The Ship of Magic and Dreams

Chapter 6

Pairings: Ron/Hadrian

Quotes in bold are present Hadrian talking.

Quotes in bold and italic are present Ron talking.

A.N. – I am so happy to be writing this again. I've been thinking about this story for such a long time. Anyway, I'll try to keep the updates coming!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Titanic!

The room was crowded and alive with music, laughter and loud talking. A band played up beat music for the enjoyment of the third class passengers. Hadrian could see people of all ages dancing with the music, drinking beers and wines, smoking, laughing loudly and even brawling. It was a little awkward for Hadrian as he was one of the two first class passengers there, the other being his little sister, and it earned him quite a few odd looks.

Seamus skillfully carried three pints to the table where Hadrian and another man were sitting.

"Talla frikken svenska?" The man questioned, looking quite sober as he gazed at the male dressed in a beautiful dress in front of him.

"What?" Hadrian had to raise his voice slightly to be heard over the music, even more so since he was clapping along with the beat.

"Talla frikken svenska?" The man repeated, cupping a hand to his mouth to allow Hadrian to hear him better.

"I don't understand you!" He yelled out in an amused tone, taking the jug full of beer from Seamus and taking a large swig, looking back to the Ronald and Hermione, who were dancing together. Hearing a loud crash, he turned toward it to find a man had fallen and his laughing friends helped him up, asking if he was alight. The fallen man stumbled to his feet and immediately reached for another glass of beer, making Hadrian laugh and shake his head, still clapping along with the music.

Hadrian watched Ron spin and twirl Hermione, the little girls smile bright enough that it seemed to completely light the room.

"He was so good with children. I couldn't help smiling just as brightly."

Soon enough, the music slowed to a stop and everyone clapped and cheered for the band, making the men smile widely. Immediately, they started another song that was just as fast and up beat. Hadrian watched curiously as Ron talked to Hermione and pointed at him. Whatever Ron said made the little girl pout and huff angrily, narrowing her eyes. The ginger smirked at the girl and walked over to Hadrian, pulling the shocked boy up.

"Come on!" Ron said, pulling the shorter male onto the dance floor.

"What?" Hadrian gasped and tried to pull away, green eyes wide.

"Ron, wait! I can't do this.." Hadrian said quietly, pale cheeks flushing a gentle pink.

"We're gonna have to get a little bit closer." Ron said with a teasing grin, laying a hand on Hadrian's lower back and pulling the boy closer. "Like this."

Hadrian gave a startled gasp and looked up at the older boy that he was falling for fast. Ron simply grinned then looked down at Hermione, who was still standing there with a pout.

"I'll dance with you next, okay?" Ron said in a gentle tone and Hermione immediately smiled brightly and nodded, running off to play with the other young children there.

Hadrian watched the exchange quietly, a knowing look in his eyes.

"My sister had him wrapped around her finger so tightly that nothing could have separated them."

"She had a certain charm about her, I'll admit."

Hands held tightly together, Ron began to lead Hadrian around to the fast music which made the shorter male panic for a moment.

"I don't know the steps!"

"Neither do I."

Without another complaint, Hadrian relaxed and began to bounce around, a smile forming on red painted lips. He looked up at Ron and laughed softly, never believing he would actually be able to dance like this. It was always straight backs, slow music and practiced steps. No smiling, no freedom, no enjoyment.

But this was different, especially with Ron. As Hadrian danced around the room, he watched the other male closely. Taking in his sparking blue eyes, alight with laughter, joy and something Hadrian couldn't name. Ron's cheeks with flushed and sweaty from the dancing and Hadrian thought he looked so incredibly handsome.

Faster and faster, the spun and twirled around. Hadrian laughed and squealed with delight, easily heard over the music though he couldn't be bothered with embarrassment, not when he was held so tightly in Ron's arms. Across the room, Seamus laughed as he watched the uptight boy relax and dance around the room, thinking he was perfect for the ginger.

Hadrian soon began to get dizzy from the twists and turns, crying out halfheartedly for Ron to stop and slow down. Ron paid the rich boy no mind though and instead pulled him up onto the stage with a grin.

"Wait! Ron!" Hadrian gasped out, cheeks flushing a deeper pink as eyes turned to them.

