A Holiday Surprise

A Holiday Surprise

 

 

                “Harry, are you ready?” Ron burst into the Prefects’ bathroom, where Harry was just buttoning up his shirt. “You take longer to get dressed and ready than anyone I know, Harry!” Ron cried, exasperated. “Ginny was afraid that you passed out or something!”

                “Is she waiting for us?” Harry gathered his toothbrush, deodorant, comb, and other toiletries. “The train doesn’t leave for about 20 minutes still.”

                “Yes, but we still have to get down there! You know we have to go the long way, because the damn northeast stairway faces northwest on Fridays!” Ron’s voice softened and he reached over and trailed a finger down Harry’s cheek. “You look beautiful…”

                Harry smiled and kissed Ron’s fingers as they passed over his lips. “Thank you,” he replied, zipping his toiletry bag. “So do you…” Ron turned around to head towards the door and Harry took the opportunity to sharply pinch the redhead’s butt. “Bloody top choice meat!”

                Ron squealed and spun around, only to be mashed in a kiss with Harry. Ron felt himself becoming weak in the knees as the kiss broke off. “We’d… we’d better go…” he breathed; his previous fire and furor seemed to have been lost in their kiss.

                “Let’s go,” Harry said as he grabbed Ron’s hand and pulled him out of the bathroom.

                Harry was going to spend the holidays with the Weasleys, have a real family Christmas for once. The Dursleys’ Christmases always involved Dudley stuffing his face, opening about 200 gifts, and making a bloody huge mess. And Harry was always the one to clean up.

                Not this holiday. He would spend Christmas and New Year’s with a real family, the closet thing to a family that Harry could ever remember having. Being with Ron had given Harry the possibility of actually becoming a real part of the Weasley family, and he hoped that Ron would agree to tell his parents about their relationship. It had been going on for a year and a half, after all.

                Harry and Ron rode in a compartment with Hermione and Ginny on the train ride. Hermione was going on and on about her studies in Charms. She was planning on becoming a professor when she graduated, hopefully she’d be able to find a position in advanced Charms.

                Harry and Ron nodded along with her, trying their hardest to look interested. Harry nonchalantly slid his hand behind Ron’s back and Ron slid his own to meet it, intertwining their fingers together. They caught each other’s eyes and shared a brief longing gaze before catching a curious glance from Ginny. Ron blushed to the roots of his hair, quickly releasing Harry’s hand and scratching his forehead with it, trying to hide his flaming face.

                Ginny blinked a few times before returning her eyes to her sketchbook. The Hogwarts Express pulled into platform 9 ¾ not long after. Harry, Ron, and Ginny went to join Molly, Arthur, the twins, and Percy, who had all come to meet the children. There were two cars from the Ministry waiting outside and Ron, Harry, and the twins piled into one while Percy, Ginny, Molly, and Arthur went to the other.

                Harry was squished in the middle of George and Ron in the backseat for the entire 1-½ hour trip to The Burrow. Fred and George were eagerly discussing what they might be getting for Christmas. Ron leaned over to Harry. “Bill and Charlie are coming, too.”

                “Oh, really? Cool. I liked Bill,” Harry said back, letting his fingers drift under Ron’s shirt in the back. “He was real nice to me at the tournament two years ago.”

                Harry pulled a small Muggle notebook out of his pocket with a bit of a struggle and produced a pen from the same pocket. He quickly scrawled on the paper, Do you think Ginny knows?

                Ron read the little piece of paper and wrote, She looked suspicious on the train…

                Harry took the paper back and wrote, I was hoping we could tell everyone over the holiday.

                Ron stared at Harry’s note for a minute before folding it up and sticking it in his pocket. He looked into Harry’s bright green eyes and gave a little shrug, as if to say I’ll think about it.

                Harry smiled a bit and squished himself a little closer against Ron. They rode in relative silence for the rest of the trip, excepting Fred and George’s energetic chatting that ebbed and flowed as they neared the Burrow.

