Title: Jealous
Rating: K+ (for now)
Word count this chapter: 2,248 (not including A/Ns)
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Warnings: Slash, Bi!Harry, slight AU
Summary this chapter: What would have changed about Harry, had he met a certain person at the young, open-minded age of seven?
A/N: This is the first installment of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition! Basically, a whole load of people signed up for a team and position. Once all the spots were filled, the judges created the first challenge. There is a different writing challenge for each team member, and each week you compete with a different team. It should be really fun, and the fact that I'm writing for a competition won't affect the story itself in any way. Basically every other week, a chapter will be added to this story. It will be a series of unconnected oneshots. Enjoy and please comment! It's my first time writing slash. (P.S- Go Cannons!)

Team: Chudley Cannons
Position: Beater 2
Pairing: Harry x Ron (romantic pairing)
Optional Prompts Used: -Song; Jealousy by Will Young- -Quote; 'Sometimes your life boils down to one insane move.' -Avatar-.

Harry Potter, growing up, was the 'different' boy. He was the one with skinny legs, the kind of skinny you found on spindly chairs. His knees knocked together. His cheekbones jutted out. His clothes were too large (but that was his aunt and uncle's fault). His round glasses were taped together like the nerds on television, the ones that got their lunch money taken and their heads shoved into toilets when trying to use the loo. He slept in a cupboard.

He was the odd one out for many reasons, but above all, it was his scar. His lightning-shaped scar that was near impossible to hide completely. But even if he managed to conceal said scar, maybe with gel, his hair would spring back up anyway. Unruly. All the kids knew about it anyway.

There were other strange things about Harry Potter too. Like how, when Dudley was chasing him, he'd appear on the school roof. Everyone thought Harry was too weird for his own good. No one suspected an act of real magic.

Your average person had many valid reasons to think of Harry Potter as an oddball. But there was one ultimate reason that ensured everyone's aversion to Harry; that was Dudley's gang. Or specifically, cousin Dudley himself. No one wanted to argue with Dudley's gang. At age seven, Dudley could knock out anyone his age. Nobody was mad enough to take that risk, even if they did feel bad for the sickly skinny boy with the strange scar and the large glasses.

So, there you have it. Nobody stood up for him.

Except for one person.

Dudley didn't even notice; but Dudley was never the most perceptive, was he?

Harry wasn't really the type to talk to people, or make friends, at school. He read library books and sometimes smuggled Dudley's comics out of his room when the dunce was busy eating, bullying children with his friends, or watching TV. Once Dudley caught him with his favourite Amazing Spiderman comic book and Harry walked away with a throbbing cheek.

No, boys didn't stick up for Harry. There was only one, and his name was Benjamin Harris. 'Bennie', the kids at school called him.

Bennie was inquisitive about Harry's books, about his life. He wanted to know more about the boy under the cupboard, about his adventure books, who his favourite superheroes were. He was nice to everybody, so no one could really be properly mean to him; except the evil Dudley, of course. Bennie didn't take insults though. That was the thing. That was why Harry was jealous of him, or maybe admired him a little.

With Bennie around, Harry felt safer. He felt like he couldn't be hurt by Dudley's gang. But at the same time, he felt confused. No one had ever taken a liking to him before. There had to be an ulterior motive. There had to be something up with Bennie. There wasn't any other reason for him to be so friendly.

It made Harry feel a bit sad, because he was only seven and he couldn't trust anyone. Not even the one boy who promised to be his friend and help him become a superhero one day.

One day, Harry was hiding in the library. Dudley was in a particularly foul mood after having his computer privileges taken away, and had decided to take things out on his cousin. There wasn't really a better target. He was sitting, nestled behind an awfully uncomfortable bookshelf. It bothered him, but it didn't bother him more than having to outrun his cousin. The library was quiet. But Harry should have known his peace wouldn't last long.

"'Arry," A voice called softly. It's was Bennie's easily distinguishable Lancashire accent, drifting through the library. "'Arry, you weren't outside, so I came looking." Bennie sat cross-legged beside him, flicking red hair out of his face.

