They named the pup Lucky. Despite its rough start in life, the pup had a happy inquisitive nature. They learned to put their shoes away, though Harry accidentally donated a pair of socks as a chew toy to the pup when it got into their dirty laundry while he and Ron were otherwise occupied. They knotted the socks into an interesting bundle that the pup would retrieve if they threw it.
Harry would carry him - it was a dog - along when they hiked through the area, and Lucky rode in a saddlebag when they went to the beach. Ron would talk to it at night when he thought Harry wasn't paying him enough attention, and the pup learned to get out from underfoot when Ron gave a yell and grabbed Harry to dance to one of the songs on the radio. Harry was learning to dance Wizard-style - a sort of jazzy two-step that took energy and some concentration. He didn't mind - he'd found another thing that he loved to do with his partner, and the dance let him express some of his feelings at the time.
Harry was in a bit of a quandary. He had two birthday presents for Ron, one to give him in front of the family, and one that he would give his partner privately when they returned to the house. They were planning to Apparate to the Burrow the night before Ron's birthday and then come back the next night. They were going to put the bike in the tent so as not to arouse any suspicions from the Muggles, and Harry would carry their bag while Ron carried Lucky.
The problem with the second present - the private one - was that Harry wasn't sure it was something Ron wanted. Harry was vacillating about even mentioning it to his friend, but he'd never been a coward before. In the end Harry had simply left it all to Fate. Ron would either ask him about his birthday gift or not. Harry knew Ron had seen both parcels, though he would have been unable to peek at them ahead of time because Harry had put a strong spell on them that would stop anyone from tampering with the gifts.
He didn't have much time to brood, though, as Ron and Lucky would invariably find him and drag him along for a walk or ride or some other activity that demanded Harry's concentration. It was hard to worry that you were about to destroy the most important relationship in your life when you were swimming in a river and trying to fend off your friend who was apparently trying to drown you, or climbing a hill with a pup yapping at your feet and trying to trip you as it chased the field moths.
Ron's mother welcomed them with smiles and hugs, fussed over them both and the pup, then set them to work in her kitchen. Harry had spent a lot of time practicing his Wizard cooking skills in the last two weeks and there was no great mystery in the dinner preparations. Things were only slightly complicated by Hedwig's insistence that she sit on Harry's shoulder while he worked. He was too happy to see her to insist on proper owl manners.
Ginny and her parents were there for dinner, and Molly told them that there would be a family breakfast tomorrow as it was a work day for her eldest sons and husband. Ron would have his celebration then and Harry felt a little sad that his best friend wouldn't have the day with his whole family. Ron didn't seem bothered by all this though, and Harry resolved not to fuss.
They had pudding in the garden, lounging around on the lawn and talking softly. Ron and Harry told everyone about the house, and Lucky's rescue. Ginny told them about her visit to Luna Lovegood's house for a weekend, and Arthur discussed in a vague sort of way the latest intelligence they had on Voldemort's movements. Molly told them about the new Hogwarts Express, and how Fudge was still fielding a lot of criticism in the wake of the destruction of the first one. Apparently Harry and Ron's joint unity plan had redirected the parent's wrath nicely.
It was almost midnight when Molly stirred and sighed. Ron had been lying with his head in Harry's lap, one hand twined in the one that Harry was resting on his chest. Their bond was humming lightly and he felt a sense of peace that had so far been missing from his life.
"Well, I suppose I'd better get the washing up done," she sighed, and Arthur looked a little guilty. Their marriage had evolved several routines to share the burdens of household chores and one of those demanded that if his wife cooked, he cleaned. Harry smiled at his Aunt and Uncle and waved his twined fingers in the air lightly.
"We've already done it, Aunt Molly," Harry ducked his head and Ron laughed at the astonishment on her face. Harry remembered that she had yet to see a true demonstration of their new abilities, and this kind of simple wandless magic was rapidly becoming old hat to them.
"Yeah, mum, we got it done hours ago," Ron chimed in, and sighed when his parents and sister got up to have a look, Ginny sending them a faintly suspicious look as she went. He rolled off Harry and got up, pulling him to his feet. Harry leaned into his partner, letting strong fingers caress the small of his back while Ron simply held him close. He nuzzled Ron's throat, kissing and licking at the warm skin in a way calculated to stir the blood.
