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Rivalry	By : starstruck86 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Snape/Ron Views: 7472 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor do I make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
A/N: Hello
all, long time no see! I�ve been away and writing lots of other things too, so
this is how it took me so long to update. As ever, thank you so much for your
reviews:

Talley �I
would never forget my boys, forget where I started ;) You know I can�t get
enough of them.

Lady Zombie �Teehee, dance ahoy. And a face like a smacked arse
might be a thing from my specific area of the UK.

Tambrathegreat �Yes, Snape�s trouncing of Ron was completely uncalled for. But then It�s nice to write Snape so mean.

Kai �after
this chapter he won�t remember what oblivious means!

Badkittyuno
�Severus was rather taken with the nipple piercing, too, read on ;)

Tab �hello,
nice to see a new face. I�m glad you�re enjoying it!

Narius
�wow, I hope your laptop survived so that you could read this new chapter�!
And, because you made me get the BIGGEST grin on my face this morning, this
chapter�s dedicated for you.

On with the show, but I must warn �this chapter involves dancing, DRAMA,
a Cher song, all the fun of a Hogwarts party,
and Ron in sexy dress robes.� And something you�ve
been waiting for. You have been warned!

------

It was only
in front of the mirror trying to actually achieve a perfect knot that Ron
realised quite how out of practise he was at doing his own tie. His schooldays
seemed years past as his fingers fumbled over the black material. He watched
them loop the accessory in the mirror, but it wasn't right.

Who
cares? Not even Mum will notice because she's living it up in Spain whilst
the rest of us suffer tonight.

He looked
over the deep blue silk shirt he was wearing, black trousers and waistcoat and
the fancy -and thus instantly hated- outer robe hanging on the door of his
wardrobe. Feet already ensconced in evil dress shoes, he was grumbling beneath
his breath.

�Fucking
May Ball, whatever happened to just raising a toast in quiet and getting on
with your life?�

Almost
as if they miss the drama they want to re-live it every year.

He decided
that his tie would have to do; Hermione would attack him soon enough if she
wasn't impressed. Brushing his hands over the waistcoat Ron's eyes narrowed in
scrutiny as he turned and looked at his back.

Who are
you trying to
impress?

Ron didn't
know quite why he had taken such time over his appearance. He had meticulously
groomed; shaving, showering, washing his hair and drying it with his wand,
something he never did because it felt like the beginning of the steep decline
into effeminate, and made sure his dress robes were perfect.

Definitely trying to impress somebody.

�I am not
trying to impress anybody,� he insisted loudly and stopped dead, freezing in
the mirror looking at pale freckled skin and a lanky body.

Hard to impress with this rubbish anyway.

He
swallowed, realising that he had just acknowledged, slightly, that he was
indeed aiming to impress that evening at the May Ball. And there was no big
shock as to who it would be.

The man
who perves in the Quidditch showers...

Ron had
tried to let it go; he had tried to stop thinking about the way that Severus
Snape had stood and ogled him for a few seconds longer than he should have for
his presence to have been a realistic mistake. No, Ron knew that the man had
been appreciating the view, for whatever reason. And that had meant that the
last two months, the rest of March and the whole of April, Ron had been
involuntarily stiff and awkward around the Potions Master.

Whereas
before, Ron had half enjoyed the challenge of winding up the raven-haired
rake-slim man, he had spent two months ducking out of social situations which
would have placed them together, and said very little when he could not help
but be in the same place. He had not been alone, however; Snape had been
similarly withdrawn and quiet, his usual barbs missing and his scowl somewhat
withered.

Because he
liked what he saw... he liked me...

Ron shook
his head and laughed at himself. Grabbing for the outer robe, he slid his arms
into the fancy embroidered fabric and made sure it fell correctly around his
body to the floor.

Not bad.
Not good, either.

Turning
away from the mirror before it depressed him, Ron cast
a quick look around the room and grabbed his wand off the bed, sliding it into
place up his right sleeve.

Wonder
what he thought about my nipple piercing?

Shaking the
errant and most definitely unwanted thought from his head, he turned for the
door.

Loved it, if his wood was anything to go by.

Ron began
to loudly hum to get rid of the annoying talkative person in his head,

***

Severus
scowled at himself in the mirror, taking in the swath of black material which
hid his body from view. If there was one thing he loathed the most since the
ending of the war, it was the determination to commemorate with celebration.
The excuse to deck out the Great Hall with expensive decorations, alcohol and food
was enjoyed by many -often he felt like the only person in the world who found
it macabre and a complete waste of resources. Not to mention the distraction it
provided for the sixth and seventh years, the only students permitted to
attend, before the hard slog of exam preparation began.

He sighed
resignedly and smoothed down his robes.

Maybe
you should make more of an effort... he might like it if you did.

Severus
ignored the cajoling voice in his mind and extinguished the lights to his
office, plunging himself into instant blackness.

It was a
nice wash of calm before the evening of noise, false smiles and handshakes he
knew was before him. Nobody ever meant the smile, or the grip of his slim hand,
Severus knew that was because many still found it an abomination to trust him,
even though his name had been completely cleared, by his own testament, by
Harry's and even that of Albus' portrait.

Once a
traitor always a traitor, I suppose, despite the truth.

He didn't
move through the blackness, he stayed still, letting it swallow him up, as
though that might prevent him from ever making it to the Ball.

You're
going. We all know that. You don't want to miss the entertainment. You've never
seen him in dress robes.

No, Severus
had not yet properly seen Ron Weasley in dress robes, and a wry smile popped
onto his lips at the thought. Two months had passed since the Unfortunate
Shower Incident, as he liked to refer to it, and things between them had cooled
to almost arctic temperatures. Where before there had been snide comments
flying thick through the air, there was now nothing, other than an embarrassed
flush on the redhead's face when he failed to control it.

No fool
like an old fool, Severus, how could you have even considered remaining in that
room when you discovered it was him? How?

If the
shower had done anything for him, it had brought Severus a precise summary of
the situation -that he could resign his fantasies and forget the possibility of
anything occurring between him and the flying instructor. However, that did not
mean he was willing to, no matter how foolish it made him to keep them alive.

And
that's why you're going to the Ball, because you want to see him, see what he's
wearing, see him drinking, maybe dancing, maybe getting drunk, maybe sitting
alone in a corner, like you will be...

The clock
chimed from the direction of the mantelpiece and Severus sighed, and stepped
forward, heading for the door.

***

Ron strode
along the second floor corridor, detouring to take his time in reaching the hall.
His hands were already stretching the pockets of the new dress trousers and his
shoulders were slumped. The outer robe swashed about his ankles. The only thing
he liked was the way the shirt felt on his skin, caressing over his piercing
with softness he had never known from human fingers.

S'pose I�d best show my face� she'll go postal on me if I�m
late...

