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Ron is studying in the library with Hermione.
Ok fine, Ron is watching Hermione study in the library, sneaking Bertie Botts flavored Beans out of his pocket when she’s not looking.
Hermione glances at a spot behind Ron distracted.
Ron swivels around.
All he can see is Viktor Krum browsing shelves, and a bunch of people pretending they're not stalking him.
“Have you noticed Viktor Krum is always in the library? He just kind of walks back and forth pretending to read. Always looking over here. Isn’t that odd?” Hermione asks.
Now that Hermione mentions it Krum is always in the library.
Viktor Krum looks right at them. Even though they’ve caught him he makes deliberate eye contact with Hermione, instead of looking away like a normal person. Absolutely no shame.
He cuts a striking figure. All sharp angles, and narrowed cold blue eyes. Just staring straight at Hermione.
Oh.
Oh, he likes her.
This– This is terrible. Harry’s going to ask her to Yule, or at least Ron’s going to make him now.
Ron glares at Viktor. “Yes. Very odd.”
It's not odd at all, really. Hermione's amazing. She's smart, she’s saved Ron’s life more than once, saved his Transfiguration grade too, which was also life-saving considering Mum.
She was fun to argue with. Her little nose scrunched up in rage and it was kinda cute and—
And she liked Harry.
And Harry liked her.
Ron can be a jealous twat, but he’s trying not to be.
Harry hates attention. Ron knew that Harry probably didn’t enter his name. He just got so jealous, and then angry. In no time they were fighting. And at that point Ron felt like he had to keep going. He can admit he has a bit of an ego.
But now Ron has a shot to bury all that behind in a veritable mountain of friendship points.
Harry and Hermione will be great together.
Ron isn’t going to let anything get in the way. Not his own jealousy. Not Viktor Krum.
“Do you think he’s trying to spy on us for the next task, to get a leg up on Harry, or do you think it’s something else?”
“Something else,” Ron mutters darkly, under his breath.
“What was that didn’t quite catch–” Ron starts shoving Hermione’s books into her bag. “Ron?”
“Let’s go study back in the tower.”
“Yes, that’s probably for the best.
Ron holds Hermione’s shoulders leading (pushing) her out of the library ignoring her disgruntled look.
Ron glares at Viktor Krum as he stares back cooly.
*
Ron walks straight to where Harry is sitting.
Seamus and Dean are playing gobstones. Good, the dorm is probably empty and on the off chance Neville’s in there he’ll just kick him out.
“Hey, Ron. Eh–” He grabs Harry’s arm hauling him up. “What are you doing?” Harry yelps.
Hermione huffs. “He’s been very grabby lately.”
Ron starts leading Harry up the stairs. “No time to explain very urgent.”
Harry sits on his bed and pushes his glasses up. “So what did you need to tell me? It is about the tournament?” Harry frowns. “Shouldn’t Hermi—”
“Viktor Krum fancies Hermione.”
Harry’s eyes widened. “Fancies as in—”
“As in he wants to ask her to the ball.”
“Oh,” Harry said flatly.
“So aren’t you going to ask her first?”
Harry sputters. “What!”
“Well, you like her. Don’t you?”
Harry rubs the back of his neck, eyes downcast. “What if she says no? I mean me against Viktor Krum.”
Who wouldn’t want to date Harry?
Even if he wasn’t the Boy Who Lived Harry is undeniably dateable.
Harry is kind, generous, he’s cute with his wide expressive eyes, he’s amazing at quidditch. He’s scrappy, Ron’s tussled with Harry, and even though Ron’s taller Harry managed to pin him down…
Ron shakes his head to physically get rid of those thoughts.
He’s being Harry’s wingman right now for Merlin’s sake.
“Your loads better than Viktor Krum. I don’t think she’ll say no. Besides, it can't be scarier than facing a basilisk.”
“It’s definitely scarier than facing the basilisk.”
*
Ron is pretty sure Harry is going to ask Hermione soon.
All Ron has to do is make sure Krum doesn’t get too close.
