Memory Loss (Harry Potter Drarry slash)

22: [And so the Tables Were Turned 11] The Other

It was the hardest thing he had ever done-surely the hardest thing he had ever done-and he had never been this nervous in his life. He steeled himself before turning the key in the lock and stepping inside the apartment. Oddly enough, it did not feel weird to just walk in as if he was living there himself; he felt at home there. It flattered him that Jonathan trusted him enough to give him his own key after knowing him for only a week.

Would he still trust him after learning the truth?

The moment he had closed the door behind him, he heard footsteps coming towards him. Jonathan appeared in the doorway that led to the living room, a pleasant smile on his lips. "Hey, Ron," he said, and Ron totally melted when he heard the affection in his melodious voice. "Your friends okay? You have a good trip?"

It was already past seven; he had deliberately waited until he was certain that Jonathan would be home to avoid the risk of changing his mind if he had to wait there alone for him. He forced himself to smile as he kicked off his shoes. "They were just fine, thank you, and I had a wonderful time. The west country is always as beautiful."

"The west country? Your friends live all the way over there? But how on Earth did you manage to go all the way there and back in just one day and still have time to spend with your friends?" Jonathan asked, perplexed.

Ron fidgeted nervously. "Yeah, that's sort of part of what I want to talk to you about ...," he said slowly, finding it hard to meet Jonathan's gaze.

The other man knitted his eyebrows in suspicion and concern. "Talk to me about? What do you mean? This doesn't sound very good, Ron."

Ron sighed. "I know. Look, can we go into the living room and just talk for a while? There is something I really, really need to tell you before we commit too much to this relationship. And don't worry, it's got nothing to do with you, it's not like I'm breaking up or anything-it's about me and my background."

They took a seat on the couch, and Ron calmly took Jonathan's hand in his. Looking deep into his stunning blue eyes, he drew a deep breath, and said, "What I'm going to tell you might come as a shock, but I have to tell you if we're going to be together. And besides, it was a condition for come to Harry's and have dinner, so ... here goes nothing." He steeled himself and took another deep breath. Closing his eyes, he just blurted it straight out: "I'm a wizard."

The apartment was completely quiet for several seconds.

Then Jonathan said, "What?"

Ron forced himself to look at him. The other man was regarding him with bewilderment and lack of understanding. That was understandable, of course. "I'm a wizard. This isn't something I'm just making up-witches and wizards very much exist, and so does magic, I will prove it to you later. But first I need you to keep an open mind, alright? I know that doctors don't really believe in the supernatural and all, I know you guys mostly rely on science and known facts-you're positivists-but please do try to keep an open mind, yeah?

"Magic has existed for all of time, just like witches and wizards have always practiced magic without normal people's knowledge. We call non-magic people Muggles, so I'm going to stick to that term, okay? We live quite withdrawn lives, away from Muggles, and we have special schools for all children with magical powers and gifts. We also have our own Ministry, which is hidden beneath the streets of London. All wizard facilities are hidden from Muggles with the help of different repelling spells and suchlike, all to ensure the safety of our world."

He made a pause to study Jonathan's facial expression. He could not interpret the look in his eyes. So he went on. "I'm from a long line of hardworking and struggling wizards, and the reason why I'm not very familiar with life in the city is because we don't have the same things that you Muggles have. We don't have restaurants or movie theatres or amusement parks or even regular mail services. We send all our mail by owl post, we write with quills on parchment, and we use magic for most of our daily chores so we don't really need cities.