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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
- 5
- 6
- 7
A/N: Hey guys! Thank you all for your reviews, I know these
two are infuriating in their stupidity *grin* Hope you all like this latest
chapter. Not many left now.

Summary: In which everybody seems to want a piece of Ron,
he�s very busy, and he loses it. Warning for the entrance of an ex-lover ;)

Note �draga mea = my dear in Romanian.

-----

�Where did the year go?�

�Usually this is where someone throws in a comment about the
house elves pinching it,� Flitwick grinned at Ron who
snorted into his drink.

Ron couldn�t quite believe that he had survived an entire
year of teaching, and not only that, he seemed to have done a fairly
presentable job. Nobody was more shocked than he was, he was sure.

�A good year for exam results, too,� Sprout grinned. �All of
your fliers passed, Ron, that�s the first time for a few years it�s happened.�

�I�m like a proud daddy,� he rolled his eyes and took a sip
of drink.

�Ah, but, how do you plan to top it next year?� she teased.
�The only way is down from here, you�ll see.�

�Not sure if I�m invited back for next year, yet, so� maybe
I won�t have to, who knows?� he shrugged his shoulders, trying to seem
indifferent. McGonagall had promised that he only had to help her out for a
year.

And that left Ron with a dilemma, because, now that he was
settled, he actually quite liked his job, despite how busy he was with the
extra Quidditch training. If he returned the next year would be even more
peaceful. But there was one thing that his willingness to
stay depended on.

He cast a surreptitious glance to where Severus sat ignoring
everybody, reading the paper with his ankle over his knee. Since the May Ball
and subsequent yelling the day afterward, they had not spoken a single word,
despite the fact that Ron had nearly caved several times, and the rest of the
faculty seemed determined to get them talking.

It was very obvious to everybody that something had happened, but Ron was tight-lipped and Severus seemed
to have barely spoken to anybody since May, let alone him. He hadn�t even
gloated about the outstanding grades his NEWT students had achieved, which was
an extremely odd occurrence for him, Ron had heard. Considering one of those
students was the pregnant girl who had caused their post-ball ruckus, Ron had
kept himself from remarking sarcastically about the whole situation.

He only managed that because he was still hurt from Severus�
actions on the night of the ball, even though he had called himself pathetic
several times in the time that had passed. Ron failed to understand how
somebody could hold and kiss with such passion and have it turn to horror so
quickly. His mind had finally decided that the man must have been drunker than
he looked, and didn�t realise what he was doing.

Dunno why it was so fucking mortifying for him, I
was the one that blew first� and it�s not like I was sober or dignified. Wanker.

Even as he thought it, Ron knew he didn�t mean it. He prided
himself on not being a fool, but despite the dark-haired man�s rejection, he
had found himself watching, being morose when he got nothing in return, wanting
to feel everything he had felt in his office that night all over again.

I�d even take the
fucking stapler trying to lodge in my spine again.

�You, eat these,� Sprout
interrupted his mental musings, shoving a plateful of fairy cakes at him.

They were the stragglers left over from their end of term
staff party. The castle wasn�t particularly empty with a lot of students
staying on so they could see the Quidditch tournament. Ron was surprised that
nobody seemed very upset at having their schedule rearranged, about staying on
an extra week. The next day the other schools would arrive and the match draws
pulled, and the day after that the first game would take place.

�You�ve not been eating,� she pushed the plate at him again.

�I bloody have,� Ron made a face.

�Not as much as usual,� she narrowed her eyes. �And you need
to keep your strength up; you�ve got a busy week.�

�I�m fine,� Ron insisted.

He wasn�t, his appetite had walked out of the door with his
self-confidence when Severus pushed him away. Ron was surviving thus far on
chocolate and the odd plateful of food when he could be bothered to enter the
Great Hall. His mother would have been furious if she knew, and from the look
on the grey-haired Herbology professor�s face, she was borrowing her spirit.

�You�re getting thinner,� she glowered. �And you were thin
enough.�

�Ignore her, she�s just jealous,� Flitwick
commented, moving to the other side of the staffroom.

�Why aren�t you eating?� she went for the throat and Ron
tried to think on his feet.

�I don�t eat when I�m stressed.�

�Why are you stressed?�

�The tournament.�

�There�s nothing to be stressed about that, you�re an
excellent coach, now, what�s really wrong?�

�Leave him alone,� someone laughed.

Ron used the opportunity to snatch up a cake off the plate
and shove it in his mouth. �Happy?�

�Don�t talk with your mouth full,� she muttered
reproachfully.

�Can�t win, can you Ron?� Flitwick
sighed dramatically.

