Power of Love

CHAPTER 5 - AN UNLIKELY ADVOCATE

Ron and Harry were reading. sitting facing each other from opposite ends of the couch, their stocking feet rubbing together where they met in the middle. They looked up from their books as the portrait hole opened and Gryffindor students, heavily laden with their belongings, poured into the room. Hermione entered, beaming, and ran over to them.

"Did you have a good holiday?" she asked quickly. Then, not waiting for an answer, she leaned over and gave Ron a hug. "Thanks for the candy and the earrings, Ron. See? I've got them on!" She pushed aside her bushy brown hair and sure enough, there they were - golden earrings in the shape of an ancient rune that he had been assured stood for friendship.

"You're welcome," replied Ron. "And thanks for the quill - I've been wanting one for ages."

"Yes, thanks, Hermione. It'll be dead useful," Harry chimed in.

Hermione turned now to Harry and hugged him as well. "I've no idea what to make of your gift, Harry."

"Did you like them?" he asked, his voice bright with excitement.

"Like them? Harry, they're gorgeous! But, well...I mean, they're a bit extravagant, aren't they?" Her expression was very pleased, but cautious.

"What did you get her?" interrupted Ron loudly.

"He gave me a leather-bound set of the Great Wizarding Events Series - all 17 volumes!" She grinned. "Everyone should have this to start their own library, but Harry, I'm stunned! Thank you so much!"

Ron looked at her smugly. "Harry was feeling overly generous this year. He got me a Firebolt!"

"A Firebolt!" she squealed. Other students gathered nearby stared at them to see what all the excitement was about. She lowered her voice. "Harry, what is going on?"

Harry shrugged, saying, "I just wanted to give you nice things, that's all. You never know where we're all going to be a year from now, and ... I just wanted to do this."

Ron thought this sounded a bit fatalistic, but Hermione looked relieved.

"Oh, well, I'm glad about that. I mean - please don't take this the wrong way, Harry - but I was afraid that when you gave me such an expensive gift that you, er, well...you wanted to date me." She looked uncomfortable, not wanting to offend him, but wanting to clear the air right away.

"Hermione, if I were going to try to compete with Anthony Goldstein for your affection, buying you a set of expensive books wouldn't be my first approach," said Harry, grinning mischievously. Hermione blushed. "Unless...would that work with you?" he teased.

"Honestly, Harry, I'm not discussing this with you!" Hermione exclaimed, blushing even more.

Harry put his arm around her. "Come on...just a little expression of gratitude for a nice gift? Ron gave me one..." Harry winked at Ron, who burst into laughter.

Hermione pecked him on the cheek and pulled away. "There," she giggled. "If Ron gave you any more than that, I do not want to know about it." She gathered up her trunk and disappeared up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

"Blimey, Harry," said Ron, "you must have spent a fortune this Christmas."

Harry leaned toward him. "Well, it would have looked odd if I got you a Firebolt and her a quill, wouldn't it? Besides, I meant what I said before."

"Yes, I heard what you said and dammit, Harry, I don't like to hear you talk like that. I keep telling you that I'm going to protect your sorry arse or die trying. Either way, we're together." Ron looked so serious as he said this that it made Harry laugh.

"You'd better be careful, Ron, or people are going to start rumors about us," Harry said under his breath.

Ron thought Harry's comment was a bit rich, considering the sexual innuendos he had just thrown at Hermione, but he figured over-reacting wasn't going to help matters. He picked up his book and started to read again, but was distracted by the inviting glances Harry kept sending his way over the top of his Charms book. They were either going to have to set up some rules about flirting, or Ron was going to have to learn how to walk normally with a hard-on.

* * * * *

Ron had no idea how he managed to get through the next few weeks. There was a flurry of activity as classes commenced again, and seventh-years were given nearly as much homework as the fifth-years. Students were up late into the night, which was a constant annoyance to Ron and Harry as they tried to find a few moments alone. The library was crowded as well, and they tended not to study there often since Hermione was usually sitting with Anthony Goldstein and they didn't want her to think they were spying.

Quidditch training had also begun in earnest again, and Ron's stature was elevated dramatically as word got out that he now owned a Firebolt. Ron had improved the level of his play to match the caliber of his broomstick, and Ginny had improved also since she was now using Ron's Cleansweep 11. The prospects for Gryffindor winning the Quidditch cup were very high, but the outcome would most likely come down to their last game of the season against Ravenclaw.

The worst part for Ron, though, was having to endure night after lonely night without sleeping with Harry. Ron missed the warmth of his body and the scent of his skin that he had gotten used to during their two weeks of bliss. He missed the way Harry liked to rest his hand on the curve of Ron's back, gently stroking his skin like a parent would caress a newborn baby. And he missed the mornings when he would wake up to find Harry's brilliant green eyes staring at him. The ache of wanting Harry so much and not being able to hold him or kiss him was torture for Ron.