                Harry had just about fallen asleep with his head on Ron’s shoulder when they finally arrived. The car doors popped open and everyone piled out. Harry felt a warm feeling as he looked up at the Burrow. Add-ons to the original little cottage stuck out every which way, and the garden in the front grew like something wild that still had some sort of logic to it.

                Harry’s eyes drifted up to the very top of the wacky house, where Ron’s bedroom was. “So, where are Bill and Charlie staying?”

                “Well, Charlie’s here now, but Bill won’t get here for a few days. He couldn’t take the whole two weeks off.” Ron sighed. “And since everyone’s afraid to move Fred and George, Percy is sleeping in my room and Bill and Charlie are staying in Percy’s room.”

                Harry, a little broken-spirited, trudged to the door.

                “Hey,” Ron whispered. “Percy falls asleep really early, and he sleeps like a rock.” Ron caught Harry’s eyes and smiled.

                Harry’s mood picked up a little bit at that. He leaned in close to Ron. “I was just hoping we’d get a little time alone…”

                Ron blushed deeply and held the door open for the ministry drivers, who were carrying the Hogwarts students’ trunks. He tried to hide his face behind his arm. Damn this pale skin.

                “You’re so cute when you blush,” Harry whispered to Ron.

                “You’re scandalous,” Ron mumbled back, blushing even deeper.

                The two boys followed a couple steps behind the rest of the Weasley pack to the kitchen. “Let me see my babies!” Molly bellowed loudly, pulling Ginny out of the buzzing crowd of freckled redheads. She planted a big kiss on Ginny’s forehead. “Ronniekins!”

                “Oh, gosh…” Ron grumbled. “Here we go…”

                “My baby! And Harry! So good to see you, sugar!” Molly kissed Ron all over his face, ignoring his cringes and protests. She turned to Harry and kissed him on the cheek before practically squeezing the life out of him with a hug. “Why don’t you two go and get settled? I’ll make everyone a nice snack when you’re all settled in.”

                Ron grabbed Harry’s wrist and yanked him from the confusion of the kitchen. “And do try to get Charlie to come down! He’s been sending owls to Romania all day, I hope he’s not planning on going back!” Molly’s voice floated after them.

                Ron rolled his eyes and led Harry up the four staircases to his room. They slammed the door shut behind them and breathed a sigh of relief. “A few moments’ peace,” Ron said, rolling his eyes. “Let’s unpack.”

                Harry opened his trunk and pulled out his toiletry bag. “Here, I’ll take yours to the bathroom.” Ron handed Harry his bag, which consisted of only a toothbrush, deodorant, and a comb. Harry opened the bedroom door and headed down towards the bathroom. He passed Percy’s bedroom on the way and heard agitated yelling coming from the crack in the door.

                Harry peered inside and gasped softly. Charlie Weasley was the one yelling, dictating to a quill moving of its own accord across a piece of parchment on the desk. “Two days, I’m gone two days and everything goes to hell. How could it get all the way to Cairo?!? You guys are…” But Charlie’s yelling wasn’t what had Harry entranced. Charlie was naked from the waist up, wearing only a pair of plaid pyjama pants. Harry noticed a largish tattoo of a Chinese dragon on his left shoulder blade and a shiny pink burn on the right side of his waist, which seemed to be the only part of the older man that wasn’t heavily freckled. Charlie’s chin-length hair was tousled and every muscle in his body was tensed, showing off the lean quads in his upper arms.

                Harry sighed softly, his eyes running over the man’s body. Suddenly, Charlie spun around and Harry jumped, scurrying off down the hall to the bathroom. Please don’t let him have seen me, please, please…

                Harry tossed his and Ron’s bags into cabinets and quickly walked back down the hall, nearly running headfirst into – “Charlie!”

                “Harry!” Charlie cried, clapping an arm around the boy’s shoulder as if they were brothers. “Good to see you again!”