�We�re at a party,� Sprout pointed out. �You�re meant to eat
at a party! Severus, you�ve not touched anything either.�

�Not hungry,� Severus spoke his first words of the afternoon
and turned a page of the Prophet boredly.

�It�s a party,� she said pointedly.

�Yes, but for this faculty, that is almost a weekly
occurrence, Pomona,�
he muttered. �In fact, one might think all we ever do is crowd in this infernal
room and get drunk on Minerva�s generosity with the staff expenses budget.�

Ron wanted to laugh, he wanted to laugh at the cutting
sarcasm, but he fought it down, unwilling to give Severus the satisfaction of
feeling anything positive from him at all. He balled up the paper case which he
had peeled the cake out of and lobbed it in the bin.

�So, Ron, were you being serious, has Minerva really not
approached you about teaching next year?� Sinistra
asked. �That�s a little� lax for her, I must say?�

Ron flushed and looked down at the floor, �I dunno� Maybe she�s waiting to see how the tournament goes?�

�It shouldn�t have any effect at all, that�s not your main
job,� the witch frowned. �Maybe she�s just forgotten.�

�Ah, well, there she is, you can ask her!� Flitwick said as the door opened and a hand caught the
edge.

�No, really �just leave it-� Ron began to protest, but he
was cut off by McGongall�s voice.

�I�m sure Ron�ll be in here,
Charlie, the staff are having a little celebration at
the end of the year.�

�Where there�s booze, that�s usually where Ron is.�

Ron froze. The voice which had replied to his employer was
not that of his brother, who walked through the door after her, but the voice
of someone he had not heard for months. Over a year.
Gleaming brunette hair, warm eyes, tanned skin and a muscled body appeared
around the doorframe.

Fuck!

�Hello stranger,� the foreign voice was silky through the
air and Ron knew his mouth had fallen open.

�You have visitors,� McGonagall explained.

�Um, yeah,� Ron tried to locate his vocabulary.

�Aren�t you going to give me a hug?� the brunette asked him,
almost nervously.

Here? In front of these vultures? In front of
Severus?

But Ron didn�t have a choice when the man suddenly bounded
across the room and swept him up, almost lifting him off the floor with his
strong arms. There was a happy sigh from the women of the room and Ron wanted
to burst into flame.

***

Oh, well, wonderful.
As if that isn�t a full blown public display of nauseating affection.

Severus couldn�t help but watch as the burly man kept the
thin redhead in his arms, obviously whispering in his ear. Ron looked at him
uncertainly and broke out of his hold before turning to his brother. Severus
was surprised to see the look of anger when Ron was facing away from the
Romanian. The tight hug Ron bestowed upon Charlie was stiff and the angry look
kept on his face; barely moving lips hissed something in his ear.

�You�ll have to excuse us,� Ron said finally, his face
almost blotchy with reaction. �C�mon� we can go to my rooms.�

�Rooms?� the Romanian asked with a smile. �I�m impressed draga mea.�

Ron seemed to freeze as the foreign words were spoken, and
Severus instantly had the urge to find out what had been said.

�C�mon,� Ron muttered finally, shaking his head. �You too.� He gave what looked like a painful prod into
Charlie�s spine. �Sorry for these two interrupting, everyone,� he said to the
room, and then left, his eyes to the ground.

�So that�s the Romanian lover?� someone hissed as soon as
the door closed behind the departing men.

�He didn�t look too happy to see him, did he?� Minerva
frowned. �I thought he�d be pleased. He�s been so withdrawn recently I�ve been
worried.�

�It looked like he was about to clobber his brother,�
Severus idly commented, folding the paper up and getting to his feet.

So why doesn�t he want
to see his ex-lover? Who is all muscles and curling hair and�
what a tosser. Hmph.

�I hope everything�s alright,� Minerva fretted.

�And you haven�t told the poor boy whether he�s welcome back
next year or not,� Sprout poured herself another drink.

�I assure you I have- oh,� the woman�s face fell and she let
out an infuriated moan. �No, I was drafting his permanent contract and then�
oh. He must be feeling awful.�

�He did seem a bit upset,� Sprout said gently. �But not to worry. As long as he�s staying I�m happy.�

�He might not want to stay,� Severus pointed out. �He doesn�t seem happy.�

Or he hasn�t since
that night at the pitch...

Forcing himself to forget it, he waited for their opinions.

�I think he�ll stay,� Sprout said with a mischievous smile. �Women�s intuition.�

�Yes, but you also thought you could win the Muggle lottery
that way,� Flitwick rolled his eyes.