He and Harry had agreed that they couldn't risk even so much as a kiss in their empty dormitory, as it would be far too easy for Dean, Seamus or Neville to burst in on them and discover their secret. More often than not, however, Ron would find himself gently awakened in the dead of the night and the two of them would sneak down to the common room. There, hidden under Harry's Invisibility Cloak, they would snog for an hour or so, before returning to their solitary beds. It didn't do much to ease his frustration, though, since it merely served as a reminder of what they might be doing under different circumstances.

Three weeks into the start of the term, Ron couldn't stand it anymore. They were walking back to the castle from the Quidditch pitch and Ron motioned to Harry to hang back and let the others walk ahead.

"Harry," he said quietly as the others pulled out of earshot, "I can't take this anymore. If I can't have you, I think I'll go mad."

Harry nodded as the stairs leading to the castle came into view. "I know. It's killing me too." They walked quietly for a moment, and Ron could see that Harry was deep in thought. Finally he said, "How much work do you have tonight?"

Ron shook his head. "Tonight's no good. Tomorrow is Friday, so you know Snape is going to quiz us on Truth potions. I'm still not clear on the differences between them, and if I mess it up, he's likely to give me some and ask embarrassing questions."

"More likely he'll give it to me," replied Harry. "Right, then, tonight's out. We'll do it tomorrow night. I'll say I'm going to bed and you say you're going to bathe in the Prefects' Bathroom; we'll meet at the Room of Requirement. I'll bring the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map with me."

"Brilliant! I forgot all about that room, but it will be excellent! If I could, I'd kiss you!" Ron exclaimed. When they reached the top of the stone steps leading into the castle, Harry heaved open the large wooden door and they made their way into the Great Hall for dinner.

* * * * *

Harry was waiting in the hall outside the Room of Requirement when Ron arrived. "I've been watching you since you left the Prefects' Bathroom. Did you know you just missed Mrs. Norris on the stairway?"

"No," said Ron. "Maybe you should have left the Invisibility Cloak with me."

Harry opened the door to the Room of Requirement, which he'd already conjured, and they hurried inside. What they saw there was astonishing. The windowless room was filled with an enormous four-poster bed with a multitude of soft pillows and majestic purple bed hangings. There were two small couches and many candles in different sizes. A fireplace in the far wall was lit and firelight danced off the ceiling, which was enchanted with a moonlit sky. In front of the fireplace was a plush furry rug made from some indeterminate animal. Ron strode over to the candles and lit them with one great swish of his wand. Harry, meanwhile, pointed his wand at the door, saying, "Colloportus." Ron turned sharply at the strange squelching noise it made as it was sealed.

As if with one mind, Harry and Ron made their way immediately to the bed and began to undress. It seemed as if no time had passed since their last encounter, and they were anxious to unleash their pent-up desires. Ron pulled back the thick purple duvet to reveal silky smooth satin sheets of pale lavender, which were cool and sensuous against his bare skin. At last Harry joined him, and his skin came alive with the excitement of Harry's hands roaming freely over him. Their kisses were long and deep and passionate. He could feel Harry's excitement as well, hard as stone and grinding into his thigh.

They melted into each other, joining together as one, each one's passion igniting the other. For minutes or hours - they didn't know or care - they took turns fulfilling each other's needs and satiating their own desires. When at last they no longer had the energy to carry on, they lay there sleepily, trying desperately to ignore the fact that they would not be able to spend the night here.

"Harry..." Ron asked cautiously, "I was thinking that after school lets out in June we could share a flat together. No one would think it odd that two friends share expenses..."

There was a long pause - too long, in fact. Ron was sorry that he'd said anything, and was about to apologize when Harry finally spoke. "Ron, I can't promise you anything. It's not that I don't want to. It's, well...shit, I don't know how to say this without it sounding all wrong." He sat up in the bed, leaning forward with his head in his hands. He turned toward Ron, watching the candlelight reflecting in his eyes.

"Look, Ron, I know stuff about the future that I can't tell you about. Not that I don't trust you, but Dumbledore has forbidden me to say anything to anyone. But even if I could tell you, I probably wouldn't. It scares the hell out of me to know as much as I do. I wish I could make you understand...for me, right now, the present is my future. My idea of planning ahead is asking what's for dinner. Dumbledore tells me constantly to stop worrying about the future and to have fun with my friends and enjoy my life. I think it's because he knows that my life could end at any moment, and he wants my last days to be happy."

