Disclaimer: I don't own Harry or his friends from Hogwarts. Even Ande is not my creation. But that doesn't mean that I can't have fun with them! Anyways, I give my respect to JK first, for the empire she has created, and furthermore, the art she has inspired just on this site, and second, I give out my admiration to the great GunOutOfTheRoses, who came up with the whole premise for this one. (See chapter one, which you probably already have)
A/N:That's the last time I put the disclaimer in. I think you get the point.
*** A few minutes after the last chapter ***
Rushing down the hallway, though neither boy was sure why, the reached the portrait that covered the entrance to the kitchen, tickled the pear, and stepped inside. The smells that greeted them were overwhelming, and they stumbled backwards against the wall. It was a few minutes before even Dobby was able to come over, though, since all of the house-elves were completely tied up in creating the giant breakfast that the students would scarf down without a second thought.
Dobby ran over, always glad to see Harry, but looked quite flustered and stressed, as several of the other house-elves shot him not so pleasant looks. "M-Master Harry, what can Dobby do for you?"
"I'm really sorry to interrupt things," said Harry, noticing that Dobby didn't correct him as he usually did, but "I need a favor."
Dobby glanced over his shoulder, but nodded back at Harry quickly.
Harry whispered to Dobby a few instructions, and Dobby looked relieved, clearly expecting something much more difficult. Dobby said "Dobby never says anything when cleaning sheets, no matter how dirty they might be."
Ron hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation, mostly distracted by the smells and sights of the giant kitchen, and while Dobby returned to his post, another house elf that neither recognized, but looked quite overburdened in her weight had been able to pull herself away from the cooking line to provide the boys with food. Rushed but still miraculously polite, the elf handed Ron and Harry a few closed dishes which she indicated they could take anywhere, and rushed back to the line. Understanding that they had caused enough of a disturbance, the boys nodded to each other and stepped back out into the hallway. Ron was the first to speak.
"Ya know, Harry, I think I might just start wearing that SPEW pin again."
Harry nodded, trying to come up with a quiet place that they could take their food. Harry decided that it wasn't too bad outside, and suggested this to Ron, who agreed. Once the boys were outside, they settled on a nice location, and sat down to enjoy their early meals. Opening up the dishes, they were surprised to see that the elves had been able to basically read their minds. Ron's eyes opened wide with delight as he saw the large portion of chocolate pudding covered in graham cracker crumbs, with a large stack of pickles laying on the side. He had never had this dish before, but something in his gut was telling him that it would be delicious. Harry's jaw had dropped at the sight of his own meal: Radishes coated in peanut butter and ketchup. Grabbing one, he shoved it whole into his mouth, and began to chew, not caring about the mess he was making on his face.
Luckily, neither boy looked at the other's meals, else a repeat of their waking rituals would have come about. There was a low chance of this, though, as each simply sat, silently stuffing themselves with food until all was gone. Finally looking up, Harry laughingly pointed to his own face in order to indicate some of the spots where Ron had left food, only to find his own finger covered in the sauce he had consumed just seconds before. Fortunately, the house elf who had brought them their food had prepared for this eventuality, and they found some paper napkins sitting in the boxes they had quickly emptied. They wiped themselves clean, and headed back into the castle.
When they arrived, breakfast was already underway, and despite the large amount of food that they had just consumed, they were still ready to eat quite a bit of breakfast food.
*** One week later, in Transfiguration ***
"Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter! That is the third time you have left my class during this hour to use the restroom! If you leave once more, I will be forced to take points from my own house!"
Both boys returned to their seats, knowing the honesty of Professor McGonagall's threats. Everyone in the room shot them odd looks, but Hermione was the most inquisitive, and she approached them after class.
"What's wrong with you two? This whole week you've been acting strange. You've both been sleeping almost twelve hours a day, but Neville's told me that you're always up before anyone else in the dorm, and Neville swears that he heard you both sick one morning."
Ron opened his mouth to launch into one of his usual tirades, but it was Harry who turned on Hermione.
"So we've had a bad week! It happens to everybody!" Hermione's mouth dropped open, but no reply came out, as she was interrupted by a continuing Harry.
"Oh, I forgot, Little Miss Perfect never has a bad day, let alone a bad week. I am so tired of your righteous indignation! Maybe we don't do as well in class, and maybe we can't turn desks into pigs on our first try. I guess we should all just bow down to you, almighty teacher's pet!"
Harry stormed away furiously, and Ron looked between the two with no choice but to run after Harry. He was very happy to see that Hermione was just confused, not upset, as he ran to catch up with Harry. Harry was almost at the portrait before Ron caught up with him, and had to grab Harry by the arm to slow him down. Ron was distinctly surprised when Harry turned, and tears were streaming down his face.
