Winds of Desire

The Confrontation of Draco Malfoy

Ron decides to apparate back to his apartment for the night after having dinner at the Burrow instead of leaving to his brother's store in Diagon Alley. Weasley Wizard Wheezes is running just as well as it was when Ron left it for the Ministry last year. It may be even better now that George's wife, Angelina, has retired from her professional Quidditch team to join George at the joke shop and took care of the money management of the store, trying her best to fill Fred's spot. She succeeded financially, but sadly not physically. No one can take Fred's place in George's heart.

The truth is, Ron just doesn't want to see anyone right now, especially such a happy couple together such as George and Angelina. It's already hard seeing how happy Harry and Ginny are. Luckily, his family kept their mouths shut about Hermione when he went to visit and eat dinner tonight. This was a relief, as he expected them to nag him about her as they usually do.

Ron hears an odd shuffling of footsteps as he walks into the living room of his apartment. Emily Riker stands staring at him with a smile and it turns to a frown as soon as she sees the look on his face when he sees her. He completely forgot he let her stay in his apartment when he was at his mums for the past week except when he would come back and have sex with her just to get Hermione off of his mind. He even gave her a key and now regretted it greatly because here she is in the worst of times, staring him down with her attractive icy green eyes.

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(Emily's POV)

She looks at him curiously, she hasn't known this man long, but she knows him well enough to tell when he is upset, he was upset this after they ran into Hermione that day after breakfast in Hogsmeade but she has a feeling this is worse. Something else happened. Did they get back together?
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(Ron's POV)

"Hi Ron, erm, what's wrong?" Emily inquires of him, her eyes looking him up and down in wonder and a little bit of nervousness.

Ron sits in the only remaining recliner in the apartment across from Emily who sits on the carpet floor and doesn't say a word, his breathing is deep and his heart beats very fast. He starts to sweat from blind rage as his thoughts travel to Hermione's pregnancy, his muscles trembling. He knew it was just a matter of time until he broke down about it... but he tried to save his breakdown for when he is somewhere alone, like in their old apartment.

Too bad she is here to witness it, it's her fault for being here, Ron thinks, about to lose control over himself.

"Ron?" Emily asks again, worrying about him and she stands up to walk over to him and comfort him.

"WHAT?" He screams back, she jumps at his sudden yelling and backs away, her eyes wide.

"What is wrong with you?!" Emily wonders, keeping her distance from him.

"HE GOT HER PREGNANT! I WANT TO KILL HIM!" Ron simply screams at Emily.

She then sits back down on the carpet farther from him than she did before, "Who got who pregnant?"

"DRACO MALFOY, THAT PIECE OF SCUM, GOT MY HERMIONE PREGNANT!" Ron bellows, standing up now as he grabs a glass vase filled with dying flowers as Hermione had not tended to it since she moved out. He takes his wand out and screams "reducto!" and it explodes with a crash, glass and dirty water going everywhere, including on Emily.

Emily stands up after getting hit with glass and backs up to the wall, laughing coldly, "Oh Ron, I knew you still love her! I thought you said you were over her and you would maybe give us a try!"

"SHUT UP!" Ron screams, throwing the coffee table over now, crashing two vases to the floor. "YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME, OR HER, OR OUR STORY so shut it Riker! I said no damn such thing! I never said I don't love her anymore!"
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(Emily's POV)

Emily starts to get a bit scared of him. After all, she has only have been around him for a week, sleeping around with him and that's about it other than going to school with him and never talking to him in the past. Now he's crashing around the house like a mad man. What if he hurts her?

She does slightly like him though, she knows that as much. Even in school she found him attractive and she never would have thought she would have a chance with him as he was rather popular after the war.

Maybe she shouldn't have spoken to him that way when he's in this rage. It is time to leave so she grabs all of her belongings that she brought in her week of staying here and screams, "screw you Ron! Call your friend Harry Potter to come deal with you! I'm leaving, this is rubbish! I thought we liked each other!"

But Ron was so upset and shaking that Emily is afraid that he may kill himself or something when she leaves. She decides then to stay for a while longer.

"Why does this make you so upset Ron? Why did you break up in the first place? Isn't there a reason you aren't together now?" Emily asks, now feeling like she needs to comfort him despite his yelling.
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(Ron's POV)

Ron is blind with fury and sits back down on the recliner before he destroys something else and hurts the girl in his apartment.

