Knowing

Only moments after they watched Justin and Ron walk toward the lake, Hermione tugged on Harry's arm, pulling them behind a tree.  

"Dumbledore told you to keep your cloak on you at all times, right?" she asked in a conspiratorial whisper.

"Yeah," Harry replied cautiously, rubbing his shoulder where it had slammed into the tree from Hermione's sudden strength.

"Well, then, maybe…" Hermione said, still quiet as she tilted her head in the direction of the lake, her eyes wide with suggestion.  

"You want me to go spy on them?" Harry asked in surprise. But he paused. He was dying to know what Ron and Justin planned on doing down there. Would they just be flirting? Or would one of them cross a line?

"Yes," Hermione said adamantly, "I don't want them to…" she sighed, "I love Ron, and I want him to be happy, but the more he does this kind of thing the more likely he is to get hurt."

"Well…" Harry said slowly, as if he were having conflicting emotions. But truthfully he was glad Hermione brought up this idea before he had. "Alright," he finally said, pulling his cloak from the bag he had begun to carry, even on weekends, purely to store his cloak at the bottom with his books on top. "Take my bag," he said quietly, handing his bag to Hermione, who shouldered it, "I'll meet you back here before our practice."

As Hermione nodded and kept an eye out, Harry tossed the cloak over himself, and then she began to head toward the castle without a second look.

Harry took off at a light jog, careful not to ruffle the bottom hem of the cloak too much. And he finally caught up to Ron and Justin, staying five paces behind them. They walked close together, clearly wanting to touch, but not wanting to be obvious.

"I think Ernie left," Ron was saying, sounding amused, "He doesn't like me very much."

"He just gets jealous," Justin replied, and he did seem a bit  -a very, very tiny bit- regretful, "It's not just you. It's anyone."

"I'll take it as a compliment," Ron chuckled bashfully, "So…"

"So…what?" Justin asked, looking over at Ron with a smile, "Why did you want to come with me?"

Ron scoffed. "There are so many answers to that question." He sounded leading as he smirked.

"You know what I mean," Justin retorted, but he returned the smirk.

"Do I?"

They had reached the edge of the lake, standing on the slippery pebbles and rocks. Now Ron faced Justin. The Hufflepuff began to look a little less confident. But he was still quite obviously undressing Ron with his eyes.

"Why did you want to come with me?" Justin repeated quietly. It was obvious that in that very moment, Justin was ready to risk everything to get his hands on Harry's best friend.

"To know whether or not you would kiss me," Ron replied smoothly.

"I can't kiss you," Justin said with a scoff, but his eyes read as devious.

"That wasn't the question," Ron chuckled, eyes twinkling, "I want to know if you would."

Harry was squirming inside his own boiling hot skin. Even though Ron's charm was directed toward Justin, the radius of it was looping Harry in as well, like a sexual forcefield. He warned Justin furiously in his mind that he better not put a hand, or any other part of his body, on Ron.

"Ron…" Justin sighed, but he was smirking, and his confidence seemed to return, he was standing up straighter and then bit his bottom lip, "Of course I would." He laughed in a soft way.

"Shame, then," Ron said airily, giving a slight shrug with a tilt of his head and one shoulder, "You are way too handsome to be a Hufflepuff."

"There's nothing wrong with being a Hufflepuff," Justin replied, and he took a step toward Ron that immediately wanted to make Harry intervene. "Hufflepuffs…" Justin said in a low voice, almost a purr, "Are only sweet on the outside. We want to appear sweet so we can get away with whatever we want. That's why we can be some of the most powerful witches and wizards. Everyone underestimates us."

"Everyone underestimates me," Ron replied quietly, he had yet to move toward Justin, making the Hufflepuff come to him (so he can't hold any blame, Hary thought to himself), "So I get it."

"I don't," Justin chuckled, "I can see through your charm, and little mind games."

Ron let out a small laugh, and stared down at the ground for a moment, when he looked back up he was smiling. He was also…genuinely blushing. "That's because I want you to."

"Ohh," Justin said sardonically, "You want me to see your charm. Okay, Weasley."

"Why are we back to last names?" Ron asked, his face falling.

Justin took a pause, as if trying to determine out whether or not Ron was serious. Actually, Harry couldn't tell at all, either.

"I was just joking, love," Justin finally said, smiling lightly, he sounded very calm and patient, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Ron replied quickly. It was his quick response to the apology, almost like a reflex, which made Harry decide that at that moment he had actually been concerned. Ron then cleared his throat, getting back on with his game. He swallowed and then looked to his left, opposite Justin. "Want to keep going?" he asked innocently.

"Sure," Justin said, now appearing relieved. He smiled and took a few steps. When Ron did not follow he looked at him curiously.

"I didn't mean walking," Ron remarked slyly.

