Authors note: I do not own Harry Potter and I make no profit from this, unless you can count sheer joy.

I'm in love with you, just not IN love with you

Pairings: eventual HP x , RWxHG

Summary: Harry comes out of the closet. Ron is insulted. Ron loves Hermione, but his pride gets in the way. Hermione now thinks Ron and Harry are both gay.

A romantic-comedy of sorts.

Harry was generally a quiet boy. He was never too loud, too boisterous, always polite and well mannered. He cared more for the people around him, than for himself.

He was also intensely private. It was not often that he would say what was bothering him, and even then the few people he trusted enough with his secrets had to pry them out of his mouth by force.

For the most part, Harry seemed to be an average teenage boy. He was moody, constantly hungry, and had even kissed a girl. It was mostly unremarkable and a saving grace as few in the media cared enough to report on it daily; of course that Skeeter woman would bug a ghost to suicide the way she refused to let some things die, but she was the only one.

For years now Harry often thought to himself of what it might be like to kiss a boy. Not much of a thought, but one that just sort of hung around in the back of his mind, appearing when he would least expect it. Rather annoying, inconvenient the way it always appeared.

Harry could be arguing with Draco Malfoy and suddenly wonder what it might be like to lunge at the blond haired boy and fall onto the floor lips locked and tongues battling for dominance.

Harry could see the himself and Oliver Wood in the locker room showers late at night, doing stuff, and the way Oliver would moan Harry's name over and over again usually left the green eyed boy gasping for breath in the middle of Binn's lecture hall.

The worst were the thoughts about his roommates.

Harry could see himself waking up at night to Neville or Seamus opening his bed curtains and sliding in between the sheets next to him. The playful way Neville would lightly scratch as Harry's bare stomach differing from the strong grip of Seamus' hand on Harry's hip.

Harry would wake up shell-shocked and feeling too embarrassed to look any of his roommates in the eyes as he quickly dressed and scurried off for breakfast in the mornings, sometimes having to return seconds after leaving the room because he had forgotten about Ron.

Ronald Weasley.

Harry was thankful for Ronald Weasley.

It did not matter what Harry thought about other boys in the safety of his own head, but Ronald Weasley was always a safe idea to turn to when the pulse began to race and breathing quickened to a pace that was unacceptable in a classroom.

Harry loved Ronald Weasley. He loved Ron like he loved Hermione. Brothers, through thick and thin.

Ron was a center, something that stood as a symbol of justice and logic in his head just as Hermione stood as a symbol of wisdom and learning.

"Ron would know what to do. Ron would be able to give me advice." Harry would think before drifting off to sleep. Ron could be irrational and quick to anger, but he was also quick to protect, and if he could be calmed down enough he had a mind for strategy and planning that was undeniably good, better than good even.

The only issue Harry had was on how to approach the issue with Ron. Hermione would probably be a more logical person to go to for help, but Harry didn't feel like having anything explained to him. He would rather just have someone who would be willing to listen, provide some advice when asked, and just generally keep that information to himself. Harry had the distinct impression that Hermione would try to set Harry on dates and such, to help Harry along on understanding himself or something equally dumb.

Nervousness and tension gripped Harry as he debated with himself.

He had not doubt that he could hold onto the information for forever, if he had to, but that was unreasonable, also incredibly stupid.

It hurt a little to hold onto it. He needed to tell someone, and tell someone that he hoped wouldn't reject him for it.

Ron's opinion also mattered slightly more than Hermione's, but that was probably due to Ron being Harry's first friend.

If Harry was going to say anything, it would have to be within the next few days, soon enough to not lose his moxy but far enough away to build up the courage for it.

He figured it was best to tell Ron after dinner.

There were several reasons behind that logic.

For starters Ron was always more lazy after eating, which meant that he had more time to think, his reactions were usually slower, he was usually slower in movement, and he might even slip into a food coma mid-sentence or conversation.

If Harry could tell Ron when he was asleep, and then even not risk Ron waking up and hearing the most important part, it would be somewhat of an accomplishment in the sense that Harry told someone, even if that person was not awake.

Harry cornered Ron after dinner like he planned.

Hermione had abandoned them to go the the library and look for information for a project that was coming up later on in the month.

"Bloody mental" had been Ron's response after Hermione tried to bring them with her and had left, with a rather agitated air about her.

After that the walk back to Gryffindor tower was slow, and on Harry's part, methodical.