Heaving a
sigh, Ron turned at the end of the corridor to take the shortcut staircase
behind a tapestry, where Hermione had once restrained him from going to kill
the Death Eaters who had killed his brother. He shivered as he passed through
it, remembering the incapacitating pain he had felt at that moment.

It was
memories like that which made him unhappy with the occasion he found himself
attending. Yes, it had been another year, another year that a tyrant had been
gone. But it had also been another year since a variety of other people had
been gone, too, and they were wholly much more missed than Voldemort.

Wrapped
deep in his thoughts he didn't recognise heavy sniffing at first, but a
desperate little sob suddenly dragged him out of his mind. Confused, he looked
around and found the source of the noise sitting on the top step of the secret
passageway.

He saw a
bowed head, a pretty dress and frowned.

And now
what do I say?

�Hello?�

The girl
jumped and looked up. Her face was awash with mingled tears and make-up, a
proper display of school dance misery if there ever was one. He squeezed past
her and jogged down a few steps so that he could turn and look up at her.

�What's
wrong?�

He thought
she might have been a seventh year Slytherin, but he wasn't sure. And if she
was he failed to see why she would be so high up in the castle.

�E-everything,� she stammered. �I hate boys.�

�Want me to
go?� Ron asked hopelessly.

�Teachers
don't count,� she said glumly and hung her head, tears plopping off her chin
and landing on the glittering bodice of her dress.

�I'm not a
proper teacher, though,� Ron awkwardly dropped onto one of the steps.

�So... if
I... if I say something to you, you won't run to my head of house?�

�I'm under
no obligation to do that, but, I'd probably urge you to go anyway?�

�I can't go
to Snape,� she breathed. �He'd kill me. Right from the word go, I remember, on
our first day, it was part of his speech... be careful, never let your guard
down, and don't do it in the walls of his dormitories... Merlin.�

Ron frowned. �Do what?�

The tears
began to flow thick and fast and he was left with no choice but to whip out the
matching silk handkerchief in the breast pocket of his waistcoat and hand it to
her.

�Sleep with
people,� she muttered bitterly.

That's a
bit rich from a man who watches people in the shower.

�Okay...
well, you're over age, so really it's none of his business,� Ron pointed out.

�But it's
not...such a mess...�

Ron watched
as she dissolved into further tears and her chest heaved with the effort. They
didn't seem the kind of tears which came when a relationship ended, or when two
lovers had an argument. He had argued, broken up and been hurt, and never cried
like the girl in front of him.

�What's the
issue then?� he asked gently, wishing he had been born with the art of tact.

�I... he...
he doesn't want me t-to...�

Ron waited,
licking his lips in frustration.

�He doesn't want it. And he said it! �It�! As though it's a fucking it,� she
cried wildly, gesturing with the silk in her hand.

Dawning
realisation made Ron's mouth fall a little slack as he looked at her red and
swollen face. �Oh, you're... you're pregnant?�

�Yep, fucking
bastard forgets his charm one night and then just... says no! What the fuck?
Seriously, where do you get off doing that?�

�I've never
done that,� Ron pointed out with a sigh. �Who's your boyfriend?�

She flushed
then and looked away. �Not important. Don't interfere.�

�I'm not
trying to interfere,� he assured gently. �I promise.�

The girl
muttered a name and Ron nearly groaned. His star Gryffindor chaser in his sixth
year was the cause of the teary mess in front of him.

�I
shouldn't have told you,� she breathed suddenly, her eyes widening with fear.
�Don't kick him off, it means everything to him.�

�If that's
the case then he has his priorities wrong,� Ron sighed, and reached up to brush
his fringe out of his eyes. �So, what are you going to do? He wants you to...?�

�Get rid of
it.�

�And you don't want to?�

�Not sure.�
Her voice was so timid it was painful.

�It's a...
scary thing,� Ron finished lamely, and flushed at how little help he was being
to the distressed teenager. �Look, why don't you... bypass Snape, and just go
and see Madame Pomfrey. She's under all sorts of
confidentiality clauses...�

�She'd have
to tell him,� the girl shook her head. �And he'd shout and just make this a
thousand times worse.�

Ron
couldn't disagree with her assessment and looked down at his hands. �I think
you should go and find your boyfriend,� he said finally.

�Why, he
said no,� she said it scathingly.

�Well...
was that the first time you'd told him about it?� Ron didn't look up.

�Yeah.�

�Blokes
are... we... it's probably scared the shit out of him,� he didn't bother to
cover up his usual crass language as he spoke, trying to give advice which he
never normally did. �He's got a year of school left, he's got a huge Quidditch
position, he's got everything made for him... and then, not that it's your
fault, don't get me wrong, you land that on him... he's in shock.�

She stayed
silent, fiddling with the handkerchief.

�You need
to find him, talk it out. If he wants nothing to do with you, then it's his
loss. Running away from what we think are mistakes is
rarely the right move...�

Running
away to Romania
worked out pretty well for you...

�I guess,� her voice was bitter
again.

�I know I�m
no good at this,� Ron groaned, raking a hand through his hair. �Sorry.�

�No... you're...�

�Please
promise me you'll find him,� Ron got to his feet, knees aching. �And just try
and talk it through. And then whatever you face, you do it knowing what the
situation is, right?�

She gave a
slight nod and looked down at her lap.

�And then
promise me you'll go to the Ball whatever he says,� Ron added. �Too pretty a
dress to waste on a dingy old stairway like this.�

She blushed
then and gave him a small smile through her tears. �Thanks, Sir.�

�And if you
need more help...�

He gave an
awkward wave and started down the stairs again, listening carefully for the
sounds of renewed tears, and still hadn't heard any when he made it to the next
level. Immediately his mind was plagued with doubt, wondering if he had
imparted the correct advice, whether he should have taken her directly to
Snape, or whether he should have insisted he wasn't the right person to talk to
and walked away.

Too late
to change it now, just watch for her in the hall and
go looking if she's not there. All you can do.

Stepping
into the hall a grand total of ten minutes late, Ron shielded himself for
Hermione's angry shriek. When he spotted her, however, he was presented with
the image of her wrapped around a tall man with brown hair. They were also
locked in a kiss. Harry caught his eye and smirked. Ron sidled up beside his
best friend and watched as Hermione played very obvious tonsil tennis with her
boyfriend.

�I think
that there should be a rule about public displays of affection, don't you?�
Harry asked loudly, and Ginny snorted through her hand.

The couple
broke apart.

�Hello, woman who insisted I attend,� Ron ground through clenched teeth. �Guess
I�m out of a date, huh?�

�I'm
sorry,� she blushed. �But he surprised me, I didn't know he'd come back for the
ball!�

Ron
shrugged off her apologies with an easy smile. �Don't worry about it. You look
great, too great to waste it on me, anyway.�

�But now
you've not got a dancing partner,� she chewed on her lip.

