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Seraphim Beneath The Christmas Tree	By : starstruck86 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Snape/Ron Views: 8943 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor do I make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 3
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A/N: Morning all! Yum, I love this chapter. I love writing
adult Ron. He�s just so� yum. Thank you all for your reviews:

Kai �Well, I think no matter her sins Hermione didn�t want
to hurt him but in trying to spare him as long as she could, she only hurt him
more. More on her in this chapter! X

Sheree �I think it really does
just come from writing them for far too long. George is going to prove
interesting when this hits. ;) Get your wind tunnel out, girl!

Davinci �More on Ron/George�s
relationship in this one. I agree, it�s difficult to
manage, that situation. Also, I�m glad you liked Severus at the end. I didn�t
want to instantly spring into more sexual content and went for the less is more
theory, glad it worked. However, that doesn�t apply for this chapter *whistle*

Talley �is she really evil? I always think that sort of
thing is interesting. If she was our friend, most would probably say �good for
you, you can�t live a lie� but from the opposite side, looking at Ron, she�s
evil for hurting him. LOVE psychology like that. Glad you�re intrigued by the fic!x

hairsprayX12 �um, more raunchiness coming up, just a warning
like� ;)

Hope you all enjoy this one. Thought it was time some other
characters made their appearances! xxx

-----

Fuck� running doesn�t
appear to be working.

Ron panted through the burn in his legs and forced himself
to keep up his pace, shooting a glance at his watch as he pounded through the
relatively quiet pathways of the park. In his ears the loud thrashing of music
had been intended to drive all possibility of thought out of his mind but just
like the running, it didn�t appear to have been successful.

He hated jogging. Really, truly hated it, especially the way
sweat poured off him for everybody else to see as it clung to his torso and
stained through his clothes. But to be an Auror he had to keep up a high level
of physical fitness and whilst he loathed banging along London streets, he hated the scary gym at the
Auror HQ far, far more.

But it�s not�
stopping� me� thinking� gaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Ron slowed to a halt and bent over, dropping his hands onto
his knees as he looked down at the concrete. His breath caught up with him in
tight gusts and he knew his hair was plastered to his head in an unflattering
mop of sweaty redness, clashing hideously with his flushed face.

Resolutely he straightened and set off again, knowing to
stop dead in the middle of the park would be mad as his muscles would stiffen
and he�d be limping all the way home. He fell into time with the beats in his
ears.

Hate it. Hate it. Hate
it. The words crashed over the music making up his own
song.

Why hasn�t he written?

Ron spat somewhat viciously on the ground as he ran,
clenching his hands into tight fists.

And I wonder what he�d
think if he knew what I did on New Year�s Eve?

He flushed even redder when his mind threw that at him. New
Year�s Eve had not been a good one, by any standards, but Ron didn�t really see
how anyone could ever have expected it to have been. He had been out, alone,
drinking, met somebody and ended up going home with them, having to partake in
the New Year�s Day Walk of Shame: the slow, steady creep of the hungover back to their own homes from those which they had
spent the night.

And never mind that he
was a he. Bah, fuck it.

Ron slowed coming out of the park and was in luck. He walked
the few short stops to the bus stop and threw his arm out for the oncoming double
decker. Two minutes later he was comfortably seated
stinking out the back seat with the physical fruits of his labour.

I�m a lazy fucking
hobo and Kingsley would have my arse if he knew his Senior Auror was getting
the bus home from a fucking run�

He looked determinedly out of the window at the passing
people and shops. The man he�d been with had been muggle, fairly attractive, a
bit shorter, blue eyes. Shamefully, that was all Ron could really remember
other than one crucial fact.

It wasn�t half as good
as it was with Severus. Fuck.

Ron glared down the aisle of the bus and folded his arms
sulkily over his chest.

Maybe
not even as quarter as good.

His eyes caught sight of one of the muggle sex shop chains
and it did nothing to get his mind off its train of thought.

What the fuck is wrong
with me? I�ve never been out and picked somebody up in my fucking life. Let
alone a fucking man. One night with a bloke and I�m a shirt-lifter now?

He squeezed his eyes shut and unknowingly let out an
infuriated growl. An elderly lady edged away from him and he saw her worried
looks when he re-opened his eyelids to the world. He mouthed his apologies and
looked dejectedly out of the window, reaching up to rub some of the sweat off
his forehead. The thrum of the engine below him reverberated in his belly and a
sick ache developed there. He reached for the bell and the bus stopped almost
immediately and he got off, despite the fact he was still streets away from the
flat.

Thanking the driver he stepped onto the pavement and tripped
along the concrete, his limbs feeling heavy and loose all at once as the cold
January air assaulted him. He was looking forward to a long hot shower and then
dreading an afternoon studying for his annual performance review at work.

He had decorated the flat and it was, as he�d expected, much
more satisfying to live in. His mother had been most impressed with his decorative
skills and the furniture he�d picked out, even if the light sofa was still a
point of contention. Ron had charmed it with every protective spell he could
think of, and tested his work by chucking a glass of cherryade
at it. The sofa was fine, but there was a blurry pinkish stain on the
floorboards.

Must remember to look
into spells to distress the floor� He�d taken great pleasure in ripping up
the old carpet which had been in the flat. It was somewhat like peeling off
skin and it satisfied him greatly to tug it up with the intention of throwing
it away, possibly because it was wanted to do to himself to start all over
again.

And then, as Charlie had put it, his beach house in the
middle of London
had been complete with the addition of several rag rugs and all the white
distressed furniture.

And have to remember
to do the inside of the fireplace.

If Ron was being obsessive, he didn�t care. Attacking his
flat had given him the release he needed and the means with which to keep his
brain occupied from moping over his failed relationship. To that end he now had
pale blue walls, a pretty tiled mosaic border in the bathroom with a new suite
and a wonderfully tranquil turquoise bedroom. Blue was the prevailing colour
scheme, not because he was depressed but because he genuinely found it calming.

He sped up his pace to keep his legs loosened until he could
get home and stretch them and reached to turn down the
volume on his player. Free and complimentary, of course, seeing as he knew the
creator �if he ever left the Auror force he would miss all
his well placed contacts.

But would I really, if
I had something better than free stuff?!

He brooded on that and wondered where his love of the job
had gone. At twenty there had been nothing he enjoyed more than going to work.
At twenty-six it seemed nothing more than the chore he had insisted it would
never become. Maybe it had just been the empty words of youth but he really had
been sure he would love his job forever.

And the money, don�t
forget the money.

He couldn�t deny it was helpful. He had learned on the first
day back after the Christmas holiday that his yearly bonus was huge. One might
say massive �it was more than enough to replace at least half of what he�d lost
on the wedding. And apart from buying dinner from the slightly more expensive
muggle supermarket, he�d done nothing with it bar stick it in the bank and let
it earn him interest for the two days it had been in his possession.

Shite, I�ve got boring
in my old age. What happened to the Ron who would get paid and blow half of it
in an afternoon?