Harry smile ruefully. "You heard about my cousin? How my aunt and uncle took his computer time away?"

"Yis," Nodded Bennie.

"He's in a right foul mood and he's taking out on me." Harry looked around secretively, as though Dudley might creep up on him and pounce.

"Brilliant!" Bennie's eyes lit up. "We're like spies, 'Arry! From your books! Hiding from the bad guys!" Beaming, he shuffled closer. "Don't worry. Dudley's not laying a finger on you! You're the most valuable spy of the lot!"

"Why?" Frowned Harry, keeping his voice down.

"Cause you're small, like," Said Bennie, holding his fingers close together to prove a point. "And you've got a cool scar."

"You're small, too," Laughed Harry before frowning and bursting out, "Why are you so nice to me, Bennie? No one else is!"

Bennie frowned. "I like you. Isn't that allowed?"

"No," replied the green-eyed boy, pouting. "It's just that it's unusual, and you've got no reason to. I don't get it! Why don't you go play with the normal people?"

Bennie's brow furrowed. And then suddenly, he leaned over and pressed his soft child's lips right onto Harry's cheek, fleetingly, hastily. "Because I just do. I don't want to play with the normal people." The bell went, and his cheeks flushed red. "I'll see you around, 'Arry."

He didn't know why, but his cheek was still tingling and he could still hear his name on Bennie's lips.

For a few days, it was slightly uncomfortable. Harry thought kissing was for boys and girls. Why did Bennie kiss him?

He missed not having a friend, though.

"Bennie," He asked tentatively one day. "You never told me who your favourite superhero was."

Bennie looked up, disregarding the question. "I'm moving away, 'Arry. Back to Lancashire."

Many emotions went through Harry at once, far too many for a seven year-old. "Why?"

"We 'ave family there. Stupid family. I've got you as my friend, that's all I need."

"Oh," Harry mumbled, the thought of his only friend leaving unbearable.

On the day Bennie left, he met Harry behind the school, gave him a hug and an action figure. "Have fun in Lancashire," Said Harry, "With your family."

"You were a good friend, 'Arry. I'll miss you," Said Bennie. And with that, he leaned right over, and gave him a kiss straight on the mouth.

The kiss was far too quick for anything other than shock to register. So that was his only emotion until Bennie ran away, calling, "See you later, 'Arry!"

Harry didn't see Bennie again, but he always hoped he might.

He tried to forget about Bennie. For the years following, those two kisses were his deepest secret. But every day, he felt his life get darker and darker as Dudley laughed at him over and over again. He thought about Bennie growing up with some other boy or girl. It made him jealous to the point where some nights, a tear would escape his eye. Other times, when the days were particularly hard, jealousy suffocated him to the point where he almost couldn't breathe.

Life was too dark for such a young boy, but finding out he was a wizard; that became Harry's light.

Still, that fateful night when Hagrid showed up, Harry kept thinking how Bennie would have loved to hear he was a wizard.

The first thing Harry noticed about Ronald Weasley was his bright red hair.

Ron couldn't seem to fathom why Harry would take such an interest to him. There were so many other kids around, ones who weren't poor and didn't have five brothers to live up to. Still, he didn't mind the attention. It wasn't as though he'd ever gotten much of it in his life.

Ron reminded Harry of Bennie in many more ways than one. He was interested to hear about Harry's life. He talked, awestruck, about heroes of the wizarding world; one of which was Harry himself, as he found out. Harry liked Ron lots. He drew so many parallels to his lost childhood friend.

When Harry got sorted into Gryffindor, he thought Bennie would have been a Gryffindor too. He was brave to move away. He was brave to kiss a boy. But he tried to forget about Bennie. Hogwarts was a new part of his life. He was leaving the past behind.

Classes were hard. But they made Harry happy; while Dudley was in Maths, he was learning how to transform objects. While Uncle Vernon was at work, he was practising Charms. He found it funny when Ron made mistakes in class; but Ron thought the whole thing was comical too so it was alright to laugh. Harry figured Bennie would be the same way… every day was a struggle to forget about the past and focus on the future.

