This is being cross-posted from Ao3. it was originally posted on 5 March 2022.

This is probably one of my favorite fics to date! I REALLY enjoyed my characters in this and I hope you do too! Thank you to the Admin at the Ron/Draco Better Together Fest for running the event! Happy reading! xxDustNight88

Thank you to starrnobella and SquarePeg72 for reading this over and to GaeilgeRua for allowing me to use her Grammarly! Any other mistakes are definitely my own.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, and Warner Bros. No copyright infringement is intended.

Major Tags: Infidelity, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Good Draco Malfoy, First Kiss, Pining, Crushes, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Sassy Pansy Parkinson, Bisexual Pansy Parkinson, Gay Draco Malfoy, Gay Ron Weasley, Everybody knows

Prompt: 8th year! Ron came out as gay to the entire Hogwarts student body by starting to date Justin Finch-Fletchley. Draco doesn't like it. He doesn't like it one bit.


After the war, many students chose to return and complete the year that they lost out on for one reason or another. With a new lease on life and the wizarding world in general, many witches and wizards had come out with their true sexuality. There was no longer the fear of being cast aside for being different. It had come as a complete surprise for everyone when Ron Weasley showed his true sexuality by dating Justin Finch-Fletchley.

Having also come out, Draco had yet to find someone to share his life with. There were offers, but none enticed him… He'd tried dating a few but always broke things off when they felt too stiff or awkward. There was, however, a certain wizard that he did find difficult to forget. Draco huffed as he watched in irritation as Ron Weasley hung all over his boyfriend at the Gryffindor table.

"What's got your knickers in a twist," Theo asked, sliding onto the bench next to the blond. "It's barely eight in the morning."

"We're not supposed to sit with other houses during breakfast," Draco grumbled to his friend, gesturing toward the table in question.

"Since when have you cared what the Weasel gets up to?" Blaise asked as he too joined them for breakfast.

"I don't," Draco snapped, tearing his eyes away from Ron and Justin to glare at his eggs and toast instead. "I'm just noting that if one of us were to break the rules, we'd have something said to us. Or points are taken away."

Blaise and Theo shared a look, and then the former sighed heavily before saying, "I highly doubt McGonagall is going to say shit to us at this point. We're eighth years. I think she'd probably be more thrilled with the fact that some house unity was happening instead of us being at one another's throats."

"Good point," Theo noted before digging into his own breakfast. "Why do you care so much anyway, Draco? I thought you hated Weasley."

"I just don't understand what he sees in Finch-Fletchley of all people," Draco said, eyes narrowed again at the couple.

"Ah." Blaise and Theo shared another pointed look. This time Draco noticed.

"What was that?" he asked, gesturing between the two of his friends. "That look."

"You like Weasley." Blaise couldn't help but grin as he practically sang the words to his friend. Theo laughed next to him, causing Draco to become, if possible, even more surly.

"I do not," Draco hissed, leaning over so no one could overhear him. "Keep your voice down. Do you want the entire Great Hall to hear us?"

Theo dabbed daintily at his mouth with a napkin as he contemplated his following words. Then, when he knew he had the perfect thing to say, he leaned so that his mouth was next to Draco's ear. "I hear that Finch-Fletchley is mighty fine in bed."

Blaise, hearing his boyfriend, leaned in close too. "I hear that he knows how to do this thing with his tongue that just drives a person mad with lust."

Cheeks reddening, Draco slapped his hands down on the table. He promptly stood and towered over the two Slytherin lovers. "I'll see you in Arithmancy," Draco all but hissed before turning and storming from the room.

After Draco had stormed from the room, causing quite a few heads to turn, Blaise crossed his arms and gave his own boyfriend a chastising look. "Finch-Fletchley is almost as pure as Granger."

"I know that, and you know that," Theo said, a Slytherin smirk forming on his lips. "But Draco… He's as oblivious as Longbottom is in Potions."

Blaise just laughed and shook his head. "You're incorrigible," he muttered, unable to hide his smile.

"And yet you love me," Theo said, pecking Blaise on the cheek.

"That I do."


After Quidditch practise a week later, Ron was one of the last to leave the locker rooms. He was just exiting the locker room when he noticed Malfoy standing by the pathway that led back to the castle. He slowed, giving the blond a single head nod before moving to walk past him so he could meet Justin, Ginny, and Hermione for dinner. He was stopped, however, when Draco called out to him.

"Some would say that was some superb flying out there, Weasley," Draco said, making sure to keep eye contact. He gave the redhead a wink and a smile.

"Some would say…?" Ron asked, trailing off as he shouldered his broom. He continued to stare at Draco, unsure where this conversation was going exactly.

