55Chapter 24: ASTTWT 13: Family Dinner Gone Awry
And so the Tables Were Turned …, part thirteen: Family Dinner Gone Awry
It was already the beginning of December; winter had come and the days were getting colder. Ron had not spent much time at the Burrow lately, because he always went straight to Jonathan's place after Quidditch practice, and he simply never left Jonathan's place on days when he had no Quidditch practice. But that particular day, he was planning to go home to collect a few items that he needed, and he also planned to ask Ginny to accompany him to Diagon Alley to pick up some parchment and a new quill. He wanted to pay a visit to Fred and George's joke shop, too.
Jonathan was just getting dressed when he returned to the bedroom from the bathroom, and Ron smiled appreciatively at the sight of his bare upper body. "Nice view you're presenting me with this early in the morning," he teased.
Jonathan just smiled. "Don't I always give you a perfect view, Ronnikins?" he stated matter-of-factly. He buttoned his pin-striped shirt. "What you up to today, gorgeous?"
"I thought I'd do some shopping," Ron said, and rummaged through the second drawer from the top in Jonathan's dresser. He settled for a green cotton jumper with a wide midnight blue stripe over the chest.
"Oh, good. Would you pick up some apple juice for me? I'm really craving for some apple juice right now, but I don't have any time to go buy any myself."
Ron laughed. "Not that kind of shopping, silly," he said, and briefly kissed Jonathan as he passed him on his way to the chair beside the bed, where he had put his jeans last night. "Wizard shopping."
"Oh. I see." He was silent for a while. "Wizards don't drink juice?"
"Not apple juice, we don't. We drink pumpkin juice."
"Pumpkin juice, eh? Okay. Pick some of that up for me, then."
"All right. I'll be going by the Burrow today, too, so I might not be home until tonight. I should really spend some time with my family or they might walk around thinking I'm dead or something."
Jonathan snatched him as he passed him a second time and held him real tight; kissed his neck. "Move in with me," he breathed against Ron's skin.
Ron turned his head in astonishment. "What?"
"Move in with me. I want you here all the time 'cos I can't stand the thought of being without you even for a second."
"But I'm already practically living here," Ron pointed out in an amused tone of voice, "I'm always here. I haven't left this apartment for three whole days. I even have my own drawer!"
Jonathan tickled him in his sides and made him laugh out loud. "Then let's just make an oral contract of it and make it official," he insisted affectionately. Then, to Ron's surprise, he went down on his knees and took Ron's right hand in his both. With an expression of mock serenity, he said, "Ronald Weasley, will you move in with me?"
Ron gasped in mock shock. "Jonathan! I don't know what to say, it's so sudden …!" He pulled Jonathan up from the floor and placed a loving kiss on his soft cherry lips. "Yes. I'd love to move in with you." He looked him deep into his amazing blue eyes. "I love you, Jonathan."
The other man was totally taken aback by that line, and he just stared blankly at Ron for the longest time. "You … Er, you were saying … What were you saying, exactly?"
Ron embraced him and rested his head on Jonathan's chest. "I said I love you, Jonathan."
Jonathan still found it hard to find his words. "You … are you serious?"
Ron laughed. "Yes, I'm serious! Do you think I would joke about something like that?"
"No, not really, but … you've never said that to anyone at all before … you told me you were afraid of loving again after Hermione's death … So, I mean … do you really …?"
"Mean it?" Ron put in. "Yes, I mean it. I love you. I've known that I love you for more than a month now, but like you said, I've been afraid to say it. But now I understand that I'd be taking a greater risk not saying it than I am saying it. If I never told you that I love you, you'd grow tired of waiting for me to say it, and eventually you'd dump me. I'd hate that." He pressed closer.
Jonathan put his hands on Ron's back. "Thank you, Ron. That means a lot to me."
Ron arrived at the Burrow at eleven that morning and went straight to the kitchen, where he knew that his mother would be washing the dishes from that morning's breakfast. She was standing with her back to him, and since the water was running she did not hear him come in. He simply went over to her and kissed her on the cheek, right on her left cheek bone. "Hey, Mum," he said with a pleasant smile.
She turned in surprise and lit up like a torch. "Ronald!" she exclaimed and gave him a hard hug. "Where have you been the past two weeks? I haven't seen you at all in over fifteen days!"
