Hello again...sorry for the short chappy, the third is almost done and I need time to finish it...THANK YOU forbidden light, for giving me the motivation to write again(if you find some more people to review you will be greatly rewarded..they do not have to be positive they just have to be reviews)...now that I'm done shamelessly begging for reviews, here is the lit:

Enjoy

Chapter 2 – I Lay Awake, Just to Hear You Breathing

Ron scowled, yawned, and rolled over to glance with half-open eyes at the glowing hands of his bed-side clock. The clock was a gift from his father; a muggle device bewitched so that it never needed batteries and always gave off a light green glow. The glowing hands told him that it was 2am. He sighed and rolled back onto his back. He lay staring at the starry night swirling on his bunk. This enchantment was also a gift, this one from Hermione. The open window let in a warm breeze. One of the last of summer, he thought absentmindedly. Ron was taking advantage of the fact that it was still warm enough to sleep in just boxers.

He was proud of his body; it was one of the few things he actually took pride in. He was especially proud of it because he had shaped it exactly how he liked it. Well, not "exactly" but he kept it as toned as possible with as little work as possible.

He had always been thin, scrawny in fact, due mainly to his father's meager paycheck's inability to adequately feed ten mouths. Admittedly, he did plump up a bit by coming to Hogwarts; one could go as far as to say he was chubby entering his third year. Luck came through in his fourth, in which he had a growth spurt, but it was Quidditch, clichéd as it may be, that gave him the body that lay in his bed this September morning.

Between watching the stars and thinking about the changes his body had experienced, Ron was slowly easing back to sleep. Just as he was entering the zone between conscious and unconscious Ron heard a creaking coming from the stairs. If it had been the first time he'd heard a steadily louder creaking coming from the stairs, he would've been scared, but this was far from the first time. The creaking changed to light footsteps as the person crossed the boys dorm. A moment later a person slid through the drapes that closed his bunk off from his fellow Gryffindor males. Ginny slid right up next to him, her silk pajamas giving a light tickling sensation. She slid perfectly into "their position", her head resting on his chest, arm draped across his abdomen. Almost automatically, he rested one hand on the small of her back while the other slowly rubbed her arm. Her slow, rhythmic breathing floated across his chest in warm waves. After a melancholy sigh she started whispering,

"It's him again. How is it I lose sleep because of him while he nonchalantly goes about life…"

Ron stopped listening for a moment and smiled. This is how its always been, he thought. No introductions, no explanations, just talk. He didn't offer his opinion unless it was requested, and most times it wasn't. Sometimes, she would rant for a while, stop, and fall asleep. Sometimes, she would ask his opinion and they'd have whispered debates. And, sometimes she'd say nothing at all, just breathe and sigh and silently beg to just be held. As he thought about how much he loved her, how much he loved this intimacy, this protection he provided, he listened to his sister's tone, listening for any emotional pitch changes. It changed to a more speedy, choppy, quiet, so he snapped out himself out of his thoughts.

"And I…I just..I think he cares..but..I..it's.."sigh" I'm..I'm just scared and..I" her voice got progressively pained until it was evident that she was on the verge of tears. Ron rolled onto his side, bringing Ginny as close to him as he could manage.

With his arm around her he pulled her to him, as though each centimeter separating them somehow caused her pain. Her breathing slowed and she sighed again, but this was a sigh of comfort, of safety, of protectedness. Despite her strength, acquired through brothers and Quidditch, and her reasonable height, 5'6, she curled up against her brother the same way a small child would against a parent. Her small form was caused by feelings of weakness, insecurity, and fear.

Not a word was said from that point on, but Ron knew exactly what she was feeling. Sometimes Harry made him feel that way, often unconsciously. That fact made him hold her even closer. He listened as Ginny's breathing got slower and slower until he was certain she was asleep.

He stayed awake, just listening to her breathing, for as long as he could. As sleepiness slowly crept up on Ron, a sole tear rolled down his cheek, falling into her hair. After the tear came a hoarse whisper,

"I love you."

Normally, Ron had a fleeting feeling of fear as he fell asleep of what would happen if his bunkmates found Ginny asleep in his bed. Not tonight though, tonight he couldn't care less.