"Ron." A hard shake in the shoulder by warm, familiar hands as enough to wake him. He opened his eyes drowsily and looked up at Harry, who was still in his pajamas with his hair rumpled from sleep.
"What?" he mumbled, and glanced at the digital clock beside the bed. "Harry, it's two in the morning. Are you alright?"
Harry's eyes gleamed excitedly in the dark. "You're going to miss the eclipse," he said simply, and violently tugged the blankets off of Ron's legs. "Get up."
"The eclipse…? What on earth are you talking about?" He tried to roll back over and go to sleep, but Harry just yanked him upright.
"Come on! You'll miss it!" Harry said, already reaching for Ron's shoes. "Please? I'd really like to watch it with you." He gave his best pout.
Ron sighed, defeated. "Fine. Fine, I'll watch the stupid moon with you. Hand me my sandals."
Harry grinned and handed Ron his shoes, positively beaming. He watched as Ron struggled with the straps, yawning, and then the two of them wandered out into the driveway.
The moon was huge, full and round in the starry night sky like a silver sickle hanging from an invisible string. It was the only light available as Harry and Ron stumbled into the garden. The air was crisp with dew, making Ron's arms break out in goose bumps, and the stars over head twinkled in a proud manner that Ron considered a little conceited.
"Nothing's happening," Ron muttered behind a huge yawn, noticing that the moon was still clearly visible in the sky.
"Wait for it," replied Harry, and sure enough, a rounded shadow began to swallow the moon whole.
"Wow," Ron breathed, slightly impressed by the beauty of it.
They watched as the shadow crept across the moon's surface slowly, with the only sound audible the crickets chirping their love songs into the air.
"The Dursleys never let me watch this kind of stuff when I was young," Harry said sadly. Ron looked over to him, and Harry's eyes never left the sky, the full moon reflected in his glasses. "They didn't appreciate the stars anyway, but I guess it was a pleasure to deny me the sky."
Ron looked back at the moon, which was now half-dark from the enveloping shadow. He didn't really know how to respond; Harry never talked much about his muggle guardians.
"Do you think that werewolves still transform during full moon eclipses?" Ron asked instead.
Harry only shrugged. "Dunno. I'd have to ask Hermione."
Ron shivered from the cold and scooted closer to Harry on the grass without really thinking about it. "What's making it disappear?"
"The Earth," Harry said. "It's passing between the sun and the moon, and the sun is casting the Earth's shadow on the moon."
Ron just nodded. He felt a little offended at the sun, but he wasn't sure why.
"Why?" Ron pondered aloud. "Why would it do that? The moon's so beautiful… It deserves to be seen."
Harry blinked. "It's not the sun's fault," he said, and Ron wondered whether or not they were still talking about the eclipse. "Most people just pay more attention to the sun because it's right there, visible and clear. The sun's just another star, you know. It's loved because it happens to be up close. Because of an accident… They can't appreciate the subtle beauty of the moon."
Ron felt Harry's fingers on his cheek, touching gently. He looked up and Harry's face was mere inches from his own, eyes bright and sad behind the glass.
"Don't let yourself be eclipsed, Ron," he said softly. "You deserve a little light too."
And then Harry closed the gap between their mouths, and they were kissing, touching, and it was perfect. Harry's mouth was softer than expected of a war hero, tongue darting out shyly to touch Ron's lips, and Ron seemed to break the shadow that had been swallowing him, feeling the light for the first time.
And it felt wonderful.
He was kissing back then, fingers threaded in Harry's dark hair. The moon overhead was coming back now, light returning the way it had left.
They broke, both flushed and perfected and flawed, and Harry just managed to whisper, "The moon's back."
Ron smiled and replied, "I know. And I wouldn't have it any other way."