Mismatch

See Part I for Summary and Disclaimers~

Two Months Later ~

\"My father is not a Death Eater, you cretin. How many times do I have to tell you that?\" snapped Draco. Ron was sitting closely by Draco in a corner of the library ostensibly going over their potions textbooks, doing revision of the last few lessons. Ron\'s eyebrow went up.

\"If you say so, Draco,\" Ron said mockingly.

Draco\'s hand slammed down on the table making Madam Pince look sharply up from her work on her desk.

\"I\'ll say it once more and I\'ll never say it again,\" hissed Draco grinding his teeth. \"My father is not, nor has ever been, a Death Eater, no matter what the precious Potteys. ys. If anyone would know, it would be me. Now will you shut up about it?\"

Ron noticed with some alarm that Draco was not only getting more and more upset but was rapidly becoming a ghastly shade of white.

\"Alright then, sorry. What\'s wrong? You\'re looking pretty grisly this morning,\" said Ron softly leaning in towards Draco.

\"Piss off,\" growled Draco.

\"Look,\" snapped Ron. \"We have this time once a week to meet. I want you to talk to me,\" Ron implored.

Draco rounded on him.

\"About what, Weasel? How sick I am each morning? How I pee every five minutes? How much I hate you?\" Draco spat out.

\"Yes,\" said Ron quietly. \"It\'s better than giving me the cold shoulder like you have over the past two weeks.\"

\"Look, I\'m stuck with you. I know that. It doesn\'t mean I have to pretend to like it, you know,\" snapped Draco.

\"You might try relaxing a bit. I\'m not as awful as all that, you know, not really,\" said Ron with a small smile.

Draco\'s shoulders slumped. He was tired and cranky and wanted to return to the Slytherin dorms for a nap---a nap!

It all came back to the problem of the Christmas break. At the end of the month, he\'d have to go home for the holidays and put the concealing charm into use. He couldn\'t afford to make a mistake around his father. That\'s what Ron had been going on about as soon as they\'d sat down together. The Weasel had been worried about the baby if Lucius caught on to the deception.

\'Not me\' Draco thought sourly, \'just the baby\'.

Ron looked at his...boyfriend...mother of his child...whatever a bit worriedly. He\'d never seen Draco look...well, scruffy, not to put too fine a point on it. He was sickly and looked it. There was no way Lucius and Narcissa wouldn\'t notice this change in their son, no matter what Draco did in the way of concealment charms. Death Eater or not, Lucius Malfoy couldn\'t be trusted where the safety of Draco and the baby were concerned.

Draco noticed that Ron was about to speak again.

\"No, no more. I have to go back home, Weasley. If for nothing else, I need to pump my mother about the money. She\'s only sent me 100 Galleons so far for my \'business investment\'. We\'ll need more...a lot more if we\'re to live without the Malfoy money.\"

Ron shifted uncomfortably in the hard library chair.

\"I\'m working on that end of it too,\" he said.

\"Don\'t tell me your parents have suddenly come into money,\" Draco said with a sneer.

Ron flushed a bit but refused to rise to the bait.

\"I\'ve spoken to Professor Dumbledore about working this summer, here, at Hogwarts. Hagrid is going to be doing some...outside assignments this summer for him and won\'t be here to take care of his animals. He needs a caretaker and I\'ve volunteered. I\'m also to have use of Hagrid\'s cottage for the entire summer,\n san said elatedly.

Draco looked cautiously at the excitable red head.

\"And so? How does this affect me?\" he said slowly.

\"Well, don\'t you see? I\'ll not only be making some money but we\'ll be able to live in Hagrid\'s cottage free of charge for the summer. By the time we take over the cottage the baby will just about be due. The whole summer would be taken care of, and then once the school year starts Dumbledore said that you and I can have separate quarters at Hogwarts because of the baby...\"

Draco stood up quickly, his face going beet red.

\"You expect me to live in that hovel?\" he shrieked.

Madam Pince stood up and started to march towards them.

Ron sharply pulled on Draco\'s robes.

\"Sit down, Draco, do you want to be thrown out of here?\" Ron hissed.

\"You\'ve made all these plans without consulting me?\" Draco squeaked, still angry.

\"Gentlemen!\" came Madam Pince\'s clipped voice. \"If you cannot conduct yourselves in a proper and courteous manner towards the other students who are trying to study, you\'ll have to leave,\" she snapped and her half-moon spectacles jumped about on her nose as she spat out the words.

Draco barred his teeth at her and the librarian moved back a step or two.

\"Don\'t worry, I\'m leaving right now,\" said Draco, slamming his books together.

Ron stood up as well, putting his hand on Draco\'s arm.

\"Don\'t go, Draco, we have to talk this out,\" said Ron imploringly.

Draco cast him a hate-filled look and turned on his heel, nearly sprinting out of the library.

Ron sighed looking at Draco\'s retreating back. Could he never do anything right where the mother of his child was concerned? He thought he\'d come up with a pretty neat solution to the housing problem. Instead, he\'d inadvertently infuriated Draco.