                “You – you too,” Harry sputtered. “Scared me, that’s all.” To Harry’s slight dismay, Charlie had put on a dark blue shirt that complemented his hair and freckles quite nicely. Ron’s never pulled off navy very well… Harry thought, slapping himself mentally. Wait, what am I thinking?

                “Well, I’m off. You go finish unpacking. See you downstairs!” Charlie bounded down the stairs, leaving Harry with his heart thumping in his throat.

                Harry quietly walked back up to Ron’s room, his brain quite muddled. Images of Charlie kept flashing through his mind, that tattoo shifting nicely with Charlie’s muscles, those freckled fingers raking through the flaming hair… No, no! Harry shook his head, trying to dislodge the thoughts from it. My Weasley is Ron, not Charlie. Besides, what would a real man want with me? I’m only 16…

                Harry inched open the door to Ron’s room. “What took you so long? Get lost?”

                “No, I ran into Charlie. He’s downstairs now.” Harry sat down on the extra bed, staring at a poster of the Chudley Cannons, Ron’s favourite Quidditch team.

                “Wassa matter?” Ron sat down on Harry’s lap, wrapping his long legs around his lover’s waist. He wove his fingers into Harry’s thick hair and kissed his gently.

                “Nothing, just tired.” Harry kissed Ron back and hugged him tightly. “Come on, we’d better get back down.”

                Ron ran his hands over Harry’s Quidditch-toned back and kissed him one more time. “Look,” he started as they headed downstairs. “I think we should tell everyone, too. Just… in a couple days maybe. Okay?”

                Harry smiled and hugged Ron briefly. “Thank you.” Charlie had disappeared completely from his mind.

 

* * * * *

 

                “So I think that the scarlet ink sold in other countries is purposely thinner than British and American ink, because when the ink is thinner, then you have to load your quill more often, and I told Mr. Argers…” Percy went on and on about his work, trying to hold an audience for more than a few minutes.

                “That’s great, honey…” Molly said at the appropriate moments.

                George leaned over to Ron and said under his breath, “Percy’s already enraptured with another boss… God, that kid suffers from some serious hero-worship syndromes…”

                Ron rolled his eyes and bit a huge bite from the chicken leg in his hand.

                “So we sold 500 Ton-Tongue Toffees to just this one guy who was giving them out as party favours! And he loved the trick wands, too! Hell, this guy is going to send us all to the bleeding Bahamas, at this rate!” Fred chatted enthusiastically.

                Harry nodded along with Fred, truly interested in the welfare of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, but he just had other things on his mind. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Charlie (hopefully unnoticed).

                “…And it’s gotten all the way to Cairo from the reserve! Can you believe it? I just hope the gits can handle things until I get back. I’ve enlisted some help from the staff in Egypt to get the Swedish Short-snout back. God, these guys…”

                Arthur seemed enraptured with Charlie’s story as he shoveled mashed potatoes into his mouth.

                “Hey,” Ron nudged Harry in the waist. “You’ve been acting strange all day. Maybe you should go to bed early?”

                “Yeah, maybe you’re right. I’m gonna head up after dinner,” Harry replied. Maybe I just need to sleep on it…

                “Well, Percy has to work tomorrow, so he’ll be getting to bed early…” Ron started. “And…” He blushed a bit and squeezed Harry’s thigh. “Thought we might cuddle a bit…” he whispered.

                Harry smiled back. He spotted Charlie laughing out of the corner of his eye and winced slightly. God, he’s gorgeous… what’s wrong with me?  Harry caught Ron’s eye and smiled. But every time I look at Ron, I fall in love all over again. I don’t get it.

                After dinner was finished, Harry excused himself and slipped away from the clan of redheads up to Ron’s room. Percy was already in the extra bed, fast asleep. Harry didn’t even bother changing clothes before he slid into Ron’s bed, clutching a pillow to his chest. He spotted a little orange hair on the bed sheet and ran his finger over it.

