A Night of Exceptions

Title: A Night of Exceptions

Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK. Rowling, I am merely borrowing them for non-profit amusement.

Rating: NC-17

Words: 1889

Ships: Harry/Hermione/Ron Harry/Ron Hermione/Sirius

Warnings: Sexual situations, adult themes, mild language, consumption of whisky.









~*~ A Night of Exceptions- PART FIVE ~*~











~



It had been terrible retelling everything that had happened again, only this time there were ministry representatives who dealt with legal cases present. While Dumbledore had sat back and listened, allowing time and only prompting when necessary, these two, a man (Henry Fawkner) and a woman (Delilah Piechota), questioned his every word.



Harry sighed, blinking, trying to think of the right words to say.



"So you\'re alleging there was no provocation?" Piechota asked with her eyes focused unblinkingly upon Harry\'s.



"Well not for that sort of thing! We\'ve never been friends, but I don\'t see how there could be an excuse for his actions, no matter how much he may have disliked me." Harry said, feeling his face heat up and his temper surfacing.



"That may be so, but I\'m referring to sexual provocation. You must know that it\'s very important in a case like this that we know these things." She said, sitting back in her chair looking at Harry intently.



"I don\'t understand." Harry looked at them suspiciously. Fawkner spoke next.



"What Delilah is trying ask you is, are you\'re sexual preferences towards women or men? If the jury were to discover..." Harry cut him off.



"What kind of a question is that? Do you think I asked for this to happen?" He almost shouted, rising from his seat, anger surging hotly through his veins.



"Harry, it\'s okay, they mean no harm." Dumbledore\'s calm voice reassured him. "And nobody is implying that you were asking for it, as you say."



"Mr. Potter, I apologise for asking such a question, but as I was saying before you cut me off, if the jury were to discover that, be it the case, you preferred men then..." Harry cut him off again.



"I most certainly do not." He said, sitting down, a frown on his face. Yes it was true he didn\'t like boys in general, but what about...?



"Are you sure? I can assure you that neither I nor Delilah will have any prejudices against you, this is merely a technicality." Fawkner continued.



"Yes I am quite sure, Mr. Fawkner." Harry said firmly. It suddenly occurred to him that if they could read his mind then he\'d be in real trouble. Technically he wasn\'t lying, since he wasn\'t gay, after all he only liked Ron because... well... now was not the time to be thinking about it.



Nodding, they seemed to accept his denial. "Do you know the cause of this rivalry between you and Mr. Malfoy?"



Harry shrugged. "I don\'t know. I always knew he was the wrong sort. As you know, I\'m Harry Potter and his father\'s a Death Eater. It doesn\'t exactly work." Harry said, and then frowned when he remembered something Malfoy had said; I\'m sure the Dark Lord will reward me generously...



"Harry? Are you all right? I\'m sorry Mr. Fawkner, Miss. Piechota, but I think we should leave it there for today." Dumbledore said, suddenly beside Harry.



"No, no it\'s okay. I just remembered something. I think Malfoy\'s a Death Eater already."



"What gives you that impression?" Piechota asked, and her eyebrows rose slightly.



"Well he did say that the Dark Lord will reward him generously for hurting me, that\'s got to mean something." Harry said, feeling as if they were disbelieving of his words.



"Hmm... perhaps. Although do you think maybe he could have been trying to frighten you even more?" Piechota asked and Harry had to stop himself from rolling his eyes.



"I guess the only way to find out is if you go and ask him. Or, better still; take a look at his arm. Maybe then you\'ll know the truth." Harry said irritably, wanting to leave. He looked at Dumbledore, who seemed to sense his desires.



"If you don\'t mind, I think Harry has had enough for today. You will be able to contact him through the owl post if you need anything else, or perhaps to arrange another meeting. I trust you are taking Mr. Malfoy into custody?" He asked, standing up and not leaving any room for dispute.



"Yes, indeed. Thank you Professor Dumbledore. We shall be in contact with you. Good day, Mr. Potter. If you think of anything else, anything at all, please don\'t hesitate in contacting either of us." Fawkner said, and Harry had to think that he was probably the kinder one of the two. Piechota needed to calm down just a little, he thought.



