"What were you on about? Talking to me last night?"

"Aauf?"

This is going to be a very long day, Harry thought, and repeated his question, "You said you were coming here to talk to me about something last night, before you went and bollocksed up your marriage."

Ron swallowed a whole mouthful and Harry winced at the descending lump in Ron's throat. Any other human being would have found that painful. Since Ron had been such an expert at gulping down half the breakfast table in a hurry before class at Hogwarts, while the rest of the lazy lot smuggled in a couple of slices of toast and kippers, Harry supposed there was something of an immunity to pain of such nature.

"Harry! My marriage is not ruined… at least not until someone tells her."

"Oh well knowing you Ron, you'd be jumpy like you've got ants down your pants and mate, you are talking about Hermione here! Smartest witch of our lot? "

"Right, there is that."

"Yeah, and not to mention, you're a pathetic liar."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"I can keep this up all day mate!"

"So Can I!"

Ron deflated and hung his head. It was true, Harry could keep it up better than him, so Ron went back to picking up another slice of toast.

And found that the table had moved away.

"Hey! I wasn't finished!"

"You could eat a whole hippogriff and you'd still not be done. Now tell me, what were you on about?"

"Err, am not done yet?"

"RONALD!"

"Aah…okay, okay. Hermione sent me to tell you something important."

"And you're 10 hours late, out with it!"

"Well, you see err, it goes like this mate… remember how you figured the flu potion was a good one? Oh by the way, thanks for that mate!"

A vein in Harry's temple throbbed.

"Right! Well, it's about you and Draco, in a way."

"And…?"

Ron shuffled his feet under the table, "And Charlie…" he paused.

"What about me and Draco and Charlie?"

The door to the sitting room was flung open with a great BANG! And both men stood and whipped their wands out, Harry automatically throwing up a wordless protection shield.

It was years of practice and paranoia.

"Honey! I'm Hooooome!"

Draco stepped into the room, cloak thrown casually over one arm, and nonchalantly raised an eyebrow when he saw the Weasley trademark red hair.

"Weasel."

"Ferret."

Harry sighed, would these two never get along? For goodness sake, it had been many years since school and technically Ron was supposed to be good to his lover.

No such luck.

"Hello Harry, won't come here for a nice welcome home after a long day?"

Harry complied, but kept it clean. Ron always went red and uncomfortable when they got intimate, "It's ten in the morning Drake. You were gone less than two hours."

Draco sniffed, "Well, that is a long day then."

Ron rolled his eyes, long indeed. "Hmmf."

"What was that Weasel? I didn't hear you quite well."

"Draco, come on, stop calling him that."

"You always take his side," Draco pouted.

"Aww, it's not like that love, " Harry smoothed away the pout.

"Ugh! Get a ruddy room!"

"Ron!" Harry snapped, "I have seen you do much more to Hermione, and I haven't said shit. Shut up or get out! I have tried to get you to accept us, but…"

Ron was sheepish, "Sorry Harry, it's just that I'm squeamish with two blokes' up to that stuff…"

"Get used to it, Ron." Harry stormed off to the kitchen.

"Seems like you have nothing to say for yourself, Weasel," Draco said coldly, "Stay here, I will be back."

Ron was left alone in the sitting room.

"Why can't I just keep my face and mouth shut?" Ron smacked his forehead. This was not going well. Harry was pissed off at him, and he would be too, except Ron had no bloody idea how to make this right, and break the bad news to Harry about Draco.

Briefly, Ron considered moving to another country and starting over, but quickly discarded that idea. Hermione would hunt him down, even if he hid at the centre of the earth. It was hopeless.

Ron was mortally afraid of his wife.

Pathetic, really.

Even the Hermione inside his head was scary.

Ron went to the window and looked out at the grounds of Malfoy Manor. It was really quite beautiful this time of the year. The trees were in full bloom, not to mention Narcissa's roses. They were of beautiful hues, and Draco had tended to them himself, as a loving tribute to his mother.

"Beautiful, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are."

"It's especially this time of year that they bloom to their finest, at the peak of Spring."

"Yeah, Mum says the same with our garden, something to do with the right amount of humidity and soil being not too dry."

"That's true, although in England it's the incessant rain and lack of sunshine that we worry about, rather than excessive heat."

"Right, but it is rather warm for spring, don't you think?"

"Yes, well it was a mild winter too."

"Hmm."

Draco realised with a start that they had not once sniped at each other. They actually had a civil conversation.

Some part of him wanted to stoke the coals and get it going, but he was just too tired.

Apparently Weasley felt the same. He just gave Draco a measuring look and went back to staring at the roses.

Hermione loves roses, Ron thought, maybe I ought to get her a bunch.

"Why can't you just accept it that Harry is happy with me?"

"Look, it's not that! I just didn't expect him to be… you know?"

"Gay?"

"Well, that… it was always the idea that he would end up with Ginny and we'd all be together again, you know? The war messed up all our lives, and we just wanted it to be normal again."

"Yes, we all wanted it to go back, but you have to admit it that it didn't, and things are different."

"I'm trying, Malfoy. It's not that easy."

"At least you married Granger right? So you got a part of it to happen?"