"You didn't?" Justin replied, turning and heading back toward him. "Whatever were you talking about then, cutie?"

Taking a step toward, Ron laughed softly. "I think you know." He cocked his head, pushing his hands into his back pockets. "What else would you do to me if you could?"

Exhaling sharply through his nose, Justin shook his head. But he once again scanned Ron's body with his eyes. Slowly. "I dunno," he said, once again going to a low tone that Harry didn't expect from him, "I heard you can handle anything."

"Well," Ron simpered, "Too bad you'll never know."

Justin now exhaled very slowly. Harry knew the feeling. Calming down after Ron sent your mind into a wild frenzy of sexual, lewd, nearly depraved sexual fantasies was not an easy feat.

They began to walk again, still casting each other amused smirks.

Harry followed carefully. When Ron and Justin were walking alongside a rather thick cluster of trees, Ron suddenly slipped on a rock. Harry could not tell if this was intentional or not. Regardless, Justin reached out and grabbed Ron's arm to catch him.

Then, he jumped onto his opportunity and also put a hand on the small of Ron's back. When Ron looked over at him, their faces were inches apart.

Harry could see and feel the extremely thick, heated, electrifying tension surrounding them. He begged Justin not to do it. Not to fall for it.

But he did.

Justin jerked Ron forward and kissed him deeply. Everything became frantic. Ron initially pulled away to gasp but then was silenced by Justins lips. The Hufflepuff's hands were on Ron's hips and began pushing him backward until he was up against the trunk of a thick, tall cypress tree. Then his hands were under Ron's shirt, sliding up his muscular stomach, groping the soft, tight skin before grabbing his waist greedily. Ron moaned and moved his lips to Justin's neck. Harry hoped the guilt would kick in. But Justin appeared to be completely immersed in what he was doing. Nothing else.

"Fuck," he groaned amidst his heavy breathing, tilting his head to give Ron plenty of access. Harry could see his hands trembling as he placed one on Ron's chest, and the other on the trunk next to Ron's head. Ron did not respond, but when he brought his head back up, there was a mischievous look in his eye. He bit his lip impishly.

Justin stared at him for a few long moments. The silence thick with the unanswered question.

"Fuck it," he growled.

A smile adorned Ron's lips. He chuckled, biting Justin's jaw lightly, "I knew you've been fantasizing about me." His hands went to Justin's waistband, already unbuttoning his pants.

"Every gay bloke at Hogwarts fantasizes about you, Ron," Justin groaned, he was breathing very heavily, Harry could practically hear his heart beating out of his chest. "Fuck, I'm sure straight guys do, too."

"So," Ron whispered, resting his head back against the tree, "Where do you want me, Justin?" He turned his head and kissed Justin's arm as he ran his hand along it. "Hm? What do you fantasize about?"

Justin glanced around the grounds carefully. All thoughts of his boyfriend had completely flown out of his brain. He placed both hands on Ron's hips and flipped him around. Harry walked closer to the tree, so he was no longer behind the Hufflepuff.

More than anything, Harry wanted to rip off the cloak. Stop them. But he knew Ron would never forgive him if he did. Ron would never trust him again. Even though he understood, Harry's blood was boiling. He was mad. He was mad at Justin for being so weak. And now he was mad at Ron for, once again, messing around with someone's relationship. And the only logical explanation Harry could see for Ron doing this was for entertainment. Ron had Mike to sleep with at will now. He didn't do this for sex. It had to be because he simply enjoyed doing it.

Justin moved one hand from Ron's hip and up to his mouth, slipping his fingers into it as his other hand pushed down his pants. "I heard you're noisy," Justin said gruffly, pushing his own pants down, "Think you could be quiet out here?"

When he slid his fingers out of Ron's mouth, he looked over his shoulder at the Hufflepuff. "Let's find out," he panted as Justin brought his hand down.

Harry stepped more to the right carefully, confident that the two were distracted enough to not hear him. He continued to move until he was just behind the tree Ron had his palms on, but several steps back. He was entranced by the lusted-over look on Ron's face; his eyes closed, a slight wrinkle between his eyes, his cheeks red. Then his eyes opened, and he gasped, then quickly bit his lip.

"I told you I wasn't all talk," Justin chuckled quietly, both his hands on Ron's hips now. He closed his eyes and groaned as he began to thrust. "Merlin, Ron…" he breathed, letting out a large, shaky exhale. "Are you always this tight?"

As Ron panted, dropping his head and digging his fingers into the bark of the tree, he did not respond. Then, his lips parted as he began to whimper. Justin chuckled through his heavy breathing, clearly pleased with himself for causing Ron to make this noise. He gripped Ron's hips tighter and yanked him back. Ron let out a loud moan. Without hesitation Justin moved his hand to cover Ron's mouth.

