Harry Potter sat alone on his four poster barely skimming his school books, unable to concentrate for very long. Several books littered the bed each having been flipped through and quickly discarded. He should be studying but his mind kept wandering. He thought about the Quidditch match coming up in two weeks. He pictured himself soaring high above the field, relishing the feeling of the wind whipping around him. He leaned back into his soft pillows and envisioned himself snaring the elusive golden snitch over and over again.

After a while he opened his eyes and looked around the room. It was so quiet and still without his roommates. On one hand he appreciated this rare moment of solitude. Growing up sharing a room with four other boys can be loads of fun but privacy is certainly a rarity. On the other hand, he felt a pang of loneliness. Dean and Seamus were off with passes to Hogsmeade for the evening. Ron was out and about with his girl, Ruby Tipworth. And even Neville was out doing his best at being social attending his Friday night wizards chess club meeting. It made him feel slightly uncomfortable to admit to himself that he felt left out, a little alienated. Then again, he had turned down going to Hogsmeade with Dean and Seamus of his own free will and he wasn't actively searching for something to do or someone to be with. Harry never ventured far beyond his close circle of friends. He had trouble trusting people and added to this general mistrust was the problem of his celebrity and reputation. It made it complicated for Harry to get to know people on a more intimate level. Lately he had felt as though he were living through Hermione and Ron. Being Harry Potter didn't leave much room for the frivolities of youth. He frowned at the thought and sighed looking over his books strewn about the bed around him. He picked one up at random and opened it.

The door flew open and Ron stood in the doorway, his cheeks flush. There was a knowing smirk on his face, a secret there. He glanced around the room, smiling. "Are we alone?" he asked.

Harry pulled himself up to sit on his bed. "Yes."

"Excellent!" Ron said and closed the door behind him. "Give me a sec," he said as hurried to his own four poster and drew the curtain around him blocking him from Harry's sight for a few moments. Harry heard Ron rummaging in his drawer and the shuffling of clothing. Then just as fast as he had run into the room he flung the curtains back open and threw himself down across the end of Harry's bed laying flat on his back, his arms stretched out over his head and exhaled with satisfaction.

Harry noticed that Ron's robes were open and wrinkled, his shirt untucked, his tie loose. His cheeks were pink like he had been running and his red locks were a bit of a mess. Ron kicked off his shoes and rolled onto his side to look at Harry.

Harry stared blankly at him through his glasses. Ron just grinned at him like he was so pleased with himself he could barely stand it, his eyes twinkling.

Ron had grown quite tall, taller than Harry and his long legs were almost entirely hanging off the edge of the bed.

"What?" Harry finally asked a bit irritated. "Are you just going lay there and grin at me?" Ron's eyebrows arched with amusement, "I guess your date went well then. Is that what you are trying to tell me?"

Ron pulled his long legs up under him and sat up to face Harry from the other end of the bed. "Oh, mate! You have no idea."

Ron's choice of words stung Harry even though he knew Ron didn't mean it that way. Harry had never been good with girls. He always felt awkward around them and unsure of himself. He had only kissed two girls in his whole lifetime. A couple of innocent kisses with Cho Chang and one very short snogging session with a Ravenclaw girl named Abigail Roth that showed a passing interest in Harry earlier that year.

As he stared into Ron's beaming face, Harry felt slightly bitter that Ron had a girlfriend he truly liked and that he was now obviously reaping the physical benefits of having a relationship. He didn't like the jealous feelings, but they were there.

Ron was unaware of all of this running through Harry's head. He was simply basking in the afterglow of his evening.

"Harry, I think I'm in love," Ron said sounding not so much like a romantic but more like someone that has discovered something that they now cannot live without, like someone that has been let in on the secret.

Harry rolled his eyes at Ron, "Come on."

Ron craned his neck slightly to the left and pulled his collar of his school shirt away from the skin offering a reddish purple spot for Harry to admire. Harry couldn't help it, his eyes widened. "She did that to you?" Ron nodded and smiled knowing he had impressed and maybe shocked his friend.

"Hurry up and tell me what happened!" Harry said and then regretted sounding so eager. He calmed his voice before adding, "Neville will be back soon." He glanced at the hourglass on the table next to his bed.

"Okay, okay!" Ron said wishing he wouldn't have to rush this delicious tale but acknowledging that Harry was right.

"I took Ruby for a walk down by the lake. While we were walking I got the feeling that tonight was a good night. Like she was ready to let me do more than just our usual snogging." A smile grew across his face. "I was right."

Harry felt his throat tighten and his mouth become dry. He didn't dare say a word to interrupt this first hand account.

