Before and After

[bleedingangel84]

Title: Before and After

Author: bleedingangel84

Beta: None

Rating: PG

Warnings: Snarking

Word Count: 365

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction created for fun and no profit has been made.

Written for: hogwarts365 Prompt #102-“Going back to Hogwarts”; Rainbow; Online dating

Notes: Ron/Draco pre-slash thinglet. No beta. Written for my_thestral as a thank you for her continuing friendship and sparking of the plot bunnies. Hope you all like it. Sequel: Common Ground

Summary: Ron encounters the last person he wants to see after a break-up.

Before and After

“Malfoy? What are you doing here?”

“I should think that would be obvious given that we are on the school carriages, Weasley. Going back to Hogwarts.”

“Why?”

“Why does anyone go to school? To get an education, of course. Though some clearly need it more than others.”

“Sod off, you stinking ferret!”

“Oh, how very witty. I would expect a master strategist such as yourself to be better at coming up with clever insults.”

“Well, forgive me if my barbs aren’t meeting the royal standard, your highness. My life hasn’t been a field of dewy flowers under a rainbow this summer. My girlfriend broke up with me.”

“Granger dumped you? Why?”

“Met someone else. Her parents don’t want her being involved with a wizard anymore. The war was just too much after everything else we’d gone through. She couldn’t look at me without feeling traumatised.”

“How did she ever meet someone other than you who was willing to date her?”

“Some Muggle thing called online dating. You don’t have to see the person if you don’t want to.”

“Well, that explains a lot. I always thought Granger was smart, but it seems I was mistaken.”

“She is smart. She just went through too much during the war, that’s all.”

“Everyone did, Weasley. You don’t let go of a good thing just because you’re afraid. You practically worshipped her. She’s never going to find someone who treats her as well as you did.”

“Who are you?”

“Don’t look so stunned, I’m not Polyjuiced. Even the Slytherins saw how much you loved her. Contrary to popular belief, some of us are actually intelligent.”

“I know that. Doesn’t make you any less despicable.”

“I’m surprised you can spell despicable, Weaselbee.”

“There’s the Malfoy I know and love!”

“You love me? Now it makes sense why you and Granger left off with each other.”

“Are you always so full of yourself?”

“You’ve known me for seven years, and you have to ask. I didn’t think even you were that thick.”

“We were enemies, not friends.”

“What are we now?”

“What?”

‘You said we were enemies. Before. What are we now?”

“Not enemies. Voldemort was the real enemy.”

“I agree.”