Chapter Text
Ever since he was a kid Ron had been enraptured by his red string. He knew his parents’ story of finding each other, they told it often enough. He knew his older brothers’ had each found theirs. Knew that Ginny was equally if not more obsessed with her than he was of his. Knew Fred and George had met their respective soulmates at Hogwarts. He just hoped he’d one day meet his.
There were stories of people who up and left everything to follow their string in hopes of finding their soulmate, but Ron couldn’t leave the burrow. Not his family, not at the ripe old age of ten. He’d just have to hope he was as lucky as Fred and George had been and that his soulmate would be at Hogwarts. So for now he pondered who his soulmate might be.
They would have to be a Gryffindor. He couldn’t imagine himself with—god forbid a Slytherin. She’d be a girl. Probably. He knew there was always a possibility he could end up with a guy, but that was rare. Not to mention he didn’t even know the first thing of attraction. He’d seen movies, even a few magazines in Fred and George’s room, but nothing clicked. His mother told him it was the emotional bond that counted when he’d asked one time after she’d shot Fred and George a glare. The two had snickered.
As the inevitable departure for Hogwarts drew closer both his excitement and anxiety bubbled to the surface. His soulmate could be a Slytherin! He might just have curled into a ball and refused to go if his brothers hadn’t dragged him to the platform. There was a boy there. His glasses taped up at the bridge and cracked in several places, baggy clothes hanging off of him. His mother had taken the poor boy under her wing and guided the lot of them to the platform, instructing each of them how to enter. Ron looked at his string and then up at the boy who looked like he might pass out as his mother explained after Fred had dashed head first into the brick wall, it was him. His soulmate. Right in front of him. And he hadn’t even noticed! He debated what to do. They were both going to Hogwarts after all there might be a chance— and then he was gone through the disguised entrance and it was his turn.
Ginny kissed his cheek goodbye and smirked at him. Damn his little sister was a sly one.
“You tell mother nothing!” He hissed. She giggled but nodded.
“Ronald!” His mother shrieked.
“Love you sis.”
“Remember to write!” Ginny pleaded wrapping her arms around his neck in a last-minute hug. He hugged her back.
“Promise.” He said entwining their pinkies as he grinned at her. She giggled again but her eyes held a sadness. “Don’t worry rascal, you’ll be with us next year.” She smiled at him then he was attacked by his mother’s kisses as he tried to shove her off of him. All thoughts of his soulmate forgotten.
___________
“Ron!”
This was it. It was all over. His life had ended—
“Ron Weasley!” Ron buried his face in his hands as the cheering and applause erupted from the Slytherin table. His soulmate was Harry Potter. The Harry Potter. The Boy who Lived. But most of all he was a Slytherin.
“Ronald Weasley!” Fred shouted at him, doing his best to impersonate their mother. George was looking at him over his twin’s shoulder, an out of character concern look on his freckled face.
“If you don’t tell us is going on right now we’ll hex the truth out of you!” Fred continued is that shrill impersonation he was still using.
“Oi, Fred!” George said.
“What? I thought it was good.” The boy huffed. George let out an exasperated sigh.
“What’s goin’ on little bro?” George asked. Ron shook his head, he’d long since tuned out the sorting announcements and cheering from each table. George let out an exasperated snort this time.
“We’ll get it out of you sooner or later.” He assured. Ron simply groaned.
___________
It was one thing to know who your soulmate was and another thing entirely to know your soulmate was Harry Potter and was being chummy with Draco Malfoy. The two were inseparable from year one. It wasn’t that one followed the other, they followed each other. Each time Ron saw the two together his heart clenched and it was hard to listen to Hermione who had caught on annoyingly quickly.