�I'll
live,� Ron rolled his eyes.

�Luna's
free,� Ginny pointed out with a small grin.

Harry shot
him a gleeful look.

�Luna's
great,� Ron said coolly and turned to see the other faces milling around the
Entrance Hall. �Any of the others around yet, Gin?�

�Yeah,
Bill, Fleur and Charlie all came together... over by the free champagne.�

The group
descended into playful chatter then and Ron found himself strolling away, his
thoughts still on the crying girl and her problem. Plenty of people smiled at
him as he walked aimlessly around. He was grabbed into a strangle-hold by
Neville's grandmother who fussed over him and his tie in wake of Hermione being
busy and his own mother being on holiday. When she released him he was fairly
sure he had the whiff of Old Lady on his new dress robes and cursed.

�Hey!�
Charlie's thick hand wrapped around his upper arm and yanked him to stand alongside
his burly form. �You ignoring me or something?�

�No,� Ron
grabbed a glass of champagne and knocked it back. �Why would I be?�

�Oh, I dunno... because I hold all the information you don't want
to ask me?�

Ron set the
glass back down, gasping slightly at the dryness of the fizz in his throat, and
licked his lips. �How is he?�

He was, of
course, asking about the boyfriend from the time he had spent on Charlie's
sofa, who still worked at the reserve alongside his brother.

�He's
good,� Charlie murmured sympathetically. �Doesn't shut up
asking about you.�

�Heh,� Ron reached for another glass.

�I tell him
you ask about him too,� Charlie whispered. �Just so he can feel good about
himself.�

�He was the
one that didn't want to do it,� Ron shook his head. �And he was the one in love
with somebody else at the same time.�

�I wasn't
passing any kind of judgement.�

�I know.�

�Sure?�

Ron was spared from answering when the doors to the hall opened and the mass of
people surged forward to enter. He stuck by his brother, keeping his eyes in
the crowd, not really knowing who he was looking for.

Pregnant
student, evil old ladies intent on spreading their scent, Severus Snape...

He nearly
moaned aloud when he saw the formal seating for the pre-dance dinner; Ron
suddenly found himself a lot less happy that he had ever achieved glory at
Harry's side -it meant he would be in the main focal point for the entirety of
the meal. He slipped into his seat by Harry's side and looked down at the table
cloth.

�You alright?� Harry asked, frowning.

�Yeah, sure,� Ron forced a grin onto his face. �You know how much I hate these
things.�

�Don't
worry, soon we'll have your blood one hundred percent proof and everything will
be much better.�

�Can't wait.�

The hall
seated, Ron immediately switched off for the speeches, the annual airing of
Albus' portrait which presided over the evening and the memorial piece read
every year. He kept his eyes to his water glass, unwilling to meet any teary
eyes until he absolutely had to. Looking to either side of him he saw Harry's
hand firmly wrapped in his sister's and Hermione clenching her boyfriend's. He
was the only one whose hands rested flat on his thighs, unoccupied, with nobody
to cling to when the emotion began to boil in his chest.

It was then
that he looked up and caught the face of somebody staring at him. Their eyes
met and Ron swallowed. Even a way away, the onyx eyes were deep and boring into
his. Severus Snape looked every bit as lonely as Ron felt at that moment. He
wanted to look away, but he couldn�t make himself. He held the dark gaze
through the saddened words.

Gods, that feels better than if it
were his hand.

There was
something dear about the stare, about the way that they were communicating. And
it was only a look; there were no added hand gestures or blinks.

Only when
the hall broke out into muted applause did Ron jump and look away, face
flushing with guilt at having taken entirely taken too much comfort during such
a sombre moment. When he chanced a glance backward, Severus� gaze was fixed in
the opposite direction. But there was a pink tinge to his face. Ron�s chest
swelled with the realisation that he had put it there.

Getting all heated over that old
bat� fuck�s sake, Ron, you really need to seek out a shag
tonight before you go barmy.

Disguising
his snort of laughter at his own joke in his wine glass, Ron�s belly rumbled
with the want for food.

Is it the food you�re hungry for or
a hard, grunting, sweating fuck into a mattress with-

�Ron,
McGonagall wants you,� Harry�s voice cut through the porno show in his head.

Damn you Potter. Always
interrupting the best bits.

Ron got to
his feet, mournfully looking at the food which had popped up during his
fantasy. He moved to the Senior Staff table, well aware that every stride of
his long legs took him closer to the man he had just been fucking in his mind.

These daydreams have to stop. I
nearly knocked myself out on the sodding goal post
the other day.

�Don�t you
look fetching?� Sprout cooed, as soon as he got close enough.

�I try,�
Ron gave her a wink and moved to bend down to the Headmistress. �You called?�

�You do
look absolutely lovely, blue suits you,� she gave him a proud smile. �So grown
up, all of you, I remember when you where nay high and staring blankly back at
me.�

�Talk some
of your fancy Transfiguration gibberish and we�ll all be staring blankly back
at you,� Flitwick merrily topped up both his and
Snape�s glass in one fell swoop.

It would
have been the perfect chance for Snape to throw in a snide remark about Ron�s
face always looking blank, about there being nothing between his ears.
Pre-Shower Severus Snape would have done, Ron knew. But that day had changed
everything.

And why you�re mentally undressing
him� I wonder if he�s that pale everywhere? What sort of cock he�s got? If it�s
slim and long like the rest of him, or-

�Anyway,�
McGonagall brought him crashing back down to earth with a bang. �Did you see
that the Heads of the tournament schools are here tonight? I thought it would
be a good idea for them to see the castle after the improvements, and the
stadium.�

�Would you like me to woo them?� Ron caught on immediately and dropped into a
crouch.

�If you wouldn�t mind? Just an hour or two tonight before you give yourself over
to the champagne? And maybe some time tomorrow afternoon, show them the
facilities?�

�Of
course,� Ron gave her a smile. �I don�t mind at all. Where�s the Italian? I�ve
never seen a picture.�

�The young
one with the dark hair,� Sprout hissed loudly. �Bloody gorgeous, wouldn�t you
say Ron?�

Ron
surreptitiously shot a look into the crowd where she was pointing. Next to the
large form of Madame Maxime sat an impeccably suited
man, with gleaming dark hair, warm eyes, a clear complexion and a rather
dashing smile. He was the kind of perfect one found modelling underwear; the
kind of man that made others strip off in front of a mirror as soon as possible
to flex muscles, suck in guts and convince themselves that women liked a man
who looked �normal�.

�I see love
in the air,� Sprout laughed. �Look at him. Smitten.�

�I am not,�
Ron tore his eyes away.

�But you
can�t deny he�s gorgeous?�

�I am so
not having this conversation with you,� Ron shook his head dazedly and got to
his feet as his legs began to burn.

