!$!$! Wow...last night I laid awake in bed thinking and thinking about this damn story...not only do I have this planned out, but I also have the main ideas of the next one planned out...and a bit more of the third in the trilogy...now it's just a matter of finding the time to write it all...and not letting minor details give me writers block! hah! Here we go... !$!$!

Three days after Ron found Draco being threatened by that seventh year, Ron sat alone in the library, staring at Blaise Zambini, half tempted to ask the Slytherin what was up with Draco. The blonde hadn't talked to Ron since he ran off, and he was definitely avoiding the redhead. Even in the classes that they shared together, Draco wouldn't make eye contact with Ron, or even whisper a small hello.

He wouldn't answer Ron's letters, and he had started acting more like his old self. He teased Hermione, threatened Harry, and laughed at Neville. Okay, so he had still done that when he and Ron were talking, but he had eased up on it. Now it was back to full blast, only one thing was different. He didn't pick on Ron, at all.

That, along with the fact that the rose was just as bold and beautiful as ever, assured Ron that everything between them was okay, and that Draco must have a reason for doing this. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Ron reminded himself, and gave up the idea about Blaise, thinking it might ruin whatever plan Draco had going on.

With a sigh, he picked up the book he was pretending to read, and left the library. As he moseyed down the hallway with his head hung low, something caught his eye, and he turned towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

There he was, Draco Malfoy, in all his beauty; his head resting gently on his folded arms against a desk. His breathing was slow and light, almost as if he was asleep, but when Ron approached him, the redhead heard Draco let out a small sigh.

"Draco..." Ron whispered, sitting down next to his boyfriend.

Draco lifted his head, and looked into Ron's loving eyes. Once he did that, he let the tears that were building up in his eyes gently roll down his cheeks, never sobbing, never letting his eyes redden in sadness or anger.

"Why have you been avoiding me, what's wrong? Does this have to do with that guy who threatened you?" Ron asked softly, brushing away Draco's tears with his thumb.

"I...I..." Draco turned away, took a deep breath, and turned back, looking more composed, more in control, and...more like a Malfoy.

"What is it?" Ron edged on.

"There are... certain things that come with being a Malfoy." Draco started.

"And what are they?"

" Thou shall bring honor to thy family.

Thou shall always connive.

Thou shall be prosperous above all others.

Thou shalt not interact with the other houses in a friendly way.

Thou shalt never dishonor thy head of house.

Thou shalt not disrespect thy Slytherin creator.

Thou shall always obey thy prefects.

Thou shalt never take commands from any other prefects.

Thou shall always take Potions more seriously than Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Draco paused from reciting the Slytherin Ten Commandments and gulped.

"Thou shall become a Death Eater when thy time is come."

Ron looked into Draco's eyes. "I see..." was all he could say, and he mentally slapped himself for it.

"Do you see? I've broken most of those laws. Most importantly, I've befriended Gryffindors, the most hated house, and I'm falling for a Weasley." he laughed and then sighed. "I was avoiding you because people have reported seeing us together... they didn't see anything but us talking, but that's bad enough."

"But, your father is okay with us being friends, why wouldn't they be too?"

"It is odd... my Father is... a complicated person. I don't know what's going on with him, but I can tell you that he's sincere about it."

"That's good to hear, I wasn't planning on being murdered any time soon." Ron laughed and reached out to brushed a lock up hair out of Draco's eyes. Draco leaned into the touch and sighed, more blissfully this time.

"I've missed you." Draco whispered and took the hand playing with his hair, and gently kissed it. "But I'm not sure if it's safe to continue to see you in public again yet."

"I understand... I think." Ron sounded a bit heart broken.

"How's the rose?" Draco kissed Ron's hand again, and cocked an eyebrow.

"Good... it's the same as the last time you saw it." Ron sighed at how good a simple pair of lips could feel on his hand.

"Then you know I'm not doing this to heart you."

"I know... I just miss this." Ron leaned in and kissed Draco softly on the lips.

"I do too, and I promise... soon we'll be able to hang out again... just... please, don't send me any letters. The goons are getting suspicious." he laughed. "I'll send you notes with a school owl if I need to tell you something, or if I can meet up with you somewhere." he kissed Ron's hand again.

"Okay, there's something I need to tell you."

"What's that?"

"I told Harry and Remus that you're a vampire."

"Oh..."
"I'm sorry, I know you didn't want me to... but, they won't tell any one!"

