Do You Regret Anything?
Summary: Ron and Draco slowly befriend eachother as they are plagued by insomnia and run into eachother on nightly flies. But what happens when Harry disapproves of their friendship? (Very light slash)
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters.
A red headed teenager of 17 stared into the darkness. He hated insomnia, but now it was his best friend. Ever since he started having those nightmares about the war he forced himself not to sleep, but that was a few months ago, and when he figured it was time to get some sleep…it just wasn't coming.
He groaned and climbed out of his bed. He threw on some socks, shoes, and his cloak, then headed out of the dorm, through the common room, and out the door. His footsteps echoed through the empty hallways. The sound was comforting to his ears, it made him feel like he wasn't alone.
Ron stepped onto the Hogwarts grounds and breathed in the scent of the rain that had fallen that afternoon. He walked through the wet grass and over to the broom shed near the quidditch pitch. He grabbed a broom and mounted it. He kicked off and slowly soared into the misty air.
He hovered in the center of the field for a long time. Staring over the grounds, counting trees and watching as every once in a while he could see a tentacle of the Giant Squid. He listened to the strange sounds nearby form the Dark Forest. But then he heard something he would have never imagined,
"What are you doing out here, Weasley?"
Ron turned his broom around and was face to face with Draco Malfoy. He was beginning to feel tired so he was slightly out of it, so he replied,
"Using Head Boy privileges to your advantage, too, Malfoy?"
Malfoy smirked slightly.
"With granger as a girlfriend," he said, "I would think you would know better, Weasel."
"She's not my girlfriend," Ron said, "Rumors aren't true."
"Well, I don't blame you," Malfoy said, "Even you disserve better."
Ron's anger swelled, but actually that was a very slight attempt at a compliment for Malfoy so he said,
"And I don't like her that way, anyways. Everyone thinks I do, but I don't. I only stand up for her because she's my friend, and I stand up for me friends."
"Yes, I know," Malfoy said with a nod, "Slugs taste good, Weasel-be?"
Ron gagged slightly at the remembrance of the slug incident, but laughed slightly.
"You must be tired," Malfoy said, "We both must be tired."
"Truly," Ron replied, "Can't sleep?"
"Nope. Haven't been able to for a while."
"Me either."
"Enjoy a little night fly, then?"
"Yeah."
"I just did one tonight."
Silence ensued. Ron shifted and sat on his broom as though it were a bench, with his legs hanging off one side and hands gripping the handle tightly. Finally Malfoy said,
"You're different when you're not around your friends."
"You are, too. They just expect us to be who they think we are…at least, that's how it is with me and Harry and Hermione."
Malfoy said nothing for a few moments, then,
"Well…we better get going."
"Yeah…I guess so."
(&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&)
"Where were you last night?" Harry asked at breakfast.
"You knew I was gone?" Ron asked in surprise.
"Yeah. I woke up, went to the bathroom, and saw you gone."
"Oh. I haven't been able to sleep so I go out for a fly now and then."
"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, "You can get in serious trouble."
"So?' Ron asked, "Malfoy does it."
They fell silent and gaped at him. Ron shrugged.
"Come on, guys," he said, "I'm not mimicking him. It's just…he was there and we talked."
"You talked?" Harry asked in mild anger and mild awe.
"Yeah," Ron said, "We talked, you know, what you and me are doing right now. Speaking words. We had a conversation."
"About what?"
"Nothing…we didn't really talk about anything," Ron said with another one shouldered shrug.
"You didn't talk about anything?" Harry asked, "You didn't insult eachother? He didn't kill you, you didn't kill him?"
"Would I be right here and he be over there?" Ron asked, "Anyway…today is Hogsmeade. I think I'll skip out and try to sleep. I'm dead tired."
"Alright," Hermione said calmly, "Do you need anything?"
"No," he replied, "I'm pretty stocked up on candy."
Harry shook his head, either at Ron's candy remark, or he was still utterly perturbed at the fact that Ron and Malfoy had had a civilized conversation. Ron stood and headed out of the Great Hall.
"Looks like you got some sleep," a voice said, waking Ron.
He could vaguely feel a hand on his shoulder and weight dipping on the right side of his bed. The red-headed teen opened his eyes and blinked the sleep away.