After they had left, Dumbledore turned to Harry. "You know Harry; they\'re only trying to help. The more they know the better, meaning they can prepare for everything that may be thrown your way in the trial. It doesn\'t do to keep secrets."



Harry sighed. "I know that sir, and I\'m not keeping secrets."



Dumbledore\'s eyes were still on his. "I may be more perceptive than some, particularly when it comes to people I care about, but the people you\'ll be facing aren\'t fools Harry. They\'ve devoted their lives to the truth, and have become very good at spotting it. And they\'re also very good at deciphering lies or half-truths. Perhaps you should think about that."



Harry frowned. "Yes sir, although I don\'t know what you\'re referring to. Can I please leave now? I haven\'t finished packing yet."



Dumbledore nodded his eyes still boring into Harry\'s. "Yes Harry, you may go. Good luck."



Harry refrained from grumbling until he was well out of ear sight. What the hell was Dumbledore doing? Or perhaps he should be asking what the hell he was doing? He knew that it would damage his defence if it came out that he and Ron had been doing... what they had, but in the end Malfoy would be sentenced wouldn\'t he? It shouldn\'t matter if he was gay or not, which he wasn\'t, because it had been attempted rape and there was no excuse for rape.



Although maybe it was an omen? Were these events trying to warn Harry off succumbing to his temptations? Yes, it had been fun, but it had already caused conflict. But last night had felt so good, just lying there in Ron\'s arms, yet was it worth it?



Harry shook himself angrily. Really this whole situation boiled down to Malfoy, not that Harry wanted to give him that much credit. Questions had arisen about his sexuality, and he wasn\'t lying when he said that he only liked girls, even if there was one slight exception, but that question had only arisen because of Malfoy. It was obvious that Harry enjoyed his extra time with Ron, because they really did understand each other, but now he realised that he might have to sacrifice it in order to have a clean trial.



Hardly realising he was entering the common room for one of the last times, Harry automatically moved towards his dorm. He hadn\'t noticed the absence of Hermione and Ron in the common room, but that was the least of his concerns. He entered, and came almost face to face with Ron.



"Well, how\'d it go? Judging by the look on your face I\'m guessing not too well." Ron said, coming over to Harry\'s bed and sitting beside him. It was then that Harry realised what he\'d been thinking- he\'d actually been assuming that he and Ron would be together again, that nothing had changed. What was happening to him?



Harry shook his head. "No, it was okay. Just too many questions, my mind is a bit jumbled at the moment." He shut his eyes, and sighed when he felt the gentle weight of Ron\'s hand on his shoulder.



"I guess that\'s all that could be expected." The fingers tightened slightly, and Harry opened his eyes.



"Dumbledore thinks I\'m lying." Harry said bluntly, finally looking to Ron.



"What? No, he can\'t! That\'s impossible, he doesn\'t really believe..."



"No, not about the whole rape thing, but he thinks I lied in response to one of the questions asked."



Ron blinked. "Oh, what was it then?"



"They asked me what my sexual preference was, and I told them." Harry said, looking directly into Ron\'s eyes to try and see what he was thinking.



"And he didn\'t believe you? You don\'t think he knows about...?" A wave of panic shone in Ron\'s eyes.



Harry shrugged. "He sure acted like he did. I don\'t know how though. But even if he did, he should realise that doing that doesn\'t make me gay."



Ron sighed deeply. "Did you tell him that?"



Harry snorted. "No, because saying it admits that we did have something, you and me I mean."



"It doesn\'t necessarily have to me. It could have been... um... Seamus or Dean?" Ron tried to smile and look helpful.



But Harry had to laugh. "Yeah right, Seamus or Dean. Ron, they\'re just as likely to jump a guy, as they are fly to the moon on their brooms. And Dean can hardly even fly!"



"Yeah I guess that\'s true. But I just don\'t understand why Dumbledore would want you to confess about what we did anyway, and that\'s only if he even knows! He could just be pulling your leg Harry."



"Please don\'t use that analogy Ron; I really don\'t fancy picturing it." Harry grimaced.



"Alright, sorry." Ron smiled regretfully. "But anyway, I doubt they\'ll ask you about it at the trial, and even if they do you\'re not really lying to them."



