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

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
A/N: Good morning lovely readers! Hope you�re all well.
Thank you for your reviews as usual:

Sheree �It�ll be a long time
coming. Events of this chapter kind of put a fork in things.

Kai �You know me� nothing�s ever easy ;)

DaVinci �yes, pigheadedness. Not
going to help after this chapter, either. Thank you, I�m glad I�m keeping up
the quality of what I write!

hairsprayX12 �That sounds cute, I was never much of a Snoopy
girl though so that�s why I didn�t know. What made Ron girly for you? Was it
the heart fluttering? I thought I was doing a better job of keeping him manly.
But now I realise that the fluttery-ness was girly,
LOL. I�ve done Ron Karaoke before and thought I�d give him a rest this time
round.

Now, just remember what I promised you at the beginning. But
you should also remember I am me �a drama llama, so� I couldn't see these two actually quitting dancing around the issue... so I may have helped things along a little... ;) xx

-----

�No, Harry,� Ron hissed.

�But Ron, come on,� Harry turned on his most cajoling tone
and pleaded with his eyes.

�You promised last time was the last time,� Ron�s voice lowered to a grumble. �It makes me feel
so dirty� so wrong��

�I know but� Gods, Ron, I need this.� Harry breathed. �I
want it like a bee wants honey.�

Ron raised an eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest.

�It�s like we�re cheating, Harry��

�Forget it, forget your conscience�� Harry�s eyes widened
with dangerous promise. �And� well� it�s time I picked up the slack� I�ll do
all the work��

Ron gave a tut and groaned. �Fine,
Harry. Fine.�

�So that�s a yes?�

�As long as you don�t make me do the spells,� Ron bargained.

Harry gave an eager nod, grabbed Ron�s arm, and pulled him
through the door to the muggle pizza restaurant with a massive grin on his
face. Immediately growing hot, Ron unzipped his jacket and glowered at his best
friend. Eight years on he hated that Harry was still playing the �I want to do
all the things I was deprived of in my childhood� card, especially when they
seemed to play this particular card every single month.

�Table for two please,� Harry turned on his charm to the girl waiting to seat
people.

�Flirt,� Ron muttered under his breath looking at the walls.

They were seated near the salad station, much to Harry�s
delight.

�We don�t need menus,� Harry spoke in a pleasing voice.

�Yes, we do this every fucking month,� Ron rolled his eyes
and shrugged his coat off his shoulders.

Harry kicked him under the table and placed their order
flawlessly and the girl tottered off looking slightly dazed.

�Honestly, Ron, don�t look at it like we�re cheating� its
salad� and I frankly think for the price they charge they should let you up
there more than once.�

�I wonder how the Prophet would react if they knew the Boy
Wonder goes to muggle restaurants and charms the food so he gets multiple trips
to the salad bar�� Ron tapped his fingers on the table to the music playing
softly in the background.

�Look, shut up,� Harry kicked him again. �It�s Friday night, we�re both lonely,
how better to spend it than together in our favourite restaurant?�

�You need to get out more,� Ron snorted.

They fell silent as their drinks and plates came and when
their server had gone again Harry was uttering spells with his wand concealed
in his sleeve.

�Dirty,� Ron raised his glass to his lips and looked away.

�And you fucking love it,� Harry hissed.

�Yeah, I really do,� Ron exhaled and gave up the pretence.

�I�m going first,� Harry winked and got up.

Ron sat back and looked at the other people eating,
beginning to feel hungry from the smell of all the cheese which permeated the
pizza restaurant. It never took long for him to get over his guilt at what
Harry insisted doing with the food.

Skip the salad, just
want pizza now� He�d had a long day at work with meetings about security
for the upcoming Quidditch World Cup and even though he had willingly taken on
the task of organising the team for it, it was bloody hard work and he was
tired. The opportunity had come up shortly after his holiday to see Severus in
March, and seeing as it was now June they had made excellent headway, but there
was still a lot of work to be done before August.

Mmm� Severus� He became distracted as he had
done so many times that day thinking of his dark-haired lover in the north. It
was heightened by the fact he was heading up to him the next day and all Ron
could really think of through his tiredness was a warm embrace, a rough kiss
and some hot sex.

�Mphback,� Harry announced through
a mouthful of cucumber.

�No, really?� Ron rolled his eyes
and shifted sideways out of the booth-style seat and picked up his plate.
�Fuck, did you leave any for the rest of us?�

Harry flipped him off with a grin and Ron turned, feeling
even hungrier. Considering he�d had eight years to practice his art his plate
was rather beautiful by the time he made it back to the table, carefully
carrying the plate lest any of the deliciousness fall off.

�Wow, and you call me a pig,� Harry raised his eyebrows.

�What can I say, I�m an artist?!� Ron beamed, chucked some
salt over his food, grabbed his fork and dug in.

For a while the only sounds were the hungry munchings of two men having been at work all day, but then
Harry broke the silence with a slight burp when his plate re-filled and Ron
snorted.

�So, where�s Ginny tonight then?�

�Training,� Harry grimaced. �Swear to Godric she�s trying to
work herself to death.�

�Ah, well, at least you make a good couple,� Ron grinned at him.

�How�s the Cup stuff going? Getting closer
now. Of course, I have not yet received my complimentary golden box
tickets?�

�Freebie slut,� Ron closed his mouth around a forkful of
potato salad.

�You know it,� Harry laughed and set down his fork. �Bring
on the pizza��

�I�m not done yet,� Ron complained as Harry cleared the
re-filling charms on their plates. �Bastard.�

�Should get a move on then, shouldn�t you?� Harry leant back
in his seat and heaved a sigh. �So how�re things with you?�

�Fine,� Ron scooped up some pasta salad. �Nothing
new to report.�

�You�re boring,� Harry pointed at him.