Ron laughed. "I'm glad to see you too, Mum." He remembered when he had been a kid and was embarrassed about his Mum hugging him or in any way showing her love for him, but now when he was older he did not care all that much. Since he had someone he loved in his life now, he understood the need to express those feelings. "Sorry I haven't been here so much lately, I've been busy is all."
Mrs. Weasley pinched his cheek. "Oh, it's all right, Ronald, I've seen you on the Quidditch field. You're really talented, dear. At first I was quite disappointed in you for choosing Quidditch over a decent career like your father's, but when I saw you playing during that game a month ago, I knew why you made that choice. You're really good at it, and that's what matters."
"Boy, you never say anything like that to us, Mum!" a voice said behind them.
When Ron turned around, he found Fred and George standing in the doorway, grinning at them. "Hey!" he said merrily. "How's your joke shop coming? Any regulars yet?"
"Yep, many people know to appreciate our products," Fred said solemnly.
"Mum not being one of them," George put in as an afterthought.
Mrs. Weasley snorted. "Making sweets that make you vomit in class and creating extendable ears is not a decent profession," she claimed, and it seemed as if she was going to stick to her old standards. "But that doesn't mean I don't love you, dears," she added and pinched their cheeks, as well.
Ron just shook his head. Then he gazed over at the staircase. "Where's Ginny?" he asked. "I was hoping she'd accompany me to Diagon Alley and make sure I don't spend too much money on silly things I don't need."
"She's in her room, dear. Ginny! Come downstairs, your brothers are here!"
Mrs. Weasley went back to her dishes, and the twins sat down at the table.
Ginny hurried down the stairs only a moment later. When she saw them all gathered, her face cracked into a happy smile. "Ron! Fred! George! I haven't seen you guys for forever! How are you?"
They spent about thirty minutes talking about this and that before Ron told Ginny why he was there. She said she would love to join him for some shopping—and they were off. Ron had always felt comfortable and relaxed in Ginny's company, and even though they were sister and brother they never quarrelled.
Since they had always been so tight, Ginny instantly noticed that there was something different about him. He sensed that she wanted to ask him about it for quite some time, but maybe she did not know how to. Eventually, she took a deep breath and smoothly started her questioning. They were sitting outside the ice cream bar, and she leaned slightly forward as she spoke. "You look more vibrant than usual. More … well, happy. It suits you."
"Thanks—I guess."
She fingered her jacket for a moment. "Are you … finding influence from a particular external source?"
Ron laughed. "I think you've read way too much psychology, sis."
"So there's no external influence, then? This is just due to … what? Personal goals?"
"I honestly don't have a clue what you're talking about. I don't understand all those psychological terms you're using. Speak English."
She studied him for ten seconds or so. "Is there a person?"
Ron blushed. He could not help it. He still did not know how to break the news to his family, and when he was confronted by the question this bluntly he was completely taken aback and rendered speechless.
"Oh, so there is a person!" Ginny stated, pleased with herself. "Tell me, is this person the reason you're so different, Ron? Is this person the reason you're so happy and vital?"
"Yeah … it's all thanks to this … person."
"I see. And does this person make you happy?"
Ron gazed out over the crowd with a dreamy look in his eyes. "This person makes me very happy. I'm the happiest bloke on Earth. It's the person I want to spend the rest of my life with." He peered at her from the corner of his eye. "Why are you not asking me more specific questions? I can see in your eyes and in your whole appearance that you're just dying to know everything about my 'person,' so why aren't you asking me things like 'who' and 'how' and 'why'?"
Ginny smiled at him and put a hand on his arm. "Because I want you to tell me when you're ready to," she said. "It's no fun if I have to pry it out of you. I want you to feel comfortable when you tell me. Because I know that you'll tell me everything once you're ready. But just tell me one thing: Have you been together for a long time?"
"About two months now."
"That's a decent time. I would've been really disappointed if you'd said six months or a year, so I'll buy two months. It's rather new, then? Must be nice. Does anybody else know about this person of yours?"
"Only Harry and Draco. Oh, and Piper of course. Bloody impossible to keep a secret from her."
"Yeah, she always seems to figure everything out, even though she's bloody stupid."
They took another few turns up and down Diagon Alley before returning to the Burrow for dinner, which was served at 6 o'clock sharp as always. Ron gave his stressed out father a merry greeting and told him all about his Quidditch practice and how he had been selected to play for England next season. He was only going to be a substitute Keeper and may never get to actually play, but that was as good as anything. To Ron, it was a great achievement! Maybe next time—if he kept up the good work—he would actually get to play as their main Keeper!