"As much as I love a vocal bottom," Justin murmured, "We can't get caught." Ron nodded; his eyes closed tightly. Justin began to thrust a bit harder, Ron moaning and whimpering against his hand.

There was an aching in the bottom of Harry's gut that threatened to go lower. He didn't like it. He was so unbelievably angry, the anger stemming from jealousy, possessiveness, and the fact that Ron was submitting to someone cheating on their boyfriend.

Yet…watching Ron get ravished right in front of him was oddly…stimulating. He wasn't the one causing Ron pleasure but seeing him like this…getting pleasured by someone else…just seeing it, watching it…was extremely erotic.

Harry turned around and closed his eyes. He could hear the muffled moaning, and the panting and light grunting from Justin. Then, eventually, the Hufflepuff swore sharply under his breath. Ron followed, gasping for air and cursing shakily.

Harry turned back around after a few moments to see that both their pants were pulled up and buttoned, and Ron was back against the trunk, facing Justin as he continued to catch his breath. Justin lifted his hand and placed it against Ron's jaw, stroking his cheek with his thumb.

"You okay?" he asked softly. It was crazy to Harry that Justin could go from looking so salaciously feral, to sweet and caring and docile the next.

Even crazier was that Ron seemed to melt at it. His cheeks glowed pink, giving away that yet again he was actually feeling something about Justin. The feeling probably wasn't enough for an actual relationship, but enough for him to get flustered and turned on by the Hufflepuff at the drop of a hat. Harry supposed Justin was quite good looking, with his curly strawberry blonde hair, soft but defined jaw and cheekbones, and baby-blue eyes that could go from dark to pleasant within seconds. He was toned but not bulky, built like Ron.

"I'm great," Ron breathed, his chest still rising and falling heavily. He rested one hand on Justin's shoulder and the other on his chest. "You?"

It was then that Justin's entire demeanor changed. He blinked, and suddenly had the look of guilt Harry had expected at least 20 minutes ago. "Oh my God," Justin whispered, grabbing Ron's wrists and pushing him away, "Oh my God." Harry could tell Justin hadn't meant for the push to be as aggressive as it appeared.

All the same, Ron looked fearful for a split second, then startled. He said nothing. Justin took a deep breath.

"I have to go."

Harry witnessed actual, genuine alarm in Ron's eyes for one fleeting second.

"Don't go," Ron whispered, reaching out and grabbing one of Justin's arms with both his hands, "Please."

"No, Ron," Justin said, but he didn't move away, "This…this was stupid. I cannot believe-"

"Justin…" Ron said in a small voice. He exhaled shakily. "I'm sorry."

Harry felt dizzy from the sudden change in this scenario. Ron had practically lured Justin here. And almost everyone pegged Ron as some trashy homewrecker. Not to mention, 99% of the time, Ron seemed so in control and not at all phased about his reputation. So why was he here breaking down at the thought of one of his conquests walking away?

"Stop, Ron," Justin was saying now, pulling his arm away, but gently, "This was a mistake. I shouldn't have done this."

"I know," Ron said quickly, "I know. And I know you have to get back but just please stay…please? For one minute?"

"What's the point?" Justin asked, seeming a bit frustrated.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, confused.

"I mean you got me here, Ron!" Justin exclaimed, but not too loudly. "We fucked. What else do you need from me?"

Harry almost hexed Justin right there. He had no right to yell at Ron. None whatsoever. He had willingly gave in. Harry saw it. Justin had had plenty of moments to leave, or to stop. He didn't. He had done nothing.

"I don't know," Ron said in a small voice.

Justin stopped to take a breath. Then clarity appeared to wash over him. "Fuck, Ron," he said with an exhale, walking over to him, "I'm so sorry." He put his arms around Harry's best friend. "I'm so sorry I just yelled at you. This wasn't your fault. At all. I'm mad at myself, not you."

Thank God for Hufflepuff's. Harry relaxed. At least Justin apologized.

"Don't apologize," Ron said quietly, "I don't care that you yelled. I just didn't want you to leave."

"Why?" Justin asked, still holding to Ron tightly. Harry knew he was waiting for Ron to let go first. He did the same thing.

"I don't know," Ron whispered. After another moment, he loosened his grip on the Hufflepuff and took a step back. "I'm sorry, Justin," he said, looking down at the ground, "I won't tell anyone. I promise."

"It wouldn't be your fault if you did," Justin replied with a sigh. He bit his lip, looking around. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you at all?"

"No," Ron said, cracking a smile, "Like Cedric said, I can handle anything."

"How'd you know it was Cedric?" Justin asked in alarm.

"He likes to act like he's above bragging," Ron replied with a shrug, "But he's not. He shouldn't be, that's for sure." He blinked innocently at Justin, who looked a bit disgruntled. Ron scoffed. "You're bigger."

