Chapter Six

Hermione and Harry raced back to the Gryffindor Tower, hoping beyond hope that Ron was there. He had apparently not shown up for dinner and frankly Harry was worried. Before dessert was served, Harry was beyond being worried and was now afraid...frantic to find his best friend. What would he be doing right now without Ron and his friendship? But more importantly -who- would Harry be right now without Ron? Alone, naïve about the wonders of the magical world, depressed past suicide. None of these prospects were too pleasing to Harry, so they were off in their search of Ron.

They sped towards their House; Ron might have gone back to go get something and was being held up as they ran. Harry burst into the common room only to find the fire crackling, not the fire of Ron's hair.

"Go looking in the boys' dorms." Commanded Hermione. "I'll continue to search down here."

As Harry headed towards the staircase, he heard a small whimper come from a far corner in the room.

"Hermione, listen for a moment."

The two students froze in their places, listening for the phantom cries. The two quickly traced the strangled moans to a huddled mass near the fireplace.

"Hello?" Hermione questioned as she neared the breathing, crying object. As she got closer, she noticed a small patch of red. "Ron! Are you okay?"

She cautiously walked up to him, thankful he was here. It spooked her quite a bit when Ron didn't show up at dinner, seeing how he was just behind her. But Harry had convinced her that Ron was safe, probably searching his room for a forgotten item. But he never showed. A tremor of fear and anxiety wavered through her at the thought that Ron might be injured or...she quickly pushed the morbid thought away from her. Ron was here, though crying unexplainably.

"Something must be wrong if Ron didn't come down and eat." She stated, awaiting the boy's reaction, but he didn't muse. "Must be something truly troubling him if he won't respond to that stereotypical comment."

Harry followed Hermione's suit by coming around to sit in front of Ron, face to face.

"Ron?" Harry asked gently. "What's wrong?"

"Don't fall in love. Hermione, Harry promise me you won't ever fall in love until you are truly ready." Ron began to ramble, finally showing his face after his 10 minute crying session. "Don't let some guy or girl sweep you off your feet, seduce you to the point of no return, until you desperately crave his touch, kiss..or a faint brush against the shoulder, then drop you like yesterday's garbage."

Ron held back a straggled sob as he remembered Malfoy quietly leaving him alone and crying. Malfoy strolled coolly into his life, then abruptly strolled out of it, just as coolly. He didn't care for him. It was so plain and simple; he was a cold, calculating Malfoy who embodied ice and clung to the icy rage within. Even his features of white-blonde hair, steel grey eyes as cold as the metal itself, pore-less fair skin captured the essence of ice. But when he, Ron, had inflamed him in the heat of passion, Malfoy's stone-cold appearance melted as the afterglow blush crept through his body, resting on his sweat-sheen cheeks. Merlin, he missed that boy.

"What do you mean, Ron?" the only girl in the trio inquired her best friend.

"I let myself feel a sort of premature or beginnings of love for someone. Little did I know all he wanted from me was sex. Why? Why does that supposed all knowing being that sits up in the sky feel the need to create and allow emotions? Does he sit up there and laughs when he sees poor saps like me care for another human beings then get their hearts stomped on?" Ron flailed his arms, letting the wild gesticulations interpret his depressing rage that was boiling over inside of him.

"I don't know Ron. I guess it's all apart of life and taking those lessons of life and growing from them." Hermione soothed as she crawled towards Ron, putting her arms around him comfortingly.

"She's right, you know. But I have one question." Harry pondered aloud.

"If you're trying to figure out who it was, I'm not telling."

"It wasn't Snape, or else you would have told us?"

"It might as well have been." Sighed Ron as a sob slipped past his throat and erupting darkly, bring a tear to his friends eyes.

"All I really want to know is if this person is a guy?"

Ron gasped; how could he let that slip by? He did say 'he' a few times. He wasn't afraid of his two friends reactions but it shocked him up to realize he hadn't thought of his sexuality, only of the boy who made him questioned it.

"Yes, that bastard who broke my heart is a guy. I don't know if I'm bisexual or homosexual but I like guys..or at least this one."

The three sat there in an understanding silence. They continued to sit in the corner with their emotional friend. Ron quickly restrained his emotions, gathered himself so he could at least a few minutes to get ready for bed without crying; he let his friends lead him up the stairs to the dorms.

"Ron don't worry about the whole sexuality issue. We still love you. Probably more so now that you trusted us enough to lets us know. Goodnight. And don't worry about whomever hurt you." Hermione kissed him on the cheek while giving him another reassuring hug. She disappeared into the girl dorms.

"Yeah Ron. I don't mind the whole gay/straight/bi problem. All I care about is finding the prat who did this to you and give him a good thumping. If you don't mind me asking, but how long have your two been....you know."

"Having sex. Since they announced you as the 4th champion." Ron ushered himself into the dorm and rapidly changed into his pajamas, wanting to just sleep.

"That was 6 weeks ago. You and this mystery man have been doing it for 6 weeks?!" exclaimed Harry as he got ready for bed.

"It wasn't a daily thing. Can we drop this subject for the time being?"

"Of course. 'Night Ron." Harry slipped into bed.

"Night." And all was quiet and dark.

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