A/N: I'm so incredibly sorry that this has taken this long to write. A lot has been going on in my life over the past few months, and I hope that this chapter makes up for all of the delay. Thank you everyone that has kept reading this and for all the kind reviews that I've gotten! It means a lot! The song used is Harmony by Christofer Drew. Please read and tell me what you think!
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It must be the heat getting to Draco. He couldn't think of any other explanation.
He was currently in Ron's bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror. Draco's hair was a bit oily, but not bad enough to look terrible. It wasn't slicked back like it had been all those years ago. No, it just stood out at odd angles like Ron's or Harry's. His face was pale and flushed at the same time. The blonde wasn't sure how to explain it, he just looked sick. Draco tore his gaze away from himself and stared at the floor. Yes he really must be crazy to want to play in front of other people.
Ok, let's rewind a bit.
000
It had been a little bit over a week since Draco had made that breakfast. Not much more interaction had gone on between him and Molly or Arthur. Arthur would make small talk with Draco at the dinner table, but the blonde could tell it was strained and forced. But still, he silently thanked the kind older man for making an effort. Other than that, Draco hadn't really been doing anything besides helping Ron with his chores and helping Molly with dinner every now and then.
It had been eerily quiet. At least, it seemed like that to Draco.
Then, one day, as most stories go, Arthur brought home an assortment of Muggle items from the Ministry. Ron was excited, since most of them were items that he'd never seen before. Draco recognized a few. An assortment of jewelry, some sun glasses, a few books that looked somewhat interesting. And then Draco saw it. Something that he so long ago wanted to obtain, but never could. Now, he had the perfect chance.
A harmonica.
"Mr. Weasley, may I have this?" Draco politely asked and he picked it up, handling like it would break any second. Arthur looked up from the table, eyeing what was in the blonde's hand for a moment. He flashed a wide, warm smile before speaking.
"Yes, of course Draco. Do you know how to play?" Arthur kindly replied. Draco looked at the floor and had to think for a moment.
"No, well yes, but no. It's kind of complicated. Thank you so much for letting me have this." Draco quickly said. He tried to give a warm smile back to the kind man, but it probably didn't come out right. Arthur didn't seem to notice because he just looked away from Draco and over to Ron.
"Ron, you see anything?"
"Not today, dad. Maybe Ginny'll like some of the jewelry, though. C'mon, Draco, let's go get dressed to throw some gnomes." Ron casually said. Draco, who was so fixated on the harmonica, did a double take at his friend as they moved out of the dining area and towards the stairs, waving Arthur a goodbye and thank you.
"I'm sorry, what are we doing?" Draco quietly asked as they climbed the stairs. Ron glanced at him and flashed a grin. Draco felt his face flush, but he ignored it.
"Throwing gnomes? I do it a few times a month; they clutter in our garden and become a burden." Ron replied as if it was totally normal. Draco cradled the harmonica in his hands. They finally reached the red head's room as Ron turned and gave Draco the weirdest look he'll probably ever receive in his life.
"Why'd you take that weird thing?" Ron curiously asked. He wasn't trying to sound mean or anything, but it kind of came off that way. The blonde shuffled his feet against the floor, looking at everything but Ron. It was a hard subject for him to talk about, he didn't even like thinking about it. Draco looked at his hand and started to pick at his fingers.
"I have a song to play for your parents."
"Really? That's great! But why do you need a harmonica? I don't remember you talking about a song with one." Ron said in an excited voice. Draco took a slight step back away from his friend, now just staring at the floor.
"I haven't because it's a special song. I didn't write it, I just want to add in the harmonica." Draco sheepishly replied. Ron seemed to get that at that point Draco didn't really want to talk about it. He gave his friend a wide smile, even though he wasn't looking.
"Well, we should get ready." Ron said a little too loudly. Draco looked up just as he saw his friend wander off into the bathroom to change his clothes.
000
"Remind me to never do that again." Draco said as he threw himself on his makeshift bed next to Ron's bed. The red head let out a nervous laugh as he sat up on his bed, scratching the back of his head.
