Harry Potter was distracted, he wasn't paying much attention to the TV blaring in front of him or the baby girl bouncing on his lap. In fact his attention at that moment was entirely focused on the trip he was about to embark on.
It has been a long week at the office, something that he is still not used to. Ginny insisted that he take a desk job after five years of tracking down and catching dark wizards. There were still hundreds of death eaters to capture after the battle of Hogwarts, followers of Voldemort and even a couple of copycats who tried to restart where he left off. The work was plentiful and he barely had time to stop and think. He married Ginny and had a few kids but was always on the road. He thought he was happy, his life was finally in the place he always imagined it would be in. Or so he thought.
But nowadays the most field work he ever sees is following up on a court date or escorting minors to the ministry for underage magic violations. He is able to spend a lot of time thinking and the work wasn't as fulfilling. His life feels mundane and the choices he made years ago are coming back to his thoughts.
Lily giggles and starts grabbing at his face, pulling him back into reality and away from his own thoughts. He smiles at her and blows a raspberry, causing her to laugh uncontrollably.
"Harry! Ron and Hermione will be here any minute, can I get help setting the table?" Ginny's voice floats in from the kitchen.
"I'm with Lily hun," he calls back. A second later he hears an annoying grunt followed shortly by plates clattering and slamming down on the table.
She appears in the doorway, a strand of hair in her face which had fallen out of the loose ponytail at the base of her head, "please Harry, can I get some help. I'm going to be all alone with the kids for the weekend, so it would be nice if you helped while you are here."
Harry rolls his eyes, gives his daughter another silly face, which she loves and puts her in her playpen. They go into the dinning room, Ginny disappears into the kitchen and returns with a giant cauldron full of chili. He starts to put out bowls and spoons, with napkins in the middle of the table.
"I know your trip is precious to you," Ginny says with a hint of sarcasm, "but does it have to be this weekend?"
"Yes Ginny, very much so," he stares back at her, "we've been through this so many times, you agreed that if I took this office job I would be able to take trips. I miss traveling the world. Sure Ron and I were looking for dark wizards and it wasn't always sunshine and roses but we were able to get away."
"Get away from what exactly," she sounds frustrated, and Harry could hear some sadness in her voice, "get away from what? Me? The children? What are you running to Harry and why is it so bad here at this house you have to run away every few months?" He could see tears start to form at the corners of her eyes.
"I…" he was trying to formulate something to say but before he could even start he could hear the front door open and Ron's voice float in.
"Hello?" He perked up, Ron had a habit of coming in without knocking.
"In here Ron," he called up to the front. Ginny quickly wipes her eyes and gives a fake smile.
Ron comes in, carrying a diaper bag, "Hiya sis," he pulls her into a side hug and kisses her on the top of her head.
"What's going on?" Harry asks, "Hermione here?"
"She's putting Rose with Lily," he says, "looks like the food is ready, smells good" he sits down at the table.
Hermione comes into the room, looking disheveled and stressed, "oh really Ron, can't you wait."
"He's fine," Ginny laughs, "at least someone likes my cooking." They all sit at the table, Ginny starts giving out bowls of chili.
"You know it's been 10 years since the battle of Hogwarts, this weekend actually," Hermione says as she takes her bowl from Ginny.
Harry nods, he couldn't forget that day if he tried, "do you remember that first day after?" Ginny asks, "how it felt like all of the evil had left from the world and nothing could hurt us," she has a small smile on her face as she sits down next to Harry, "I had never been so in love in my life."
Harry makes eye contact with Ron, their connection stays for a moment as the girls talk. They snap out of it and start eating. They fall silent for a while, with small breaks in conversation about how their days were.
A desert of cake and an hour of talking later, they were able to get away, "God! I thought we would never get away," Harry semi-yells as soon as they have aparated away from the house. Ron smirks, nodding, "I've missed you," Harry admits sheepishly.
Ron nods again, there is a distance there that usually isn't. They are somewhere in Scotland, just miles away from Loch Ness, on a "spiritual adventure."
"You're quiet," Harry comments.
"Do you remember the first night at Hogwarts?" Ron breaks the silence. Harry nods slowly, "but do you really?" He probes, "because I had forgotten until recently…
The first night Harry slept at Hogwarts was the hardest. It was cold, and he could feel an impending sense that none of what just happened to him was real. He felt like he was going to wake up at any moment in the cupboard under the stairs and it would have all been a cruel dream. He tossed and turned, unable to shut off his brain or calm himself down.
He punched his pillow and grunted quietly.
"Harry…" a voice floated in through the thin bed canopy, "it's Ron," it said quickly before Harry yelled.
"What is it?" Harry whispers back.
"Can I come in?" Ron whispers back.
Harry sits up, crossing his legs. He feels grateful to his new friend, "yes."
Ron crawls in the bed, sitting on the end of the bad with his legs also crossed, "I heard you over here tossing and turning, can't sleep?"
"I don't know what it is," Harry scratches the back of his next, he could barely see the redhead sitting across from him but the unmistakable red hair was a dead give away, "I've…I'm just afraid this is all some kind of weird drea and I've never slept with strangers. Everything this last couple of months has been such a whirlwind my mind hasn't had anytime to just be calm."
Ron stares at him, nodding occasionally, "yeah I can't sleep either. I've never slept away from the burrow."
"The Burrow?" Harry asks inquisitively.
"It's what we call our…house," Ron chuckles with a small amount of embarrassment in his voice.
"I wish I could go there," Harry says without thinking, but catches himself, "sorry you barely know me and I'm saying I wish I could go to your house."
"It's ok, we're friends," Ron brushes it off.
"Are we?" Harry says quietly, "I've never really had a friend before," he admits, "I've never had the chance."
"Before now my only friends have been my stupid brothers," he rolls his eyes, "I wish I were an only child…" he trails off and laughs a bit, "sorry."
"It's ok, I've never had siblings. I guess my cousin but he's more of a bully than anything," Harry whispers.
"Fred and George will take you right under their wing, they're annoying but they're funny sometimes," Ron says with a wide smile, "and I'm sure mum is already in love with you."
Harry smiles, he's never felt any kind of love before. Let alone from a kid he just met the same day. But Ron was showing him something he had never had before, something that couldn't remember: pure love.
"Do…do you want me to sleep here?" Ron asks, "or is that too weird," he says quickly.
"No…that sounds good actually," Harry says, "I would like that."
"Lay on your side," Ron says. Harry does so and Ron lies behind him, putting his back against Harry's and reaching his arm over, holding his hand.
"Thank you Ron," Harry whispers, "I…"
"It's ok," Ron hushes him.
...and we slept that first week like that," Ron says, Harry has tears at the edge of his eyes as he stands there in the grass.
"Why are you telling me this," Harry says back, a bit of sadness in his tone.
"Because Harry I think it's beyond time we talk about this stuff, we have to make a decision," he shakes his head, "we can't keep running around like this. Are we going to keep this up or are we going to live our lives with our wives."
"Where is this coming from?" Harry insists, "I told you that I can't do that. I…"
"I can't keep hiding Harry!" Ron says, his voice raising slightly, "I love you. But I also love Hermione, my mind is so confused…"
Before he can say anymore Harry thrusts himself at Ron, embracing his body against his and pushing his mouth against Ron's. They kiss for a moment, their hands exploring each other's bodies.
Their heads pull apart, still embraced as they stand there, "we can talk about it," Harry says.
"I love you too much not to," Ron says, Harry nods in agreement.
They break apart, "let's set up camp," Harry mutters. They stay silent while doing so. That night they sleep together in the same bed for the first time since they were at Hogwarts, holding hands.