"Don't get me started," Ron breathed in his ear, "I want a good shagging on my birthday."
Harry peeled himself off with a mock pout, which Ron tickled, and they headed slowly into the house. This time tomorrow, Harry would know if his second gift had unified them or destroyed them.
0oo0oo0
Ron stood in the middle of the tent, smiling at Lucky as the pup got settled on their picnic blanket by the tent flap. Harry had indeed given him a good shagging this morning - they were almost late to breakfast and Ron had been worried that they'd breached the privacy spell with their noise. There was a noise outside and Harry came back in from putting the bike back in its usual place. Ron knew that his partner had a second present for him, and he also knew that Harry was worried that he wouldn't like whatever it was. He'd never had a dud present from Harry yet, so Ron wasn't too concerned.
"Right, so where's my other present?" Ron thought it would be best to get straight to the point. Making Harry wait for something he felt ambiguous about was never a good idea. Harry flushed a little and went to get the second envelope of the day. The first had been full of gift vouchers to bookstores - Muggle and Wizard alike. All the Weasley's had been interested in that gift, booklovers that they were, and Ron had hidden them away from the twins - just in case.
"Ron…" Harry was starting to look tense and Ron shook his head. Whatever this was really had his partner's defences screaming. Ron was not unaware that Harry had been panicking about this gift a little, and as curious as that made him he knew that it would be best to give his friend a way out of whatever quandary he thought he was facing.
"Look, Harry," Ron smiled gently, "You don't have to do this. You can tear that up right now and I wouldn't mind."
Harry put his head down to think it over and Ron waited patiently. He knew that his partner would give him whatever was in the envelope sooner or later, but he wanted Harry to be comfortable with it. Which was why it was a surprise when Harry pulled out his wand and destroyed the envelope magically. Ron knew he looked shocked, but he couldn't rearrange his features in time. Harry moved stiffly to stand in front of him and before Ron knew what was going on, his friend was down on one knee.
"Marry me?" Harry blurted and Ron gaped at him. He felt as if all the air in the tent had disappeared and there was a heated ball of something in his chest, whirling and thumping against his ribs. Ron felt Harry take his hand and the contact detonated the feeling in his chest. Suddenly there was enough air and the warmth and sheer joy of the moment enveloped Ron like a blanket.
"Yes," he whispered and pulled Harry up into a full body hug, "Of course. What took you so long?"
Harry was shaking, obviously not in the same warm place that Ron was at the moment. Ron held on tightly, just breathing while Harry's shakes and shivers slowly abated. Eventually his partner was able to put his arms around Ron too, and the hug became mutual. Their skin took on each other's warmth and Ron could feel Harry's breath puffing lightly over his neck.
"What was in the envelope?" Ron asked after a moment and Harry snorted into his shoulder.
"Wedding invitation. Kind of stupid, huh?" the dark head nuzzled in closer, "I knew what I wanted, I just didn't know the right way to ask you."
"I love you Harry," Ron didn't say the actual words often, preferring to use the 'stuck with me' promise that he and Harry had developed a year ago and repeated frequently. He felt Harry's body jolt in his grasp and then he was clutched even closer.
"I love you Ron," Harry replied. Ron decided the rest of this conversation would be better off in a more comfortable place and shuffled them back to their bed. Harry let go long enough for them to lay down fully clothed with Ron on his back, and Harry draped over him, before clutching Ron tightly again and kissing him. Ron stuck his hand under Harry's shirt and rubbed the small of his back while Harry tossed his glasses aside.
"When do you want to get married?" Ron asked idly, and his partner sighed happily. Ron grinned into messy hair and gave his fingers an extra swirl on warm skin.
"I thought… Hermione and I researched this in the library. We have to have been together for a year once past our majority in order to be eligible to marry without parental consent, though I hope your parents would consent for you anyway…"
"You're babbling," Ron broke in, "I know the law, Harry, I looked it up myself. We have to have spent a year together in fidelity in order to qualify for the licence, which we have done. All we have to do is arrange the ceremony and a celebrant from the Ministry. And mum and dad would give their consent, I'm sure of it."
"You're sure?" Harry sounded amazed, and Ron sighed. His friend had never been able to predict the way adults would react to any request or action with any kind of accuracy. He blamed the Dursley's for that. Harry had never had the acceptance or family love that Ron had taken for granted all his life.
