Charity

Chapter 2


Last chapter:
“Ron, dear. You don’t have anything against gay people, do you?” As gullible as Ron sometimes is, he thought nothing of her remark. “No, you know I don’t. Both Bill and-”


“Yes, I know.” she interrupted him to deliver the big blow. “Then why don’t you teach Harry?”


Ron sat with his mouth opening and closing for a moment before he managed to say something. Not very intelligent, though. “What?!?” he noticed Harry looking at them as if they’d both gone completely bonkers. He did not blame him.


She continued, not noticing, or ignoring their looks. “I mean, he obviously can’t kiss me because, first of all I’m not even the right gender. Second, he’s like a brother to me.”


Ron tried to protest, though it was weak. “But Hermione, it would be… strange.”.


“Are you kidding? To see two gorgeous boys kissing would be like every girl’s dream come true. Especially you two, it would be…” her eyes glazed over and a goofy smile appeared on her face. She shook her head to rid herself of the fantasy.


“I’ll come with you to judge if he needs more training.” she added hastily. She was not going to miss this opportunity.


Ron did not like that idea. “What, you can’t come! That’s-” she interrupted him immediately.


“So you’re going through with it?” she smiled at him, confident after she had tricked him. By now, Ron was red from embarrassment and Harry looked anywhere but at his two insane friends. Ron looked pleadingly at Hermione, trying to get her to understand.


“Ron, come on! You know you want to. You told me you thought of the idea as exciting, remember.”


“Hermione!” Ron screeched and cast an embarrassed look at Harry who now rivaled Ron’s face in the contest of who could go the most red. Hermione turned to Harry to see his expression.


“Well, Harry. What do you say?” Harry sat stunned for a moment looking back and forth between his two best friends. His two totally nuts, best friends. They looked at him, one in hopeful glee and another in quiet mortification.


He did not know what to do. “Eh, I-“


“C’mon! You don’t want to be embarrassed in the kissing-booth, do you?” she said and smiled when she saw Harry’s eyes flicker hesitantly, but with a new gleam to them. Boys were always the same. If you knew how to provoke them in the right way, you could get them to do anything. In reality, she did not want to lose the chance to see two boys kissing. Oh, the girls would be so jealous!


“No, I guess not, but are you serious?” she noticed that Harry was starting to come around to the idea, slowly but surely.


“Why not? It is not as if you can just walk up to someone and just ask him. For one thing, you would be used and knowing you, you would not even notice.” Nobody could say that Gryffindors were not manipulative if they wanted to. She continued, but smiled inwards.


“Maybe we could ask Ginny-“ before she had finished, Ron was on his feet pointing his finger at her, shaking slightly.


“No way! You are not dragging Ginny into this!”


“- but I know Ron will protest against that.”


Hermione saw that Harry had finally given in. She could see it clearly from his expression. It was a mix of doom, anxiousness and a small amount of hope.


“I don’t want to look like a big fool, so I guess I have to agree.” Harry said finally with a sigh.


Not that Ron had actually agreed, but he did not really disagree. It was somewhat exciting, after all. Why was he hesitating, it was only Harry. Cute and gorgeous, but self-conscious Harry. Not Harry Potter or The Boy Who Lived, just Harry.


He knew that Harry had had a hard time finding someone that liked him for who he was and not only for his fame. He got many letters from girls and even a few boys, declaring their love, but none seemed serious. He used to be jealous of Harry’s fame, but now he could see that it was not only a dance on roses.


Finally, both Harry and Ron had agreed to practice kissing, to Hermione’s delight.


“So when do we do it?” Harry asked after a few minutes of awkward silence. Hermione thought for a second before she answered. “Well, the Fundraiser is on the weekend to come and today is Tuesday. You have four days to practice. How about we meet tomorrow after dinner in the Room of Requirement?”


Suddenly both Harry and Ron were nervous all over again. It seemed so real when she put it like that. They both squirmed in their seats a few seconds before agreeing to her suggestion.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


The next day went by unbelievably slow, without any interruptions. Both Harry and Ron were anxious about the coming evening; they had hardly talked to each other all day and were avoiding the other like the plague.