He looked at the cars parked along the road as he walked
down the quieter streets leading towards his flat. A smile curved up his lips
remembering how angry Hermione had gotten every time he had done that, assuming
he�d been stupid enough to not keep back enough for the rent, food and bills.
Ron had never been that thoughtless. Growing up without money had instilled in
him the sense to make sure all the necessary outgoings were covered before he
spent the rest of it. It was lucky that being an Auror came with such a high
pay packet.

It didn�t surprise him he was already home as he turned into
the corner of his road; he�d always been a fast walker when deep in thought.
Shivering slightly, he approached the gate as a figure jogged down the steps
from the top flats.

�Basement flat?� the postman asked boredly.

�Yeah, that�s me,� Ron tugged the headphones out of his
ears, but the postal worker said nothing else, merely shoved a letter into
Ron�s hand and walked away, rummaging in his red and yellow bag.

Ron swallowed and looked down at the letter, slightly bent
in the corner. The spidery dark handwriting made him blink, and then he was
sure his eyes must have widened comically as realisation set in.

Oh� fuck!!!

He jumped the small gate which closed off the steps down to
his flat and jogged down them, the headphones trailing behind him on the
concrete as he fumbled for the keys. He barrelled into the flat dropping the
keys on the floor as he tore into the envelope and kicked the door shut behind
him. He tugged out the note, heart thudding inexplicably hard. Sapphire eyes
skated over the words desperately.

�Fuck yeah!� He grinned and re-read it a second time.

Doesn�t sound
particularly bothered though� but then it�s Snape. He never really did sound
bothered about anything� except when I was sucking his cock of course.

He shivered with delight at the memory and folded the letter
back up, crossing to the bookcase and slipping it into the first he found which
just so happened to be his copy of the Official Auror Conduct Guidelines.

Well fuck studying.
I�m getting me to Scotland.

Ron didn�t care how eager it made him look that he was
high-tailing to Scotland
the second the letter had arrived, and he dove for the bedroom, but then caught
sight of himself in the mirror.

Huge sweat patches blossomed beneath his arms and from his
neckline and his hair was plastered down as he had expected. He looked awful.

Alright, shower first,
then Scotland.

Scotland
and a fuck, hopefully.

Or a
blow job.

Maybe
both?

I am *too* excited.

Ron stripped off his clothes and dropped them on the floor
of the bathroom, reaching out to turn the freestanding shower on, springing
back so the first run of cold water didn�t drench him. Whilst he waited for it
to heat he performed a few stretches on his muscles glad nobody was around to
watch him doing them in the buff, especially when he nearly kicked himself in
the eye with his own knee.

He doesn�t know just
how bendy I am yet.

With that Ron jumped into the water and delighted in the
feel of it carrying away the salty expulsions of his morning�s exercise,
feeling cleaner with every passing second.

He was washing his hair when a thought struck him.

I should go to the Alley and get him some stuff, more headache Potion
for one. And maybe some obviously magical stuff he might have missed.

Ron didn�t know if his plan would
be appreciated, what with the way Severus had seemed determined he would be
living a muggle life even if Ron were to visit him again.

A headache potion isn�t going to kill him, though, it�ll just help. And
he can always say no to me if he really doesn�t want it.

Reaching for the shower gel Ron
was glad that he was out of sight of the mirror. The stupidly big grin on his
face would only have confused him as to just what the hell was going on his
brain and heart.

***

Ron left the stinking Apothecary
glad to get out of the stench which was contained in its walls. He hoped none
of it had clung to his hair and clothes �rotting eggs wasn�t really the scent
he was going for. Shutting the zipper on his bag he returned his hands to his
pockets, regretting, like usual, the fact that he�d left his gloves behind in
the flat. He was absolutely rubbish at remembering to take gloves anywhere and
he lost them serially, resulting in a bizarre trail of dropped gloves which lay
hidden across the United
Kingdom, he was sure. Hermione had forever
been moaning at him about it.

Oh, shit and fuck. Think of the devil and she shall appear�

Ron froze as he caught sight of
curly, bushy hair and a slim, svelte body dressed neatly in her work robes. He
could almost smell them as he watched her, even though she was four shops away.
It was the first time he had seen her since the day she had left him and he
wasn�t prepared for the sledgehammer which flew from nowhere and hit into his
chest. He blinked a few times in shock and took an automatic step backwards,
but it didn�t matter. She�d already seen him.

Hermione�s mouth fell open in an
undignified �o� shape and Ron narrowed his eyes involuntarily. Faced with the
woman he�d loved for eight years he couldn�t help the bitterness which surged
through his body. She walked towards him and Ron knew he had no escape from that moment he�d been subconsciously
dreading.

�Hello,� she said softly, her brown
eyes concerned.

�Don�t ask me how I am,� Ron
muttered through gritted teeth, pre-empting her next question.

�You look well,� Hermione�s eyes
turned confused then, and Ron swallowed, thinking of the way he�d spent a good
amount of time grooming and carefully selecting, not to mention ironing, his
clothes before leaving for the Alley.

�Good, couldn�t give the world the
impression I was heartbroken, could we?�

�Don�t be like this,� she pleaded
with him. �I just� did you get the television and everything I sent.�

�Yes,� Ron�s teeth were still
gritted and his jaw had begun to ache with the tension. �Thank you.�

�No need to thank me, they were
yours,� her cheeks flushed red.

This is the point where you admit the perfume� Ron batted that
thought away and defiantly broadened his shoulders.

�I�m fine.�

�How was your Christmas?�

�Quiet, with Mum and Dad. Yours?�

Hermione opened her mouth to
answer but then there was a call and her face flushed the hideous shade of
magenta Ron recognised from whenever Hermione had been caught red handed in an
embarrassing situation.

If he had felt bitterness before,
it was nothing, absolutely nothing
compared to what roared in his belly when a tall, well dressed man appeared
behind Hermione and put what was obviously a caring hand on her shoulder. �Here
you are, love��

Love?

�Moved on already, I see?� Ron
managed to choke out.

Why shouldn�t she have? She didn�t love me. She must have been ready to
dump me for months.

�Ron, I don�t-�

Ron swept his eyes over the tall
figure with his hand on Hermione�s shoulder. With a jolt he realised that it
was her supervisor within the ministry, where she worked in the Department of
Magical Law Enforcement. He was at least ten years her senior.

�How long?�
Ron asked quietly, even though he didn�t really want to know the answer.

�Ron, please, look� this isn�t the
place for this, we should-�

�I have plans this afternoon. I
don�t intend to spend more than five seconds in your company ever again, �Mione,�
he couldn�t help the use of his affectionate name shortening, it rolled off his
tongue like silk. �So tell me now, how long has this been going on?�

Her eyes widened and then closed
whilst her colour heightened. �About a year.�

Oh wow, way to kick me straight in the fucking gonads. Fuck.

�A year?� he repeated in a breathy gust of air. �A fucking year? Oh,
God.�

He turned around and walked away,
glad of his thick coat because his body temperature had just taken a ten degree
dip, it seemed.

A year, a fucking year. She was� with him� and with� oh fuck me.
He rounded the corner, glad to be out of her sight, but it only served to
thicken his throat and make his eyes burn.

He found himself faced with Weasley�s Wizard Wheezes and blinked at the garish colours.
The sign was flicked to open which meant his brother was in and working and he
would be there with a cup of tea and open arms if Ron wanted them.