"I am," Ron kissed unruly hair and smiled in the darkness, "Now answer the question."
"I thought January the fifth," the voice was hesitant, "Because your family always has a big party on Christmas and New Year, and your mum said something about your grandparents coming this year. We can't do it during school term, and…"
"Sounds perfect," Ron stroked the now relaxed body lying partially on top of him, "Where shall we do this? Here maybe?"
"Could… could we do it at the Burrow? Would your mum mind? I'd… I'd like to do it where your family…"
"Mum would be ecstatic," Ron chuckled when Harry trailed off uncertainly, "She's always on about how she'd love to have her children married in the house where they were born. We could have the ceremony under the big tree in mum and dads garden. There's room to put up some marquees up and we can heat them magically to take some of the strain off the house."
"Could… could your dad be our celebrant? I only want family there," Harry confessed and Ron felt his heart swell. His father would be walking on air when they asked him. As an official at the Ministry - the laws said it didn't matter what you did as long as you held office - his father was definitely eligible to perform the ceremony, and as the small amount of magic involved was cast by the two people being joined, not the celebrant, no one could claim that Arthur had somehow arranged things against his son and partners will.
"He'll do it," Ron confirmed, "Hey, we can ask for furniture for our wedding gifts, and tell them not to bother with Christmas presents. That way we'll get some stuff for the house."
"And your parents won't go broke," Harry agreed, lifting his face up to kiss Ron gently. They shelved all further discussion in order to celebrate their decision.
0oo0oo0
Ron knew that his mother would roast them alive if they didn't tell her their news the moment they got up - in a rather sticky, sated and very sappy condition - the next morning, so he convinced Harry to hang a 'do not disturb' sign on the tent and Apparate back to the Burrow for breakfast.
At first Mrs Weasley was worried something was wrong, but she called her husband down from the bathroom without hearing what they wanted first, and then pinned her son and adopted son with a look that clearly instructed them to come to the point.
"Harry has asked me to marry him," Ron was well trained to respond to that look. He had been going to say more, but his parents were on them both, hugging and kissing and congratulating. Arthur was smiling so broadly Ron thought his father was going to hurt something, and Molly had gone all dewy eyed again.
"When? Where? Oh, we'll have to organise a celebrant!" Molly finally let Ron's partner go, and Harry turned to look at his adopted uncle. Their reaction had been more than he had hoped for, and he wanted to take his part in the breaking of the news, rather than leaving it all up to his friend.
"We were hoping that Uncle Arthur would do that," he half said, half asked, "In the garden here."
"Oh boys!" Arthur breathed and hugged them all again. He cleared his throat when he could let go and nodded gruff acceptance. Ron grinned at his partner and gave them the rest of the details that had been worked out just last night.
"That sounds fine," Arthur glanced at the clock on the wall, "We'll have to get together to discuss it tonight. I'm sorry, boys, but I'm going to be late."
"That's ok, dad," Ron grinned, "Why don't you and mum come to tea tonight? You can see the new house - or what there is of it - and we can work things out then."
"Shall do," Arthur nodded and went upstairs to finish getting ready. Molly was putting together a rather distracted breakfast for them, and Ron went to help. Knowing his mother was happy about his choice of life partner made it easier for him to deal with her mothering.
"See you tonight, Uncle Arthur," Harry smiled from the table as Ron's dad headed for the door. It was considered rude to Apparate or Disapparate in the middle of a crowd. Arthur paused at the door and fixed Harry with a blue-eyed stare.
"I think, given the circumstances, it would be more appropriate for you to call me dad," he wagged a finger at Harry, kissed his wife goodbye and stepped outside. A moment later he was gone, leaving two happy Weasley's and a stunned Potter behind.
Ron's partner was fairly stunned all the way back to the tent. The builders were raising walls today, and the noise of their arrival went unnoticed in the din. Lucky greeted them enthusiastically and they fed the pup before taking it outside on the old leash they'd picked up from the second hand shop. The couple that ran it were properly indignant about Lucky's narrow escape and had promised to keep their 'ear out' for any gossip that related to his former owner.
"We need groceries," Ron took Harry's elbow and started tugging his friend along towards the village, "Harry? Are you in there?"