                Oh, Harry loved Ron, there was definitely no question about that. But his feelings about Charlie were confusing him. What would Charlie want with me, anyway? For Merlin’s sake, he’s a man, a real man…

                Harry cuddled the pillow closer to him. A real man, not a boy… a fabulous-looking, delicious, sultry… Harry shook his head again, standing to go use the loo.

                The sounds of someone brushing their teeth floated from behind the bathroom door, and, knowing that Ron was going to bed early to join him, Harry opened the door. “Hey, swe- oh, um, sorry…”

                Charlie was standing over the sink, gargling a cupful of water. He spit the water out and patted his mouth dry. “All right, Harry?”

                “Um, I thought you were… um…” Harry stammered.

                “Thought I was Ron?” Charlie said, cocking an eyebrow.

                “Yeah…” Harry shifted uncomfortably, trying not to stare at Charlie’s bare chest.

                Charlie smiled knowingly. “You guys should tell everyone. I don’t know what you’re afraid of.”

                Harry’s jaw dropped. “How… how did you know?”

                “Ginny. She had a pretty good idea.” Charlie clapped Harry on the back. “Ron’s lucky. You were always a good-looking kid.”

                Harry stared up at Charlie in disbelief. He noticed that he was almost as tall as Charlie, and if he were to try and kiss him…

                “Bathroom’s all yours,” Charlie cleared his throat and made his way back to Percy’s room.

                Harry locked himself in and quickly brushed his teeth before heading back upstairs. When he got to Ron’s room, Ron was waiting for him, lying on the bed unclothed, covered only by the sheet. Ron mouthed something to him that Harry couldn’t make out, but he then realized that Ron wasn’t mouthing something, he was speaking. He had put a silence charm around the bed.

                Harry crawled into Ron’s bed with him, having the strange feeling that they were shut off from the world. Ron reached over to Harry and kissed him gently, pulling his lover close. “I found this book in Hogsmeade while we were Christmas shopping,” Ron whispered close to Harry’s ear. “It’s called Bedroom Charms. I’ve been wanting to try some of them out.”

                Harry gazed into Ron’s green eyes – they reminded him of the colour of the Quidditch field in the morning, when it was bathed in dew. He really did love Ron. His lust for Charlie would hopefully pass – he couldn’t stand feeling like he was betraying Ron.

                “This is a good one,” Ron said softly. “Disrobus.”

                Harry felt as if his clothes were melting away, but they only floated softly to the floor. Ron pulled the sheet over Harry and kissed him deeply, leaving Harry breathless. The two slowly progressed, until –

                “Oh, Charlie!” Harry clapped a hand over his mouth. “Shit!”

                Ron’s jaw dropped and he pushed Harry away. “What?!”

                “Oh, God, Ron, I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean…” Harry sputtered.

                “You didn’t mean what? You cry out my brother’s name while we’re – Oh, God…” Ron grabbed his pyjama pants from the floor and pulled them on. “Get out of my bed!” he screamed, pushing Harry onto the wooden floor.

                “Ron, I’m sorry…” Harry pleaded, but it was useless. Ron’s silence charm was still in effect. Harry pulled his clothes on and laid his head on the pillow that Ron threw at him. “I love you…”

 

* * * * *

 

                The next morning, Harry awoke to see Ron’s bed unmade but without the endearing redhead in it. He sighed and threw the pillow on the bed, stretching out his back to try and work some of the knots from it. Harry wove his hands into Ron’s sheets, still feeling his lover’s body heat. He quickly wiped a tear from his eye and stumbled out to the bathroom, rubbing his eyes and holding his glasses in his hands.

                Harry splashed some cold water on his face and headed downstairs, spotting Ron at the kitchen table. He caught Ron’s eye and felt his own fill up with tears.

                “I’m going to get dressed,” Ron announced loudly. He slammed his spoon into the cereal bowl and scraped the chair violently across the floor as he stood up.