The bag he carried weighed heavy
around his torso, the strap cutting into his collarbone through his coat, so
full of gifts from the magical world for the man who had been away from it for
so long. Ron coughed through his burning throat and headed for the nearest
apparition point, blinking away unruly tears.

***

Scotland
was colder than London
and Ron shivered as he made his way down the icy pavement to the pub. The
village was as quiet as it had been when he had last been there but looked no
less picturesque for the lack of snow. He could see mountains in the distance
and felt the icy blow of sea wind from an easterly direction. With a certain
amount of trepidation he approached the pub door again, realising he had sent
no prior word to Severus to warn him of his arrival. If the man wasn�t there,
Ron was fairly sure it would shatter the little sliver of dignity he was
clinging on to.

Stepping inside, he found the warm,
yeasty smell exactly the same. He looked into the corner and found his
unfortunate adversary of the Christmas tree gone, the space filled with a table
under the window. The pub was empty which didn�t particularly surprise him �it
was the middle of the day on a Wednesday and most people would be working.

�Afternoon, what can I get you?� A
woman spoke and he looked at her, wondering if she was Severus� cousin.

�I, uh� I�m here to see�� Fuck? Severus? Mr. Snape� Godric that�s
weird. �Oh, him!�

Ron was saved from deciding what
to call the man because Severus, at that point, walked out from the back room.
They stared at each other for a moment before Ron let his nervous smile break
onto his face and raised his hand in a pointless wave.

�Since when do you have visitors?�
the woman raised an eyebrow and looked at Severus, who Ron had thought had
frozen.

But the man took a step forward,
inclining his head to the back room to Ron whilst speaking to the woman. �Are
you alright on your own for a while?�

�No, the thriving business is too
much for me to handle,� the woman shot back sarcastically with an eye over the
empty seats. �I�m going to shut and go back to the horses. See you tonight.�

Ron heard no more as he walked
carefully up the stairs and ducked into the living room. It looked much the
same as it had the last time he had visited and his eyes crept into the bedroom
remembering all the wonderful things that had happened in there. He stepped
closer to the fire and appreciated the first warmth he�d had since his shower
five hours before. He heard the door close quietly behind him and he spun round
to look at Severus, suddenly nervous and fluttery.

�Please, sit,� Severus gestured to
the sofa and raised his eyes to meet Ron�s.

�I, um�� Ron struggled for words
to say and then awkwardly stepped forward and gave the man a swift hug. The
body he held was stiff in his arms and he immediately stepped away, colour
burning into his cheeks at his mistake. �Sorry,� he mumbled, and reached up to
undo the collar of his coat.

A hand caught his and Ron looked
into onyx eyes once more and felt the tension trying to seep out of his skin.
There was clearly something about Severus Snape which made him relax, though he
couldn�t say what.

And that�s fucking weird because I never relaxed around him at school�
I didn�t want to�

�Apologies, I did not expect you
to do that�� Severus spoke quietly, still holding onto Ron�s hand.

Ron gave him another smile and
shrugged. �I just� well. How are you?�

�Not much different to the last
time you saw me,� Severus gave him the dull answer and stepped away, gently
releasing the hand.

Undoing his coat, Ron felt the
backs of his legs tingling with the warmth of the fire. �God, it�s so cold
everywhere.�

�It�s January,� Severus rolled his
eyes and looked at him.

�I know but still�� Ron�s body
physically shuddered as he yanked his bag over his head and set it on the
floor, then shrugged out of his coat. �Um?� He wished
he could feel less awkward as he looked around for somewhere to place it, but
every move he made seemed stupidly clumsy compared to the grace of his
companion.

Their hands brushed as Severus
took the coat from him and hooked it onto the back of the door he had closed.
Ron stooped and picked up his bag but when he stood again, he was aware of
Severus looking over him, at the fitted deep blue jeans he�d chosen, and
charcoal grey fine-knit jumper with the sleeves pushed up to three quarter
length. But he said nothing and walked to the sofa, where he sat.

�I went� well. I got your letter,� Ron said pointlessly. �Which
I guess you know because I�m here.�

�I�m glad it arrived,� Severus
gave him what might have been a small smile and Ron took heart.

�Well, I just thought� as I�m
connected and you�re not, you might like some stuff��

He walked over and sat down next
to him and fumbled with the zip on his bag.

He might get rid of my tension but he makes me a fucking nervous wreck!

�I went and got you some of this,
remembering what you said about the headaches. That stuff I gave you won�t last
long, so�� Ron handed over a bag containing a better, bigger version of
headache painkiller. �And this, because everybody knows muggles can�t make
chocolate for shit, and I thought if you�re not well sometimes you should
probably have a supply up here��

He placed three huge bars of
Honeydukes� chocolate in Severus� lap and then delved back into the bag again.
�And this is for your bed, actually, because it gets pretty cold in there and
if you won�t use charms to heat it up you�ve got to have something or you�ll
freeze��

Ron pulled out the heavy blanket
condensed into a tight bundle. �It�s charmed to keep the heat in. They�re a
fucking life saver, the amount of times I�ve spent in tents huddled under
these.�

Ron stopped then, because Severus
was looking at him with a staggered expression and he flushed under the
scrutiny. �What?�

�You did not have to do all this,
I told you before, I do not want to be your charity case.�

�You�re not!� Ron frowned. �I just thought as I was visiting I�d bring you some
gifts� my mum always told me it was rude to turn up as a guest without gifts
and so here I am.�

�I cannot accept these,� Severus
told him quietly.

�Yes you can, don�t be daft.�

�I do not have the means with
which to repay you.�

Ron couldn�t stop his eye roll
even though he knew it was rude. �You�ve been out of the magical world for
eight years, not your mind, Severus. Surely you remember the definition of the
word �gift�?�

One black eyebrow rose and Ron
flinched, knowing he�d been too quick mouthed, but was surprised when there was
a slight smirk before Severus spoke again.

�I suppose I do. Thank you.�

�And I had to go through something
bloody painful to get them so you�d bloody better be grateful,� Ron muttered as
an aside and got to his feet again, inching closer to the fire to try and leech
some more warmth.

�What are you talking about?�
Severus questioned him and Ron heard the bag open to inspect the potion, which
meant his gifts had been accepted.

�Hermione,� Ron exhaled hard
through his lips, so hard he made the flames bat in the grate. �I saw her for
the first time in the Alley getting the stuff.�

�Oh?�

�With her new� partner,� the
bitterness surged again.

�I�m sorry, Ron��

�You think that�s bad,� Ron snorted and turned around to look at Severus. �I
just found she�d been seeing him for a whole year behind my back. He�s her
fucking boss in the Ministry.�

They held each others� gazes until
Ron dropped his eyes miserably to the carpet and heaved another sigh.

�I am sorry that it was your
endeavour to bring me these which led you to that� unpleasant experience,�
Severus said softly. �I am grateful for them but I wish you had been spared the
details.�

�You and me both,� Ron shrugged
and shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. �But hey, so what, right? She�s over
me� fair enough, she didn�t love me.�

�And you?�

The question hovered in the air
and Ron hated how it sent a shiver down his spine; just as he had experienced
on Christmas Eve, and the rest of the years Ron had known him, Severus retained
the ability to put a question into the ether which made him feel completely
incompetent.