"I cheated on her and she left me. I don't blame her, but I still love her. I made the ruddy decision to cheat on her after a few shots of liqueur each time we fought with my ex Lavender! After that she somehow meets up with Malfoy somewhere, bumps into him I reckon. Now they're an item, and they are pregnant now apparently after just a month or so together, I only just found out! I AM GOING TO KILL HIM!" Ron screams again, not looking at Emily now as Malfoy's stupid face is invading his mind. Malfoy taking Hermione's clothes off as he, Ron, has so many times before him, Malfoy's lips on Hermione's ivory skin. He is the first one who ever slept with Hermione, Malfoy is the second. How, how could she do this? He now doesn't see anything, basically just black, cold anger.

"Just leave damnit!" He yells at Emily as he comes back to reality. "I only slept with you because I am hurt. I don't give a damn about you, I care about Hermione and I can't have her. No, I didn't ever like you and I am using you! I'm sorry I guess you are the second woman I hurt in a month! Just go before I hurt you more with my words or even physically on accident! Please, just get out!" Ron bellows his knuckles white from clenching his fists so intensely.

"FINE! Good thing Hermione did leave you, I can't believe you did that when you knew you had the best you could ever get! I have seen you two back in school and even though you were friends everyone knew you two would get together and get married someday! You were the cutest of couples, and for you to go off and ruin that? That's just pathetic! And sad, I don't feel bad for you!" Emily says, raising her tone.

She then picks her stuff up a second time and leaves, feeling sad because she did fancy Ron and has since the last year in Hogwarts when he was somewhat of a hero to the wizarding world next to Harry Potter.

But Emily was an easy girl, she would find someone else soon...
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Ron doesn't know what to do with himself, thoughts of just using the killing curse on himself sounds quite like the best idea. But he could never do that...

He can only imagine his mum's grief after losing Fred already. He sat there on the couch and looks emotionally at the empty apartment as he has so many times in the last month or so. His grief of losing his brother, losing the love of his life because of his foul choices, and breaking her heart were almost too much to bear.

Can he possibly go the rest of his life so upset with everything? He feels like this will never get better and feels like the end of the world. Ever since he found Hermione was gone, and her belongings cleaned out from their flat, he felt lost because she was his reason for living.

He wants so much for this to be Hermione and his baby somehow, and it could have been. Maybe it is who knows. Maybe that miracle of a baby would save their whole relationship if it is his child. But Hermione and he had refrained from sleeping together for months before they broke up, she simply didn't seem interested in sex with him anymore even though he was. So he went out for drinks to cover up his lust and failing relationship with his fiancée and found Lavender in to have sex with in the meantime.

He then played along with liking Lavender to please her, to have someone to go to when Hermione and he fought. And yes, Lavender was always there for him, craving attention from Ron. They always ended up drunk and having sex. That was their routine when they were together after he and Hermione had fought. When they worked together, they also met up in his office and had multiple make out sessions, always ended by a person knocking on the door in fear of getting caught.

Lavender, since Hermione finding out, has been still trying to get him to talk to her, even though he's told her to piss off each time, she hasn't given up on making him talk to her.

But why did he have to cheat on the love of his life? Why did he go so low? He knows Hermione still loves him too and probably didn't expect to fall for Malfoy. This is his entire fault, not Hermione's, not Malfoy's, no one else's. Just Ron's.

Malfoy has taken Ron's place in life because he chose to screw his place up. He could be expecting this baby with Hermione right now, happy, with his family, with Hermione and a little baby. The only purpose of his living is now with his enemy.

He suddenly decides... he needs to talk to Malfoy, he needs to tell him to take care of Hermione, he needs to make things right. Yes, he hates Malfoy and rather him be dead, but now that the love of his life is with him, he needs to be talked to. There is no other thinking about it.

Without stopping himself, he apparates to Malfoy Manor where the same guard from a few weeks ago is there again, already walking toward Ron and looking at him through the fence with a glare.

"Name please?" The guard asks, looking at him in disapproval.

"Ronald Weasley, here to see Malfoy. I am not here to hurt him, just to talk to him!" Ron begs with his voice, trying to act somewhat sane at the moment.

The guard then nods and starts walking toward the huge castle-like mansion.

