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Caged.	By : Arioc Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 2349 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
Author�s note: First snow this winter, and it isn�t even winter anymore�
well, that�s what you get living at the baltic coast. Mild summers, mild
winters, cold and wet all year.

This is the last chapter of the first part of this story. I think I�ll
post the second part as a new story. I have a lot of work at the moment and
don�t know when this will be continued, but it will, and soon. Love to my
faithful readers and reviewers.

Happy Easter and enjoy!

~~~

In the end, they found it much easier to stick to exploding Snap, even
after Dean, who knew the game, pointed out several things Hermione missed, like
calculating rental fees for streets with houses or hotels. By the time they had
a somewhat usable board, it was too late to start playing, and they went to bed
after a round cards. Neville and Dean, who�d said them good-night earlier when
they were still playing were already sleeping, and Seamus had just slipped
under his duvet. Ron and Harry both stayed awake late. Harry�s scratching quill
indicated he finished some of his holiday homework, or else wrote a letter.

Meanwhile Ron tried to squash the thoughts that have entered his brain
full force the moment he�d drawn the curtains and that rendered him unable to
sleep. Finally, he decided he needed Harry�s advise.

�Harry?�

�Yeah?�

�What do
you think �� Ron tried hard to think of a good way to phrase this. �Is being
gay more about love or about sex?� He waited anxiously for a reply, which took
several seconds to come. The sound of Harry�s quill had stopped.

�Why do you
ask?�

Harry�s
voice sounded odd, Ron decided. Then again, the question had been odd, too.

�Oh, I know
someone who�s gay, and wondered. How do they figure it out�

�You know
someone � who?�

�Co-worker
of Bill�s � I�m not sure I�m supposed to tell you that. And I don�t know him,
Bill mentioned him once. Will you answer the goddamn question, Harry?�

Ron thought
that went well, as Harry was unlikely to double-check with Bill.

�Well, I
suppose you�ll know for sure when you fall in love, but if you have sexual
thoughts about one gender, I don�t think there�s much left to figure out,
right? So it�s about both, I think. I mean, I love you as a friend, but not as in
love, and were I to have sex with a boy � it just wouldn�t work, cause my
body wouldn�t be interested.�

Ron could
tell Harry was blushing and was very close to really freak out over the
subject.

�I mean,
how should I know, I�m not gay, Ron.�

�Yeah.
Yeah, me neither. I was just wondering.�

�Right.
Yes, well. You�d still be my friend, of course, but � I�m a bit relieved. What was
that question for, anyway?�

Ron
shrugged, even though Harry couldn�t see it.

�Told you.
Just curiousity.�

They were
silent until Harry finished whatever he was doing and went to sleep.

�Night,
Ron.�

�Night,
Harry,� Ron said, trying to figure out if considering boys � some boys �
beautiful counted as a sexual thought. Or if it was an indication that he never
looked at girl�s looks. They were girls, and they looked like girls. What was
all that fuss about hairstyles, clothes, make-up and glamours? Ron always
suspected it came from growing up with five brothers, but he wasn�t so sure
anymore. He tried to imagine a naked girl, but could only come up with Ginny,
at a much younger age. A woman would have tits, but Ginny would look weird with
tits. No, he couldn�t really imagine a woman, as he�d only ever seen his
teachers, and he sure as hell wasn�t trying to imagine them naked. An unknown
woman, that he could try. All curves and smooth skin, thin arms and a comletely
hairless chest. With tits. Well, the image certainly was nice, but more
motherly to him. And boys? He knew what boys looked like, but it didn�t turn
him on, either, even though he didn�t need family members as models. There was,
for example, Neville, no, not Neville. Harry? Harry looked to much like his
best friend to allow any judgement of his appearance. Dean, yeah, Dean was kind
of nice to look at. He definitely was beautiful � not that Ron would admit that
to anyone. Still, was that alone proof he was gay?

Ron concluded
he didn�t have many sexual thoughts to begin with and was probably too young to
worry about his sexual orientation anyway. When he was a man � now that
was a sexual thought. One day, he was sure, he would be all grown up, big and
strong, and he would work out and wouldn�t look as if composed of lots of bits
of different size, but like a red-haired viking hero from nordic legends, with
billowing quidditch robes and the looks of a predator that could get anybody,
man and woman alike, to do his bidding. Ron knew his fantasies might be a bit
childish, but he couldn�t deny he enjoyed them. His cock definitely did, as it
has sprung to life and was now waiting for a more elaborate part on �men and
women doing his bidding�. Ron, knowing he was not one to deny himself enjoyment
when he spotted it, began to twist and turn in his bed to find a comfortable
position.