Their voices faded out as the discussion left the redhead
and Severus walked to the window, looking down on the sunny grounds. He would
never admit aloud how much he was looking forward to the Quidditch tournament,
and he would certainly never admit the reasons why.

His coaching robes are
so wonderfully thin.

Even though he had been the one that forced their encounter
to end badly, Severus couldn�t help thinking of Ron for what seemed like nearly
all of his waking minutes. As pathetic as he believed it made him, he couldn�t
stop, couldn�t stop the way his eyes followed him across the Great Hall when he
deigned them with his presence, or stop noticing the way his teeth showed when
he smiled.

Or the way he just looked so very sexy when he was angry.
That was why he had paid so much attention to how the redhead looked at his
brother, because the face was stony and the eyes were full of anger, and
Severus had never been more attracted to him.

And that was why after
he yelled at you in front of all of the staff, you didn�t hex him into a bloody
heap on the floor like you would have anybody else; you waited for him to
leave, then left yourself, and went and hid in your dungeons until your erection
was well and truly deflated and your hand wasn�t right for days.

He�d even overlooked the personal slights on his past, just
because of the way Ron looked when he was worked up. The flush on his cheeks,
the glittering eyes �it was something which he would never be able to
accurately capture in his mind.

***

�In,� Ron pointed into the outer-chamber of his rooms, but
closed the door after Alex had crossed the threshold, and turned furiously to
Charlie. �Explain!�

�He�s just passing through on his way to Ireland,�
Charlie threw his hands up to placate, but Ron was having none of it.

�Ireland�s
several miles that way,� he pointed angrily to the west. �What the fuck,
Charlie? You know how long it took me to get over the fact he was going to dump
me.�

�I know, but I� I didn�t think you would want him just
turning up on his own, so I offered to come with� he was coming regardless of
me being here, thought I could� mediate a bit.�

�Well you can bugger off,� Ron growled. �You are so not on
my Christmas card list this year.�

Charlie shot him a pained look and shook his hair out of his
eyes. �Look, just hear him out, listen to what he has to say.�

�Which is?� Ron raised an angry eyebrow.

�Go and find out,� Charlie took a step back. �I�ll be with Hagrid. Send him to me when you�re done.�

�Which will be in five minutes,� Ron called to his retreating
back, glaring daggers at his brother�s broad back.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door to his rooms
and saw the brunette sitting on his comfortable sofa, annoyingly looking every
bit at home, like he belonged there.

�Come and sit with me, sweet,� Alex patted the space next to
him temptingly.

�I�ll stand,� Ron replied, his
voice and body awkward as he folded his arms over his chest.

There was a sigh. �Why are you being so off, draga mea?�

�Stop calling me that,� Ron hissed, hating the sound of the
Romanian endearment. For a year those two words had been his world, every time
they had been spoken he had felt loved, and wanted. And then when the man had
thrown him away he had never wanted to hear the words again.

�So, you seem to have done very well for yourself?� Alex
gestured around at the rooms.

�Yeah, it�s good,� Ron nodded. �Nice view.�

Brown eyes fixed him with a mirthful stare, but when Alex
spoke he was nothing but kind. �You are looking very handsome in your teaching
robes, also.�

It sent a shiver through him to hear the good but
not-quite-perfect English phrasing he used to love to hear.

�Alex, what do you want?� Ron finally asked, reaching up and
pinching the bridge of his nose. His eyes were so tired they were burning.

�Where are your glasses?�

�Not important,� Ron shook his head. �What do you want?�

�I broke up with Lucian.�

Ron was surprised at his reaction, which was simply nothing.
There were days in the beginning where he thought that hearing those words
would make everything right in the world, but standing there in his office with
his ex it just meant nothing.

Because
you want someone else now, and the boot�s on the other foot.

�Ron?�

�Hmm?�

�Don�t you have something to say to that?� Alex looked
confused.

�Well, I�m sorry,� Ron offered up, ramming his hands into
the pockets of his robes.

�Is that all?� the handsome face fell.

�I think it is, Alex��

�But you wanted this to happen,� the muscled figure was up off the sofa then,
his eyes hurt. �You wanted to be with me last year� what�s changed?�

Ron didn�t move away when warm hands glided over his upper
arms and came to a rest on his shoulders. The smell was the same, the heat was
the same, everything about their encounter was
throwing him headfirst into memories of the happiest year of his life.

Until he dumped you
because he just couldn�t stop loving Lucian.

�Why now?�

�I missed you too much.�

�But that doesn�t mean you want him any less,� Ron frowned.