"I wasn't going to ask," Justin retorted. But they both smiled at this. Justin reached out and put a hand on Ron's shoulder. "Are you okay?" When Ron nodded, Justin pulled him into another hug.

After they embraced for a quick moment, they pulled apart. Justin placed both his hands on either side of Ron's face and left a lingering kiss on his forehead. He then told Ron goodbye and went on his way back to the castle. Ron watched him with a sad smile until he was a decent distance away.

Then Harry watched his best friend walk over to the cypress tree and slide to the ground, his back resting against the trunk and his knees toward his chest. He wrapped his arms around his legs and set his forehead on his knees.

And he sobbed.

"What happened?"

"They just talked."

"That's all?"

Harry shot Hermione a dark look from where he sat across from her in the library. "Yes," he said firmly, "They talked as they walked to the lake, then they stood by the lake and talked. It was boring." He bent back over his essay, swallowing hard. He could hear Ron's whimpering. He could see his overwhelmed face as he was ruthlessly pounded into.

But then, his heart ached as he saw Ron crying. The grueling panic in his eyes as he realized Justin had to leave.

Harry just couldn't figure out why. Why was Ron so upset? He'd had one-night stands and quickies with Michael, Lee, Roger, and Cedric. Harry also knew there was someone else Ron had mentioned…Noel or Niall or something like that.

Was it possible Ron actually liked Justin?

No. Harry couldn't see it. Justin might have a dominant side, but Harry couldn't see Ron wanting to be with someone who would be so soft and docile on the outside. Justin was too…sweet.

So why the breakdown?

Did Ron feel guilty about what he'd done? Or was it something else?

Harry pondered this for about a half an hour, not surprised Ron didn't show up to the library. Harry wanted to give him space. Clearly, Ron hadn't run to Harry to talk to him and had instead stayed hidden from sight to have his emotional moment. Harry didn't want to pry. If Ron wanted to talk about it, he would.

So Harry waited until about 20 minutes before practice and then headed toward the quidditch pitch. He walked across the grounds, which were not as crunchy with frost as they had been a while ago.

Minutes later he was at the locker room, pushing the heavy door open with a loud scrape against the stone floor.

He instantly heard light laughter and a fast rustling of clothing. When he stepped in he was only slightly stunned to see Michael Corner standing against the lockers, and Ron looking like he was steadying himself after standing up. He turned away from Harry, wiping his mouth. Mike murmured something to him with a smug expression, and they both laughed again.

"What's up?" Harry asked.

At the sound of his voice, Ron turned around, his face slightly pink. "Er, hey," he said awkwardly, now seeming sheepish. He folded his arms and stared down at the ground, pulling his lips into his mouth to hide a smile.  

Harry took a deep breath and then stared unblinkingly at Mike until the Ravenclaw eventually looked uncomfortable.

"Mike," Ron said quietly, looking up and over at him, "You should go."

"Right," Mike said, shooting Harry a bit of a smirk. More often than not, Harry didn't have an issue with Mike. He simply seemed to be another friend of Ron's, who wasn't really a bad guy when you looked at him objectively. He was just a bit wilder than Harry or Hermione, and Ron had a wild side that liked to come out every once in a while.

However, once in a blue moon, Mike would do something to deliberately piss Harry off. Harry didn't know why. It was almost like Mike felt he sometimes needed to stake a claim on Ron when Harry was around. Like he needed to prove he was one of Ron's closest friends now, and everyone should remember it. Maybe Mike had a possessive side, too.

This time, Mike decided to gently grab Ron's shoulder, and pull him into a kiss. Ron stepped back with a laugh, shaking his head.

"You're treading on thin ice," he said quietly, glancing at Harry.

"You are treading on thin ice, Ron," Harry interjected sharply.

"Find me after," Mike told Ron, kissing him on the cheek as he walked out with a smirk.

"What?" Ron asked flatly once Mike had left.

"Did you sleep with Justin?" Harry replied.

"Does it matter?" Ron shot back.

"Did you?"

"You tell me," Ron replied coolly, "Since you seem to already know." He walked over to his locker and opened it slowly, then he slammed it shut and whipped around. "Oh my God…you spied on me!"

"No!" Harry argued, a bit too fast, thinking. He wasn't surprised Ron came to this realization so quickly. "I was walking back to check on you, and I saw Justin walking away looking all guilty, then I saw you crying and…I left. I didn't think you'd want to talk to me."

"I wasn't crying," Ron snapped, "And what if Justin looked guilty? Why is that my fault?"

Harry frowned. "Did you come back here and drink?"

"Oh my God," Ron said in exasperation, running both of his hands through his hair, then he gestured them at Harry, "What do you want from me?"

"What?" Harry replied, confused now.