Ron attaches himself to Hermione’s side. Spending hours longer than he wants to in the library. Ron’s gotten very good at glaring over books he's not reading.
It all comes to a head when Ron, in a moment of weakness, takes a bathroom break.
He had thought that outside the library was a safe zone; he was wrong.
He leaves Hermione waiting outside for him, and when he gets back she’s talking to Krum.
Ron stalks over to them.
“This is Ron Weasley.” She turns to Ron. “I just dropped my books. Viktor helped me pick them up. Isn’t that nice?”
Ron glares. “Super nice.”
“We were just heading to the library. Will we see you there? You are in there often,” said Hermione.
“Ah, yes. I am ve-ry dil-i-gent in my studies. I have quidditch prac-tice, so I cannot accomp-any you right now.”
Very diligent.
They head off in opposite directions.
Ron waits until he and Hermione turn the corner.
“Hey, Hermione I just need to grab something.”
Run runs back to catch Krum.
He needs Viktor to back off before his bladder ruins everything.
Ron's bent over panting when he finally reaches him. “You.”
“Me,” says Viktor, a smirk playing around his mouth.
Ron straightens. “You need to stay away from Hermione. She and Harry have liked each other for ages. He’s going to ask her out soon. So just back off.” Maybe he should have thought about what he was going to say on the run over.
Viktor nods. “Hermy-one and Pot-ter boy.” He looks at Ron curiously. “Not, you and Hermy-one.”
Ron scowls. “No, I just said Hermione and Harry. How could I be with her then.”
His eyes glint. “Three it hapens.” Wait what? “You like Hermy-own. I think may-be you like Pot-ter boy too.” Viktor comes to stand before him. “You will just stay away? Help yourself become ex-tra?”
Ron grits his teeth.
He’s sure the expression on his face is proof enough for Viktor to know he’s right. “Shut up.”
“Very loy-al.” Viktor leans in close. “Yes, I like this.”
They stand there for a beat and Ron is hyper-aware of how close Viktor is. How tall he stands over him.
Ron's ears start to burn.
Viktor takes a step back his smile smug. “I will be going now, quidditch. Red-boy, I will see you later, yes.”
Ron is left standing in the empty corridor stunned.
*
Harry and Hermione keep on glancing at each other out of the corner of their eyes blushing.
It’s mildly uncomfortable because Ron’s sitting between them.
“So…” Ron breaks the silence that has definitely graduated to awkward. “You guys going to the ball yet.”
Hermione lets out a squeak and Harry buries his face in his hands sinking further into the couch.
“You know!” Hemione says.
“Of course, I know. In fact, I take credit for it. Certified matchmaker now. Managed to set up one of my best mates with a celebrity and the other with the brightest witch of our age.”
“Oh, Ron.” Hermione's eyes get misty. She wraps her arms around him attaching herself like a limpet.
Ron looks at Harry panicked. “Oi, get your women off of me.”
Harry unhelpfully hugs him from the other side and then he’s stuck in an unrequited crush sandwich.
This is not the first time they’ve had a group hug, but it’s the first time he’s felt his temperature spike so fast, and so high.
Three it happens.
Oh, curse Viktor Krum!
They peel off, and Ron cools off a little.
Harry stands up. He peers through his lashes shyly at Hermione. “I’m going to visit Dobby in the kitchens.”
She smiles bashfully. “Yes, I’ll come as well.”
They look at him in askance.
Ron grins, and waves his hand in a shooing motion. “Go, go, I have some work to catch up on.”
Hermione grabs Harry’s hand, and then they proceed to look in opposite directions, each both so red they look like they’re about to pop a blood vessel.
Ron might be biased but it’s pretty cute.
Ron stares into the fireplace, not at all brooding. C’mon he’s not Harry.
Extra, In Viktor’s stupid accent, is definitely not running through his head on repeat.
Ginny plops down on the couch next to him.
She narrows her eyes at him, and Ron with the knowledge that she is pure evil is instantly on alert. “So Hermione and Harry. You made that happen, eh.”