�What? Do you want me to make up a social life?�

�No I want you to get one,� Harry reached forward and
started folding his serviette in his hands. �You�re� you spend too much time
wrapped up in your flat alone.�

�I do not!� Ron protested. �I feel like I never fucking get
a moment to myself between you, mum, George and the bloody rest of them.
Charlie�s back from Romania
permanently now and it�s like he never leaves.�

�Charlie�s great though,� Harry frowned.

�Yeah but not at two thirty in the morning when you�ve got to be up at six,�
Ron pointed out. �He�s just full of bloody energy.�

�So,� Harry spoke and Ron immediately dreaded what was
coming out of his mouth next �he had been Harry�s friend for fifteen years and
he knew that �so�. �Have you thought about maybe dating anybody, Ron?�

Hahahahahaha. Way ahead of you,
Harry.

And Ron was. The last time he and Severus had met he had slipped
dangerously close to saying �I love you�. But
we all know that�s stupid, you can�t fall in love with someone in five months. �Nah, not really in the mood yet.� Oh, I dunno� is it stupid?

�You should get back out there,� Harry said softly. �It�ll
make it better.�

�Really, being fucked around by more witches, just what I need, Harry.�

They broke off again as their pizza arrived and they had
their usual fight about cutting it up and dividing it equally.

�Nobody that�s caught your eye at all?�
Harry needled.

�No, Harry,� Ron mumbled through a mouthful of cheese and
pepperoni. �Nobody.�

Liar, liar, pants on
fire so hard they have smouldered to
ashes.

�Sorry, I know you must feel like everyone wants in on your
business,� Harry said apologetically. �But we�re just worried about you��

�I know,� Ron shrugged. �But I don�t need to be set up or
pushed out on dates, Harry��

�Because you�ve already found someone?�

Ron knew Harry was just guessing randomly but the question
still put his back up and he swallowed his mouthful. �No.�

�Alright alright alright, don�t get all moody with me.�

Ron didn�t reply to that but his thoughts turned to
something which had been plaguing him recently. He knew that it would probably bowl
everyone close to him over if they were to learn he had been shagging a man for
nearly six months. He kept trying to find a way to test the water but kept
getting interrupted.

He cleared his throat. �Harry��

�Yeah?�

�Oh, gods, don�t you know where your mouth is?� Ron asked
exasperatedly, seeing the pizza smeared around his best friend�s mouth.

Harry wiped his mouth off with the serviette and grinned
impishly. �I�m hungry, I don�t give a damn what I look like!�

�Which is why you�ve not had cosmetic surgery yet, though at
least you changed your glasses,� Ron winked.

Harry kicked him again beneath the table and then said,
�What did you want to say?�

�I realise this isn�t entirely the most appropriate place
for this conversation,� Ron hooked an eyebrow and smirked. �But� if I said that
since I�d broken up with Hermione, I�d been� erm,
interested� by blokes more than women, what would you say?�

�Fuck!� Harry dropped his pizza suddenly and Ron winced at
his dramatic reaction before he felt the cause.

Delving into his pocket he pulled out the burning galleon
which was his constant contact to the Auror HQ. The coins were, of course,
completely adapted from those that they had used for Dumbledore�s Army at
Hogwarts �a means of instant messaging. Ron peered at the message.

�Senior Aurors needed Oxford Street urgent�.

�We�re off duty,� Harry groaned loudly, chucking his pizza
down and brushing off the mess on his trousers where it had landed.

�Not any more,� Ron waved their server over and asked for
the bill.

�Ron, I� you��

�It can wait,� Ron said simply. �Don�t worry, it says
urgent, so pay the good lady and let�s leave, huh?�

He got to his feet and swung his jacket around his
shoulders, and walked outside to the pavement, leaving Harry to pay like he had
promised. It was a warm and light summer night and Ron wondered what was
waiting for them in Oxford Street.
In hindsight he was glad he had not gone straight home, it would have been more
of a stretch to make it in time.

�Ready?� Harry appeared at his side. �Alleyway over there -should
be good for apparition.�

Ron followed him wordlessly, mind torn between thinking
about what might be waiting for them and what Harry had been going to say to
him about liking men. His friend hadn�t looked particularly upset, just
shocked. But then Harry reacts to
everything first with shock and then his mood changes�

He didn�t have time to think on it any more as they entered
the Alley and quickly turned, heading for the well-hidden apparition spot in
the heart of Muggle shopping London. Ron landed perfectly and arranged his wand
in his sleeve, keeping his ears open for sounds of trouble, but there was
absolutely nothing.

�A bit quiet,� he remarked, seeing that the street was still
busy.

�Too quiet,� Harry breathed with a frown, both of them
recognised the silencing sweeps in place. �C�mon.�

They walked onto the main street and spotted another Senior, older than they were, just a little way down from
them amongst the crowds of people, who began waving frantically.

�Harry, can you hear something?� Ron frowned, looking around him for the source
of the noise he was picking up, sort of a mechanical high pitched squeal which
would have been unnoticeable if he had not spent time trying to pick up on his
rats� high communicative frequency.

His eyes caught over a rubbish bin and realised that
whatever was making the sound was in there.

�Fuck, Harry, that�s muggle!� He hissed, but then the
whining sound cut out and Ron yanked his wand out, shoved Harry roughly aside
seeing as he was level with the bin and cast the strongest shield charm he
could think of around the container.