"I mean what do you want from me?" Ron repeated, clearly anguished, "Harry…we play that fucking game on the stairs, we are constantly flirting with each other, you don't actually want to be with Ginny, and you get pissed off every time you see me with anyone but you. But then you turn around and say you don't want me, you're not gay…so what the fuck do you actually want from me?"

Harry had no idea what to say. He couldn't argue any point Ron made. There were some glossed over facts with Ron's word, but at a surface level they were basically true.

But what could he do? He couldn't be with Ron. If anything…he loved Ron too much to do that to him. Ginny being in danger was enough. But she was strong. She wasn't as well-known as Ron was. Everyone in the world knew Ron was his best, closest friend. If word ever got out that they were dating…Ron would be an immediate walking target. He could get kidnapped as a lure. A trap. Constantly in danger of being murdered, likely after being tortured for information.

One wrong move and Ron could be gone forever.

Although, there was one point Harry could make that was completely honest.

"Ron…" he said quietly, "Just…tell me the truth about something." Would Ron lie? His best friend stared at him, looking a bit scared. "Did you sleep with Justin? And then did you come back here and sleep with Mike?"

But all his inquiry did was confirm what he had suspected earlier about Ron having already been drinking, because all he said was,

"Why does it matter?"

After practice, at lunch, Ron sat with Mike at the Ravenclaw table. But Harry sat where he could watch Justin and Ernie over at Hufflepuff. The couple seemed surprisingly good. Justin certainly wasn't giving anything away. They were just talking with their friends, Justin holding Ernie's hand on his leg. Ernie seemed relaxed, probably due to the fact that Ron was on the other end of the room.   

For a few minutes, Harry forgot about the Hufflepuffs. But when he and Ginny stood, he saw Lee Jordan walking into the entrance hall, and Roger Davies heading right toward him. Harry immediately began to follow the Ravenclaw. Ginny stayed beside him but was looking at him skeptically.  

Ginny still did not know that Ron had more than likely requested Roger take care of this problem. Harry wondered how much Ron had to say to his Ravenclaw's to get them to handle the issue. Did he tell them to go after Lee? To make sure he had said nothing? Had Ron told them it was Ginny's threat he was concerned about?

Would Roger go after Ginny?

Roger was now taking Lee's arm, and for a brief moment Lee smiled at him before looking startled. As if this were a playful encounter, but then seeing Roger's expression realizing it wasn't. Lee said something, asking something by the inquisitive look on his face.

When Roger replied, Lee stepped back looking stunned. He raised his hands as he shook his head. Clearly saying "No, no, no." Then he continued talking. Roger seemed to relax after a moment, and he gave a little nod and shrug, also holding his hands up in a 'calm down' way. He said something to Lee with a stern but gentle expression. Lee replied with one word.

Yes.

Roger nodded to him, then clapped a hand on his shoulder. Lee smiled and scoffed and pushed him away. Roger was starting to look smug now. They exchanged a few more words, then both walked away with small grins. Harry got the impression that these two had probably had a fling as well.  

"What's that about?" Ginny finally whispered. "Why did you want to watch them?"

"Er," Harry said, he didn't feel like telling her, honestly.

Roger had finally noticed them. He gave Harry a nod, looking polite enough.

Then his eyes fell on Ginny. He began to head toward them.  

"Ron's sister, right?" he asked, standing in front of her and ignoring Harry completely.

"Yeah," she said uncertainly, eyes narrowed. "What do you want?" Ginny had always had a thing against Roger that had nothing to do with Ron. Harry wasn't sure why.

"Why'd you threaten to tell his brothers about Lee?" Roger asked flat-out. His tone sounded as if he should be cracking his knuckles right about now.

"Because I can," Ginny shot back. "Anything else?"

Roger gave Harry an impatient look. "You're really going to let her tell her brothers about that?" he asked irritably. "She'll ruin their friendship for no reason."

"She's my girlfriend," Harry said, cocking his head, "I don't tell her what she can and can't do." Truth be told…he wished he could.

Ron, on the other hand…Ron was…he was malleable. He liked being bossed around and told what to do. Harry was quite certain he got off on it. Ron was also a person who considered both sides of everything. Harry liked that about him. He saw the grey, where Ginny only saw black and white.

Ginny was giving Harry a pleased look, then went back to staring down the nearly seven-foot tall Ravenclaw with disdain. "Why do you even care?" she asked. "Are you jealous or something? Are you and Lee shagging?"

"Lee is old news," Roger said with a sigh of boredom and a roll of his eyes. "Just leave your brother alone, alright?"

"Oh," Ginny replied knowingly, folding her arms, "It's my brother. That's who you want." She looked  -and sounded- utterly disgusted.

"Please," Roger said with a chuckle, "Everyone wants your brother. You better get used to it." His eyes flicked over to Harry for half a second and then he added, "And quickly, if I were you."