Harry Potter wasn’t a bad person, quite the opposite actually. He was annoyingly selfless that left him confused as to why he’d been sorted into Slytherin and why in Merlin’s name he was practically attached to the hip with Malfoy. The four of them had gotten into a few scuffles yes, but each time Potter had been to the one to cool Malfoy off and settle the dispute diplomatically. He’d even saved them from Voldemort in both their first and second year after a case of what both Potter and Malfoy referred to as “a self-induced ‘need for causing problems and sticking their noses into things that didn’t concern them’ illness of the Gryffindor house”. Ron had scoffed at that and shot back a nasty retort about Slytherins at the pair. Potter had glanced at their shared thread then back up at Ron with a quizzical expression. Ron had glared and stomped off, leaving behind a rather ruffled Hermione who had profusely apologized and then ran after the fuming ginger. She’d found him fuming his head off in a useless offshoot of a hallway she hadn’t even known existed. She approached tentatively.
“Ron?” She asked. He spun on his feet, eyes dripping with anger that immediately softened when he saw who it was. His anger flared into despair as he sunk against the wall, utterly defeated. She rolled her eyes but went over to sit next to her unexpected friend.
Ron was too busy staring at his thread that connected him to the irritating and confusing Potter.
“You— want to talk?” They’d been friends for years now, but was still tentative in this whole soulmate business. She never talked about her own. Ron let out a frustrated sigh that teetered on the edge of helpless.
“I don’t get him.” He said angrily. She smiled sympathetically. They were an odd duo. They’d met in charms, when she’d hopelessly tried to fix his transmutation charm and he’d transfigured her textbook into a shoebox. He’d profusely apologized after she’d screamed at him for almost twenty minutes. He’d been rather desperate for a friend at that point and hadn’t want to make an enemy out of the one person who actually tried to help him.
“Have you considered just— taking to him?” She asked. Ron scoffed.
“Talk? To a Slytherin? Are you being serious ‘Mione?” He looked at her then, a desperate sheen in his eyes.
“You never know until you try.” She said patting his arm.
“I’ve been nothing but an arse. Why should he talk to me?” That was an introspection Hermione hadn’t thought she’d hear today.
“You could start by apologizing.” Ron was silent for a moment. “Remember what I said?” She tutted when Ron didn’t respond for a few moments. He sighed, irritation and fondness mixed.
“Just because he’s a Slytherin doesn’t make him evil.” Hermione chuckled then patted his arm.
“Now shoo. Go find your soulmate Ronald.” He rolled his eyes fondly. Never in a million years would he have thought his best friend would be a no-it-all teacher’s pet.
“Thanks ‘Mione.” The look in his eyes told her he meant it. She shot him an encouraging smile then made a shooing motion with her hands and told him to sod off.
Ron found Potter in the library, head bent over a book on a desk. Malfoy was, of course, right next to him working on an essay for no doubt potions. Malfoy looked up first and scowled.
“Come to speak Parseltongue to us have you Weaselbe?” Malfoy said scaldingly. Ron put his arms up in surrender. Potter knocked his shoulder into Malfoy’s and shot him a glare. Malfoy scowled back at him.
“I- I came to apologize for that.” He cringed at the way it came out. Man this was awkward.
“Consider it accepted.” Potter said, annoyingly easy to appease. Both he and Malfoy shot him a quizzical look.
“What?” He asked. Malfoy sighed. Ron bit back the urge to make a comment. They three of them sat in awkward silence for a moment.
“While you gits continue your little game of dancing around the rather red elephant in the room, I’m going to go finish my potions essay. Somewhere else thank you.” Malfoy said while he quickly gathered up his things. Ron could see the light dusting of pink on Potter’s cheeks and he was sure he looked the same. Even after Malfoy had departed they continued staring at each other.
“Um-“ Potter started awkwardly. “Would you- prefer somewhere private?” He asked tentatively. Ron felt his face grow warmer before he nodded.
“Follow me then.” Potter gathered up his things. Potter led them to an empty room, which was probably a janitor’s closet or something similar. He shut the door once they were inside and cast a silencing spell. “Well?” Potter said, turning to him then. An expectant—dare he say, hopeful look in the other boy’s face.
“Why do you hang out with Malfoy so much?” Ron blurted before he could think better of it. Potter blinked, shook his head and gave him a ‘really?’ Look. He placed a hand on his hip before he spoke.