At the end of dinner, when the twins were getting ready to take off to their joke shop again, Mrs. Weasley stopped them with an admonishing cry. "You remember to come to the family dinner tomorrow, boys! Your mother will be very disappointed if you don't show!"
"And we know it's no fun when Mum gets disappointed," Fred said in mock fear.
"Don't worry, we'll be here," George promised. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."
He kissed his mother on the top of her head before they said goodbye and Disapparated.
"We're having a family dinner?" Ron asked in astonishment.
"Oh, dear, I forgot to tell you! Bill and Charlie are coming here tomorrow so we're gathering the family to have a nice little dinner to reminisce," Mrs. Weasley explained with a warm smile. "You will be able to be here, won't you, Ronald?"
"Of course," Ron quickly said, "I'd love to see Bill and Charlie and hear everything about Egypt and Romania! Wonder if he's got any new dragons to study?"
He swallowed the last of his potatoes.
Then, more as an afterthought than as anything he had actually planned, he said, "Would it be okay if I brought my boyfriend along? He'd hate to sit alone all night and wait for me. He's been bugging me about meeting my parents for weeks now …" He sighed with mock irritation and chuckled.
Then he noticed their shocked stares and their indisputable muteness.
He frowned. "What? Did I say something funny?"
Ginny was the only one capable of speech at the moment. "Di-did you say 'boyfriend'?" she stuttered.
Ron gave a start. "Oh! So that's why you're all looking as if you've seen a troll walk by the window! Yes, I did say 'boyfriend,' there's nothing wrong with your hearing. I know this'll probably come as a shock to you, but … yeah, I'm seeing a bloke. Actually, we've been together for little more than two months now, and he's kind of the reason why I've been away so much …" He lowered his gaze in embarrassment.
They were silent for almost half a minute.
"So, who is he, then?" Ginny asked, and he could have kissed her for trying to break the ice between them. For trying to accept and to understand.
"His name's Jonathan, and he's a med student," Ron told them proudly. "He's very smart and has a great sense of humour—I'm sure you'll all love him, he's great. Especially you, Dad, 'cos he's a Muggle."
His mother sounded as if she was choking on something.
But his father lit up. "A Muggle? How soon can he get here?" he asked in childish amusement.
"We'll be here at five thirty," Ron promised. "Please try to be nice to him. I really love him, and he's asked me to move in with him. I've told him that I'm a wizard, and he's okay with it. He's the one I want to spend my life with."
His mother reached for his hand over the table. "Of course we'll love him, dear. If he loves you and treats you right, we'll love him. And we love you, Ron."
Draco woke up in the best of moods that morning—everything was perfect and beautiful and nothing could ruin it for him! He immediately began to shake Harry awake to share his happiness with the person that was most important to him. When the blond raven-haired boy opened his eyes and murmured a sleepy, "Mornin' baby," Draco pressed his lips to Harry's in an impulse of pure happiness. "Do you know what day it is today?" he asked with a huge smile.
Harry blinked a few times and appeared to be thinking hard. Draco's heart actually sank a bit at that moment, because it hurt him that his own boyfriend had to think so hard to even know what day this was. This was special to Draco.
"Er …," Harry mumbled, and scratched his chin somewhat absent-mindedly. "Tuesday?"
The smile effectively faded from Draco's face and was replaced by an indignant expression. He hit Harry on the arm. "Bastard! You don't even remember what day this is, do you?"
Harry blinked. "What? It's Wednesday?"
Draco hit him again—harder. Tears were forming in his eyes now. "No, you bastard, it's—"
"Happy 20th birthday, Dracums!" Harry said, suddenly wide awake, and pulled him into his arms despite his huge protruding belly and kissed his hair with great love and affection.
Now Draco blinked in bafflement and confusion. "What? You knew all along?"
"Of course I know what day it is! It's the 3rd of December, the most important day of the year! And you're 20 today—that's special. So, today will be a special day, indeed. I've talked to Piper, and she's promised to stay away. We won't see the slightest trace of her family today; it'll just be us and the kids. How does that sound?"