                Harry slumped down into a chair at the table and glanced up at the Weasleys’ clock, making sure that Ron’s hand hadn’t slipped from pointing to “home” to land on “mortal peril”. Harry sighed and let Molly pour him a bowl of cereal. “Something wrong, sugar?”

                “No, I’m okay. Not real hungry, though,” Harry replied, pushing the cereal bowl away from him.

                “Nonsense, you’d better eat something, Harry,” Molly replied.

                Harry shoveled a few spoonfuls of cereal in his mouth and wiped his face off quickly with a napkin. He looked up at the clock and saw everyone on the clock’s hands pointing to work except his, Ron’s, Charlie’s, and Molly’s. 

                “I’m going to go get dressed and get a shower.” Harry stood and ran for the stairs before Molly could protest.

                 Molly shook her head and cleaned up Harry’s bowl. “Everyone’s acting so strange…”

 

* * * * *

 

                “Damnit, Ron, stop running away from me!” Harry called.

                Ron continued down the hall, pretending he hadn’t heard. Harry locked himself in the bathroom and slumped down in front of the door, burying his face in his knees. “Stupid, stupid, stupid prat!”  Harry pulled on his hair. “How could you be so stupid!!”

                Harry stood up and took of his glasses, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. He stared at himself in the mirror. How could I ruin it all with one word? Lose the one person that I’ve ever loved?

                Harry put his glasses back on and watched his image become sharper as it stared back at him. He blew his nose on a piece of toilet paper and exited the bathroom. One step into the hallway and he ran into the source of all his problems.

                “Something wrong Harry?” Charlie asked, noting Harry’s puffy red eyes.

                Harry sniffled and shook his head. He waited for Charlie to start walking away. “Wait, Charlie…”

                Charlie turned back around. “Yes?”

                “I need to talk to you. Alone.”

 

* * * * *

 

                “So right when you were-“

                “Yeah…”

                “My name? I wish I could laugh at this.” Charlie smiled warmly at Harry.

                “This is uncomfortable enough without you smiling at me like that,” Harry grumbled. “And Ron is, understandably, very pissed.”

                “I can see why.”

                Harry leaned back against the wall, punching one of Percy’s pillows. “I love him…” he whispered, biting his lip. “I’ve never told him, but I do…”

                “Why don’t you tell him?” Charlie asked, handing Harry a glass of water.

                Harry gratefully gulped down some water. “I need to get him to stop pretending I don’t exist first.”

                “You do sleep in the same room as him,” Charlie suggested.

                “He put a silence charm around his bed,” Harry grumbled.

                “Clever boy! That’s why I never heard anyone screaming my name last night,” Charlie laughed.

                “I’m glad you find this amusing,” Harry grumbled, throwing a pillow at Charlie.

                “I’m sorry, really… I’ll try to talk to him, I promise.” Charlie took Harry’s glass and tapped it with his wand, causing it to disapparate with a pop! And reappear a second later, filled with water. “So, why me?”

                Harry narrowed his eyes at Charlie and considered throwing the water in his face.

                “Just wondering!” Charlie said, putting his hands up defensively. “I’ll never mention it again, I promise.”

                Harry sighed and downed the water in one gulp. “You’re just… attractive, that’s all. You’re just so… old”

                Charlie rolled his eyes. “I guess I deserved that.”

 

* * * * *

 

                Harry sat between Fred and George at dinner, watching Ron out of the corner of his eye. Bill had arrived about an hour before; he could only get a few days off from the goblins. “So, Harry, how does it feel to spend a holiday with a bunch of nuts like us?” Bill asked from across the table.

                “It’s the best holiday I’ve ever ha-had,” Harry said, choking the last word out to cover up a sob. He caught Ron’s eye on the other side of the table and gave him a pleading gaze. Ron snapped his head in the other direction. “Excuse me.”

                Harry stood from the table and went back into the Burrow, running the whole way up to Ron’s bedroom. He threw himself onto the bed and sobbed into the pillow until his throat was raw.

                “Harry.”

                Harry looked up, quickly shoving his glasses on his face. “Ron.”