He saw the white flash of light hit the edges of the shield
and relaxed when they rebounded back and did not escape, but he was too close.
His barrier had not held in the sound waves from what was obviously a sizable
explosive device; it felt like his eardrums were being manually burst and there
was a massive cracking sound. He didn�t hear his own scream but recognised the
feel of concrete beneath his cheek, meaning he�d fallen.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck
fuck. The pain dragged at him and he screwed up
his face. He had always been thrown off guard by anything to do with his ears
and he had been riddled with ear infections as a child, meaning they were
oversensitive. Either way, as he lay there, he could hear nothing, only the
empty buzzing of his own mind and he groaned.

***

Well� this is shit.

Those were the only words which Severus could muster to
describe his situation as he sat very much alone in the living room above the
pub, arms folded sulkily over his chest as he glared the clock and strained his
ears for any sound indicating an arrival.

The clock read midday and Ron, when travelling on a
Saturday, always got there by nine in the morning, he was so eager for them to
be together. Severus had fallen into the routine with him, so by sitting there
alone he felt angry, worried, stood-up and alone all at once.

And he hasn�t even
sent a message�

Severus swallowed on a dry throat and blinked a few times.
The one time Ron had ever been late coming to him, he had sent a Patronus
message to apologise and give details. But the silver Jack Russell had not
glided through the walls at all and Severus found himself longing to see it, if
he could not have Ron instead.

Which
is ridiculous. You are
entirely too attached to the boy. Man. Boy.

His mental arguing served as a welcome distraction as he
fell into thought about his toned and muscled redhead who should have been
there, wrapped around him in a sated heap in bed. A smile flitted across his
thin lips as he thought of the delights which awaited them when Ron finally
turned up. It was his turn to play bottom in the relationship which had been
interchangeable ever since the first time Ron had had him in March. They
alternated between visits and Severus had thought of not much more than being
pounded into the mattress since the last time he had seen his friend.

It sounds so wrong
calling him that� he�s much more than that and we both know it.

He smoothed his fingers over his lips deep in thought at
their situation, and how the relationship had evolved. Since Ron�s three weeks
with him, the man had changed considerably. There was a breadth to his
shoulders again, a brightness in his eyes which Severus had never quite seen
before but was fascinated with. He realised that with every passing visit Ron
was changing, possibly back to his old self �the one Severus had never known
having only known him in the midst of turmoil.

And that�s unfair, as
he will never have the opportunity to see me so whole and healthy�

But Severus was nobody�s fool. As much as he saw the changes
in Ron, he also saw those in himself, how he felt stronger, more able to deal
with the trivial pursuits of his days and above all able to give himself wholly
when Ron apparated into the village and swept them both up in the whirlwind
which resembled their partnership.

He knew the signs. He knew that he looked forward to each
impending visit with a joy far greater than that which implied simple
contentment. No, he knew that he felt much more for Ron than he was letting on.

But then he�s not
exactly come forth with adorations either. Probably because he�s scared witless
of what I�ll say� The clock ticked to quarter past and Severus sighed. With
no word he had absolutely no idea what to do. He was resolute he would never
cast his own Patronus again, and that robbed him of his own opportunity to
contact the man.

Severus wasn�t even particularly sure he had the magic
reserves to cast such a strong creature again. He had been envious, a few weeks
before, when Ron had received a message from George requesting his company
because he was upset. The redhead had faltered, looking between the shaggy
wolfhound in front of him and Severus, chewing on his lip. Severus had of
course told him to go to his brother, quoting the adage that blood was thicker
than water. Ron had turned and looked as though he had been about to mention
something about counting Severus as blood, but stopped.

Then Severus had been forced to watch as Ron pulled out his
wand and drummed up his own Patronus, his eyes closed and a smile on his face,
as simple as one breathed in and out. It wasn�t just because Severus couldn�t
do it in his current state �it was because even in his youth conjuring his
Patronus had never been such a simple
act. And yet Ron, who had been through so much hurt in the
recent past, managed just fine.

Proof that some people
don�t take to happiness as well as others do� The glum thought made him
groan aloud. He was only sitting and depressing himself as he waited for Ron.

He�s just held up. If
I waited forty-seven years for someone like him to come along I can wait a few
more hours.

�Oh, God,� he got to his feet and scowled at himself in the
mirror hanging over the fireplace at the mawkish sentiment.

***

Ron groaned. There was something wrong but he couldn�t place
what.

I remember light� hmm�
what�

Then Ron felt a hand on his face and a soft thumb pad
lifting up his eyelid and he blinked at the person looking down at him, whom he
recognised as Bill.

�Hey!� Ron opened his mouth and spoke, but then the realised
quite what was wrong �he couldn�t hear anything. Where his voice should have
sounded there was only a fluffy emptiness.

His eyes must have flown wide in panic as Bill held up his
hands in a placating gesture and helped him sit up, before pointing at the air
above his bed. Ron watched as Bill�s wand looped through the air and then he
realised what he was doing as words materialised and hung glittering.

�Welcome back hero.
Don�t panic. Your hearing will come back. But your ears were badly damaged and
they�ve put muffling spells on you so that they don�t work over time whilst
they heal. You saved a hell of a lot of lives, Ron.�

Ron frowned and spoke again, but it was evident that he
wasn�t loud enough when Bill frowned and handed him a pencil and paper which
was on the table next to his hospital bed.

�What happened? How
long have I been here? Is Harry alright?�

The wand flashed again and Ron eagerly drank in the words.

�You attended the call
for what the sensors thought was a magical device but turned out to be a muggle
explosive -you were two of the first on the scene which is why nobody had tracked it properly. You shielded the explosion in on itself but didn�t get to contain
the sound waves. You were standing right next to it. You�re lucky you�re not
going to be permanently deaf. They�ve warned that their spells could wear off
at any time and it will be painful, so just be prepared. It�s Sunday morning.
Harry is fine, he managed to cast a shield over the area whilst you dealt with
the bomb, and you were the only one that copped the sound.�

Sunday. Ron repeated the word in
his head and tried to think why it might be really bad if it was in fact Sunday, like Bill had told
him.