It was still too early for curfew and as long as Ron and he continued on a path that seemed to lead to something important, and not too suspicious of behavior, they would be fine.

Harry gulped a bit as they took a passage behind a portrait that was rarely used, if even known about.

The nerves were suddenly too much for Harry as he stopped walking and slid down the wall, resting his forehead against his knees, arms wrapped around the back of his head.

It wasn't surprising for him to feel Ron slide down the wall and sit next to him, sides touching with his arm over Harry's bent over back.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine."

Harry lifted his head and turned to smile at Ron, his face dimly illuminated from the lumos cast with Ron's wand.

"Ron... I'm gay." Harry's voice was barely more than a whisper.

Ron blinked, then smiled back at Harry. "How long have you known?" The arm remained firmly on Harry's back, a comfort.

"For more than a while now." Ron nodded while in thought.

"So..." Ron started talking slowly, a bit uncertain about what to say, " So what. You like guys more than you like girls. Big deal. Percy, that arrogant ass, he's gay. That doesn't make me think any less of him, though he is still an arrogant ass."

Harry took a ragged breath and laughed. He felt so much lighter now, better too. Ron joined in on laughing.

"So, you like boys. Any one in particular that I should know about? Someone I need to threaten? Don't laugh Harry. I take this type of news seriously. Just imagine, now I not only have to look out for Ginny, but for you as well! I am going to have to seriously brush up on my dueling skills because as it is I have to fight both Ginny and her date every other weekend, but now I have to fight whoever you're going to date too!" Ron let out a big breath of air like he was exhausted just thinking about it.

"So, have you told Hermione yet?" Ron rolled his wand between his hands, he was still seated next to Harry on the floor.

"No. I kind of wanted to tell you first..." Ron smiled at hearing that.

"So when do you plan on telling her?"

"Probably tonight, most likely tomorrow morning. I'm not quite sure."

"What time is it?" Ron rolled back a sleeve exposing a wrist watch. "It's pretty late now. We can go to the library and find Hermione, most likely she's alone there and then we can all walk back to the common room. As it is she wanders off by herself too much..."

Harry laughed. "Why are you so worried Ron? Hermione's a big girl, or are you scarred that a big, bad boy will go and steal you Hermione away?"

"Shut up." Ron pouted and pushed Harry until he was laying sideways on the floor. Harry was crying from laughing so hard. There was no doubt in Harry's mind that Ron was feeling a bit jealous about a certain Ravenclaw boy that was seen trying to get Hermione's attention in the hallways, in the Great Hall, in the library, pretty much everywhere Hermione was. Harry let Ron help him up off the floor and the two of them walked towards the library.

Once there they were a bit surprised to find Hermione sitting at a table across from someone. It was late and, save for Madame Prince, Hermione was generally in here by herself.

"Oh there you guys are. I thought you said that you weren't going to come." Hermione had open books and notes strewn across the table, in every which direction as the boy she was sitting with found it annoying to always read everything upside down.

"Oh, Harry, Ron this is James O'Mally. He's a sixth year, like us."

Ron glared at the Ravenclaw boy before taking his hand and gripping it, strongly. O'Mally flinched from the pressure and, when released, rushed to avoid Harry's hand as he quickly stopped to get his bag and shove in a bunch of papers and books, apologizing to no one in particular while he ran from the library.

Hermione did not look happy. She stood up stiffly and started gathering her things, not saying anything. Ron looked to Harry with an expression that said to say something, but Harry shook his head no and pursed his lips together in a show of how much he was not going to talk.

"So, uhmm... Hermione. Harry has something to tell you. Don't you Harry?" Harry shook his head no as Hermione looked at him.

"I don't have anything important to say."

"Yes you do Harry." At this point the Trio was alone in the hallway and going through the passage Harry and Ron had already been in.

"No I don't."

"Hermione, Harry's gay and doesn't want to say right now so I'm saying it for him. Harry Potter likes boys. Even finds me attractive."

"No I don't."

"What do you mean you don't? Who wouldn't find me attractive?" Ron was now walking backwards in front of Hermione and Harry, not watching where he was going and fell flat onto his back. Hermione and Harry laughed.

"That is so cold." Ron stared up at the ceiling as Harry and Hermione continued walking past him, having their own conversation.

Poor Ron. Expect an update within the month. I already have chapter two halfway written but I need to start studying for my finals!

Review please.