Ron laughed and raised a brow at the embarrassed boy then tucked his hands into his pockets to pull his pants up slightly then began to tap out the beat of the music with his shoes. Blue eyes met green as Ron grinned smugly. Hadrian scoffed and leaned down to pull off his high heels, turning and tossing them to a waiting woman, who then laid them on the floor. Turning back to Ron, he smirked and began to tap out the beat as well, being careful so he didn't slip.

He did have stockings on, of course.

As Hadrian shot Ron a smug look back, the ginger's eye brows rose in disbelief but then grinned, tapping out the next beat. He was joined by Hadrian and they used their feet to beat out the tune, laughing in joy. They linked arms and began to spin around each other, others joining in. They then linked hands and began to spin together fast, others who were still watching laughed at their actions.

"Ron!" Hadrian gasped out, the room spinning around them.

"Waaaa!" Ron laughed out, spinning them faster. Hadrian squealed and giggled loudly, fighting down the dizziness that came with spinning.

Up in the smoking room, Draco talked politics with his fellow men, completely unaware of his fiance's actions. However, not one to be fooled, he turned his head slightly and met eye contact with his body guard, silently telling the large man to check on his fiance. Not looking away until the man was gone, Draco smirked and focused his attention on his fellow men.

He looked forward to joining Hadrian in bed tonight.

They danced for another song before they decided to take a break, wondering over to the table Hadrian was sitting at before to see Seamus and the man from earlier arm wrestling. Ron picked up two glasses of beer and handed one to Hadrian, taking a sip from his own. He watched the arm wrestle for a moment then looked over to the quiet male beside him only to find him chugging down half the beer.

Hadrian lowered the glass and caught his breath, smirking at Ron who was frowning but still looking amazed.

"What? You think a first-class boy can't drink?" He asked teasingly, causing Ron to grin at him; showing the lovely dimples Hadrian had already began to love.

A man stumbled into Ron as they laughed, causing the ginger to splash his drink all over Hadrian.

"Hey! Get outta here!" Ron growled at the man, shoving him away.

He turned back to the shorter male and inquired if he was alright but all Hadrian could do is laugh drunkenly.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" He reassured Ron, laughing still.

They looked over at a loud clang and found that Seamus had one of the match and the other man was demanding another. Hadrian rolled his eyes at the two, but found the whole display entertaining. But still.. there was something he could do that he doubted any of this men could.

"Hey!" He called out before they could start another match, setting his drink down. "You think you're big, tough men?"

He questioned with a smug smile, taking the rolled cigarette from Seamus' lips and taking a large drag.

"Let's see you do this." He said lightly, picking up the edge of his dress as he blew out the smoke. "Here Ron, hold this up. Hold it up high." He handed Ron the train of his dress, motioning Hermione over to him.

He and Hermione assumed a ballet stance, arms rising up, and began to lift themselves onto their toes until all their weight was on the top of their big toes. Deciding to go a step further, Hadrian lifted his left leg and held it up, doing the splits while still holding all his weight on his one big toe.

He could only hold it for a short few seconds before he stumbled into Ron's arms, laughing loudly, while Hermione held it for a bit longer before calmly lowering herself with a wide smile. The men and women around his could only gape at the first-class boy and little girl, impressed at the incredible muscle control.

"Owww! Oh, I haven't done that in years!" Hadrian laughed out, resting contently in Ron's arms. Ron was also gaping at the short male but soon laughed as well, holding Hadrian's sweaty body closer.

At the stairs that led down to the lower deck, Crabbe looked over the crowds in search of his employers wayward fiance. Narrowed eyes landed on the entwined couple and filled with disappointment and glee as the large man slunk back up the staircase. Oh, Draco would not be so forgiving this time.

Never knowing that they had been spotted, they continued to drink and laugh, enjoying the time with each other. Another fast paced song began and Hadrian bobbed his head with the tune, grinning as a line of dancing people passed him. He set his drink down and joined hands with Dean, who he met earlier, as he passed then dragged Ron along as well. Hadrian laughed, sharing smiles with Ron and Dean. He hadn't had this much fun since before his father died and the old but lively man took him out to a poor but fun 'hoedown'. If he could have it his way, this would be the life he lived.

