Ficlet: 'The Truth is A Bitter Pill to Take' DM/HW, RW, HP, PG13
Title: The Truth is A Bitter Pill to Take
Author: softly_sweetly
Beta: nolagal
Pairing: Draco/Hugo, Ron, Harry
Length: ~840
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are the property of J.K. Rowling. I make no money from this piece of fanfiction.
Warnings: Slash, a little angsty
Summary: Ron goes to his best friend for advice, and faces up to some hard truths.
Author Notes: Counts to prompt #74 Right from my 100quills Next Generation Table.
This follows on from Caught Out, Building Bridges, Say To Me That It's Over and Torn.
"He's just sat up there, sulking. Worse than Rosie when she was a teenager!" Ron waited for Harry to make a noise of approval, but it didn't happen. Ron waited even longer, and when he opened his mouth to speak, to prompt Harry into replying and backing up Ron's diatribe against Draco, Harry finally spoke.
"What did you expect, Ron?"
"Exa~" Ron had been ready to accept Harry's agreement, and continue on with his assessment. But Harry hadn't agreed. "What?"
Harry tipped his bottle to his lips, eyes tired behind his glasses. "What did you expect,? Ron?, Yyou gave him an ultimatum, and when he made a decision that can't have been easy, Draco told him to come home. Instead of preening around and gloating, Draco told Hugo that his family - that you - were more important. I know you hate the idea of Draco having changed, and have discounted every good thing he's ever done at the Ministry, ever, but even you can't deny that he did right by your son."
"You're on his side?"
Harry sounded exasperated in thea way that Hermione always had , when she felt Ron was being particularly dim. "There are no sides. But before all this kicked off, you said yourself that Hugo had been happier than he'd ever been since... well, since Hermione died. And you were completely fine with that until you found out it was Draco making him happy."
"Yeah, well, that makes it sound simple. It's Malfoy, Harry. You can't seriously expect me to like this, like him?" Ron accepted the fresh beer Harry put in front of him, and waited for the punch line, the reassurance that Harry was pulling his leg.
"You don't have to like him. But for what it's worth, he's always been incredibly nice to Lily. This, you, I felt like this when she brought Scorpius home. But Scorpius is a decent lad, and Draco has... maybe not changed, but grown up. I realise he isn't your first choice of partner for Hugo, but Hugo clearly loves him; why else would he have left your place and gone to Draco's?"
Ron had no answer to that. He wanted Harry to reassure him, to throw insults at Draco and reminisce about times they'd one-upped the prat. He didn't want his best friend to voice the thoughts that the niggly voice at the back of his mind kept proffering. "It isn't right."
"Because he's a man?"
"What? No, 'course not!"
"Then why?"
Staring down into the bottle, Ron picked at the label. "Because he's Malfoy."
"Yeah, well, if you think that's a good enough reason, then fine. But being Malfoy didn't put Hugo off, and as best I can tell Hugo's been acting of his own accord."
Letting the silence lapse, Ron attempted to tell himself that the beer had turned Harry's brain to mush. It was the only possible explanation.
~~~~~
Ron had been shocked the wards let him in, until he remembered the Auror badge in his pocket. That beauty got him through any Privacy wards, which explained why both his kids had spent their teenage years trying to hide it from him. After Harry's, Ron had gone on to the pub, sinking into a booth and putting away bitter like it was going out of fashion. Perhaps coming here pissed wasn't a smart idea, but Ron doubted he'd have come sober.
Lifting his hand, he rapped on the door twice. It swung open after a moment, and Ron found himself at eye-level with Scorpius Malfoy.
"Auror Weasley, how may I help you?" Scorpius was always polite, even at the relatively informal Weasley dinners Lily sometimes brought him to. Ron wished the brat could sound a little more smarmy with it, so he didn't have to accept it really was just good manners.
"Is your dad in?"
"Yes, come in."
Following Scorpius down the hallway, Ron nodded in thanks when Scorpius gestured to a door and then made a hasty exit. Ron didn't want to be present for this conversation either, so he couldn't blame Scorpius for scarpering. Taking a deep breath, Ron pushed the door open.
"Scorpius, have you... Ooh. Auror Weasley." The title sounded less polite in Malfoy Senior's tone, but still held no overt antipathy. In fact, Draco looked more guarded than anything else. "Can I help you?"
"You sent Hugo home."
"Blood comes first."
Biting back a snide remark about Lucius' view on blood, Ron tried to behave like the adult he was. "Yes, it does. But he chose you, and you sent him back."
Draco shrugged, and Ron ploughed on. This wasn't going to be the greatest speech ever, but the terse words were about all he felt he could stomach. "I love my son, but I have to let him lead his own life. And if you hurt him, or screw him over, or cheat on him, I'll have you in Azkaban on any charge I can make stick."
"Are you saying..."
