Chapter eighteen: niffler out of the bag

Hermione distracted them by wanting a look at the conservatory and off they went, the boys warning the girls about the more dangerous sections of plants and talking about what they'd had to do so far to repair the damage of neglect. Hermione hovered close to Ron throughout their wander, and Ginny stayed next to Harry as if they'd had a permanent sticking charm laid on them. Harry was starting to get some very unwelcome vibes from the two girls, something that he'd hoped not to have to deal with for a while. He'd always known that Ginny had been interested in the Boy Who Lived, but he had hoped that as time went on she'd realise that he saw her more as a sister than a potential date.

Ron had been quite close to Hermione - the redhead was very protective of the Muggle born witch, and had always taken her side against the rest of the school, especially in the face of racism or sexism. He'd never really seen her as a girl until the Yule Ball, and that had gone so badly that Harry had once wondered if they'd ever make up. In hindsight they should have known from the start that they were suited more to be together, after all they had been so uninterested in spending time with their dates at the ball, choosing instead to sit with each other. It seemed that all the attention Ron had paid to Hermione might well have given her the wrong idea about their friendship, leading her in a direction that Ron had travelled with Harry.

Molly called them to lunch, and Sirius and Remus distracted the girls for a while, which made Harry both happy and sad at the same time. Happy that the spotlight was off him and Ron for a moment and sad that he felt so pressured by having his best friend and his little sister in the house for a day.

After lunch Remus instigated the Saturday post lunch nap argument; something that Sirius would only take if Harry took it with him. This argument was highly complex and well orchestrated, and would end with Harry firmly ushering Sirius off to the library.

"Harry's the nap fairy," Ron laughed as Harry put a commanding hand on his godfathers shoulder. Harry had a sneaking suspicion that this little ritual had been started in the light of Harry's upset with the Potters - it was Sirius' way of getting some quality time with his godson. They would talk quietly about Harry's week and schooling, and Sirius would coax Harry to talk about the Dursley's or his encounters with the Death Eaters.

"He's some kind of fairy," Sirius grumbled and Harry fisted his hand in his godfathers robe in shock. He used the handful to haul the man to his feet.

"Come on old man," Harry growled, hoping that Hermione wouldn't notice that particular phrase, "Nap time."

Sirius wrapped an arm around him as they headed through the door, which proved to Harry that he didn't mind the 'old man' nickname, though Remus and Ron were both laughing hard.

Harry ended up asleep at his godfathers feet, both of them dozing in a ray of sunlight through the grimy library window. They had talked about Christmas at the Dursley's this afternoon, and Harry had shed a few embarrassed tears, longing and old pain overcoming his teenage stoicism. Sirius had comforted him; his godfather was slowly helping him realise that the treatment he'd received had not been his fault, no matter what his Uncle had shouted at the time. He woke to a gentle kiss from Ron, the redheads hand in his hair, rubbing softly. They had all learnt that if you wanted Sirius to stay asleep - and despite his protests he still needed it - you had to wake the person napping with him gently.

He got up when Ron leaned away and walked into the hug the redhead offered, waking up properly and giving his lover a kiss. There was a gasp from the doorway and Ron stiffened in Harry's arms.

"They've opened the door," Ron moaned in horror, "I thought I closed it before waking you up."

Harry sighed into his lovers collar and then straightened up reluctantly. Four hurt and betrayed eyes peered at him around the door and he sighed softly, Ron turning and pulling him forward by the hand, ushering all of them out in to the hallway. Harry shuffled them forward out of the corridor where a shouting match could still wake his godfather, pushing them along to the conservatory and closing the doors for a measure of privacy.

"How could you!" the girls chorused in identically outraged tones.

"How could I what?" Ron and Harry replied, and then Ron snickered, his sense of the ridiculous touched by them all speaking in unison. Harry gave him a gentle nudge in an effort to stop this from escalating out of control.

"Look, Ginny…" Harry started, and then trailed off wondering exactly how he could explain what had happened and why he'd never seen her as more than a sister and friend.

"Ron, I thought that we…" Hermione trailed off in turn, and turned a very fierce glare on Harry, "Harry, you knew how I felt about Ron…"

"Harry," Ron said firmly, putting an arm around him, "Has nothing to do with my feelings for you Hermione. You have been like a sister to me, and I don't plan to date family."

"Oh yeah? Like you never thought of Harry as a brother?" Ginny spat the words angrily, but Harry was relieved that Ron didn't even waver in the face of the tears threatening in the young girls eyes. Harry hadn't wanted to hurt them, and he certainly hadn't wanted them to find out in quite this way, but despite the unpleasantness he knew this was necessary, and that it would be over one way or the other soon.

"Actually no," Ron replied, "Not even when Mum was claiming him as a Weasley. It didn't seem right to me - he has always been my best friend, and now he's also my lover, but he's never been a brother to me. He's more."

Harry snuggled even closer to Ron upon hearing that, and the action seemed to catch Ginny's eye. She stared hard at the both of them for a moment and then sighed. Harry could see her giving up, and hoped that meant she'd also accept them in time.

Hermione glared at Harry once more, but apparently decided that now was not the time to argue the matter. He hoped that she wouldn't be too upset with them, but there was no way he was going to pull away from Ron now - he was tired of losing parts of his family and this time he was going to be selfish and hold on to what he had with both hands.

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