�Well, I reckon I can safely chuck
the bottle of her perfume I�ve been sleeping with down the drain,� Ron smiled
and rubbed one boot nervously against the other.

Severus said nothing to that but
got to his feet. �Why did you come? Surely you would have been better off going
home to grieve?�

�Nobody�s dead,� Ron shrugged.

�Your relationship is and one
generally tends to mourn it just like a death,� Severus set the items he held
down on the coffee table. �Can I get you anything?�

�No,� Ron shook his head and
looked up with a smile.

�You look perished, not even tea?�

�Alright, maybe tea,� Ron nodded,
stretching his arms out behind him and cracking his fingers in the process as
they locked at the height of the stretch.

Severus watched him with the same
quietness as before but that time Ron managed to keep his colouring under
control, though it nearly flew out the window when Severus stepped forward and
put his hands on Ron�s shoulders.

�I do not think you really know why you are here. And I do not either. But I�m
glad you are.�

And then Ron was in an embrace he
expected even less than the heartfelt words, and he was swamped with the intoxicating
scent of jasmine once more.

Oh fuck. I�m a goner. It smells so fucking good.

�Are you sniffing me?� Severus�
voice was a little incredulous.

Shit, was I? Ron swallowed and said, �Erm�
dunno. Probably.�

�Why?�

�Do you ever shut up asking questions?�
Ron bristled teasingly.

�No.�

�If I was smelling you it was because I
haven�t been able to get the fucking smell of your hair out of my head for a
week,� Ron breathed, and then nosed at it slightly, easily managed with the
position of his head. �It�s just so� mmm, Merlin,� he
groaned slightly. �Why, Snape, why do you smell like jasmine?�

�Shampoo.�

�That�s not an answer.�

�You asked, I told you the truth,
I think in many circles that equals an answer��

�Alright then, if you want to be
bloody pedantic about it,� Ron growled. �Why are you using a shampoo that makes
you smell of highly feminine jasmine flowers?�

�Does it bother you?�

�You can�t answer my question with
a question.�

�Yes, I can.�

�Have you always been this bloody
annoying?� Ron smiled into the hair, enjoying the feel of Severus� hands on his
back.

�Probably.
I certainly annoyed you at Hogwarts.�

�Well all of the teachers annoyed
me there, don�t award yourself any specialities.�

�Oh, you wound me so.�

Ron could almost see the roll of
his eyes even though he was facing the opposite way. He grinned and pulled
back.

�You�re smiling, I see,� Severus
let his eyebrow rise again. �Considering the morning you�ve had I will swell
with pride at my ability to provoke that out of you.� His sarcasm rang through
the room.

�Yeah my morning was shit,� Ron nodded in agreement. �My run
fucking sucked too.�

�Your language is� did you say run?�

Ron nodded. �I have to keep fit
for work, if I fail the fitness tests it�s a desk job for me.� He swiped a
finger across his throat with a wink.

�So you� run� in public��

�Is that so hard for you to
comprehend?�

Ron didn�t see Severus� slightly
dazed smile as the man turned away from him and descended the stairs for the
forgotten tea.

He didn�t know the thoughts swirling
around the injured mind of sweaty redheads, showers and discarded clothes.

***

�No, you quickly learn not to piss
my mum off,� Ron took a deep mouthful of tea. �Bellatrix Lestrange
learnt that the hard way.�

Severus looked at him
apprehensively at the mention of the crazed Death Eater.

�Sorry,� Ron flushed. �I just�
we�re all so used to talking about it in conversation it�s hard to turn it off
just because I�m with you, you know?�

�I understand. What did your mum
do to Bella?�

Ron flinched, it was odd hearing
Severus use the shortened version of the evil witch�s name, but he glossed over
it, remembering how well Severus had played his part �he couldn�t be blamed if
he had picked up shortened, affectionate names and used them even when he no
longer had to. �My mum killed her.�

�Your mother killed Bellatrix Lestrange?!� Severus� eyes flew wide, suddenly sitting up
ramrod straight on the sofa where they had both begun to slouch as they relaxed
around each other.

�Yeah,� Ron nodded. �I didn�t see
it. I was sort of busy bringing down that fucking Greyback
bastard with Neville at the time, but Harry tells me it was top notch
entertainment. He loves to tease her about it. At one point she was proper
screeching �not my daughter you bitch!� She went after Gin, see��

�You brought down Fenrir Greyback?� Severus� voice was no stronger than the first
time he had spoken. �You and Longbottom?�

�Yeah, fucking bastard was
snapping at us both right until the end, nearly got me as well,� Ron shuddered
involuntarily. �Mum nearly had two half-werewolves to care for. But no. He went eventually.�

�You certainly have enough medals
for your own chest without the Auror career,� Severus commented and took a
mouthful of tea to try and get some normality back into his body.

�Pffft,�
Ron shrugged. �I did what I had to do to get through it, everyone did. Would
any of us have done that without the threat of him? No.�

Severus looked thoughtfully into
the fire and said no more, leaving Ron tapping his fingernail nervously on the
mug he held. He craned his neck to look to the window and saw that the sky was
beginning to darken. �God, time goes so fast��

�It always seems so when you�re
young,� Severus didn�t look at him.

�Well, that wasn�t patronising in
the least.�

Ron wasn�t quite sure how to act
around Severus the second time round. He�d been laughing at his humour for the
past two hours but Ron really didn�t know if it was welcome or not. And they�d
just ended up on the subject of the war and now Severus had obviously withdrawn
upon himself.

�It was not intended to be,�
Severus looked at him with one side of his mouth up in a tight if lopsided
smile.

�I know,� Ron shook his head and yawned.

�How long are you�?� Severus had been going to finish that with �going to stay�
but it made it sound too sordid, even for him.

�Well� I don�t know,� Ron licked
his lips. �I need to be off by seven if I want to use the official apparition
points. I want to go home tonight��

�You may stay again if you wish?�

�I have work in the morning,� Ron
said apologetically. �I work on a day on/day off rota at the minute. I should
be studying for my review but, well� then I got your letter.�

�Don�t get yourself sacked and blame it on me,� Severus warned him. �You would
soon find yourself unwelcome.�

Ron snorted with laughter and set
his mug down on the coffee table. �Nah, its fine. I
was already ahead, I didn�t have much to do over Christmas week anyway. Apart from decorating the flat.�

�Do you have any furniture yet?�
Severus asked with amused eyes.

�Yes!� Ron said proudly. �And it�s
stuff that I like, as well, nobody else�s bloody opinion at all.�

�It sounds like you have successfully begun making a new life for yourself,�
Severus commented and gave him a warm smile.

�Mm,� Ron agreed, raising his
eyebrows a little. �It feels a bit more like home now and there�s somewhere for
George to sleep when he needs it.�

�Why would he need to sleep at
your flat?� Severus asked, confused.