That sounded perfect. But unfortunately, their plans were changed without their control. Piper, her clones, Yousuke, and the incredibly annoying Magami (who did not speak any English at all) kept out of sight as promised, which was a good thing, but someone else barged in on their private celebration and rearranged their special plans. There was an invitation in the owl post that morning.
"Hey, Harry," Draco said, because he was the one who opened the card. "We've received a formal invitation from the Weasleys—says here they're having a family dinner tonight and want us to come. 'We would love for you to come since you're part of our family, too, and please feel free to bring anyone you like—we have plenty of food. We also hope to see that lovely boy of yours again, dears. Love, Molly.'" He looked up at Harry. "We can't decline to something like this, can we? I wouldn't want to disappoint Molly …"
Draco was perfectly comfortable with being on a first name basis with Mrs. Weasley, but Harry still felt awkward about being so informal and was very reluctant to call her Molly. Now he met the blonde's gaze with caution. "Are you sure it's okay, Dracums? I mean, it's your birthday and—"
"What would be more perfect than to spend my birthday together with our best friends? Apparently Ron's older brothers are flying in, and Ron's bringing Jonathan, too. Please, Harry, can we go?"
Harry blinked. "Yeah. Sure. If you really want to …"
He was interrupted by the doorbell. They both turned towards the doorway that led out into the first floor hallway in surprise. Who could that be?
Draco started towards the front door. "I'd better take it in case it's someone who's not supposed to see a pregnant man," he said humorously, and Harry laughed. They both knew that it had to be someone they knew, because the powerful force field around the Manor only allowed certain people to approach the main building. Therefore, Draco was prepared to fire off a "Hiya there, Ron!", but when he opened the door and found a strange podgy man with a huge package in his arms on the front steps, his smile faded. "Can I help you?" he asked warily.
The man put down the package and withdrew an odd-looking flat object from the inside of his jacket. "Delivery for Harry James Potter," the man said in a squeaky voice that reminded Draco of a Goblin. But this man was way too tall and not nearly ugly enough to be a goblin.
Draco blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Delivery for Harry James Potter," the strange man repeated impatiently, and shifted his feet. He presented the weird flat thingy to Draco and reached out a small oblong object that slightly resembled a wand but was too short and too thin to be a wand. Draco stared at it in confusion. "I need you to sign here," the man said, and Draco did not know what the Hell he was talking about.
Sign? What sign? There was no sign there!
"Er … would you excuse me for a minute, please?" he said, and swiftly walked back into the parlour where Harry was waiting with an expectant look in his grey eyes.
"Who was it?" he asked.
Draco stopped just in front of him and whispered: "There is man here says he's got a delivery for Harry James Potter."
Harry raised his eyebrows in bafflement. "Really? That's weird."
"Yeah, I know, your name's Harry Joseph Potter," Draco agreed.
"No, no, that's not what I meant. I meant it's strange that a Muggle delivery passed through our force field. There's nothing fishy about the name—that's me, alright."
Draco frowned. "What? But you told me your name was—"
"Yeah, I know what I said, but I have several middle names, all right? My full name is Harry James Geoffrey Joseph Potter, okay? It's kind of exhausting to say them all, so I kind of just picked one when you asked me about it."
"Oh. Okay. But, about this delivery guy … He wants me to give him a sign and I don't know what he's talking about …"
"No, he wants you to sign the paper. You have to write my name on the dotted line at the bottom of the paper he gives you to confirm that you have received the package. Take the pen that he gives you—it's an elliptical thing that looks kind of like a third of a wand—and press the tip of it to the paper and then just right my name, okay? Do you understand, Draco?"
"Yeah, I think so." He retrieved the package and signed the paper just like Harry had told him to. Both curious to see what it was and who had sent it, they ripped open the cardboard box and peered into it. Apparently, it was a blender that Dudley had grown tired of, and since Uncle Vernon was so stingy and parsimonious he had sent it to Harry with the note 'Happy Christmas, freak.'
Bill and Charlie were already there when Ron and Jonathan arrived, and neither of them noticed that they were holding hands. They were just really glad to see their baby brother again and totally overlooked the fact that Ron and Jonathan were very close. Bill enthusiastically shook Jonathan's hand whilst Charlie gave Ron a crushing hug and chuckled in a way that would make Santa Clause jealous. "Ronnie, you old chap! How are you?" he said, grinning.