"I know, I know." Harry sat back, thinking deeply. He was going to be informed via mail of the date of his trial, which he assumed would look a lot like the one he\'d had a couple of years back. Only now he wouldn\'t be on the bad side, or so he hoped.



Ron put his arm around Harry. "Are you sure you\'re alright? I don\'t know if I\'d be able to be taking this as well as you are."



Harry smiled lightly, turning slightly to Ron. "Of course I\'m alright, I\'ve got you and \'Mione on my side. I wouldn\'t like to think what would have happened if the two of you hadn\'t turned up, Malfoy\'s gone completely mental this time."



"He always was completely mental. I\'d blame it on his pure blood if I weren\'t one myself." Ron chuckled slightly.



"No, I\'d say you could. I guess I\'m lucky mum had Muggle parents." Harry shifted, feeling the warmth of Ron beside him.



Ron rolled his eyes. "Sure, whatever you think Harry."



Harry smiled, deciding not to say anything back at all. "Ron, do you think you could stay with me again tonight? Since I\'ve been staying with you I haven\'t..." He trailed off, ashamed that he still had nightmares almost every night.



"Of course, if that\'s what you want." He gave Harry\'s shoulders a slight squeeze. "Oh, has Dumbledore told Sirius yet? I can\'t believe I forgot all about him."



"Yeah, he fire talked with him last night. Dumbledore told Siri it probably wasn\'t a good idea for him to talk with me yet, because I think he knew that I didn\'t want to... want to repeat myself again, even if he already knew what had happened from Dumbledore himself. It\'s not that I don\'t want to talk to Siri, it\'s just that you know... he can be a little high strung or something."



"I know what you mean. And he\'d probably rush off in search of Malfoy to strangle or hex him. It\'s not like he needs anymore trouble with the law, even if he was innocent last time." Ron sighed.



"That\'s what I was worried about." Harry said, falling silent.



Harry felt like he was going to burst, just sitting there beside Ron. He knew they\'d talked about what had happened between them, but he didn\'t feel exactly like everything was forgotten. He needed to know if Ron was thinking the same thing, if he too was sitting there desperately wanting to touch and kiss him, for reasons even he didn\'t yet understand.



Harry straightened, and turned to Ron with urgency that Ron obviously wasn\'t expecting.



"Are you alright?" Ron asked carefully.



"Ron, I need to know something." He said seriously.



Ron nodded.



"I have to know what you\'re thinking, what it is that you\'re really thinking. And not just about anything, about what happened, what we did..." Harry\'s mouth went completely dry with nervousness.



Ron\'s arm went from around Harry\'s shoulders to rest upon his right shoulder, his fingers gently applying pressure. "I don\'t know Harry, I really don\'t know. I\'ve never been so confused, yet so sure of what I want in my life before and... and that\'s the only way I can put it."



"Well what do you want?" Harry asked, sparing a slight moment to look at the hand on his arm. He noticed Ron draw in a deep breath.



"This, Harry, is what I want." He said, his hand moving up to the side of Harry\'s face where it continued until he was cupping Harry\'s cheek in his warm fingers. He inched closer to Harry, looking apprehensive.



But to Ron\'s mild surprise Harry smiled. "Are you sure?" Harry asked in a barely audible voice.



Ron nodded, relief over taking his apprehension. He noticed with a slight smile that Harry wasn\'t pursuing the kiss that he knew was inevitable, probably due to the reception he\'d received last time. Without further hesitation Ron lent forwards and pressed his lips to Harry\'s as if he\'d never done it before.



Harry had to smile against Ron\'s lips, his eyes drifting shut. Gentle fingers were caressing his cheek, as were the soft supple lips moving slowly against his own. It was sweet, but Harry didn\'t want it to stay that way as much as he was enjoying it. He pressed himself against Ron, opening his mouth and finding his tongue.



The kiss was lasting, like it were a lovers last, resulting in both Harry and Ron parting in desperate need of oxygen. The first thing they did, after taking a deep breath of air, was smile warmly at each other.



"I still don\'t really understand it." Ron finally said, his smile ceaseless.



Harry shrugged. "Maybe we\'re not supposed to. Are you happy with this Ron?"