It was hours later that the two left the party in the lower deck, well passed being drunk. Stumbling and laughing up the stairs, the pair began to sing loudly.

"Come Josephine, in my flying machine! And it's up she goes! Up she goes!" They belted out drunkenly, stuttering through the lyrics. "In the air she goes! Where? There she goes!"

They arrived at the first class entrance, Hadrian falling silent when he caught sight of the sign and the smile fell from his face. His heart and gut clenched, he was feeling nervous to go back to the life he knew. He bit his painted red lip and turned to Ron, sliding off the jacket that the tall boy gave him when they left.

"Well.. Here we are.." He said quietly, sending the ginger a hesitant smile. Hadrian lowered his bright green eyes, staring at his edges of his dress as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. He breathed a small sigh, thinking that all the fun he had in those few hours were more than he'd had in the past thirteen years.

"I don't want to go back." He told Ron with a shaky laugh, lifting his head to gaze into intense blue eyes. Ron said nothing in return but the look in his eyes said enough, he didn't want the young man to leave either.

Heaving another sigh, Hadrian tipped his head back and looked at the sky, a small gasp escaping him.

"It's so beautiful.." He murmured, looking out at the black sky littered with brightly shining stars. Green eyes darted back and forth, no matter where he looked there were clusters of brighter stars and dimmer stars, though just as beautiful.

"We're so small, you know?" Hadrian said, wrapping his hands around a thick rope and leaning back, confident that the rope would hold his weight. Ron simply hummed in response, torn between looking at the amazing, beautiful boy in front of him and twinkling sky that seemed to be shining brighter just for them. He placed a freckled hand beside the small, pale one and watched Hadrian as he spoke.

"My crowd... They think they are masters of this universe but they aren't even dust in God's eye." He laughed a bitterly, smirking in amusement.

"There's been a mistake," Ron said, smiling at the bitter boy. He didn't like it when Hadrian frowned. "You don't belong with them. You were mailed to the wrong address."

Hadrian laughed, his eyes shining just as bright as the stars lighting the water around them. He barely felt drunk anymore but there was still a good buzz going and when he leaned back to fast, his head began to spin which only made him laugh more.

"I-I did, didn't I?" He sputtered out through his laughing. "Oh, oh! Look! A shooting star!" He gasped and pointed, walking closer to the railing to see if he could spot it again. Ron joined him, pressed to the side of his body just right that Hadrian could feel the muscles of his hard labor through the clothes.

"Hm.. My pops used to tell me that shooting stars are souls on their way to Heaven." Ron said quietly next to Hadrian's ear, placing a large hand on his lower back.

"That's nice.." He said, feeling his heart flutter and clench, not only from the warm hand on his back but from the saying as well. For some reason, it just made him feel… lighter. "Do we wish on it?" He asked teasingly, turning his head to look at Ron only to find his face a lot closer than he thought. Pink spread across pale cheeks as he locked eyes with the taller male, his breath speeding up a little.

"I guess…" Ron said quietly, not wanting to ruin the moment. He leaned in a bit further, now able to feel Hadrian's breath on his lips. "What would you wish for?"

Hadrian was silent for a moment, green eyes taking in every detail of Ron's face as if it was the last time he'd ever be able to see his handsome features. They gazed into each others eyes for a moment before Hadrian sighed sadly.

"Something I can't have…" He replied to the question, Ron's eyes widening slightly once he realized what Hadrian meant. Before he could say anything else, Hadrian bid him goodnight and hurried over to the first class entrance, sending a sad look over his shoulder. Ron opened his mouth and took a step forward but froze and looked down.

They really were miles apart..

The Next Day…

The sun shone brightly through the windowless panels in the balcony where Hadrian and Draco were having their afternoon tea. Hadrian could feel his skin absorbing the heat but the thin fabric of his cream colored dress, plus the cold wind from the ocean, kept him cool despite the heat.

The silence between the two was strained and awkward, Hadrian getting the feeling that Draco was upset with him however, the younger male could not figure out why he would be. Stirring his tea with honey, Hadrian sent Draco a hesitant smile which the blond did not return. Instead, cold grey eyes watched the maid and servant bustle from the deck then turned disappointed eyes to his fiance.

"I had hoped you would come to me last night.." Draco said softly, leaning in closer to the silent male across from him.