Ron squirmed out of the embrace. He always felt a bit uncomfortable around Charlie, who was way too physical for a brother. "Er … I'm fine—I'm great, even," he muttered. "Have you been sipping the fire whiskey again?"
"Oh, you bet! Fire whiskey's the liquor!" Once again, that burly chuckle escaped him.
Ron noticed that Jonathan had gone over to say hello to his mother, and he was pleased to see that she was smiling and pinching his cheek. That meant she liked him. Phew.
Five minutes later, his father came home from work and instantly jumped Jonathan with millions of questions related to Muggles. "Hello! Are you really a Muggle? And is it true that you live in an apartment with thousands of Muggle Artefacts? You know, I work in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Department at the Ministry of Magic, so I know quite my share about Muggle inventions. But tell me this one thing … What exactly is the function of a rubber duck? Harry would never answer that question …"
Jonathan was not the least bit frightened by Mr. Weasley's forthrightness and childish curiosity, which relieved Ron. He had been afraid that his father would scare Jonathan away and make him reconsider his offer to let Ron move in with him. "A rubber duck? Harry didn't answer something as easy as that? Boy, he is really strange that boy, isn't he?" Jonathan laughed. "A rubber duck is simply a bathroom ornament!"
Mr. Weasley's eyes widened in wonder. "A bathroom ornament, you say? Molly, we have to get ourselves one of those!"
"We are not having a rubber duck in our bathroom!" Mrs. Weasley said with emphasis.
"Oh, Molly, please! I'm sure it'll fit right in …"
"We are not getting any rubber duck! End of discussion!"
"Oh, all right," Mr. Weasley said with disappointment.
"And you know what?" Jonathan went on in his usual humorous manner. "Many people use their rubber ducks as toys, too."
"Toys?" Mr. Weasley echoed enthusiastically.
"Yeah, especially children. They play with them while they're in the tub. Oh! And dogs! Dogs love 'em 'cos they make this funny squeaking noise."
"They squeak too?! Oh, Molly, we have to get one!"
"I said no, Arthur!"
"Please!"
Bill and Charlie were watching the exchange in amusement. "Who is this guy, Ronnie?" Charlie asked. "He's hilarious! Is he a new friend of yours?"
Ron laughed. "He's not just a friend, Charlie, he's—"
"Ron!" Jonathan exclaimed all of a sudden and hurried over to them. He grabbed Ron's left arm and dragged him over to Mr. Weasley. "Come over here, don't just stand around. I want you here with me." He bent down and kissed Ron's hair for a lovely, brief, intense moment. Ron laughed at his boyfriend's spontaneity. Furthermore, Jonathan put his arm around Ron's shoulders and possessively held him as close as their separate bodies allowed.
Ron could hear his brothers gasp behind them, so he turned around with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Charlie—Bill—that I haven't told you about this, but … well … Jonathan is my boyfriend. We're living together."
Charlie got an odd expression on his face, and then he fell straight to the floor, rigid with the shock. He did not get back up. Ron raised an eyebrow in suspicion, because he knew Charlie to be a joker. But he still was not getting up.
"Charlie?" No reply. "Oh well."
Ron shrugged and turned back to Jonathan.
Draco dressed up in Harry's best shirt and best trousers and looked really elegant, but Harry himself did not feel very elegant in his maternity clothes. Even though they were said to be 'party wear,' he felt like a bloody tent going to a scout gathering to let screaming little children sleep in him later. Because of his huge belly, he only had so many choices when it came to clothing, and they were not by far enough. Currently, he was wearing a pair of black maternity trousers in some stiff cotton blend and an enormous white button-down shirt.
Draco claimed that he was immensely cute in them, but he did not believe him. He felt ugly and fat. He did not want to go to that bloody dinner. But if it meant so much to Ron and Mrs. Weasley, then … He could not just let them down by not showing, could he?
Just as they were about to ring the bell, James spotted a moth in the evening air and ran off to catch it. "Hey! James! Come back here!" Harry shouted after him, but the boy did not come back. With a deep sigh, Harry said, "It's all right, I'll go get him. You go ahead."
"Are you sure?" Draco asked worriedly.
"Yeah, the excercise'll do me good. Go on in and stall them." Harry went after James, calling for the boy.
Mrs. Weasley was the one who opened the door for them, and she immediately lit up and gave him a warm hug. "Oh, hello, dear!" she said. "I'm so glad you could come! Oh, and you brought a friend with you! Hello, I'm Molly Weasley," she introduced herself and offered him her hand.