I had plans� someone
was�� He knew he suddenly spoke but
couldn�t hear himself and he looked at Bill desperately. He grabbed the pad
again and scribbled his need for his wand, there was
someone he had to get a message to. His brother�s scarred face frowned and a
large but gentle hand rested on his shoulder whilst the wand flicked again.

�Who do you need to
contact? Everyone knows you were injured, Ron, how could they not? It�s been
all over the Prophet. As I said, hero once more.�

Ron felt ill, wondering how Severus would react to the fact
that he had not turned up and not sent word about his absence. He felt horribly
guilty and sad at the thought of upsetting the man, but he had no way of
communicating his worry to anybody else without letting the secret out.

He scribbled again. �Please
let me borrow your wand? And give me a few minutes alone?�

�No, I�m going to get
one of the nurses, you shouldn�t be this worked up. Your body has been through
a lot. I�ll be right back, Ron.�

�Nooooo!�
Ron said the word and growled in frustration when he couldn�t hear himself
speak, unable to judge the volume of his own voice. It felt like he was shouting
but from the look that Bill was giving him his words were presumably coming out
inaudible.

Bill left the room and Ron threw back the blankets on top of
him, but as soon as he shifted something cleared in his right ear and even he heard his howling scream. The pain
shot straight through the centre of his brain, it felt like, and into his
eyeballs and ached to the point of madness. Even though it hurt, however, he
heard the first sounds after his scream begin to creep through the feeling of
cotton wool. He coughed, which was a mistake, both of his ears spiked with pain
and he groaned, which hurt more. But half of his hearing was seemingly back,
despite how much it hurt.

Ron didn�t care that he�d been injured at work. He didn�t
care that he was apparently a hero again. All he cared about was the fact that
there was a very lonely, possessive man without him in Scotland who
would be wondering just where the fuck his lover had gotten to.

I need a wand. Fuck fuck fuck.

***

Severus was a ball of tense knots. His stomach was clenched
with either fear or devastation, he couldn�t really
distinguish between the two. The sun had risen on Sunday morning and he had
been as alone on the bed as he had laid down on it. He refused to close his
eyes in case he missed a Patronus. He had been awake every long hour of the
night but his watch had been futile �nothing had come.

He hadn�t eaten, the thought of
food made him feel sicker than he currently felt as he lay there.

This is why you shied
away from human contact. This is why you vowed to never get involved with
anybody ever again, Severus. This is why you should have let yourself die eight
years ago. This is not how normal people react�

Severus swallowed and glared at the ceiling, like it was the
fault of everything that had gone wrong with the weekend that he had so been
looking forward to.

The weekend that he had thought, after the excited, happy
message sent mid-week, Ron was looking forward to as well.

Clearly I was wrong.

He had tried convincing himself that if Ron had not come to
him, and had not sent word, then something must be extremely wrong. But that
had only led to Severus removing a key from his desk drawer, looking at it, and
then setting it down as though the silver were burning his skin.

/***/

�What the fuck is
that?� Severus� voice was stark against the heat of the room.

Ron looked down at
what he was holding out to the man and said. �A key, duh.�

�A
key to what?� Severus looked
at him uneasily.

Ron smiled then, and
his face transformed out of the sweaty, lust-filled haze into bright happiness.
�A key to my flat.�

Severus stared at him
without saying a word.

�I know it�s pretty
useless, but I just thought� if you were ever down in the city and you wanted
to get in but couldn�t get me a message��

The smile faded from
his face as Severus did not take the key from his hand.

�I understand why,�
Severus swallowed. �I just didn�t expect this.�

Ron sucked up his
disappointment and got off the bed to place the key on the desk. �You never
have to use it, Severus, not if you don�t want to. But that�s just��

�I know.�

/***/

The key had remained on the desk until Ron had left when
Severus had put it in his desk drawer to avoid having to look at it. And there
it had remained until he had desperately taken it out; convinced something was
wrong with Ron at around three that morning. Now it was on the bedside table, a
horrible silver stain on the shiny dark wood.

What if I chase down
there, which isn�t going to be easy considering the rail network is a joke on a
Sunday, and he didn�t come because he doesn�t want me any more?

That painful thought sent a stab into his chest and he
absentmindedly raised his hand to rub across the pain, chewing into his bottom
lip in a bad habit he had completely picked up from Ron.

There isn�t much that
could happen between Wednesday and now to make him not want me.

He tried to make the words firm but he only succeeded in
making himself feel like an idiotic teenager lying on his bed pining for a love
interest who had not owled when he said he would.
With an angry shove off the mattress he got to his feet and looked down at the
key. It gleamed in the weak sunlight peeping through the clouds outside.

Still the slight
problem of getting there, trains are out, driving would take hours and�

Severus caught sight of his wand lying on the bedside table,
next to the key.

Don�t be absurd. You
cannot apparate. Absolutely cannot.

He focussed on his magic and assessed the strength. He
couldn�t deny that lately it had really begun to improve and he had felt safe
doing more complex spells when Ron was around to correct them if they went
wrong. And Severus had always been more than adept at apparition �he was the
first in his school year to attempt and successfully manage and took his test before
them all. He had no reason to believe he would have forgotten such skill.
Indeed, everything else he had tried had flowed back down his arm like it had
merely taken a much needed holiday.

This is ridiculous,
too many miles to cover and you do not know the apparition points along the
way, you would have to chance and apparating blind is more foolish than trying
it full stop.

He dropped his head back and sighed exasperatedly to the
ceiling. His neck cracked as he did it, courtesy of the tension wracking his
body with the worry about Ron and what had happened to him and the possibility
of their affair coming to an end.

