Chapter 1 – L-O-V-E

Opening the front door, Harry was about to call out a greeting before he heard the loud music coming from the kitchen. Grinning, he shut the door quietly and tiptoed in to catch a glimpse of Ron's performance. Going home was Harry's favourite thing to do. Even if he was having a brilliant day where everything was running smoothly and he didn't want to leave or he had had a horrendous bollocking and was bringing paperwork back with him along with a stinging pride; he would stride down the hallway into the kitchen and feel better seeing that cheerful face usually attached to a jiggling body. Harry still had reluctant memories of the Yule Ball and was bemused every time he compared that completely unenthusiastic Ron to the one who was constantly bouncing around the kitchen or the living room or even his bedroom.

L! is for the way you look, at me.

It was Hermione's fault, she had shown Ron 'Saturday Night Fever' and he hadn't shut up about John Travolta since. He was often teased for having a crush on the dancer, as much as he had been teased for being in awe of Victor Krum, but despite the initial gangly quality to his 'moves' he was getting better. Or at least Harry thought so. Ginny and Hermione would still giggle whenever they caught him at it, but Harry liked how free he was when he danced, how he let go of his inhibitions and doubts, just letting go. Harry envied him that and genuinely thought that Ron was finally getting the hang of the whole thing.

He liked Ron's performances so much that last Christmas he'd bought Ron an iPod, knowing Ron would be fascinated with it as well as use it incessantly. He was completely right. In fact, he had almost become angry at the damn thing because it was constantly on loud unless he insisted on a quiet night of reading or finishing papers. Well, he would only complain when he was in a bad mood; Ron seemed to work better with some music in the background and Harry would end up grinning as he caught his flatmate's toe tapping out of the corner of his eye.

O! is for the only one for me.

On this particular evening, he paused at the kitchen door, happy with his flatmate's obvious good mood but slightly nervous as he was going to tell Ron about his new girlfriend. He'd been trying to soften Ron up over the past few days by subtly reiterating how important their friendship was to him. It was true, but he was saying it a lot more than usual, dropping hints that he wouldn't want to ruin their friendship for anything, not even someone else. He wouldn't be surprised if Ron had figured it out, he'd been layering it on quite thick. Poking his head round the door, Harry grinned further as indeed Ron was wiggling as he flipped something in a pan, his heart lifted further as he recognised the song.

V! Is very, very, extraordinary…

A love song! Harry was hopeful that this meant Ron had finally found someone worth singing about. He had worried about Ron ever since his sudden and irrevocable break-up with Hermione. It had surprised everyone and still confused him as they both claimed it was mutual but never provided solid reasons. He had been slightly disappointed because he'd thought the pair perfect for each other, but then when they'd remained friends and Hermione had found a fantastic boyfriend it hadn't seemed so bad. He thought that Ron deserved someone amazing as well; he was the most fantastic man he knew after all, his first and best friend. Turning mid-word, the red-head saw him and hardly missed a beat, grinning into the next phrase, carrying on his dancing. Giving in to that incredible smile, Harry started singing along.

"E! Is even more than anyone that I adore." Jiggling, they laughed at each other as Ron served up and they sat down to eat; Ron turned the song off and rubbed his palms, eyes shining with something Harry didn't have the nerves to interpret. Harry, still unsure as how to break the news, began asking Ron about his day.

"Oh it was pretty average. Johnson was on my back about that piece on the Tornadoes' new trainer though." He shook his head. "How many times do I have to say it? I have to wait for confirmation from the lawyers about…" Harry was lost in the journalist jargon but nodded along anyway, occasionally praising Ron's cooking, which had been another thing Ron had been working on since the end of the war. After the death of Fred, Mrs Weasley had been a wreck, barely even managing to get out of bed most days; the Weasley children had sprung into action, working together to fill in the gap in cooking and cleaning. Trying to keep George busy, Ron and Ginny had poked and prodded him into help with the cooking and together the three of them had provided most of the meals until Mrs Weasley had recovered enough to regain control of the kitchen. Harry had been amazed when Ron had insisted on cooking when they'd moved in together, saying he'd really enjoyed it and should pitch in as Harry was the one with the 'proper job'. Harry often frowned at this, replying that being an Auror wasn't more important than being a Quidditch reporter; Ron had laughed at that but Harry agreed with him quickly before money was brought up, there was a stark difference in their professions there.

Turning his back to Ron as he cleared the plates he breathed to start the 'I have a new girlfriend' conversation when Ron interrupted his first word.

"Harry, do you remember that party ages ago at the Lovegoods?"

As soon as that name was mentioned, Harry was on guard. Yes, he did remember. He remembered it all too well. It had been a few weeks after the end of the war when people were starting to get things back on track; re-buildings were being finished, jobs being returned to and life beginning to continue. There had been a party in the newly rebuilt Lovegood House. Harry remembered getting there, being swamped by ministers, old school friends and drink after drink before being saved by a tap on the shoulder from Ron. They'd slipped out into the grounds and found a quiet spot, talking occasionally but mainly just letting the night air breeze around them. The next thing he remembers is his clumsy arms pulling an equally drunk Ron even closer to him, Ron's soft, soft lips on his neck. Blinking as he recovered some coherent thought, he'd pulled away, mumbling and leaving a confused Ron to call after him. After an awkward morning of hangovers and avoiding the topic, Ron had just come out with it and said it had been a drunken mistake which had relieved Harry no end. He'd smiled weakly and they'd never ever mentioned it again in the three years they had lived together. Until now.

"That was a long time ago Ron." Harry had begun cautiously, looking Ron in the eye with a look that reiterated the message those years ago. For a second, pain and disappointment flickered across Ron's face before the expression cleared and he continued airily.

"Oh, it's just I ran into Mr. Lovegood today." Harry only nodded and hummed to the rest of the story; he wasn't sure why his heart was beating so furiously at the mere mention of that night, the desperate embrace, the fiery kisses. When Ron had finished speaking neither said anything else for the rest of the night. The good mood crumbling as they each retreated into themselves. Lying in bed later, Harry sighed. He would have to tell Ron tomorrow, he would have to go through all this again, he groaned into his pillow.