Author's Note: Not much to say about this one, except that it was loads of
fun to write. My friend Sue (aka Snarlina) showed my fic(s) to a few of her
school buddies down in New Zealand. I guess they all loved my stuff, and
one of them, Kelly, wanted a Harry/Ron fic. Now I'm not a huge Harry/Ron
shipper, just because i think their friendship is too close for that. But
it's possible and very cute and mostly angst-free, and i hadn't written one
yet, so i figgered hey, why not, right? Sooo this is for Kelly and Sue and
all those New Zealandish peoples. Whee. JKR owns it all. Muahaha.
*****
"Harry! Welcome back, dear!" Harry suddenly found himself wound into an all-encompasing hug against Mrs. Weasley's broad, cushiony bosom. He coughed against her strong cinnamony scent and tried to pull free without seeming rude.
"Mum, for Merlin's sake, you just saw him a week ago!" Harry was released, if only so that the red-haired woman could put her hands on her hips and purse her mouth at her youngest son.
"Err, it's okay," Harry said. "I'm really glad being here."
"You won't be after a few days," muttered Ron. "Fred and George are testing out three or four pranks a day for that joke shop they're making."
"How can they come up with them that fast?"
"Dunno. They're all crap, anyway... most of them don't even work. It's just annoying."
"Harry! Just the man we've been waiting for!" Speak of the devils...
"We need you to help us test something," Fred informed him as he and his twin descended the staircase with identical grins.
"See, we've got these beans."
"Like Bertie Bott's."
"Only they're charmed."
"So what looks like cherry is really... um..."
"Well, it's a suprise. And all that."
The four of them were quiet a few moment. Ron raised an eyebrow. "You don't know, do you?"
The twins exchanged a look. "Er, well, no... but we will, if you two test them!"
"Ohhh no, we're not falling for that! C'mon, Harry." Harry followed the tugging on his sleeve, up the stairs.
"Where are you two going?" George called after them.
"Play Exploding Snap," Ron yelled back.
Harry was led to Ron's bedroom, dragged along by his sleeve. He momentarily wanted to stop and talk to Fred and George, if only because they made him laugh and feel a little more normal. Thoughts of what lay ahead, however, made him forget about the freckled twins and grow giddy with anticipation. A week without Ron could be a very, very long time.
Harry watched from the middle of the room as his best friend shut the door by leaning against it. Ron's grin was both smug and capricious as he approached Harry. "So..."
"So," Harry responded intelligently, smirking.
"Whad'you wanna do?" Ron reached out and fiddled with the collar of Harry's shirt. Harry's smirk grew as he slipped Quidditch-toned arms around a freckled waist, and he decided not to take advantage of the obvious pun in Ron's question.
"I could sure go for some Exploding Snap right about now..."
*
Harry listened to the lightly snoring boy who was currently spooning him in a nearly-too-small-for-two bed and smiled lightly. He tried remembering exactly when he'd started going weak in the knees at the lopsided grin, wondering what freckles tasted like, and blushing whenever he made eye contact with the guy he'd been best friends with for five years. But when he thought about it, he decided that the warm feelings in his stomach whenever he thought about Ron had always really been there. It had just taken him three years to recognize them, four years to admit to them, and four and a half years to admit them to Ron. He decided that the moment Ron had grinned and kissed him for the first time would make a very good patronus indeed.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Harry realized with a start that, in all their haste and giggling, they hadn't locked it.
"It's Fred! Can I c'min?" Before Harry could respond in the negative, the door flourished open and in came one of the twins-- he couldn't be sure whether it really was Fred. Harry's eyes widened to cartoonish proportions, and he tried to pull the patchy quilt further up on his very naked form.
"Ron?" Fred asked, peering over Harry at his younger brother. "Ron, wake up!"
Ron mumbled something against Harry's neck and snuggled closer. Fred looked peeved and impatient, then picked a shoe up off the cluttered floor and tossed it at the sleeping red hair. ((A/N: does red hair sleep? O.o;;))
"Ow!" Ron looked around angrily and wildly, and his eyes focused on his brother. He squinted, trying to decide which one it was. "God dammit, Fred, I was sleeping!"