“You were eavesdropping.”
“No. Call it an educated guess.”
“Sorry. I know you like Harry.”
“ I-” Ginny emphasizes oddly “-like Harry.”
“Yeah.” Ron nods. “Since you were three.”
“I liked Harry when I was little, Ron.”
“That’s what I just said. You’ve liked Harry since you were little.”
Frustration starts to creep up on Ginny’s face. “I’ll have you know, I have a date to the ball.”
“Who?” Says Ron instantly on alert scoping out an opportunity for a shovel talk. He’s kind of excited, never sure he’d get the chance, five brothers and all.
“Neville.”
Well, that voids the point of a shovel talk.
“Neville. Well, that’s fine then.” Ginny could chew him up and spit him out if she wanted to. Maybe he ought to be checking in on Neville.
“Nevilles an older guy,” Ginny said defensively.
“Ginny, please be nice to poor Neville. Treat the bloke well. He’s nice.”
Ginny huffs and stands up. “Okay, fine. You are okay though, right.”
“Why wouldn’t I be.”
Ginny rolls her eyes and leaves muttering under her breath about ‘idiot brothers’ and ‘why does she even try.’
Ron doesn’t pretend to know what goes on in his sister’s mind.
*
Ron thought he was free of this Krum business now that Harry and Hermione were an item.
He was wrong.
He was dead wrong.
Krum starts appearing everywhere.
He’s on the quidditch pitch when Ron wants to fly. And then because Ron can’t fly in front of Viktor Krum, he has to do a walk of shame off the pitch.
He frequents Ron’s favorite spots by the lake.
He unabashedly stares at Ron: across the great hall, when they cross paths in the corridors, in the library.
It’s like he’s switched places with Hermione.
Except Krum is being much more deliberate in his attention with him, and people have started to notice.
The Durmstrang students give him sly smiles. They run their eyes across him looking him up and down. It's bizarre and makes Ron feel oddly exposed.
Ron has a record of poor impulse control and a faulty filter, so it’s only a matter of time before he snaps, and snap he does.
Viktor and his gang of stupidly tall quidditch players are walking by. One shoots him a smile. It’s so salacious, it’s practically a leer.
Ron turns around to face the group. “That’s enough. You guys can all go fuck right off.” Everybody in the corridor stills. It's too quiet. Ron can practically feel a pile of eyes on him.
Harry looks slightly confused and Hermione is frowning.
He takes a breath ready to continue on his tirade. Then he realizes he’ll sound ridiculous if he starts yelling about the way Durmstrang students smile at him.
Despite having nothing to say he doubles down. Ron straightens, willing the burning in his face to go away. “Yeah, you guys can all go fuck right off to your ugly boat.”
The leering boy turns to Viktor. “Yes, I see why you like. How you say in english. Fier-y? Yes ve-ry fier-y,” says the asshole, voice pitched high, in English, so everybody from all three schools can understand.
Harry steps forward, hand gripping his wand, completely misreading the situation.
Viktor raises his hand in a placating motion. “Pot-ter we are not try-ing to fight. We will go back to the boat now.”
Harry furrows his brow. “What’s their problem?”
Hermione holds him back before they enter class. “Ron has Krum done anything. He’s being very forward.”
Hermione's noticed because of course she has. He’s going to have to have loads of these fun little chats, isn’t he?
“No, it’s nothing. I think he’s just trying to seduce me. To get all of Harry’s secrets.” It’s the only explanation Ron’s thought it through.
“Seduce you by harassing you.”
“What! He’s not harassing me.”
“I don’t know seems an awful lot like bullying to me.”
Ron groans. “Look it’s nothing. People just whisper a little. It’ll stop soon enough.”
“Well if you're sure…”
Hermione looks worried but thankfully she lets it go.
*
Ron sits in the library waiting for Viktor to appear.
Sure enough, soon he’s sitting at a table–one with a clear line of view towards Ron–with his hanger-ons.
Ron marches right up to his table.
