Prompt: heart

And my thoughts are digging in the backyard; my roots have grown but I don't know where they are.

It was incredibly difficult to stay awake for an eleven year old Harry Potter.

The night before he was due to leave Hogwarts for the summer, and all he wanted to do was stay up, to enjoy as much of his real home as he could, and yet his eyes kept closing of their own accord. He groaned - what he thought was quietly, but when Ron Weasley sat down next to him a few seconds later, he realized it must have been louder than he meant.

"Sorry - did I wake you?" Ron shook his head, rubbing his eyes.

"I was awake. Can't get to sleep." Harry laughed. "It's kind of the opposite for me. I want to stay awake but it's getting harder."

Ron studied his best friend's profile as he stared out their dormitory window. "Why do you want to stay awake? It's pretty late, Harry."

"But if I go to bed, that means that the next time I'm awake it'll be time to leave. And then I'll be back with the Dursleys. The longer I stay awake, the longer I can prolong seeing Uncle Vernon's vein pop out for a whole summer."

Ron sniggered, even though he didn't find it that funny - his best friend dreading summer so much. "Harry - you know you can come stay with me. Or Hermione, but I reckon that'd be so boring you'd be even more tired than you are now."

Harry shrugged. "Dumbledore said I have to go to the Dursleys', at least for a few weeks. It'll be terrible - I'll miss you and Hermione and Fred and George - I might even miss Percy."

Ron adopted a faux serious expression. "Harry James Potter, the second you start to miss Percy, you go admit yourself to St. Mungo's right away."

Harry looked at him oddly. "St. Who?" Ron shook his head.

"Never mind. Anyway, Harry, you know my mum always used to say that you can always find the people you miss in your heart."

Harry snorted, trying to hold back any louder laughter for fear of waking up his dorm mates. "Ron, that is such a -"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But I mean - if you get awfully Hogwarts-sick, then just pretend that you're back here. Or read your History of Magic book and pretend it's Binns putting you to sleep. Or act like Hermione's lecturing you again - honestly, I can hear her voice right now."

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, I think we might have to admit you to St. Mango's, for hearing voices!"

Ron cuffed Harry around the ear. "Prat. It's Mungo's, not Mango's. Anyway, you know what I mean. Get some sleep, mate."

"Yeah. Hey - thanks, Ron."

For what would not be the last time, Ron was struck by how sad his best friend really was, and how much he concealed it. "Any time."

They take away the lonely days for now.

Okay, so canon-wise I'm pretty sure that 1) Harry had no idea he would be able to visit the Burrow before Ron and the twins showed up at his bedroom window and 2) he had never heard of St. Mungo's before GoF or OotP, but just pretend that this was a sleepy conversation that he never remembered the minute details of.

This was oddly sweet. I like Ron and Harry's friendship - they really mutilated that in the movies, I think.

The song is Cats and Dogs by the Head and the Heart.

Thank you for reading (and putting up with my excessive use of hyphens)!
xx Ella