�If you
don�t go after him, I will,� Sprout smirked.

***

Severus
watched as Ron fought to hold back his laughter, much the same as he himself had
to do. The idea of the grey plump witch chasing after the delicious man a few
tables away was somewhat amusing.

But then stranger things have
definitely happened� let�s not forget that Pomona is actually married. Her husband is
somewhere in the hall!

�You�re
married,� Severus threw in helpfully and earned a scowl. �Just
reminding you of that tiny insignificant fact.�

�Pah!�

�Leave him
for the young blood,� McGonagall said sagely. �Anyway, Ron, you get back to
your food. Might I request the pleasure of a dance later on?�

Ron looked
like he was going to laugh again and Severus had to give him credit for the way
he merely gave a nod of his head and replied in the affirmative. He walked
away, robes billowing out behind him.

Dear Merlin, if you find me so
happily changed and at peace with the world these days, that my penance for all
my committed sins has been paid, please send him wrapped to my dungeon with a
bow around his cock.

He took
another mouthful of wine, wishing that prayer worked.

The rest of
the meal passed without excitement, and Severus was looking forward to dessert,
as usual.

�Nobody to
pinch your custard tonight,� Sprout commented, digging
her spoon into the obscenely large chunk of cheesecake she had cut herself.

�No,�
Severus dumped half of the jug over his similarly large portion of jam sponge.

�Shame,�
she sighed. �I miss Ron�s company. He�s marvellous.�

The other
two adults at the table agreed and launched into a conversation on how good a
teacher the redhead had proved to be, and what a sterling job he seemed to be
doing with the school�s Quidditch team for the tournament. The conversation had
turned into a veritable Ron Weasley celebration and Severus let it all wash
over him, eating his way slowly through sponge and custard alike, concentrating
on the taste and texture in his mouth.

Custard� custard�s hot, wet, slightly sticky, thick� what does that remind you of,
Severus?

His spoon
scraped the bottom of the bowl when he dug in again with a loud clunk of metal
on china.

They�re sitting here praising him
like the sun shines out of his backside�

He looked
over at Ron�s table and saw the redhead engrossed in conversation with Potter;
they were laughing over something, their heads close together.

And they don�t know that you�re
sitting here� having your own little celebration of Ron� except that you�re not
thinking of anything coming out of his arse, only what you could stick up it.

His mind�s filthy supplied images of him plugging the redhead up
and forbidding him to remove the toy made him suddenly choke. Ungracefully he
dropped the spoon and coughed into his hand, the other reaching for his water
glass.

�Severus?�

�F-fine,�
he struggled, and gulped down the water to try and dissolve the sponge lodged
at the top of his throat.

�Do I need
to get someone young and strong over here to do that Muggle move they do when
people are choking?� Sprout suggested loudly.

It only
made Severus cough harder, the thought of Ron grabbing him from behind and
squeezing him.

It�s not sexy when you might turn
blue during it, however.

With the
troublesome lump finally cleared, Severus drained the glass and poured another.

�You and
Ron seem to be getting on much better these days,� Minerva commented to him, as
she watched the heat fade away from his face.

�Mmm,�
Severus answered non-committally. �I suppose.�

�Did something happen between you?� Sprout asked eagerly, her wine glass
dangling from her fingers. �One day you were at each other�s throats and the
next you were so polite it was ridiculous.�

�Ridiculous?�
Severus frowned. �You�ve been telling me to tone it down for months?�

Flitwick
laughed. �Only after you did so did we realise quite
how much we had been enjoying the entertainment. The staff meetings are boring
now without your continual sparring.�

Severus
said nothing and picked up his spoon again.

�You
haven�t upset him, have you?� Sprout tried again.

�Pomona, no,� Severus said
firmly. �Nothing has happened between us, we have merely reached an accord to
keep our interaction as limited possible, for both of our sanity�s sakes.�

That
silenced the table and Severus bit into his dessert once more.

What happened is that you ogled him
in the shower and now can�t stop thinking about that blasted nipple piercing.
That�s what happened, Severus, at least be man enough to admit it.

�He seemed
rather taken with the Italian,� Sprout grinned. �I wonder if we�ll see them
having a dance later.�

�It�s my go
first,� Minerva dictated.

�That boy
is young enough to be your grandson,� Flitwick
admonished.

�Hush.�

Severus
switched off and waited for the moment he could slink away to a space at the
back of the hall and not be noticed for the rest of the evening.

***

Ron finally
managed to break away from the Heads he had been buttering up after three
hours. His mind and feet were numb �they had been standing for every single
minute of those three hours- which were accompanied with a parched throat. He
crossed to the bar and picked up a glass of champagne, throwing it back. They
were all charming, Maxime, the new head of Durmstrang and the Italian.

Very hot Italian.

He
purposefully didn�t remind himself that even though he had spent the past three
hours laughing at the man�s jokes, looking at his handsome face and into his
warm eyes, all that he had wanted to see was raven hair, pale skin and eyes
blacker than night.

Stop trying to beautify him. He�s
Severus fucking Snape and he is not beautiful. He�s thin. He has greasy hair. A huge nose. Weird teeth. Needs a bloody good wash and a new wardrobe. And a good
fuck.

He cursed,
not meaning to affix the last part to his thinking.

Because you would be the one doing
the fucking, bending him over something and pounding him for every single rude
comment. And then kissing him, and holding
him� because if you don�t it sounds a bit like-

�Ron!� the
drunken cheer went up. �There you are, Mr. Workaholic!�

The shout
of his brothers floated through the air, and he grabbed another glass of
champagne in preparation to face them.

�You�ve
been working all night,� George pouted. �How am I meant to depress you with my
melancholy mood if you�re not here?�

Ron threw
his arm around George�s shoulders. �You in the bad place
tonight?�

�Not yet,� George answered proudly. �Saving it for
tomorrow. Right now I�m capitalising on the free booze.�

�Just like
he would have wanted,� Charlie pointed out.

Ron noticed
how all of his brother�s ties were already loosened and hanging scruffily.
Without another moment of hesitation he reached up and loosened his own,
popping open the top two buttons of his shirt whilst he was there.

�That�s
better,� Bill winked at him. �You look like a proper Weasley now. Bit rough
around the edges.�

�You were
looking way too dapper,� Charlie confirmed. �Better now.�

�So come on
then, who�s your boyfriend?� George elbowed him in the ribs. �I�m straight and
can tell he�s pretty fit.�

�Not my
boyfriend,� Ron corrected. �Just the head of the Italian school I got to take
part in the tournament.�

They
chatted for a while longer before Fleur appeared and dragged Bill off for a
dance.

�Fucking
whipped,� Charlie laughed, and followed after them with George, leaving Ron
standing alone.