The hanger-ons are looking at him like sharks scenting blood. You know what, Ron is feeling a little bullied right now.
“I need to talk with you.” None of the sharks make any movement to indicate they’re leaving. “ Alone .”
They look at Viktor and he must give some unspoken signal because they all pack up and walk straight out of the library.
Viktor tilts his chin towards the chair across from him. “Take a sea-t.”
Ron of course does not take a seat. “I know what you are doing. First Hermione, now that she’s gotten with Harry, me, the weak link, the extra. I will not allow myself to be seduced so you can steal secrets.”
“Ron-al-d,” he draws each syllable of his name out carefully pronouncing it. It’s entirely too much. “Please take a sea-t.”
Ron finds himself pulling out the chair, and settling himself in it as though someone cast the imperious curse on him.
“Ron you are loy-al. Ve-ry loy-al. To loy-al to be sed-u-ced for sec-crets. I am not try-ing to cheat against Pot-ter. He is hon-est. Just a boy. Per-haps if he was older, less hon-est. But no, I am not go-ing to sabot-age the boy.”
Ron swallows mouth dry. Viktor is not a boy, no, he’s seventeen a man.
“We study now.”
Viktor revises. Ron fidgets and looks at him through his bangs for the next hour, studying his face, definitely not comparing the real thing to posters he totally doesn’t have.
*
Ron is just trying to enjoy breakfast in the great hall alone while Harry and Hermione are off snogging or something somewhere. When he is rudely interrupted.
“Viktor, I love you.”
“Viktor, I do.”
Voices sing in tandem, “When we’re apart my heart only beats for you.”
Ron tenses. From experience, he knows his day is about to be ruined.
Fred and Goerge plop down on either side of him each swinging an arm over his shoulder.
“What is this we hear–”
“about ickle Ronnie-kins–”
“and Viktor Krum.”
“It’s nothing,” Ron protests. “Absolutely nothing going on between us.”
“Really now, is that the case.” George puts his finger on his chin thoughtfully. “Then why has he been eye-fucking you for weeks on end?”
Ron chokes.
“Oh Georgie, so crass. Ronnie’s delicate ears can’t handle that. He’s pure as untouched snow. Why has Viktor Krum been undressing you with his eyes for weeks on end?”
“Why aren’t you bothering Ginny. She has an actual date to the ball.”
Fred raises his eyebrows. “With Neville Longbottom.”
“I suppose someone should tell her to be nice to him,” George adds. “Now Viktor Krum–”
“International, superstar–”
“handsome, a player, older–”
“we have our hands full with you.”
“Seriously. You come to us–”
“if he does anything–”
“no one will find the body,” they say together.
Ron prays this does not get back to the rest of his family.
George gets a pure evil look on his face, the one that was passed down to Ginny. “Mum will be so disappointed if we let her little Ronnie-kins get de-flowered.”
What the fuck! Ron can’t survive in a family where the twins are ligilimens.
*
Seeing as they study together now.
(Yes, actually study. How that happened is a little bit of a blur. There was a hand on his knees. He has a recollection of some fragmented words: smart, good boy, study, help. Ron doesn’t really understand. It must be some sort of European dark magic.)
He can’t really awkwardly walk off the quidditch pitch when he sees Viktor there.
There is a blur. Then a wind whips Ron’s robes around him. Viktor appears in front of him as though out of thin air.
“You like quidditch?” Viktor asks, all perfect national athlete looking, on his broom.
Ron feels something like dread rise up in him.
You're going to suffer but you're going to be happy about it.
It's become a sort of unofficial life motto.
Oh, how true those words have come to be. And Hermione thinks Divination's not real.
“Yes.”
“What team?”
Ron smiles his best evil red-goblin grin. Not as good as his siblings, but Viktor does look taken aback. “Chudley Cannons.”
“Really?” Viktor says skeptically.
“Dead loyal.”
Viktor smiles at that. “What team for the cup?”
“Ireland. What they won didn’t they?”
“Favor-ite play-er?”
