Harry's eyes went wide; when someone had insulted Ron and he started
grinning...it was a bad sign. Best get out of the way before any curses
happened. Zipping up his bag, he headed for his locker, but a hand on his
arm stopped him. Turning, he was surprised to see Ron with the most content
smile on his face, like someone had just told him he was Quidditch Captain
plus he made perfect grades through the whole school year.
"I don't mind."
"What?" Harry nudged gently out of Ron's tight grip and stared. "You mean....you don't care..you're...what??" His eyes were squinted and his eyebrows formed one straight line, he hadn't known that one little phrase would have such an affect and would confuse him so utterly.
Ron sighed, looking at the floor, a faint blush dusting his cheeks, almost matching his flaming red hair. "Is anyone in here?" he asked the floor, and Harry smiled.
"I'll go see," and he quickly checked the whole locker room, knowing that something Ron was going to say was important and that he wanted no one, absolutely no one but Harry, to hear.
Going back to the mirror, he found the seat empty, and looked for Ron at their lockers. He was getting his Quidditch robes together for the laundry, for some strange reason Harry couldn't figure out, he was folding them before throwing them in the huge canvas bin in which all the teams' clothes were in. Harry sat down beside him, confused but concerned, a faint smile on his lips
Ron continued to stare at the floor but took a deep breath, making Harry a bit more nervous. Ron never sighed, even when they were up to their eyebrows in schoolwork. This was serious. Harry sat, waiting....
"OK..Harry. Umm....this is, well, really weird to tell you. I hope you don't get offended or anything, I don't know if you were joking or anything when you said that, but please, try to understand OK? And just hear me out before you say anything."
Ron looked up at Harry, who nodded, then, putting us head in his hands and speaking to the tiles of the floor, Ron spoke:
"You know how I'm dating Hermione? Well....the thing is....she's not really my type, you know? I mean, we go out on walks and stuff, and all she talks about is school! O.W.L.'s this; house-elf right's that.it's stupid, really. We've never even...." Here Ron blushed more furiously than ever, "kissed or anything."
"So Hermione and I have been dating.and I'm just bored out of my skull, you know, it's just a drag to be sitting by the lake listening to her recite Potions ingredients. I'm looking around, just watching the other couples by the pitch, and I realize one of them is. ..well..they're kinda..cute."
A pause.
"Then...oh bugger, Harry, I'm sorry...I realize it's a guy."
Harry didn't move a muscle; he continued staring down at Ron.
Massaging his head with his fingers, Ron lifts his head and says three words:
"It was you."
Another pause and it was like the Quidditch game that had been won nearly an hour ago, the minute seemed to stretch, neither friends seemed to move...Ron was experiencing the most uncomfortable 60-seconds of his life.
Finally, Harry spoke.
"O...K..." he slowly breathed in, and then out, quietly saying the words as though they might offend his best mate. "Ron....I...." he looked nervously at his friend, who was staring back, and whose eyes were so wide with nervousness and doubt that they seemed to almost pop out of his skull.
Harry couldn't find the words. "Ron..."
Ron was kissing him. His hand on the back of Harry's neck was almost painful, digging his fingernails into the soft skin, as if he had wanted to do this for a long time and had never had the courage to, like this- this - was the kiss to prove all that he had been feeling these few months. All his frustration, admiration, love went into that kiss.
Harry didn't respond. In fact, he pulled back almost as soon as the contact had started.
"I'm sorry, Ron. I was joking. Really. I was thinking, 'Wow, Ron looks like he's done this before, it's so funny to watch!' It was just a random outburst, I'm sorry, I really am, I love you as a friend, Ron, but I don't..." Harry grabbed his bags and ran out of the room before he finished.
Ron listened to the door creak slowly closed. He looked over to the mirror, to the showers, thinking: "Minutes ago Harry and I had been friends. It's ruined now."
A solitary tear trickled down a freckled cheek.
"I don't mind."
"What?" Harry nudged gently out of Ron's tight grip and stared. "You mean....you don't care..you're...what??" His eyes were squinted and his eyebrows formed one straight line, he hadn't known that one little phrase would have such an affect and would confuse him so utterly.
Ron sighed, looking at the floor, a faint blush dusting his cheeks, almost matching his flaming red hair. "Is anyone in here?" he asked the floor, and Harry smiled.
"I'll go see," and he quickly checked the whole locker room, knowing that something Ron was going to say was important and that he wanted no one, absolutely no one but Harry, to hear.
Going back to the mirror, he found the seat empty, and looked for Ron at their lockers. He was getting his Quidditch robes together for the laundry, for some strange reason Harry couldn't figure out, he was folding them before throwing them in the huge canvas bin in which all the teams' clothes were in. Harry sat down beside him, confused but concerned, a faint smile on his lips
Ron continued to stare at the floor but took a deep breath, making Harry a bit more nervous. Ron never sighed, even when they were up to their eyebrows in schoolwork. This was serious. Harry sat, waiting....
"OK..Harry. Umm....this is, well, really weird to tell you. I hope you don't get offended or anything, I don't know if you were joking or anything when you said that, but please, try to understand OK? And just hear me out before you say anything."
Ron looked up at Harry, who nodded, then, putting us head in his hands and speaking to the tiles of the floor, Ron spoke:
"You know how I'm dating Hermione? Well....the thing is....she's not really my type, you know? I mean, we go out on walks and stuff, and all she talks about is school! O.W.L.'s this; house-elf right's that.it's stupid, really. We've never even...." Here Ron blushed more furiously than ever, "kissed or anything."
"So Hermione and I have been dating.and I'm just bored out of my skull, you know, it's just a drag to be sitting by the lake listening to her recite Potions ingredients. I'm looking around, just watching the other couples by the pitch, and I realize one of them is. ..well..they're kinda..cute."
A pause.
"Then...oh bugger, Harry, I'm sorry...I realize it's a guy."
Harry didn't move a muscle; he continued staring down at Ron.
Massaging his head with his fingers, Ron lifts his head and says three words:
"It was you."
Another pause and it was like the Quidditch game that had been won nearly an hour ago, the minute seemed to stretch, neither friends seemed to move...Ron was experiencing the most uncomfortable 60-seconds of his life.
Finally, Harry spoke.
"O...K..." he slowly breathed in, and then out, quietly saying the words as though they might offend his best mate. "Ron....I...." he looked nervously at his friend, who was staring back, and whose eyes were so wide with nervousness and doubt that they seemed to almost pop out of his skull.
Harry couldn't find the words. "Ron..."
Ron was kissing him. His hand on the back of Harry's neck was almost painful, digging his fingernails into the soft skin, as if he had wanted to do this for a long time and had never had the courage to, like this- this - was the kiss to prove all that he had been feeling these few months. All his frustration, admiration, love went into that kiss.
Harry didn't respond. In fact, he pulled back almost as soon as the contact had started.
"I'm sorry, Ron. I was joking. Really. I was thinking, 'Wow, Ron looks like he's done this before, it's so funny to watch!' It was just a random outburst, I'm sorry, I really am, I love you as a friend, Ron, but I don't..." Harry grabbed his bags and ran out of the room before he finished.
Ron listened to the door creak slowly closed. He looked over to the mirror, to the showers, thinking: "Minutes ago Harry and I had been friends. It's ruined now."
A solitary tear trickled down a freckled cheek.