/can I really call them mum and dad// Harry's fingers were urgent, worried, and Ron smiled. He'd been a bit worried that his friend the orphan would feel uncomfortable with Arthur's instruction. Obviously this wasn't the case.
"You are their son-in-law," he soothed, "Or at least you will be. Why not?"
Harry sighed happily and relapsed into his dazed state. Ron rolled his eyes a little but didn't mind too much. It wasn't every day you gained a family who understood you. He could put up with a little woolly headedness from his partner.
0oo0oo0
"Remember, don't shout."
Ron glared at his sniggering partner, and waited for the Muggle telephone to stop making its purring noise and for a voice to speak up. Harry was standing mostly behind Ron in the booth, wedged very nicely along his back and side with his arms around Ron's waist. Ron was holding the phone so that they could both hear it, though he had won the toss over who would do the talking.
"Hello?" the male voice that answered was young and loud. Ron jumped and Harry sniggered, turning his face into Ron's shoulder to muffle the noise.
"Can I speak to Hermione Granger please?" Ron asked politely, and there was a loud clunk, followed by the voice shouting in the background,
"Aunty Alice! Aunty Alice! There's a boy who wants to speak to Hermione!"
Harry was giggling now, and Ron elbowed him lightly. If he started laughing and Hermione heard him she'd be in a terrible mood and they wanted to come and see her to tell her their news. There was a rattle and Hermione picked up the other end, saying hello in a voice that was exasperated to say the least.
"Hello, Hermy, its Ron," Ron identified himself, and Harry leaned over to say hello too.
"Oh! Ron, Harry, hello," Hermione seemed to cheer up a little, "How are you? How's the house?"
"We're fine, thanks, and the house is great! We've got most of the kitchen walls up, and they're starting the next floor today or tomorrow," Ron enthused, "So we thought we'd like to see you."
"Great, I can be there in a flash!" Hermione sounded very eager to get away, and Ron hesitated. They had planned to go to London to visit her. In the background the young voice started chanting something about 'Hermione's got a boy friend', and an older sounding girl joined it.
"Uh, we were going to come to you," Ron hesitated, and felt Harry squeeze him around the middle, "But if you need to get away…"
"I'll ask mum," Hermione promised, "Hang on."
"Hang on to what?" Ron glanced back at Harry, who was laughing hard, shaking his head. Ron grinned - the vibration of the laughter against his chest was a pleasant feeling, which was one of the reasons he loved to tickle Harry. The phone rattled again and a new voice said.
"Hello?"
"Mrs Granger?" Ron asked, though he thought it wasn't - the voice sounded like the one that had been chanting in the background.
"Yes, this is she. What are your intentions towards my daughter? Have you slept with her? Why did you call her today?" the voice continued, and Ron scowled. Hermione's mum wouldn't have to ask those questions, because he was fairly sure that Hermione would have told her parents that he was gay, and she was supposedly off speaking to her mum about why they were calling now.
"Very funny," he growled, "Who is this? I recognise the voice from the chanting I heard a minute ago."
There was a loud clunk that had Ron jerking his head away from the earpiece in protest and giggles fading away to silence.
"Sounds like Hermione's relatives are a bit of a pain," Harry sighed, "Maybe we should just let her come here. If she brings a tent then she can stay for a while."
"How will we transport everyone about? I mean it's hard enough with Lucky now that he's getting so big, and Hermione won't have the right gear for the bike, let alone us having the space," Ron frowned, "That's even if her parents are happy to let her go off with two boys they've never met, parents can be funny about things like that when it comes to girls."
"Mmmm," Ron felt his friends shrug and leaned back into him. It was a little stuffy in the phone booth, but his body didn't care about that, happy to be pressed so close to his partner. The now familiar rattle sounded again and Ron stopped paying attention to his body and started listening instead.
"Mum says I can't come," Hermione sounded depressed, "We've got my cousins here, and it's been ages since I saw them."
"Well, can we come to you?" Ron asked, keeping his voice light, "Would your mum mind if you spent a couple of days going out with us around London if you came back home every night? I suppose if we had to we could drag your cousins along one day too."
