Snow Coloured Glasses

Disclaimer: Whatever. I own nothing, and if I did, half the characters would be in love with Ron.

Author's Note: For my queen, Madhuri, who ordered that she wanted more Ron/Harry cute hotness. ;D Plus, we both came up with the whole idea in IM one night, using short sentences for an outline. And thanks to Tas for beta-ing. ^_^

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Snow.

It really wasn't the most spectacular or extraordinary of things to happen at this time of year, and there certainly wasn't anything particularly magical about it, not when it happened at a real, truly magical school.

But it was snow. Powdery and soft, white and nearly blinding when the sun was up, covering everything in its path and casting a cozy festive glow. It was the Christmas holidays, and nearly everyone was gone except Harry and Ron. Harry, for obvious reasons, and Ron for the same reason he always had – to insure that Harry was not alone. Hermione had been guilt tripped into returning home. And the snow, the snow was outside, bright and fluffy and waiting for its smooth canvas to be marred by two happy boys.

"Get the hell up, Harry!" Ron contemplated just pulling the other boy right off the bed, and he was about to do it, when Harry squinted his eyes open.

"Hermione? That you? I can't imagine anyone else waking me up on a holiday, especially not Ron."

Ron laughed sarcastically. "Yes, clever. Come on. It snowed last night, we're practically the only two people here, and we're going to go enjoy it."

"Is there a reason we have to do this now, and not.. any time later?"

"The snow may have melted by then, get dirty." Ron ignored Harry's 'it's consistently freezing here, I doubt it'll melt, stupid' look and leapt onto the bed. "Get up! Honestly, and people assume I'm the one who sleeps all day." He punctuated every other word with a bounce, and Harry was moaning as if he were being tortured.

"All right, all right! Get off!" Harry sat up – a magnificent feat indeed thanks to the mattress shaking – and shoved Ron off the bed.

"Ow. Trying to get my legs broken won't get you out of this, Potter." Ron clambered to his feet and threw Harry's clothes in his face. "Hurry, will you?"

"Right. The snow may melt in the next ten minutes."

"You're very sarcastic in the morning, I realise. See, I normally don't know this, as I'm usually asleep. I should tell Hermione that I learn more when there aren't even classes!" Ron grinned almost cheekily and flopped onto his own bed.

Once Harry dressed, they left for a quick breakfast, which Harry had had to talk Ron into.

"You know, I don't remember you being so excited about snow before," Harry commented before biting into a piece of toast dripping with marmalade.

Ron shrugged. "I've always liked the snow. Seems different this year, though. More special. I just.. think we should enjoy it." He didn't add the words 'while we can', and hoped it wasn't obvious that was what he meant. Ron thought it very important that he – and Hermione – get in as much 'Harry time' as possible.

When the last bite was chewed and the last bit of pumpkin juice drank, Ron announced that they were to go outside. Harry rolled his eyes at the dramatics and said he knew this; Ron had only been going on about it since he was rudely awoken.

"Oh, damn." Ron stopped short right outside the Great Hall. "Forgot my scarf. I never forget that, that's odd.."

Harry sighed. "I'll get it." He jogged towards Gryffindor Tower before Ron could object. Well. That was odd as well. Ron shrugged to himself; it wasn't that big a deal, they were friends after all. Probably he just figured Ron would take too long.

Soon enough, Harry returned, not the slightest bit out of breath.

"Here," he said, and wrapped the gold and scarlet scarf loosely around Ron's neck. Their eyes locked, and they smiled at each other warmly before the obligatory awkwardness kicked in, and they looked away. Ron cleared his throat and announced yet again to head for the snow. 

They stepped outside, their feet crunching into the powder and leaving dirty shoe prints. The weather was nice; not too bitingly cold, and the sun helped to warm the tops of their heads.

Ron kneeled and gathered some snow in his gloved hands, testing to see if it would stick. It did, so he packed some together. Harry shot a suspicious glare at him, and Ron insisted it wasn't a snowball. Instead, they were to make a snowman.

"A snowman?" Harry sounded funny, a mix of amusement and mocking and something else Ron couldn't name.

"And what's so wrong with that? It can watch over Hogwarts." They both had a laugh at that, and then Harry shrugged and knelt next to Ron to help.

The snowman was leaning slightly to the left, and the sticks and rocks they found for its arms and facial features were mismatched and off kilter. Ron and Harry stood, their breathing causing little cloud-like puffs, and then Ron turned and snatched Harry's glasses off.

"Hey! Okay, now I can't see."

Ron grinned and put the round glasses on the snowman's head. Then he took his own scarf and wound it around the 'neck'. As a final touch, he drew a lightening bolt on the spot that would be its forehead. With a dramatic flourish, he cried, "Potty the Snowman!"

He was still snickering to himself when a snowball hit him in the back of his head and proceeded to drip coldly down his un-scarved neck.

He swore and whirled around to see Harry smiling smugly. "Well, I guess my eyes are better than I thought; I hit the target perfectly."

With that, the war was on. Within seconds, it seemed, both boys were soaked to the skin, but not at all cold; they were too busy rushing around, jumping, ducking. Ron sneaked up behind Harry and shoved a snowball down his shirt. Harry managed to tackle Ron to the ground, successfully earning Ron a face full of the white stuff.

Ron turned over and scowled at Harry's laughing. "I'm starting to suspect how bad your eyes actually are. You've hit me more times than I can count, all without those oh-so-attractive specs." He lunged, taking Harry down so now they were reversed.

"Attractive, eh?" Was it just Ron, or did Harry appear to be blushing? Of course, red faces are to be expected while in this sort of weather, but Ron would have sworn Harry was blushing. He decided to play along.

