"Is there anything you need before I go do my chores, Harry?" I ask, poking my head into my bedroom. I blink once or twice; I love the way my room looks, but I have to admit that the sudden burst of bright orange takes a moment to get used to after looking at the rest of The Burrow.
Harry peeks out from underneath the mountain of covers piled on my bed. The first word that comes to mind to describe him is pitiful. Cute, but still pitiful.
He opens his mouth as though to say something, then waves me over instead. His throat must hurt. I shrug, walk into the room, and sit on the edge of my bed.
The moment I'm within reach, Harry grabs me and pulls me down, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. Within a few seconds I'm lying on the bed next to him, and his lips are over mine.
His mouth tastes like chicken soup and toothpaste, a far cry from its normal flavor of chocolate and Every Flavor Beans, and I'm reminded of just why I'm not supposed to be kissing him right now.
"You know, I'm going to get sick too if you keep making requests like this," I tell him as we pull apart and fill our lungs with warm, welcome air. "When I ask if there's anything you need, I'm thinking more along the lines of something to eat or drink, not a game of tonsil-hockey."
He shrugs and grins impishly. "Well then, I guess you should ask if I'd like some tea or crackers, and not leave it to me to figure out just what you're asking. After all, I'm sick and delusional; there's no telling how my mind will work from one moment to the next!"
I roll my eyes and scoot off the bed, stretching to get the kinks out of my back. "Harry, you're bad enough every day, but when you're sick, I think you work at being an annoying little git."
"Maybe I do," he agrees with a smirk.
"I also think that you actually like being sick."
"Not really, although it does has a few benefits… It's more the fact that your parents aren't home, and I don't trust anyone else in this house to use a spell to get rid of my cold."
I pout a little, mostly for show. "Oh, so now you don't trust me?"
"Oh, I trust you, Ron… I just don't trust your home remedy spells. George and Fred would probably turn me into a frog or something, and Ginny… Well, actually, I think I do trust Ginny, but having you take care of me is a lot more fun than going to your little sister for help."
As much as I hate to admit it, he does have a point… "Okay, Harry, you win… this time. Now, is there anything else you want?"
"How about for you to come lay down with me?" he suggests, looking up at me and smiling cutely. With a not-so-unhappy sigh I do as he requests; after all, I can always finish my chores later, just as long as the house is still in good shape when Mother gets back.
Harry scoots over on the bed to make enough room for me, and I lightly clutch one of his shoulders for support so that I'm not as likely to fall off. This bed was made for one person, not two, and while I'm not about to complain about the close quarters, it can be a bit difficult sometimes.
"Harry," I ask as a thought occurs to me. "How in Merlin's name did you manage to get a cold during the summer? We've only been out of school for a week and a half, and you're sick!"
A little frown appears on his face, making him look pretty adorable. "You know… I'm not really sure!" he admits, his eyebrows furrowing. He thinks for a while before coming up with an explanation. "Oh yeah, I know! Remember the other day when we went swimming at night? Well, I was really tired, and I fell asleep with wet hair, so maybe that's it. It's weird, though. I don't get sick very often."
I shrug and smile as he worms his way into my arms and snuggles up against my chest with a happy sigh. He's adorable, he really is. He deserves to be spoiled sometimes, considering his life and all he's done for our world, and who better than his friends to pamper him? And since it's summer vacation, and Hermione isn't here, I have to work extra hard at keeping him happy.
Seeing him happy thrills me; a smile is always better than a frown, so long as the expression's on a friendly face. Seeing happiness on Harry's face is worth whatever price I have to pay to put it there.
"It's quiet," Harry whispers after a while. He's right, I haven't heard a single sound ever since I came into the room. "Where is everyone?"
That makes me wonder. It's not that strange for Ginny to be so quiet, but for the twins, it's a miracle! You can usually hear crashes and explosions and shouts coming from the room they share, no matter what time of the day it is, so something must be up.
"I don't know. I think that Ginny said she was going outside to read, but Fred and George didn't tell me that they were leaving," I reply slowly. Now that he's mentioned it, I'm getting kind of paranoid.
As if cued by my thoughts, the door to my bedroom swings open, and I find myself staring at two very familiar red-haired figures in the doorway.