"I guess I mean me," Draco said, shrugging. "Some of your best saves."

"What the…" Ron trailed off and was about to call out Draco for all the strange compliments he'd been giving him lately, but he didn't get a chance.

"See you at dinner," Draco said and then turned and nearly ran up the pathway to the cattle himself.

Ron stood there staring after him, still not having a bloody clue what the hell had just happened. Trying to shrug it off, he made his way toward the castle, hoping that whatever had got into Draco would soon pass. Ron wasn't sure he could handle Draco Malfoy losing his damn mind so quickly after Voldemort's demise.


"It's the weirdest thing," Ran began, interrupting the silence that Hermione had worked so hard for when they first entered the library. He ignored her irritated huff and added, "Malfoy complimented me again after my Quidditch practise this afternoon. I didn't even know he was in the stands watching."

Realizing that revising would have to take a break, Hermione set aside her quill. "Why do you even care? Maybe he is just trying to make amends after the war."

"Yeah," Ginny said, piping up from her seat next to Hermione. "Maybe he finally feels guilty for treating us all like shite the past seven years."

Shaking his head, Ron frowned. "I dunno. It didn't feel like a normal complement. It was weird. He's been doing it a lot lately."

"When?" Hermione asked, now fully invested despite wanting to work on her revising.

"He subtly complimented my wolfsbane potion in class, and then there was the morning he said my hair looked clean after I exited the Perfect bathroom." Ron frowned at his friend and sister. "Oh! And there was when he said my new robes made my shoulders look broad. First, I thought he was making fun of me, but now I'm not sure… What do you think it means?"

"Oh, you really are oblivious, aren't you?" a female voice drawled from behind the bookshelves.

"Parkinson?" Ron asked, leaning back in his chair so he could see between the stacks of books. He'd recognized her voice anywhere after being forced to be her partner in Potions that week.

Sure enough, the dark-haired Slytherin witch stood there perusing the shelves. Pansy sighed and grabbed the book she'd been looking for before walking toward where the pride of Gryffindors were gossiping. She popped down in an available chair and smiled at their shocked faces.

"Draco has been keen on you since you came out of the closet, dear Weasel," she practically purred, throwing an arm around Ginny's shoulders. Then, grinning toothily at the red-headed witch, she added, "If you ever choose to come 0ut, I'd love to show you a good time."

"I'm not actually gay," Ginny said, gently removing the witch's arm by taking hold of her robe with two fingers. She dropped her grasp and then crossed her arms.

"Pity," Pansy replied before returning her attention to Ron. "Anyway, getting back to the topic at hand… Draco. He likes you, though he'll never admit it aloud."

"You're joking," Hermione said, a look of pure disbelief scrunching up her face. "Malfoy hates Ron."

"For once, Granger, you are ever so wrong." Pansy rolled her eyes and pushed to her feet. "You simply need to open your eyes, and you'll see exactly what I am talking about. I have my own revising to do, so if you'll excuse me."

"How do we know you're not just fucking with me?" Ron asked, still looking wholly unconvinced about the entire situation.

"You don't." Pansy turned to saunter away but instead decided to leave Ginny with some parting words. "And just to set the record straight," Pansy said, leaning down close to Ginny. "I'm not, and I don't think you are either, but I do play for both teams. So give me a shout if you and Potter ever need a third. Toodles."

The three Gryffindors watched silently as Pansy sashayed her way to Madam Pince, checked out her book, and disappeared from the library. It took Hermione clearing her throat to finally get them to refocus on her. Hermione raised an eyebrow at her friend when she noticed that Ginny's cheeks were stained pink.

"Shove off," Ginny said, playfully punching Hermione on the arm. "I think she's lying."

"Me too," Hermione agreed, picking up her quill once more. "But about what remains to be seen."

Ron wet his lips, a million thoughts running through his head. Finally, he shrugged and muttered a halfhearted, "Yeah, who knows…."


"Oi! Malfoy!"

Draco paused his walking, a satisfied smirk sliding onto his features as he recognized Ron's voice calling for him. He turned slowly, facing around just as the redhead reached him. "Weasley. You called?"

"What are you playing at?" Ron asked, glaring at him. "You're messing with me, and I don't like it."

"Shouldn't you be used to it by now?" Draco said, playing into the situation. He crossed his arms and quirked a perfect eyebrow.

Ron let out a slow breath. "You tormented me for as long as I can remember, but this is different. This is… I don't know what this is, but it's different." He took in Draco's relaxed stance, no longer one of hostility that he'd been used to from all their former years spent in opposition of one another. "You're different."

"I'm jealous of what you have with Justin," Draco found himself admitting, his cheeks going pink. "I- I wish it was me instead."

"What?!"

