The Owlery was in the West Tower at Hogwarts, but if you sat in the
easterly window, you could watch the sky turn pink when the sun started
to rise. It was a little cold in the morning, even for June, and it
smelled musty and rather like rotting hay, but it was more than made up
for by the view. The whole of Hogwarts lay out before the windows, from
the lake to the Quidditch field.
Curled up on the stone ledge, Harry snuggled deeper into the thin folds
of his invisibility cloak. The owls were returning after a night of
hunting, and the rustling of wings and soft hoots was interrupting the
quiet he'd had for most of the night. He didn't mind. It was soothing
in a way, something that was from Hogwarts for him to remember later.
Tomorrow summer break would begin and he would have to go back to the
Dursleys. Which naturally meant leaving Hogwarts, and the way the past
few days had been going Harry would have rather gone to live up in the
cave Sirius had been staying in than go back to the Dursleys. Not that
he would be any safer there. He wasn't safe at Hogwarts. Voldemort had
already proved that. He'd still managed to get to him, even here.
But at least at Hogwarts he could die happy.
He'd even considered running away. He had plenty of money, but where
could he go? Certainly everyone would be looking for him, that much had
been demonstrated the last time he'd run away from the Dursleys. Mrs.
Weasley had wanted him to stay with them, but Dumbledore had insisted
he go to the Dursleys for now. Surely Dumbledore had his reason but
Harry couldn't imagine what they were.
A familiar snowy owl settled next to him and hooted softly. Reaching
out, Harry patted her head.
"Hello, Hedwig," he said quietly, not really surprised that she knew he
was there. Smelled him, maybe. She nibbled his finger affectionately
and then spread her wings, flying off to her normal roost for the day.
With a sigh, Harry climbed to his feet. Time to go back to the
Gryffindor Tower and get ready to face his Uncle Vernon at the train
station. He wondered what they'd done about the fireplace that had been
destroyed after the Weasleys had come for him last summer. He had to
grin at the memory, even though he knew he'd be hearing about it
through the whole break. The sight of his cousin Dudley with a three-
foot tongue was not one to be forgotten.
Sneaking out of the Owlery, Harry crept down the hallways, keeping an
eye open for Peeves. He was invisible but there was no use taking
chances. Making his way back to the Fat Lady portrait that guarded the
entrance to the Gryffindor common room, he whispered, "Balderdash."
The snoozing Fat Lady swung open with a snort and a murmur and he
crawled in through the portrait hole. This was the third time this week
he'd sneaked out in the middle of the night, and he thought it was
strange that the Fat Lady hadn't told anyone yet. Maybe she just didn't
care. Or maybe she knew it was him and figured he could take care of
himself. Either way, he was glad for it. It was his last night at
Hogwarts anyway, surely no one would notice now.
"Was beginning to think you weren't going to come back."
Harry froze.
Curled up in one of the squashy chairs by the fireplace was Ron
Weasley. Wrapped up in a blanket with a book resting in his lap, he
looked as if he'd been waiting there for some time.
"Don't know why I bother wearing the cloak when everyone seems to be
able to find me," Harry grumbled, shaking his head in exasperation. Ron
laughed softly.
"Not exactly 'everyone', am I? Besides, who else would be creeping in
at this time of the morning wearing one?" He was quiet for a moment,
"You haven't been sleeping at night."
Trust Ron to notice that. He wasn't half as unobservant as he seemed
sometimes, or as Harry wished he was at these times. "Not really," he
answered honestly. Not much use trying to argue about it.
Ron fidgeted a little, setting his book on the side table next to him
and Harry was mildly impressed to see his friend reading something that
wasn't a required textbook. "I know you don't want to talk about what
happened," Ron said awkwardly, "But I just...I can't watch this eat at
you and not say anything. I...I don't even know what I'm saying," he
finished in disgust
"Ron..." Harry stepped closer, pushing the cloak off a bit so that Ron
could see him. Now it was his turn to trail off into an uncomfortable
silence.
Ron shifted around to face him, mouth open and his eyes narrowed
suddenly. "Are you in your pajamas?" As if on cue, Harry shivered, only
just realizing he was cold. The invisibility cloak was light and thin,
and didn't do much in the way of warmth. Ron craned his head around the
chair to get a better look. "Geez, Harry, you aren't even wearing your
slippers! The hallways aren't exactly comfy warm, you know. C'mere."
He lifted the blanket, revealing that underneath it he had been smart
enough to get dressed. Harry hesitated a moment, and then stripped off
the cloak decisively and slid under the blanket with his friend. It was
a bit cramped with the two of them squirming around to get comfortable,
but after a moment they got situated and Harry was much warmer. And
oddly safer, Ron's arm was resting on his shoulders for lack of a
better place to put it.
They both watched the crackling fire for a few minutes before Ron spoke
again. "I know I haven't been the greatest of friends this past year,"
he said quietly. "But I want to help you. Tell me how I can help?"
There was the faintest hint of a plea in his voice and Harry closed his
eyes to hear it, shifting to rest his head against Ron's shoulder. He
and Ron had had some problems, and he wasn't stupid enough to think
they'd never have any again. It had been such a long year, so many
things had happened, but Harry was still sorry that it was over.