"I am, just don\'t ask me why. When we were being soft last night I think I just about said all that could be said then. I guess I just like you Harry." Ron couldn\'t help a slight blush creep onto his cheeks.



Harry grinned. "I guess I just like you too." He kissed Ron, not deeply, and pulled away a few moments later. "So I\'m assuming that you\'re serious about this."



Ron nodded. "Definitely. Oh..." He frowned for a moment. "I guess that means we\'re going to have to tell people aren\'t we?"



"Hey, are you ashamed of me?" Harry pouted. "Oh Merlin if I didn\'t just sound gay then I don\'t know what would. But that\'s what they\'re going to think, probably even if we tell them otherwise. So I guess this means that you\'re my... my... damn this is so cliché." Harry cursed, feeling embarrassed to say the word boyfriend.



But all Ron could do was laugh. "It\'s alright mate, you don\'t have to say it- we both know what you\'re trying to say. And I\'m not ashamed of you, you should know that." He said seriously.



Harry lay down on his bed and pulled Ron down with him. "I know. It\'s not going to be easy, is it?"



"Nothing concerning you ever is."



~



Instead of the Dursley\'s coming begrudgingly to pick him up from Kings Cross station, Harry was greeted by no other than Sirius, the station remaining Dursley free much to Harry\'s delight. He\'d been innocent for about four months now, and was still adjusting to being in public again. He was still subjected to looks of disgust and people blatantly staring, but at least he was free.



Harry and Ron had decided to keep their secret quiet for now, although both were silently thinking that maybe this was best in case things didn\'t work out again. After all, they were going to basically have to admit to being gay when they weren\'t, so it was best that they waited until they were very sure. But it was exceptionally hard to say goodbye without kissing and hugging, merely smiling at each other and keeping their contact to a bare minimum.



Sighing, Harry took in his new surroundings. His room at Grimmauld place wasn\'t all that bad he supposed, at least he was living with Sirius now. But he knew that it would be all the brighter with Ron there, although neither had mentioned the subject of him moving in. They\'d probably have to tell everyone what was happening between them at least before they did that.



Sirius hadn\'t been as bad as Harry had imaged concerning the whole Malfoy situation, he\'d actually kept his temper and not pestered him too much. But Harry assumed Dumbledore had quite a bit to do with that- not that he minded. Harry was still confused about what had happened, preferring not to think about what might have happened if his friends hadn\'t arrived when they did.



"Are you coming down for dinner, Harry?" Sirius asked as he poked his head in Harry\'s bedroom door. "Are you ok?" He added, concern lacing his handsome face. Harry wasn\'t ashamed to say that he knew his godfather was good looking, and it certainly didn\'t make him gay. If he wasn\'t able to tell if someone was attractive, be that someone from either sex, then he knew that then would be the time to begin worrying about his sexuality.



"I\'m coming, and yes I\'m fine. Just thinking, that\'s all." He got up and allowed Sirius\'s arm around is shoulder as they made their way to the basement kitchen.



The house had changed a fair bit since the time Sirius had been imprisoned in it, although the heavy wards hadn\'t been removed. The Fidelius charm was still in place, Dumbledore the secret keeper, because Voldemort was still lurking about and it was only fitting that Harry was living somewhere safe. However the backyard had been opened up, a place that Harry hadn\'t even known had existed. It was large, and very wild, having not been tended to for a good number of years. The windows were clean again, and the inside of the house could finally be bathed in sunlight like any normal house.



Even the kitchen was more cheerful; Harry had to think as he ate the food Sirius had cooked. The whole interior had been painted, or magically changed, Harry didn\'t know which, and just about everything that represented the house as being something that belonged to the Black family had been disposed of. It was almost a new place.



"Harry," Sirius began, and Harry knew what he was going to say. "I know that Dumbledore told me not to ask you too much, but it\'s tearing me up inside seeing you like this. You know that if you need to talk you can say anything to me, don\'t be embarrassed to talk to me."



"I\'m not embarrassed Siri, I just don\'t feel the need to relive it, that\'s all. I know what Malfoy did to me, and I\'ve accepted that there is nothing I can do to change that. Please, can we just leave it at that?" He put his fork down on his plate and frowned.