                “I talked to Charlie.”

                Harry took a deep breath. “Please don’t stand over there looking at me as if I mean nothing to you!”

                “You know you don’t mean nothing to me,” Ron said quietly. He sat down next to Harry and stared down at his feet. “You mean everything to me.”

                “Then why did you freak out? Why didn’t you talk to me?” Harry turned to Ron and stroked his face.

                “I – I don’t know. You know how insecure I am, Harry,” Ron took Harry’s hand in his and kissed it. “You just said my brother’s name, for Merlin’s sake…”

                “Ron, you know-“

                “And you know how much I hate having so many older brothers who get so much more attention than me…”

                “Ron-“

                “And then when you said that, while we were… you know… I just flipped-“

                “RON!”

                “What?”

                “I love you.”

                Ron grabbed Harry’s face and kissed him hard. “Say it again,” he breathed.

                “I love you, Ron,” Harry leaned in and pressed his lips to Ron’s flushed red ones. He tasted like strawberries and milk and that delicious Ron flavour that no one else has.

                “I love you too, Harry,” Ron breathed back, leaning in to kiss Harry again. He slipped his tongue in Harry’s mouth, pressing their bodies together.

                “I just want to know why,” Ron said. “What made you say… that?”

                “I just saw him and, well, I don’t know. I had a bit of a crush on him at the triwizard tournament, too. Everything just kinda came back.” Harry leaned over Ron and ran his hand up the front of his lover’s shirt. “But you’re my Weasley, not Charlie.”

                “Harry…” Ron kissed Harry softly and lay down on his chest. “I don’t care who you have a crush on. I just care that I love you and you love me…”

                “Shhh, just don’t talk, okay?”

                “Okay.”

 

* * * * *

 

                “We have something to tell everyone. Sort of…” Ron shuffled his feet.

                “Sort of a Christmas surprise.” Harry smiled at Ron, watching him blush in that adorable Ron way.

                Harry and Ron stood next to the Weasleys’ Christmas tree, Ron crossing his fingers tightly behind his back. “Um, well, what we wanted to say, well, some of you know already, and…”

                “It’s just that Ron and I, for about a year and a half now, we’re…” Harry took off his glasses and rubbed them vigorously on his sweater, trying to stall.

                “You see, we’ve been sort of…”

                Harry caught Charlie’s eye, who smiled and nodded, trying to encourage him. “We’re in love.”

                Fred and George reacted first, standing up and going to clap Ron on the shoulders. “That’s our boy, getting bonked by the most famous wizard of our time!”

                “George!” Molly cried. She turned to Ron. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner, sweetie?”

                “Well,” Harry began to answer. “We were, understandably, somewhat afraid of what you would all think…”

                “Oh, don’t be silly,” Arthur boomed. “We’d love to have you as a real part of the family! Let’s get to opening our presents, all right?”

                Ron and Harry both breathed sighs of relief and clasped hands, sitting down on the loveseat. The Weasleys all tore into the piles of boxes under the tree, and by the time they were all finished, everyone had a new sweater knitted by Mrs. Weasley and plenty of delicious treats to stuff themselves with.

                Harry and Ron both stood to go get drinks for everyone, bring two trays out from the kitchen. They served everyone sparkling water and butterbeer.

                Bill looked up to Ron and Harry and loudly cleared his throat. “Guys…” he said mischievously, pointing to a spot above their heads. Harry and Ron looked up and noticed a bit of mistletoe levitating above their heads.

                “Bill…” Ron groaned, blushing the same colour as his new Weasley sweater. He grabbed Harry and led him to the other die of the room, but the mistletoe followed, guided by Fred’s wand.

                “You know what you have to do!” Charlie called out, Ginny giggling like crazy on his shoulder.

                Harry grabbed Ron by his collar and kissed him softly, to a sprinkling of applause and giggles from the Weasleys. “Happy Christmas, Ron.”

                “I love you, Harry.”