With that idea Severus� stomach clenched again and he
whirled around, looking at the mirror. All it would take would be some simple
appearance alterations and he would be safely able to apparate in and out as he
pleased. He hated doing it, but he had been forced to in the first months of
living away from the magical community when he did not know how much about his
life and appearance had been leaked to the muggle authorities, if he was
considered alive and dangerous. He could easily slip back into such a persona.

But I do not want to.
And it would involve using that blasted key.

He turned back round to look at it and wondered how he, three
years short of fifty, was so scared of one tiny little object.

Most people deal with
this in their twenties. You spent your twenties regretting your mistakes and
being miserable. No wonder it seems somewhat odd now.

The Albus voice reared its ugly head and Severus let out a
whine of desperation he was glad that Ron was not around to hear. Now that voice was around, he knew his fight
was completely lost. After all, it only ever appeared when he tried to talk
himself out of something which would essentially be good for him, like when he
had been trying to talk himself out of contacting Ron for the very first time.

�Bloody old bastard is still meddling in my life from beyond
the grave,� Severus hissed, and snatched the key up.

***

Talking really hurt, Ron had ascertained that much. He had
also ascertained that the medical staff of St. Mungo�s did not appreciate it
when their patients tried to sneak off every five minutes to try and locate a
wand to use. George had arrived and at once offered that Ron could use his
wand, but then refused to leave the room when Ron wanted privacy to use it.
They were conversing in notes and glittering messages
because the pain in Ron�s head when anyone spoke in more than a whisper was
agony. The Healers refused to give him painkillers until his second ear had
recovered on the basis that it might cause more damage in numbing the area. Ron
had nearly whimpered at that before he remembered he was twenty-seven and
ruining his hard image with every single pained moan.

Can�t fucking help it
when it feels like someone is shoving a needle in there though� fuck. Ow. Oh,
God, poor Severus.

He had tried so hard to get a wand that he found himself
restrained in the bed, because he kept getting up and he was supposed to be
horizontal. George had tried to convince the Healers that it was a deep seated
emotional issue from the War and it would only distress Ron further to be
confined to his bed, but to no avail.

Gotta love George, he always was good at making
up quick shit on the sly. Shame it didn�t work. What on earth am I going to do?
I could be in here for fucking weeks.

�Are you going to tell
me who you�re busting your gut to contact?� George asked again. �They�re not going to give you your wand,
hospital policy that all patients have them removed on admittance to protect
the staff��

Ron shook his head and winced at the pain.

�Why
not?� George frowned, and Ron felt bad that his brother actually
looked upset that Ron wouldn�t trust him with the secret.

�Because I can�t tell
anybody, please just drop it.�

George fixed him with an assessing glare and wrote something
with his wand.

�Does this have to do
with where you keep disappearing to? Was someone waiting for you?�

Ron gave a little nod and closed his eyes. George poked him
in the ribs and he saw there was a second half of the message.

�Have you been seeing
someone?�

He opened his mouth to answer but then remembered he should
write, and then the door opened and his Mum and Dad piled through the door, and
he was wincing at their proclamations about the state of his health and how
they were so happy he was going to be alright.

Won�t be if you don�t
stop screeching at me. And if someone doesn�t get me a fucking wand!

***

Severus slid the key into the lock with a trembling hand, have
cast a few sensory sweeps through the flat to check if there was human life
inside it. He picked up two life forms and figured that they must have been the
rats, but there was no thrum of a human heart in the rooms. When he pushed open
the door he could smell in the air, ever quick to grow heavy due to the
basement situation of the flat, that the flat had been empty for a few days. He
closed it very quietly behind him as not to disturb anybody. His hand was still
shaking.

The apparition had worked, but he could feel the way it had
hurt his body. He didn�t need trembling hands to tell him that, or the light
cough which appeared to have materialised out of nowhere on his chest. He
looked at the fireplace and saw there was absolutely nothing there, though there
were two rolled up copies of the Prophet on the rug in front of the hearth,
another indicator that the flat had been unoccupied.

Unsure what made him move for them, he stepped up to the
papers and picked them up, unfurling the one dated for Saturday. The headline
was enough to send a wave of ice through his body whilst his heart did a
ridiculous tattoo of jubilation that he had been right �Ron had simply been
unable to reach him. But the ice won out when he read why.

�Senior Auror Saves Countless Lives Foiling Muggle Explosion:

Senior Auror and
honoured Second War Veteran Ronald Weasley remains hospitalised and unconscious
this morning after a spectacular display of bravery in the heart of Muggle
London last night. Called to the scene with partner Harry Potter, Weasley
singlehandedly contained the force of the blast in a well placed shield spell
which saved the lives of countless Muggles in one of the busiest streets in the
capital. Mr. Weasley himself was not as lucky �he is reported to have extensive
auditory damage and remains a patient within St.
Mungo�s where his family and friends are anxiously awaiting him to regain
consciousness. The Obliviation Squad and Muggle
Communications teams were effectively dispatched and the situation dealt with
quickly whilst the details of the location were handed over to Muggle
authorities. This comes as another blow to the Senior Auror only seven months
after his break up with Hermione Granger...�

�Fucking hell,� Severus swore and ripped open the other
paper, hoping there would be some kind of status update but he found nothing on
the front page and his hands began to shake too violently to look through the
other pages.

He let them both fall onto the floor and then his eyes
caught the rat cage, where both of the girls were plastered on the bars looking
at him.

�I have no idea�� he looked at them as if they�d actually
understand what he had been going to say. �He gave me a key, I didn�t break
in.�

He looked back at the papers and found himself wishing that
he had remained in Scotland.
Because, now, faced with the truth of what had happened, and knowing that Ron
was injured, the need to care and support was rising within him, but to do so
he risked walking into one of the key Magical buildings in the city, and that was
a far cry from the hidden life had lived for eight years.