Blaise took it and shook it confidently. "Hi, Blaise Zabini. I'm Draco's best friend."
"Well, come in, come in! Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes, dears!"
Draco spotted Ron and Jonathan and went over to them. Not until he was standing beside them did he notice that Ron's older brothers were there, too. He noticed that the younger of them looked kind of pale and sick. Draco sure hoped he did not have any contagious diseases because he really did not want to get sick again.
The older of the brothers lit up slightly when he saw him. "Harry! It's so good to see you again! How are you?" he said with a nice smile.
Draco gave him an inquiring look. "Huh?"
"How are you these days?"
"I'm fine, just fine," Draco said, and wondered what kind of moron this was. He had never seen him before in his life and he acted as if they were old friends!
"And how's school coming? I heard you were in Auror training—"
"I'm not in Auror training," Draco protested, because it totally passed him by that this guy must think he was Harry. "I'm a stay-at-home Mum."
The oldest Weasley brothers blinked sheepishly at him, and then they burst into laughter. "Stay-at-home Mum? Yeah, that's a good one!"
Draco was just about to say something acidic when the front door flew open and Harry stepped inside with some effort. He was holding the present for the Weasleys with one hand and tried to tame the wild James with the other while simultaneously trying to hold his belly up. With a cry of frustration, he called out to his lover: "Dracums! Some help here, please!"
Draco instantly went over to him. "Certainly, baby. I was just waiting for you to ask me. Hell, you're stubborn. You're even worse than me!" He took the parcel out of Harry's arms and coaxed James over to him. "That better?" he asked Harry, and the raven-haired boy nodded gratefully. "Come James, let's go say hi to Mrs. Weasley, shall we?"
"Wheezee!" the boy said happily, and leaped into the room.
When Draco turned his attention to the people in the room again, he noticed that Ron's older brothers were staring at them with their mouths hanging open, and that's when he realised that they had no idea about the body switch, James, the pregnancy, or even about Harry's relationship with Draco. They were in a rightful state of shock. And if Draco was right in assuming that Ron had just told them about his boyfriend, they were in for another mind-boggling revelation.
"I guess I should explain this to you," he said as Harry walked up to him and supported himself on Draco's arm. "I'm not Harry."
"I'm Harry," Harry said, panting from the strain of walking that short distance.
"Here, let me help you sit down," Draco offered, and guided his lover to an empty armchair.
"Hey, Harry!" the Weasley twins were shouting from the other side of the room. "Only getting bigger and bigger, eh?"
"Yeah, it's a bloody menace," Harry complained. Once he was sitting down, he could turn to Bill and Charlie to help Draco explain everything to them. "I'm Harry," he repeated. "The person over there is my boyfriend, Draco."
"Hi, nice to meet you," Draco said, and briefly waved his hand at them.
"We've been a couple for about five and a half years now, so I'm quite surprised that Ron hasn't told you about that. We've been living together for more than three years, and Draco's sister and her Japanese husband is also living with us at the Manor. Maybe you've heard of Piper Malfoy? Yeah, that's his sister. So you're probably familiar with her passion for making up new spells and potions, right? Well, one of her spells backfired and made our souls switch bodies. That's why I'm in Draco's body and he's in mine."
"But that doesn't quite explain the condition my body is currently in, does it?" Draco put in, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back slightly against the arm of the sofa. "You see, Piper likes to try her new potions on me without my knowledge, and about three years ago she fed me some Priberty Potion without my consent. The Priberty Potion makes men pregnant if they're subjected to someone else's sperm."
Bill and Charlie made wry faces and disgusted noises.
Harry blushed at his lover's choice of words. "That might be a little too much informa—"
"And I guess I don't have to tell you that I totally got subjected," Draco interrupted him without a single care about his embarrassment, "'cos you all know how much I love Harry, and how much he loves me." He looked down at Harry with loving eyes. "And eventually it resulted in little James here." He made a gesture at the boy, who was currently running around the floor in circles while singing one of his made-up songs.
"And, as you can all see, Piper fed me the potion again …" This time he nodded at Harry.
Harry smiled semi-bitterly. "And three months later she switched our bodies, so now I'm pregnant instead of Draco. Seems like I'm up for delivery in two months."