"Yeah, I am. I'll see myself out."
Starting All Over Again
Author: softly_sweetly
Beta: nolagal
Pairing: Draco/Hugo, Ron, Harry
Length: ~840
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are the property of J.K. Rowling. I make no money from this piece of fanfiction.
Warnings: Slash, a little angsty
Summary: Ron goes to his best friend for advice, and faces up to some hard truths.
Author Notes: Counts to prompt #74 Right from my 100quills Next Generation Table.
This follows on from Caught Out, Building Bridges, Say To Me That It's Over and Torn.
"He's just sat up there, sulking. Worse than Rosie when she was a teenager!" Ron waited for Harry to make a noise of approval, but it didn't happen. Ron waited even longer, and when he opened his mouth to speak, to prompt Harry into replying and backing up Ron's diatribe against Draco, Harry finally spoke.
"What did you expect, Ron?"
"Exa~" Ron had been ready to accept Harry's agreement, and continue on with his assessment. But Harry hadn't agreed. "What?"
Harry tipped his bottle to his lips, eyes tired behind his glasses. "What did you expect,? Ron?, Yyou gave him an ultimatum, and when he made a decision that can't have been easy, Draco told him to come home. Instead of preening around and gloating, Draco told Hugo that his family - that you - were more important. I know you hate the idea of Draco having changed, and have discounted every good thing he's ever done at the Ministry, ever, but even you can't deny that he did right by your son."
"You're on his side?"
Harry sounded exasperated in thea way that Hermione always had , when she felt Ron was being particularly dim. "There are no sides. But before all this kicked off, you said yourself that Hugo had been happier than he'd ever been since... well, since Hermione died. And you were completely fine with that until you found out it was Draco making him happy."
"Yeah, well, that makes it sound simple. It's Malfoy, Harry. You can't seriously expect me to like this, like him?" Ron accepted the fresh beer Harry put in front of him, and waited for the punch line, the reassurance that Harry was pulling his leg.
"You don't have to like him. But for what it's worth, he's always been incredibly nice to Lily. This, you, I felt like this when she brought Scorpius home. But Scorpius is a decent lad, and Draco has... maybe not changed, but grown up. I realise he isn't your first choice of partner for Hugo, but Hugo clearly loves him; why else would he have left your place and gone to Draco's?"
Ron had no answer to that. He wanted Harry to reassure him, to throw insults at Draco and reminisce about times they'd one-upped the prat. He didn't want his best friend to voice the thoughts that the niggly voice at the back of his mind kept proffering. "It isn't right."
"Because he's a man?"
"What? No, 'course not!"
"Then why?"
Staring down into the bottle, Ron picked at the label. "Because he's Malfoy."
"Yeah, well, if you think that's a good enough reason, then fine. But being Malfoy didn't put Hugo off, and as best I can tell Hugo's been acting of his own accord."
Letting the silence lapse, Ron attempted to tell himself that the beer had turned Harry's brain to mush. It was the only possible explanation.
~~~~~
Ron had been shocked the wards let him in, until he remembered the Auror badge in his pocket. That beauty got him through any Privacy wards, which explained why both his kids had spent their teenage years trying to hide it from him. After Harry's, Ron had gone on to the pub, sinking into a booth and putting away bitter like it was going out of fashion. Perhaps coming here pissed wasn't a smart idea, but Ron doubted he'd have come sober.
Lifting his hand, he rapped on the door twice. It swung open after a moment, and Ron found himself at eye-level with Scorpius Malfoy.
"Auror Weasley, how may I help you?" Scorpius was always polite, even at the relatively informal Weasley dinners Lily sometimes brought him to. Ron wished the brat could sound a little more smarmy with it, so he didn't have to accept it really was just good manners.
"Is your dad in?"
"Yes, come in."
Following Scorpius down the hallway, Ron nodded in thanks when Scorpius gestured to a door and then made a hasty exit. Ron didn't want to be present for this conversation either, so he couldn't blame Scorpius for scarpering. Taking a deep breath, Ron pushed the door open.
"Scorpius, have you... Ooh. Auror Weasley." The title sounded less polite in Malfoy Senior's tone, but still held no overt antipathy. In fact, Draco looked more guarded than anything else. "Can I help you?"
"You sent Hugo home."
"Blood comes first."
Biting back a snide remark about Lucius' view on blood, Ron tried to behave like the adult he was. "Yes, it does. But he chose you, and you sent him back."
Draco shrugged, and Ron ploughed on. This wasn't going to be the greatest speech ever, but the terse words were about all he felt he could stomach. "I love my son, but I have to let him lead his own life. And if you hurt him, or screw him over, or cheat on him, I'll have you in Azkaban on any charge I can make stick."
"Are you saying..."
"Yeah, I am. I'll see myself out."
Starting All Over Again