Nobody has to know.
You just have to get him alone, check he�s alright or get a status update and
then leave. Nothing has to happen.

He swallowed away the sick which rose in his throat at what
he was about to do and then the Albus voice kicked in again.

For
God�s sake. This man has been
risking his job and has been lying to his family for you for months �don�t you
think it�s high time you repaid him the courtesy of trust and showing that you
care?

Severus wobbled slightly and slid the key to Ron�s flat
inside his pocket once more, using his wand to lock the door as he stepped
towards the fireplace. His hands were still shaking as he reached for the jar
of Floo powder on the mantelpiece and his face was ashen when he looked in the
mirror positioned over it, even with his disguise. He had left his eyes
thinking that Ron would immediately recognise them, but if he was unconscious,
and to all intents and purposes deaf�

That thought slammed into Severus like a sledgehammer �of
all the things he might have said, but now might never be heard if the Prophet
was to be believed on the extent of Ron�s injuries.

You�re going to the
hospital�

Severus bitterly threw the powder into the grate and green
flames flicked out of nowhere, despite the fact that there was no fire there to
begin with. His teeth were clenched and he drew himself tightly together to
experience the sensation of the Floo for the first time in years.

***

�Looks like they�re
talking about an Order of Merlin�� George winked at Ron as his wand stopped
moving.

�Like
I need another statue to collect dust on my mantelpiece!�

�God, what happened to
the Ron that wanted all the glory in the land?�

�He�s sick of glory,
he wants to be normal and be able to hear again� and to have his wand back!�

The door opened again then and they were joined by the
MediWitch holding a glass of disgusting smelling potion.

�Strengthening,� she explained in a quiet voice, not having
the time to converse with Ron through the methods that George had. �I�ll need
to do a physical in a minute, so��

�I�ll come back in a bit when I�ve seen what the cafeteria
has on offer,� George got to his feet and left with a wave.

Ron sunk back into his bed and groaned as he opened his
mouth.

�You have a visitor,� the witch said quietly. �I�ll show him
in. He asked to see you alone, but you are never alone in this hospital,
remember the button��

Ron drank the vile liquid and winced as his ears protested
at the swallowing motion. He gave a nod, interested to see who the visitor was.
Maybe he�ll let me have his wand!

The witch disappeared and the next person that walked
through the door and closed it behind them was nobody Ron had ever seen before
in his life. The tall, thin figure moved awkwardly and Ron heard a heavy
stuttering cough and saw shaking hands. Hands he had last seen in an erotic
fantasy two mornings ago, running over his body and fisting his cock.

He looked up with wild eyes straight into Severus� and his
mouth fell open.

�Severus?�

�Are you alright?� the voice was choked, seemingly with
emotion and Ron couldn�t quite believe that Severus would be so concerned for
him.

�Hearing�s fucked for a while, but I�ll heal,� Ron�s voice
was a low croak and he saw the other man strain to hear him. �Severus, you�ve
got to get out of here, my family are around and I�ve being going mental trying
to get a wand to contact you but of course� I couldn�t tell anyone why. They
think I�m barmy. They tied me down!� he waved his wrist which was attached to
the metal railings which came down to his hips on the bed.

�They�� Severus stopped speaking and closed his eyes,
fighting the waves of tiredness which rolled through his body, threatening to
claim him.

�Severus?� Ron whispered, watching as dark eyes seemed to
close in on themselves.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion, but Ron shot upright
as Severus� weight slumped to the floor with a loud thump and his head hit the
bedside table on the way down. Horrified, Ron was out of the bed before he
stopped to realise he had somehow manage to burst through the restraints. He
was clad only in hospital regulation nightwear, as see-through as it was thin,
but he didn�t give a damn as he threw himself on his knees and grabbed Severus
in his arms.

His heart leapt into his mouth as he realised that with the
man�s obvious black out the spells he had used to alter his appearance had worn
off, and his dark hair and the usual nose were back; there would be no hiding
quite who was lying in his arms
should anybody walk through the door at that moment.

Of course, the wood creaked inward and Ron cried out in
protest, but the MediWitch shot into the room and with a stroke of luck the
door flew shut behind her.

�Look,� Ron breathed. �This man is my� he means a lot to me. But he�s� oh, God,
this has to stay quiet. Nobody can know he�s here.�

�He�s collapsed, I have to help him,� she shoved the bed to
the side with surprising ease and joined Ron on his knees. �And you need to get
back into bed, Mr. Weasley, you are not well.�

�Trust me,� Ron heaved Severus up a little. �I will be a lot less well than I
am now if I cannot protect this man, do you understand me?�

The MediWitch looked at him with wide eyes.

�I am an Auror and I do have the authority to make this call,� Ron raised his
voice and ignored the tears which sprung to his eyes at the pain of the
increased volume rumbling up into his ears through his jaws.

�Help me get him on the bed,� she whispered and together
they did so.

Freed but dizzy, Ron�s first thought was for the door, but
because his luck was just that good, it opened again, and George blustered back
inside. Ron watched as his eyes, a lighter blue than Ron�s own, widened seeing
another figure in the bed, and then as his mouth fell open in shock as the
reality sunk in.

�Shut the door,� Ron hissed and George jumped, looking
sideways at him.

�Ron, what-� George stammered as he kicked the door shut
with a bang.

�Listen to me,� Ron breathed, hearing an alarming beeping
from behind him.

�That�s� that�s Snape� but Snape�s dead�� George�s voice was
heightening with fear and Ron did the only thing he could think of to shut him
up, which was to shove him into the closed door and clamp his hand over
George�s mouth.