�He told me he doesn�t want� whilst I�m missing you, he�s
not happy.�

�So basically, you can�t make up your mind between the two
of us, and now he�s got arsey with you you�ve come to
see me?�

The man flushed and Ron knew he had the components of the
situation in the correct order.

�Sorry to disappoint, Alex,� he breathed, �But I�m� it�s
been a while.�

�Are you seeing someone else?�

I want to be seeing
someone else.

�It�s complicated.�

�Do you have with him what we had?� Alex�s voice was urgent
with worry; he had clearly not expected to find Ron having moved on.

�I don�t have anything with him, but I want to,� Ron stepped
away and walked to the window, looking out into the fading June sunlight.

But the arms wrapped around him then and held him tightly.
�So you�re not� nothing I can do to tempt you?� A soft kiss pressed into his
hair.

�Sorry, �Lex.�

�I feel like such a twat. I�ve lost you. And now some other
man will have you, and your cuddles, and your fucking
sexual stamina��

Ron snorted. �Don�t worry, he�s older than you. I doubt I�ll
have my way.�

�Older?� the voice was quiet.

�I�m not sure it�ll happen, or even if it should. We�re very
different.�

�Opposites attract.�

�And murder one another,� Ron laughed.

�If it�s meant to be, it will be,� Alex said softly in his
ear. �I am just sad that we are not
meant to be.�

Ron stayed silent and waited to be released, but Alex seemed
to be unable to let him go.

�I�ve got loads of things to do,� he said quietly.

�One last kiss?�

The voice was hopeful and Ron sighed and turned around in
the strong arms. �One kiss.�

It was warm, and gentle, far too chaste for the way they had
carried on together in Romania,
but what grabbed Ron around the throat the most was the fact that he felt
absolutely nothing. Not even when Alex groaned in frustration did he react.

�Fuck,� the mumbled word was miserable. �I�ll go. Good luck
with your man. I hope he�s worthy of you.�

�You probably wouldn�t think he was,� Ron made a face.
�Charlie�s down at the groundskeeper�s hut, he told me to send you down there.�

�Did he know about this other man?�

�Nobody knows, and keep your mouth shut,� Ron flashed him a
warning glance.

�My lips are sealed. He knew you would turn me down.�

�He�s a clever bugger,� Ron shrugged. �But I guess at least
he came to support you.�

�I�ll leave. Goodbye, draga mea.�

Not even when the kiss was blown did Ron feel any
inclination to stop him from leaving. �Bye,� he murmured, as the door shut.

Oh fucking hell. When
did life get so complicated? I want the horcruxes
back! I want Hermione yelling back! I want� I want�

He was so frustrated he growled out loud.

�I want everyone to fuck off and leave me alone!�

With that he stomped moodily into the bathroom and turned on
the taps so that he could hide away for a while.

***

It was near on infuriating, wondering if Ron had crawled
into the arms of his ex-lover. Severus was sat at his desk in front of a bottle
of whiskey wondering just what they would be doing, if they would be fucking
roughly or slowly, if they would be kissing or just lying together.

This is pathetic.

He chucked back some of the amber liquid and relished the
burn it created on the skin of his throat. What he had seen in the staffroom
had so rankled him he was actually considering packing everything up and
leaving for home that evening, just so that he didn�t have to watch the redhead
dangling from somebody else�s arm for the entire week.

He didn�t look happy
to see him; in fact he looked downright annoyed.

He attempted to drown the optimistic voice in his head with
the rest of the glass and nearly threw it across the room when he realised that
he had failed.

You ran out on him.
You could fix this with an apology.

Severus poured another glass and wondered if there was any
chance that his fears might not have come true �that Ron wouldn�t have
regretted what had happened in his office in May. It was very obvious he was
angry with Severus over leaving, which surprised him. He had expected an
expression of relief, of gratitude for excusing him from the messy aftermath,
but the redhead had just looked hurt.

They hadn�t spoken in all that time and Severus wasn�t fool
enough to try and blame Ron for it, after all he had been the one to bolt.

A clock chimed over his fireplace and he groaned. With the
now reduced staff they were all required in the Great Hall to preside over the
remaining the students. That morning such a feat hadn�t seemed unobtainable,
but Severus looked at the glass of whiskey in his hand.

He knew he wasn�t leaving his office again for the duration
of the evening.

***

Not the French, not
the French, not the French.

For some reason, even though they hadn�t drawn the French
for their game, the thought was seemingly stuck in his mind. He had been
dreading pulling against the wicked fast Beauxbatons
team, not just for their speed but for the fact that it was made up of stunning
girls, some of whom would have positively floored him in his younger years.