Hadrian barely held back the sneer that almost formed on his lips, green eyes peering into the light brown liquid in the cup he held. He shuddered slightly in repulsion from just the thought. The older man had done nothing to warrant such a visit and Hadrian doubted he ever would.

"I was tired." He replied tensely after a moment, not lying at all. He truly was exhausted last night and had nearly fallen asleep in his dress. He could only imagine what his mother would say when she barged into his room, like she always does, if he had done that. Hadrian raised his eyes to the silent Draco only to find him staring intently at Hadrian with his brows raised.

"Your activities below deck were no doubt exhausting." He said in a light tone but Hadrian could hear the threat in the undertones of his voice. Instead of replying, Hadrian sat tensely and took a sip of his warm tea then placed it on the table - sighing.

"I see you still have no problem sending that guard of yours to stalk me. How typical of you." He sneered in return, folding his hands on his lap and meeting Draco's glare fully with his own.

"You will never behave like that again, Hadrian Potter. Do you understand me?" Draco gritted out between clenched teeth. Before now, while it was still obvious that Hadrian did not want this marriage, he still went with it quietly. Ever since the boy met that hood rat, he'd been out of control and the one thing Draco liked, almost as much as money, is control.

Hadrian gaped at the blond for a moment before snapping his mouth shut, swallowing thickly as he twisted his fingers, pulling at the skin to remind himself to not launch himself over the table and beat that pretty face in.

"I am not a foreman in one of your mills that you can command. I am your fiancé." He snapped, frowning deeply.

"My fiancé? My fiancé?! Yes, you are, and my wife!" Draco yelled, standing and slamming his hands on the table before tossing the whole thing to the side. It seemed he didn't even notice that he said wife instead of husband.

"My wife in practice, if not yet by law," Draco hissed, slamming his hands on the sides of Hadrian's chair so they were face to face and the smaller male was trapped in his arms.

"So you will honor me! You will honor me the way a wife is supposed to honor a husband. Because I will not be made a fool of, Haddi. Is this in any way unclear?" Draco started loudly and slowly lowered his voice until it was a deep, menacing tone.

Unable to speak through his fear of being struck, Hadrian simply shook his head then looked to the side where his personal maid, Trudy, was standing there in shock and clutching a pitcher of orange juice tightly in her shaking hands. Draco followed his line of sight and quickly straightened his back, sneering at the maid until the poor girl lowered her head in submission.

"I'm glad we have reached an agreement, Haddi. Maid, clean his mess up." He ordered as he strode from the deck, stepping in the broken china as if they didn't cost a thing.

Both Hadrian and Trudy were silent and motionless in their shock before a shuddering breath then a sob from Hadrian broke the maid's trace. Hurrying over to the heavily breathing male, the young maid tried to reassure him even as she cleaned.

"L-Let me help.." Hadrian gasped out, muttering something about an accident as he fell to the floor and began to pick up the broken china. Trudy took most of the broken pieces from him before he fell to his rear, sobbing loudly and shaking like a leaf.

Never before had he felt so frightened of Draco, he was usually all talk and no action. As the male broke down in front of her, Trudy sent a helpless look to the other maid, who was standing behind them, then gathered Hadrian in her arms, whispering reassuring words to him.

"It'll be okay…" Trudy whispered, rubbing his back.

Later that Evening…

Hadrian stood with his hands on the footboard of his bed as Trudy pulled the strings tight on his corset, however not too tight. Green iris' were surrounded by red and his cheeks would have been also red however he had washed his face before starting to get ready. None the less, it was still obvious that the young male had been crying for some time.

Just as Trudy was about to tie off the corset, Lily Potter walked into the room without knocking and ordered tea from the maid. With a quick response, Trudy scurried out of the room, only stopping to send Hadrian an apologetic look before the door was such in her face.

Hadrian watched his mother warily for a moment before turning when motioned to and allowing Lily to finish with his corset. He didn't expect her to tighten it further, making his breath wheeze out of him painfully. He could tell she was angry, she also never pulled his corset too tight either but right now, she was tightening it so much he didn't know if he could even sit at this point.

"You are never to see that boy again, Hadrian. Do you understand me? I forbid it." Lily told her son softly, ignoring his pained wheezes. Her son was to be the wife of a rich man, he had better start acting like it.

