He ached to make love to her. He wanted her so much.

Being in the bath with her, feeling her soft naked body up against his, running his hands through her long red hair as he lathered shampoo into it, made him want her more than he'd ever thought possible.

But she was clearly not well; having had a bad trip on that fucking Muggle crap Blaise insisted on calling wizard powder. And the last thing he wanted to do was take advantage of her. Not after all the shit he'd put her through.

Although he was furious at his friend for putting Weasley in that situation; a selfish part of him was glad. He never thought he'd ever see her again, or ever get to hold her in his arms once more.

He knew he had hurt her beyond measure, and that the pain she was suffering was because of him. But what was he supposed to have done? He could have hardly told her he loved her and then turn around and kill an innocent man.

Well, it turned out he couldn't even do that.

Because he did love her. He'd loved her for longer than he cared to admit - even to himself.

She was beautiful, defiant Ronnie Weasley, who lit up the room in a way no other person ever could. She took shit from no one and wasn't afraid to say what was on her mind. He admired and loved her beyond belief.

He reluctantly helped her out of the bathtub, trying his damnedest not to pin her up against the wall and make mad passionate love to her.

But she wasn't making it easy for him.

"Draco," she breathed, as he dried her with the towel, looking up at him with those hungry, yearning eyes.

He pulled her up against him, brushing his lips against hers, letting the towel fall to the floor. He could feel himself straining through his sodden boxers; wanting her so much.

"Please," she begged, her fingers slipping under the hem, trying to tug them down. "I've missed you."

He couldn't take it anymore. He ripped them off himself, kissing her hard before he lay her down on the bathroom floor.

They cried out into each other's mouths as he pushed into her, hands everywhere; groping and stroking. Moaning.

He couldn't get enough of her; the sensation of being inside her making his whole body tremble from head to toe. He wanted it to last forever, but at the same time he was desperate to release himself into her; the tightening in his abdomen becoming maddening as their sweaty fevered bodies moved furiously against each other.

She groaned and writhed beneath him, her beautiful blue eyes never leaving his as her fingers dug deliciously into his back. He watched her face intently as she came undone, the wild abandonment in her eyes as she threw her head back in a complete state of ecstasy caused by him and only him.

"Ronnie," he growled, his whole body going taut; lights flashing before his eyes as he erupted inside of her. It was beyond glorious - she was beyond glorious.

"You've never called me that before," she gasped, clasping her fingers through his hair as they panted breathlessly against each other.

"I should have. I should have treated you better," he murmured hoarsely, stroking her hair from her face, kissing her beautiful freckled skin that he loved so much. "I'm so sorry."

"I love you," she whispered, barely making a sound.

His heart twisted at the fearful way she spoke the words. He knew it couldn't have been easy for her to repeat the words that he had turned his back on six months previously. For her, Ronnie Weasley, to put her heart on the line once again.

He wanted to tell her that he loved her too, that no one in his life ever came close to her. He wanted to tell her that a future without her was a future he couldn't bear to contemplate, and that the idea of never being together properly caused him actual physical pain.

But the words stuck in his throat.

He saw the shattering of her heart through her eyes as he just stared silently down at her.

And when he came back to check on her the next morning, she had gone.

*****

It was my Puter-Outer thing that finally took me back to them.

Which was a good fucking thing too, as Harry was about to go swimming with the fishes.

Literally.

"YOU FUCKING MORON!" I bellowed, as I pulled Harry and the sword out from the ice cold pond, using it to cut him free from the locket that was trying to strangle him. "WERE YOU BORN A FUCKTARD?!"

"Ronnie!" He spluttered, looking up at me from the ground, where he lay panting.

And to my utter surprise, he reached up a hand, pulling me down to him and fiercely hugged me to his body.

"Where the fuck have you been?" He breathed, "I thought we'd never see you again!"

"Long story," I grunted, extricating myself from him. "I've been looking for you for hours, it's a big forest, isn't it? But then I saw a silver deer and followed it, which was bloody lucky as I saw you jumping in that fucking pond!"

"I was trying to get that!" He said excitedly, pointing to the great big fucking sword in my hand. "But it wouldn't budge and the locket started choking me. And then you came along and saved me! Can't you see, it's the sword of Gryffindor! The silver doe that led you here also led me here!"

Completely ignoring the utter randomness of it, I decided to just go with it. This was Harry Potter, after all.

Harry ordered me to destroy the locket, because apparently, as I was the one who was able to retrieve the sword from the pond, it meant that I was the one who had to use it.

"What the fuck?!" Harry breathed as he turned to look at me once the Horcrux was destroyed.

Because before I had stabbed it, two ghostly figures had risen out of the locket.

Draco and Pansy.

"You were nothing but a good fuck, Weasley," Draco sneered as he stuck his tongue in Pansy's ear. "It's all you are ever good for."

"Who would want you, Won-Won?" Pansy cackled. "Even Harry 'The Chosen One' Potter thinks you're useless. You are nothing but a worthless piece of shit."

And I had stood, watching with my heart breaking as Draco continued to kiss Pansy, his eyes glinting maliciously into mine as he broke away to hiss 'Blood Traitor' at me.

I knew it wasn't real, but it still hurt like fuck all the same.

I destroyed the Horcrux, but it didn't help my heart.

"So you really did have a thing with Malfoy?!" Harry spluttered. "How could you, Ronnie - he nearly killed you!"

"It doesn't matter anymore," I bristled. "It's over. It never really began."

I tried to ignore the shattered heart that lay broken in my chest.

I couldn't look Harry in the eye as we made our way back to the tent.

"I don't think you're useless," Harry murmured, and I was shocked to hear the sincerity in his voice.

"I heard you tell Hermione to let me go," I pouted, still feeling fucking sore with him, "you said I wasn't any help."

"I was angry, Ronnie!" Harry said furiously, stopping in his tracks as he whirled round to face me. "And you weren't exactly complimentary to me either, if I remember correctly. But you have just saved my life. You just destroyed a Horcrux. That's not useless in my book."

"Yeah, I guess," I shrugged.

"Come on," Harry said, throwing an arm over my shoulders, "let's go and tell Hermione the good news. She'll be thrilled you're back."

She wasn't.

But after she calmed down and gave me a potion for the fresh bruises she'd just inflicted on me, she gave me the biggest hug.

"Don't ever do that to us again, Ronnie!" She cried, weeping into my shoulder. "We were worried sick!"

"You were?!" I asked, stunned.

"Yeah, Ronnie," Harry said, stepping up to wrap his arms around us. "We love you, you know."

And we stood there hugging; the golden trio reunited.

And ready to destroy that mother fucking cunt.

*****