Suddenly
remembering something, he looked at his side and found Scabbers waiting in his
cage.

�You�re
scary, you know that?� he murmured, reaching out to put the cage under his bed.
He finished doing so hastily after catching himself hesitating and seriously
considering leaving it where it was � after all, what harm could it do? He�d
done it before, before he knew�

Ron
shuddered and hastily moved Scabbers out of his view. I didn�t seriously
consider letting him watch, Ron told himself. Nope, I didn�t.

Ron stopped
thinking and actually was on the verge of sleeping when he spilled his release
into his hands, effectively shutting up any complicated self-reflection. He was
vaguely aware he forgot the silencing charm tonight as he drifted off, but he�d
really been quiet and nobody was likely to have heard him.

Morning
came with blinding sunlight and Harry looming over Ron�s bed, tugging on his
blanket and chanting: �Wake up, wake up, wake up!� in a very annoying tone.

After a
careful glimpse of his surroundings, hampered by the sun that had climbed
higher than it had any right to this early in the morning, Ron shut his eyes
again and signalled Harry his awakening by a tired grunt and some undefined
movements, while trying out his limbs, which seemed to have been hit by a
[weighting] charm in his sleep.

�You�re up?
We haven�t packed yet, you know. If you don�t start soon there will be no time
left for a visit to Hagrid�s.�

It took Ron
a while before any coherent thoughts passed the clouds in his head, but he
finally managed to acknowledge he really had to move, and soon. Holidays were
about to start and with them the joy of sleeping in.

He lifted
himself up into a sitting position, realizing there was no way for him to
parade his dirty laundry, sticky with the evidence of his sleeping aid in front
of Harry, who was still standing right beside him. Sure, Harry was bound to
have wanked himself before, Ron was certain of that, but he�d rather not know
about it and therefore rather not have him know about his own indulgence. He
gave him a pointed look and declared �I�m up!�, hoping his friend would catch
the hint to leave. Harry did.

Ron rolled
out of bed, changed, and managed to throw his clothes more or less neatly into
his trunk before his stomach declared it high time for breakfast.

�You
coming?� he asked Harry, who was similarly occupied with sorting and packing
his stuff.

�Coming?
Where?�

Ron�s
stomach gave a growl and Ron decided he had nothing to add.

�Oh � I�ve
already eaten. Sorry, but you�ve been sleeping so peacefully and I didn�t want
to disturb you � well, I still did, but only because it�s really late now. I�m
afraid you have to go alone, but perhaps you�ll meet Hermione. I haven�t seen
her yet. Just hurry, you know, Hagrid.�

Ron nodded
and left, feeling a bit abandoned.

He did meet
Hermione, but she had nearly finished her meal when he sat down next to her.

�You�re
late,� she observed.

�Yeah.
Overslept.�

They ate in silence, and Hermione turned to leave as soon as she was
finished.

�I have an appointment with Professor McGonagall. Don�t wait up for me.
Though I suspect you won�t be finished with packing until I return. Still,
we�ll meet at Hagrid�s hut, okay?�

Ron nodded with his mouth full and Hermione turned to go. He swallowed
quickly.

�What appointment?�

�Oh � about my timetable next year. See you,� she said and was gone.

Why is it that she�s always so secretive about
the classes she takes? Everybody knows it�s impossible even for her to study
everything at the same time.

Ron realized with a start that he, too, had to catch up with Harry
later, as he�d promised Dumbledore to consult Professor Lupin sometime. He
doubted the headmaster would be happy if he waited until the next term.
Shoveling down his breakfast and wrapping something extra for later (or perhaps
for Scabbers, he wasn�t sure), he found himself packing his things in record
speed. He was even faster than Harry, who took ages to separate magical from
non-magical stuff in case his relatives thought of locking unwanted items away.

Ron admired the empty space that bore no sign of being the one-year home
of a thirteen-year-old wizard. He certainly felt sad to leave here, but at
least he had holidays with his family to look forward to.

�I�m sure there�s a way for you to come to the burrow,� he said to
Harry. �At least for a week or two.�

�Maybe,� Harry said distantly. �Sirius said I might even get to spend
some time with him this summer. He still needs to get it all sorted out with
Dumbledore, though.�

�Ah,� Ron voiced non-commitional, feeling slightly put out.