“Mark Lebowitz.” Viktor seems to concede that point.
“Favor-ite seeker?”
Well that had always gone to Viktor. There was no other seeker like Viktor. He rode the wind like a bird. He was more than an athlete. He was an artist. Ron has proclaimed so in front of his whole family many times.
Ron’s ears start to burn and it’s not from the wind.
Viktor’s smile is sharp. He reaches out and traces a finger along the shell of Ron’s ear.
“Harry. Harry’s my favorite seeker,” Ron said mutinously.
“Oh, Pot-ter ever take you f-or a ride?”
Ron’s jaw drops at the implication.
Merlin the Firebolt Supreme!
Viktor lowers his broom and Ron swings onto it behind him.
Ron brings his arms up tentatively around Viktor.
When Viktor takes off, Ron lets out a very manly scream, clutching him as hard as he can. His front flush with Viktor’s back.
Ron can practically feel how smug the bastard is.
*
It’s a dreadful point in time.
One of those moments where the stars align to make Ron’s life go to absolute crap.
It’s raining outside and on a weekend so everybody from all three schools is in the castle.
Ron is walking to the great hall, with Ginny, when he sees an interesting scene taking place in the corridor with it.
Fleur Delacour is standing there, with all her equally hot minions talking to Cedric Diggory. Half of the blonde boys and girls are making a game of batting their eyelashes at him. Cho looks quite pissed.
Viktor is standing around with all his equally hot minions who have decided to eye-fuck the other half of Veela’s.
Ron guesses this is the last-minute rush to find a date.
Ginny, to his disgust, stops to watch the whole interaction in fascination.
A Durmstrang girl wolf whistles at a Beuxbatons boy. He winks coyly at her. Her smile back is positively feral. It’s so charged Ron is actually feeling a little hot behind the collar. They would be one hot couple her wild black curls and elegant angles. His pale color palette, and sparkly eyes and cheeks.
Ron goes to take a dazed step forward. And then shakes his head.
"Are you ok-ay Ron-ald?" asks a familiar voice.
What–
Then Viktor is in front of him looking amused.
Ron's mouth opens without thought. “Will you go to the ball with me?”
Hearing those absolutely cursed words from his mouth is enough to break the spell.
Ron doesn’t look at Viktor, doesn’t look at the people around him, he just turns tail and bolts.
Ginny finds him pale. At the entrance of Gryffindor Tower.
“No,” he pleads.
“Yes,” she confirms face solemn.
*
Ginny recounts the story to Harry and Hermione as Ron stares into the fireplace haunted.
“Wait–I–you.” Harry wheezes. “You like Viktor Krum .”
What is Harry going on about? “Yeah. You knew. You were teasing me about it at the cup, remember.”
“I thought it was a joke!”
“Harry,” Hermione starts sternly, “In the wizarding world, same-sex relationships are widely regarded as normal. Even more so for European wizards and witches. Here in Britain there is still pressure around heirs to get married to the opposite sex regardless of orientation.”
Harry looks like he's re-thinking his whole life. Ron’s seen him be asked out by guys before. How did he miss this? Ron has heard Sirius recount his relationship with the Potters; he's pretty sure all three of them were a couple. Maybe someone should explain that to Harry?
“Yeah like the Malfoys,” says Ginny.
“What about the Malfoys?”
“You know about how Draco Malfoy is a bottle baby, because both Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy are the definition of bent. It was kind of a scandal when they got together.”
Harry’s eyebrows scrunch together. “Bottle baby?”
Ron can see Hermione winding up to launch into a whole complicated explanation, so Ron cuts her off before she can start. “You can make a baby with a special runic container–it’s kind of like a magical womb–and some potions. It’s expensive though.”
Hermione huffs. “And some people think the children will come out less magically strong, even though there is no evidence for that, so it’s regarded with stigma.”
Wait a second. “Harry, didn’t you have a crush on Cedric Diggory?”
Harry looks like he’s about to faint.
*
Harry comes up to him looking wired.
“Harry you ok mate.”