"Just back off, Roger," Harry spat, taking Ginny's hand, "Stay out of Ron's business."

"Trust me, Harry," Roger said in a tone that made Harry pause and listen, "I wouldn't be in his business if I didn't have to be."

Irritated by the ominous nature of Roger's statement, Harry walked away from him. "I hate him," he snapped harshly, "We better beat them tomorrow or I will lose my mind." Then he looked at his girlfriend. "Gin, how did you know about them? Ron and Lee?"

"I was using the restroom one night when he was over. I looked out the window and saw Ron and Lee sneaking into the barn with a bottle. I went out to go bust them and I overheard a bit  of their conversation."

"Fucking hell, Ron…stop it."

"No."

"Well I tried."

"So?"

"So keep going and you'll have a better chance of me saying yes."

"How about if I beg, too?"

"When did you turn into such a little tramp?"

"Please?"

"I've known you since you were nine. Do you know how strange this is for me?"

"Please, Lee?"

"Fuck…fuck it. But you have to say please one more time."

"Please."

"Good boy. Now make sure you don't tell anyone, alright?"

"Duh, Lee."

"Here, take a drink first. You're going to need it."

"Good. Don't hold back."

"They were quite sneaky about it," Ginny added at the end, "I wouldn't have known if I hadn't heard all that."

Harry barely heard her. His entire lower body was tingling and tight. His closed his shaking hand into a fist as he imagined being on top of Ron, his hand around his throat. Harry quickly snapped himself out of it.

"Why…" he asked slowly, and he actually had to laugh as he asked, "Why did you listen?"

"Blackmail," Ginny replied, but she let out a light laugh too, "It's a habit in that house. You should always have something to hang over your siblings head. And you have to hear enough of the conversation to prove you actually heard."

Harry shook his head. He couldn't blame her, really. As much as he sincerely hoped she'd never use it against Ron.

"Why do you care so much?" Ginny asked him. "About what Ron's doing and things like that."

"You do, too," Harry replied, "Even if you say you don't."

"I just want to know why you do," Ginny said simply.  

Harry let out a slow exhale. "I'm just…protective," he finally said, rubbing his temples, "I know this is going to sound bad, but…when Ron came out I got worried. Because…he just…I don't know. It's hard to explain, but…I don't trust him with certain guys. He follows people."

Ginny nodded. "I get it. I get the same feeling, that's why I asked. Ron is drawn to anyone who gives him attention. Someone can use that."

"Exactly," Harry said, relieved that she understood. And also relieved that she would now see Harry's behavior toward Ron as protective, and not jealous.

They could suddenly hear Ron's voice nearby, and they looked over to see him walking with Dean and Seamus. Dean was laughing about something, and he was holding his boyfriends hand, which relieved Harry. He watched them head toward the further staircase and head up it, in the direction of Gryffindor tower.

"Go with them," Ginny said gently, "I'll go meet Hermione in the library."

Harry agreed and took off after his dorm mates. He was several minutes behind them after crossing paths with Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, and Theodore Nott. They were all whispering shrewdly and gave Harry amused, superior looks as he approached them.

"What?" Harry asked shortly, feigning disinterest. However, this particular Slytherin crew always seemed up to date with Ron's endeavors. How…he had no clue.

"Match against Slytherin tomorrow," Nott drawled, his lip turned up into his constant smirk, his dark eyes emoting something sinister, yet in a sensual sort of way.

"Yep," Harry replied, bracing himself for the usual 'Gryffindor's are losers' jeers. It was starting to get old, really.

Malfoy nodded thoughtfully. "You know what? I think you lot have got it."

"Me too," Zabini added, examining the nails of one hand nonchalantly. "I think Gryffindor has this one in the bag, actually."

To their credit…this was throwing Harry off completely. He eyed them. "What are you talking about?" he asked, tone full of doubtful skepticism.

"What?" Malfoy asked, sounding falsely offended, "You can't just take a compliment?"

"From you?" Harry asked, "No."

"Oh, taking compliments is easy," Nott simpered, "About as easy as offering up your ass in return for bad plays." He put his fingers to his lips. "Oops."

"Excuse me?" Harry snapped, stepping forward. Zabini stepped in front of his friend protectively. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Ask your MVP," Zabini said, shoving Harry backward. Then he wiped his hand on the lapels of his jacket, and adjusted his tie, looking disgruntled. They were the only three people Harry knew who wore business casual on weekends. However, they knew they looked good doing it.

"Tell me what you heard," Harry demanded, sidestepping to face Malfoy now, "Why are they saying that?"

"I may have overheard something," Malfoy said with a sigh, "About your best friend, offering himself up like a cheap slut in order for the Ravenclaw's to throw the match." His lips curved into a pleased sneer. "And I feel it isn't the first time. Who's the captain of Hufflepuff again? Diggory?"