He sighed
and wandered over to the seating area. Dropping down into one of the plush gold
chairs he relished the pressure coming off his feet and stretched his legs out
in front of him. The dance floor was crowded with people in various stages of
inebriation wrapped around their partners or dancing with friends. The noise
was almost deafening.

You�re getting old, my friend. The voice in his head sounded
suspiciously like Fred�s and he snorted.

Fred would
want to know why he wasn�t up showing off his best moves, flirting with the
Italian. Fred would be forcing him into an embarrassing situation with a racist
joke about Goblins. Fred would be there being the life and soul of the party.

Oh, fuck. Miserably he reached up and swiped
away the burning tears in his eyes and fixed his eyes on the crowd. He had
promised himself that for as long as George held himself together, he would. If
George was strong enough to handle it, then he would be too.

But then he wasn�t there, he wasn�t
there and didn�t see him fucking die� just me and Perce�

Ron�s eyes
alighted on Percy and his wife, Audrey, dancing in the crowd, a little more
slowly than those around them. They always seemed wrapped up in their own
little world. Ron loved Audrey �she was the woman who had mellowed his
fastidious older brother into a man you could talk to, a man who could now
handle a social situation without making himself look
like a berk. They were so utterly different and yet perfect for one another,
proof that opposites not only attracted, but they actually worked together.

Suddenly a
movement to his right caught his eye, a glittering dress that he recognised,
wrapped around his star Gryffindor chaser. The girl�s face was completely
recovered, and her make-up had been replaced, and she had her eyes closed,
looking blissfully happy. The boy still looked slightly shell-shocked but Ron
couldn�t blame him. A father at seventeen wasn�t an easy life route.

The young
couple were swaying contentedly and it made Ron warm inside to see.

Suddenly
the music stopped.

�Ladies and
Gentlemen, it�s time for that special part of the evening,� a voice came over
the crowd.

�Ron!�
Harry yelled. �Get over here!�

Ron sank
down his seat, praying that what he thought was about to happen, was not.

�It�s time
for when we play that special song��

�Up, now!�
Harry snapped his fingers, suddenly by Ron�s side. �You have to dance with us.�

�I don�t wanna,� Ron griped childishly and slid
further down.

Harry
snatched his drink off him and downed it. Then he grabbed Ron�s hands in his
own and yanked him out of the seat.

�Just
because you work here,� the brunette was grunting under the strain of hoisting
up Ron�s six foot two frame with his shorter one, �Doesn�t mean you can wimp
out of the cheesy dancing whilst the rest of us have to suffer!�

Ron could
smell the alcohol on his best friend�s breath and knew
he was fighting a losing battle.

�It�s time,
witches, wizards, goblins, centaurs and everybody else �to play Albus
Dumbledore�s favourite muggle song!�

A collective
groan went up from the assembled crowd whilst Dumbledore�s portrait clapped
delightedly. Harry gave Ron a hard shove into the crowd of people.

�Fuck, lost
Ginny,� he muttered.

�Probably
best, don�t want to scare her with your shit dancing,� Ron shot at him and
dodged Harry�s punch.

The opening
line of the song blared out and Ron groaned in his misery. Harry was laughing.

�Sing with
me,� he begged, grabbing hold of Ron�s upper arms and beginning to drunkenly
sing along to the words.

Ron finally
gave himself over with despairing shake of his head. He wished he had stayed
ignorant of the Muggle song, but after the first Ball it had become tradition,
and thereon after the music would descend into that of the Muggle world, which
Harry and Hermione always loved, because they were songs that they were more
familiar with.

�If you wanna knoooow if he looooves you so it�s in his kissss,�
he met Harry�s arse bump with grace and tried not to break out laughing when
Harry replied with the falsetto backing track. He failed.

�I�m a
fucking ace singer!� Harry protested over a musical interlude in the lyrics.

�You sound
like a freakin� banshee you maniac,� Ron yelled, and
grabbed Harry�s hand and spun him out dramatically.

It was then
that he felt dark eyes watching him. The lights of the hall were flashing all
different colours and in the resultant haze Ron could easily have missed Snape
standing at the side of the dance floor, arms folded over his chest. But he
didn�t.

Why is he watching?

Harry
twirled back towards him and sang again, his voice as terrible as always, and
punched Ron in the arm when he didn�t join in. Ron gave it up and threw his
head back to sing with his best friend, glad that none of the girls were around
to hear them.

�Whoooooooa hug him, and squeeze him tight, find out what
you wanna knoo-ooo-oooow��

Ron could
tell exactly how much Harry had had to drink already by the fact that the
brunette threw his arms around him and squeezed as the song has instructed.

�Christ,
how drunk are you, mate?� he whispered.

�Not sure,�
Harry snorted. �Don�t care.�

Harry still
hadn�t released him and they revolved.

�Harry, is
Snape watching us?�

There was
silence for a moment. �Yeah, why?�

�Do you
trust me?� Ron asked, as the song reached the last chorus.

�Yeah,
�course, why?�

�Jump!�
Ron instructed, and caught the slight man in his arms when he did.

And then he
spun him far too fast for a drunk person to cope with, and Harry�s shriek cut
across the floor.

Ron then
dropped him backwards, head tilted back to the ground, so his glasses slipped
and his hair flopped away from his face. He tried not to think about the fact
that essentially he was showing off and acting an idiot all so that the
reserved man standing by the side of the revellers would watch him, maybe be
amused by him, maybe even manage to crack a smile in his direction.

�What�re
you doing to Harry?� Ginny asked curiously, appearing by their side.

�Thought he
could do with playing a bird,� Ron smirked. He righted himself as the song
finished and dropped Harry onto his feet.

�Bastard,� Harry muttered resentfully through his grin. �You�re fucking strong,
you know that?�

�Is he?�
Ginny asked, sizing her brother up. �We�ll see.�

She
suddenly jumped onto Ron�s back, locking her arms around his neck and her legs
about his waist.

�Merlin�s balls, Gin,� he gasped. �Been fucking years since
you�ve made me do this!�

�You
remember, right, you had to carry me across the evil Grindylow
swamp to my fair castle?� Ginny laughed in his ear. �Well now you can carry me
across the dance floor to the bar.�

�I�d say
the danger level�s about even,� Ron snorted, shifting her with a bounce and she
laughed.

***

Strong. He�s dangling Potter backwards and he�s only got hold of his waist and
arms.

Severus
took a sip of his drink and watched as Ron stood up straight returned the
slighter man back to earth. He saw his sister, the girl with the beautiful hair
which reminded him so very much of Lily�s, suddenly jump onto Ron�s back and
grab him around the neck and waist. The redhead barely even flinched as he
laughed and talked and eventually began to walk.

He had been
watching him all evening with silent, stalking moves throughout the Great Hall.
His blood had boiled every time the Italian had touched Ron and his heart had
given an upset thump when even Potter, who was married, had jumped into the
Ron�s arms.