At dinner, all three sat in silence, Hermione between the two boys. She noticed the looks they were getting from the other Gryffindor’s in their year, but ignored them. She could not sit still when she thought of what she was going to witness; she really was a sappy girl at heart.


“We should probably get going.” The boys did not say anything; they just stood up quietly and headed out of the Great Hall. She quickly stood up and ran after them.


When they arrived in front of the Room of Requirement, she walked back and forth in front of it three times, thinking if a place with couches, armchairs, and a cozy atmosphere. When she opened the door, she saw one large red sofa in front of a large fireplace. Two leather armchairs were placed on each side of the sofa.


The only light in the room came from two lamps on the wall and the golden light reflected from the fire. She reflected that it was rather inviting. She hurriedly sat in one of the armchairs so that the stubborn boys could not get an armchair each. Ron sat in the other, while Harry reluctantly sat in one corner of the sofa.


She sat looking back and forth between them for a few minutes before exclaiming: “What are you waiting for? You better begin, or it will never happen.”


Ron gulped and looked up at Harry, catching his eyes fleetingly. He could not believe he was this nervous over a small kiss; it was only his best mate after all. His best mate, who he happened to have a small crush on. He could see in Harry’s eyes that he was just as nervous as he himself was, if not more.


In a rush of unexplainable courage, he slowly moved to the couch and sat down beside Harry. He could see that if he did not make a move, nothing would happen. Harry would certainly not make the first move.


Ron slowly moved a little bit closer to Harry on the couch and turned a little so that he was facing Harry, who did the same. Ron saw Harry’s hands shake lightly in his lap as he played with his sleeves. He smiled to himself, thinking how insecure Harry really was, even though the whole Wizarding world adored him. Harry would always be Just Harry, no matter what would happen and that was what he liked about the boy. He was not trying to be someone else and he accepted his fame, even though he does not like or want it.


Ron reached out a hand and put it carefully on Harry’s fiddling hands, the pale and freckly skin contrasting nicely with Harry’s more tanned complex. He felt Harry’s hand still, then slowly, and unsurely turn around so that their palms were pressed together. Ron’s fingers slowly entwined with Harry’s, a tingling sensation shooting through them both.


As Ron looked up from their entwined hands, Harry’s incredibly green eyes gazing back at him from behind his trademark glasses caught him. They looked at each other for a moment, before slowly leaning towards each other.


Just before their lips met, Ron looked up into Harry’s eyes again, just to make sure it was all right. What he saw made his whole stomach tingle. Harry looked surely into his eyes, with something akin to adoration or awe in his half-closed green eyes.


As their lips finally met, they could both feel the other slowly relax. Both boys’ eyes closed as Ron’s free hand reached up to tangle in Harry’s hair. Neither of them had realized how good it would actually feel. Hesitantly, Ron stroked his tongue at Harry’s lips asking for entrance, which he was granted.


Neither of them remembered Hermione sitting in the armchair beside them, so neither saw her expression. Her mouth had dropped open and was now forming a small o of surprise. Her eyes were glued to the sight of her two best friends kissing sweetly and she was lightly fanning herself. She smiled to herself, thinking that the two really belonged together. Of course, she had known it long ago, before Harry had even known he was gay.


A fleeting thought that she should leave the two boys alone, entered her mind. She ignored her traitorous thoughts in favor of watching the boys. She would not have thought it was this hot! They did not seem to notice her so she decided to stay a little longer, enjoying the sight before her.


To her big disappointment, the tentative kiss soon ended, leaving the boys facing each other; one of Ron’s hands in Harry’s hair and the other hand entangled with Harry’s in between them. Harry’s other free hand had found its place on Ron’s waist and it still lingered there. The boys seemed locked in each other’s gazes, searching the other’s eyes.


After a few moments of silence, the two boys separated smiling slightly at each other.


“Well, that wasn’t so bad…” Ron said silently, voice shaking slightly. Harry nodded, agreeing.


“Do… do you think you will need more practice? Ron asked hopefully, looking at Harry.


Harry thought about it. He really liked kissing Ron; he was so gentle and considerate. He would not really mind kissing him again. No, he would definitely not mind.


He looked at Ron shyly before answering him hesitantly. “Maybe I need a little bit more practice…” Ron smiled at Harry, ecstatic that he gets to kiss the other some more.