Harry was happy to become friends with Hermione. She brought with her homework help, a girl's opinion, a fiercely loyal friendship and sarcastic comments to last a lifetime.

The end of year one brought fear and excitement into Harry's life. Facing Voldemort with his two best friends, and then all alone, made him stronger than he ever imagined. It made him love his friends more than he thought it could. In the summer everything from Harry's muggle life came flooding back. He would watch television over Dudley's shoulder until Aunt Petunia gave him a light rap on the head, reminding him to get back to his chores. He would stare at the ceiling or out the window. He endured taunts from Dudley and his gang, remembering when Bennie was there to stick up for him. Aside from a strange encounter with a house-elf and visiting the Burrow, his life was back to 'normal'.

Second year brought more frightening adventures. Harry grew to (platonically) like Ginny, Ron's little sister, and her bright red hair, after that year.

In third year Harry learned about a long-lost family member; his godfather, who, albeit being on the run, would give him the reassurance of having a trusted adult.

It wasn't until fourth year, however, that Harry realised something. The boys around him were starting to take an interest in girls. Ron often stared enviously at Hermione, bent over her work, and was furious about Krum. Dean Thomas seemed almost sweet on Parvati and Seamus Finnigan was always staring at Lavender. Sometimes Harry caught himself gazing at Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw girl, but he never properly thought about dating her.

But no matter what, his thoughts always went back to Bennie and the two secret kisses that had been placed on Harry's cheek, then lips. And no matter how much Harry tried to think about girls - like all his friends did – all that came to mind was how Ron and Bennie were so much alike.

Fifth year brought a change in character to Harry. He had seen his classmate die. He'd been part of a direct Dementor attack. He was different. Angry sometimes, or resentful.

When Cho Chang kissed Harry under the mistletoe, wet eyes and all, nothing stirred inside of him. He'd been kissed before, by a different type of person, and it felt different.

A whole year later, Harry watched Ron with Lavender and experienced something completely familiar. He felt a suffocating jealousy, a jealousy to the point where it took all he had not to throw and break something. He realised, one night in his room, that he was jealous of what Lavender had, not of what Ron had. He cared about Ron in the same way he cared about Bennie.

Harry was sure this wasn't something superficial. This was not his brain missing his childhood friend. There were many things he'd come to appreciate about Ron; the way he procrastinated, got nervous before Quidditch matches, and swore frequently.

So when everything hit Harry, like bricks dropping down on his head, he knew he had to do something. He thought about what Bennie would have done, because he always admired Bennie.

That was a simple answer. Bennie would have let Ron know exactly how he felt. Insane, yes. But maybe necessary.

One night, Ron was complaining about Lavender and the copious amounts of Sixth-Year homework. Harry was watching, pondering what he should do. If he should explain to Ron exactly how he felt, or keep quiet.

But he was convinced that sometimes the wild decisions were the better ones. That sometimes, your life boils down to one insane move.

And so, alone in the Gryffindor common room, Harry leaned over and briefly kissed Ron, smack on his lips, before promptly getting up and retreating to his dormitory.

(Because he really couldn't bear to find out Ron's reaction.)

Harry expected Ron to say nothing if he didn't feel 'that way' about him. He expected him to tell him if he did.

He guessed right; Ron made no mention of The Kiss to Harry. Shortly after, he broke things off with Lavender.

Hermione would feel tension between them for the weeks to come but never once said anything besides 'are you two fighting?'

He wasn't completely sure why he began to date Ginny. Perhaps to make himself forget about all past feelings he'd had for other boys, or because she reminded him of Ron.

Ron and Hermione married, as did Harry and Ginny. It was almost to be expected.

Some nights, Harry still felt that jealousy pressing down on him; that jealousy for what Hermione had.

And he never, ever forgot about a seven year-old muggle redhead who changed his perspective on life.