Harry was nodding his approval behind Ron and went up on tiptoe to add his voice to Ron's until Hermione eventually called her mother over for a four-way conference. Mrs Granger knew that they were Wizards, and gave them permission to 'arrive' in her attic. Ron thanked her profusely, and told Hermione that they'd stop by tomorrow at nine if that weren't too early. Permission was granted and they hung up, collecting the card that slid out of its slot. Harry had told Ron that by purchasing a calling card they wouldn't have to worry about using coins to feed the machine, which was apparently a nuisance.
Lucky would be sent off to the Burrow for a few days, so the pup wouldn't have to spend his time in the tent alone, and they'd hide the motorbike in the tent like they had before, locking it behind them. Hopefully they'd find some time in their quick visit to sit down alone with Hermione and tell her about their wedding plans.
0oo0oo0
Hermione's attic was well organised, if a little dusty. She was sitting on a couple of old trunks, reading a book when they arrived, and Harry had to grin when she threw the book aside and jumped up to hug them both. They patted her happily and then followed her down the ladder to the second floor landing.
"My cousins Hubert and Natalie are staying for a few weeks," Hermione explained in a low voice as they walked down the stairs, "Hubert's a little pest and Natalie's my age but not much better."
"Are we allowed to go out with you today?" Harry asked, speaking in a low voice too, and Hermione nodded, beaming happily. It seemed strange to see her out of school uniform, though her bright blouse and denim skirt looked nice enough. Ron was peering about with interest, poking the family photos on the wall to see if they would move and picking up Hermione's telephone from its table to examine it. Harry had to keep reaching back and tugging him along.
"Yes, mum said that we can go out with just the three of us today, but Natalie and Hubert have to come with us tomorrow," she pushed open a door at the end of the hall and led the way into the kitchen. Mrs Granger was there - evidently she'd taken off work to mind her niece and nephew - making a pot of tea. Ron and Harry had met her before, mostly at Diagon Alley, and they stepped over to say hello and thank her for letting them come to visit.
Harry could hear a television going somewhere in the house, and supposed that the dreaded cousins were in the front room somewhere. He wasn't that keen to meet them just now, and Hermione obviously felt the same way as she kissed her mother on the cheek and led them back out to the front door, closing it behind her quietly and not seeming to breathe until they were at the end of her street.
"Bus?" Ron asked eagerly, pointing to the bus stop and Hermione agreed. Harry grinned at his friend, and leaned in to speak to Hermione conspiratorially. Ron wouldn't mind a bit of teasing, and Hermione could use the laugh.
"He loves Muggle buses."
"Oi!" Ron protested lightly, but didn't bother to deny it. Hermione laughed and Harry rolled his eyes at his friend. Further conversation was prevented by the bus itself and they climbed up to the top deck straight away, lucky to find seats at the very front, which gave them the best view. Harry let Ron and Hermione sit together, leaning back into his own seat and tuning out Ron's excited talk of the new house.
0oo0oo0
They ended up in Greenwich, looking at the shops and park there. They walked through the museum, and Ron was able to contribute the Wizards version of the history of clock making and navigation in a low voice. He made sure to keep Harry on one side of him and Hermione on the other, holding the hands of both until Hermione complained that she felt like she was three again, and being led around by her parents. Harry had gone a little quiet at this and Ron had sent loving ripples over the hand that he still held.
The trio bought ice creams in the park and sprawled out under a tree to enjoy them. The conversation was lazy as Harry and Hermione debated their next port of call, while Ron watched the Muggles around them picnicking and playing games. A couple rolled past with wheeled boots on their feet, and Ron shrieked with laughter, pointing them out and asking what they were doing. Harry had to silence him with a kiss, which made Hermione clear her throat and roll her eyes.
"Sorry, Hermy," Ron grinned unapologetically. He loved his partner fiercely and had accustomed Harry to simply reaching out whenever he wanted. They wouldn't be able to do this in school, and Ron was determined they enjoy the freedom while it lasted.
"Actually, Hermione, we've got something to tell you," Harry glanced at Ron, who nodded encouragingly. His best friend straightened his shoulders and took Ron's hand.
"On the fifth of January, Ron and I are getting married. We'd like you to be there," Harry got it all out in a rush, and Hermione blinked in surprise, running what had been said through her mind a few times to work out exactly what Harry meant. Ron watched closely, aware that Harry was waiting for disaster to strike them down. He still couldn't accept that people liked him for himself and that the Wizarding world wouldn't throw him out for daring to love another man.
