Fall into Madness

Ron shifted his basket to his other hand, selecting fresh chicken breast and waiting while a young witch packaged it for him in clean charmed parchment. Severus was going to join him for lunch in his studio tomorrow and he planned to cook for him, just as he was treated to a home cooked meal. He knew how to make some dishes with competence even if he was no artist in the kitchen.



With his poultry secured, he moved to select his vegetables. He had just added a bag of ripe cherry tomatoes to his basket and decided to find a wine when a voice stopped him.



“Ron.” He looked up right into the eyes of Dorian Di Vincenzo. Without speaking he turned and headed to the counter to pay for his food. He had another stop to make and didn’t want to waste time. “Wait, I want to talk to you.”



“I thought I told you to leave me alone,” he said facing the man with anger, “I don’t want to…..”



“Bring Potter into it? I haven’t gone to your home, just as he instructed me.” He spoke the last phrase with bitterness in his voice. “Why were you with him? What on earth could you want from an old man?” His nostrils were flaring and Ron thanked Merlin that the market had only a few others in it. It Dorian made a scene it wouldn’t be seen by too many.



“Severus isn’t an old man, and what I get from him is everything I didn’t get from you. Compromise and compassion.” Rage rook over Dorian’s face, but Ron had stopped caring. “You must be surprised to realized that he thinks of me and what I need.”



“What have you given him?” His jaw clenched and his eyes drilled into Ron.



“That is none of your business.” He walked away and headed for the counter. He quickly paid for his shopping and left the store, resisting the urge to look over his shoulder to see if he was being followed. He knew if he did that, however, that Dorian would know he was in his thoughts and he didn’t want that.



He turned into the Quidditch supply store, looking around for a moment, then glanced at an employee. “Bristles?” He asked, and was pointed to the back of the store. “Thank you.”



He found what he was looking for in a far corner, and began selecting the best choices. “I know something about him.”



He looked over his shoulder and found Dorian standing behind him. “Go away.” He went back to selecting replacement bristles for his broom.



“He cheated on his last lover, you know.” Ron froze, conflicted at what he heard. On one hand, a cheater tended to repeat the offense. On the other hand Dorian could be spouting anything to gain him an advantage. He would ask Severus. If he had cheated, he could openly admit it and if it was a misunderstanding then he was owed the chance to explain. Yes, he would ask Severus. Severus would be honest with him.



“Nothing to say?” Dorian demanded. “You are getting mixed up with a cheater, and you have nothing to say?”



Ron let the bristles he selected follow fall back on the shelf, then turned and walked up to Dorian. He was a foot away and when he spoke it was with deliberations. “I will of course speak to him about what you have said, and listen to what he says, but keep this in mind, I would rather be with a man who can admit when he is wrong and apologize then someone who blames his actions of others.”



Ron turned and walked out of the store, giving an apologetic look to the sales wizard. The moment he was out the doors he apparated away. By the time he put his shopping away, he was calm. There had to be an explanation for what Dorian had told him. If it was true, he wouldn’t care. Everyone makes mistakes and Ron was always willing to forgive anyone who was sorry. Besides, even if he did cheat, that was in the past and between him and his previous partner. It wasn’t Ron’s business.



He eased into his studio. It really wasn’t any of his business, so did he even have a right to ask? Maybe he didn’t. Maybe he would just let him know what Dorian had said, and then let him know he wasn’t asking for any excuses. Ron smiled. He was overreacting because Dorian was snooping around and it made him angry. He was upset that Severus was being investigated in a way, and he shouldn’t demand reasons for something that didn’t concern him.



He focused on his painting, looking carefully at the scene. Maybe he would use evening for December or October. When Harry and Hermione came home, he mentioned Dorian at the shop and they talked briefly of the actions so far. Harry was concerned that Dorian was approaching a dangerous level of paranoia.



“People that are as obsessed as he is, snap when they pass a certain level of refusal. He may be building up to something uncontrollable.” Harry warned.



“Do you think I am in danger?” He asked. Hermione had remained silent as they spoke, and that meant she was afraid.



“No right now, but I am going to ask the Ministry if we can get some form of surveillance on him. I doubt we will get it though, but it is worth a shot and a request will be on record if things escalate. If it gets to a dangerous level, then action will be easier to take.” He was already planning things out.



“What about today?” Ron asked.



“He is only restricted from your home. Hogsmeade is a public town we can’t refuse him going anywhere public.”



“Listen Ron, maybe you should order what you need…..” Hermione was quickly silence.



“I am not about to let him force me into hiding, or allow his actions to dictate mine.” Ron was firm about that, and every moment he thought about it, the more strength he gained. “I need to leave for a bit. I want to take more photos of that glen in the evening, to see what it looks like.” He stood and shouldered his camera bag.



“Be careful Ron.” Harry called out. Ron nodded and left.



He ran through a roll of film, shooting from different angles. The glen was gorgeous in the moonlight and the lady he hand in mind for one of the winter months would look beautiful in the moonlight.



“More photos?” He turned and smiled as Severus walked up. They wrapped up in a hug and shared a deep kiss.



“I wanted to see what this place looked like in the evening. I have a few ideas for nighttime images.” He explained. They joined hands and looked out of over the scenery. The night was warm and calm.



“You know Ron,” he sat on the boulder and eased Ron between his legs, “I have several images of this place in different season. You will have to charm the people out of them, but that won’t be too hard.”



“That would be a great help.” He said, then fell quiet.



“What is it?” He asked, wrapping his arms around his shoulders.



“I don’t feel I have a right to mention it.” Ron said, having thought of it all that afternoon.



“Why would you feel that?” Severus had thought they were moving on to something serious. If the way they easily slipped into intimate moments was an indication, they were only beginning.