"Obviously. You weren't waking up, though. Just ask Harry." They both looked at The Boy Who Lived, who looked like The Deer Caught In The Headlights at the moment.
"Um..." he said quietly. They ignored him.
"What is it, Fred?"
"Have you got any Every Flavours? We need to get the colours just right."
Ron blinked in annoyance. "In one of the drawers over there," he said vaguely, gesturing with a limp arm towards his dresser. "Now lemme alone, I'm tired." Ron flopped down onto the springy mattress again, and Fred quickly rummaged through the drawers, finding the beans with a triumphant "Ah HAH!"
Fred strolled out of the room and chirped "seeya, Harry" just before closing the door.
Harry blinked. Fred had barely acknowledged his presence, let alone said anything about the rather compromising position he was in. He didn't look at all suprised or amused, not even a little. It was like... like he'd walked in on them playing Exploding Snap. What the hell was going on?
Harry rolled over to face his friend. Poke. "Ron?" Poke poke. "Ron, wake up."
Ron made a funny sort of grunting noise and flung his arm aimlessly into the air, missing Harry by about three feet. He rolled over, facing away from the scarred brunet.
"Ron, I need to ask you something."
"Hnnuh."
"C'mon, it's important!"
Ron rolled over again and looked extremely annoyed and sleepy. His hair was very messy, his eyes hazy, and his face was scrunched against the light from the window. "What is it?"
"Fred saw us."
Ron blinked, then scowled. "That's not a question, Harry. And more annoyingly, it wasn't important."
"Annoyingly's not a word."
"That's not important either." Ron started to roll over again, but Harry caught him.
"Ron, Fred SAW us. Together. Naked. In a bed. Cuddling. And he didn't say anything, or act suprised, or even make a joke about it or anything. It was like any other moment of any other day."
"What'd you expect him to do? Ask to join in?"
"Ooh, do you think he would?" Ron gave Harry a Look. "Kidding!"
Ron closed his eyes, but continued to talk semi-coherently. "Good. I don't want you running about with my brothers-- those two are dirtier than they seem."
"And you would know this... how?"
"I've got sources."
"So why wasn't he shocked and appalled?"
"Huh?"
"Fred. When he saw us."
"Because it's not a big deal."
Harry cocked an eyebrow at this. "'Not a big deal'?"
"Echo, echo, echo..." came the mumbled reply.
Harry ignored this. "How is it 'not a big deal'?"
Ron shrugged as best as he could while lying down. "It just isn't. Not in this house."
"But, I mean... Your parents seem kind of... old-fashioned. Specially your mum. And Percy's so uptight, and Ginny's so innocent, and I can't imagine Fred and George passing up an opportunity to make fun of and/or blackmail us, no matter how raunchy the two of them are..."
Ron sighed and opened his eyes, looking up at Harry with a bored, exassperated, and very sleepy expression. "Harry, my parents have seven children. When Charlie and Bill lived here, they brought home a different girl or boy every night. I've heard from Ginny's dorm mates about what goes on in there after hours, and I've heard myself what Percy does in his bedroom after hours. And I don't even wanna know what's going on when Fred and George go into the bathroom together, hand in hand and giggling like little girls. Trust me, it's just not a big deal."
Harry blinked. Ron still had the same expression on his face as he looked up at his friend with sleep-narrowed eyes. "Oh," was all Harry could think to say.
"Yeah. 'Oh.' Can I go back to sleep now?"
Harry sighed. "I suppose."
Ron sat up. "What's that mean?"
Harry lay down on his side, facing away from Ron. "It means 'I suppose'."
"But what was the undertone about?"
Harry smirked and rolled over so he was looking up into the blinky blue eyes. "Well, if it's really not a big deal..."
*
Fred smirked wildly as he shut the bedroom door, tossing the Every Flavour Beans back and forth between his hands.