Throwing gnomes had not gone according to plan. Draco never wanted to do it again. One punched him in the shin, another jumped on his back, and another bit his hand. All at the same time. It was most likely the worst experience that Draco had ever had with the wizarding world. He was for sure to be covered in bruises now. The blonde rolled over on his side, grabbing the guitar from beside him. He laid it across him stomach; now back to lying on his back. Draco played around and tuned it for a minute before playing some random tunes. Or at least to Ron, they seemed random. It was a few moments of them just relaxing and enjoying each other's company.
"So…" Ron started, but wasn't really sure where to go from there. Draco gave him a sideways glance, but didn't say anything. He continued to play for a few minutes. Ron soon realized that he actually was playing a real tune or just the same thing over and over again. It was now awkwardly quiet, at least for Ron it was. Ron hates it when he starts to talk, but then can't think of anything to say. It's the worst situation to be in. Draco let out a small laugh as stopped playing for a second.
"Jeez, Ron, you seem so nervous." Draco laughed again. Ron made a pouty face as he sat up in his bed, giving a half-hearted glare towards his friend.
"Well, yeah, I hate being awkwardly quiet." Ron shot back. Draco let out another laugh and kept playing his guitar a little bit.
"Nothing's awkward, we're just sitting here." The blonde replied. This was kind of the truth. They were just sitting there. Ron looked away from his friend, the muscles in his back relaxing a little bit. He fixed his gaze on a spot on the ceiling, letting the notes wash over him. After a few moments, it started to become hypnotizing the red head. Ron was sure he would have fallen asleep if Draco hadn't started to talk.
"This song is special and I've only played it for one person." The blonde quietly said. Ron barely heard it, let alone understood what the hell his friend was talking about. Then he remembered that Draco had picked up that harmonica and said that he wanted to play a song for his parents. Ron sat up on his elbow and looked down at Draco. He raised an eyebrow as the blonde glanced at him.
"Only for one person?"
"Yeah, well, he played it a few times and then one time he let me play with him. But that's beside the point. It's special because so few people have heard it and it changes how you see the world." Draco softly replied. Ron was thoroughly interested now. He rolled over on his side to get a better look at the blonde.
"Change how you see the world? Is there a song like that?" Ron questioned. Draco looked back up at his friend, dead in the eye. It gave Ron the chills for a second.
"The first song you ever heard me play changed you." Draco replied. It almost sounded flat, but Ron heard a little bit of an emotion he didn't quite recognize in there. He pushed it aside.
"True. I hope I can meet this person. They have to be incredible to write a song like that." Ron said in a dreamy voice. The second those words left his mouth, Ron regretted it. The air became stiff and awkward. The red head looked down at his friend. Draco looked distraught and worn. His face was etched with some sort of sadness that Ron had only seen in one person before: Harry.
"You'll never meet him, he's dead."
The air instantly became thick and heavy. Ron couldn't even bare to look at his friend now. He kept his eyes glued to the ceiling, not even blinking once. The red head thought it was awkward with harry after Cedric died, but this was beyond uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. He died at the worst time ever, but he made a difference in so many lives. That's why I don't talk about my guitar; Vincent gave it to me right before he died winter of our fourth year." Draco stiffly said. Even though this situation was very uncomfortable, Ron could sense an odd calmness in Draco's voice. He chanced a look back at his friend; his expression hadn't even changed.
"When do you want to play the song?" Ron cautiously asked, trying to relieve the tight tension in the room. Draco locked eyes with his red haired friend and smiled slightly. Ron wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.
000
And this how Draco became a mess.
He stayed up all night, practicing the song in the living room at night when everyone had gone to bed. It was almost perfect. Almost. Draco had no fucking clue how to play the harmonica; he hadn't really thought that out. Almost no sleep, no shower, barely even brushing his hair, Draco was preparing to go and play that damn song for Ron's parents'. The anticipation was killing him.
Taking in a deep breath of air, Draco turned away from the mirror, turning off the light to the bathroom and stalking into Ron's bedroom. The red head had gone downstairs to keep Molly and Arthur busy while Draco prepared himself for a sure disaster. At least, in his mind it was going to be a disaster.