And he has absolutely no idea how
wonderful he looks�

Severus
watched as Ron dropped Ginny gently onto her feet and immediately stripped off
his outer robe, shrinking it down to fit into his pocket, where he stuffed it.
Then he ripped open the sleeves of his shirt and haphazardly rolled them to his
elbows, tucking the revealed wand into the waistband of his dress trousers.
Fingers flitted and undid the buttons of the waistcoat which loosened. There
was a visible sigh of relief and a hand scratched through his hair. Only then
did the boy look truly perfect.

Realising
that his lips had parted slightly, Severus busied them with a sip of his wine
and averted his eyes elsewhere. However, he found that Ron�s magnetic pull was
far too strong for him to look away for an elongated period of time and that
when he saw the tall form leaning casually against the bar, talking to someone
he recognised as being in the same school year as the Gryffindor, it spiked.

He wasn�t
sure he had ever been so entranced by a singular person.

Not even Lily.

His throat
burned at the revelation and he had to knock the rest of the drink back for his
sanity.

***

An hour
later, Ron was considerably more drunk than he had
thought he would be. The room was pleasantly moving far too fast every time he
turned his head, and his own limbs seemed buzzed. Feeling free without his
outer robe, he was happier floating around the hall, talking to people. He had
given the Headmistress her promised dance, and acted with good grace when
Sprout had stolen him away.

And he stood and watched it all�

Ron took a
mouthful of drink and looked up to the enchanted ceiling, which was a perfect
mirror of the starry night sky outside. It was beautiful, and he felt like he
should see the real thing. Some fresh air would clear his mind.

Quickly he
stood and wove his way around the dancers and talkers in the hall, giving free
smiles and nods of his head. His glass was warm in his fingers as he finally
broke out into the cool entrance hall and jogged down the front steps to the
castle. The outside area was less busy and the noise level was definitely more peaceable;
his ears were grateful of the reprieve.

Sucking in
a huge draw of honeysuckle scented air, Ron made his
way to the edge of the castle and started along the dark path which he usually
followed to get to his office down by the stadium. The air was cool and
pleasant after the stuffiness of the hall and his shirt began to glide over his
skin once more as the clammy surface started to dry.

Not a bad night, really�

Ron didn�t
want to admit it, but he missed his Mum and Dad�s presence. Everything was
always so much calmer when they were around, just like when he was a child. In
truth Ron hated being an adult, having to fight his own battles, and when his
parents where there it was easy to pretend nothing had changed.

Everything�s changed, his mind threw in unhelpfully. Fred�s dead, George is coming out of a five
year funk and you�re gay and alone.

�All
alone,� he whispered aloud, morosely.

He took a
deep swig of champagne and purposefully ignored a couple of seventh years snogging behind the greenhouse as he passed it.

Good fucking luck to you.

His
thoughts weren�t bitter, they were genuine. He wasn�t the kind of person that
wished unhappiness on others simply because he didn�t have it; at least, he
wasn�t that kind of person any more.

He looked lonely tonight.

Even in his
head the voice was a sigh and Ron wanted to laugh at his melodrama.

He did, and that�s because he is
lonely. And you�re lonely too. Why don�t you give up and be lonely together,
and then you wouldn�t be lonely at all?

It was a
tempting prospect, Ron found. He had truly missed the heat of another man warming
his bed, another man to moan away the pains of the day with, a man to hold him
when he woke up scared that his nightmare had come true, that Voldemort was
back and seeking vengeance.

A shiver
passed through Ron at the very thought; he knew that if it were ever to happen
every single person that he loved and held dear would be at the very top of the
�must kill first� list. The shiver developed into a full shudder and he
stopped, taking in a few calming breaths and looking out over the lake. When he
felt able to go on he did, but his legs were weaker.

Moments
like that were the reason he had really left the
Aurors. When he had worked in the Ministry they had been more frequent,
sneaking up on him when they were least expected, wrecking him and forcing him
to hide until he had gained control of his faculties. He knew there was
probably a medical explanation for his problem, and knew that he should
probably get it seen to. After all, that very day marked yet another
anniversary.

But Ron
wasn�t sure that anybody who had lived through their war slept soundly. His
mother still kept a pointless carving knife in a secret compartment in the
bedstead. It was comforting to know, if a reason to never wake her up without due
care.

He spelled
away the charms on the stadium door and pushed through into the cold corridor.

Fucking creepy down here at night.

He lit the
tunnel and sent spells ahead to his office to make it bright and warm. When he
entered he no longer felt windy about the deserted building. Setting his drink
down on his desk he sighed and raked his hands properly through his hair,
scratching his fingernails over his scalp satisfyingly. With a happy sigh he
kicked off the evil shoes which he was quite sure had been made to personally
torture his big toe into leathery submission and began to walk around his
office in his socks.

Pausing by
his second muggle CD player, he tapped it with his wand and let the music burst
forth into the lonely room. Turning it up he paced
some more, singing quietly along.

***

Severus
watched as the redhead rose from his seat and began to make his way from the
Hall. Instinct made him rise and follow, too, and Severus kept his tread light
as he wove between the wizard folk enjoying themselves far more than he was at
the Ball. His eyes caught Ron�s flaming hair disappearing round the side of the
castle and frowned, quick feet setting him off to follow before he really
thought on how he would explain himself if the redhead saw him.

He walked
on the grass so that his feet would not be detected on the gravel.

Dear me, turning into quite the
stalker, aren�t we?

Severus
ignored himself and carried on, forced to suddenly dive into the shadows when
Ron stopped. His tall frame wobbled and from what Severus could see of his
face, his skin bleached white. The redhead took some steadying breaths and then
continued on his way. Severus followed.

The body he
so loved to watched disappeared into the confines of the Quidditch stadium and
he hesitated then, knowing that once he stepped inside it would be hard to mask
his footsteps on the concrete floor.

If he is unwell, as he looked just
then, he should not be alone.

It didn�t
take much persuasion �Severus had consumed rather a lot of fine wine. He set
off once again and slipped through the unprotected door noiselessly. Then he
paused, hearing music playing and echoing down the corridor to him. He walked
as quietly as he could.

Ron was in
his office, walking around aimlessly, eyes staring at
whatever they fell upon as he moved. He was indeed pale, and Severus
immediately worried. It wouldn�t be long before Ron found him standing there;
the thought made his heart quicken with both nerves and need.

His need to
be seen by the redhead manifested further with every week that passed. Even if
it was just a fleeting glance, it thrilled him to know that Ron had given it,
despite how utterly desperate it made him feel.

Knock on the door.

And, as if
his mind had a string to his hand, Severus raised his fist and knocked his
knuckles on the wood.

