Rating:
G
House:
Astronomy Tower
Ships:
Harry Potter/Ron Weasley
Characters:
Harry Potter Ron Weasley
Genres:
Romance
Era:
Multiple Eras
Stats:
Published: 09/20/2004
Updated: 09/20/2004
Words: 1,515
Chapters: 1
Hits: 2,086

Two Years of HarryandRon

netbyrd

Story Summary:
Ron is a bit slow to catch on sometimes. A quick little post-war story with clueless!Ron and Touchie-feelie Harry. Harry and Ron pre-slash.

Posted:
09/20/2004
Hits:
2,086


Two Years of HarryandRon

After the final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort, Harry was recognized as the official hero of the wizarding world. Ron watched patiently from the shadows, stomach twisting as he waited for the Hero to claim his girl. It wasn't that Ron did not want his best mate to be happy; it was just that he didn't want some strange girl to come between them. There was no space for a strange girl between Harry and Ron, because HarryandRon were the best of friends, and nothing should change that.

2 months passed, and the Hero did not claim his girl

One afternoon, while Ron was watching Harry's seeker tryout for the Puddlemere United, a reporter from the Daily Prophet plopped down next to him, a little too close and a little too loud. The reporter said he knew Ron, recognized him because Ron had kept a bedside vigil next to Harry at St. Mungo's. "You're always with Potter," the reporter had pointed out. "Which girl do you think that he will choose?"

Ron had blurted out, "Hermione," much to the reporters delight, because it was the only name that came to mind. He then proceeded to ignore the reporter, in favor of watching Harry whip past on the firebolt. Hermione, of course, was the only name Ron could say when asked, because it was always Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and she would never really push in between the friendship of HarryandRon if Harry chose to date her.

6 months passed, and the Hero did not claim his girl

Ron was flopped across the couch in the flat he and Harry shared, his feet draped across Harry's lap. He snorted with laughter as he and Harry enjoyed one of their favorite pastimes - reading aloud the love letters that owls delivered to Harry daily. Ron read the letters using a goofy voice, and Harry laughed so hard that there were tears in his eyes when Ron described the firmness of Harry's backside or how much the writer wanted to lick Potter-neck. Harry would always end up sprawled across Ron, grasping a freckled arm or knee as he tried to catch his breath. Ron was never happier than when Harry would lose control like that, because the poor boy deserved to laugh. He silently wondered though, what he would do if he read a letter to Harry one day and no laughter followed, only questions about the writer. There was no space in between the friendship of HarryandRon for a girl met by post owl.

9 months passed and still the Hero did not claim his girl

Ron was cornered again by a reporter in the middle of one of Harry's quidditch matches, while he was busy watching Harry search for the snitch. She thrust a paper under his nose, detailing Hermione's engagement to Viktor Krum, as if Ron didn't know about his other best friend's love life. He tried to ignore the reporter when Harry went into a spectacular dive after the snitch, but she wanted to know if Harry had interest in one of the female quidditch players in the league. "You accompany him to most practices, and attend all his games, so you should know!"

He grunted out an intelligible answer at the reporter while Harry grasped the snitch in his hand and landed his broom onto the pitch, accompanied by the sounds of screaming fans. Ron pushed his way through the crowd to where the team was celebrating, and when Harry spotted Ron, he wrapped an arm around Ron's waist. As Harry goofed about in celebration and tried to stuff the snitch down Ron's trousers, Ron surreptitiously glanced at the quidditch team and wondered if one of those fit girls wanted to squeeze between the friendship of HarryandRon.

One year passed, and the Hero did not claim his girl

In February, Harry started disappearing without telling Ron where he went. Ron returned to a quiet flat frequently when his ministry shift ended, and the couch felt empty. At breakfast one morning, as they sat and ate cereal together, Ron's eyes swept across a picture in the Daily Prophet of Harry and Ginny shopping together. He choked a bit on his cereal and Harry looked across the table, grasped Ron's hand, and asked what was wrong.

"You're in the paper with my sister!" Ron spluttered out, pushing the paper across the table at Harry, but not moving the hand that Harry held.