"I guess," he said sleepily, "So…how was it?"
"Wet," Harry said from over on his bed, "It was raining, the shops were packed."
Ron sat up and laid his head against the headboard. He did not want to wake up.
"You don't have to get up," Hermione said quickly, "We just wanted to ask if you were going to dinner?"
"Yeah," Ron said, "Yeah, I'm a bit hungry."
That night Ron snuck out again. He broke into the broom shed and got a broom.
"Hey, Weasley," a calm voice said from in the shadows of the broom shed.
"Hi, Malfoy," Ron said as Malfoy's shape came into better view.
"We've got a game tomorrow."
"Oh, yeah."
"Yeah, Gryffindor team captain."
Ron laughed and shook his head.
"Want to practice?" he finally asked, "Or help me practice at least?"
"But it's against Slytherin."
"I'll help you practice."
"Do you think I need practice?"
"No. But I do."
Ron didn't know why he felt so comfortable around Malfoy now. Probably because Malfoy wasn't saying horrible things to him or his friends and he was without his body guards.
"Okay. I guess."
So they practiced. Malfoy said nothing to Ron when he tried to score a goal past Ron. Ron felt completely confident in himself. And it was much more of a challenge because each time Ron caught the quaffle or knocked it back Malfoy would swear and if Ron dropped it Malfoy would laugh. It was like a real game.
"My turn," Malfoy finally said s they put the quaffle away.
"Right," Ron said, letting the snitch out of it's box.
Both Malfoy and Ron zoomed after it. Of course, Malfoy caught it each time. Ron didn't care, of course, but it was still a lot of fun trying to beat Malfoy to the tiny golden ball.
"Ron, what are you doing?" a different voice said.
Malfoy seemed as shocked as Ron when Harry soared up to the two of them.
"Practicing," Ron said, "We have a game tomorrow."
"You're practicing with Malfoy," Harry said, as though to remind Ron that Malfoy was who they were playing against.
"I know," Ron said, his anger began rising, "Do you have a problem with that? Do you want to choose who I decide to spend time with?"
"No," Harry said, "But it's Malfoy!"
Malfoy seemed to be enjoying this. He watched the both of them with interest.
"So?" Ron snapped, "Harry, go back to your dorm. I can report you, you know."
"You're out too," Harry responded through gritted teeth.
"Who would they believe? Head boy, or you? I can say I was patrolling the grounds. You however, have no excuse."
Harry glared at him, then descended. Ron watched as Harry stormed back to the castle, broom in hand. Ron felt bad, but Harry couldn't tell him what to do!
"Impressive," Malfoy commented.
Ron nodded with a smile, but inside he felt horrible, but confused.
The next day Harry and Ron wouldn't talk to eachother, not even during the quidditch game. Gryffindor won. Leaving Malfoy very aggravated…with Harry. Because that night the same encounter replayed, minus the quidditch practice and Harry's interruption.
Ron and Harry refused to talk to eachother and Hermione fussed over them in a motherly fashion: frustrated and pleading.
"Malfoy," Ron asked one night, again sitting on his broom bench-style, "Are we…are we, sort of, friends now?"
Malfoy stared at him, his head cocked to one side and a look of deep thought played in his gray eyes.
"No," he said with a slight shake of his head, "We're just on good ranks now."
Ron grinned.
"Oh," he said.
But they soon became more than 'just on good ranks' with eachother. When Malfoy insulted Ron's friends, Ron wouldn't stand up for them, and Malfoy would never insult Ron, leaving some people confused.
Then one night Ron and Malfoy began learning a lot about eachother.
"I used to want to be a Death Eater," Malfoy said as they flew slowly around the pitch, "My father wanted me to be, when he was alive. Since he died I sort of changed. I mean, life is so much easier without having to live up to his rules."
"Yeah," Ron said.
"Do you really like Potter?
"I'm not sure now. I mean, now that I know I have to have his approval for every friend I make."
"How annoying."
Ron laughed. They both laughed and stopped flying. Ron looked over at Malfoy, who was looking back at him. They were both very close. And then Ron leaned over and kissed him softly on the cheek. Both were not shocked at this. And the tension didn't last long before Ron, in simple silly Ron style, said,
"Race you to the ground!"