And he had a higher percentage of male players than female.
It was just easier to play the Italians.

Who were flying hard, fast, and their coach who had looked
so genial in his smiles but looked smouldering in the dark blue robes with
glittering gold letters on the back. And when he
shouted, his team listened.

Ron was surprised how full the stands were, quite how many
people had trolled out to watch Hogwarts play what could be their first and
last game of the tournament. He really, really didn�t want to be knocked out so
quickly, what with the very simple format. Four teams had gone into the hat,
and then pulled out in lots of two, those two teams played each other and then
the winners would play each other for a shiny cup. If there had been more
teams, and more time, it would have been more complicated.

He hated not being in the air. His feet firmly on the ground
he had an awful view, even with his omnioculars, and
he wanted to call up his broom and get in the air.

�Watch it with the bat!� he yelled angrily, as an Italian
beater nearly smashed the wood into one of his chaser�s faces. �His mother will
effing kill me!�

It was more effort than he thought it would be keeping his
language clean. He squinted and then a huge cheer burst out in English yells
and they suddenly jumped into the lead.

Bellowing his praise he caught a wink from his dad in the
crowd and burst forth into a massive grin.

***

Look at that bloody ponce perving on him when he�s so
happy.

Severus was sure his face was written in fury, but he
couldn�t help it. With every further goal that Hogwarts scored the Italian was
getting more and more frustrated but wasn�t hiding his leers in Ron�s direction.

He was in no mood for a man�s unsubtle flirting; Severus had
woken up with a pounding head, aching guts and an empty bottle of whiskey for
the second day running. Ron looked resplendent with the June sun blazing off
his head and his skin glowing. Severus had no idea what the score even was; all
he knew was when the crowd cheered, and when Ron Weasley jumped up and down
with his hands in the air.

As coaches went he wasn�t particularly skilled at keeping
his emotions inside but Severus enjoyed watching the man hurtle towards
increasingly ruder swear words and stopping himself at the last minute. It was
something else which endeared Ron to him completely.

As
if there needs to be anything else, as if you need another reason to stare at
him all day.

Severus was trying to ignore the part of his brain which
reminded him that after this week he would not see the redhead for the rest of
the summer, because it made him miserable. How they had come to rest in such a
dysfunctional relationship, clearly watching one another and yet never sharing
a single word, he couldn�t fathom.

Severus knew Ron watched sometimes, but couldn�t really
understand why. He failed to believe it was because there was an attraction.

But then he was
writhing like a bloody madman, and panting, and kissing like he was on death
row�

A roar erupted then and Severus jumped, the noise deafening
his ears. The commentator was screaming, but all he could really see was that
the Italian was looking over at Ron again.

He pulled out his wand.

***

Ron couldn�t believe it. The match hadn�t even lasted half
an hour and his fourth year Gryffindor had her fist clutched triumphantly in
the air, and she was hurtling towards him with the rest of the team following.

�OhmyfuckingGoddon�tbreakmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!�
he lost his grip on the no-swearing rule as she crashed into him and knocked
him onto the floor, laughing.

�Sorry! Excited!� she laughed as the beaters hauled him off
the floor.

�We won!�

More cheering ensued and Ron was fairly sure he might be
deaf before they were all finished.

�Hey, what happened to the Italian bloke?�

Ron�s head whipped round to look and saw the usually suave
Italian coach standing laughing with his team, shaking his head, his robes
transfigured to a baby pink with shimmers which were catching the sun�s rays,
meaning that every eye in the stadium was on him, because it was impossible to miss him.

�Oh, Merlin�s balls, they�ll never play anything again,� Ron
groaned.

�He�s laughing about it, Sir,� someone point out.

�And anyway, fuck �em, we won!�

�I�m going to pretend I didn�t hear that,� Ron said sulkily
over his shoulder.

�But you do it!�

�Shut up,� Ron smirked and turned around. �And hit the
showers before you stink out my nice little coaching box. Good job, guys.�

�Party?� one of them asked hopefully.

�You get the obviously non-alcoholic beverages in, and I am
totally there,� Ron rolled his eyes and turned, jumping out of the confines of
his box with one hand on the rail.

As he neared the Italian team and their coach, who was to
his due still laughing about his transformed robes, he was noticed and a wide
smile spread on the perfect team coach�s lips.

�Ah, here he is, the man I must congratulate on his team�s
excellent victory,� the man thrust out his hand which Ron took, but as before
his shoulder was clapped and there was a kiss on both of his cheeks.

�You played really well,� he offered, trying to keep his
blush under control.