�Oh,� Ron made a face. �He�s... my
roommate more often than he�s not, if that makes
sense. He has no where that doesn�t remind him of Fred and he�s just so� sad. I
can never say no to him. It never occurs to me to say no to him.�

�Granger must have found that
hard?�

�She bitched about it enough, so I
suppose so,� Ron shrugged. �But then she knew me, knew my family� if she
thought I would turn my back on one of them as in need as George was she didn�t
know me half as well as I hoped.�

Ron coloured under Severus� gaze
then, surprised at the intensity with which the dark eyes fixed on his face.

�You care for your brother very
much,� Severus said softly.

�Yes,� Ron answered honestly. �And
just like I would have done for Harry, I would do anything for him.�

�You are oddly loyal,� the
observation stung Ron and he didn�t know why.

�Why oddly?�

�Well, you have to understand that
I only have experience of loyalty from deranged devotion,� Severus reminded
him. �But you seem so pure. Once I�d imagine that would have made me want to
run to the nearest lavatory.�

�And now?�
Ron looked down at his mug. �Because if you can�t accept how I feel about my
family, Severus, then I might as well leave right now��

�Why are you here?� Severus
swallowed nervously. �Did you just come for the small talk and tea, or did you
want more of the other night?�

�I came for the small talk, tea
and biscuits,� Ron still looked down at his hands. �I� the first night was
great, but if that isn�t what you want then I understand that.�

�You should have mentioned the
biscuits,� Severus gave a tut and made to get up but
Ron laughed and grabbed his arm.

�I�m just joking, Snape,
seriously.�

�You keep slipping my surname into
sentences,� Severus told him.

�Habit of a lifetime, I�m really
sorry,� Ron grinned. �I even think it sometimes.�

�You�ve been thinking about me?� Severus hitched up an eyebrow.

Ron looked at him then with a
completely honest face and breathed, �I haven�t fucking stopped thinking about you, Severus. Or what we did.�

�That would make two of us then,�
was the clipped reply.

Oh Godric he�s sitting there and I just want to chuck this mug on the
floor and all I want to do is jump him� Ron felt a stirring in his groin at
the very thought.

�Severus?� He whispered, not
daring to raise his eyes.

�Mm?�

�Can I kiss you?�

�Ron was forced to look up when the mug was
tugged out of his hands, and then Severus was leaning over him, placing his
hands on either side of Ron�s torso. There was a wave of rolling jasmine scent
and then he was being kissed, his lips forced apart by a determined tongue and
he groaned in pleasure, his cock springing completely to attention in his
jeans.

�No, because I beat you to it,�
Severus whispered, barely pulling away from Ron�s lips. �I have thought of
nothing else for a week.�

�Oh thank God,� Ron closed his
eyes and threw his hands around the man�s back. �I can�t stop thinking about
you and what we did��

Ron was too busy babbling to
notice that Severus had turned properly and crawled so that he properly towered
over his body. Finally taking the hint, Ron wriggled south and stretched out,
reclining his back so he leant on the arm of the chair. He hissed as Severus�
weight settled down on top of him and his cock was pressured by a firm
backside.

�W-what did you think of?� Ron
stammered, reaching up his hands to sink them into Severus� hair.

�You,� Severus answered, ducking
his head to kiss down Ron�s neck. �And the way you submitted to me and kissed
me��

�And came for you?� Ron breathed, almost groaning at the sensation of the lips
on his neck.

�And that,� Severus sat back up
again. �Look, we should-�

He made eyes at the bedroom and
Ron nearly passed out with anticipation.

�Look at that,� he smiled
teasingly. �You have �come to bed� eyes.�

�I assure you I do not,� Severus
reached down in between them to palm Ron�s crotch. �And anyway, as if I would
need them, you seem to be willing enough as it is.�

�I am so willing I�m going to explode right here and now if you keep that up,�
Ron tilted his head back and hissed the words through clenched teeth. �Fuck.�

Severus swallowed what was sure to
be an embarrassing gasp as he looked at the outline of Ron�s throat and the way
his chest moved beneath the fine jumper.

�You look delicious,� he assured
him.

�Good, I intended to,� Ron
smirked, but it melted into a gasp when his nipples were assaulted with cool
fingers.

�You mean that you made an effort,
just for me?� Severus gave them a gentle twist.

�Y-yeah,� Ron stammered.

Fingers squeezed tighter and then
Ron moaned at the pain which sent odd little spikes of lust down to his dick
and made it harder. He had never understood pain for pleasure but if Severus
kept up he knew he would be well on his way.

�Stop,� he gasped finally,
shifting his hips around in a full circle as the passion threatened to burst
out of him in waves.

�Did you like that?� Severus asked
in a devilishly low voice next to Ron�s ear.

�Fucking loved it,� Ron was aware
that his voice had crept up in pitch and that he sounded desperate.

Fuck it, I am fucking desperate and I have been ever since I last
touched him. Fuck.

�Get in the bedroom, now,� the hiss
was low but Ron heard it perfectly, and he flew off the sofa when Severus
removed his body weight, heading for the bedroom.

He kicked off his boots and
immediately tugged at his jumper, managing to get it halfway off before
Severus� mouth assaulted him, clamping down over one of the nipples he had just
been abusing. Ron�s scream was muffled because his head was stuck inside his
jumper, but there was no doubt of his appreciation when teeth bit into the
molested nub and a tongue flicked out to lick what was trapped.

Ron had never known before just how much sensation could come from
one body part as Severus refused to let his nipple go, but soon he was keening,
begging for release and leaking a sticky trail in his underwear.

�I�m serious if you don�t stop I�m going to come,� he panted, and was relieved
when Severus released him and allowed him to remove his jumper entirely.

�I thought we established last
time that such an occurrence would not be a problem?� Severus muttered to him
silkily, pulling him into a tight embrace which met their cocks together with
indecent rapturous moans from them both.

Ron rolled his hips and was
pleased to evoke a groan of his own creation from Severus, and then he knew
what he wanted to do.

�On the bed,� he turned Severus as
he spoke, and pushed him to sit on the edge of the mattress. Pulling out his
wand Ron sent cleaning spells at both of them, missing the dirty wetness of the
mess he had already produced in his pants.

Sometimes that feels just as good as you know what�s coming�

He grinned dirtily and dropped to
his knees in between Severus� legs. �You didn�t let me do this last time. Now
it�s my turn.�

�I have never been so utterly compelled to invite someone to be my guest,�
Severus� hands flitted over his trousers and undid them lifting his hips
slightly to work them down.

Ron took over then, springing
forward and peeling down black underwear to revel the erection just as he
remembered it from before. He wasted no time in looking, however �he moved
forward, slipped his lips over the tip and began licking.

A hand landed in his hair and
massaged his scalp and Ron flicked out with his tongue, pushing aside foreskin
and searching for the part which had really made him lose control. He felt odd
being so new to the whole practice of pleasuring another man, but from the
steady stream of hissed invective coming from above him, Ron was pretty sure he
was doing it right purely from the way Severus� teeth were so clenched with
tension.

He broke off for a moment to rest
his jaw and looked up from under his fringe, tasting saltiness on his lips.

�What did I warn you about doing that?� Severus breathed, closing his eyes. �About looking so fuckable?�

�Do you want to fuck me?� the low huskiness of Ron�s voice surprised
even him; his voice turned a pleasing deep baritone he had never heard before.