Scabbers gave a squeak.

Ron retrieved the cage, about which he had nearly forgotten by then,
from under the bed and discovered some socks and parchment there as well, among
it an essay he remembered spending ages to re-write early in the year. Throwing
his long-lost brick-a-brac into his trunk, he reached for the stuff he saved
from breakfast.

�Hey, Scabbers. Want some?� He held some bacon thusly through the bars
of the cage that the rat had to stand on its hind legs in order to retrieve it.
He made it run in circles, too, before giving it the rest of his meal.

�You know,� Harry said, �I really don�t know how you can stand to be
nice to that � thing.�

Ron realized with a start he really should be more careful. Had their
dorm-mates been still up here, his behavior might have been excusable as an
act, but the truth was he�d forgotten about his pet�s true nature for a short
time, and didn�t care enough to make himself remember. He tried to tell Harry
that.

�This �� he pointed at the rat. �� is my old rat Scabbers. The man I�ve
met in the Shrieking shack and in the dungeons is Peter Pettigrew, former
friend of your father and later follower of You-know-who. I refuse to
acknowledge any connection between them. I�d go mad if I did.�

Scabbers nibbled affectionally on his thumb, asking for a second
helping. Harry eyed both of them strangely, then nodded.

�Alright, I think I can understand that. Still, don�t get too
touchy-feely with him or the man he has no acknowledged connection to might
remember.�

Ron tried very hard not to blush, even though he knew Harry was
referring to platonic man-pet relations. Thankfully Harry changed the subject.

�Did you meet Hermione? Shall we go look for her?�

�Er, yes. But she has an appointment with Professor McGonagall first,
something about her insane time-table. And I promised Dumbledore I�d talk to
Professor Lupin to double-check the stuff Pettigrew told me about their school
days.�

Ron stumbled over Pettigrew�s name. He doubted Harry would appreciate it
if he called him by first name.

�Oh �but what about Hagrid?� Harry asked slightly put out. �You know, we
promised. And I�ve hurried so much with packing.�

�I know, I know � but there really was no time yesterday, you know that.
�Mione said she�ll meet us as Hagrid�s, I guess she won�t take long. I plan to
be quick, as well. You can go now, if you want, and we�ll meet there, all
right?�

Harry shrugged.

�So be it, then. See you.�

Ron removed himself from Scabber�s cage and they left Gryffindor through
the portrait hole. They seperated on the second floor, and while heading
towards the DADA classroom, Ron caught a glimpse of Hermione running into Harry
on the stairs whe he looked back.

He had knocked three times before Professor Lupin opened the door.

�Oh, hello Mr. Weasley. Was there something you wanted?�

�Well, Dumbledore said I�m to keep � my rat over the holidays, and I
think I should, well, get a second opinion on what he tells me before deciding
what to believe.�

Professor Lupin held his hand up to stop him.

�You can come in. But, as you see, I�m a bit busy. The train leaves in
half an hour.�

Ron hesitantly entered. Lupin had already packed most of his things. The
Grindylow�s empty tank stood next to his battered old suitcase, which was open
and nearly full.

�So, what exactly do you need a second opinion on?� Lupin asked,
resuming his packing.

�Well, I�ve learned a lot about your collective school days. He hasn�t
told me much about what happened after, but I expect he will. It�s just � I
can�t really trust him, and even though I don�t think he�s lying, it�s still
subjective, and I need to know what that time was like for the others � that�s
you and Sirius Black now � to get the full picture.�

Lupin had stopped moving, now, and appeared to be lost in thought.

�I can see how that would help you assess Pettigrew. But that�s really
no conversation for now. I can tell you, we were friends, or at least I
believed we were, but I guess you know that already. Do you have specific
questions or do you ask in general?�

�Er � in general, I guess. Though I�m sure I can think of some questions
if I think about it.�

Lupin smiled at him and resumed throwing his possessions into his trunk.

�Well, here�s my suggestion: I hereby permit you to owl me about
questions you have and that arise as you go, but remember that owls can always
be intercepted. There are still only twelve people knowing the full truth, and
likely there won�t be more until it�s safe for Sirius. I understand you have an
important role in that, Pettigrew�s voluntary confession would certainly be the
easiest way for everybody. So, I�ll make time for you to come over for tea so
we can chat about the good old days. I�ll be away the next week, but I�ll owl
you about my next free afternoon after that. Around new moon, I think, as I�ll
be feeling best, then.�

Ron looked down at this reminder of Professor Lupin�s condition, who, of
course, noticed.