�We know we did,� the Italian shrugged with a smirk. �But
you were better. The team are upset but that is life, no?�

�You�ll stay for the rest?� Ron asked genuinely.

�Why, of course, we wouldn�t miss it for the world,� there
was a wink and Ron jerked as something brushed against his arse.

�Good to hear,� he half-squeaked. �I� need to go and talk to
a few people.�

Whirling around to hurry away from the arse-groper, face
blazing with heat, he met Snape�s eyes across the pitch. The pale narrow face
was contorted with anger, Ron would have bet every single knut he had that Severus had seen the Italian�s pass
at him. A wand twiddled in the man�s fingers. And Ron would have then given
every sickle he had that the culprit for the shimmering pink robes was his
perpetual antagonist.

If it had been anybody else, maybe the anger wouldn�t have
flared in his belly.

Fucking prick! I work
my arse off being a sodding dignitary and he wants to
ruin it by being fucking petty!

�Ron!� his Mother�s shout saved Severus from the immediate
brunt of his anger, but there was always later.

***

�C�mon, Sir, you�ve got to come and dance with us!�

�No, I really don�t,� Ron grimaced and shook his head.
�Leave off.�

�Anyone would think you�d just played a winning match,� the
seeker sulked and walked away, grinning back at him.

�I�m so proud of you, ickle Ronniekins,� his mother reached up and grabbed his cheek,
pinching it painfully. �Godric you�re so thin, Ron, I can�t even get a good
hold.�

�I�ll keep the weight off then,� he took a swig out of his
bottle of ale.

�I�ll have you home soon enough and then I can feed you up over
the summer,� she glowered.

Ron said nothing, not wanting to be reminded of the fact
that he was faced with returning to his parental home for the school break.

�Ah, here he is!� Minerva called with a wide smile. �Now
then, before you run off on me again,� she waved a hand. �Will you be staying
on with us next year?�

Ron had the feeling she had waited until he was flanked by a
parent on each arm before she asked him that question, and he cursed under his
breath. She and his mother looked at him expectantly.

�If you want me to,� he said finally, ignoring his Mother�s
proud simpering as she patted his arm.

�My baby, a teacher, I have one at last, Arthur!�

�Ron, the question is if you
want to �not if we want you to,� Minerva assured him. �No pressure at all.�

It was just then that Ron caught sight of Severus on the
other side of the Hall, talking to another professor. There was somebody he
really had to talk to before he made his decision, he realised. Someone he
might very well end up yelling at.

�I�ll� I�ll have you an answer by the end of the week, how�s
that?� he offered.

�Perfect,� she beamed at him. �Now, excuse me.�

�Why didn�t you accept straight off?� Arthur asked
curiously.

�It�s� complicated. I need to go and have a word with
someone,� he wormed out from between them. �Thanks for coming.�

�Like we�d have missed your success,� Molly huffed
indignantly. �Sometimes I think you don�t think we love you.�

�I know you love me,� Ron sighed. �What�s not to love?�

She swatted his arm as he ducked away, snorting. Severus was
still in place on the outside wall and that was where he headed, but suddenly
George ducked in his way.

�Hey!�

�Alright?� Ron gave him a grin and
a hug. �What�re you doing here?�

�Couldn�t not come and support my baby brother, could I?�
George shrugged. �They were great. Think you�ve found your calling bro.�

�Maybe,� Ron kept his eyes on Severus in case he moved.

�I was thinking, you finish for a
while after this week, right?�

�Yeah,� Ron looked back at him, shaking his head slightly.

�What�s the matter with you?� George frowned.

�People are the
matter with me.�

George looked on with raised eyebrows, his silent question
as to what was bothering his little brother.

�Just, someone driving me mad and I need to have a word, is all.�

�Oh, well, don�t let me stop you then,� George stepped
aside.

�What were you going to say?�

�Wondered if you maybe wanted to come on holiday with me for
a bit? I have cover for the shop, and I�m going anyway but you� I thought you
might like to get away?�

Ron immediately knew his answer. �Tell me when, and where,
and I will be there with a suitcase and the usual fifty bottles of suncream it involves when any of us lot go on holiday.�

George snorted, �Can�t wait to get away, eh?�

�Not looking forward to moving back in with mum,� Ron
muttered, looking around them.

�Oh, fuck yeah, the roof needs fixing and the gnomes are
starting a new colony in the orchard,� George gave him an amused smirk. �Fun for you.�

�Fuck it.�

�Ah, excuse me; I hope I am not interrupting?�

If Ron could have groaned without looking rude, he would
have. The dazzling smile was back and robes were no longer pink.

�Of course not,� George winked at Ron and backed away.