"Gryffindor did win that match," Zabini chuckled, "But you got that snitch quicker didn't you? It did seem like Diggory slowed down and let you pass him, didn't it?"

It felt like all the air rushed out of Harry's lungs.

How in God's name had he forgotten about Cedric Diggory?

Ron's fling with the Hufflepuff captain had been short-lived, and Ron hadn't seemed too impressed. But there was no way Cedric Diggory would fall for that. He was too honest. They had certainly beat Hufflepuff fair and square. Hadn't they?

But…Roger Davies and Michael Corner? Would they offer to throw a match just to sleep with Ron?

Or…were they not planning to at all, and had scammed Ron right back?

Harry reached out and grabbed Malfoy's shirt, yanking him forward, his other hand putting the tip of his wand at the Slytherin's throat.

"Tell that to anyone and you're dead," Harry growled, ignoring the tips of the other two Slytherin's wands pointing at him, "Understand? Dead. You know I'll do it."

Malfoy glared at him with the most venomous, lethal gaze Harry had ever received from him. "Stop wasting your time with us and go have a chat with your best mate," he seethed, "I wasn't supposed to hear it. I overheard them."

"Where?" Harry demanded, ignoring his curiosity as to why Malfoy was telling him this at all.

"The locker room, this morning. I left something down there; it was before the Ravenclaw practice. I saw one Gryffindor, and one Ravenclaw walking into the locker room. Their hoods were up."

"So you didn't know it was them," Harry spat, letting go of him.

Malfoy took a step back and adjusted his shirt, tie, and jacket. "I did when I heard them," he said bitterly, "Just go fucking talk to him."

"Don't any of you say a word!" Harry snapped as the three of them clustered together to face him.

Nott and Zabini looked amused at his threat, but Malfoy spoke before either of them could. "We won't," he said in a snide voice, "It's distasteful."

Harry was catching his breath. He was so shocked he could barely take a full inhale. As he continued to Gryffindor he felt like he was walking through water. Was any of that true? He hoped it wasn't. He needed to talk to his best friend.

Now.

Harry paused outside of the Fat Lady's portrait for several minutes, trying to calm himself. Trying to level himself out. But…he couldn't. He just could not think of any reason why this could be true. Sure Ron was being a bit…loose. But it was perfectly normal for blokes their age to be enjoying sex. Harry didn't see a problem there.

As he finally began to breathe at a steady face he realized that what Draco Malfoy had probably overheard was Ron and one of the Ravenclaw's flirting. That’s what it had to be. They had to be joking around. And Ron hooking up with Cedric was just a coincidence.

But…was Ron actually even sleeping with Roger? Everyone knew he was hooking up with Mike. But Roger was still a guessing game. Even earlier he had admitted nothing, instead saying 'everyone wants your brother.' That wasn't an actual admission.

Harry took a deep breath, gave the password, and walked into the common room. At was about three o clock in the afternoon now. And a weekend. Some of the older students went to Hogsmeade. Others were in the library. Some of the younger Gryffindor's were in the study area. But Ron, Dean, and Seamus were up in the dorm. Harry took his time walking up the stairs and took another deep breath before opening the door.

There were so, so many things Harry would have been less stunned to see than what he actually saw.

On Seamus's bed was Dean, and he was straddling Ron's waist, bent down, kissing him. Passionately. One hand was under his shirt, which was pushed up his chest, gripping his waist tightly. His other hand cradled the side of Ron's head. Seamus sat next to them, looking incredibly pleased with himself.

No. Not happening.

Harry slammed the door shut loudly behind himself. Seamus's head popped up first, followed by Dean's. Ron took one look at Harry and pushed himself onto his elbows.

"Ron," Harry said firmly, "We need to talk." He shot glares at Dean and Seamus. "If you two could kindly get the fuck off of him."

Dean looked a bit embarrassed to be caught like this, especially after giving Seamus such grief about his own jealousy. Harry wondered what the fucking hell had happened between early this morning and now that had caused Dean to be sitting on top of Ron, probably still hard. And why Seamus was watching…

Well…Harry could understand that now. He wouldn't judge.

"Harry," Ron said with an annoyed groan, "Can-"

"Ron," Harry said as sternly as he could, knowing Ron responded to this sort of tone better than most, "Shut the hell up. We are talking. Whether or not you want them in here is up to you but in exactly one minute I'm talking regardless of where they fuck they are."

Seamus stood, trying to hide an amused smirk. Dean slid off Ron opposite from where Harry was standing, adjusting his pants. Ron sat up and tugged down his shirt, sliding off the bed as Dean and Seamus left.

"What?" Ron asked, sounding bored.