“Because he’s my friend.” He said with emphasis, brow raising.
“Malfoy?” He knew it was true but in his mind the guy was even worse than Snape. Potter rolled his eyes.
“Yes Malfoy.” He said already exasperated. “Merlin you Gryffindor’s are irritating.” He said this more to himself but Ron could’ve sworn he heard a hint of fondness in it. Potter continued when he saw his soulmate’s expression of disbelief.
“Yes I know he’s a git, but he’s really not all bad when you get past his father’s influences.” He said meaningfully. Ron pursed his lips and scrunched his brows.
“Anyway.” Potter gestured to their string. Ah- that was why they were here. Merlin help him. He felt his face go red and felt the heat rise to his ears. He gulped and looked away, running a hand through his hair.
“I didn’t mean to just apologize for earlier.” He said softly.
“What was that?” Potter was shorter than him by a few inches but he stood less than a foot away and it was suddenly hard to breathe. The question was almost playful. Everything he’d been meaning to say was lost in those intense green eyes. It was like looking up at a dense canopy of every tree you could imagine. He blinked.
“Huh?” He asked intelligently. Potter chuckled.
“I asked, ‘what was that?’” He said patiently, a smile on his perfect lips. They were thin and pale but as expressive as any Ron had seen. Shit. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.
“I-“ He gulped and swallowed, forcing himself to think about anything but their proximity in the small room. “When I said I wanted to apologize earlier… I didn’t just mean about today.” He said. For a house that was supposed to be brave and fearless he felt just about the biggest coward right now. Potter waited for him to continue, that smile drawing his attention back to the other boy’s lips. He swallowed.
“I’ve been an arse.” He had assumed the response to that would be a scoff but that reassuring smile was all that he saw in the other’s expression. He continued. “You—or Malfoy— didn’t deserve that, not any of what I’ve done. Not the insults, the pranks, any of it. I may hate that blasted family, but—that’s not an excuse I should have ever hid behind in the first place.” He couldn’t take it anymore. Harry was all but an inch from him, chin tilted to look up at him.
“Can I kiss you?” Ron blinked. Once. Twice.
“Huh?” He was sure his face was as bright red as a tomato. A warm chuckle had him shivering.
“Can I kiss you, Ron?” He blinked dat him, mouth agape.
“Say it again.” It was Harry who blinked this time.
“Can I kiss you?” Ron shook his head and looked urgently at the boy.
“My name. Say it again.” Harry’s eyes were wide for a second before he broke out into a grin.
“Ron.” Ron grinned at him.
“Now say mine.” Harry looked at him expectantly. Ron pressed forward, only now realizing his back was pressed against the wall. Their chests pressed together and Ron wrapped and arm around his soulmate.
“Harry.” He said a bit breathless. “Harry.” He said it again and then buried his face in the other boy’s shoulder. He heard a chuckle and felt arms wrap around his own waist. “Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry.” He said into the boy’s neck earning him more breathless laughter.
“Mmm? That took you long enough didn’t it?” It was his turn to laugh.
“How do you think I can make it up to Malfoy?”
“Can we not talk about Draco right now?” Harry whined. Harry. Ron chuckled.
“Alright.” Ron had pulled back and they were now staring at each other.
“You never answered my question.” Harry said, his perfect lips curling into a smirk. He felt his cheeks flush again.
“O-oh- right-“ Harry’s eyes were dark.
“Ron?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I kiss you?” The smirk had morphed into a hopeful smile, so full of love and kindness and open shyness and mentally berated himself again and again for ever being such an arse to his soulmate of something so trivial as what house his soulmate was in.
“Yes.” He said in breathless anticipation. And then those beautiful lips were pressed against his, rough hands on his skin, his back once more against the wall. A whimper escaped his lips, Harry spurred on, pressed the tip of his tongue against his still closed lips. He’d never kissed someone before, he’d read about it but had never experienced it. He parted his lips for his lover. Was that what they were? Oh well, he’d figure that out after thoroughly enjoying this moment.
