It’s one of those stormy days.  He loves this kind of morning, where it’s thundering lightly, it sounds like a rumbling; it’s ominous and exciting all at the same time.  It’s almost noon and the sky is grey and the rain is falling all around, it’s why he loves living here.  It’s dreary, and sometimes he feels like he is as well.

He can see the couple across the street, an older couple maybe in their early thirties, nice bunch of people, they always say hello to him when he sees them on the street, Jack and Claire.  He’s an accountant and she’s a teacher.  He can see them setting up their nursery, they’ve told him that it’s going to be their first child and they’ve been trying to have a baby for years.  He doesn’t know what it’s about him, but sometimes people just tell him whatever they want, does he have that kind of face?  A face that even though he’s a stranger you just want to spill your guts out.  He remembers one particular night that face has got him into an awkward moment, well at least for him.

~*~

Neville was in the alcove beside Gryffindor Tower and he looked so lost and forlorn, that he approached him, normally he’d leave all of that kind of stuff to Hermione, she was the comforting type.  But, something in Neville’s face made him want to see what was wrong.

“Hey, mate.  Are you alright?” he asked as he sat across from him on the picture window.

“Yeah – just not feeling well.”

“Maybe you should see Pomfrey?  Maybe you’ve caught a bug.”

“Nah – it’s – well it’s me mum’s birthday.”

And he understands, he’s met Neville’s mum before, before she offered Neville a gum wrapper as a gift.  He felt awkward that day, just like he felt now. 

“I was too young to remember but me gram says that we used to have these massive family dinners and me mum and dad would dance and laugh and tell their stories about being Aurors – it’s just well – it was a happy time for them and I think about what she did to my parents – it’s just too hard to bear sometimes.”

He puts a hand on his shoulder and nods, “Don’t worry, mate – she’ll have her time and don’t dwell on that, what you have to think about is that your parents did what they did to make sure you and everyone else remained safe, they’re the real hero’s in my book.”

“Thanks, Ron.”

“Hey – come with me.”

He brought him to the kitchens that night, asked Dobby to make a special cake that said ‘Happy Birthday Mum’ on it, of course he had to make sure Dobby spelled everything right, then together they sang happy birthday for Neville’s mum, maybe someone might have thought they were completely mad, but he thought it was the right thing to do, he knew it was right when Neville hugged him so hard before they went to sleep that night, so hard that he felt a rib shift and whispered a soft ‘Thanks’ before heading for his bed.

~*~

Sometimes he regrets that day, when he had to make a choice between love and family...sometimes he feels like he’s made the wrong choice...sometimes...

~*~

He remembers it was graduation, the battle was won, and Harry came out on top.  Neville got his revenge when he was present when Bellatrix died at the hands of Lupin, through all of Neville’s grief and disgust for the women that basically sent his parents into nothingness, he could not even bring himself to kill her.  She even begged for mercy at his feet as he pointed his wand at her, but he still couldn’t do it.  He’s another hero in Ron’s book.

But the night before graduation he lay in the embrace of his lover of two years all he kept thinking about was, it’s going to be over, his time at Hogwarts was now at an end, did that mean that he and Draco would be too?  He lay there stroking the blond hair as it lay against his chest, wondering what Draco was thinking, wondering if Draco wanted to be with him after all this.

If I traded it all, if I gave it

All away for One Thing, just for

One Thing, if I sorted it out, if I

Knew all about this One Thing
Wouldn’t that be something...

His entire family was there, including the surviving members of the Order, unfortunately that didn’t include Snape, who died saving Draco’s life, when Voldemort himself tried to make the young Malfoy pay for turning traitor.  Ron held him that night as he cried; Snape was more of a father figure than Lucius Malfoy ever could be.

After the ceremony he watched Draco as he walked along side his mother and for a moment they just stared at one another, the Malfoy’s and the Weasley’s.

Both sides were wondering why the two boys were just standing there staring at one another.

“Ron, you alright?” asked Hermione.

“What do you want, Malfoy?” snarled Harry from Ron’s right.

“Mr. Potter, why is it that even after the war you can’t even be civil toward us?” asked Narcissa.

“You’ll always be a part of that whole crowd, Mrs. Malfoy – the one that tried to kill us all.” spat Harry.

“That is rubbish – you know that we were helping your side, if it wasn’t for Severus and my son then you would’ve lost.”

“Wait a minute,” said Lupin coming to Harry’s side and pushing him back as Narcissa was advancing.   “We’ve all made our sacrifices all of us – so let’s not say whose were more important.”

Mrs. Malfoy rushed forward pushing Draco farther and it was like a whirlwind, pushing them farther from each other, his family was going toward Mrs. Malfoy and all of them were arguing about who did what, who saved who, who lived and who died.  He and Draco just stood there, like they were on opposite sides of the war again.

I promise I might not walk

On by, maybe next time, but

Not this time, even though I

Know I don’t want to know
Yeah, I guess I know, I just

Hate how it sounds...

Draco was just standing there, looking so beautiful in his emerald robes and Ron wanted to just kiss him and love him, but it was like they were being kept apart.  He glanced back at his family and then at his friends, Draco did the same to his mother.  Who was now shoving her finger into Tonks’ face, calling her a traitor, because they were family.

These people were the ones who raised him.  His mum, his dad, his brothers and Ginny who were defending Harry again.  He didn’t notice Hermione watching him though, watching him and Draco just stands there as if some invisible line was separating them.  And Ron was afraid to cross it.  They were practically toe to toe, but he was too scared to cross.

“Ron?” he heard her as if she was in the distance, barely audible.  Though she was right behind him. 

Memories flashed in his mind, teaching Ginny to ride a broom, the twins and their jokes, pale skin being caressed as he ran his hands all over it, his parents dancing and laughing during Christmas, meeting a black-haired boy on the train, soft pink lips on the hollow of his throat, a bushy haired girl telling him ‘It’s Leviosa not levi-o-sah’ those same lips brushing against his ear and whispering words of love.  The One Thing that these people couldn’t give him.

One step was all it took.

They immediately stopped arguing when Ron Weasley grabbed Draco Malfoy’s hand and took off running down the pitch where the ceremony was being held, scooping him into a tight embrace before they jumped into a waiting carriage to take them away.

~*~

“Ron?” mumbles the sleepy voice of his Malfoy.

He walks to their bed and smiles leaning in to kiss him on the cheek, “You’re awake then?”

“No, come back to bed.”

“The neighbors are setting up their nursery.”

“That’s nice...bed.” Draco says and yanks Ron back down and kisses him.

“Alright, maybe for a little while.” Ron smiles as he nuzzles his nose along Draco’s.

He snuggles into Draco as he eases back into his slumber, lightly brushing his fingers along the pale skin.  Their families are still in a tiff, but they’ll get over it. 

Does he have regrets?  None.  Everyone has that moment where you’re afraid to take a chance, he took his chance and as long as he was with Draco, he’d take many more.

If I traded it all, if I gave it

All away for One Thing, just for

One Thing, if I sorted it out, if I

Knew all about this One Thing
Wouldn’t that be something...

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The End.