.:. Secrets Between Friends .:.

Chapter Three - Tears In The Night

Ginny sat in her room.

Alone.

And crying.

Ginny's head hung low. Her dark red hair obscured her face from the moonlight cascading in to the room through the window near her bed. At either side, she clutched the bedding. The girl's petite frame was tense from the emotions flooding her. As she sobbed quietly, her body trembled.

She was confused.

Her thoughts swirled around the image of a boy – no, a young man. He was older now. Much more experienced than the boy she had first met. Stronger in mind and body than most of his age, he had been through more than she could ever imagine. She had even caused some of it. It really wasn't her fault she had been unable to control that situation. Besides, it was all in the past. He still had occupied her thoughts on a regular basis though, until now.

Until now, the image in her mind had been absolutely clear. Dark tousled hair, poignant green eyes, firm and willful mouth, and the quite confidence that made his physique so striking. Then of course, there was that symbolic scar, the one thing she didn't like. It endowed him as well as cursed him. It branded him. It chained him to his destiny. Up until now, Harry lived in the world of her mind, free of that ghastly weight, alone.

Now, there was someone else.

This second image was, for the moment, just a smudge. It posed no threat. It was harmless, except that it was eroding away the image of Harry in her mind. She just realized that the Harry in her mind was less distinct and clear. Parts of him began to haze over, replaced by the uncertainty of this intruder.

Inside, Ginny was torn.

She attempted a deep breath to calm herself. The air caught in her throat, and she coughed. She coughed and cried and hugged herself, willing it to stop. When it didn't she fell back onto her bed, curling up and closing herself off.

The images in her mind were beginning to mix. Details from the second were slowly becoming clear. Her mind was reeling in disbelief.

"No…" She whispered into the dark.

—

Colin stood at the entrance of the doorway. The Gryffindor common room was empty, save for one lone student. He watched, for a moment, the older boy who was working late on something before speaking.

"Working late, Harry?"

"Err… yeah." He had been startled by the sudden sound of a voice. Harry relaxed once he recognized Colin's voice. "I'm trying to come up with a good topic for the essay due this week in my Muggle Studies class."

"Not going well?" Colin guessed, as he entered the room and sat down in a comfy old chair near the fireplace.

Harry smiled, complimented bythe soft glow on his face from the dying fire. He shook his head. "I don't know where to even begin!"

"You were raised by muggles though, right?"

"Yes, but those relatives of mine don't count! They're barely human!" Harry chuckled. He didn't hate his relatives now, but he certainly didn't make excuses for them either, for what he went through.

Colin smiled. He watched the glowing embers in the fireplace in silence. He tried not to watch Harry while he was working, but the remnants of the fire weren't enough to hold his attention.

Harry adjusted himself on the sofa, so that he was lying back against one of the overstuffed arms and his feet up against the other. He laced his fingers behind his head and stared up at one of the corners in the ceiling.

Colin's eyes wandered over to where Harry reclined. The older boy wore a pensive face. Furrowed brows and pursed lips; he was thinking. Harry's eyes traveled along invisible paths of thought on the ceiling. Colin noticed then what Harry was wearing, an old t-shirt and a pair of shorts that he had been favoring lately. Even though it wasn't tight on him, the shirt was short for his long torso. With his arms up, it left a few inches of Harry's abdomen visible.

Behind his glasses, Harry's eyes began to droop.

Colin realized how late it was and began to get tired too. Something deep down fought back the weariness.

Harry's body relaxed as he fell asleep. His right leg began to fall away from the other, which was propped up by the back of the sofa. Colin watched the leg as it slowly descended and came to a rest where it hung over the edge of the cushion. Harry's head lolled to one side, the side facing Colin.

Suddenly the fire died out completely. The only light left was some moonlight filtering in through the windows on the other side of the room. He could still make out the basic image of Harry's body. Colin's eyes adjusted. He could still make out the exposed area between shirt and short and he could still distinguish the dark hairs on the other boy's legs in the less shadowed places. Without the golden warmth of the fire, Harry's face took on a ghostly pallor.

The only sound was the slow paced breathing coming from Harry's now slightly open mouth.

Colin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It did little to calm him. Harry's breathing sounded closer once he closed his eyes.

Taking another deep breath, Colin opened his eyes and stood up. He tugged on his waistband for a second before glancing over at Harry. He took a couple of steps towards his room, and suddenly stopped. His steps had taken him to the sofa instead. The blonde boy now stood in front of the other's sleeping form.

The ambient light in the room cast shades of gray over everything. The room became a dream like monochromatic version of reality. In it, Colin stood over Harry only a moment, then, by some will other than his own, he knelt down beside the sofa. He studied the face of the boy in front of him. He had never been this close to Harry before. Colin leaned in closer, until he felt the hushed breathing on his face.

Harry's glasses were reflecting the light and shadows that made up the boy watching over him. For a second, they distracted Colin, and he suddenly became aware that his left hand was moving towards Harry's peaceful visage.

Colin blinked in disbelief. I can't be doing this, he thought, I'll get caught! His heart raced, and his hand trembled. He couldn't pull away, but he managed to keep it from getting closer. What am I doing! His other hand was now closing in on Harry as well. His heart thumped in his chest. Colin exerted as much will power as he could muster, to control himself. His hands hovered over the pale skin of Harry's face and neck. Torn between emotions, Colin bit his bottom lip.

His body turned cold, frozen in sudden fear, as Harry groggily turned his head. Colin tasted blood just as he realized that Harry's mouth almost brushed against his fingers. The warmth from the other boy's breath caressed Colin's fingertips. The sensation spread like wild fire through his body, and ignited an overwhelming surge of emotion.

Stop it Colin! He screamed inside. A whimper caught in his throat, on the verge of breaking through. He couldn't take it any longer. He had to concentrate on something that wasn't Harry.

Glasses! He told himself. His glasses!

Harry's glasses sat crookedly on his face. Colin focused is willpower on his hands. He made them gently and carefully slid the thin round frames off. Colin sighed with relief when he succeeded. From Harry's throat came a low mumble.

Colin was ready to burst. He pulled himself away and on his feet. He walked around and behind the sofa, on the way to his room. His eyes never left the slumbering form, and nearly tripped for it. His eyes rested on the sight of Harry's navel. Colin swallowed hard before breaking himself away from the scene.

Once in his room the blond boy wiped his eyes. He slipped into his bed without getting undressed and tried desperately to get to sleep still with Harry's glasses in his hands.

June-27-2005: first posted

June-28-2005: added more to the chapter!

June-29-2005: minor changes to spelling/grammar & named chapter!

July-04-2005: more minor changes

Read on to Chapter Four!

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