"I've been in the shadows for far too long
But I'm the leading man of this song
I was a stupid doofus but now that's gone
[...]
Am I the strongest?
No, I'm not
Am I the smartest?
No, I'm not
Am I the hottest?
No, I'm not
But am I the greatest?
No, I'm not"
Ron Weasley ain't no idiot. He knew there was something off when his best friend stormed off after Draco, yelled at him, and stomped back down. Harry was practically fuming, but clearly trying his best to hide it. Ron hadn't been able to make out what he and Draco had been having a screaming match over, but everything about Harry's attitude said "don't ask." And so, Ron didn't ask. He was a good friend like that, knowing when to back off. It didn't make him any less worried.
When Harry arrived back at the dinner table, he said: "Draco won't be joining the rest of the conversation."
"Yes, I gathered that much from him walking away." Hermione replied curtly.
Harry continued: "He said he trusts our judgement, so I say Draco doesn't take Polyjuice."
Ron made a last attempt at protesting, but couldn't form a coherent enough argument. He was too taken aback by the sudden shift in Harry's mood. He finally sighed and conceded. Hermione agreed with Harry, too.
"Good. We'll do the heist the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow we rest up. For now, meeting adjourned." Harry concluded.
He then headed towards the kitchen, leaving Ron and Hermione to share a look that said a thousand words.
If one were to put their shared look to paper, the words went a little like this:
Hermione: "What the fuck was that about?"
Ron: "No idea. He hasn't been like this since the necklace."
Hermione: "I know! Do you think he's got something like a Horcrux, affecting his mood?"
Ron: "No, he would have told us. Right? He tells us everything. Unless he thinks it will worry us. So yes, maybe?"
Hermione: "He could have been sleeping badly. Nightmares, perhaps? Visions?"
Ron: "He had those in the tent and back at Hogwarts, too. That wouldn't explain this. I guess it's just Draco getting on his nerves."
Hermione: "Draco gets on our nerves too, you don't see us throwing tantrums like this."
Ron: "Maybe it was warranted? Maybe Draco said something hurtful?"
Hermione: "It wouldn't be unlike him, that's for sure."
A pause as they looked back at Harry, then at each other again.
Hermione: "You know what we have to do, right?"
Ron: "I'll talk to Harry."
Hermione: "I'll talk to Draco."
Ron: "You sure? We could switch."
Hermione: "No, it's okay. Thanks, though. It's sweet."
Ron cracked a small smile at them. She seemed to blush, which was cute.
Ron: "I'll do it tomorrow, he's way too upset now. I'm not up for becoming another casualty of his bad mood."
Hermione: "I have no idea what Draco's mood is like, but maybe it's best I wait 'till tomorrow as well."
Ron: "Okay."
Hermione: "Okay."
Then, when everything was discussed and in order, the two broke eye contact.
They went about their afternoon. At dinnertime, Harry was still in a terrible mood and Draco hadn't shown any signs of life.
Fleur had set out a plate for him, and asked Ron and his friends if they knew when Draco was coming down. Ron and Hermione shrugged. Fleur blew some air out of her nose, a sound close to a disappointed huff, intermingled with worry. Meanwhile, Harry simply stared at the table in front of him, leaning back in his chair with his forehead pulled into a deep frown.
Bill ventured upstairs to check on Draco, and when Ron didn't hear a whole heap of yelling he figured Draco at least wasn't regressing back to old Draco. Old Draco, who had seemed to make a reappearance when Draco had angrily stormed off into the rain, was the type to bark at everyone once threatened. Whatever was going on, it had to do with Harry specifically. Great. That didn't make things easier at all.
Reporting his findings downstairs, Bill started preparing a plate for Draco to eat upstairs. "He said he wasn't hungry, but I'll get him some food anyways."
Harry huffed. "If he doesn't want it, why waste it?"
Bill stopped and turned towards Harry. He shot Hermione and Ron a puzzling look. Hermione and Ron both radiated a "don't even get me started" energy.
Bill turned back to what he was doing. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, Harry. Everyone deserves food."
"I didn't say that. But if he doesn't want it, why bother?" Harry doubled down.
Bill finished the plate and set it down. He sternly faced Harry, saying: "Because, sometimes people don't mean what they say. Sometimes people push others away for whatever reason their brain comes up with. Sometimes your brain doesn't register what you need. Doesn't mean you don't need food. Doesn't mean Draco can't still get hungry later."
When Bill finished, Harry didn't protest or respond much. Bill went upstairs to deliver the plate returning soon thereafter. As Fleur set down the pots and pans on the table for them to eat, Harry apologized to Bill and kept quiet for the rest of the night.
So.......... Harry definitely wasn't doing okay. Ron knew that much. He also knew this had to do with Draco, although what their fight had been about was still a mystery. For as far as he could tell, the conversation that Draco had opted out of wasn't about anything for Harry to get too angry about. Draco was cooperating and sharing his opinion, although he was open to whatever the trio would decide was best.