�George,� his voice was a desperate choke. �If the years of my help and care for you since 1998 have meant anything, you�re going to
keep your voice down and you�re going to do everything I ask of you, okay?�

Azure eyes slide sideways and took in Ron�s face, then back
to the prone figure on the bed. Lips mumbled against the palm of Ron�s hand but
he did not remove it and effectively kept George silent.

�Mr. Weasley, this man is� he is extremely ill. If you knew
of his medical condition why did you not have him admitted to hospital sooner?�

�He�s been in hiding,� Ron growled, whirling away from
George who remained flattened against the door. �He doesn�t participate in our society;
he�s been out for eight years... well, no nine, as the anniversary was in May.�

�I need to administer potions, and perform a full body scan.
He�s just blacked out but there�s something deeper I can�t diagnose without the
tests.�

Ron moved to the side of the bed and reached for Severus�
hair, brushing it lightly off his face and he heard a confused choke from
George behind him. He curled his fingers around the neck of the shirt Severus
was wearing and lifted it away to show the witch the healed puncture marks left
from Nagini�s bite.

�He suffered this years ago during
the Battle of Hogwarts and managed to survive, healed himself and disappeared
into the muggle world. He isn�t well; he has all sorts of throwbacks from the
time he was without oxygen and the venom. I don�t know half of the stuff which
makes him ill but I definitely know he�s allergic to any of the potions which
have strong doses of vitamins in them. And lavender �the scent and essence lays
him out for hours.� I learnt that the
hard way, stupid bottle of massage oil�

�The venom affected his body�s ability to absorb the
vitamins?� The witch asked Ron, keeping her fingers over Severus� wrist,
feeling his pulse.

�I guess so. He has really bad headaches if he does too much
or moves too fast and he��

Ron broke off, looking down at the slack face. �And he�s
probably caused this by apparating down here� because of me. His magic isn�t
what it used to be, though it was getting better recently.�

�Because of you?� George�s voice rang out in
repetition and Ron winced in pain.

�Stay against the door and don�t let anybody through it,�
Ron called to him.

�Tell me what the hell�s going on,� George demanded. �He
died, you were there, and you all told us what you�d seen. How the hell is
alive and why the fuck are you
caressing his forehead?�

Ron looked determinedly down at Severus and kept on stroking
the silky hair whilst the witch ran more tests over his body.

�Ron, please tell me the truth,� George�s voice was softer
then, lightly pleading.

�George I��

�I already know now, I�m not blind,� George bartered. �He�s
where you�ve been disappearing to, isn�t he?�

�Since Christmas,� Ron swallowed hard and hoped to God that Severus could not
hear him spilling away all of his well kept secrets. �Found him by accident�
just after she left� and he� we� it�s complicated.�

�Like I don�t know anything about complicated,� George
sighed. �Ron, you can�t� look. All I�m saying is there are six reporters
waiting in the next corridor waiting for news on you. He can�t leave this room
if, for whatever reason, you want his identity protected. You need to-�

�He will kill me,� Ron breathed. �He�ll rip my guts out and
everything we�ve� what we have��

�No, it doesn�t have to be that way,� George protested. �Not
if you tell the right people.�

Ron whirled round and looked at him then. �The��

�Here�s my wand,� George said immediately. �Patronus Harry.�

�And Kingsley�� Ron muttered, sapphire eyes looking dazedly
around the room �he was still so very dizzy.

�Get a move on,� the witch begged, and then waved her wand
once more.

Ron turned and watched as the same sort of fuzz which
appeared when scanning for broken bones appeared over Severus� body. It swept
over him and Ron looked on with horror as the haze glowed
a murky yellow and bled to red in certain places, and a large patch over his
head, neck and upper torso was completely black with red tinges at the edge.

�Sweet Galahad�s balls,� the witch gasped. �I can�t deal
with this, I need a supervisor.�

�What does it mean?� George asked,
his mouth agape.

�It means this man shouldn�t even be alive!� the witch
cried.

�Explain,� Ron rasped, this throat
suddenly thick with fear.

�The yellow parts indicate parts of the body which are
damaged. The red severely damaged. And the black� that is an actual hole right
through his aura.�

�His��

�Jesus,� George breathed behind them.

�The whole thing is his aura� the essential make up entwined
with his soul,� the witch looked awed. �And he is in awful shape for the most
part but the hole is something else. How has he�? I don�t understand how he
even functions.�

�You don�t know him,� Ron said simply, and picked up one of
Severus� hands.

�And you do?� George challenged.

�I know him,� Ron nodded but did not look round.

�Are you� with him?�

�Later,� Ron frowned, trying to think of exactly how he was
going to talk his way around his boss and his best friend, both of whom would
have dearly liked to have accumulated the knowledge that Severus Snape had been
found alive if not entirely well a little earlier than seeing the man out cold
on a hospital bed.

�George, can they revoke the things they exonerated him
for?� Ron whispered.

�Not unless they have evidential proof to do so, no.�

�So if I ask Kings and Harry to help us, they��

�I doubt they�ll refuse, Ron. You need to help him now and
protect him and their help is probably the best way...�

�I can�t believe he came here for me� he� OH!� his loud cry
made his head ring like a bell.

�What?� George asked.

�He must have used the key,� the realisation washed over Ron
that Severus would have looked for him at the flat first.

�Key? What key?�

�The key I gave him to the flat.�

�Whoa, you gave him a key to your� fuck, Ron.�

�I know,� Ron groaned and then hissed at the pain in his
ears.

�Look at that,� the witch suddenly said, her eyes trained on
the black haze which hovered over Severus� face. �Speak, Mr. Weasley.�

�What, why?� Ron frowned.