His hands found purchase on Harry’s lower back. A small moan escaped Harry’s lips into his and he pulled them closer together, pressing their hips to the other’s. One of his hands made his way to Harry’s neck and entangled itself in the hair it found there. Another moan. Harry’s hips pushed forward into his. They pulled back only enough to stare at each other in awed silence.
“So that’s what that feels like…” Harry said in awe. His glasses had been knocked slightly crooked and Ron righted them with the hand that had previously been in the other’s hair. Ron chuckled, understanding his soulmate’s reaction to a tea. Ron rested his forehead against Harry’s and stared into the pools of green. Harry smiled at the action. His hand found Harry’ jaw and clung there, thumb wandering over the boy’s lips. Ron’s heart lurched pleasantly when Harry leaned into the touch.
“I love you.” Ron said breathlessly after a comfortable silence. Harry chuckled and the sound was so bright it made his heart ache.
“Finally.” Ron raised a brow, fond smile on his lips.
“Finally?” Harry must have realized what he’d said when he chuckles awkwardly.
“I’ve um, hm. Uh- been in love with you since first year?” He said sheepishly. Ron blinked at him.
“Guess we’re both idiots then huh?” He said cutting Harry’s chuckle off with a chaste kiss.
“What a pair we make ay?” They both laughed.
___________
From that point on Ron was a constant in Harry’s life. Whether physically or not. Whenever they were apart Ron sent him constant letters and little gifts. It annoyed and pleased the hell out of Draco who would sarcastically say “Oh look, Weaselbe has joined us.” When Ron would send over little notes from the Gryffindor table and send a wink along with it that made Harry’s heart even fuller than it had been before.
When Harry spent the holiday’s at the Malfoy’s, who had welcomed him with open arms after first year, Ron sent him copies amounts of owl mail Draco had threatened to said a howler after Ron the next time. Draco was happy for his friend. They’d both gotten it though their thick skulls that they were meant for each other. Slytherin. Gryffindor. It didn’t matter.
It had caused a little stir in the school when it had first occurred. A Slytherin and a Gryffindor being friends was odd enough, but a couple? Almost unheard of. Whenever Ron was near Harry he’d drape and arm over the shorter boy’s shoulder and chat his ear off. He never minded. He loved listening to Ron’s incessant chatter about anything and everything.
It was almost the Christmas of their seventh year when Ron approached him with a proposal, nervously fidgeting with his fingers. Draco had shot him a look and pissed off.
Harry was patient with him. He always was and always would be. He waited as he stammered through his proposition of Harry going to the Burrow with him this year. Harry’s face lit up, even as pesky anxious thoughts gathered in the back of his mind.
“Ah- woah Harry!” Ron said stumbling as he fought to stay upright after Harry had launched himself into his boyfriend’s arms.
“I would love to go with you.” He said grinning as he pressed their foreheads together. The ginger let out a sigh of relief.
“I’ve talked to my parents.” Harry fought the urge to frown. It was no secret that the Weasley’s and the Malfoy’s had bad blood with each other. “They’re— um- willingtoletmalfoycomewithifyouwant.” He gulped. Harry laughed.
“Woah, woah, woah there, slow down. I couldn’t hear a word you said.” Ron took a deep breath.
“I said that they’re willing to let Malfoy tag along. If that’s something you want.” He said. Harry blinked.
“They’d do that?” He said incredulously. Ron nodded at him. Harry took a step back and lightly punched Ron in the arm.
“What trick did you have to pull for that?” He asked, teasing.
“I may have dragged Fred and George into helping me. And Gin.” Harry stared at him.
“Why?” Ron rolled his eyes.
“Because they love me and want me to be happy and if ending the bad blood between my family and the Malfoy’s is something that would make you happy… then, I’ll try. They’ll try.” Harry didn’t know if it was possible to smile as wide as he did but he pulled Ron in for a rather rough kiss and clung to him. Ron chuckled.
“I love you Harry.”
“You idiot, I love you too.”