"You're not skiving around this anymore, Ron," Harry snapped, walking toward him, "Tell me what the hell is going on. Now. Why did you let Justin shag you when he's in a relationship? Why did you then go to Mike and either let him shag you too, or you sucked his cock? Whichever. Both are awful. And why the hell were you with Dean just now? This was all in one fucking day, Ron, and it's not even dinner time."

Ron looked both shocked, but impatient. "Didn't we just talk about this?" he asked sharply, "Harry just admit you're jealous. You don't want me with anyone but you-"

"That’s not-"

"Stop interrupting me!" Ron exclaimed, his eyes losing their confidence. Harry fell quiet despite himself. "You don't want me!" Ron said furiously, "You have made that very fucking clear. So you don't get to judge me for who I screw around with while I'm not with you. I'm sorry you're in a boring relationship. And I'm sorry that you can't admit that you want to be with me, but I'm not going to adjust my lifestyle to something that doesn't make you uncomfortable!"

Well…damn.

Harry stared, helplessly angry.

Then, he did the only thing he could think of…and turned around…and left. He hesitated for approximately three seconds as he stood in the doorway, facing outward, holding the door open, before turning down the stairs.

He stopped on the ninth, knowing that most Gryffindors were not in Gryffindor tower at the moment. The ninth step was just around the first curve from the common room, out of sight from the doorway, and away from the other dorms by quite a ways, enough to hear anyone coming one way or the other. It was just on the bend where Ron had stopped him the first time.

"That just means I know your body better than anyone." Ron whispered so close to Harry's ear he shuddered.

"I'm dating your sister, Ron," he murmured, and when he turned his head slightly to try and look at him, his lips were inches from his best friends.

"Kiss me, Harry. I know you want to."

Harry stared deep into Ron's eyes as his best friend clutched his waist to stay upright. Harry raised his hands and placed them on top of Ron's. "You don't want this, Ron. You're drunk."

"I do," Ron murmured his voice suddenly tight instead of slurring, almost emotional, "I want you to kiss me." Neither of them moved apart. If either moved forward, their lips would be touching. Ron's blue eyes stared deeply into Harry's when he spoke next.

"Save me."

Heart rapidly beating, Harry soon heard Ron's footsteps. He stood two stairs above Harry, looking down at him. His eyes were wet, but there was no longer a red line, which meant he had sobered up. They stared at each other with a depth of emotion they had never expressed.

Love?

Understanding?

"Ron," Harry whispered, "Please."

Ron let out a quivering breath and stepped down to Harry's level. When he was here, he dropped his gaze. Harry moved forward until Ron pressed himself into the curve of the wall. "Harry," he whimpered as Harry took his hands, "I don't want to be judged by you anymore."

"I'm not judging you," Harry murmured, resting his forehead against Ron's.

"You are," Ron stammered, "It's like you hate it when I give attention to anyone, and then-."

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered, feeling a sudden rush of guilt, "I'm sorry." He felt agitated with himself for giving into Ron's mood swings, but he would much rather have Ron not upset with him anymore. He found he suddenly didn't care how Ron spent his time.

"I just want you to be happy, love," Harry whispered, "And I feel like you're not."

"I'm fine," Ron said quietly, "I only get upset because people are all over me getting in my business. Everyone is always in my business all the time. I'm not safe anywhere."

Harry raised a hand from Ron's hip to the side of his face. "You are safe," he murmured, "Right here. With me." When he felt Ron's face burn with pleasure, he smiled. Feeling bold, he put his thumb under Ron's chin and lifted his face gently, so they were looking eye to eye.

They settled into a comforting gaze with each other.

"Want to kiss me?" Ron whispered heavily.

Harry decided to throw him off.

"Yes."

As Ron was thinking of a response, Harry moved his thumb to his best friends mouth, running it along his bottom lip. There was a sudden mischievous gleam in Ron's eye, and he parted his lips, and slid Harry's thumb into his mouth, snagging his wrist and keeping his hand in place as he sucked.

It felt like Harry's brain completely malfunctioned. Unwillingly, a very small, quiet groan emitted from his throat. He then removed his hand from Ron's grip and put it on his chest, pushing him firmly into the wall.

"Careful," he warned.

"Or what?" Ron asked with an innocent tilt of his head.

"You're too much," Harry said breathlessly, taking a step back.

Ron stepped down, and Harry followed him. "Harry," he said softly, "If I wasn't okay, I would talk to you. I tell you everything." He paused, then smiled. "Well, minus a few details."

"Okay," Harry replied with a sigh, "I'll back off for a bit. Promise. Just…"

"So close," Ron muttered to himself, letting his head fall back against the stone wall below the curve.

"Just," Harry went on, and he stepped close to Ron again. Not as close as the step above them, but still close. "Please stop drinking during the day. Okay? Please? I understand at night before bed, but…just…keep it in check. Please? For me?" It was a cheap play, but it worked. Ron's eyes softened.

"Okay," he replied, "For you."