"Oh, mother, stop it. You'll give yourself a nosebleed." Hadrian huffed with a roll of his eyes. Though Lily didn't see it, she certainly heard it in his tone.

"This is not a game, Hadrian." She snapped quietly, turning her son roughly by a tight grip on his thin arm. "Our situation is dire. You know the money is gone."

"I know, mother. You tell me every day!" Hadrian snapped back with exasperation in his voice, frowning at his mother. Why couldn't she just let it go? Change her ways and go down a different path. "We don't need money to be happy, mother!" He spat the word as if it gave a disgusting taste in his mouth.

"Your father left us nothing but a legacy of bad debts hidden by a good name." Lily said softly, softening her expression. Her son was so young still, he just didn't understand. "We do need the money, Hadrian. I just don't understand, my son. It is a fine match with Malfoy. He will take care of me, of us, like your father did."

Hadrian tensed and pursed his lips, narrowing his emerald green eyes at his mother and Lily knew she said the wrong thing. For many years now, since his mother had started hooking him up with potential matches, Hadrian suspected that his mother had only married his father for the money. These little slips that happened so often seemed to make it more and more true. All she cared about was the money and the nice things. She hadn't even asked if this is what he wanted.

"How could you put this all on my shoulders? Why don't you go out and find a husband?!" Hadrian snapped, lowering his head to glare at the nice shoes covering his mothers feet.

"Why are you being so selfish?"

"I'm being selfish?!" Hadrian gasped out in disbelief, looking at his mother with wide eyes.

"Do you want to see me working as seamstress?" Lily asked after a moment, forcing fake tears to flood her eyes. By the way those green eyes narrowed, so similar to hers yet so different, it hadn't worked. "To see all our fine things auctioned? Our memories scattered to the winds?" She gasped out, real tears now falling down her age worn cheeks as she turned from her son in disappointment.

Hadrian swallowed thickly, letting his chin fall to his chest and eyes closed in defeat. His mother wanted the money, yes. She didn't think she could survive without it again. But she truly was scared of loosing their things that held so many fond memories of their father and their love.

"I.. I'm sorry, mother.." Hadrian said softly with a sigh. "It's just so unfair.."

"Of course it's unfair." His mother replied, turning back to him with no trace of the sadness that was once there. All that was there now was a calm blankness with a spark of smug satisfaction. "We're women, Haddi. Our choices are never fair."

Hadrian's eyes widened in horror, his heart skipping several beats and his gut clenching in a panic. Oh God, they were trying to turn him into a woman. His throat burning and he had to swallow several times to ensure that he didn't vomit all over his mother.

Lily turned her son around and loosened the corset a bit so he could breath then swiftly tied it shut, smirking at the back of the boys' head.

"Get ready, Haddi. We'll be leaving for church soon." She informed him as she strode gracefully from the room, leaving her in-shock son to himself. She pretended to not hear the sobs leak from the door before it shut all the way.

Present time…

"My mother..." Hadrian's wobbly voice said softly, eyes closed. "She had her heart set and nothing would change her mind. I kept telling myself that she would soon see just how unhappy I was, but, as you know... We never got the chance."

Ron sighed, holding his husband's withered hand tightly, pressing a kiss to the warm flesh.

"I believe we can finish this tomorrow." He said in a no nonsense tone, daring any of them to disagree. Seeing the sad looks on their faces, Ron knew none would say a thing. So with that, he stood with a pained grimace and began to push Hadrian's wheelchair from the room, their daughter following close behind.

Ron shared a worried look with his daughter as they looked at Hadrian. Remembering those times were hard on them but it was mostly hard on Hadrian. He had to go through so much, Ron knew, and to this day they both still had nightmares.

Shaking the depressing thoughts from his mind, he bid his daughter a good night (after reassuring her that he could handle getting his own husband to bed several times) then walked into their room, shutting the door behind him…

A/N: Well, that's it for now! I will be starting to work on the next chapter right after I post this. I'm hoping to get this done within the next couple to few months, so keep an eye out for updates!

Thanks for being so patient with me, loves! Oh, and my other story The Supernatural Agency is up for adoption! If you know of anyone who would like to continue it, let them know it's here!

Love ya~

GreenCupsRhythm