Thus, the first part of the whole mystery was why Draco would walk away from their conversation. There wasn't anything controversial or triggering mentioned, and he hadn't seemed upset before. Was he just being difficult? Did he get bothered by not being the centre of attention? Ron couldn't figure the guy out, that's for sure. Hopefully Hermione could find answers there.
The most important thing right now was to ensure that Harry and Draco could work like a team during the heist. They couldn't risk infighting or slip-ups. Ron expected that Harry wouldn't like to talk about the fight with Draco, but at the very least Ron could try to tip him away from being angry and towards being neutral to get through the heist. He didn't have to like Draco, he would just have to tolerate him for a few more days.
This reminded Ron that the three of them hadn't even discussed what they would do with Draco once he'd played his part. In general, Ron wasn't clear on what their plan was following the Heist. He would have to ask later, since talking to Harry about his current mood was top priority.
The next morning, after breakfast, Ron found Harry sitting in a comfortable armchair that he'd dragged over to the window overlooking the beach. He seemed to be sunk deeply into his thoughts.
Ron approached him, asking: "Hey, Harry. How are you doing?"
Harry turned towards him. "Hi. I'm doing fine. How about you?"
Ron grabbed a chair from the dinner table and set it next to where Harry was sitting. "I'm doing good, although I'm a little nervous about the Heist."
Harry sat up a little straighter, stretching out and yawning slightly. "Yes. Ron, you don't have to worry about Draco not taking Polyjuice. He'll do great at playing himself, he's a natural."
Ron guessed that should have sounded like a light-hearted joke, but it came across as rather mean-spirited instead. He shook it off.
"Actually, I'm more worried about you. Will you be able to work together with Draco?" Ron spoke.
Harry blinked at him blankly. "Yeah" was all he answered.
Ron sighed, adding: "I need to know that you won't try to slit each other's throats. More specifically, I need to know that you won't act out if Draco plays his role a little too well. Hermione and Draco will have to lean heavily into barking at me and the goblins at Gringotts. We'll have to stick to the plan no matter what."
Harry shook his head. "I know. I won't retaliate, even if he deserves it. I have to stay hidden under the cloak anyways, so don't worry."
He paused, and in a hushed voice he added: "I'm just worried he will get carried away, though. He probably gets a kick out of ordering you around, so what if he finds out he prefers to stay like old Draco instead?"
Ron studied his eyes silently. Harry seemed legit freaked out by the idea. Ron wondered if there were more at stake than Harry was letting on. He wondered if Harry knew more about Draco's current state of mind.
"Harry, did Draco say something to you last night that seemed... off? Like he's no longer sure about being on our side?" Ron urged.
Harry shrugged. "Nothing in particular. I think he's still on our side... but he doesn't seem to be too happy about it."
Ron nodded, uttering: "Well, it's not like we're so happy to be risking our lives on a regular basis. There's a danger to what we do."
A silence fell and Ron stared out the window. Seagulls flew across the sky. Some different type of bird Ron couldn't name walked near the shore, pecking at tiny prey in the wet sand. He saw Fleur walking away from the dunes, her dress and coat lapping at her ankles as the wind blew. She brushed some hair out of her face, looking up at the Shell Cottage. She waved at Ron and Harry, who both waved back.
"What was the fight with Draco about, anyways?" Ron asked. He turned back to his friend, who sighed so deeply that Ron feared he might never inhale air again.
Then he spoke: "Just the usual. It takes very little for us to blow up. We're not made for working together, I mean; clearly, since we can barely be in the same room together. We pretty much agreed that we still didn't trust each other. Like I said, the usual. We're stuck in the same fight over and over, just different words."
Ron bit his lip, unsure what he could say to comfort his friend. "Right. It sounded kind of explosive, though."
Harry rested his eyes on Ron. "You could hear us?"
Ron shook his head quickly. "No, well yes. We could hear the yelling, but not the words. It seemed pretty intense."
A melancholic chuckle escaped Harry's lips. "When aren't we intense?"
Ron answered: "Most of the time. You're not actually in direct conflict a lot, it's more about snarky, back-handed comments lately. Or, it used to be. Although- yesterday with Bill..."
"I already apologized for that." Harry interjected.
Ron nodded. "I know."
There was a short moment where neither said a word. They had gotten rusty talking about matters like these. Complaining about Draco used to be a daily occurrence. Now, conversations about Draco were political: could he be trusted, what would he offer to the cause, was he lying or not? It was a constant assessment of his character rather than light-hearted "jeez this guy sucks" gossiping.
Ron cleared his throat and offered: "In any case, if you feel like voicing your frustrations about the dick we call Draco, feel free to come to me, alright? We can talk about anything, really. Even if it's embarrassing like whatever you and Bill talked about. I'm your guy." Ron smiled at his friend, and Harry gave a small smile back.