Draco threw his hands into the air. "Is it so hard to believe that I could fancy you?"

"After the hell you've put me through over the years, yes," Ron said, shaking his head. "Never in a thousand years would I have thought that you would want to be with someone like me."

"I've put all of that blood purity bullshit in the past, Weasley," Draco snapped back, feeling a bit defensive.

"I know you've accomplished a lot to make up for the hurtful things you've done," Ron noted, scratching at the back of his neck. "We were kids, I guess."

"Do you think that you could ever be with me after the way I treated you?" Draco whispered, fearing the worst. "I regret so much from before we came back this year."

Swallowing hard, Ron tried to imagine himself with Draco instead of Justin. His heart began to race ever so slightly as he thought about kissing the blond, the feel of his body pressed against his own. Ron couldn't help himself, his eyes darted toward Draco's lips, and he unconsciously licked his own. When he glanced back up, Draco seemed to have noticed the action because grey eyes observed him.

Tentatively, Draco closed the space between them in a flash, but his lips didn't touch Ron's just yet. He met the Gryffindor's startling blue gaze as if asking for permission. When he wasn't pushed or shoved away in disgust, he took that as his permission and pressed his lips against the other wizard's in what he hoped was the best kiss he'd ever had.

When the redhead moaned, Draco grinned and decided he had Ron right where he wanted him…

He deepened the kiss, grabbing hold of Ron's robes and all but dragging him back into what he knew to be a broom closet. The door slammed shut, and then Draco was turning Ron around so he could press him into the wall. Ron gasped, allowing Draco's tongue to finally access his mouth.

The wizards groaned as they properly tasted one another for the first time. Draco ground his hips into Ron's so he would know precisely how turned on he was by the wizard. He needed him to know how much he wanted not only this but also him. He'd yearned for this since he'd found out that Ron was into blokes, and now he could possibly have everything he'd ever wanted.

Ron's back was pressed uncomfortably against the wall, and he was about to end the kiss as a thought of Justin entered his head. But then Draco's hands were dragging through his hair, tugging lightly as he moved to trail his lips down the column of his neck. He sighed as chills of pleasure wracked his entire body. He was hoping Draco would take things further when suddenly the wizard stopped and pulled back.

"What was that?" Ron asked, his blue eyes wide in the semi-darkness of the broom closet. He was panting as if he'd just outrun a dragon.

"Just a taste of what could be yours if you decide that you want to be with me," Draco murmured, loving the way Ron's muscled chest pressed into his with each heaving breath he took.

"Why would I want to be with you?" Ron asked, panting with both breathlessness and a bit of need. He shook his head and tried to make that sound a bit kinder. "Better yet, why would you want to be with me?"

"I don't know what you see in Justin, but I can tell you what I can offer." Draco tried to get his own erratic breathing under control. When he felt he was able, he cupped Ron's cheek and kissed him slowly this time, allowing Ron to fully feel the passion there. When he parted, he said, "Excitement. A life of thrills and someone who will go toe to toe with and for you."

Ron said nothing, his eyes never leaving Draco's face.

Draco kissed Ron once more before moving around and opening the closet door. He tugged Ron back into the stark light of the hallway. Letting go of his hand, he said, "You know where to find me if you decide you want to be with me."

Ron watched as Draco disappeared around the corner, not realizing until he was alone that he'd been holding his breath. He let it out quickly, trying to decide what his next course of action was… In the end, he sighed and turned toward the Hufflepuff dormitory. There was something he needed to take care of if he was going to take Draco up on his offer.


It didn't take long for Ron and Draco to become the most talked-about couple at Hogwarts. Justin had understood and just as easily moved on to someone else within his house. Draco and Ron sat together eating breakfast at the Gryffindor table when they were interrupted by Blaise and Theo entering the Great Hall.

"You're not supposed to sit at the wrong house table for breakfast," Theo joked as he and Blaise sat down next to Draco at the Gryffindor table.

"Yeah," Blaise added, elbowing the blond. "It's against the rules."

"Come off it, you two," Draco mumbled, rolling his eyes. He held Ron's hand under the table, enjoying the way the redhead occasionally brushed his thumb over his knuckles. "We're trying to promote a bit of house unity."

"Is that what it is?" Theo teased, grinning. "I thought you were just showing off your new lover."

Everyone laughed, including Ron, and Draco was forced to just grin and bear it. The group of Slytherins and Gryffindors went back to their meals, chatting amicably and making plans to head to Hogsmeade when the weekend came along. Draco and Ron may have started with a bit of jealousy and confusion but had obviously grown into something tangible. It was clear to everyone that Ron and Draco were better together than apart, and thanks to them, house unity spread like fiendfyre.