***

Ron jumped
and whirled around, his heart bursting into overdrive when he saw the tall dark
form in his doorway. The hair was unusually clean and shiny, the clothes
clearly respectable. Ron wondered why the man didn�t make the effort every day
of the year.

�Snape?�

�Ron.�

Fucking hell, Ron, not Weasley. Shit, what does he want?

�Come in,�
Ron gestured into the room and watched as Snape awkwardly stepped over the
threshold, �What are you doing down here?�

�I� forgive
me, I was outside and saw you, you looked unwell� so I��

Ron watched
as the man spoke quietly and nervously, and felt a thrill of delight in his
chest that he had caused such anxiety.

You seem to get a lot of thrills
from him.

�I�m fine,�
Ron gave him a small smile. �I just don�t� not particularly a
fan of the Ball.�

�You
weren�t here last year,� Snape remembered.

�No, I was
in Romania,
hiding,� Ron walked over and turned the music down slightly.

�Don�t,
I�ll go; now that I know you�re not going to choke on your own vomit.�

�Like you�d care if I did.�

The drunken
sarcasm babbled out of his mouth before he could stop it.

�Rather
self-pitying, don�t you think, Weasley?� one ebony eyebrow arched and Snape�s
jaw tilted up.

�Probably,�
Ron snorted, and shrugged his shoulders carelessly. �But then I�m drunk, you�re
not far behind, we both know you hate me and I�m not overly enamoured with you,
so� why piss about, hmm?�

There was a
glitter of something in the onyx eyes and Ron waited for Snape�s reply to his
truth.

�Weasley, I
don�t hate you,� Snape�s voice lowered to a velvety rumble. �I don�t think I
have it in me to hate anybody any more. Tired of it, to be
perfectly honest.�

�The world
moves a lot smoother when you smile,� Ron mused, and shoved his hands in his
pockets. �I get that. I can�t stir up the energy to hate anything either.�

�Then why
are we mucking about like this?�

Ron blinked
then, hearing something in the tone of voice he had never heard from the man
before. It was a softer accent, more northern, unguarded and realistic; he felt
like he had been accepted to a very secret club, all of a sudden, a club which
held the inner workings of the tall man in front of him.

�Mucking about
like what?� he was surprised to find his voice husky.

Neither of
them realised they were subconsciously moving towards one another in minute
steps. Ron had no idea that his hands had come out of his pockets and were
twitching with the longing to touch.

�Hurting one another.�

�Spying on
the other in showers,� Ron breathed, when Snape was mere centimetres away from
his chest.

�Staring at
me all evening,� the man muttered.

�Staring at
me all evening, too,� their faces
were barely millimetres apart by that point.

�It was
hard not to,� the confession broke the older voice and Ron�s chest flooded with
warmth.

�It was all
for you,� Ron couldn�t look away during his own admittance. �I wanted to��

Words broke
off as their lips touched. Ron was too shocked to turn it into anything of
substance and Snape �Severus!- seemed to be having the same difficulty. Soft skin
graced soft skin and Ron didn�t want to close his eyes, to miss even a second
of the usually cold pools of black which had heated, all for him. His fingers
were tingling, they wanted to spring up and caress but he was afraid of chasing
the man off.

It was with
great relief that their lips seemed to part at the same time, so neither man
would have to admit it was they that had bowed first, and their tongues clashed
together.

With the
wet meeting, Ron threw all restraint aside at the same time as Severus did, and
then there were hands everywhere.
Slim fingers glided over the silk of his shirt, feeling divine on the neglected
skin beneath it. Ron occupied his own hands in letting one smooth over a finely
covered back and the other to rise up and sink into inky hair.

There was
groaning, probably from both of them, Ron guessed, and when Severus pressed
himself fully into his body Ron actually growled. It had been a long time since
he had been set on fire successfully enough to make the animalistic noise. And
it seemed that Severus loved it, because the next thing Ron knew, he was
staggering backwards towards his desk, still wrapped in Severus� arms, still
being thoroughly snogged, and his trousers were full
of straining cock.

The backs
of his thighs connected with the edge of the desk.

Oh sweet Godric�

Ron�s
breath came in a gasping rush as Severus bent him backwards over his cluttered
desk, never breaking their lip contact. There was something digging hard into
his spine but Ron didn�t care, especially not when Severus came to rest down
completely on top of him, an elbow on either side of his head, and deepened the
kiss.

�Mmphfuckgodyes,� Ron breathed as his lips began to sting
from over-use. Desperately he rutted his hips upward against the Potions Master
and heard the replying grunt of pleasure.

Oh, God, we�re drunk� we shouldn�t�

A hand
began to caress his face with such softness the doubtful thoughts were
completely eviscerated. Ron had never been hotter, never been so tempted to
lose control then and there.

When
Severus suddenly released his lips in favour of ducking to kiss the hollow of
his throat, revealed by his open shirt, Ron had to cling onto his dignity by
his very fingertips. Vaguely he wondered when the last time he had been so
utterly unravelled by another human being had been. His toys didn�t count.

A tongue
licked up the centre line of his throat and the pull of orgasm attacked him
again, swamping his belly and groin with twisting heat which felt every bit as
good to fight as it would have done to succumb.

He�s trying to make me come; he
wants me to finish for him�

The thought
flickered in his mind. Severus Snape was ravishing him in his office, kissing,
licking, rutting them straight to heaven and back on a fast broomstick with
every precise move, and he wanted him
to come.

Bollocks.

Ron
shuddered as he gave up the fight and arched his back up off the desk. He threw
his legs around Severus� waist and unashamedly humped for all he was worth,
until the blood rush in his head and the gushing in his underwear began to fade
away, and he was grabbed by utter satisfaction seeping through his veins.

Severus had
frozen, a look of incredulity on his narrow face. Dark
eyes were wide and Ron looked into them, trying to clear the fog from his own
mind so that he might better read the man hovering above him. Roughly he
reached up and pulled Severus� head down, capturing him in a kiss.

***

Severus
held the young man�s body through his orgasm, watching with near-on delirium as
sapphire eyes were shuttered away and the plump lips opened in a noisy moan of
completion. The sound shot straight through his skin and sank into his blood,
firing him up in a way he had never experienced before.

He wasn�t
sure how it had happened, how they had ended up sprawled on top of the
redhead�s desk, kissing frantically and frotting
against one another for dear life. It wasn�t at all dignified.

Passion over dignity any day.

Ron seemed
to clear from the haze and looked up at him, searching for permission to act.
Before Severus could impart anything, his head was pulled down and he was
kissed. He allowed it to happen, allowed the boy�s tongue to explore his mouth
and taste his teeth, even though he rarely allowed such intimacy on a first
meeting.

You watched him in the shower. Discerning
levels of intimacy is an activity long past.

�What do
you want?� Ron�s voice was rumbling and velvet.