Ron looked at Malfoy, Draco, and thought how odd it was, that they were having a conversation like non-enemies; like friends even!

"Why are we being nice to each other Malfoy?"

"I don't know. All I know is that the war was a long time ago, it made all our lives miserable, and I want Harry to be happy."

"So you're doing this for him?"

"Would you believe it?"

Ron watched the roses some more. After a minute of silence, he turned toward Draco, and stuck out a hand.

Surprised, Draco took it, and they shook. No words were said, but the meaning was clear. Their personal war was over.

"I would believe it," Ron said softly, and glanced back at Draco, "but it will take time for me to get used to it."

Draco nodded and they went back to watching the roses.

"In light of our new found peace, I have to ask you to do something."

"So there's a catch?"

Draco gave a lopsided smile which didn't touch his eyes.

"I won't tell if you won't."

Ron jerked his head up and saw the smug pose Draco held, arms crossed across his chest and leaning back on the wide window sill.

He knew.

Ron wanted to rip the peace to shreds and kill him then and there. But Draco was excellent with wandless magic; he knew from the time they fought on the same side.

Draco watched Weasley turn an interesting shade of red and purple. It was quite amusing really, but he also slipped his wand free from his sleeve, into his hand. He knew the weasel was angry, and he also knew the weasel would punch first, like a common muggle, before he remembered he was a wizard. He didn't want to provoke him too much now.

After all, he had just calmed Harry, and it took a great deal to calm him down. He just didn't have the strength to play another session of "Balance the power" just yet.

He knew there were the cons of getting together with one of the most powerful wizards since Merlin, not to mention one of the most unstable. Harry had not yet mastered the art of controlling bursts of magic at times of emotional turmoil.

After all, he did grow up with filthy muggles who didn't teach him table manners, let alone self control.

Many times Draco felt like a nanny to him. Harry, don't do this, Harry don't do that; mind your manners, wear decent robes, don't eat like a baboon…

Watching Weasley struggle to control his emotions made Draco sure that it was not completely the muggles' fault. After all, he also grew up with a know-it-all and a buffoon.

When Ron was calm enough, he took a deep breath and asked Malfoy, "What do you want?"

"Just what I said; you leave the Charlie matter alone, and I'll leave the Gabrielle matter alone."

"You want me to not tell Harry that you are a lying cheating bastard??"

"And I won't tell Granger-Weasley that you are a lying cheating son of a bitch."

"Ha! For once you missed something Ferret; even if you don't, Harry will."

"Leave that to me."

"And how exactly do you plan to manage that? Obliviate him? That's cruel, even for you Malfoy, not to mention, he will find out something's missing, and he will kill you."

"I'm pretty sure you are that thick, so I will tell you how. No, I will not mess with his head, well, not literally of course. You see, Harry has a guilt complex that could have rivalled Severus', and I will make use of that to keep his mouth shut about Delacour, but you have to leave the Charlie matter alone, and take a vow never to let him know."

"I don't get it Malfoy, but I trust your deviousness; I have one other thing, although, a condition of my own."

"Not enough that I'm saving what's left of your marriage?"

"Not nearly. Hermione will eventually forgive me, if she found out. It won't be easy and it will be a very long winter, but she will forgive me. Harry, not so much of a forgiver."

Draco raised an eyebrow; the weasel had a point, "What's your asking?"

Ron turned and crossed his arms. "You have to take a vow never to cheat on Harry again," he paused and added, "as long as you are together, that is."

Draco considered this, and sighed. Ron waited.

"That incident with Charlie was an isolated incident. We never meant to cheat on our partners."

"But? You expect me to believe you?"

"Believe what you want!" Draco snapped, and then calmed down, "I love Harry. I was just confused, and we were going through a rough patch, and Charlie was there, all bronzed glory, and well, it happened."

"You're blaming my brother now?"

"I'm not blaming anyone Weasley, it was just circumstances." Draco paused, and added, "Just like you now."

"Right."

Draco scrubbed his face, "alright Weasley, do you want the deal or not?"

"All inclusive?"

"Yes."

Ron thought about it, it was not one of his best options, but right now, he didn't want to have to give Hermione a reason to be mad at him.

"Alright Malfoy, we have a deal."

They shook on it.

"Tea?"

"Yes please."

"Perhaps we should head to the kitchen? Harry is sleeping it off, he'll be out for a while."

"Why do I have the feeling that you drugged him?"

"That's because you don't trust me."

"Right, just so you know."

"And because I did. Drug him, that is."

"What??"

"Oh quit giving me that holier-than-thou look Weasley, it's not like you never slipped calming potion to your wife once a while."

"Err…no?"

Draco gave him an incredulous look, "And you survived Granger this long?"

"Well it's not that bad actually."

Draco canted an eyebrow.

"Err… mumble mumble mumble mumble…"

"Weasley, I doubt even you understood that mumbling. Speak up man!"

"I didn't think of it, alright?"

"By Salazar! You ARE that thick! You do remember you're a wizard that often, do you?"

"Har bloody har, Malfoy," Ron sulked.

Draco only chuckled, and they went to the kitchens for tea, and Ron saved the calming potion idea for later use.