"Very attractive. Extremely, I'd say." Yes, he was definitely blushing. But then, now so was Ron. "I mean, look at the snowman wearing them. How sexy is that?" Harry blinked up at him and then burst into slightly manic sniggers. Then he pulled on Ron's shoulder to make him fall the rest of the way to the ground. By doing this, Ron was now sprawled half on top of him.

They stared at each other, their faces a bit closer than they were used to.

"Er.. nice view?" Harry finally stammered, and promptly turned brighter red. "Erm, I didn't mean any--"

"Yeah, I got it, Harry." More staring. Ron supposed he really ought to move. "The view isn't all that bad, actually.." Why on earth had he said that?

"Even without the attractive specs?" Harry smiled; his eyes were extremely green, Ron noticed. He had obviously noticed before, but he had never been this close before, and – had Harry just flirted back to him? They were flirting? They don't flirt. They were best friends, best mates, they both liked other girls and why was he trying to convince himself so much when Harry obviously didn't seem to care?

It was getting really cold. Ron instinctively moved a little closer to Harry for warmth, and there was no turning back now, there really wasn't.

Harry's lips were slightly chapped, and nearly frozen, but Ron rationalised that his own probably were as well. In fact, if the situation weren't so unusual and amazing in its existence he would have laughed picturing their mouths sticking together when they tried to part. It wouldn't have happened anyway; their breath and body heat and the simple and wonderful friction soon warmed their lips, and god, Harry's were so soft now.

As is the case with most things, the kiss ended. Ron's eyes opened, and Harry was staring back at him with a strangely vulnerable expression, most likely because of the lack of glasses.

Ron's face grew very hot very fast and he scrambled as quickly as possible to put distance between Harry and him. They sat in the snow, awkward silence to end all awkward silences, and then they spoke in unison,

"I'm sorry—I can't believe I—it was the snow—don't be angry--"

More silence.

Ron sighed. "Bugger. I can't believe this." Harry's unhidden eyes turned confused, and Ron continued. "It's just.. that was really random. Quite sudden. Right. Didn't you..? It didn't seem that way to you? Oh, god, I'm such an idiot."

"No, Ron. It was kind of sudden. Doesn't mean I never thought about it before."

Ron had been about to curse himself with words again, but his brain turned to mush. "Wha-what? You have? Really? With.. me." Harry nodded; Ron's face grew warm yet again. "Wow."

Harry seemed to take this, and the slow smile that was forming on Ron's face, as proof that he was okay with it all, and he moved to sit a bit closer.

"Actually.. since I suppose I don't need to keep this secret anymore," Ron said with a snort of laughter, "I've thought about it as well. With you, I mean." Harry smiled, a rare full smile that always succeeded in making Ron's whole week. "'Course, I've also thought about it with Hermione.."

Seconds later, a snowball was crushed down into Ron's shirt.

Soon the sky went darker, the air became frostier, and the two boys were shivering slightly. The day had finished, and more had come from it than either of them would have ever dreamed to imagine.

Making their way to the common room, they shrugged off their wet cloaks and scarves, kicked off their shoes and socks, and collapsed in front of the warm blazing fire.

"It'd be smarter to go upstairs and change," Harry commented.

"Sure. I'll wait here a bit, though." Ron nonchalantly (so he thought) inched his way over on the rug, so that he was very near indeed to Harry. The other boy turned to him and smiled almost shyly before leaning back to lie down. Ron did the same.

They hadn't really talked about it. They probably should before doing anything else, it'd be right smart of them, and responsible, and good in the long run. It really would, Ron scolded himself even as he scooted closer still, and now their arms were touching from shoulders to wrists. One tiny movement more and their hands would be together. Ron was half disgusted with himself; he was thinking like such a.. girl! This was Harry. Who was also another boy. Who thought boy thoughts and did boy things and.. thought about kissing him before. 

"All right. That is it."

Harry jumped a bit at Ron's sudden outburst. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just sick of thinking thoughts like Hermione – er, or some girlier girl – are supposed to have about their boyfriends." Harry went both pale and red at this, but Ron didn't pay any attention. "Right. Now that that's said, I really want to kiss you again."

It was practically a collision between them. Their mouths didn't want to separate for more time than was necessary for breathing, and they were clumsy at first, touches unknowing where to land. Harry slid a hand slowly, uncertainly, under the front of Ron's jumper, and Ron's body began to react. The small rational part of his brain told him to back off, the rest of his brain flicked Rational-Brain off, and Ron's hips bucked ever so slightly into Harry's.

"Oh, god. Ron.." Harry's hand scraped slightly on Ron's stomach; Ron gave a quiet moan into the corner of Harry's mouth.

And then Ron leapt back, away. Away from Harry.

"Okay. Shall we at least try to.."

"Yeah. Right. We should.." Harry nodded.

In unspoken agreement, they both stood and sat in opposite chairs. Ron pushed the sleeves of his jumper up past his elbows, and gave Harry a sheepish grin. "Got hot."

They sat in comfortable silence until they each began to nod off. Then it was time to go upstairs. Upstairs, where there were beds, and no other people. This would be difficult, and called for more patience than Ron had. He smirked to himself as he followed Harry sleepily up the steps.

It was an extraordinary day, after all.

End.

2nd author's note: The sentences mentioned above ;) -- Ron forgets his scarf and Harry goes to get it and puts it on for him. snowman building for old times sake. stick Harry's glasses on it and call it Potty the snowman. snowball fight. roll about in snow. smooch. warming in front of fire. cuddling. smooch again just because.