�Oh,
Godric,� Severus shivered as the iron grip of legs about his waist tightened. �You.�

There was
somewhat of a delighted squeak and they kissed again, but Ron�s caresses had
changed; they had slowed to a caring resonance which touched through to what
was left of Severus� very soul.

�And I
want�� Severus put his fingers to work and undid more buttons of Ron�s shirt,
before yanking it apart and setting eyes on the pierced nipple which he had
spent two months clamouring to see again.

�You like
that, huh?� Ron teased, his hot breath washing over Severus� face as he spoke. �What about if I did this?�

Severus
watched, holding in the last gust of air he had taken, as long fingers came up
and Ron took the bar between his thumb pad and index finger, and shifted it
back and forth.

Mortified
to let out his own version of a delighted squeak, Severus busied himself by
immediately dropping his head and batting his tongue gently at the bar. Ron
groaned in response.

�What do
you want to do to me?� Ron breathed. �How long have you wanted to do this?�

Severus
looked up and kissed him again, trying to dispel the awkward questions. He had
never understood why people talked during sex.

Though if it�s him, I�d get used to
it.

�Do you
want to fuck me?� Ron breathed hotly into his ear, kissing when the words left
his mouth.

Severus
didn�t answer him, but the question sent an extra rush of blood to his groin.

�Do you
want to turn me over and flip me face down and fuck me into the desk?�

Yes, all that and more, I want to
strap you down to the fucking desk and never let you up.

�Would you
dominate me?� Ron whispered.

The images,
the words and the hot breath in his ear canal converged on Severus all at once.
Ron�s legs were tight around him, feet pressing hard into his backside, and
there were divine fingers in his hair.

There was
no way he could have withstood it for any longer.

At least,
that was the thought with which he attempted to comfort himself as he rasped
into the skin of Ron�s neck and gave himself over to his climax.

***

Ron held
his breath throughout the shuddering and bucking, listening to the almost
vulnerable whine which escaped from the man�s lips as he came. He waited for it
to end yet at the same time never wanted it to. It was perfect. It was
desperate, and hot, and it made him want to come undone all over again.

�Gods,
Severus��

As soon as
the words left his mouth, something changed. The man in his arms was no longer
pliable; muscles tensed everywhere they could, and before Ron could hold him
down, Severus had sprung up out of his arms.

He was
beautiful in his satiation. There was a deep flush over his usually pale
cheeks, and his eyes were sparkling. His dark hair was messy from the way Ron
hand stroked and tangled it; his lips stained a sensual red by exertion.

Ron had
never seen Severus Snape as a sexual being before, but sprawled on his back on
top of his own work, he realised he had been an utter fool.

He had
dreamt and touched himself to thoughts of the man, but never once allowed
himself to feel true sexual attraction, never once thought that the man would ever be beautiful to him. However, as
the real thing stood above him, as he lay ungracefully on his back, legs spread
as they trailed to the floor, he was blown away.

***

Shock
coursed through Severus� veins. He wasn�t entirely sure what had done it, but
he had a feeling it was the instance of hearing his given name tumbling so breathily
from Ron�s lips. His name was brutal and cold like every other part of him, and
yet the redhead had made it sound so sensual it should have been illegal.

And then he
realised what he was about to do, how he would ruin what they had just shared.
His fingers were shaking as he smoothed them over his mouth, unable to stop
with the realisation that for once everything he had dreamed of had come true,
but only when they were both drunk.

�Severus?�
Ron�s voice was a worried whisper. �Is everything�?�

Revulsion
poured through his veins, not for the redhead, but for himself, and Severus
wondered what on earth would happen in the morning when the beautiful boy
spread out on the desk in front of him realised exactly what he had done the
night before, whom he had kissed and shared spit with.
He wasn�t sure that he would be able to cope with the fall out.

Feeling nauseated,
Severus swallowed hard. Without another word he turned and stormed from the
office.

***

Ron felt
like someone had kicked through his ribs. The look of horror on the man�s
rapidly paling face had made their situation very clear. Severus had instantly
regretted it, regretted him, regretted touching him, kissing him, getting off
on him.

There was
one thing Ron knew he was an absolute failure in dealing with, and that was
rejection. He slumped off the desk and landed on the floor, heart still racing,
his body still strung out on the pleasure Severus had given him, and shuddered.

***

The next
day, Ron�s hangover was hideous. He had self-medicated but it hadn�t alleviated
anything. The day had been spent with the other school heads and McGonagall,
talking about the tournament, and the castle. It would have been pleasant
enough if his brain hadn�t been bashing out a symphony on his skull. And if that
wasn�t painful enough, his heart and pride hurt more, throbbing in synchronized
agony of rebuttal.

Pushing
open the staff room door, Ron steeled himself. The realisation that he would
have to see Severus soon enough had killed him all day long, reminding him of
the pain of the night before, which he had spent the remainder of slumped on
his office floor.

He wanted
to run when the man�s angry voice was the first thing he heard.

�I mean, of
all the bloody times to go and get fucking pregnant she chooses three weeks
before her exams start!�

Ron froze,
knowing exactly what he was talking about.

�Severus,
calm down,� Sprout sighed. �It�s not the end of the world.�

�She�s
eighteen.�

�So?
Severus, I hope you showed more tact in front of them.�

Ron really looked
at Severus then, and saw the ghostly pallor of his face and the way his eyes
were rimmed red. It was slightly comforting to know that at least he hadn�t
been the only one without sleep the night before.

�I showed
as much tact as they deserved,� Severus growled.

Something
in Ron suddenly kicked in, an indignant side which roared to life when he heard
the judgement in Snape�s voice.

�Have you never made a mistake then?� he asked loudly, and every head swivelled
to look at him; none of them had even noticed him enter thanks to the argument.

�Stay out
of this,� Severus answered tersely, his voice wavering as he looked over at
Ron.

�No,� Ron
snorted. �I spoke to her yesterday. She was absolutely fucking terrified of
coming to you, Snape, I swear to Merlin it was half the reason she was so
distraught.�

Severus
didn�t answer him but his face flushed an ugly red.

�People
make mistakes,� Ron looked him square in the eye.

�A rather
stupid one to make on the cusp of their futures, don�t you think?� one eyebrow
arched in challenge.

�And you�d
know all about fucking stupid mistakes to ruin futures, wouldn�t you?� Ron spat
back, not caring that he was dragging the man�s past into their argument.

Silence ruled
in the low-ceilinged room; Ron wasn�t sure anybody was even breathing.

�Stop
judging them. They�re young but they can be happy,� he ground out. �Just
because you aren�t content it doesn�t
mean nobody else can be either!� He gathered both speed and breath, forcing his
hurt into his next words. �No matter how
fucking hard you try and make it for us!�

Ron took
very great satisfaction in slamming the staff room door behind him with an
ear-splitting crash as he exited.
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Rivalry