Sighing to himself, Draco left the room in a hurry. He wanted to get this over as soon as possible. He clambered down the stairs, Draco's feet banging against the wood. The whole house must have heard him coming down. But, strangely, Draco didn't really care. This was a moment, an event, a memory, that would probably change Molly and Arthur for the rest of their lives.
Draco was in the dining room without even realizing it. It was like he was walking through his own house. At this point, the Burrow did feel like Draco's home, but he would never admit that out loud. Draco glanced around the entry way to the kitchen. He saw Molly and Arthur and Ron all sitting around the small breakfast table in there, laughing and talking amongst themselves. It was a moment before Ron looked up and saw Draco. He had the biggest smile Draco had ever seen. Ron just kept surprising him with bigger and bigger smiles, it seemed like.
"Mum, dad, I think Draco wanted to show you something." Ron said out of the blue. Molly and Arthur turned and looked at looked at the blonde. Arthur looked pleased to see Draco, while Molly just raised her eyebrows. It was hard to tell what she was feeling at the moment. Draco shuffled his feet a bit, his guitar banging against his leg.
"I wanted to play you guys something." Draco quietly said, looking at the ground. Arthur let out a pleasant sigh.
"Well, come sit down, Draco my boy! There's a free seat next to Ron." The older man cheerfully said. Draco sent mental waves of thanks and hope that on some level Arthur could read his mind. Not like Draco would ever say anything like that out loud; it made him feel crazy just thinking it. Casting those thoughts aside, he took a seat next to Ron. His friend, his rock, his support right now. Draco nervously adjusted his guitar on his lap, the harmonica attached to a funny looking contraption around his neck. Ron gave his friend a funny look, but quickly covered it up with a smile.
"I didn't write this, but I hope that you guys enjoy it anyway." Draco nervously said. Before Molly or Arthur could say anything and make Draco anymore nervous, he began to strum the strings and play the song.
"I am I, you are you, we are we
We could live in such harmony.
Can't you see, apathy, lies between
We could live in such harmony.
And I am praying for the day
When you and I and he and she are we
When you and I and he and she are we
Humanity will sing harmony.
We start a war, but what's it for? We fight for peace
Peace will find us with harmony
So trade your guns, and fire with doves. We fight for love
And peace will find us with harmony
And I am praying for the day
When you and I and he and she are we
When you and I and he and she are we
Humanity will sing harmony.
So one for all, and all for one, we for we
We could sing in such harmony
I work for you, you work for me, we work for free
And we could sing in such harmony
And I am praying for the day
When you and I and he and she are we
When you and I and he and she are we
Humanity will sing harmony."
Draco finished out with a few puffs on the harmonica. It didn't sound perfect, or even all that great, but that was alright. It fit Draco perfectly. The entire time while he was playing, Draco didn't look at Molly or Arthur once. He glanced at Ron out of the corner of his eye, but maybe only once or twice. Draco took in a chest full of air and looked up at the Wesley's.
Molly had tears in her eyes. Arthur had a sad but proud smile on his face. And Ron… Ron was glowing. His smile was soft, but it warmed Draco's heart in a way that scared him a little bit. Draco's heart filled up with warmth as well, taking him to happiness on a new level that he wasn't even aware was possible. And all because Ron smiled at him.
I have a big problem.
"That was wonderful, Draco!" Molly cried out. The blonde tore his face away from his friend and looked at the beaming woman. She looked like she might cry at any second. Arthur, sitting next to her, still had that warm smile on his face. It reminded Draco of Ron.
He chanced a look back at his friend. Ron still looked so happy. Draco wasn't really sure why Ron was happy. He didn't do anything other than play a song written by his dead friend. Nothing special, in Draco's eyes. Still, that smile from Ron made his heart melt. Draco forced himself to look away, his face now feeling a bit red.
"Thank you." Draco sheepishly replied, sinking back into his mind before anymore confused feeling about Ron emerged.
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God, this took to fucking long. My older sister has been eating around me all night, and I have a HUGE phobia of people eating around me, so this motivated me to finish it even more. I hope that everyone enjoyed it. I know it's short, but it hasn't been updated in forever. Please, let me know what you think. Something should be coming soon!