"I am so jealous of you!" Draco exclaimed, and playfully hit him on the crown of his head.
They laughed. Only had eyes for each other.
But then Draco gave a start and straightened up. "Oh, I'm sorry! I haven't even introduced you to Blaise! This is my best friend, Blaise Zabini. I killed him three years ago—he was a Death Eater and the Death Eaters almost made me murder my Harry because of some stupid spell—but I had him resurrected and stripped of all evil two months ago because I missed him. It was my reward for saving our second son's life when he last came to visit us from the future. And this is actually funny, because today is both our birthdays and we were born on the same day, but he's only turning seventeen while I'm turning twenty!" Draco laughed heartily, and so did Harry and Blaise.
Everyone who knew Harry and Draco knew that anything could be expected from the Malfoys, and therefore they were not surprised to hear the story about Blaise. They simply nodded their consent and shook hands with him as if there was not anything different about him at all.
Everyone but Bill and Charlie, that is. They stared at the couple for a long moment, then they stared at Blaise. And then they fainted. Thonk and thunk, they were both sprawled on the floor.
Dinner was great as always in the Weasley house, and Draco enjoyed it immensely. Harry and he were sitting opposite each other at the large table and once in a while their gazes met, sending hot sparks through the room. This was the worst possible time to get excited, but neither of them could ignore the desire that was swiftly building up between them. Eventually, Draco even had to cross his legs under the table to conceal the fact that he was aroused. He did not actually think that anyone would look under the table and accidentally cast a glance at his crotch, but one never could be too careful.
He tried to focus his attention on Ron and Jonathan, whom were currently telling everyone a funny story about one of their first dates, but his mind kept trailing off to inner images of Harry naked. As he glanced at his lover over the table, he noticed that Harry's cheeks were burning a rosy red. Oh, it was so hard to ignore the burning need when it was so plain to see that Harry wanted him, too.
Fucking pregnancy. With the baby already so big, they could not make love as usual anymore, and oral sex just was not enough for Draco. Fuck that pregnancy. Had it not been for that huge belly—and the room full of Weasleys, of course—they could have been screwing their brains out right now …
He needed to get Harry alone somehow.
"Draco, would you pass me those vegetables, please?" Harry asked, and when Draco looked up, he was winking at him.
Draco started. He was trying to get them alone, too! Oh, well, let's get the game started, then! he thought.
Leaning back with his arms defiantly crossed over his chest, he said, "Take them yourself."
Everyone around the table grew silent and turned to watch them. They all seemed baffled to hear him using that arrogant, mocking tone with Harry. They all waited for the reply.
Harry somehow managed to pale. "Excuse me? I can hardly move here! Now would you please be so kind as to pass me the vegetables?"
"No."
Harry gaped. "Draco!"
Draco raised one eyebrow in self-righteousness. "What? You too lazy to whip out your wand and getting your own veggies?"
With a lot of effort, Harry stood up. Once on his feet, he was red in the face and sweating. Without breaking eye contact with Draco, he said between gritted teeth, "Ron, would you mind if we used your room for a little conference?"
Ron blinked. "No, not at all. It's not my room anymore, so …"
"Thanks. Draco, move us up there now!"
The blonde felt bad about leaving them there in the belief that Harry and he were having a row, but if it could get him alone with Harry he really did not mind. As soon as they had got inside Ron's old room, Harry supported himself with his back against one of the walls and pulled Draco into a hot kiss. Draco desperately ran his fingers through Harry's long hair, pressing as close as he could with that belly in between them, fumbled his way inside Harry's pants with his other hand.
Harry moaned against his lips and stiffened in anticipation.
"Can you stand up?" Draco asked, breathing fast. "Would you like to lie down?"
Harry swiftly shook his head. "Just hurry before they get suspicious …"
Although Draco would have preferred to be fucked roughly at that moment, he understood that Harry was not capable of performing in his current state and settled for being the deliverer of pleasure this time. He went down on his knees and pulled Harry's maternity trousers down.
"Oh, God," Harry was saying as the blonde began to suck his dick.
Draco silently hoped that Harry would repay the favour when he was done, because this was just turning him on even more. He needed release! He'd been sexually frustrated for weeks!
"Oh, God, yes! Draco … haaahh …"
"Oh, my God!"
