So…it's been a while, hasn't it? I'm not dead, promise. I had a huge event I needed to prepare for (which was a huge success!) and some other things I needed to organise.

It's all over now, so I'll be updating all of my works!

Here's some more Harry x Ron goodness.

I do not own Harry Potter.

"Whatcha doing?" Ron approached Harry from behind as he was working on his Arythmancy work in the library.

He was situated across from Hermione.

"Mathemagics?" Ron guessed.

Harry's face flushed. He turned around to shoot Ron a withered glare,

"I told you that in confidence."
Hermione looked up from her homework.

"Mathemagics?" She repeated.

"Harry really loves math." Ron said with a grin, "When he was little, he used to call it that."

Harry let out a groan. He was never going to live that one down. And now Ron knew about it too.

"I was six." Harry murmured defensively, "And you said you wouldn't tell!"

Hermione raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by this new information.

"It's only Hermione." Ron said, "Or are you worried you might usurp Hermione's position as King of the Nerds?"

"I'll have you know," Hermione crossed her arms, "I will not abdicate my throne so easily."
The three of them burst out laughing at that, even Harry who was still a bit embarrassed at his secret being known found it funny.

Ron sat down beside Harry and took out his divination book, wanting to get it all out of the way fast.

"I was so nerdy." Harry shook his head at the memory of how he used to act.

Mathemagics was a word he'd mostly say to himself. Like numbers were truly the most magical thing in the world. Now, as he delved into arythmancy, Harry had felt himself regain that spark for the subject that he had tried to bury.

Hermione wondered if there might not be other skills the two of them were hiding.

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Another week passed by and Harry found himself in the Room of Requirements yet again with Ron. This time he was practicing violen. It was late in the evening, but still before supper. Harry was standing, sheet perched upon a music stand as he started on Miss Rose's homework. As Umbridge became more fierce, the more stressful Harry's situation became and he needed something to clear his head from all that.

Ron was sitting in a chair, listening to him practice,

"That part is legato." Ron stopped him.

"Oh, right. Thanks." Harry quickly did a double check of his sheet music to find that Ron was right.

It seemed that he'd been so involved with Harry's musical studies that he was learning a few things himself.

"Hey…" Harry began, pausing before he started playing his violin again.

He'd been thinking about this for a while. Normally he wouldn't suggest this at all.

"Do you think…we should start a defense group?" Harry asked Ron, "I mean…with Voldemort returning and Umbridge not teaching…"
He looked at Ron, hoping for his input.

Ron hummed, gently. He didn't seem to be listening absently anymore. His eyes had grown more focused and his brow had knitted together. Harry recognised that look. It was a look Ron got when he played chess or was trying to come up with a creative solution to a problem.

"Conspiracies rarely ever work." Ron said at last, "People slip up. Umbridge is bound to get someone in trouble eventually for something nasty and then they'll leak information to her for a lighter sentence…She is torturing them in detention, after all. Anyone would want to get out of any punishment she gave them. She might even give them that as an option if she knows that they're connected to you. Any information on Harry Potter would be valuable to her right now. I think she knows that. That's probably part of the reason why she decided to use those torture sessions for detentions in the first place."
Ron seemed to drift back and forth on that thought.

Harry had noticed something the more he talked to Ron. Before, he'd always asked for Hermione's input on things and hardly ever Ron's. Ron was incredibly smart. Harry hadn't even realized until then just how many dimensions his thoughts seemed to have.

The more he got Ron's input, the more Harry felt he learned about the world around him in general. Some of Ron's observations had probably saved him already. They'd saved him from the dementors and from a terrible length of time spent in loneliness.

"When he makes his return public, a lot of people will be in danger." Harry murmured.

Ron let out a sigh.

Why was it that Harry always thought about other people and never about himself?

"There is a solution." Ron said softly.

"There…is?" Harry wondered.

Ron nodded,

"We'll teach each other."
"What?"
"Seriously." Ron said, "Strategically, it makes the most sense. Voldemort will target you. He's shown no interest in using anyone against you as leverage so far. He's taking a more direct approach."
"What does that mean?" Harry wondered.

"It means that…at least for this year, it makes the most sense to put our time into teaching each other." Ron explained, "I'll teach you some muggle fighting and you can teach me defense against the dark arts."

Harry sat up,

"Me!?"

He didn't understand.

"I'm not sure I'm that good…"
"You are though, Harry." Ron insisted, "You've got the top defense grade in our class. Heck! You even beat Hermione the last two years."
"What? I did?" Harry appeared baffled by this new information.

Ron smirked,

"You mean you didn't know? Hermione was complaining about it to me at the end of last year and the year before. She got really silent around you. I think she was quite jealous."
"What? Hermione? Jealous?" It didn't really compute.

Ron shrugged his shoulders casually, enjoying Harry's reaction, though honestly wondering how he hadn't known earlier.

"You're a talented person, Harr. I'm not sure if you realize that. Furthermore, a lot of what you've done is way beyond what most wizards have done. Even the really old ones. There are very few who can say they faced a basilisk."
"But, that was just luck and I had Fawks's help. The sorting hat too." Harry denied.

"You fought acromantula."
"Fat lot of good I was. We got saved by your dad's car." Harry reminded him.

"Voldemort himself."
"Well…that was still luck mostly." Harry shifted.

"There's only so lucky a person can be, Harry. Don't you get that?" Ron asked him seriously, "I mean, maybe there was some luck involved. But to have lived this long…you've got scary talent. I know you have incredible reflexes too. You just…know what to do. I can kind of see that when you play quidditch. There's a spark of…something in you."

Harry felt his face heat up under Ron's praises.

"Thanks." He said quietly.

He wasn't sure he fully believed him, but…

"And I think we can hone those skills." Ron licked his lips.

Uh oh, Harry thought. It was that same look again.

"I'm not sure if we can defeat Voldemort." Ron said, "But…but please? Could we practice? Just the two of us? I just…I know we'll see him again and…any preparation would be good, wouldn't it?"

"I…I suppose." Harry drew in a deep breath.

Hadn't this been what he'd wanted in the first place? Harry met his boyfriend's eyes. He felt his heart flutter. Those eyes were portraying love and a little bit of fear.

"You're right." Harry said, knowing that his own emotions mirrored those of Ron's.

He was afraid of Voldemort taking him away from him too. He was afraid that Ron might be taken away from him in this war and he'd never see him again.

He wondered if maybe that was his worst fear now. He'd learned to face the dementors, but Ron…how could he face that?

It made their love that much more dangerous.