"Brilliant!" Hermione shrieked and launched herself at them in a wild hug, "Of course I will!"
Ron groaned as he ended up on the bottom of the pile, and bucked them off, sitting up with grass in his hair. Harry grinned up at him from underneath Hermione and pretended to be enjoying himself a lot more than he was. Hermione swatted him and rolled off, sitting up with a mock glare and a flush to her cheeks. Ron rolled his eyes at his partner, who simply wriggled on the grass to get more comfortable.
"We've got a little present for you, Hermy," Ron fished around in his pocket, "You've already seen it, but we want you to have this."
He pulled out the red bundle of cloth that the bracelet he and Harry had spent a term and a half making had been kept in. Hermione's eyes widened and she shook her head.
"Oh Ron, don't you want to give it to your mother, or Ginny?" she protested and Harry put a hand on her back, rubbing it idly. He didn't say anything, and Ron simply held out the bundle to her until she took it. The bracelet gleamed in the sunlight, and Ron was proud of the way the intricately woven band looked. They had placed quite a few different protection charms on this, and as long is it was worn next to her skin, they would always be able to find their friend.
Ron took it from her and placed it on her arm, feeling Harry lean into their bond to help him seal it around her wrist and activate the charms. The metal gave off a slight warmth and Hermione leaned down to peck Harry on the cheek before repeating the gesture with Ron. There were tears in her eyes, but neither boy embarrassed her with them.
0oo0oo0
They took Ron to the movies the next day, along with Hubert and Natalie. Hermione's cousin spent some time sulking that she couldn't go to the latest romance movie, but Hermione had no intention of trying to control both Ron and Harry while they took the movie off loudly due to boredom. Hubert was sulking that he couldn't go and see the latest horror movie, but Harry knew that Ron and Hermione would spend their time loudly pointing out all the holes in the Muggles perception of demons and the like out of boredom, and refused to get kicked out by irate patrons.
In the end Harry persuaded them all to go to a cartoon called Treasure Planet. There was enough going on for Hubert to be appeased about the 'kids movie' and no one paid any attention to Natalie's ever deepening sulk when it became apparent she was enjoying herself. Harry sat Ron between him and Hermione, and the two who had been raised by Muggles spent the movie dealing with a very captivated Wizard. Ron had seen moving pictures of course, and knew that you could talk to some portraits, but the idea of animating a picture to tell a tale and entertain was new. Wizard children's books had animated pictures above the words, but they still relied on text to tell the tale.
Natalie and Hubert agreed to stop sulking if they could go to the large music store across the street, and Harry stood back while Ron went through the collection almost disc by disc, his tastes wider than that of Natalie, who liked a peculiar mixture of new age and retro music, and his energy greater than Hubert's, who'd had quite a lot of sugar since breakfast. Hermione found a disc she liked, and spent her time watching Ron in astonishment.
"We've got a normal radio at the house," Harry said in a quiet voice after a while, "It's got a CD player too, and it's on day and night."
"Oh," Hermione shook her head as Ron dumped his selection on the counter and grinned at the girl serving him, "He's certainly picked up a wide… range of tastes."
"Tell me about it," Harry chuckled, "And he dances to it all too, the Wiz way of course."
"So that means you dance too?" Hermione's eyes were laughing at him and he ducked his head, nodding in agreement. She giggled and shook her head, watching carefully as Hubert went up to the counter with his selections as well. Harry gave her a dark look - he had improved since the Yule Ball - and grabbed her hand, swinging her around and grasping her waist. He swung his hips and gave a little push to get her moving, dancing in time to the beat of the song playing and ignoring all the rest. After an initially astonished squeak Hermione picked up the steps easily and they swung easily up and down one of the aisles, letting go near the store entrance with a laugh. Harry swept a deep bow to her and Hermione curtsied. Several of the customers clapped and Ron joined them outside grinning at them both.
"If you're quite finished?" there was no censure in his voice and Harry grinned back, reaching out to caress his fingers and take his bag of discs. Hermione was giggling again and ignoring the frankly disbelieving stare from her cousins.
"For now," Harry answered Ron's sarcastic question and his friend snorted at them both, a very fond look on his face. Any further discussion was curtailed by Hubert's demand for some food, and they moved away in search of a café.