"Harry? Are you all right?" Soft concern and Harry remembered that
night almost a year ago now when Ron had held him so gently, as a
friend. Ron had held him and even kissed him a few times. They'd never
had a chance to mention it the next day and it had only been a few days
later that the whole thing with the Goblet of Fire had happened.
Whatever had passed between them that night had been pushed off to the
side then and when they'd finally made up, Harry had been too relieved
to have Ron back at his side to worry about it.
There had been the whole tournament to worry about, and Cho, and a
dozen and a half other things. Truthfully, Harry had almost forgotten
about it until just this moment when he was finding out again how nice
it felt to be so close to Ron.
"Yes," he said suddenly, a thought occurring to him. "There is
something you can do for me." Ron looked at him expectantly. "Be my
friend. Just...just be my friend. All right?"
Ron smiled faintly, something like guilt in his eyes and Harry knew he
was recalling the whole Goblet of Fire incident. "I think I can handle
that," he replied, his arm tightening around Harry. "Now tell me how I
can help you sleep."
Harry laughed hollowly. "I'm not sure. You think you can make me forget
the past month? And that I have to go to the Dursleys tomorrow?"
Pursing his lips, Ron shook his head slowly. "No. But I might be able
to stop you from thinking about it for a little while."
Shifting around, Ron tugged on him, moving him until Harry was
straddling Ron's lap. It felt extremely strange and he was about to
protest when Ron kissed him and he promptly forgot what he was about to
say.
Inhaling sharply, Harry's hands tightened on Ron's shoulders as a soft
tongue probed lightly at his lips. He parted them, letting Ron's tongue
slip inside to stroke his own gently. Warm and sweet, and Ron tasted
like pumpkin juice and mint. He wondered briefly what Ron had been
eating while he had been waiting but his thoughts were scattered as Ron
sucked on his lower lip.
Thinking of Ron and being with him was nothing like thinking about Cho.
She made him feel sort of weird and fluttery, and too nervous to even
speak most of the time. He didn't know how to describe what Ron made
him feel, but 'fluttery' wasn't it.
Hot would be a lot closer. His back was towards the fireplace, waves of
heat against him but pressed against Ron he felt as if it were his
front that was on fire. Pulling back, he gasped for air and felt Ron's
lips slid across his cheek to his ear. Wild tingles radiated from where
Ron was licking his earlobe and down his spine. He twisted away,
catching a glimpse of Ron's hurt expression before he kissed his friend
again, erasing it.
Cool hands slipped down beneath his pajama top and Harry made a sound
of protest, arching away slightly. They warmed quickly enough though
and when Ron started to rub firmly, he nearly melted, sighing into
Ron's mouth. Muscles that had been tight for days now were relaxing and
it was almost too wonderful to believe in. It didn't feel like the
first time they had kissed. It was much, much better and he pressed
closer to Ron.
The low gong of the common room clock startled both of them and Harry
jerked back with a gasp, nearly falling backwards out of the chair. Ron
caught him and pulled him strongly back, dragging another gasp from
Harry and a startled moan from Ron as their hips rubbed together.
"It's seven o'clock," Harry said, somewhat stupidly.
"Yeah," Ron said, still breathing heavily. "Everyone will be getting up
soon. We should go back to our room."
"Yeah." Neither of them moved. Instead, Harry slanted his mouth over
Ron's again, gently this time. Closing his eyes, Harry tried to
memorize everything. How warm Ron was, how he tasted, how velvety soft
his tongue felt against his own. How it felt to have something hard
prodding against his backside where he was sitting and he shivered at
the knowledge of what it was. The fact that his own something hard was
pressing against Ron's stomach certainly wasn't escaping him either.
After tomorrow there was going to be a serious lack of good things in
his life for at least a little while and he didn't want to forget any
of this.
The sound of someone on the stairs parted them reluctantly and this
time Ron pushed Harry off his lap, grinning as Harry hissed in dismay
at his bare feet touching the cold floor.
"G'wan, go get dressed before someone sees you." Ron made a shooing
gesture at the stairs and Harry impulsively stuck his tongue out at his
friend, smirking inside as Ron's eyes darkened.
"See who?" he said cheekily, wrapping himself in his cloak and
vanishing. Ron rolled his eyes and got to his feet, brushing
ineffectively at the wrinkles in his robe. His heart oddly lighter,
Harry turned towards the stairs. He was still going to the Dursleys
today but at least he felt better about it.
Ron's voice halted him. "Harry? Am I really...you know, from the
Tournament. Am I really the thing you'd miss most?"
Swallowing, Harry stared silently at his friend, words frozen on his
tongue. Ron's brow crinkled slightly and he called out softly, "Harry?"
At the silence, he shook his head and muttered under his breath. "-Now-
he goes up the stairs."
"Yeah," Harry said very quietly, watching Ron start in surprise.
Stepping closer, he rested an invisible hand on his friends shoulder as
he whispered softly, "You and Hogwarts, I think. You -at- Hogwarts. I'd
miss that more than anything in the world." Ron's hand found his and
Harry squeezed it before he turned and fled up the stairs. Walking on
the side to avoid bumping into the people who were starting to sleepily
make their way downstairs, Harry went quickly to his room to dress and
get his trunk.
It had felt odd to say it out loud, even if it was true. Ron and
Hogwarts were the most important things in his life and as he gathered
his things, he tried not to think of how much he already missed them.
-finis-
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