"Well?" George asked impatiently. "Were they?"
Fred laughed. "They sure as hell weren't playing Exploding Snap."
***** A/N: Whoo, that was fun! I wrote that in two hours, whoo hoo!! Reviews would be so lovely, they make me purrr! ^___^
*****
"Harry! Welcome back, dear!" Harry suddenly found himself wound into an all-encompasing hug against Mrs. Weasley's broad, cushiony bosom. He coughed against her strong cinnamony scent and tried to pull free without seeming rude.
"Mum, for Merlin's sake, you just saw him a week ago!" Harry was released, if only so that the red-haired woman could put her hands on her hips and purse her mouth at her youngest son.
"Err, it's okay," Harry said. "I'm really glad being here."
"You won't be after a few days," muttered Ron. "Fred and George are testing out three or four pranks a day for that joke shop they're making."
"How can they come up with them that fast?"
"Dunno. They're all crap, anyway... most of them don't even work. It's just annoying."
"Harry! Just the man we've been waiting for!" Speak of the devils...
"We need you to help us test something," Fred informed him as he and his twin descended the staircase with identical grins.
"See, we've got these beans."
"Like Bertie Bott's."
"Only they're charmed."
"So what looks like cherry is really... um..."
"Well, it's a suprise. And all that."
The four of them were quiet a few moment. Ron raised an eyebrow. "You don't know, do you?"
The twins exchanged a look. "Er, well, no... but we will, if you two test them!"
"Ohhh no, we're not falling for that! C'mon, Harry." Harry followed the tugging on his sleeve, up the stairs.
"Where are you two going?" George called after them.
"Play Exploding Snap," Ron yelled back.
Harry was led to Ron's bedroom, dragged along by his sleeve. He momentarily wanted to stop and talk to Fred and George, if only because they made him laugh and feel a little more normal. Thoughts of what lay ahead, however, made him forget about the freckled twins and grow giddy with anticipation. A week without Ron could be a very, very long time.
Harry watched from the middle of the room as his best friend shut the door by leaning against it. Ron's grin was both smug and capricious as he approached Harry. "So..."
"So," Harry responded intelligently, smirking.
"Whad'you wanna do?" Ron reached out and fiddled with the collar of Harry's shirt. Harry's smirk grew as he slipped Quidditch-toned arms around a freckled waist, and he decided not to take advantage of the obvious pun in Ron's question.
"I could sure go for some Exploding Snap right about now..."
*
Harry listened to the lightly snoring boy who was currently spooning him in a nearly-too-small-for-two bed and smiled lightly. He tried remembering exactly when he'd started going weak in the knees at the lopsided grin, wondering what freckles tasted like, and blushing whenever he made eye contact with the guy he'd been best friends with for five years. But when he thought about it, he decided that the warm feelings in his stomach whenever he thought about Ron had always really been there. It had just taken him three years to recognize them, four years to admit to them, and four and a half years to admit them to Ron. He decided that the moment Ron had grinned and kissed him for the first time would make a very good patronus indeed.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Harry realized with a start that, in all their haste and giggling, they hadn't locked it.
"It's Fred! Can I c'min?" Before Harry could respond in the negative, the door flourished open and in came one of the twins-- he couldn't be sure whether it really was Fred. Harry's eyes widened to cartoonish proportions, and he tried to pull the patchy quilt further up on his very naked form.
"Ron?" Fred asked, peering over Harry at his younger brother. "Ron, wake up!"
Ron mumbled something against Harry's neck and snuggled closer. Fred looked peeved and impatient, then picked a shoe up off the cluttered floor and tossed it at the sleeping red hair. ((A/N: does red hair sleep? O.o;;))
"Ow!" Ron looked around angrily and wildly, and his eyes focused on his brother. He squinted, trying to decide which one it was. "God dammit, Fred, I was sleeping!"
"Obviously. You weren't waking up, though. Just ask Harry." They both looked at The Boy Who Lived, who looked like The Deer Caught In The Headlights at the moment.
