Ron Weasley hugged his arms close to his chest, shivering a little. The stands around the quidditch pitch were full of chatter and cheering. Hermione was contributing to this chatter by talking into his ear about something or another to do with her Muggle Studies class. How she found interest in being taught things she likely already knew, he didn't know. Ron watched the pitch, waiting for the teams to emerge and take flight.

"Ron? Ron, are you listening?" Hermione questioned. Ron let out a non-committal grunt. Hermione rolled her eyes, losing interest in talking to an unresponsive audience.

Suddenly the crowd around the pair went up in cheers. Ron saw the Gryffindor team walking proudly onto the pitch, red robes on and brooms in hand. Ron joined in with the rest of Gryffindor house, cheering as loud as he possibly could. He waved at Harry and Oliver, even if they couldn't see him from where they were. Ron found himself thinking that a first year sitting in front of him had the right idea. He was sporting a rather large, curious looking foam hand. If he had one of those, Oliver would see him for sure.

"And they're off!" Called a magically enhanced voice, loud enough to reach every single person in the stands. The voice was that of Lee Jordan, one of the twins' friends. Ron could see fifteen brooms raising into the air, the extra one belonging to Madam Hooch. She was refereeing the match.

"Yeah!" Ron cheered as one of his brothers beamed one of Hufflepuff's Chasers with a bludger. Gryffindor was already up twenty points. Ron watched Oliver narrowly miss blocking a goal by Hufflepuff and pouted a little.

"Good try," he whispered.

Then Ron saw it. He thought of shouting. It wouldn't have mattered. One of the Hufflepuff chasers collided with Oliver while trying to escape from a particularly feisty bludger. Oliver hadn't been expecting it. While the Hufflepuff player stayed on her broom, Oliver was stunned and couldn't regain a firm enough hold on his own. The keeper slid of his broom and fell to the ground with a thud. He wasn't moving.

"No!" Ron shouted, standing up. He attracted a few strange looks from the Gryffindors around him, including Hermione. Ron ran from his seat and started making his way out of the stands. He had to get to Oliver.

Ron was just at the bottom of the stands when the crowd roared with applause. Ron looked up and saw that Harry, clueless as to what had happened to Oliver, had caught the snitch. He was heading towards the ground. His triumphant smile disappeared when he saw Fred and George zooming towards the crumpled form of his captain.

Ron ran towards the spot where Oliver had fallen. He had already been floated onto a stretcher courtesy of one of the Professors.

"Is he all right?" Ron asked. Fred and George gave him an odd sort of look. Harry landed next to Ron just then.

"What happened?" Harry asked. The twins explained, their usual smiles replaced with worried frowns.

Ron frowned. He didn't want Oliver to be hurt. Even though he knew that Oliver would be taken to the hospital wing and fixed up in no time, he couldn't stop himself from letting out some kind of emotion.

Harry gave Ron's shoulder a pat. He was just as confused as the red-haired boy's brothers at Ron's concern for Oliver. The boys started up to the castle, walking next to Oliver's hovering stretcher.

-

Ron left the great hall early that evening, leaving most everyone still eating.

Oliver had been taken to the hospital wing. As soon as Ron was sure that the keeper was safely in a bed and being taken care of, he fled up to the boys' dormitories in Gryffindor tower to avoid questions. He'd collapsed on his four-poster, drawing the curtains tightly closed. He'd pretended to be asleep until dinner.

Ron walked through an empty corridor, his lone footsteps echoing off the walls. Somewhere in a room above him something sounded like it was being destroyed by Peeves the Poltergeist.

Ron soon found himself in front of the door to the hospital wing. He knocked softly and only had to wait a moment before the door was answered. After a small amount of pleading and begging on Ron's part, he was let in to see Oliver. He was told the injured boy had just woken for the first time since the accident.

"He'll need his rest, so only a few minutes now." Ron nodded at this instruction and sat at the side of Oliver's bed. When the two were alone, Ron reached out and squeezed Oliver's hand. The older boy's eyes fluttered open.

"Ron." He smiled weakly.

"Hello there." Ron grinned, brushing a lock of Oliver's hair aside. He had a rather sizable bruise on the side of his face. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was just run over by a few mountain trolls."

Ron squeezed Oliver's hand again. Oliver's eyes sparkled like he'd just remembered something.

"Did we?"

Ron nodded, "By a hundred points." He grinned at the effect this had on Oliver. The older boy smiled widely.

"You're cute when you smile, you know that? You get the smallest little dimple, right there." Ron traced a a small path with one fingertip, just beside Oliver's lips. Oliver let out a hoarse chuckle, cheeks flushing with color.

"You should go now, Mr. Weasley. Let Mr. Wood get his rest," a voice from somewhere past the dividing curtain on one side of Oliver's bed.

"Can he stay, please?" Oliver asked, "We'll be quiet. I'll rest, I promise."

There was no objection from beyond the curtain. Ron stayed where he was. He made sure the curtains surrounding the bed gave them proper privacy before leaning over and giving Oliver a kiss. Settling back in his chair, he reclaimed one of the other boy's hands with his own.

-

Ron woke with a start, disoriented for moment before remembering where he was. It was dark in the room now, which meant it must have been quite late. Too late to go wandering about the castle trying to find his way back to Gryffindor tower. He'd have to stay in the hospital wing for the night.

Ron yawned lazily. He managed to pull himself up onto the empty side of Oliver's bed. He looked at Oliver under the gentle moonlight. He was already almost completely healed. Ron got comfortable and let out a contented sigh.

Oliver reached out and wrapped an arm around Ron, pulling him close. It didn't take Ron very long to fall asleep that way, thinking of nothing sweeter to dream of than that moment.