looked at Draco as if wondering the best way to tell him to quit being an idiot was then looked at Dumbledore. "What Draco means is, we haven't done anything. We certainly haven't defected-"

"Of course not!" Dumbledore laughed loudly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to have that implied, that couldn't be further from the truth. You four are the most trustworthy members of my inner circle, and because of that I have a task that I would only entrust to you."

"Flattery will get you everywhere." Oliver said, grinning. "What do you need us to do? Me and Ron are in, no questions." Ron nodded his agreement.

"I'll help, of course." Percy said. Malfoy was silent for a moment and Percy looked at him eyebrow arching in a manner very familiar to Ron. It meant Percy was impatient and wanted you to agree with him and do what he'd said at that very moment.

He'd seen a lot of it growing up.

"Oh fine I'm in. Quit looking at me like that."

Percy smiled which was a surprise in and of itself. Percy hadn't been much for smiling, as he hadn't had a sense of humor growing up, so to see him as anything less than dour well it was a surprise. And for Malfoy to be the cause of that smile…

Ron looked outside to make sure the sky wasn't falling.

Nope, everything looked to be in order.

"I was sure I could count on the four of you. I can't go into too many details just yet, for security's sake."

"But we are security." Oliver snarked.

"Quite." Dumbledore smiled. "And now that you are relieved of your duties things are at a much greater risk of being exposed ahead of time. Without you to relay on I'm afraid certain…leaks may grow, instead of being stopped.

"That aside Oliver I'm afraid you must put your Quidditch career on hold. Percy you'll need to leave the Ministry. Ron and Draco you will need to begin to distance yourselves from your families and friends."

Ron let out a barely audible groan. He knew exactly what was going to happen. He'd start withdrawing, Harry would play martyr and blame himself, his parents would worry themselves half to death, and when the mission was over he'd be subject to all sorts of coddling and apologies and it'd all be a pain in the ass.

The things he did for the sake of war.

"I'll contact you soon with the details. In the meantime I believe that you should begin to get used to each others presence and become acquainted."

Ron frowned. He knew Percy well, they had lived together for over fifteen years after all, and he didn't want to know anything about more about Malfoy than he already did. Judging by the look on Oliver's face he felt very much the same.

Percy and Malfoy didn't look any more pleased than they did and that was a small comfort to Ron. At least they'd all be miserable together.

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Fanny: Well, since you asked so nicely…

Uilani: And again, since you also asked nicely.

Mechante: Yes, lots of guys were crying when Bill got hitched…it was a sad sad day, lol. I'm glad you like the intrigue and my baking skills. I do try… and yes, you are more than welcome to the bowl and spoon if you can find it amongst all the other 'baking stuff' around here. It's crowded…

Cherre: Aww, you flatter me so. I love it.

Princess of Mirrors: Oliver and Ron aren't actually…together, really. It's…umm…ask again next chapter. I might explain it then. I never know until I write it where exactly I'm headed. It's irksome sometimes. And what going-ons that are going on shall be explained…eventually. Dumbledore was being really cryptic when I asked.

Didon: The romance shall be in the future. Assuming that none of the assembled cast hauls and kills…Malfoy. But, barring that occurrence, everything should be fine.

Davida: Yep, has everything to do with those mentioned in the summery, as you saw already…

Sallie: Oh you know…soon…two days later…next week. It's all the same to me. My time perception sucks.

Ron: Actually Oliver was invited to Marcus' wedding and Ron went along like a good little boyfriend. And he had to leave, for the old coot was a calling. No rest for the wicked and all that.