�The black patch sort of� undulates when you speak. Talk to
him.�

�Severus?� Ron moved closer. �It�s me, Ron� can you hear me
at all?�

�It gets smaller,� she breathed. �Keep talking.�

�Severus, I need you to wake up� I know this is bad but we
can get through this together, I�m going to protect you. I know you want to
hide but I don�t think it�s an option now.�

Ron watched with wide eyes as the black haze contracted
considerably leave red in its wake, and then when he stopped talking it grew to
size again.

�Is that normal?� Ron looked up at the witch.

�Nothing about this man is normal,� her voice was shaky.
�Seriously, please contact who you need to contact. This man needs serious
medical attention which I am not qualified to give. I don�t want his death on
my hands.�

�Is he going to die?� Ron�s voice was an embarrassing squeak.

�I don�t think so, but I don�t want to take chances��

Ron turned away and focussed on his happy memory. Severus
needn�t know that the memory was of him in the recent days, rather than
Hermione. Nobody need know that.

I�d forgotten about
her� shit�

***

Severus felt as though he were beneath a very thick blanket
which covered his entire body. He could not move or speak, only think, and his
eyes refused to open. He could most definitely hear. He heard Ron�s voice as
though it was a crystal clear stream of water pouring into a dehydrated mind,
and he took comfort from it, more than he probably should have. He could feel
warmth on his hand and occasionally on his face, but whatever oppressed him would
not let him respond to those touches like he so wanted to.

He was afraid of the words being spoken; he understood
everything �from Ron whispering that he didn�t feel they had any choice, to the
female he didn�t know talking about his aura.

And that�s why I
stayed away from this place. She sounds so shocked but I knew I was in that
state. I should have told him�

Lying there, trapped, he realised there were probably a lot
of things he should have told the man fighting at his bedside.

***

Ron was battling hard to control his breathing. At any
moment Kingsley or Harry would burst through the door and he would have to
launch into the explanation of his life. Explanations about the work file he�d
lied about, about the time he�d been away, the relationship between him and
Severus�

All that time we
talked about anybody finding out and I never actually thought about what I�d
say if someone did� no wonder he was so bloody adamant nobody ever would.
Christ. He�s going to hate me.

He sat up by the top of the bed, his thin waist curved into
the pillow so he could cradle Severus� head, ignoring the pain and
disorientation in his own. The man had showed no signs of waking up and Ron
wasn�t surprised. He had nursed him through enough splitting headaches to know
he never bounced back quickly and along with his worry at having to explain his
actions, Ron was fighting off intense fear of what
would happen to Severus health-wise.

My
Severus. God, that sounds
stupid, like that Gollum thing with his ring in that stupidly long film Harry
made me watch.

George was sat in the chair next to the bed, shooting
furtive glances between Ron and the dark-haired man on the bed, one hand
absentmindedly rubbing over the cursed dark hole in the side of his head.

�I can�t believe this,� he muttered again. �And you didn�t
tell anyone��

�He wanted it to be kept quiet,� Ron breathed. �I couldn�t� I didn�t know if
he�d ever contact me after the first time and if he wasn�t going to I didn�t
see why he couldn�t live the quiet life he wanted. He was content out of our
world� and then he did contact me and it��

�Became more about trust between two partners, I get it,�
George said, looking at the floor. �But what about the trust
between us, Ron? You couldn�t have told me? Or Harry.�

�George� I� it wasn�t that I didn�t trust you,� Ron looked
down at Severus as he spoke. �Don�t take it that way. Can you just take it that
I had found someone who was helping me heal and he needed me to keep his
secret?�

George didn�t answer and Ron sighed.

�And what now, then, hmm?�

�I don�t know,� Ron said helplessly. �I have no idea what to
do. He�s very ill and he has been for years but somehow he�s managed. I can�t
imagine he�s going to wake up and be happy he�s here. He never wanted to come
back� and I was his only link� I fucked it up for him��

�None of that,� George snapped. �As fucked up as this is, he
came after you.�

�Only because I didn�t turn up there,� Ron muttered
miserably. �I was meant to be up there with him on Saturday��

�And then you got knocked out.�

�Yeah.�

�So he came looking for you?�

�Yeah.�

�Funny, the Snape we knew didn�t seem the type to go
looking. More like the type to assume you�d dumped him.�

�The Snape we knew is very different to the one I know.�

�He must be.�

�What?� Ron�s head snapped up.

�Well, don�t get me wrong, but up until last November you
seemed overwhelmingly straight. And now you�re taking it up the arse?�

Trust you to put it
bluntly. Ron swallowed and finally looked up at his brother.

�Problem with that?�

��Course not, you twunt.�

�Problem with him?�

�Maybe,� George shrugged. �I can�t get my head around it�
this is�it�s going to blow Harry apart, Ron.�

�I know,� Ron breathed, closed his eyes and leant down to
press a kiss to Severus� forehead, for a second forgetting he was in front of
his brother.

�Weird,� George made a face. �But you know what?�

�What?� Ron looked at the long dark eyelashes brushing
across Severus� pale cheeks.

�You never looked
at her like that.�

Ron tilted his head to the side and didn�t realise the
slight smile he had on his lips until George laughed at him.

�Merlin, you�re� Gods, Ron. I thought you�d been shagging
someone but I didn�t know who� I just hoped you were being safe and not getting
into anything dangerous� but the look on your face��

A knock on the door made them both jump and Ron shivered
involuntarily when he heard Harry�s voice on the other side. George got to his
feet and made to open the door.

�George, wait,� Ron burst out. �It should be me first.�

He got to his feet with his head thumping and his one good
ear thrumming with continual pain whilst the other spiked randomly.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Help.
- 7
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Seraphim Beneath The Christmas Tree