Just Friends... Right?

There she was again - like always - lying next to him, her red hair like dragon's breath under her head. He lifted himself up onto his arm and looked down into her face. She smiled up at him as he traced the freckles across her nose with his fingers. He lay back down and turned so he could run his hand through her fiery hair. He had definitely found a new affinity for redheads. Closing his eyes, his fingers raked through her soft, short hair. Short hair? He opened his eyes and was extremely shocked to find two brilliant blue eyes staring right at him. They were the eyes he had known since his very first train ride to Hogwarts. He had seen those eyes alight with rage, clouded with sadness, and sparkling with joy. He had never, though, seen them so close, nor had he ever seen those same eyes gazing lovingly into his own. The eyes in question belonged to one Ronald Weasley.

Harry woke with a start. But kept his eyes closed for a moment, trying to calm himself down. He heard a noise and his head snapped instantly in the direction of his best mate, trying to figure out what had just happened. Ron's curtains, usually tight shut, showed a sleeping Ron, his back rising and falling slowly. He was definitely asleep, Harry could hear loud snoring coming from behind the curtain. Harry on the other hand was now wide awake and breathing as though he had just run up all one hundred and forty two staircases in Hogwarts... and then swum across the lake.

He checked his watch, it was 5am. Well, I don't think I'll be getting back to sleep. I might as well get an early start on the potions essay. I hate Snape, thought Harry as he pulled the covers off of himself and grabbed his glasses from his nightstand.

He sat down in the common room and got out his potions textbook, but trying to get through his potions homework while trying to sort out his puzzling dream was a futile effort. So Harry sat back and gazed into the fire. Ah... the fire... it reminds me of Ginny... well actually, it reminds me more of R-

And at that moment, Hermione Granger walked down from the girls' dormitories and into the Gryffindor common room. Of course, Harry panicked and checked his watch - Harry had been staring into the fire for two and a half hours without noticing - it was 7:30. Even though it was a Saturday, it was not unheard of for Hermione to be up and about this early to head off to the library for some early studying before breakfast.

"Hello, Harry. What are you doing up?" Hermione asked, still a bit groggy from sleep.

"Uh... nothing, 'Mione, I just had a weird dream about Ro-ace cars... yes... race cars," Harry said, still quite panicky.

"Are you alright Harry?" she asked, "You seem a bit frightened."

"I'm just gron ... I mean great..." he said, wincing at his slip up. He attempted a smile, but only managed to look slightly sick. "I'm just great."

"Well I'll just be off then..." she said as she backed over to the portrait hole and started to climb through. "See you later Harry."

Harry was getting hungry, so he walked down to the Great Hall for a breakfast of eggs and ham. He was just finishing up some toast when a sleepy Ron sat down right next to him.

"M-m-morning'" Ron said, halfway through a yawn. "... I didn't have the greatest sleep last night."

Harry blanched at the sudden extreme nearness of Ron, then turned bright red and shifted in his seat. He kept picturing Ron lying next to him. It was odd, you see, because Harry had always been very comfortable with Ron. He had never been unable to talk to him, but this morning he couldn't even look him in the face.

"...Good morning, Ron," Harry said quickly, averting his eyes. He started to get up.

"Where're you going? I just got here!" whined Ron.

"Um, I'm going to the... er... library, to - ah - finish my potions essay." he finished.

Harry had started off in the direction of the library, but decided against it. Instead he headed towards the lake. He liked to walk around the lake. He'd done it with Hermione when he had had the fight with Ron in fourth year. Ron.... What did he think of Ron? Harry wished he was back in fourth year; everything had been so simple then, they had just been really good friends and that's all. But that's all they were now too... right? He stopped and looked out onto the lake, but all he could see were Ron's eyes staring deeply into his own.

He finally made it back to the common room to find Ron sitting by the fire doing his potions essay.

"Harry, you're finally here! I've - uh- been trying to get through this essay all day!" said Ron heatedly. "Did you finish it?"

"Uh, no, I didn't," Harry replied, extremely happy that he had at least started his essay that morning. He wouldn't have to look as though he was lying to his best friend.

It's a sad day when you realize that you can't even talk to your best friend. What he didn't know, was that Ron felt quite the same way.