Harry opens and closes his mouth a few times. “I probably shouldn’t tell you,” he mutters and walks off.
Ron shrugs and makes his into the common room.
Where Hermione corners him looking frazzled. “I need to talk to you.”
“Yeah, ok.” She pulls him into a corner it’s all real hush-hush. “Well, what is it then?”
“Harry and I kissed.”
“You what!”
“We kissed,” she whisper hisses.
This is what Harry wanted to tell him but decided he shouldn’t. Hermione clearly does not have any qualms.
“Oh, what was it like?”
Hermione bites her lip. “Kind of awkward really. Wet. It got better though. Suppose we need more practice.”
Wet?
Well, it’s not like Ron knows anything about kissing.
*
Ron has been on a mission to avoid Viktor since the disaster encounter. Yeah, Viktor was flirty with him when they hung out alone but taking him to the ball was a whole other thing. Maybe Viktor only wanted to…do things. (Damn it Ron can’t even think about it without blushing.) Ron might have totally embarrassed himself.
Errol drops a package on the table and Ron makes the mistake of opening it up in front of the entire table.
Ron shouldn't try to worry about embarrassing himself when his family was happy to do it for him anyway.
“Look like great aunt Bessie’s,” he moans.
“Well Georgie, looks like we were worried about nothing.”
“Yeah, Fred. No way Ronnie is getting de-flowered in that.”
Ron makes a solid attempt to brain himself on the table.
*
Later that week a falcon drops a package down onto the table.
It’s a cream box tied with a purple ribbon. Ron yanks on the end of the bow, silky smooth, and it falls apart.
Lavender Brown points to the logo on the top. “That’s designer!”
Everybody gathers around as he takes off the lid.
Inside are burgundy dress robes made of rich fabric with a card laying on top written in elaborate calligraphy.
As much as I’d like to see you in
women's dress robes I think
you might be more comfortable
in these.
Sorry, I haven’t tracked you down
lately. It is busy with the tournament
And quidditch.
Come to the library and study.
Your date to the ball,
V
As much as I’d like to see you in women's dress robes.
You’re going to suffer but you're going to be happy about it.
Ron thinks he might actually just implode.
Harry and Hermione shoo everyone away.
Ginny rubs the fabric between her fingers a shrewd look on her face. “He’s got you this and you haven’t even done anything with him yet.”
“Ginny!”
Ginny grabs him by the shoulders and looks him in the eyes seriously. “You have the Prewett charm. Mom’s taught me about it Charlie too. Not you, since you never exhibited an ounce of regular charm but magic works in mysterious ways. Use your wiles, sex-appeal, to get what you want, there is no shame in it. Milk Krum for all he’s worth .”
*
Prewett Charm and this Generations's New Seductress Ronald Weasely
Everyone has heard of the infamous Prewett charm. The insidious love magic that graces one in the former great house each generation.
Molly Weasley nee Prewett has been teaching her son all about the family's dark magic. And Ron Weasley has put it to good use ensnaring the famous, rich, and promising.
Weasely has always had his dashing good looks, pale skin, crimson hair, lithe graceful limbs. Shortly after arrival at Hogwarts, he made friends with Harry Potter The Boy Who Lived and Hermione Granger the brightest witch of her age. In a suspicious series of events where he played a convincing damsel, and was terrorized by a troll, and had to be saved by the talented duo.
In later years he dipped his toe into the family legacy of seduction often bantering with the Heir Malfoy. Luckily the young Malfoy noticed his manipulations early on, and put a stop to them. Weasely not taking well to his plans being foiled has been witnessed viciously verbally attacking Malfoy on numerous occasions.
But it wasn’t enough for him. The scarlett-haired vixen had to come between his best friends–Hermione Granger and Harry Potter–true love. Sources close to the couple say Weasley's jealousy tried to keep the two apart working his dark magic on both. However, the true love between the muggle-born and the young hero was too strong to break.
After the failure, he was yet again on the prowl wherein his dainty manicured hands he caught none other than Viktor Krum.