The night is cold and cloudy, Ron didn't bring a jacket, and he feels the hairs on his arms stand up and goose bumps forming. Ron's heart is still beating fast from earlier as he rehearses in his head what he wants to say to Malfoy.

The guard seems to take ages to return.

"Come in then," the guard grunts, opening the tall black gate.

Ron shudders as he walks closer to the manor, the dark memories of two years ago when he, Hermione, and Harry were captured and brought here replays in his mind. He remembers it like yesterday, the terror in Hermione's scream as Bellatrix Lestrange carved mudblood into her arm, and nearly killed her with her black knife, as Harry and Ron stood across the room from her in horror.

He keeps walking on the gravel past a fountain and didn't even realize he is to the door already when... "Weasley, can I help you?" Asks a silky and deep male voice.
Ron jumps with a start from his thoughts and terrifying memories as the person that he hates most in this whole entire world stood in front of him, talking to him. Ron forces himself to hide his anger because if possible, he wants this conversation to be civil.

"Malfoy, I wish to speak to you," Ron drawls in a deep, threatening tone. Ron examines Malfoy for a split second and notices Malfoy is now much taller than him now and has gained a lot of muscle. He isn't the same scrawny kid he knew in Hogwarts. His hair is also a little more grown out and softer looking, also a darker blonde than the ridiculous bleach blonde it had been back in school.

"Come in," Malfoy approves icily, holding the door wider for him to enter. Ron hesitates but accepts the offer.

The manor's front walkway is just as Ron remembers when he was dragged in here, very dark black with white and black tile.

"Follow me to my room," Draco directs him. Ron unwillingly follows Malfoy, he doesn't know whether the urge to kill him is going to make itself known, or if he will actually be able to talk to the git.

Right, the protection of Hermione, don't let yourself go Ron, Ron reminds himself, his fists clenched together at his side still as he forces himself to remain calm.

Draco leads Ron up the dark, sleek, black stairs. His room is on the fifth floor of the manor, he has the whole floor to himself basically. The bedroom is a dark forest green and silver, it has Slytherin banners and old Slytherin scarves hanging on the walls, exactly the type of room Ron guessed he would have. The bed is huge and has a black comforter with green pillows decorating the bed.

He notices a Malfoy and his parents smirking in a picture on his bedside table and also in what looks like a brand new frame is a picture of Hermione laughing and looking up from a book.

Ron swallows hard when he sees this, fighting his urge to hit Malfoy and holding back sudden tears that come with an uncomfortable lump in his throat. He takes a very deep breath and looks at the man he loathes in front of him once again.

"So Weasley, what would you like to speak about?" asks Malfoy, amusement lacing his voice as he motions for Ron to sit in the armchair near his bedroom's fireplace.

Rich git, Ron thought hesitating to sit on a sleek, black leather recliner.

"I want to speak about Hermione," says Ron quietly as though this was a business meeting, folding his trembling hands together and looking into the fireplace which he observes is made of black tile and the fire makes the tile shine.

Ron breathes in and out, trying to not let Malfoy see not one feeling of his seeping out. It is keeping all he has in him to compose himself this way. Though, his blue eyes are squinted up in a glare.



Draco is utterly surprised Ron is keeping his composure and hasn't tried to disarm him and kill him yet, he did expect it to come eventually still though.

"What would you like to know?" Draco wonders calmly, holding tightly onto his wand in his coat for protection.

"I want to know how you two ended up together!" Ron bellows.

Draco sees that Ron is getting angrier, an old feeling of pleasure arose at his girlfriend's ex-fiancé's anger and he kind of feels as though he wants to raise the tension.

"Listen, I am very sorry about her leaving you and her being with me now. But she has a good reason for leaving you and it is none of your business about us, Weasley!" Draco barks with a tone of being proud of it, wanting to make Ron feel his loss as in Draco's eyes he does deserve it.

Ron stands up suddenly as Draco pulls his wand out but hides it at his side.

"Malfoy, you bloody git! I want to know! Can't you see I'm trying not to kill you right now? I am trying to talk to you civilly for once!"

Draco just nods as Ron sits back down to his surprise and says, "Okay, fine Weasley!"