"If that\'s what you want." Sirius sighed in defeat. "Why don\'t you ask Ron and Hermione over to say? I wouldn\'t mind seeing them either." Sirius tried to smile cheerfully, and actually achieved it when Harry\'s face brightened.



"Yeah, that would be brilliant. Actually..." Harry stopped what he was about to say, remembering that he and Ron were going to tell people before they thought about moving in together.



"Actually what?" Sirius probed, wondering what Harry had been about to say.



Harry looked up sharply. "Oh, I was just going to say that that was exactly what I had been thinking, but I didn\'t know if you\'d want them here so soon."



Sirius laughed lightly. "Don\'t be stupid Harry, this may as well be their second home for all I care, they\'re welcome anytime, and this house is as much yours as it is mine you know."



Harry grinned, already anxious to see Ron. "Thanks, I\'ll owl them tonight."



Harry had guessed that Hermione would be busy, but not as busy as she really was. Hermione had decided to undertake a few extra curricular courses during the holidays, which would hopefully ensure that she fast tracked through her course in three years instead of four. This meant that she wasn\'t able to stay for the whole week, having to leave three days earlier than Ron would be. Harry was pleased that he\'d have time to spend with Ron, but sad that he couldn\'t spend more time with her. He promised himself that he\'d spend some quality time with her sometime soon though.



Ron had immediately agreed to come during the next week, much as Harry knew he would, and Harry couldn\'t help but feel the nervousness coursing through his body as the day when his friends would be arriving approached.



"I must say you\'re looking a lot happier today." Sirius said with a smirk, eyeing Harry carefully.



Harry nodded. "I\'m excited to see Hermione and Ron."



"Isn\'t my company good enough for you, eh?" Sirius joked, coming to sit beside Harry on the couch. He could almost feel Harry\'s anticipation.



Harry grinned at him. "Of course it is Siri, aren\'t I allowed to be excited?" He sat back and allowed Sirius\'s arm around his shoulder.



"Of course you are, and I\'m just happy that you\'re smiling." The words had no longer left his mouth when the wards jingled, letting them know that a familiar person had just breached them.



Harry jumped up off the couch, knowing already that it was Ron because Hermione wouldn\'t be arriving until that afternoon, and startling Sirius in the process with his sudden burst of energy.



"Merlin Harry, I didn\'t know you could move so fast." He said, although Harry never heard him as he raced for the front door.



Harry unlocked the door and pulled it open to see Ron standing there, a hopeful expression on his face. Harry grabbed his arm and pulled him in the door, checked that Sirius wasn\'t in sight, then pulled Ron into his body and kissed him fiercely.



Pulling back, both breathless, Harry couldn\'t fight off his grin. "I missed you." He said, removing his hand from Ron\'s face, knowing that it wasn\'t safe for them to display such blatant affection when Sirius could come waltzing around the corner at any moment.



"I missed you too." Ron replied, his blue eyes hazy with what Harry hoped was lust and need.



"Come on; let\'s get your things into your room." Harry said, before frowning lightly.



"What\'s that look for?" Ron enquired, very tempted to lean over and kiss that frown.



"Well we\'re not staying in the same room, because I\'ve moved into a room that has just a double bed, and I really doubt Sirius would think we were just friends if we were to sleep in the same bed. But," Harry grinned cheekily, "What he doesn\'t know won\'t hurt him."



On the way to Ron\'s bedroom they ran into Sirius, who greeted Ron enthusiastically. "It\'s good to see you Ron, and I think Harry\'s been a bit lonely with just me hanging around."



Ron had to smile at the last part of that. "Thanks for letting me stay; Mum\'s beginning to drive me insane so I\'m very grateful to be here." For more reasons than one, he thought to himself.



As soon as Harry and Ron were inside Ron\'s room, Harry pushed him onto the bed and pressed his aching body against his, kissing his mouth feverishly. Hands were fumbling with clothes, lips searching for skin, and Harry was aghast to feel his body arching and shaking and erupting before they\'d even attained nakedness. Thankfully, he thought as he lay on top of Ron panting, he wasn\'t the only one who had climaxed early.



Ron had to chuckle. "Okay, that was a bit pathetic." Ron said, his cheeks tinged pink and his eyes alight.