Ron lay there with his mouth open stupidly, trying to take in what Harry was telling him. He seemed to believe he was about to die. Didn't Harry understand that Ron was his Protector? But Dumbledore had sworn him to secrecy about that, so there was precious little comfort Ron could give him. "Harry, no..."

Harry slid down next to Ron again and put his arms around him. "I want you to know that if this was the last day of my life, it would be one of my happiest. I love you so much." Harry closed his eyes to kiss him, and when he opened them again, he saw silent tears streaking down Ron's face. Suddenly Harry became very interested in finding a clock, giving Ron a moment to pull himself together. He was glad he did, though, because when he found it, it read 11:30.

"Oh no! Ron, we've got to get out of here." He quickly got out of the bed and sorted through the pile of clothing to determine which items belonged to him. They dressed in silence, feeling both an urgency to leave and a desperate longing to stay. When they were sure they had gathered all their things, Harry removed the seal on the door and Ron started to open it. Harry pulled him back, though, for one last earth-shattering kiss. They turned back and saw the door partially open with two bright eyes as big as galleons staring at them.

Ron screamed. Harry quickly pulled the voyeur inside and shut the door.

It was Ginny Weasley.

* * * * *

The three of them stood there, speechless, staring at each other. "Hi, Ginny," said Harry, finally breaking the awkward silence. "Surprised to see you here. Patrol duty tonight?"

"Yeah, I...You...oh, you are in so much trouble and... Shit, I don't believe this! You and my brother..." Ginny was as angry as Harry had ever seen her. She appeared to be shocked, angry and disgusted all at once.

Ron reached out to touch her arm, but she pulled it away and backed towards the door. "Ginny, let us explain, would you?"

"Explain?" she shrieked. "What do you possibly have to explain? It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" She looked at Ron, and then at Harry. Her voice calmer, she said softly, "What a total idiot I am. You know, the rumors that you two are gay lovers are flying all over the school, and I've been defending you! Why, I'll never know. But I guess you had me fooled. I'll be so humiliated when they all find out."

Ron grabbed her hand before she could move away. "Ginny, we have to talk now." He tried to pull her toward one of the couches, but she wouldn't budge.

"I don't want to hear what you have to say," she hissed angrily.

"Harry, I think you should go back to the dormitory and let me chat with my sister. We have some things to clear up," Ron said tersely.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I don't know if that's such a good idea. I think I should stay."

Ron's glare shot daggers at him. "Trust me on this, Harry. You take the cloak and the map. We're both prefects. If we get stopped, we'll just say we were both on patrol tonight."

Ginny looked livid, but she didn't make to leave either. Harry knew better than to argue with Ron when he wore that particular expression so - against his better judgment - he left them alone.

Ron directed Ginny to the couch and they sat down. "Okay, I'm listening," she said curtly, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Just to set the record straight, Harry and I are lovers, but we aren't gay. We both like girls, too." Ron's voice was surprisingly calm, as if he were reciting a speech he'd been working on in his head for weeks.

"Oh, well that's a relief. I can owl the Daily Prophet now and confirm that Harry Potter is not gay, he's bi!" said Ginny sarcastically.

Ron chose to ignore this remark and stuck with his prepared text. "It's important to me that you understand that what Harry and I have together is the most significant thing in my life. We're not just two teenagers experimenting with sex." Ron gently grabbed her arm for emphasis. "For both of us, this is the real thing, Gin. We love each other. We make each other happy. For God's sake, Ginny, please don't bodge this up for us by telling anyone." His pleading eyes were boring into hers, and he watched her squirm uncomfortably.

"How long has this been going on, anyway?" asked Ginny sullenly.

"Since the holidays. I dunno, maybe before that."

"Mum's going to go spare when she finds out," said Ginny, looking down at the front of her robes.

Ron was still holding her arm, and he shook it slightly, causing Ginny to glare at him hotly. "You can't tell anyone. Not Mum or Dad, not anyone! Promise me!"

"Get off it, Ron. You don't really expect that you can keep this a secret! The rumors are already rampant all over the school. They have been for months, but have gotten worse since Harry gave you the Firebolt. I mean, honestly, if Harry was trying to keep it a secret, why would he do that?"

"Sometimes Harry doesn't think about what he's doing, and sometimes he doesn't know the whole story," answered Ron shortly.

Ginny glared at him skeptically. "What's that supposed to mean? What's the whole story?"

"I can't tell you that," Ron replied. "Dumbledore made me promise not to say anything..."

"Dumbledore knows about the two of you?" interrupted Ginny.

"Well...yeah."

Ginny looked incredulous. "And he's okay with this?"

"He didn't exactly encourage us to come out of the closet, but, yeah, he was pretty cool with it." Ron was battling with himself to figure out how much he could say without breaking his promise to Dumbledore. But maybe Ginny could help them. Besides, he would trust her with his life.