He then pauses as he takes a breath and starts. "So one day in Flourish and Blotts I saw her. She came in and looked very upset, I watched her pick up a History of Magic and she sat down three chairs away. I curiously watched her because she has grown so much and looked so beautiful. She wasn't the same girl I saw two years ago, of course I occasionally saw her in The Daily Prophet with you or Potter, but seeing her in person was not the same by any means. Apparently she felt my stare and turned and then yelled at me for looking at her-"

"Yeah, she doesn't like people staring at her- it's one of her insecurities especially after the war, you should have just talked to her instead of staring at her like a bloody stalker!" Ron interrupts.

Draco wants to say something back but stops and continues after another breath. "So when she yelled at me I got up and taunted her a bit like the past, just saying she hasn't changed even though she obviously has. I then asked her about where you were and if you were stuffing your face, she then began to look sad again and I almost thought she was going to cry. Then she told me how you cheated on her for three months. I felt bad so I asked her if she would like lunch. I have changed since the war Weasley you see, and I don't want anyone to feel the same about me as the past-"

Ron snorts, interrupting him, causing Draco to glare at him.

He continues. "We went to lunch and exchanged addresses; we then started to talk more and even see each other. Eventually I asked her to be my girlfriend one night and she agreed. One night we went to the best hotel in Diagon Alley and that's the night we conceived our child. We have been officially together for almost two months. We were drunk when we made love, it wasn't a completely on purpose thing that we had intercourse that night," Draco brags, smirking.

"OKAY!" Ron bellows, trembling even worse, if that is possible. Ron fights the urge to punch Malfoy in the throat or use the Cruciatus Curse on him. He looks Malfoy dead in the eyes. "I so badly would rather you be killed then talking to you right now as I fight the urge to hit you. And I don't give a damn whether you are "changed" or not. Your side still killed Fred! Now you are taking the love of my life! I HATE YOU Malfoy and that will never change! You better treat my Hermione with respect, and better never hurt her or I will kill you!" Ron spits with a venomous sounding tone.

Malfoy snorts and laughs at him. "Yeah says the guy who cheated on her and broke her heart in the first place. And let's get one thing straight Weasley, I was never a real Death-Eater mind you. I followed my parents around or they would have disowned me and Voldemort would have had me killed! You have no idea how abusive Father is to my mother and I. And for now on, you have no business being in mine or Hermione's business. I also despise you for hurting her so badly and now she is my Hermione, not your's any longer so I don't want you to refer to her as your's any longer Weasley! I love her and I damn hope she loves me and you can't do a damn thing about it!" Malfoy snarls.

Then Ron suddenly attacks him out of nowhere and hits him with an Oppugno Jinx. A Quidditch quaffle that sat gathering dust in Malfoy's open closet suddenly comes crashing into Malfoy's ribs. Malfoy falls to the ground as it has hit him in the stomach hard but he gets back up again. He then holds out his hands in surrender as Ron angrily puts the Cruciatus Curse on him, feeling he has not felt enough pain yet.

"Crucio!" Ron chants, not regretting it for a second.

Ron smiles as he watches Draco writhe in pain on the floor of his own bedroom. He feels evil pleasure by the pain he is causing the man in front of him. But then he realizes what he did and counter curses the curse at once. Hermione is going to hate him now.

"Hermione would kill me if I h-harmed you Weasley! So just l-leave before I do!" Draco yells at him, clutching his stomach which is in a horrible amount of pain from the quaffle crushing his ribs and he feels weak from the curse Ron had just bestowed upon him, but he would not tell anyone about the curse.

"Fuck you Malfoy for taking the love of my life! That should have been my child inside of her, not your child! You should have kept your pants zipped! In fact, maybe it still is my child, who knows!" Then Ron leaves the room and a couple moments later a door slams downstairs. Draco watches him go outsides his fifth story window, happy he just hurt him but didn't kill him. Thank Merlin his mum wasn't home, she probably would have killed Weasley in a second.

Since a person can't apparate inside the property besides Draco and Narcissa, they have to walk out the gate to do it if you weren't a part of the family or household or usual group. Draco holds back his urge to curse him as he leaves because he knows how Hermione will be upset with him if he hurt Weasley.

Draco decides he won't tell Hermione about what happened tonight, he would save it for the following day. But no one will know Ron used the Cruciatus on him, which was just not called for. Draco is too strong of a man to admit it hurt him. He is actually in shock that Weasley even had the guts to walk up his driveway. That wimpy Weasley even had the nerve to come to his house and face him himself at all. He must really love Hermione. But... he cheated on her. He deserves to live with it. And Hermione is his, all his. Or he hopes she is.