I am so going to
murder him later. Re-united with Fred. At least this Italian
couldn�t follow me to Azkaban.

�I just wanted to congratulate you again.�

�Thanks,� Ron gave him a smile and took a mouthful of ale.

�You are, ah, very popular, no?�

�Oh, they�re my family,� Ron waved an explaining hand.

�I thought the English didn�t have as big families as we
did,� the man laughed. �I was obviously wrong.�

Ron swept his eyes around to watch for Severus, who had
finished his conversation, it only seemed a matter of time before the dark
pools landed on them. But, as Ron saw, Severus suddenly set down the glass he
was holding and turned to walk out of the hall.

�Look, I�m sorry, I�ve just got to catch someone,� Ron
apologised. �I�ll be back.�

Without waiting for an approval he wheeled about and sped
through the hall, losing Severus into the entrance hall when he was still only
halfway there to the door.

�Bollocks,� he muttered beneath his breath and sped up,
darting around milling students and parents.

***

Severus was bored, and his head was still hurting. He had
fulfilled his required time in the Hall and strolled out, thinking of heading
for his office, but the front doors to the castle were open and something about
the summer air tempted him to head that way, instead of down into the cold of
his rooms. He walked down the front steps and looked out over the lake, which
was glittering. His eyes instantly ached so he looked
away rejecting the view for comfort instead, and walked through the grass.

It was only then that he heard a shout from behind him and
turned, ready to verbally lash whomever it was that had the audacity to address
him so inappropriately as �Oi!�.

But an angry redhead stopped him in his
tracks and as Ron followed him across the grass at a run, he wondered whether
he was about to receive his own ear bashing.

And of course,
Severus, you would like nothing more, a little more wanking
material, wouldn�t you say? Ridiculous.

***

�Oi!�

Ron was swept up in a wash of shame that he couldn�t have
thought of anything more eloquent with which to call the man, but he forced
himself to run to catch up. The look on Severus� face was surprised and
somewhat curious.

Thanks to all his time on a broomstick and training to keep
up with his team that year, Ron wasn�t even breathing quickly by the time he
halted in front of the black-clad Professor.

�We need to talk,� Ron ground out, lowering the bottle of
ale he had never rid himself of before leaving the hall. �I don�t care if
you�ve got other plans, we�re talking.�

�About what?� Severus folded his
arms over his chest and squinted into the sun.

Ron felt petty enough to be glad that the man was half
blinded when he was fine, and he took a deep breath.

�Where the fuck do you get off pulling something like that
on the Italian�s robes?�

�I have no idea what you�re talking about.�

�Yes you do!� Ron burst out. �I spent so long buttering them
up and it was all going so well!�

�If I had done anything,� Severus answered him coolly, �It
didn�t seem so badly received. He was still smiling
that infuriating teeth-whitened smile, wasn�t he?�

Ron stopped dead as he heard the jealousy pile into Severus�
tone and he shifted his weight uncomfortably between his feet. �Why do you have
to cock everything up for me, Snape? Why is ruining my achievements so much fun
for you?�

�Oh, please, now you�re just being melodramatic,� Severus
looked down his nose at him. �If you have nothing more intelligent to say to
me, Weasley, I will excuse myself and go and converse with Hagrid�s
skrewts. They would prove more scintillating, I�m
sure.�

Mouth falling open in anger Ron growled. �I didn�t flirt for
the first part of the year for you to run them off forever!� he shouted at
Severus� back.

�So you admit you were flirting, then?�

�You are the most annoying man I�ve ever fucking met!� Ron
shouted.

�Now now, Weasley, let�s not lie,
you have after all been in the company of the Dark Lord, and the Malfoys.�

Ron covered the short distance between them and, not knowing
what made him act, he grabbed hold of the thin wrist poking out of the end of
the oppressive black robes and stormed towards the shelter of the greenhouses,
not caring whether Severus followed him, cursed him or anything at all.

He had become suddenly very aware that their exchange was
out in the open, and anybody that cared to look out of the Great Hall would see
them. Surprisingly he still felt the cool skin beneath his tight grip as he
strode along, the ale bottle swinging loosely from his other hand.

Heat tingled through his fingers up his forearm. Suddenly he
couldn�t understand why Severus wasn�t fighting him. When they finally landed
in the shade of one of the ornate greenhouses, he dropped the wrist and turned
to face the man.

�Why on earth have you dragged me all the way over here,
Weasley?�

�Why did you let me?� Ron challenged.

�Apparently you are a force of nature when your emotions are
running high,� Severus looked away.

