Their compartment wast probably the least well kept of the lot, but it felt good being on the Hogwarts express once again. Hermione was the only one who seemed to be bothered by the worn down seats, the slight smell of mold and the cool breeze trickling in around the window frame as she wrapped herself tighter in her blouse and wrinkled her nose. The landscape was beginning to look more familiar even though it was a bit harder to tell the details from one and other now that it was getting dark. They didn't have to wait long before a Rawenclaw prefect Harry didn't really know the name of tapped their window and said "We'll be at Hogwarts soon, just a head's up!". The three of them began to pack up their carry-ons, which in Hermione's case was a heap of books and in the others just some sugary items of joy.
Seeing the castle from the carriage made Harry feel nostalgic. All his best memories are from Hogwarts, and he hoped that this year could bring some more. He glanced over at Ron, who's eyes he met for a brief second before going back to Luna's lips. She was ranting like if she belonged at a mental institution, Harry thought. What the hell is a Nargle? Behind the bag to his right, he could feel his fingertips barely touching Ron's, probably by accident, but still it was distracting him. The closeness made Harry's whole body tense up, and his brain freeze.
"What do you think Harry?" Luna asked.
"What? Think about what?"
"Of Bathilda Bagshot being the re-incarnation of Helga Hufflepuff of course!
"It makes complete sense, right? Especially considering that they both are vampires." Luna ranted on.
"Oh, right."
Ron leaned in a bit, so utterly close to Harry's ear that Ron's lips could be felt by the skins tiny hairs.
"Bonkers, that one is."
The feast was completely marvelous that evening. Ron gulped away at the Cottage pie's, the puddings, the roasted turkey, the dauphinois as well as almost everything else. Most disturbingly, Harry thought, was the fact that Ron had helped himself to a second serving of eel aspic. Hermione spent most of the meal talking to Ginny about boys. It had become clear over the summer that Ginny per owl had been quite wooed by a few Gryffindorer's, to her brothers despair. They both left the table before Harry on Ron because of the latter's never ending apatite, and Harry's love of the feeling of the first meal at Hogwarts.
When the boys eventually headed up the stairs, along with Neville. Ron was lyrical over the taste sensations they had experienced that evening.
"That peach cream tart was amazing! I would have eaten two pie tins more if the bloody house-elfs would have kept 'em coming."
"Speaking as your room-mate Ron, I'm quite pleased you didn't. You'd be complaining and moaning all night you know!" Neville said while panting from walking quite quickly up the stairs.
Harry tried to keep his tittering in, with poor success.
"What are you on about?" Neville asked.
"Oh, nothing." Harry replied, while glancing over at Ron who was slightly blushing and looking at the painting with unusual interest.
That night Ron had a hard time sleeping. The room was incredibly warm, and he had become accustomed to sleeping with a lot fewer people in the room than a dozen – the constant turnings, grunts, snores and occasional words made the sound level unexpectedly high for a dormitory. He decided to head for the loo and a drink of water, and as he tried to navigate through the dark room with only the half moon's dim light as his guidance he slammed his shoulder against Harry's bedpost. He stopped for a minute to see if he accidentally awoken anyone, but they all seemed determined to tend to their business of sleep.
The white tiles off the bathroom floor felt cool against his feet and he instantly wished that he had worn slippers. Normally the tiles would be ridden with dirt and germs, but with the students just arriving a couple hours ago it was quite clean. He bent down to the running tap for a sip, then closed his eyes and splashed his face with the cool water. His thoughts went to the night he and Harry had shared bed. The fleeting interlocking of fingers. The closeness and comfort. He had thought it was for Harry's sake, that Harry needed someone to be there for him in that way but he was beginning to realize that... Well. He thought that he needed it too. At the very least, he wanted Harry to be close to him. He had caught himself several times looking at his friend as if in trance, just watching the jawbones curve or the dark hair's movement in a slight breeze or the bend in the corner of the mouth or just anything at all. And his lips...
"Ron?" a familiar voice said.
Ron quickly straightened up and turned around, feeling the water drip of his face and run down his neck, making his neckline darker.
"Harry! What are you doing up?"
"I just to get up for a while... I had another dream. Thought I'd walk it of or something."
"Oh. Are you okay? Or, I mean... Well, are you?"
"Uhm, yeah, I guess. Just a bit shaken. He was arguing with someone... I don't really know what happened." Harry said and walked over to the sink next to Ron for a drink of water. Ron let his hand rest on Harry's shoulder. Then it slid down a bit, slowly, stopping at the curve of the back. Harry turned his head over his shoulder and looked at Ron a short while before straightening up, placing himself just a few centimeters from his friend. The room began to feel warmer, and Harry started to lean in just to regret it, and started looking to his side instead. Then an intense kiss, with Ron letting his large palm and fingers find grip in Harry's hair and pulling him in. Their lips were exploring each other with a great interest, and Ron softly bit Harry's lower lip before they let their tongues finally touch. When they parted, a short look in each others eyes made the red haired on blush once again, whilst Harry evasively looked down to the floor.
"Oh, okay..." Harry said, feeling the taste of spearmint on his tongue.
"Yeah..." Ron uttered vaguely.
The distance from the bathroom to their beds was so long that it felt like an insane torment; awkwardness from a place lower than hell but... Their hand holding together all the way to the dormitory's threshold was just lovely.