The Other Side of It

Draco slowly came to. His head was throbbing and his wrists and ankles ached like mad. He lay still for a while, willing his head to stop throbbing.

He opened his eyes but shut them just as quickly as the light bit into his brain like knives. He waited a few minutes, then opened them once more. This time it didn't hurt as much.

He looked around and cringed. The first thing he noticed was that he didn't know where he was, the second was that the pain in his wrists and ankles was caused by bonds. He scowled menacingly. He'd been captured by the other side. Dammit.

He waited for what he knew was coming. He'd seen this happen plenty of times in his own home, so he knew that someone would come for him soon. They'd come and beat him, then interrogate him... and then kill him.

After what seemed like a lifetime he finally heard the footsteps of his captor coming into the small room he was contained in. He wondered who it was. A million faces ran through his mind, but not the one that he actually saw when the door opened and the figure stepped in. He never expected him.

"Well isn't this a reunion to remember. How's it been, Weasley?" Draco knew of nothing to do but be cynical. After all, it had been years... years since... he wasn't going to think about that now.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Ron drawled at him, trying to put as much spite as possible behind his voice. It wasn't as easy as he had expected.

There was silence for a while. Ron gave Draco a cup of water and some bread to eat. Draco drank slowly, never taking his eyes off Ron. A million things were running through his mind... none of which he would voice out loud... at least not yet.

After he had finished, Draco decided to break the silence. It was going to happen sooner or later anyway.

"So Weasley, I guess you'll be getting a large prize for this, won't you? Capturing the great Draco Malfoy... the one who got away right under his nose. I wonder what my price is these days? I bet it's high... well, you always did need the money, didn't you, Weasley?"

"I said, shut up," Ron repeated, not looking at him.

"Too much for you, is it, Weasley? Too much to see me again? That's why you went after me, wasn't it? So you could see me one last time, then?"

"Please..."

"Aren't you supposed to be interrogating me, Weasley? I think you've gotten this all backwards. Though I guess your mind would get all twisted under such strains. I wonder, was it worth it then?" Draco sat, waiting for an answer... hoping for one.

The other said nothing.

"Nothing to say for yourself? Come now, you must feel some sort of pride in yourself for it. After all, you showed them all didn't you? You showed us all what you could do... what you could be. No longer Harry Potter's little sidekick, are you? You get to be your own person now. You get to make your own glory, don't you? Tell me Weasley; tell me it was worth it." Draco kept pressing, waiting for the anger to mount in the other man. He knew he was getting close to losing his composure.

"I'm warning you, Malfoy," he hissed, keeping his eyes cast down to the floor. "One more word and I'll..."

"And you'll what, Weasley? You'll kill me?" Ron sucked in his breath. "That's what you are here to do, isn't it? Kill me? Bring Draco Malfoy's head back and claim the prize for your loyalty? Come on now, Weasley, I know how the game works... I know the job description.

"So I want to know... tell me. Do you like it there? Do you love him? Love him and worship him? Love him more than your family, more than your friends... more than me? Tell me, Ron, I'm dying to know. Was it all worth it? To show up Potter and your brothers... was it all worth it, Ron?"

Ron was on his knees, inches in front of Draco's sitting form. He had his head on the ground, his breath was heaving. He finally looked up at Draco with teary eyes.

"Draco... I never meant... I still..."

"What? You still what, Ron? Still love us all? Even after you went and kissed the feet of the Dark Lord? You still love us as you shed blood of innocent witches and wizards? Is that what you mean?"

"Draco... please... I didn't mean..." Ron was sputtering, crawling like a dying animal toward Draco's lap; trying desperately to touch him, to feel him again.

"Ron." Draco was losing his malice now as he saw the object of his love crawl toward him like a wounded dog. He allowed Ron to lay his head in his lap and Draco stroked his hair.

They stayed like that for a while, knowing that soon it would all be a memory... all the years and this quiet moment... it would all be torn away from them... like everything else was.

Draco finally spoke. "We could have been together, Ron. We could have made it work. Why? Why'd you do it?" He pushed up Ron's sleeve and looked at the burned flesh on his wrist.

"I... I had to Draco, you know... I had to show them... I'm not nothing... I can be someone... I can do something worthy of praise... I can..." Draco knew what he was supposed to do. He knew what Ron was told to do by his master.

"Ron, you always were something to me... and to Potter... it was only you that couldn't see it..." Draco leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"I..." He couldn't speak. He couldn't... Ron knew he had to do it, but he couldn't... not now. He stood up, finally gaining back some strength deep inside himself that he hadn't known for years now. He began to untie Draco's bonds, freeing his hands and feet once more.

"Ron..." Draco began, not believing what was happening.

"Shh..." he said, pulling Draco to his feet and wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing him hungrily on his mouth. Draco kissed back eagerly and all the memories came flooding back into Ron and Draco's heads. Memories of happy times... times neither was sure would ever come again.

Ron finally pulled away. "Go," he said simply, looking deep into Draco's eyes.

Draco staggered back, not believing the words. "Ron you can't..."

"Do as I say, Draco. Leave now, before they catch you."

"Ron." Draco stepped toward him, touching his forearm and looking deep into his eyes. "Ron... they'll... they'll kill you... he'll kill you for this... Ron..."

"Draco, I know, dammit, just go. Go now before I change my mind. You have to... save yourself..." He backed away from Draco's touch to the wall near the door and cast his eyes downward in shame.

"Ron, I can't let you..."

"Draco, I deserve it. I deserve nothing more than death. I've done so much wrong... go now. Go to Dumbledore and tell him you escaped our grasp... tell him that Ronald Weasley is dead... tell him that he killed himself..."

Draco's eyes widened in horror at these words. He only now saw the knife Ron was holding. He was going to...

"No, Ron!" Draco ran toward him but he was too far away. He reached him when it was too late. Ron had cut his wrist... the blood was flowing... it was everywhere. Ron began to fall to the ground but Draco was there to catch him, bring him down slowly.

"Ron... how could you..." Draco began to sob.

"Draco..." Ron reached up and touched Draco's cheek with a shaking hand. "I love you." And his arm dropped. He lay motionless.

"NOOOOO! Dammit Ron! Dammit! How could you? You can't do this to me!" But he sucked his breath in quickly as he heard approaching footsteps and voices.

He quickly ran to the window and began to hoist himself out of it... before he got all the way through, he turned and looked at Ron one last time. "I love you." He pulled himself through and out on the grounds of the building.

The two Death Eaters barged into the room and saw nothing but Ron's motionless body and the ropes that held Draco lying carelessly on the floor.

-fin-