Ron seemed to loose his dreamy tone for a moment. "You know it's really difficult finding a private spot in this school. I didn't know where to bring her. I don't think she would have liked me dragging her into some broom closet even if I had had the Marauder's map with me to scope out a hiding place. How is a guy supposed to be alone with his girl in a place like this? I know it happens but I don't know how to go about it. I'll have to ask Fred and George about that. I mean, where are we going to go next time?" He sounded aggravated.

"Think about that later!" Harry said quickly, "Tell me what happened tonight!"

Ron's smile came back to his face, his tone low again. "Well, when I kissed her by the lake she seemed to well, respond more than usual. She like, really kissed back, you know? I mean, I'm always the aggressor," Ron laughed at himself and his choice of words "and I was still the aggressor tonight, but she seemed more open to my," he paused trying to find a gentle word, "suggestions."

"Where did you take her?" Harry was very interested.

"I know this is going to sound perfectly awful, but we went into some of those huge bushes with the white flowers." He winced a bit waiting for Harry's reaction. "Bushes?" Harry repeated horrified, "bushes?"

"I know, I know!" Ron exclaimed "But I had to think quick. I couldn't squander the opportunity, you know. Besides, she didn't seem to mind too much."

Ron paused for Harry to say something else but he didn't so he continued.

"We sat down on the ground deep inside the bushes where the limbs were spaced out and we could have some room. Harry, I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest when I laid her down and we started snogging. I've never been horizontal with a girl before. It's an entirely different sensation, let me tell you!"

"You were on top of her?" Harry croaked.

"Yes," Ron breathed, "but I kept some distance. I didn't want to press against her entirely. I mean, I sort of HAD to keep some distance, you know," he trailed off. Harry could see him thinking about the scene in his head.

"We kissed for quite a while. It was different this time. It didn't feel as rushed and I wasn't looking out of the corner of my eye every minute to see if we were going to be caught. So, I decided to make a move. I've felt her through her shirt before but never under. I could tell she was ready though so I...,"

Harry interrupted him, "But how did you know she was ready?"

"Harry, I've got five older brothers and I've heard them talk. I knew what to look for. Like signs girls give off. You have to read their cues. They can't just ask you to do it and they don't just do it themselves. Girls don't work that way. Well, okay maybe Pansy Parkinson but that's an exception."

Harry laughed thinking of all the rumors that swirled around the school about Pansy. Surely they couldn't be all true. The thought made a chill go up his spine.

"Besides, after a while she started like pressing up towards me and squirming a bit. Dead giveaway."

Harry's eyebrows slowly raised on his forehead. This was getting good.

Ron's face was positively beaming but he was speaking slowly and in a low voice.
"So, I ran my hand over the outside of her shirt, effectively feeling her up as I've done before but then I just very slowly ran my hand down to her waist and started slowly tugging her shirt out of her skirt. And Harry, she didn't stop me. She just kept kissing me and very slowly, just like I've heard my brothers say, so I wouldn't frighten her, I ran my hand up her shirt and found my hand over the sweetest little brassiere. Ahhhhh!" Ron's hands were actually in the air mimicking his adventure.

Harry could only try to swallow and continue listening, positively riveted.

"But, Harry, it gets better. With one hand, ONE hand, I started to unbutton her shirt." Ron's face was flush with pride as he held up the triumphant hand to show Harry. "I was propping up on my other arm so I did this with ONE hand."

"Okay, okay, Ron! I get it, one hand!" Harry nearly shouted.

Ron frowned at him. "Well, I'm impressed with myself here!"

"That's obvious. Go on!"

"When her shirt was completely open I took a good look. Merlin, she's beautiful, Harry. I ran my hand over her and she asked me to kiss her again so I did. Now, get this, I started to put my hand under her back to try an undo her brassiere and she...," Ron stopped, looking up at the ceiling like he was going to float away. "She whispers in my ear, 'It fastens in the front.' "

Harry gulped. "What?" he asked.

Ron just nodded. "So again, with ONE hand," Harry rolled his eyes slightly, "I unhooked her brassiere and oh Gods, I couldn't help it. They're rather small but really, really nice. I tried keep the slow pace, but the sight of those...," he shook his head, "too much, mate." Ron stopped purely for dramatic effect and then said bluntly "Harry, I sucked them."

Harry's mouth dropped open. He felt like the room was getting rather warm. He felt his stomach do a mild flip as Ron continued.

"Harry, her hands were in my hair!" Ron said almost squealing. " I didn't know what I was doing. Something else took over. I just had to have them in my mouth, you know?" Ron looked at Harry and then realized he didn't know. "The nipples get hard Harry, like the more I sucked, the harder they got," Ron said with delight at this discovery.

"And she just let you?"

Ron nodded, his tongue pushing along the inside of his cheek.

They sat for a few moments in silence as Harry imagined this scene and Ron relived it in his head.

