Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Sometime Around Midnight
The bed around him was still warm from his earlier sleep, his pillow ruffled against the bed post as his blankets lay in the headboard behind him. He sat on the edge of his bed, hands clasped together as he fought with his eyes to keep closed, he couldn't handle the scene in front of him.
But the silence granted him sound, no matter how badly he wished to block it out. He could hear the rustle of sheets, the sound of hands and legs scraping wood, breathing rattling from a chest with a heartbeat in the background, loud and furious.
His hands wrung together as he heard it, a whimper.
A name.
He grimaced as he heard it again, suddenly afraid of what the other boy's would think if they awoke and heard him.
But it stopped, the only sound his rasping breath and his restless movements.
He wished he could…do something, anything to make it all go away.
And then his eyes betrayed him, and he looked.
Sweat was glittering on his pale skin, his pulse hammering beneath the flesh of his neck as his hands grasped the sheets between white knuckles. And he saw that his face was in a grimace too.
His features fell as he watched, the boy's mouth opening and closing as he gasped in air, his blankets curled around his feet as the moved, rubbing against the cold sheets. His own hands then went motionless, his fingertips grazing his palm as he dropped his hands, his eyes suddenly warm with tears he never wanted to own up to.
And then there was a gasp, his name trailing behind it as Harry sat up in his bed suddenly, eyes frantic and wild as he stared ahead at Ron, his red hair covering his sad and darkened eyes as he stared at him, their eyes clinging to each other as Harry grasped at reality, Ron holding onto the moment for everything he could, not helping the unintentional twitch of his fingers as they threatened to reach out for him.
As Harry's breathing slowed to normal, he smiled unconvincingly at Ron before turning over, and pretending to sleep.
Ron's lip silently quivered in the darkness, out of Harry's sight, before he climbed back into his own bed and pretended to sleep as he did.
--
Author's Note: A little explanation might be needed. It was Ron's name Harry was saying. I was watching OotP and a small scene caught my eye. It's when Harry is thrashing in his sleep from Voldemorts thoughts and he awakens, Ron sitting up in his bed watching him. This came to me. I couldn't help but write it. It took me a while to start, but after I did it poured out. Just a little bit of nothing. The song Sometime Around Midnigth only gave me the title, it wasn't exactly inspiration. Review! --Delta