"Thanks. And no thanks, what me and Bill talked about I will take to my grave." Harry spoke.
Ron raised one of his eyebrows, adding: "Apart from the thing about Remus and Sirius using a lot of lube during sex."
The two of them broke out in laughter. "Yeah, I have no clue why Bill told me that, but I guess he wanted to give queer-appropriate information." Harry said, still chuckling.
"I suppose it's a good tip, but I wouldn't know." Ron answered.
Harry narrowed his eyes, joking: "So if Victor Krum approached you-"
"I would bottom in a heart-beat." Ron snickered.
Harry raised his eyebrow, teasing: "Who says he's a top? Maybe he's a power bottom."
Ron shook his head vehemently. "No, no, have you seen his abs? That guy's a top."
"There comes a time in a queer/straight friendship where one discusses who's a top and who's a bottom and I was hoping with all my heart we would never see that day. But here we are." Hermione had appeared behind the two of them, seemingly out of nowhere. She was done talking to Draco, apparently.
They leaned on Harry's armchair, asking: "So, who's a top?"
"Victor Krum." Harry chortled.
Hermione instantly closed her eyes, clearly needing a moment to recover from that. They scrunched their nose, rubbing the bridge between her eyes.
Sighing, she said: "I hate you guys so much. You know I went to the Yule Ball with him, why bring him up?"
Ron and Harry looked at each other awkwardly. "Right. Sorry, Hermione." The two of them said.
Putting back on a more serious tone, Ron turned to Harry and said: "If it's any help, we haven't discussed our plans for after the Heist, and we don't necessarily have to include Draco in them. Who knows, maybe he'll stay at Shell Cottage while we continue our search for Horcruxes."
Harry gave him a small nod to signal he understood. That was the end of it.
Ron looked over at Hermione, who held up her thumb. Apparently the conversation with Draco had gone well, too. They looked tired and a tad bewildered, so Ron reminded himself to ask her about it later. For now, the three of them needed to rest up for the chaos that would follow the next day.
Then, something strange happened.
Later that night, after dinner, Ron was packing his stuff in the room he shared with Hermione. He had procrastinated for too long already, and they were leaving in the morning. He hummed a tune to himself, when his brother come up the stairs (he didn't say anything, but Ron recognised the spring in his step down the hall). He heard the door to the bathroom close.
That's weird. Harry was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth.
Ron didn't know why he felt so curious in that particular moment, but he sneaked over to the bathroom door to listen in. That sounded weird, he just wanted to eavesdrop their conversation. He wasn't expecting any improper business.
"Harry." He heard Bill say.
"What?" Harry answered.
The riveting conversation continued, with the first part of Bill's sentence being too low of a grumble to hear from the other side of the door. "... you and Draco had a fight?"
"I'm fine." Was Harry's answer.
Ron knew at this point that the conversation couldn't get any more interesting. He'd already had this talk with Harry this afternoon, nothing more to discover, right?
Bill's voice sounded more stern. "Look, if there's anything that Draco did- I heard from Fleur about the study room, what did he do? I thought you said-"
"It's nothing, Bill. Drop it."
Bill kept pushing. "If there's anything I can do, Harry, you know you can-"
"You're not my dad." Harry stated.
A moment of silence, before Bill answered: "I see."
Despite years of professional eavesdropping as part of the Harry Potter 'Scooby gang', Ron should have a natural instinct as to when to leave, to avoid getting caught. Ron forgot all about it now, though.
The door swung open, nearly hitting Ron in the nose, as he leapt backwards. His eyes met his brother's. Bill frowned, probably only thinking of what an annoying little twerp his brother could be, and he rushed down the hall and the stairs.
Ron turned and went back to his room, back to packing. All the while, he kept replaying the conversation in his mind. There was something he was missing here. Why would Harry feel it necessary to tell Bill he wasn't Harry's dad? It was pretty obvious that he wasn't, right?"
Ron knew Harry had a lot on his mind but for the last few months, he'd mostly shared what was on his mind. It was the only way to properly survive the travels by tent, with the Horcrux inserting enough animosity in the air as-is. They didn't need extra unresolved, unmentioned annoyances and worries. Now it felt like Harry had gone back to hiding things, silently mulling over whatever he was dealing with.
With the Heist tomorrow and no clear plans on where to move on from there, Ron figured he wouldn't be able to ask Harry about it any time soon. Harry had to get his game face on. Ron had to pack.
Yet, he couldn't get rid of the feeling that his best friend had been lying to him, leaving him out of the loop. Ron could only hope that whatever it was, it wouldn't cloud Harry's judgement moving forward. If only he knew what kind of shitshow they were in for.
--
This chapter's song is actually sung by Ron in A Very Potter Senior Year, which makes it all the more perfect to use it here. In its original context, it's sung to Hermione, but if taken platonically it works for Harry too.
In any case, I hope you enjoyed the different POV, just a change of pace after all the Drarry drama lol
Thanks for reading!