Hearing some loud voices downstairs in the common room brought them back to reality.

"It gets better, Harry," Ron smiled.

Harry couldn't imagine, this sounded like a dream to him already.

"I thought I'd push my luck. She wasn't protesting so far. She was shivering a bit so I moved over her and started kissing her neck. Merlin, she smells good, Harry." For some reason this little comment made what was inside Harry's trousers twitch. His body jerked ever so slightly in response and he covered it up by pretending he had an itch on his back.

"Something told me to go for it. I put my hand on her lower thigh, like right above her knee and just held it there, just like Fred and George said. The whole time my head was racing just counting down until my next little move up her thigh. Fred told me once that girls will protest a little because they feel like they have to. So, I knew that there would be some...," he stopped to laugh, "resistance."

Harry couldn't believe Ron could be so casual about this situation. It sounded perfectly serious to him.

"My next move was up and under her skirt, still on her thigh though," he clarified. "And then sure enough, quick as lighting her hand shot down to stop me, holding my hand there in place. It was so cute. And the sounds she was making! Oh!" Ron fell back down onto the bed at this point. "The sounds were almost the best part."

Harry felt left out as Ron's eyes glazed over with the memory, "What sounds?"

Ron turned and propped himself up on one elbow to look at him. "Sort like whimpering through my kisses. A little moan, a little cry. Like she was fighting with herself."

Harry simply could not stand it. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So she stopped you?"

"For a while." Ron's smirk was downright wicked. "My brothers always said you have to be persistent and if she's not shoving you off of her, keep going. Just feel her out. Let her set the pace and sometimes beg a little."

"You begged?" Harry was simply astonished.

"Well, after I let her hold my hand there for a bit, I tried to move it up again and she resisted, holding tight and so I just whispered in her ear like it was painful for me, you know for her to refuse me."

"What did you say?"

"The usual. The standard. It actually came to me naturally. I wasn't thinking of my brothers advice at that point because it really WAS painful to be stopped when I was so close to getting....there"

"What did you say?" Harry repeated desperate to understand.
"Harry, what do you think I said? I said please!" Ron looked at him as if he had grown horns.

"Please?"

"Yes. I just kept kissing her and saying, 'Please Ruby, please let me. Please. I won't tell anyone'," Ron's cheeks flushed crimson and he wrung his hands. "Whoops!" he smiled and shrugged. "But you are the only one I'm telling! I swear!"

Thank the Gods he's telling me, thought Harry.

Harry shocked himself when he asked "So, did you get...there?"

Ron simply stared at Harry for a couple of seconds leaving Harry hanging in midair for an answer. It occurred to him that Ron was thoroughly enjoying stringing him along like this.

"I got there, Harry."

Harry let out a gasp. It could not be helped. "Tell me. Don't leave anything out." Harry felt like he was transfixed on Ron's every word.

Ron laughed slightly under his breath. "Okay." He sat back up to face Harry like he was about to discuss something highly confidential and very serious.

"Finally she loosened her grip on my hand and I waited for a moment and then moved on. Her skin was so warm, so soft in between her legs. The closer I got, the warmer it got. And her legs were quivering just a bit."

Harry pulled the pillow next to him into his lap. The twitching in his trousers was becoming a problem.

"When I got to her knickers I thought I might die. I've been waiting for this for a long time! My whole life!"

Harry felt very left out.

"I ran my finger over the knickers, like right there, Harry." Ron's look was intense like he was trying to make Harry believe him but there was no need for this. Harry believed every word Ron was saying.

"I went up to the waistband and tried to pull them down but this is where she really protested. She actually broke away from my kiss and said no. I can't argue with that. Besides, too much of that will break the mood so I decided to take a different route."

Ron had lost Harry completely. He had no idea what Ron meant but he was hanging on every word like his life depended on it.

"I guess I was a little over eager," Ron shrugged inspecting his hands. "But since she had let me do what I was doing over her knickers, that's what I went back to."

"Which was what?" Harry asked desperately. "I don't really understand."

Ron was basking in this new role.

"I was pressing my fingers into her knickers and sort of, well, rubbing," Ron said and actually looked a little embarrassed for the first time.

Harry was so thankful for the pillow in front of him. He loved this pillow. This was a good pillow.

There was more commotion downstairs and Ron's eyes darted around the room to the hourglass.

"I've got to hurry. Neville will be back any minute."

Harry wanted to throw the hourglass across the room and stop time and just listen to this story all night.

"So, I figured if she wouldn't let me pull her knickers down, I would just move them aside, you know?" Ron grinned. "She did the whole putting her hand over mine and whimpering for a few moments but I knew if I just stayed with it she would give in. 'Don't rush it' is my new motto. And it worked. Again, she finally released the hold on my hand and when she did, I slipped my fingers under her knickers."