“Yes, I hang out with Viktor and Ron all the time—“
Hermione grabs the paper from him running it through his eggs. “Don’t read that it’s a bunch of hogwash. She can’t do this.”
Ron snorts. “Skeeter can write whatever. She always has.”
“But she’s lying. This is slanderous. ”
“Honestly Hermione I don’t mind. It’s a bit weird if anything. Never got a manicure before. Never been called dashing either…”
“Oh my god! You're enjoying this!”
Ron shrugs. He’s not going to lie he’s kind of enjoying the attention.
Ron pointedly ignores Harry’s dirty look.
—
Ron looks in the mirror poking at his robes. Even he has to admit the burgundy looks good in contrast to the paleness of his skin and brings out the copper tones in his hair but he’s still just himself--shabby looking, maybe even more shabby looking with the robes emphasizing it.
Harry looks over from where he’s fiddling with his tie unsuccessfully. “Don’t like the robes?”
Ron shrugs. “They’re fine.”
Seamus snorts. “They’re more than fine. Lavender said they cost an arm and a—”
The doors open with a bang revealing Ginny.
She's holding a little pink bag. Ron feels a conditioned spike of fear. The makeup bag had terrorized him in his early childhood.
“Ginny,” Ron shouts. “This is the boy's dormitory you can’t be here.”
Neville blushes. “Hey, Ginny.”
“Oh, hi Neville,” she replies, but all her attention's focused on him. “They’re all dressed.”
She makes a beeline for him slapping his hands away from his robes and straightening them. She then manhandled him onto his bed ignoring his protests. “Ron shut up and let me help you. One day when you're sitting in some Bulgarian castle going for little afternoon rides on the latest firebolt you’ll think ‘Oh, I owe it all to my wonderful sister Ginny. I was such an unappealing mess.’ And then you’ll send me that firebolt in thanks.”
Ron opens his mouth and Ginny slaps a hand over it. “Hush you’ll ruin the makeup.” She hasn’t even opened the bag yet.
Ron relents to the old but familiar torture. Ginny piles powder on his face that give him respiratory problems, she pokes and prods his face with brushes some that scratch his poor eyelids, puts some weird tacky glue like thing on his lips that tastes like it doesn’t belong anywhere near a mouth, it gets violent when she holds him down to stab his eye with the black pipe-cleaner and when she’s done she decides to drown all her work with some spray that goes up his nose.
Because his hair's not good enough either she runs some greasy feeling product through it.
Ginny steps back to survey him. Her face breaks out into a smile. “Fuck yeah. I’m good. Can actually see the family resemblance.”
She steps to the side revealing the curious faces. He sees the dazed faces of his roommates.
Harry starts to blush. Weird. “Ron! You look really pretty!” he shouts sounding almost affronted.
“Yeah mate,” says Seamus. “You actually look like someone who Viktor Krum would take to the ball.”
Dean nods stupified in agreement.
“You do look like Ginny,” Neville mutters under his breath.
Ron makes his way to the mirror. He looks like himself but different. His hair is shiny. His skin more even, freckles partially covered but still peeking through. His eyes are rimmed with dark lashes and there is a faint glossy gold on his lids. And his lips are shiny. It’s kind of weird but he's more comfortable in the robes now so it’s not too bad.
Ron turns to Ginny. “You're not nearly wearing as much makeup as me.”
She pouts. “Mom won’t let me till next year.”
Ron spots a pair of gold loop earrings in her hand. They glint insidiously.
“Ginny,” he asks nervously, "what are those?”
“Your earrings.”
Ron starts backing up. “I don’t have piercings.”
“Just relax and think about the firebolt.”
They leave the tower, Ginny hand in hand with Neville, he’s looking quite pale.
He wasn’t even the one who was bleeding.
*
On the way to the great hall, Ron gets shocked reactions from all his year mates, but oddly enough the foreign students don’t look at him any differently.
Ron meets Viktors at the door. Viktor grasps his hand it looks slender in his wider one. He brings it to his mouth and kisses it.