There was a growl and then he went
flying backwards onto the floor and Severus� weight was on top of him again.

�But I didn�t finish youmph-�

He was cut off by a smouldering
kiss as the talented hands he�d dreamt of for a week ran riot over the skin of
his torso, smoothing over the planes of muscles and teasing at the hair leading
into his jeans. �If you want me,� Ron panted. �Just flip me over and fuck me,
Severus, why wait? We both clearly want this��

Severus let out another snarl at
the words and then Ron felt his hips gripped in a fierce fingerspan,

When did he even open my fucking jeans?! Ron marvelled as they slid
down his thighs and his underwear was dragged unceremoniously with them. Man�s a fucking wizard� oh, wait�

�Holy fuck!�
Ron�s cry rent the room as his cock was engulfed in searing wet heat for a
single stroke and then he was being flipped, his jeans tangled around his feet.
And then there were fingers running down his crease, gently touching the
largely undiscovered skin and he whined in delight. �Please, fuck� don�tfuckingstopSeverussss.�

�I don�t intend to stop,� Severus
informed him, and then Ron jerked forward as something very definitely wet
ghosted over his entrance, probing and licking with tiny, precise movements.

�Shit and fuck are
you�� Ron�s eyes rolled back in his head at the thought that anyone would want
to pleasure him enough to lick him there.

�Do you like that?� Severus� voice
rumbled up to him, hot breath drenching the sensitive skin.

�I� fuck��

�Shall I take that as a yes?� Severus swiped his tongue again and Ron choked a
reply. �I haven�t got the patience for the spell,� he added and then Ron felt a
gloriously slick finger pressing into him, sinking all the way up to the second
knuckle in one shove.

�Oh gods yes,� he breathed, his
fingers bending to grip at the floorboards. �Fucking hell.�

The first barely had time to move
before Severus pulled back and added a second, plunging them into the tight
heat with abandon, so eager to fuck the willing redhead on the floor. He scissored them deftly and then rotated them together in the
tight space which had Ron begging prettily. He turned up his fingers at the
first joint and pressed and then the man in front of him was really screaming.

�Enough, I want you to fuck me� now�� in his deep desperation Ron was
rasping his own throat raw but he didn�t care. �Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease��
he begged over and over, thrusting back on the fingers which were determined to
carry him off into orgasm by themselves.

Severus took mercy despite the
fact he was hard simply from the choked begging Ron had given himself up to. He
pushed aside the thought which made him question how fucked up he was to get
hard off the rebound from such desperation.

He lubricated himself, shoved Ron
forward on the floor, positioned himself and lunged in to the hilt in one swift
move. Their cry hit the quiet room as one. Ron felt as though he�d been
breached by something far bigger than what he remembered Severus� cock to be
like.

�Ow, fuck,� he whimpered,
squeezing his eyes tightly shut with the pain.

That spell must really fucking have done some
stretching� His eyes watered slightly as he braced himself on the floor for
more pain, surely when Severus moved, it would just come back? I should have let that guy fuck me and not
the other way round, I would have had the experience
of having done it without the spell.

�Ron, just relax,� he heard
Severus� instructing tone. �Just relax and it�ll feel better, I promise.�

�It hurts,� Ron glowered with how
pathetic it sounded.

�I know, I�m sorry, I thought you were�� Severus trailed off. �Do you want me
to stop?�

�No!� Ron shouted, �I�m just�� He
wiggled his hips experimentally and was relieved to find the burning relented
just a little. �Touch me. It�ll help.�

�Touch yourself,� Severus
bartered, biting his lip to keep from thrusting before Ron was ready, but it
was hard when his arse was tight enough to squeeze deliciously without even
trying.

Ron swallowed and complied,
wrapping his hand around his prick and squeezing in time practiced fashion,
sweeping up and down on the shaft to entice himself into thrusting back. It did
relax his muscles and when he moved to press into his hand, he moaned at the
sensation of being filled from behind.

�Okay,� he gasped, rubbing his
thumb over the tip of his cock and spreading his pre-come around.�

�Tell me if it�s too much� I��

�What?� Ron breathed as the cock within him shifted.

�I need you too much to control
myself if you do not tell me what is painful.�

Need� he just said he needs me�

�Severus,� Ron said with a thick throat. �If you say you need me like that
again you can pound me into the next fucking month for all I care� fuck me,
now.�

�As you wish,� Severus grabbed
hold of the redhead�s hips, yanked him back, and impaled him properly on his
cock. And then his own hips were pistoning
back and forth, pounding into the tight space.

Ron was rendered speechless on his
hands and knees as the pain flew far away and was replaced with smouldering
need. �Oh sweet� Severus� you� oh�ohohohohoh fuck!�

Crying out with every forceful
thrust into his body, Ron felt his tension melt away and he closed his eyes in
happiness. There was no doubt he was going to be sore in the morning but he
didn�t give a damn.

�No, Severus�� he hissed as the
pace began to slow and settled to a minute rocking back and forth, he was
howling out for more within seconds, having lost all his dignity and self
control to the relentless fucking.

Severus himself was having enough
trouble holding on to his wits, as the change from fast to slow made him want
to flood the vice-like passage with semen then and there. But he was determined
that he would show Ron how good he could feel with the right person at the helm.

Sounds like I�m fucking steering him into port.

He choked on the awful pun and
Ron�s head twitched up, Severus delighted in seeing the tendrils of red hair
stuck to his sweaty neck.

�What�s funny?� Ron breathed.

�Nothing, I just� you�� Severus managed to roll his hips in an upright circle,
and then he had to grab Ron tight about the waist as he nearly collapsed in
bliss.

�Fuck, what was that?�

�Oh, you mean this?� Severus tightened his thighs and rolled again, slower,
controlled to the very last millimetre.

�What� what sweet fucking�oh God�
Severus please this is� fuck me!� Ron panted, his cock
straining against his own hand.

Fucking hell� he�s thoroughly wringing this out of me� oh�

�How does it feel to be properly
screwed, hmm?� Severus whispered, leaning forward to drip kisses up Ron�s
spine. �How does it feel to be held so tight you think you�ll never be let go?�
He wrapped both his arms around Ron�s chest and gripped him tightly, widening
the stance of his knees to keep balanced.

�It feels good,� Ron whispered,
chest heaving. �Please, Severus� don�t make me wait� I
waited a week for you and the fuck I tried to get in the middle was nowhere as
fucking good as you� you� you touch my soul.�

Severus couldn�t argue with such
passionate words, even if he would be revisiting them later. He kissed Ron�s
back again, then reached for his erection and wrapped his hand on top of the
redhead�s.

Ron nearly buckled again under the
combined stroking on his cock and moaned to the floorboards, keeping his eyes firmly
shut so that everything he said was unable to shame him.

�Just let go,� Severus told him,
and then without further torture, plunged straight back into the reckless,
relentless fucking he had started with, listening to Ron moan beneath him with
renewed voice.