0oo0oo0
Owen Walters and his sons had put in a lot of work over the two days that the teens had been away, and the external walls were almost finished. There were gaps in place for the windows, and the plumbers had been in to run their main pipes through the house. The building debris was unsightly, but Harry knew that an afternoon's work would clear it all away magically. He and Ron had chosen thatch for the roof, and planned to encourage roses and ivy to climb over the house to take away the bare look of the walls.
Lucky escaped from his leash to run into the half built house, giving Ron and Harry the perfect excuse to look the place over in the dark, using their wands to provide the light they needed. Though the interior walls weren't up yet, and the floors were only half laid, they managed to get a very good idea of what their new house would look like. They cornered Lucky in one corner of the laundry and walked him back out to their tent, tying him to one of the bikes wheels before slipping into the tent and sealing it with a privacy charm.
"It's going to be so good, Harry, to have our own house," Ron leaned into Harry's slim body, holding him tenderly, "I know I wasn't too keen at first…"
"Shh," Harry whispered in his ear, "I understand. It's a gift I wanted to give us, something that we can share together."
"I could always work off my debt in other ways," Ron pulled back enough to see Harry's instinctive protest that Ron owed nothing stifled and a very calculating look that he responded to with a suggestive leer. Harry burst into laughter, and the redhead ended up holding his partner on his feet as Harry tried, between bouts of laughter, to figure out a conversion rate for sex.
Ron dropped him on their bed in the end, and started stripping his clothes off, getting the green eyed mans undivided attention. Little riffs of laughter still escaped from glistening lips and Ron moved to straddle slender hips, bending at the waist to kiss those lips lightly, tasting them carefully before slipping inside and stroking over teeth and palate in hypnotic rhythm, feeling Harry's tongue rub slowly over his in reply. They kissed until their lungs cried out for air and Ron sat up slowly, trailing his fingers over Harry's cheeks and down his chest to rest on his belly. The cargo pants Ron had chosen for Harry felt a little rough between his thighs, but the white cotton t-shirt was soft to touch.
"Ron," Harry smiled, reaching his hands up to stroke over his friends thighs, dusted liberally with red hairs, though not as liberally as his groin. Ron smiled gently and pushed the shirt up, stroking over Harry's trim waist and flat belly, tugging on the dark line of hair that arrowed down to Harry's groin. Harry arched at the touch and sat up suddenly, using Ron's weight for ballast. He took off his white shirt and tossed it to lie on top of Ron's clothes, wrapping his arms around Ron's waist and taking the redheads mouth in a demanding kiss. Ron cupped Harry's head in his hands, winding his fingers through messy hair and rubbing the strands together. Harry moaned into Ron's mouth and broke the kiss, letting his head hang heavily into Ron's hands.
"You're a slut for a scalp massage," Ron chuckled, "Rub your hair and you're anyone's."
"Just yours," the throaty voice had bits of Ron tingling very nicely, and he rewarded the comment with another deep kiss, leaning forward to lower Harry back to the bag beneath him. When he had Harry breathless and moaning Ron lifted himself up and undid the cargo pants, tugging down the red briefs underneath as well as Harry lifted his hips helpfully.
Ron climbed back over Harry, centring himself over Harry's dick. Ron loved feeling Harry harden against him, and Harry loved having Ron's weight on him. They kissed again, fingers sneaking over warm skin, rubbing and stroking tenderly, each focussed on making his partner feel good. They were soon moaning into each other's skin, mouths and hands busy as they aroused each other further and further. Harry Summoned their jar suddenly, pressing it into Ron's hand and lifting his leg up, opening himself to Ron's touch and gaze.
Ron kissed his way slowly down Harry's arching, restless body, taking his time to tease dusky nipples and finally settling between Harry's legs to suckle at the straining shaft jutting from it's nest of dark curls. Slowly, tenderly, Ron opened Harry with his fingers, all the while urging his partner to sweet completion with his mouth and tongue. When Harry was boneless and spent, Ron shifted into place, pushing himself inside with tender care. Harry moaned and arched into the feeling he loved best, panting lightly as his dick stirred again.
Ron's light thrusts were hitting his partners' prostate, arousing Harry rapidly while Ron himself clung to his self-control with shaking fingers. Once Harry had returned to full hardness Ron changed the depth and speed of the thrusts, driving them both forward to completion with eager strokes.