"Um..." he said quietly. They ignored him.
"What is it, Fred?"
"Have you got any Every Flavours? We need to get the colours just right."
Ron blinked in annoyance. "In one of the drawers over there," he said vaguely, gesturing with a limp arm towards his dresser. "Now lemme alone, I'm tired." Ron flopped down onto the springy mattress again, and Fred quickly rummaged through the drawers, finding the beans with a triumphant "Ah HAH!"
Fred strolled out of the room and chirped "seeya, Harry" just before closing the door.
Harry blinked. Fred had barely acknowledged his presence, let alone said anything about the rather compromising position he was in. He didn't look at all suprised or amused, not even a little. It was like... like he'd walked in on them playing Exploding Snap. What the hell was going on?
Harry rolled over to face his friend. Poke. "Ron?" Poke poke. "Ron, wake up."
Ron made a funny sort of grunting noise and flung his arm aimlessly into the air, missing Harry by about three feet. He rolled over, facing away from the scarred brunet.
"Ron, I need to ask you something."
"Hnnuh."
"C'mon, it's important!"
Ron rolled over again and looked extremely annoyed and sleepy. His hair was very messy, his eyes hazy, and his face was scrunched against the light from the window. "What is it?"
"Fred saw us."
Ron blinked, then scowled. "That's not a question, Harry. And more annoyingly, it wasn't important."
"Annoyingly's not a word."
"That's not important either." Ron started to roll over again, but Harry caught him.
"Ron, Fred SAW us. Together. Naked. In a bed. Cuddling. And he didn't say anything, or act suprised, or even make a joke about it or anything. It was like any other moment of any other day."
"What'd you expect him to do? Ask to join in?"
"Ooh, do you think he would?" Ron gave Harry a Look. "Kidding!"
Ron closed his eyes, but continued to talk semi-coherently. "Good. I don't want you running about with my brothers-- those two are dirtier than they seem."
"And you would know this... how?"
"I've got sources."
"So why wasn't he shocked and appalled?"
"Huh?"
"Fred. When he saw us."
"Because it's not a big deal."
Harry cocked an eyebrow at this. "'Not a big deal'?"
"Echo, echo, echo..." came the mumbled reply.
Harry ignored this. "How is it 'not a big deal'?"
Ron shrugged as best as he could while lying down. "It just isn't. Not in this house."
"But, I mean... Your parents seem kind of... old-fashioned. Specially your mum. And Percy's so uptight, and Ginny's so innocent, and I can't imagine Fred and George passing up an opportunity to make fun of and/or blackmail us, no matter how raunchy the two of them are..."
Ron sighed and opened his eyes, looking up at Harry with a bored, exassperated, and very sleepy expression. "Harry, my parents have seven children. When Charlie and Bill lived here, they brought home a different girl or boy every night. I've heard from Ginny's dorm mates about what goes on in there after hours, and I've heard myself what Percy does in his bedroom after hours. And I don't even wanna know what's going on when Fred and George go into the bathroom together, hand in hand and giggling like little girls. Trust me, it's just not a big deal."
Harry blinked. Ron still had the same expression on his face as he looked up at his friend with sleep-narrowed eyes. "Oh," was all Harry could think to say.
"Yeah. 'Oh.' Can I go back to sleep now?"
Harry sighed. "I suppose."
Ron sat up. "What's that mean?"
Harry lay down on his side, facing away from Ron. "It means 'I suppose'."
"But what was the undertone about?"
Harry smirked and rolled over so he was looking up into the blinky blue eyes. "Well, if it's really not a big deal..."
*
Fred smirked wildly as he shut the bedroom door, tossing the Every Flavour Beans back and forth between his hands.
"Well?" George asked impatiently. "Were they?"
Fred laughed. "They sure as hell weren't playing Exploding Snap."
***** A/N: Whoo, that was fun! I wrote that in two hours, whoo hoo!! Reviews would be so lovely, they make me purrr! ^___^