�It�s just a suggestion. If you�re uncomfortable meeting a werewolf, I
can understand.�

Lupin sounded it, too, voice full of appreciation and just a trace of
hurt. More sadness, even.

Ron straightened.

�No, sir. Dumbledore trusts you, and that is reason enough for me to do
so, too. And when Hermione says there�s no reason to mistrust you apart from
the critical days, and then only if you don�t take the potion, then you have
to be trustworthy. Well, as much as a normal human, at least.� Which is not
much these days, Ron added cynically to himself.

�Ah.� Lupin brightened. �A true Gryffindor, and one who knows whom to
listen to, too. Then,� he said, snapping his trunk shut, �I�ll see you soon.�

�I have one question now, already.�

�Fire away.�

�Who else knows about Sirius� innocence? You said twelve, but I can only
think of � wait �� Ron counted: Me, Harry, Hermione, him, Sirius and Peter
themselves, Dumbledore � McGonagall � oh, Madam Pomfrey, too � Snape, of course
� who else?

�I can only think of ten.�

�I�m not allowed to tell. You could ask Dumbledore, but I doubt he�d
tell you either. You�d have to run, too, and I sincerely hope you have all your
things packed. Excuse me if I really have to say good-bye now.�

Ron let himself be shushed out of the office that Lupin then locked with
key and spell simultaneously. I guess I have to run anyway. I hope Harry and
Hermione (and Hagrid) aren�t too angry with me for not showing up sooner.

�Thanks for your help, Professor,� he said and then hurried to get his
things from Gryffindor.

The dorm was completely empty except for his things and Neville, who
apparently had forgotten something. Ron lifted his trunk and the rat cage,
ignoring Scabbers� enthusiastic squeaking, and followed Neville to the
carriages.

When he got off at the platform, he had his chance to say good-bye to
Hagrid, who was showing the first years to the train, and to apologize for his
lack of time (and support) the last days. Hagrid just waved it aside.

�Nah, Ron, I know yeh�ve bin busy. Musta� had a lot on yer mind, and I�m
happy fer yeh. I mean, if Beaky�d show up again � if he�d �� Hagrid sniffled
noisily. ��M just sayin�, I don�t blame ya. Know yeh care, Ron.�

Ron remembered he was supposed to be happy about the reunition with his
lost pet, and didn�t quite know what to say. Luckily for him, the train
whistled and Hagrid shooed him forward.

�Bin already seein� Harry�n Hermione to the train, meself. You shoulda
hurry.�

Ron nodded and made his way to get on the train. He heard Hagrid wish
him happy holidays, but didn�t get a chance to respond as a gaggle of first
years pushed him through the door and rushed past him. Ron didn�t even
complain, but went to search for his friends.

He had searched more than half of the train when he finally came across
the compartement where Harry, Hermione and Neville were seated and, judging by
the reproachful looks they gave him, had been waiting for him.

�I was afraid you�d be too late, Ron. Whatever took you so long?�

As if on cue, the train started moving and Ron hastily sat down before
losing his balance.

�I told you, I�ve been talking with Professor Lupin. I had to, really,
and I tried to be quick, too,� he said, and to prevent Neville from asking
uncomfortable questions, he added: �By the way, wouldn�t now be a good time to
try out that monopoly thingy?�

Hermione happily prduced the board and began to teach the rules to
Neville and Ron. After the first, very chaotic game that ended fast with the
conclusion a lot of details were either missing or didn�t work the way they
were supposed to, Hermione set to calculate the prices using a set of
complicated calculation rules while Neville invented random events to draw with
cards. Random events, they agreed, were somewhat of his speciality.

Harry and Ron spent that time renaming the whole thing �Diagon Alley�,
with shops to buy and expand. Even though that proved great fun, Ron wasn�t
spared the occassional remark on holiday plans, which began to rather bother
him. He had no holidays � he had a mission. He had to lie to his family, and
interpret an adult�s path of life � not something he had any experience with.
It was worse as everybody else seemed to have fun ahead that he didn�t want to
spoil. Even Harry mentioned he was hoping to visit the Quidditch World Cup this
year.

And I�ll
be stuck with a pet murderer for Merlin knows how long. Great.
- 8
- 9
- 10
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Caged.