Irma Pince looked shocked at first and then thoughtful. Something was up with these two boys. The manner in which Weasley treated Malfoy was almost...protective, even caring. The Headmaster had explained in the last full staff meeting about Draco\'s out-of-wedlock magically induced pregnancy swearing all of the staff to secrecy, per Draco\'s request. But the father in question had never been named. Well, she had the answer to that small mystery now.

Ron turned just in time to see Madam Pince studying him closely.

\'Oh shite,\' he thought \'She knows.\'

\"It will be alright, Mr. Weasley, I have no intention of mentioning this...incident to anyone,\" she said in a brisk voice.

Ron studied Madam Pince\'s watery blue eyes and knew the secret was safe for now.

\"Thank you, Madam Pince,\" he said, his breath whooshing out of his body in relief.

\"Go on now, I think you\'d better find Mr. Malfoy before he ends up in more trouble,\" the librarian said motioning Ron out the door.

Ron grabbed his books and hot-footed it out the door in search of Draco.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco sat sprawled on the large green sofa directly in front of the massive fireplace in the Slytherin Common Room. A few first years were quietly studying in the corner at one of the several desks that were kept there provided for that singular purpose. The rest of the students were down in the Great Hall finishing up their luncheon. Draco had never felt less like eating; he was tired, cranky and wanted to curl up on the sofa and forget all about his problems for a few minutes.

Draco, as a Malfoy, was the one who was supposed to be cunning, clever and always, always on top of the situation no matter the complications, but here...here Weasley was both better organized and more involved than Draco would have given him credit for a month ago. The Weasel not only looked like he was going to keep his end of the bargain but that he was anxious to do so. Draco snorted. Who would have thought that a Weasley would become his primary source of support?

Draco slammed down his fist on the arm of the green velvet sofa in frustration. This just wasn\'t one incident, it was the whole damn state of affairs---he was just losing it. And, worse yet, he wasn\'t sure now that he even wanted to be in charge any more. All he wanted was to somehow get through to the end of the year, complete his OWLS, and then find a quiet, safe spot to await the birth of his daughter.

His body seemed to have become a symbol of the loss of control in his day-to-day life and he hated it. He had to take his vitamins in the morning on a full stomach...and he hated eating breakfast. He never used to eat breakfast and, normally, managed to subsist on tea until later in the day. Now he had to make sure he ate at least tea and toast, or else he\'d feel nauseous from the vitamins.

Draco had also found he had to pee twice as much as normal and he hadn\'t increased the amount of fluids he\'d been taking. Everywhere he went he became aware of the location of the nearest bathroom. In fact, at this point he could have given a tour of all the bathrooms in Hogwarts.

And then there was the tiredness. Draco was used to long study hours and a full schedule of Quidditch practice that typically barely slowed him down. Now, he could just about get his homework finished before he was nodding off. Sharp-eyed Slytherins had noted this change but Draco had calmly explained to them that it was due to the potions he was taking to clear up his \'balance\' problems.

Draco leaned back against the headrest and started to feel his eyelids fluttering shut. It was all such a mess.

Draco heard the common room door swing open and saw Blaise Zabini coming through on his way to the dormitories.

\"Malfoy, the freckled wonder is waiting out front for you. Isn\'t it your study time?\" asked Zabini with an arched eyebrow. Spread the misery; that was the Zabini family motto. If he had to suffer the indignity of being the tutor to Longbottom, then Malfoy would have to pay the piper and take care of Weasley.

Draco sighed and pulled himself off of the sofa.

\"I\'ll just go and let him in, I don\'t feel like hauling myself off to the library,\" Draco mumbled tiredly.

\"What?\" Zabini said. \"You can\'t let a Gryffindor inside our common room,\" stated Zabini.

\"I can do whatever I damn well please, Zabini,\" snarled Draco.

Blaise, flustered and angry now, moved threateningly inside Draco\'s personal space.

\"Not here,\" Zabini said hotly.

\"Oh, for Merlin\'s sake,\" said Draco in an exasperated voice. \"What do you think I\'ll be doing? Letting Weasley in on the secret Slytherin handshake? Grow up, Zabini,\" Draco spluttered.

Before Zabini had a chance to reply a voice came out of the corner of the room nearest the entrance.

\"Mr. Zabini, I\'m sure you were on your way to do some much needed revision?\" Snape said with a singularly high arched eyebrow. \"Far be it from us to divert your attention from that most right and proper of goals,\" he continued with a cold voice.

Blaise went a fiery shade of red that raced up to his light brown hair.

Draco looked over and saw his Head of House with Ron Weasley in tow beside him.

\"Draco, in future, I don\'t want to find Mr. Weasley camped out on our doorstep. Please make sure you meet your obligations in regards to his tutoring,\" Snape said in an ominous manner.

Draco looked at Snape\'s hard expression and immediately backed down. Snape had given them his support and agreement to remain silent in regards to Draco\'s delicate condition and was, therefore, in his debt in a large way. It would not pay to aggravate the man at this juncture.