"What's wrong? And what was that about?"
"I don't know," cried Harry. "I don't know why I blew up at her, I wasn't even angry, and I have absolutely no idea why I'm crying now. I—I'm just going to go to bed."
They began to walk together towards the fat lady's portrait, Ron holding Harry's shoulder comfortingly. "Go to bed? It's not even three in the afternoon!"
"I—I'll just take a nap." Was Harry's feeble response. As they approached, the fat lady looked around and whispered, "Congratulations," but neither boy seemed to notice, and spoke the password, at which she was obliged to allow them entrance. Ron followed Harry up to the dorms with the intent of talking to him, but Harry didn't even bother to change as he just flopped down on his bed and fell asleep.
Ron lay down next to Harry, trying to think of what might possibly have brought such a strange change to the both of them. Hermione was right; they had been acting strange lately. Both had been sick nearly every morning, but still incredibly hungry for breakfast. Ron had been having headaches all week, and Harry had complained of similar problems. As Ron tried to trace all of these strange symptoms back to a cause, however, he quickly realized that laying down on Harry's very comfortable bed was a very bad idea. He quickly fell asleep alongside Harry, and entered a world of dreams.
*Ron's Dream
Ron sat up and stepped out of bed. Looking around, he didn't see the walls of the dormitory. He stood in a room he had never been in before, yet he felt like he was home. Walking downstairs, he was drawn to the smell of unexplained bacon. Opening his eyes as he entered the kitchen, he saw a person's back that he thoroughly recognized, standing next to the stove in an oversized t-shirt and his boxers, and he realized that he didn't mind.
*Reality
Neville entered the room quietly, not knowing what to expect after Harry's public scene outside of Transfiguration. Looking around, he saw Harry and Ron laying together peacefully, sprawled in a careless fashion across the bed. Neville sighed, sure of what he had suspected before – Harry and Ron were together. He chuckled, realizing that he should have guessed it earlier, since they spent nearly every waking moment together. He also made a mental note to tell them to start closing the curtains, on the bed and in the shower. He wasn't disgusted, or even offended, but if they wanted to keep their relationship secret, they would have to be a little more careful. Swearing that this was the last time he would do this, he walked over to the bed, pushed Ron up all the way (his leg was hanging off) and pulled the privacy curtains shut.
*Harry's Dream
Harry rose from his bed, distinctly aware from the cold floor beneath his feet and the lack of light from the windows that the sun had yet to rise. Wandering down the hall in a home that he had never been in, but was familiar with. He stepped into the next bedroom, walked into the middle, and checked on two cribs, side by side, the faces inside of which he could not see. He smiled at the peace within the room, and turned to the stairs, walking down and then towards the back porch, stopping in the kitchen to make a cup of coffee with a flick of his wand. Outside, he sat alone on a chez lounge that he had picked out just a month ago. Closing his eyes, he took a whiff of the coffee and relaxed, laying back in the chair and awaiting the sunrise.
Harry watched as the first beams of sunlight reached over the horizon, and closed his eyes to enjoy the warmth of the sun pouring down on him, and passing through him. Once morning had broken, and Harry's coffee supply was depleted, he stood up and walked back in to the kitchen to cook up some bacon…
* Ron's Dream cont'd.
Ron grinned madly at the sight of his love standing at the stove, and sidled up behind him, reached his arms around the inviting waist before him, and placed his head on an open shoulder. The bacon, done, was flipped onto a nearby plate and the pan was discarded in the sink as bright green eyes turned around to briefly meet blue, and both pairs closed as their lips met in a gentle kiss.
*
When Ron and Harry opened their eyes, they were back in bed, curtains drawn, and silently embracing. Their lips broke contact, and no words were exchanged. Each was perfectly conscious of the other's state of mind. Rising from the bed, Ron pulled open the curtains and saw that no one else was in the room. Looking over to a clock next to his bed, he was glad that Transfiguration had been their last class. They had slept for several hours, and it was now dinner time. Ron felt a pair of hands slide around his waist in the same way that he had in a dream, and turned to Harry for another embrace. They stood for several minutes simply enjoying each other's warmth, until Harry looked at the clock and both boys realized how hungry they were. They headed down to the Great Hall, knowing they'd have a lot of explaining to do.
A/N:Hey, that was pretty fluffy, but I enjoyed writing it, and more kick-ass humor is coming up in the next chapter, but remember my rule: I write for myself, and post for reviewers.