"I know, it's okay, just... no one else, please? There are people out there who hate vampires, and some of them are in this school, and well... Father doesn't like anyone outside of the family to know."

"Well, you told me."

"I trust and believe in you... I care about you."

"Thank you." Ron smiled and kissed him again. "You should go."

"I know... but I don't want to." he kissed Ron's forehead as he stood up. "I'm sorry I'm acting so melodramatic."

"You're not." Ron smiled, reassuring Draco that everything was okay between them.

"I need to go." with one last kiss, Draco swept out of the room.

--

The next night found Ron sitting in Remus' office, pouring his heart out, and explaining everything to the older man. "Oh, and I told him." Ron finished.

"Good, good... now, I think Draco's doing the right thing."

"So do I...but it doesn't make me feel any better."

"I know, it has to be hard, but I'm sure it'll all work out for the best."

"I hope so." he took a swig of tea. "Anything new with you and Snape?"

"He's teaching me how to make my own potion, it's... going pretty horribly. He won't give me the time of day."

"He'll come around, your a great guy, if he can't see that, he truly doesn't have a heart." Remus laughed at Ron's words, but when he realized he was seriously he thanked the boy.

"You know, Ron, I'm glad to have you around. It nice to be able to talk to someone again. I mean... with James and Sirius gone... Peter on the dark side and what not... it's as if I have no friends left."

"I'll be here for you, and Harry and Hermione too."

"I know, thank you." he gave the teen a grateful smile. "Any news about the others?"

"I've barely seen Hermione outside of class. I have no clue what's going on with that girl. She's avoiding Harry and me, I just know it!"

"Ah, and what about Harry?"

"He's still with Luna, I asked him, but apparently Luna's got a cold."

"Aw, poor dear, it is mighty chilly this autumn."

"Too true."

--

Two nights after that, Ron was lying on his bed, flipping through a book about vampires, looking at all of the different pictures, some of which he was mighty scared of.

There was a tap at the window.

Harry walked over and opened it, receiving a letter addressed to Ron from a brown barn owl. He tossed it to Ron, who opened it eagerly.

Dearest Ron,

I'm still sorry that it has to be like this, but remember, as said in this quote by Crystal Middlemas, which I once read in a book, "Love, like a river, will cut a new path
whenever it meets an obstacle."
No matter what, we'll find a way around this. I think if we ease into it, people will be okay with it. But look, now you can finally see that the snarky Draco Malfoy doesn't hold as high of a position in Slytherin as everyone thinks. I'm no prince, I just ask like it.

Meet me tomorrow at Hagrid's at sundown, I'll see you then.

With All my Love,

D. Malfoy

Ron smiled as he rested back into his pillow, embracing the letter he'd just read. Suddenly, his eyes felt heavy, even though he wasn't tired, and his lids fluttered closed, his breathing staggered, and his palms grew sweaty, and his body shook.

"But first, on earth as Vampire sent,
Thy corpse shall from its tomb be rent:
Then ghastly haunt thy native place,
And suck the blood of all thy race;
There from thy daughter, sister, wife,
At midnight drain the stream of life;
Yet loathe the banquet which perforce
Must feed thy livid living corpse.
Thy victims are they yet expire
Shall know the demon for their sire,
As cursing thee, thou cursing them,
Thy flowers withered on the stem." (1)

A heavy, low, simple, slow voice spoke in his ear.

"I am beyond your experience. I am beyond good and evil, legions of the night - night breed - repeat not the errors of the Night Stalker and show no mercy." (2)

It continued, no one else in the room could hear the voices, but they were panicking.

"Take me from this earth an endless night- this, the end of life. From the dark I feel your lips and taste your bloody kiss."

Just as Harry was about to run to get the headmaster, Ron's body stopped shaking, and he sat up, rather abruptly. He was shivering, sweating madly, and looking around suspiciously.

"Ron, Ron! Are you okay?" Harry ran to his friends side, wrapping him in a blanket to warm his freezing skin.

"I...I... I need to see Draco now, it can't wait until tomorrow!" Ron screamed, breaking away from Harry's grip.

!$!$!...Wow, that took a sudden turn! LoL... Quotes used by: 1) Lord Byron (Giaour) 2) Richard Ramirez 3) Type O Negative I've been working on different chapters from my different stories very well today, probably because I always work well when I'm procrastinating due to last minute school work! hehe... review? Thanks! Love, Ambz !$!$!