\"Yes, sir,\" he said in a mild enough voice that contrasted with the almost violent way he threw himself down again on the sofa.

Blaise Zabini chose that moment with Snape\'s attention elsewhere to slink silently away into the dormitories.

Ron threw his book bag down on to the table in front of the sofa and plunked himself down beside Malfoy.

\"Yes, Malfoy, let\'s get cracking, shall we? We have that potions quiz coming up next week,\" said Ron as he languidly moved his arm over the back of the sofa in a spot that fell directly behind Draco.

With a swirl of robes, Snape was gone, leaving the befuddled Draco and his Gryffindor admirer together in the common room.

Several first years peered curiously over from their desks and received a nasty look in return from the young Malfoy prince.

\"I\'m sure you can find a better place to study, Wilmot, and you, what\'s your name, Burkett?\" Draco said in cool tones.

The two first years, not requiring a second directive, scrambled to pull their books together and leave the irritable Malfoy heir alone. It never paid to annoy the older students, especially as they could easily manage to make a first year\'s life a sheer misery in short order.

Ron glanced over at the young Slytherins scattering before Malfoy\'s wrath and snorted with laughter.

Draco turned quickly and sent a withering glance in Ron\'s direction.

\"I take it we need to do some revision, so let\'s get on with it. The sooner we start, the sooner I\'ll be quit of you,\" Draco said with some animosity.

Ron moved with a crablike sideways motion so that he was inches away from the angry blonde Slytherin. He let his arm fall from the top of the sofa to Draco\'s shoulders.

Draco froze and started to reach for his wand. Ron\'s hand slapped it away from his pocket.

\"Ah, ah, now, Draco, that\'s not friendly at all. I just wanted to apologize, that\'s all,\" said Ron in a inveigling tone of voice.

Draco arched his shoulders in an attempt to throw off the Weasel\'s heavy arm.

\"Geroff me!\" snapped Draco.

Ron tightened his hold on the touchy Slytherin.

Ron leaned his head in until he was only inches from Draco\'s face.

\"Don\'t you ever grow tired of it?\" he whispered.

\"What?\" said Draco in a sullen voice.

\"Being the tough Slytherin, never showing the real you,\" Weasley continued.

\"Oh, and, pray tell, what is the real me? Do you think that I\'m some insane git with aspirations to save the world from itself like your good friend Potty?\" Draco said sarcastically. \"Oh no, then you don\'t know me at all if you think I aspire to that idiocy,\" said Draco with a sneer.

In a low voice, Ron spoke close to Draco\'s shell-like ear and Draco shuddered as the words came out in short puffs of breath.

\"No, I\'m looking for the Draco I remember. I want to see again the passionate lover who was underneath me, grabbing me, pulling me into him, cursing for more. For once not hiding behind his upbringing or standard pretence. I want to see the Draco who claims to be all about himself and yet put his child\'s life ahead of his own needs. That Draco is the one I would like to know better, if he\'ll let me,\" said Ron as his arm tightened even more around Draco\'s shoulders.

Draco took a deep breath and released it. He refused to look into Ron\'s honest blue eyes. He wasn\'t sure what he wanted anymore, but he knew he liked the feeling of the warm body tucked in next to him. It was strange to have someone show openly that he cared about what happened to Draco and, apparently, without an ulterior motive. Well, Weasley did have a motive of sorts---he wanted to be a part of their baby\'s life. But still, didn\'t they both have that raison d\'être in common?

Ron watched Draco closely, seeing him wage an internal battle. He knew that Draco had major trust issues. It came with being a Malfoy, a Slytherin and a general pain in the butt. Still, if he could get Draco to reach out, then Ron would do his best to be there for the haughty Malfoy.

Draco was tired, his eyelids were drooping and he wanted nothing more than to stop arguing and rest. He squirmed a bit so that he nestled into Weasley\'s side. For the first time in months he felt relaxed and safe.

Draco harrumphed at the idea of his primary support coming from a Gryffindor and a Weasley. Still, he\'d best make some kind of effort at meeting the Weasel halfway---for the baby\'s sake, of course.

\"All right,\" Draco said with some asperity. \"Apology accepted. But no decisions are made from now on without my input or knowledge or the entire thing is off,\" he said, twisting in his seat to look directly at Weasley.

Ron looked at the strained, tired boy and all attempts at levity flew away. Draco was afraid but he didn\'t know how to say so---or even how to ask for help. It would be up to Ron to anticipate Draco\'s needs and to help him.

\"Right. I like your hair now that it\'s growing a bit longer,\" Ron said out of thin air and then slowly, gently began to card his fingers through Draco\'s long, white blond hair.

Draco\'s body began to feel boneless against the soothing touch and he started to yawn.

\"We need to get back to the potions workbook,\" Draco said in a slurry voice.

\"Later,\" Ron said almost inaudibly.

Draco drifted off to sleep curled up against the hard, lean body of the taller redhead thinking things weren\'t so bad after all.

tbc