"Look, Gin, if I tell you what's going on, would you promise to keep quiet and help us keep anyone else from finding out?" Ron knew this was a low trick - extracting this promise from her knowing she'd rather agree to keep quiet than not know some juicy bit of information.

Ginny thought for a moment. "I guess so. I mean...I'll do the best I can..." She shifted in her seat to see him better, her irritation having given way to her curiosity.

"See, the thing is, Ginny," Ron started, "that I can't do anything that would jeopardize the way Harry and I feel about each other. I'm worried that if everyone finds out about us, the stress and the publicity and everything will make it impossible for us to be together. You see, as long as Harry and I are together, I can protect him from You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters."

Ginny scoffed at him, "You don't really expect me to believe that, do you? You... a match for You-Know-Who? That's a bit melodramatic, Ron, even for you. How thick do you think I am?"

Ginny froze, though, when she glanced up and saw the seriousness on her brother's face. He was not one to wind her up often - they had both been on the receiving end of Fred and George's antics too often to try it with each other. What if he was telling the truth? "Sorry," she said quickly. "Go on."

"Remember when we went to Egypt and Mum dragged us into practically every shop in the country looking for that stupid Tyet of Isis charm?" Ginny nodded. How could she forget - they must have gone to thirty different stores! "Well, I found one at a shop in Hogsmeade, and I figured that if anyone needed extra protection from evil it was Harry, so I bought it for him for Christmas."

"Mum said they were rare, though. How could you afford it? I didn't loan you that much."

Ron smiled, "I think the witch who sold it thought it was a piece of old junk jewelry. I practically stole it. Anyway, Harry wore it to Christmas dinner, and Dumbledore saw it and recognized what it was. Later, Dumbledore told me that in order for it to work properly, the spirit of Isis had to be invoked with this bizarre kind of ceremony. He loaned me a book that said that if a lover performed the invocation on behalf of his beloved, the protection would be twice as powerful."

Ginny was amazed, "So you did this ceremony?"

"Yeah," continued Ron. "It was really weird. We put the amulet in a cauldron with this flower-water, started a fire under it and I said the incantation. These huge red and orange flames shot up into the air, and the water changed from yellow to green to red. It totally freaked out Harry, though. He said it reminded him of the spell that brought You-Know-Who back."

Ginny gulped. Ron's story was definitely getting more impressive. "Okay, you've got Harry protected now. What's the big deal if anyone finds out about you and Harry?"

"It's only effective as long as Harry and I are...you know, together. If we're just friends, it doesn't work. The bond has to be strong for both of us." Ron was looking at her fervently, willing her to understand how important it was. "Both Harry and Dumbledore are convinced that You-Know-Who or his followers will try to kill Harry again. If the bond isn't strong enough, I won't be able to protect him."

"Blimey, Ron, no pressure there, eh?" She sat quietly for a moment, thinking about the situation. "So all you want, then, is to be left alone to be in love with each other while you sit around and wait for You-Know-Who to kill Harry."

Ron nodded his head. "For the most part, yes. Except what we're waiting for is Harry to kill You-Know-Who. Dumbledore reckons that with my help - with the Tyet of Isis - Harry has a good shot at snuffing him first. So, Gin, will you help us?"

"Well I owe it to Harry to try, don't I?" she answered. "He did save me from Tom Riddle and Dad from that snake. But you two are going to have to chill for a while."

"What are you going to do?" Ron asked curiously.

"I'm going to try to manipulate the rumor mill for our benefit. I think it will work, but you won't like it much. Just remember, it's all for the cause." Without any further explanation, Ginny sprang to her feet and headed for the door. "Come on, McGonagall will kill us if she finds us out of bed this late."

"Wait, Ginny, what am I not going to like?" Ron called to her.

Ginny, however, was extinguishing the candles with her wand and paying him no attention whatsoever. "It'll be better if you don't know," she said as they walked out the door. When Ron looked back, the door to the Room of Requirement had vanished.

* * * * *

Harry was waiting for them in the common room. Ginny said goodnight as she walked swiftly by him, but did not make eye contact or give any indication of her feelings toward him. Ron didn't look too worried, so Harry supposed it had gone all right. Since there were a number of others still awake, though, he couldn't say much.

"Is she going to be okay?" Harry asked.

Ron nodded. "I think she was just shocked, mostly. I can't say as I blame her. Kind of a nasty surprise to find out like that."

Harry lowered his voice. "Do you think she'll say anything?"

Ron grinned. "I told you to trust me, mate. Actually, she's going to help us." His smile faded. "She said I wouldn't like it, though, so it has me a bit concerned."

Harry smiled. "Don't worry, Ron. It'll be fine. She's got her heart in the right place."