"Tell me about it." Harry said, smiling as Ron kissed him softly. "I do feel a lot better though, although I don\'t know how long it will last." He rolled off of Ron and pulled him close to his body, their chests naked, and decided to clean the mess that left both of their jeans wet.



"We should wait until tonight before we do anything else, because I can\'t help but feel a little nervous. I don\'t want Sirius to walk in on us like this that would be just too embarrassing." Ron said, and Harry knew it wasn\'t because Ron was ashamed to be with him, but that it would be embarrassing for him to see them being sexual.



They kissed again, dressed and straightened themselves, then went back to the drawing room to find Sirius.



~



Hermione had arrived at dinnertime, and then shown to her room that was next to Ron\'s, which was next to Harry\'s. Harry had ensured that Ron\'s room was next to his, so that it would be very easy for them to sneak in and visit each other. Sirius rarely ventured up to the second story, considering his room was on the first floor, so once Hermione had left again Harry and Ron knew they would able to sleep almost undisturbed together.



There was absolutely no suspicion as Harry and Ron both retired to bed early, and luckily both Hermione and Sirius missed their disappointed looks when Hermione announced that she would go with them. She followed them into Harry\'s room, and settled comfortably on Harry\'s large bed obviously preparing for a chat.



Harry glanced at Ron with a quick nodding of his head towards his groin where Ron knew Harry would be partially hard just thinking about what they would be doing. Ron felt exactly the same, shifting uncomfortably when he remembered how good Harry\'s lips had felt around his...



"Ron, are you even listening to me?" Hermione\'s voice broke his thoughts, and he immediately rolled over onto his stomach to hide his emerging erection.



Ron opened his mouth, but no sound came out.



"Forget it, your mind is obviously else where." She said with a sigh, looking at each of the boys with disappointment of her own, suddenly feeling as though she was unwanted. Frowning, she feigned a yawn and announced that she was going to bed, wondering vaguely what was going on.



After she had left, Ron made sure to walk rather loudly to his room and open and shut the door and then move about on his bed before he got back up and snuck into Harry\'s room again. Harry was waiting impatiently for him, already naked beneath the sheets, his penis hard and forming a tent begging for Ron\'s attention.



Ron crawled into bed, wrapping his hand around Harry\'s long, thick length, kissing him deeply on the lips. Hands tugged his pyjamas off until he was naked, then he was pushed onto his back, his own jutting cock begging to be touched. Harry rubbed himself against Ron for a while, before moving his kisses to the pulse point in Ron\'s neck, and down to his collarbone.



Ron arched and groaned, Harry\'s tongue lavishing his nipples. Harry continued down further until he could dip his venturing tongue into Ron\'s belly button, but didn\'t stray long as he moved down further so that he could take Ron\'s eager length into his mouth. Harry licked; sucked, caressed and pampered Ron until he knew his lover couldn\'t take it any longer and came with a loud groan, propelling his hips up towards Harry\'s mouth.



Harry moved himself back on top of Ron and lent up to kiss his mouth, pressing his erection against Ron\'s strong thigh in search of friction. He felt Ron\'s lightly calloused hand stroke its way down his back, before coming to rest on his arse. The hand squeezed slightly, and Harry felt himself tense at the memories it bought back. Immediately the hand was removed, and Harry was confronted with concerned eyes.



"Harry?" Ron asked huskily. "Are you okay?"



Harry blinked, suddenly not feeling so horny. "Yeah... yeah I just, uh..." Ron put two fingers on his lips to hush him.



"It\'s okay, I\'m sorry. I didn\'t mean to make you feel uncomfortable." He said as Harry rolled off him, but still held him close.



"Don\'t worry about it; it\'s not your fault Ron. I think I just need time or something." He said, completely flaccid and suddenly tired. "Do you think we could sleep now? I\'d like it if you stayed with me though."



Ron nodded sleepily. "Of course." He said, snuggling up to Harry under the blankets, extinguishing the lamps with a wave of his hand. "Good night,"



"Night." Harry said, feeling a lot calmer. He was sure that what Malfoy had done to him wasn\'t going to affect his sex life, but perhaps he was wrong. He knew it was Ron who had been touching him, but the pain was still so real and recent that he didn\'t think he was ready for anything else just yet.



~