Ron took in a breathe, then faced him. “Dorian approached me as I was running some errands and told me something. I thought about it all afternoon and the more I thought about it the more I began to realize that I had no place to demand explanations. It’s not my place.”



“I see.” Severus met his eyes. “Am I wrong to assume that we are getting closer and closer as the days go by?”



“No, you aren’t.” He smiled.



“Then tell me what he said, and I will clarify.” He gently drew him closer. “If I feel it is an invasive subject, I will say so.”



Ron smiled again. “Fair enough. He told me that you cheated on your last partner. But I want to say again that, whatever happened between you and him, was between you and him.”



“So noted,” Severus continued holding him securely, “and may I say it is admirable that you accept the past is the past, but let me also say that Dorian is in the present and I want the chance to refute his words.”



Ron nodded. “I don’t really believe him, if you want the truth.”



“May I ask why?” He was curious as to how Ron saw this information.



“I had thought that maybe he was just being malicious and saying something to make things difficult. Then I began to think of how he was when we were together and how he formed a conclusion and refused to believe otherwise. If something looked like cheating, even if it wasn’t, then to him it was cheating. If something other than infidelity occurred, there must be a reason and he just didn’t look for it, or had dismissed it.”



Severus had let him speak his mind, waiting until he was finished. “That’s a good outlook to have. It seems as if you have thought it through carefully. What if it is what he implies it is?”



“If you had cheated, then like I said, that would be between you and whoever you were with.” Ron told him.



“That’s a very mature viewpoint.”



“Well, I like to think I have grown in recent years.” He grinned and continued watching, wondering what Severus’s would say.



“I would like to explain what he is talking about.” Severus rested a hand on his own knees, but continued to keep a hand on Ron’s back. The ginger he held just waited patiently.



“I mentioned my previous relationships before, and how the third was not too long ago. His name was Thomas and he was very demanding. He always wanted what he wanted and when I had no time for what plans he made, then he assumed I had no time for him.” Ron nodded, understanding perfectly. He realized how Severus could be so accepting about the things Dorian was doing. He had gone through something like it himself. “Things came to a heated argument when he wanted to accompany me on a family gathering. My mother had relatives in Russia and my parents and I accepted an invitation. We had already been having problems and it made me reluctant to ask him along.”



“Did he know that was the reason?” Ron asked.



“Yes, and no. I told him that was why we shouldn’t go together, but he made the assumption that I was closeted to the extended part of my family. This was untrue, everyone knew about me. Thomas on the other hand began yelling and shouting and it ended up with me leaving his flat, saying I would see him when I returned. I cared about him, and it was troubling to see how hard the relationship had become.”



Severus took a deep breathe. “When I left to meet my parents for the portkey, an owl found me and left a letter. He raged and called me every name known to man. He also told me I could consider myself single again.”



“He broke up with you then.” Ron asked, thinking that the story was over, but he was wrong.



“Thomas had said that before, many times when he was angry. I had never put too much into his words, because he would apologize and say he was merely angry. It made sense because he said things he always regretted. This time however, he put a necklace in the letter. A necklace I gave him. This led me to think, that he was serious.”



“That must have hurt.” Ron leaned closer.



“It did. I thought we could fix whatever we were having problems with. I was willing to try. To be given that necklace appeared to me as the final, end all gesture, and I went to Russia with a heavy heart.” Severus looked up at Ron and saw only sympathy. “I know what you must be thinking.”



“And that would be?” Ron asked.



“How could I go from a serious relationship to someone else?” He answered and received only a shrug. “I did the one thing men have been doing for ages when faced with heartbreak.”



“You took to the bottle.” Ron said with a grin.



“I took to the bottle. Well for a night I did. I went to this bar and practically put the bartender’s children through university.” Ron chuckled. “I poured out my sorrows to a man who joined me, who had been stood up for a date. Together we went to his room, each of us feeling horrible a few hours later.” Ron reached out and took his hand. “What I didn’t know was that Thomas had shown up.”



“What?” Ron’s eyes shot open.



“He had written to my mother and said we had a huge row and he needed to apologize. She thought she was acting in good faith and sent him an address. He took the next portkey and showed up as I was at the bar. When I finally ambled in to the home we were staying in, still drunk and covered in another man’s cologne, he was there, waiting for me.” Severus shook his head at the memories.



“I’m guessing he didn’t take it well.” Ron was caressing the back on his hand, since it was the only skin he had access to.



“No matter what I said, he wouldn’t listen. I tried to remind him that he had broken up with me, but he claims he was just angry and had come all this way to talk. If there was a question of things being over before, then it was answered. I left the family gathering early and found that all the belongings I had left at his flat were waiting in a box on my doorstep. He didn’t answer the letter I sent. That was what happened. Do you think I cheated?”



“No.” Ron’s answer was immediate.



“Good, because I want you to trust me.” He meant it. He was serious about Ron and planned to get even more serious. He didn’t want trust to be an issue. He leaned in for a kiss under the moonlight.



Dorian was making an enemy of Severus Snape and he wasn’t liking it one bit. He wondered how Dorian knew about Thomas, and more importantly how he knew about the breakup. For all that Thomas was demanding and spoiled, he was private when it came to his men. He had even kept some of his past a secret, which didn’t overly bother him, but he would have liked to know more. Dorian would have to be watched carefully. He could do some serious damage and it just might be something Severus couldn’t fix with an honest explanation.



Later that night as he settled into bed, he thought about what action to take. Dorian had taken a major step past inappropriate boundaries. He thought about checking into his own past, but then again he thought that it might make him seem just as invasive. Ron was his concern. If Ron was fine with how things were being handled, then he would respect that. He would still remain ready to deal with anything.