0oo0oo0
The builders were hard at work on the interior of their house, and their school letters were waiting when they returned to the Burrow for Harry's birthday, necessitating a few changes in their plans. The book and equipment lists weren't difficult, but Professor Dumbledore had requested that they return to Hogwarts a week before the new school year started.
"I guess we're not going to be travelling on the Express then," Harry sighed, looking over at Ron sadly. He would miss the traditional beginning of year trip to the school, and the chance to catch up with his friends about their summer, "Or at least I won't."
"I'm sorry mate," his friends understanding meant more to Harry than the realisation that Dumbledore was being forced to treat him as if he was dangerous. Ginny squealed as she opened her letter, earning a glare from her mother when she almost dropped the teapot. Ginny's voice could be particularly shrill when she was excited, and when you added six older brothers who could and often did perform magical tricks for her amusement, her happy squeal was something that had been heard often in her life.
"I've got the captaincy!" Ginny bounced in her seat, "Angelina was going to recommend me, and I made it! I'm Captain for Gryffindor's Quidditch team!"
Gryffindor had been having a bit of a winning streak the past years, which meant that Ginny would have a lot of pressure on her to maintain their recent record. Ron was grinning hard, which meant that he wasn't disappointed in her accomplishment and Harry added his voice to the congratulations whole-heartedly.
"Are you sure you don't mind?" Ginny asked him baldly and Ron groaned, rolling his eyes and shaking his head, wincing when his mother slapped at him lightly. Harry understood her hesitance, though and smiled happily at her. There was a notion floating around the school that he was the star player for his House - not a notion he had ever subscribed to.
"Of course not," he reassured her, "Angelina told me she was recommending you last term. I'm a Seeker, Ginny, and I need to be free to go after the snitch when it shows itself. Chasers and Keepers make better Captains because they are better able to concentrate on the placement of the team."
"Well if you're sure," her smile was relieved and understanding, and Ron winked at him before speaking up himself, evidently feeling it was time to change the direction of the conversation. Harry hated the spotlight and Ron knew it. Ginny and Molly's kindly scrutiny was making him squirm.
"I notice you don't ask me if I mind," he pretended to huff, and his mother rolled her eyes, slapping lightly at his arm again.
"Ronald Weasley, you've got NEWTs coming up this year. In fact, maybe you should resign from the team this year to concentrate on your studies," she scolded, "You too, Harry."
"Mum," Ron and Harry protested at the same time, and Ron paused, letting Harry speak for him.
"Quidditch is an excellent way to avoid the build up of stress, it gets us to exercise muscles other than our brains and …" Harry petered off, running out of persuasive explanations. Ron sensed this and took over smoothly, finishing the sentence without second thought.
"And it lets us do something that we're good at."
The implication that they weren't good at lessons hung in the air for a moment, but Molly Weasley was kind enough not to point it out, and after she'd glared at her only daughter, neither was Ginny. Ron subsided with a small apologetic grin in Harry's direction and Molly stirred. They were sitting around her kitchen table, waiting for Arthur to come home from work. Lucky was sitting on Ron's lap and Harry tried not to be jealous. The pup would soon grow too big for that, and Harry could be patient.
"Harry, I never asked," she looked over at her adopted son, "What sort of cake do you like? I want to make your birthday cake tonight."
"Uh, I don't know," Harry looked at her, startled. No one had ever worried about what his favourite anything was, other than Ron. He'd never really thought about it. He knew what he liked when it came to more normal meals, but his experience with birthday cakes was very limited.
"He likes chocolate frogs," Ron spoke up helpfully, "And Honeydukes Best."
"Just because you like chocolate," Ginny poked her brother, and Harry sighed, preventing Ron from retaliating as he so obviously wanted to. He shook his head helplessly at Molly who smiled.
"Well, if you think of something let me know, otherwise I'll surprise you," she said comfortably. Harry thanked her quietly, and then hid his face in his hands when Ron opened his big mouth again.
"He likes coffee laced with fire whiskey, mum, maybe you could do that!"
"It's a good thing Harry loves you, Ron," Ginny groaned, as Mrs Weasley fired up into her best 'there will be no underage drinking' speech. Harry grinned across at his flushed partner.
"A very good thing," Harry agreed softly.
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