"Oh, God."

"Yes," Ron almost hissed.

"What is it like?" Harry's heart was pounding in his chest.

"Better than I could have dreamed." Ron looked down embarrassed by what he was about to say. "It's soft and warm and wet and as my fingers brushed against her she stopped kissing me and let out this sweet, beautiful moan." Ron fiddled with the hem of his robe before continuing. "I've seen pictures of women before and I guess it helped me a little find what I was looking for. Even so, it's sort of like groping around in the dark."

There was a small line of sweat forming above Harry's lip.

"It's complicated down there. Girls are different from boys. Very different. And since I didn't actually SEE down there, only felt her," Ron was still staring down unable to look up. "I don't know if I can talk about this now."

"You're going to get shy now?!" Harry shouted. "You can't!" He didn't want to let Ron know just how badly he needed to hear the rest but he really needed to hear the rest.

"I feel sort of bad telling you this. She's a really great girl, Harry. I like her a lot."

"I'm not going to tell a soul," Harry pleaded. "I'm your best friend. You have to share this with me. It's like a law or something."

Ron smiled weakly and exhaled. "I put my finger inside of her, Harry." Ron licked his lips while still looking down and playing with the frayed edge of his robes.

Harry could not respond to this. The tightening in his pants was painful.

"She seemed to wince a little as I pushed in but she didn't stop me, so I just slowed down until she stopped feeling so tense. When she would relax a little, I would go in a little more."

"Harry," he looked deep into his friend's eyes. "It was actually tight. Like, tight," Ron said. "I can't imagine what it must be like to actually, you know, do it."

Harry was breathing hard now and unable to hide his ragged breath but Ron was too wrapped up in his recollection to take notice.

"She gave me this while I was doing it to her," Ron pointed to the mark on his neck again. He paused for a moment to allow Harry to eye the wound again with awe and digest what he had just said before continuing. "I can't believe I had the gall to do this but, I added a second finger."

Harry could barely produce a whisper but managed, "Two?"

Ron sheepishly but deliberately held up his hand, holding out his index finger and his middle finger tightly together, rigid in front of Harry's face.

Harry stared at these fingers. Those fingers were just inside of a girl just a little while ago. A real girl. He couldn't help it, he stared at them in front of his face. He wanted terribly to grab Ron's hand and look at it closely, like something should show up or look different or maybe there was just some evidence of the encounter he could inspect. But he didn't.

"I think it hurt her at first and part of me felt bad about it so I tried to go slow, but the other part of me wanted it so bad I couldn't stop myself. Harry, hearing her moan in my ear, feeling her move over my fingers. It's so warm and so tight." Ron looked away and stared out of the window into the night sky, "I came in my pants." He couldn't look at Harry and Harry was glad because he felt like he was about to do just that. That thing that Ron had just said.

They sat in silence for a moment.

"Did she know you, you know, in your pants?" Harry asked wide eyed.

"No!" Ron said defiantly. "Gods, no!" He thought a moment. "Gods, I hope not!"

Just then Neville came through the door causing them both to stiffen.

"Hi Ron. Harry," Neville said as he went to his trunk at the end of his bed and began taking some clothes out. Ron and Harry exchanged an uncomfortable look.
Neville closed his truck with some clothing over his arm and began sifting through the drawer of his table. He hadn't noticed how quiet it was orhow they hadn't even anwered him.

"How was your date, Ron?" Neville asked his back still to Harry and Ron.

"Oh, it was great," Ron said smiling at Harry, trying not to laugh.

"That's good," Neville said completely unaware. "I'm going to the showers." He walked out the room leaving them alone again.

After a few seconds Ron said, "I think that's where I need to go myself." He scratched his chin, his eyes darting around the room. Harry watched Ron slide himself off the bed and walk over to his trunk. He thought Ron seemed different to him already. It made Harry feel jealous.

"Did anything else happen?" Harry asked.

"After that? No. How could it? I was embarrassed. I didn't want her to know THAT happened. So, I just told her it was getting late and I didn't want to miss curfew. We agreed to spend Sunday afternoon together." Ron stared into space in front of him remembering something. "She looked so adorable sitting up and pushing her skirt down and buttoning her shirt back up."

Ron sighed at the memory. But then as quickly has he had drifted off , he snapped back out of it.

"I've got to get to the showers. We'll talk more later Harry, and remember, not a word!"

"I promise," Harry said watching Ron hurry to the door. "And close the door behind you!" Harry shouted.

Harry was glad to be alone again. Maybe he could take care of the pressing issue before Neville, or Ron or Dean or Seamus returned. He was already almost there without even making contact. It wouldn't take much. Ron had just given him a new supply of potent images to experiment with.