"Oh Ron, do you believe everything that you read?" Harry sighed, as if he were consoling a confused child. He shook his head and apperated off to practice, and Ron remained at the table; he couldn't eat anymore.

Three days later, on February's leap year day, Ron apperated home from work and was shocked to have fifty-some odd people shout, "Happy Birthday!" at him. Friends and family hugged him and pecked him on the cheek, and Harry slung an arm around his shoulder and smeared frosting on his nose.

"You're so thick sometimes," Harry whispered into his ear, but Ron focused across the crowded room at Ginny and wondered if his sister had wiggled her way in between the friendship of HarryandRon as they had planned the surprise party.

One year and six months passed by, and still the Hero did not claim his girl

The Granger-Krum wedding was a huge event in the wizarding world, and it seemed that every quidditch player and ranking ministry official attended. Ron gave the bride away because her father had died during the war, and Harry was best man. Ron watched Harry, who was gazing wistfully at the happy couple as they exchanged vows using words like "love" and "forever" and "cherish".

At the reception, Ron leaned against the bar next to Harry and they both quietly nursed their drinks and followed Hermione and Viktor with their eyes. "Do you ever hope you find a girl like that to love?" Ron asked, more to break the silence than anything.

Harry turned and met Ron's questioning expression, the emerald green eyes gazing back unblinkingly. "A girl like that to love?" Harry repeated, one eyebrow lifting. "Not quite," he said slowly before he knocked back the rest of the firewhisky in his glass.

Ron gave Harry a confused half smile, and turned his head back towards the festivities. They both remained next to the bar, shoulders and arms brushing against each other, until Parvati Patil dragged Harry off to the dance floor a half hour later. Ron continued to lean against the bar, dismissing the fluttery feeling in his belly as something to do with alcohol rather that something to do with the friendship of HarryandRon.

2 years passed, and the Hero still did not claim the girl

They were tangled up on the couch again, this time laughing over the Daily Prophet's bold declaration of Harry as the "Sexiest Bachelor of the Year."

"I see they've got your best side," Ron snickered, pointing at a particularly close shot of Harry's denim clad bottom.

"Do you really think so?" Harry asked in an odd tone of voice, his eyes glued to the list of potential woman to date as offered by the Prophet.

Ron paused in his laughter, settling down enough to push up into a sitting position. Harry's head still rested in his lap, and Ron glanced down at the unruly, dark hair. He traced the lines of Harry's face with his eyes, watching as the bespeckeled boy wrinkled his nose in response to one of the suggested woman in the paper. Harry jabbed a finger at one of the names, and snorted, "Some of these women are twice my age!"

Ron didn't reply. Something was slowly creeping out from the closed-off portions of his brain as he gazed upon his friend's face. Eleven years of the friendship of HarryandRon flashed before his eyes. His ears grew warmer and stomach twisted again as he focused on every casual touch and every veiled word between he and Harry.

Harry sat up next to Ron, concern for his companion etched on his face. "You alright mate?" he asked, pointing with his chin.

Ron broke out of his daze and turned to meet Harry's eyes, their faces inches apart .He could smell the toothpaste on Harry's breath, and see the tiny flecks of brown in his eyes, hidden in that sea of green. He waved his hand at the list of eligible females suggested by the newspaper, and then paused for a moment, truly listening for the first time as Harry's breath quickened at their nearness.

"Harry," he wondered softly, "you aren't looking for a girl, are you?"

Harry's eyes widened in surprise, but a wicked smile followed. He grasped one of Ron's pale hands, and threaded their fingers. Ron watched, stunned, as Harry brought their joined hands to press against his lips.

"No Ron," Harry whispered against a freckled knuckle. "I am not looking for a girl." The butterflies suddenly left Ron's stomach.

2 years and 1 day later, the Hero finally claimed his boy


Author notes: I wrote this during the Green Bay Packers/Carolina Panthers game. -- something about all those men falling on top of each other. It is only my second attempt at HP fic, so please be kind! Con-crit is welcome! Thank you to vaudy for the pre-beta!