When they make their entrance Viktor’s hand hovers on the back of his back and it’s doing things to Ron.
That cursed powder better be hiding any blushing.
Malfoy and Parkinson are gaping.
Yeah shows them he, Harry, and Hermione all get special entrances.
He shoots a gloating grin their way and Malfoy pinkens. He must be really mad because Ron has never made him so angry his face changed color.
Ron dances with Viktor and it’s kind of fun he doesn’t hate it. Ron can dance but just barely and that’s because of Mum’s strictness and the liberal use of a ruler. It’s good he knows how to let Viktor lead, the twin's dance lessons were good for something, kind of miraculous.
Then tons of people start asking him to dance. He uses Viktor as a shield but he still manages to get bullied into a few. He dances with Ginny, the twins, Harry, Hermione, and even Percy.
*
Ron squeezes Viktor’s hand feeling giddy as he leads him behind a hedge in the rose gardens.
The nights are is crisp on his skin, the moon is big and bright in the sky, Viktor’s skin is hot on his own, it’s exhilarating, if Ron could freeze a moment in time he’d pick this night.
Viktor reaches into his robes and produces a flask. He pops the top of taking a swig before handing it to Ron.
Ron takes a mouthful not expecting the taste or the way it burns going down. He coughs eyes watering.
Viktor huffs a laugh. “You do not drink oft-en?”
“No. That was terrible. Why would anyone drink that?”
“It is called fire whis-key.” Viktor takes a piece of Ron’s hair in his hand. “I thought it would be fitt-ing. Red is a ver-y becom-ing color on you.”
Viktor curls his hand around Ron’s face, tilting his face up. Viktor rests a thumb on Ron’s lip tugging it down slightly. “This, it suits you too,” Viktor’s breath is on his lips.
Ron leans forward closing his eyes.
Viktor’s lips meet his in a firm press.
Ron opens his mouth and Viktor must take that as some sort of sign because then he’s pulling his face closer licking slickly into his mouth making Ron’s head spin.
Viktor breaks the kiss and Ron leans forward chasing his warmth letting out a little whimper.
Viktor grins straight white teeth gleaming, it has a feral edge to it.
Viktor drops a kiss behind Ron’s ear, down the curve of his jaw, trailing to the junctions between his neck and shoulder.
Teeth dig into skin, a flash of pain is followed by the hot lapping of a tongue. Stars burst behind Ron’s eyes.
*
Ron, Harry, and Hermione are sitting in the kitchens snacking to wired from the dance to call it a night.
“I can’t believe you drank underage,” Hermione says, choosing to focus on that because her priorities are always mixed up. “So tell us what it was like!”
“Good, really good. I dunno anything about kissing but I could tell he was good at it. It was I felt like I was on fire or something.”
Harry shifts his collar and pokes at the bruise on his neck. “Not just kissing.”
“Ron!” Hermione squealed.
“Yeah, he bit me. Don’t reckon that’s supposed to feel good but it really did.”
Hermione leans forward eager. She’s always been a gossip. “Did anything else happen?”
“No, it didn’t get any more heated than that. Viktor kind of pulled himself back I don’t even think he meant to go that far.”
*
Ron meets with his siblings and Harry and Hermione to start walking to the train.
“So,” Hermione asks hand gripped tightly by an increasingly silent Harry. “Are you going to be seeing him still?”
Ron smiled. “Yeah. He gave me tickets to come see his next match, it’s an all-expenses-paid trip, he wants to do it for all his matches.”
“Oh Ronnie, Ronnie, Ronnie,” started George.
“Do you think Mum would let her little baby go on tour with Krum?” finished Fred.
Ginny looks jealous at the lip gloss Ron’s wearing. “Shows what you know. No. Ron’s got to worry about Dad.”
*
Viktor pecs him on the lips and start walking away.
“Hey wait!”
Viktor turns back curious.
Ron smiles face flaming. “Can you sign my poster?”
Viktor throws his head back and laughs.