�Well yeah but then you already knew that, didn�t you,
Snape? Or have you blocked out everything that happened in May?�

Ron saw the man�s spine stiffen and his shoulders tense, his
face was suddenly an indifferent mask.

�I was not aware it was a subject you wished to discuss.�

�ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!� Ron burst out. �You ran out
on me! How could I not want to know why?�

Severus said nothing but Ron could tell from the nervous
fiddling of his hand on the fabric of his robe that the man was not as calm
internally as he was outwardly projecting.

�This is fucking stupid,� Ron gestured with the bottle.
�We�re existing in this you look, I look world and what I don�t get, Snape, is
this. Why, if you were just going to
half-fuck me and run off, are you bothering to look? Bothering to get jealous
of the other men that want me?!�

�We did not
�half-fuck�, as you so falsely describe it,� Severus scathed.

�Well what ever it was,� Ron fumed, �I came, you came, it
was pretty damned good until something sent the wind up your fucking knickers
and you ran off!�

His voice had risen and it bounced off the glass walls the
greenhouse quad was made up of. He blushed and fell silent, chest heaving.

�How many more times are we going to have this fight, hmm?�
Ron asked finally, when Severus neglected to answer him in favour of looking
dumbly down at the glass. �How long are you going to deny that you�re
interested?�

�Whatever would have given you the idea that I�m interested?�

Ron really thought he was going to hit him within the next
twenty seconds if he didn�t do something else.

�Oh, I dunno, the looks, the
watching me in the bloody shower, the mental half-fuck in my office, not
speaking to me since �which by the way, Snape, is a pretty heavy indicator of
guilt� no, really, I wonder where the fuck I got the idea that you might want a
piece of my backside from?�

He was yelling again, and Severus was remaining silent, but
there was a strange look on his face.

�I� the shower really was
an accident,� Severus said quietly. �And I know my actions on the night of the
ball were dishonourable.�

�That�s what you call it?� Ron raised an eyebrow. �I call it
cruel personally, but there we go. Not like it�s affected me
or my self-esteem at all, oh no.�

He was being dry and sarcastic right back at the
raven-haired man, he suddenly realised that he didn�t care.

�All year long I have felt on edge, because of you,� he
muttered finally. �And now, she�s asking me to stay but I can�t if you�re going
to keep this bollocks up, Snape. So what now, hmm?�

�Are you saying that you won�t return if��

�I�m saying I�m this close to ramming this bottle somewhere
unpleasant,� Ron thrust it at him, and placing his thumb and index finger an
inch apart on his free hand. �Just� for fuck�s sake, Snape,
if you want me, grow a fucking spine.�

�Why would I want you?�

Ron�s mouth fell open and he went to shout back an insult,
but his foot caught on the grass. The bottle slipped from his hand and he
stumbled, smashing into the firm chest of the thin man in front of him.

Ah, fuck it. Well,
here goes absolutely fucking nothing.

He covered up his fall by seizing the material in fistfuls,
and then forcefully shoved his lips to Severus�, growling with passion.

***

Oh, sweet Merlin�s sac
this is better than last time.

Ron�s anger had been seeping out of him with every word and
when the redhead fallen and covered his mishap by the action of grabbing
Severus and kissing him, it felt every bit as raw as it had on the night in
Ron�s office.

Severus was frozen at first, as the plump lips worked
against him, as the man�s wet tongue demanded entrance into his mouth. Finally
he managed to unfreeze his jaw and dropped it. Ron filled him immediately,
dragging him even closer with the fistfuls of his robes that he still held.
Both of them were breathing heavily and when Ron tilted his head to the side,
it was perfect.

Their moment of perfection, however, was ruined. But that
time Severus would be proud to say that it was not him that caused the moment
to shatter. Ron suddenly leapt backwards, panting, and reached up to drag his
hand over his mouth.

�No, really, Snape? You don�t fucking want me?� he breathed,
stooping to grab the bottle he�d dropped.

Severus found himself unable to
force the words out and could only blink as Ron stared expectantly at him.

When nothing came, Ron let out a growl of frustration and
stormed past him. Severus didn�t need to watch him go, he heard the angry
footsteps fade and suddenly his lips were tingling.

Reaching up he pressed his fingertips into them where Ron
had so recently kissed.

Good Godric� he� he�s
actually fucking interested back.

Shocked, he turned around and looked to the space where Ron
had disappeared. After a minute�s faltering he cautiously followed, turning
over the revelation in his mind, wondering how on earth it could be the truth.

He was so preoccupied that he did not see the grey-haired
plump figure stepping out from one of the greenhouses, a smug look on her face
at what she had just witnessed.
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Rivalry