Ron looked at Harry sitting beside him, fiddling nervously with his hands. Oh, the boy was gorgeous! The impossible green eyes hiding behind the silky raven hair and big glasses, the flushed mouth that looked so tempting after being kissed. Moreover, the hands…such delicate yet strangely strong hands…what they could do…Ron shook his head when his thoughts started in the direction of the strong beautiful body he knew was hidden beneath the clothes.


Hermione smiled when she saw the expression on Ron’s face, knowing exactly what he was thinking.


She decided to interrupt them before they started again. “I think we should go back to the common room now, you can practice some more tomorrow.”


Harry flushed and nodded. She was right, as usual. It was getting late; they really should be heading back.


“And remember, we will have to start building the kissing-booth tomorrow, so it will be finished until Saturday.”


Ron looked at her with wide eyes. “We have to build it by ourselves?”


Hermione shrugged. “Yes, but it should not be too difficult.”


They all got up from the comfortable sofa and armchairs in The Room of Requirement and headed back to the Gryffindor common room. Both Harry and Ron were well aware of their hands touching occasionally as they walked side by side.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


Ron and Harry said goodnight to Hermione as they parted in the common room.


Silently, they headed up the wooden staircase to the sixth year boy’s dormitory. In silence, not quite uncomfortable but neither as relaxed as it usually was, the two boys started to get ready for bed. Harry could almost feel Ron’s eyes on him as he changed into his nightshirt. When both he and Ron were finished in the bathroom, they both sat down on respective beds. They were shooting each other subtle glances, not knowing what to say.


After a few moments of silence, Ron suddenly burst out laughing. Harry’s head immediately snapped up to look incredulously at Ron.


“What’s so funny?” he asked with a frown.


Ron settled a little in his laughter, though he was still giggling occasionally, before answering. “Us! I mean, look at us! Here we are, afraid to talk to each other over some kiss. We have known each other for six years, Harry!”


Harry smiled. “Yeah, you are probably right.”


“Of course I am!” Ron said indignantly as he gathered up his pillow and a blanket, before heading over to Harry’s bed. They did this a lot, sitting on one of their beds with lots of pillows and blankets, talking and just enjoying the warmth and company of the other.


Harry scooted over making room for Ron. Harry took his own blanket and put it around himself as he leaned back against his pillows at the headboard. Ron made himself comfortable at Harry’s feet; leaning back on a pillow that rested against Harry’s bent knees.


Ron had drawn the curtains around the bed and they now basked in the warmth the blankets provided and the soft illuminating light from Harry’s wand in a holder on the wall.


They talked about everything and nothing and soon, without noticing, Harry started playing with Ron’s fiery red, soft hair. When Ron sighed quietly, almost a moan, he quickly withdrew his hands in shock. What had he been doing?


“No! Please…please don’t stop.” Ron said desperately. It had felt so good, Harry’s wonderful hands caressing his scalp, playing with his hair and drawing his finger through the red tresses. He had had his eyes closed and a sound of pleasure had escaped before he could stop himself.


Before Harry could continue, Ron sat up and turned so that he was almost facing Harry, looking into his eyes. They were automatically drawn closer to each other and when Harry’s legs stretched out on either side of Ron, they were almost nose-to-nose.


When their lips met for the second time that day, it was as intoxicating as before, if not more. Harry had scooted down so that he was on his back with his head on the pillows. Ron had unconsciously maneuvered himself so that he lay halfway on Harry. One of his long legs had found its place between Harry’s slender legs and his torso leaned gently on Harry’s.


He was a little afraid that he would be too heavy, so he held himself up a little with his right elbow. With his other free hand, he cupped Harry’s cheek as they kissed.


It was all so overwhelming. Neither of them had ever felt anywhere near this before. The gentle probing of Ron’s tongue against Harry’s lips, asking for entrance, thrilled Harry as much as it pleased Ron to be granted that access freely. Nothing else existed, only the two of them, only the searching tongues and wandering hands, the loving looks in between kisses and the exploring of soft smooth skin hidden under layers of clothes. No words were needed; they both knew each other too well.


After exploring each other’s skin and kissing until they were both exhausted, they fell asleep, entwined together and both with smiles on their faces.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*