Draco stiffened. That had not been Harry. With a really bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, he looked up. Brother Bill was standing in the doorway, looking aghast and rather disgusted. Draco thought of saying something but could not for his life think of what that might be—nothing would really excuse what they'd just been doing in the Weasley home.
"Bill, wait!" Ron was coming up the stairs, apparently running after his brother, and when he saw Harry and Draco—in a quite embarrassing position, indeed—he covered his eyes with his right hand. "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry!" he said. "I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen!"
"I came up here to check on you!" Bill shouted accusatorily, and he did not seem to be the least bit embarrassed about the way he was openly staring at them. "It was so quiet up here I was worried you might've killed each other or something, and all the time you were … you were … I can't even say it!"
Ron tugged at Bill's arm. "I tried to warn you, Bill, I said you wouldn't want to go up here!"
Bill swirled around. His nostrils were flaring. "You knew about this? You knew they were up here – here – here—"
"Yes! Of course I knew—this is how they fight!"
"This is how they fight?! They fight by – by – by – oh, God!" He finally turned his face away and began to hobble back down the stairs. Ron followed him, but at the top of the stairs he briefly stopped to say, "Sorry, mates, didn't mean to disturb you. Carry on."
That had effectively killed the mood, so they decided to go back down, too. They steeled themselves for whatever the Weasleys might have to say to them about their naughty activities under their roof, but no-one seemed to be bothered by it. In fact, the house seemed to be deserted except for Ron.
"Where'd everyone go?" Harry asked in bewilderment.
"They went outside to say goodbye to Fred and George—they had to leave early to prepare for tomorrow's sale … Look, I didn't tell anyone, and I don't think Bill'll spill his guts about this for a looong time. So you're safe, mates."
"Thanks," Harry said, blushing.
The Weasleys were coming back in, and Mrs Weasley suggested that they all go into the parlour to have tea and biscuits. They all consented to the idea. But when Mrs Weasley and Charlie, who were taking up the lead, entered the parlour, they both stopped and stared in shock.
Draco, who had always been too curious and nosy for his own good, elbowed his way through the Weasley crowd to see what was going on.
Blaise was snogging with Ginny on the couch, and as far as Draco could see, he was finding damned good use for his tongue! For a moment they all just stared, because in a strange and slightly sick way, it was amazingly fascinating to watch Blaise sneaking his hand inside her jumper to get a feel of her more tender parts. But eventually, the silence was broken by Molly.
"Ginny!" she whispered, and her voice betrayed her disappointment.
The youngsters on the couch instantly broke apart in embarrassment.
Bill, who up until then had seemed to be in his own little world of miserable disgust, found his voice again. "You! How dare you molest my little sister like that?!"
Blaise looked utterly baffled. "What? I wasn't molesting her—we were just kissing!"
"You've only just met her and you already stick your tongue down her throat?!"
"Look, it wasn't like that—"
"I was the one who made him kiss me!" Ginny said and stood up. "I can't believe you! I'm nineteen years old, you know! I can make my own decisions!"
"That's what worries me," Bill said, and angrily walked up to Blaise. "That's it—that's the last straw! Now, all of you—" he pointed at Harry and Draco "— get the Hell out of this house!"
"Bill …," Mrs Weasley was saying, but he cut her off.
"If they can't show us respect, they shouldn't be here. Now please leave."
Harry and Draco blinked sheepishly for a few seconds, but then they realised that the only right thing to do was to leave. Before they made things worse. So far, the Weasleys had no idea what had happened up in Ron's old room, and at least Draco liked to keep it that way.
When they had collected James and were just about to leave, Jonathan came back from the bathroom, and without further ado—being the impulsive bloke that he was—went down on one knee in front of Ron and took his right hand in his. From the pocket of his trousers, he withdrew a tiny black velvet box and held it out to Ron.
Ron gasped, because he—like everyone else in the room—realised what his boyfriend was doing.
And with everybody watching in disbelief, astonishment, and shock, he fired off a lovely smile and said, "My beloved Ron; love of my life, soulmate, bed monster—" and here Ron blushed crimson "—will you do me the honour of letting me be your husband and belong to you for ever and ever until death do us part?"
Draco stared at the scene played out in front of him. I can't believe it, he thought. He's proposing? Here? Now? After only two months?! Is he crazy?!
Time seemed to be frozen for a long, long time, and the thing that broke the spell and made the clock tick again was Ron's one and only word:
"Yes."