Ron didn�t know what to feel. He
was going to pass out when he came, he was sure of it, the pressure building in
his prick as it was tugged was too much to bear. And then there was the
thickness sliding in and out so he felt every single inch of his inner walls being
grazed by Severus� cock. His body was on sensory overload and he knew it would
be ugly when he finally released.

�Come for me,� Severus whispered
to him.

�I�m� I�m�.� Ron�s breath caught
in his throat as his climax surged in his belly and groin and he tensed,
clamping down around Severus� cock, hard.

�Ohhhhhhhhh,�
the loud cry from the raven-haired man finally shoved him, howling, into
orgasm.

His cock pumped and pumped pulses
of ejaculate everywhere, though he refused to look where it landed. Ron
actually couldn�t have opened his eyes if his life depended on it, he was so
caught up in the fireworks exploding on the black canvases as his body jerked
and he felt the wet gush of come leaking everywhere inside of him.

Severus grabbed hold of him and
held in case he lost his strength; squeezing him in his arms and hissing
through his own orgasm with numerous swear words and praises.

Ron finally managed to still his
hips and groaned aloud again. �Mmphfuckit.�

�What?� Severus strained his ears.

�Fuck it. Need� knees are numb�
bed��

Severus instantly pulled back,
eyes unable to move away from the gaping hole he left behind with its leaking
accompaniment. His cock fell down thick and heavy between his legs and he got
to his feet, knees cracking as he did so. He smoothed gentle hands onto Ron�s
hips and pulled him back, supporting the redhead�s shoulders. Then he hoisted
him up under the arms, with precision care, and laid him on the bed.

Ron just let him do it, too sated to protest. If he wanted another round right now I don�t think I�d have the energy
to say no.

He felt the bed dip behind him as
Severus climbed onto it, and then felt the duvet be tugged from beneath his
body.

�Here,� Severus gently tucked it
over his body and Ron managed to roll over.

He threw his arms around Severus�
torso and tugged him tight to the mattress, entwining their legs together as
they found comfortable positions side by side in the darkening room.

�You�� Ron was still having
trouble breathing and he didn�t know quite why, as his heart rate was almost
back to normal.

�Just shh,�
Severus� voice was softer and gentler than Ron had ever heard it before and
there was a cool hand on his brow, brushing away his sweaty hair.

�Oh gods, Severus� I��

�Shh,�
the sweet rebuke came again and the hand was replaced with lips pressing just
over his right eyebrow.

Ron gave up fighting and obeyed
the man, falling into silence as he let his brow be kissed, his back be
soothingly rubbed and as a foot massaged over his ankle bone. He let it
continue until he felt confident enough to be able to repay the assurance, and
then rubbed his hand in a small circle at the base of Severus� spine.

�Ohhh
gods, how did you know��

�Know what?� Ron whispered,
feeling that a tone any louder might shatter their beautiful moment.

�I... being massaged there is so good,� Severus explained.

�I think you just like being
massaged all over, don�t you?� Ron smiled at him.

�I think I do,� Severus confirmed
with a dazed smile.

Ron crossed the miniscule distance
between them on the pillow they shared and put their lips together in their
softest, sweetest kiss yet. �Roll over,� he whispered. �Facing
away from me.�

Severus looked at him with unsure
eyes and he nearly melted when Ron leant forward and kissed the tip of his
nose, an action nobody had ever taken the time to make in his entire life.

�Just trust me,� Ron beseeched him
with glittering sapphire eyes.

�Anything when you look at me like
that,� Severus breathed, and rolled over as commanded, settling on his other
side.

He felt the bed shift behind him,
and then all he knew was warmth as Ron spooned up into his back, snaking an arm
beneath Severus� neck and the other over his chest, making them meet in the
middle with a tight grip. Then Severus let himself be tugged back again
slightly, so he rested comfortably in the crook of Ron�s armpit with the
redhead�s chin on his shoulder. He groaned as the duvet settled on top of his
spent cock.

Ron smiled and kissed the dark
hair close to his lips, revelling in the jasmine scent which had never been more heady as it had been at that moment, embroiled with the
overwhelming fumes of sex rising like steam from both of them.

Never. Never never never never EVER has it
been like that. Fuck. Ron gripped a little tighter and swallowed.

�I wish you did not have to leave,� Severus said so quietly Ron might not have
heard it if the room had not been deadly quiet.

�Me either,� Ron sighed. �I�ll
come back. This weekend I�m only working Sunday. Saturday I�ll come back and we
can� the whole day, Severus��

Severus stayed quiet and Ron
sensed he had said something wrong.

�Only if that�s what you want, of
course,� he murmured, cheeks ablaze with rejection
even though it had not officially come.

�What are we doing?� Severus asked
of him, and the words floated up to the ceiling. �Are you content to keep
hopping back and forth between London?
You�re young Ron but you�re not infallible, apparating the length of the
country is going to take it out of you and you need to keep your strength up��

�Why, getting
worried about me?� Ron teased with hot breath into Severus� ear.

�No,� Severus adopted a cold tone of
which he meant absolutely none. �I am merely pointing out that you will soon
grow tired of the distance.�

�And you think that means tired of you?� Ron asked.

�I assume you will manage that on
your own, without the distance factor in the equation.�

�I don�t know what this is,� Ron
breathed, suddenly desperate to make the man in his arms just how fantastic he
made him feel. �I don�t know why you� I just� I�m going through the shittiest
time in my life right now, Severus� I don�t know if I�m on my arse or my head
and I�m trying to keep everyone happy� and you��

Severus waited for him to finish
and threw no prompts into the air.

�You�re making me happy,� Ron whispered desperately,
and screwed his face up in preparation to be told to leave the room and never
come back.

But then Severus was turning in
his arms. �Are you in pain?�

�What?�

�You look like you are in pain,
did I hurt you?�

�No�� Ron sighed. �Well. Yes. But I� I hurt so much, I just� if you were going to reject
me I had to��

�Steel yourself?� Severus dropped
a kiss in Ron�s chest hair.

�Does that make me pathetic?� Ron asked miserably.

�No, it makes you a very hurt
soul,� Severus sighed. �And one that I completely empathise
with at this minute.�

�Godric,� Ron muttered. �I feel
such a tool, Severus� if she could see me I�m sure she�d be laughing.�

�Well, she cannot see you. Only I
can. And I am most certainly not laughing,� Severus assured him. �I� if you
need an outlet for the emotions you feel you cannot share with anybody else, I
promise you I will not judge.�

Ron opened his eyes then and
looked at Severus, and that time he did not shy away from the pity written in
the lines on the older man�s face. He took it straight to heart and let it fill
him up. �Thank you, Severus� you�re�� Ron didn�t finish what Severus was; he
just pulled him down and kissed him again, before melting into his shoulder and
rocking the thin form slightly in his arms.

They stayed like that, wrapped in
an embrace that neither wanted to break, until the darkness totally pervaded
the room.

�You should go,� Severus whispered
softly. �I want you to make it home safely.�

�You are worried about me,� Ron needled.

�And if I was, would you have a
problem about that?�

�Would you have a problem if I said I hated the thought of you up here all
alone in this cold place?�

Severus had the exact opposite of
a problem with it. Not for the first time that night, he felt the warm
prickling in his chest which indicated just how happy he was that Ron seemed to
care for him.

