Big Deal

Lavender entered the sitting room of the flat that Ron shared with Harry, Ron's shirt reaching to her mid-thigh, and the sleeves hanging three inches past her fingertips. "Good morning, Harry," she chirped, taking a seat at the table.

"Mmph," Harry replied, his mouth full of cereal.

Ron came out of the bedroom yawning. His red hair was sticking straight up, his pale skin reflected the glare of the early morning sun, and his one-size-too-small boxers were riding dangerously low on his hips.

Harry shielded his eyes. "Ron! Mate, put on a dressing gown or something. I don't need to see you starkers!"

Ron gave a lopsided grin and Lavender giggled. She stood to let Ron sit down, then settled herself on his lap. "There. Now I'm covering him up. Better, Harry?"

"A little, but not much," was the grumpy reply.

Turning to Ron, Lavender said, "Oh, honey, did I tell you who I ran into yesterday at Flourish & Blotts?"

"Lockhart?" Ron guessed. "Have I got competition?" he grinned teasingly.

Lavender smiled. " 'Course not, silly! Well, he was there, but you know you're the only one for me!" she planted a kiss on his cheek.

Immediately, Ron felt a pang of guilt. He liked Lavender well enough, he supposed he sort of loved her, and he enjoyed dating her, but there was something missing. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on. "So who'd you run into?"

"Hermione Granger."

Harry choked on his juice and looked at Ron carefully. Ron went paler than normal (if that was possible). "Her-Hermione?" he said in a strangled sort of voice.

"What's wrong?" Lavender frowned.

"Nothing," Ron said abruptly, and shifted in his seat. "I have to shower. Why don't you go get dressed and I'll see you later." He stood and headed for the bathroom, leaving a bewildered Lavender.

She turned to Harry, who suddenly found his breakfast fascinating. "Ron was acting odd, don't you think?"

Harry shrugged, not meeting Lavender's eyes. "Maybe he didn't sleep well."

Lavender frowned slightly, but brushed it off. She headed for the boys' loo to say goodbye to Ron. She pushed back the shower curtain and stepped in behind her boyfriend.

Ron heard the door open and the curtain slide back. Forget Hermione, he told himself. You have Lavender, and you're happy. He turned around. "Lavender! You're getting soaked," he grinned and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him.

Lavender wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. "You all right?"

"Fine," Ron lied, then playfully tugged at the dripping fabric. "Why do you always wear my shirts?"

Lavender smiled and pushed up the wet sleeves. " 'Cause I like to."

"But in the shower?" He fingered the top button.

"Should I take it off?" she offered, flipping her long blond hair over her shoulder.

Ron shook his head, spraying water droplets on Lavender's face. "I'm late as it is, and if you take off that shirt," he murmured, stooping slightly to trail kisses down her neck, "I might never let you leave."

"Mmm," Lavender kissed him softly on the lips. "I'll go, then." She stepped outside the tub. "I'll do a quick-dry charm on the shirt -- I hope my wand doesn't slip and shrink it to fit me!"

Ron grinned. She made that threat almost every day. He still couldn't quite figure out why she liked wearing his clothes so much, but he certainly wasn't complaining. "I'll Floo you later."

Lavender nodded, kissing him quickly. "I love you."

"Me too," Ron replied. Somehow, he could never quite bring himself to say the words "I love you" to Lavender - at least not in regular conversation.