�Why do you care for me?� he asked
quietly, unable to keep his insecurity in. �I� did awful things, said awful
things� I chopped off your brother�s ear, for Christ�s sake.�

Ron thought on his answer and gave
a measured swallow. �Because it�s been eight years, and you are alone, and I am
alone now too� you saved me from how awful my first Christmas alone should have
been and I want to repay you by caring back, I guess. If that
makes any sense at all.�

�I understand your reasoning,�
Severus assured him. �Forgive me if I have a little trouble believing the
actual sentiment though��

�Honestly, I-�

�You misunderstand me,� Severus
pulled back to look at him. �I have never been very good at treating the people
who care for me well. My past which you know so well should tell you that. I
make mistakes.�

�We all make mistakes,� Ron raised an eyebrow. �Whether that�s falling in with
the wrong crowd or not noticing that your fucking
girlfriend is screwing around with her boss��

�I suppose we do,� Severus reached
up and tucked a lock of Ron�s hair behind his ear. �You should go. Come back on
Saturday, I�ll look forward to spending time with you��

�That�s what you call what we just
did?� Ron snorted with laughter, his face lighting up as he chuckled. �Spending
time together� I�d call that fucking, Snape.�

�Well, you would, crude and
unrefined as you are,� Severus flicked him a disparaging look down his nose.

�Oh, well, you seemed to like a
bit of crude and unrefined about twenty minutes ago,� Ron shrugged where he
lay.

�Get out of here, delicious boy.�
Severus rolled his eyes and sat up, reaching for the light.

Ron reluctantly rolled out of the
bed and put his feet on the floor, looking around for his clothes.

�Take some painkiller tonight, I
have a feeling you will ache in the morning,� Severus said somewhat
apologetically, staying wrapped in the duvet whilst Ron got up to retrieve his
pants, once again flung far and wide in the room.

�I ache now,� Ron groaned, stepping into them. �Though that might be from
the run, I got home and found your letter and was too excited to wind my
muscles down properly.�

�You flatter me so,� Severus
reclined with a languid stretch against the headboard.

Ron dressed quickly due to the
falling temperature in the room and stepped into his shoes. �Want me to bring
anything more on Saturday?�

�No, don�t waste your money on
me,� Severus said firmly. �But thank you for what you did bring.�

�I�ve got more money than the last
time I saw you,� Ron said with a wink. �I got a New Year bonus, made back half
of what I lost on the wedding.�

�Congratulations,� Severus smiled.

�Sorry,� Ron flushed. �I shouldn�t brag, that�s not fair. Look� are
you� do you need�?�

�Not a charity case,� Severus
reminded him. �But you are very kind to offer.�

Ron nodded once and didn�t push it
further, remembering exactly how it felt to be poor and have others constantly
buying things you could never afford to repay and just how small that had made
him feel.

�Right, then, I guess I�m off,� Ron shrugged sadly. �I don�t want to go though,
I hope you realise that, Severus��

�My hair smells of jasmine because
I am very scent sensitive these days,� Severus looked at the duvet cover. �I
have to be careful what I use or I end up in bed for three days. The jasmine is
one of the only ones I can use with no retribution, even counting the so-called
scentless muggle shampoos. The fact that it is the most feminine imaginable is
something I have long since ignored.�

�It smells good,� Ron assured him.
�And now I will never smell jasmine again without thinking of you. It was on my
clothes from my last visit.�

�Sorry.�

There was a delicious light pink
blush over the man�s pale cheeks and Ron bounded onto the bed, landing on his
knees. �Don�t apologise. That scent� well. Kept me feeling safe on the nights I
was too scared to shut my eyes.�

He blushed
his own blush then, leant forward, and kissed Severus warmly.

***

Ron rang the doorbell of number
twelve, Grimmauld Place
and waited, shifting his bag on his hip. He�d received a Patronus message from
Harry around twenty minutes from the flat and redirected his feet to take him
to his best friend. The door swung open and he was confronted with his little
sister.

�Hey Gin,� he smiled, and swept her into a hug. �How�s life? How was Florence?�

�Amazing,� she stood back to admit
him. �All this amazing art and the food, oh my God Ron the food� you�d love it.
Cheese coming out of every available vending surface��

He chuckled as he made his way
down the hallway. �Where�s-�

�Ron!� Harry�s voice called out of
the room to the right of the hallway and then Ron was lost in another pair of
arms.

They hugged a lot more frequently since the war. �Godric�s
balls I missed you,� Harry gave him a tight squeeze and then let go. �I have
walked around so many art galleries
my feet and eyes were bleeding as one, I�m telling you� only so many fucking
statues of naked blokes with missing pricks you can look at before they all
bleed into a fucking blur.�

�And yet the female statues you so
thoroughly enjoyed,� Ginny commented airily, leaning over the back of the sofa
which Ron and Harry had dropped on to.

�So, how are you?� Harry braced
himself as he asked the question. �Which stage of the break-up process are we
in now? Denial still or have we progressed?�

�After today we�ve safely skated on to anger,� Ron muttered.

He had had a long apparition
journey from Scotland
for his happy glow from Severus to fade away and his mind to turn dark again
with angry thoughts about Hermione.

�What happened today?� Ginny
asked, wandering over and pulling the curtains shut.

Ron swallowed nervously. He needed
to know whether they�d known about the other man but he wasn�t sure he wanted to know the answer. If they had
both kept it from him he was pretty sure he would be heartbroken again.

�Did you know Hermione was seeing somebody else?� He asked bluntly, looking
Harry dead in his emerald irises.

Ron instantly knew that his best
friend had had no idea, from the way his jaw dropped, the jewel-like eyes
widened and his face coloured.

�No,� Harry breathed. �Ron, I swear, I had no� I can�t believe her.�

�Are you sure?� Ginny frowned. �She promised us there was nobody else��

Ron gave a hollow laugh. �I caught
them together today in the Alley. Not only was she with him, he�s her boss by
the way� she told me it had been going on a whole fucking year, right under my
nose.�

�Oh my fucking
God!� Harry leapt to his feet. �Ron, I� oh��

Ron looked up to where Harry�s
face had disappeared into his hands. �Harry, mate, don�t-�

�Ron. I would never have dodged
between you both if I thought she�d deceived you like that, please believe me��

�I do,� Ron held up his hands and
got to his feet. �Harry, its fine. If
you want to see her again that�s fine too. She�s your friend.�

�But definitely
not yours any more?� Ginny asked sadly.

�Maybe she might have been if
she�d not been screwing around for a year behind my back�� Ron sighed.

�I am so sorry,� Harry muttered again,
and then threw his arms around Ron�s form once more and held him tight. �Why do
you stink of jasmine, Ron?� He asked suddenly.

�Oh, fuck, I thought I�d gotten
that all out,� Ron lied superbly. �I was pissing around with those oil burner
things in my flat and dropped a bottle of it all over myself.�

�You smell like a flower market
threw up on you,� Harry gave him a pointed sniff. �Much improved mate, if I do
say so myself.�

Harry just basically said Snape smells good on me. Oh, God. I need a
drink.
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Seraphim Beneath The Christmas Tree