InsaneJournal

Sleeping Beauty - H/R - PG-13
Title: Sleeping Beauty
Author: shocolate
Pairing: Harry/Ron
Words: 1002
Rating: PG-13
Summary : don’t ask.


Sleeping Beauty
****
Harry and Ron had a few days off work, and decided to visit Hermione at Hogwarts. Ginny was great, but she really hadn’t got the hang of distracting Hermione when she was overdoing the studying, and they were concerned that the N.E.W.T.S. were going to be too much for her.

Especially as both girls were overcompensating for their failed relationships by throwing themselves into their schoolwork.

So, they’d turned up after breakfast and dragged Hermione away from her books and spent a very distracting day, making sure that she got no work done, and feeding her her own bodyweight in sugar, and they’d gone down to the pitch and she’d watched them fooling around on brooms and had been close to tears at how carefree they both were.

And at how flustered Ron had become when Harry tackled him to the ground and at how Ron had excused himself and disappeared into the castle. Even Harry had been concerned, but he’d muttered something about the school having such mixed memories for them all, and how they should probably let Ron have a few minutes to pull himself together.

She privately thought he needed a few minutes to pull something else, altogether.

So, they had gone up to the Common Room and they’d given Ron a few minutes that stretched into half an hour before they began to worry. It had been easy enough to track him down, using the Map, and Harry had led Hermione up the winding stairs in the Astronomy Tower, thinking about no more than what he should say to cheer a sulky Ron up a bit when they reached the top.

But Ron wasn’t sulking.

He was over by the wall, curled up on the ground. His eyes were closed and he was very pale; his clothes were dishevelled, and one hand was thrust down the front of his trousers. Harry and Hermione cried out and rushed to kneel at his side, Hermione blushing and looking away as Harry turned him over, untucked the hand and tucked up the… other things and zipped up.

He pulled Ron up against his chest and felt his head for bumps and Hermione cast Rennervate and Harry cast Stimulate Maximus and called his name, and patted him gently, and Hermione slapped his face, not so gently, and Harry knew it was because she was worried, and not because she was feeling any lingering heartbreak and taking advantage of Ron’s vulnerable state.

“What’s wrong with him?” Harry asked desperately. “He’s not injured anywhere.”

“I can’t find anything physical; it honestly seems like an enchanted sleep,” Hermione said, flicking her wand over Ron’s still face and murmuring Healing Charms.

“He’s not Sleeping Beauty, Hermione,” Harry snorted.

Hermione brushed the long red fringe out of the closed eyes and sighed.

“Um,” Harry said, pulling Ron closer. “Sorry.”

“No,” she said. “No, Harry, it’s fine, really. Just.”

“Just?”

“Just.”

“Just?”

“It’s worth a try.”

“What is?”

“A kiss.”

“Seriously?” Harry asked. “Surely there aren’t really enchanted sleeps that you break with a kiss?”

“Well,” she said. “Ancient tales of real magic do leak into Muggle stories.”

“Go on, then,” Harry said encouragingly. “Kiss him.”

He adjusted the sleeping figure in his arms so that Ron’s head tipped back and his lips were available.

Hermione snorted. “I’ve kissed him before, Harry, and I think we both know that I’m not his Prince Charming.”

“Well,” Harry said. “George has been trying to fix him up with Verity, but…”

“She is absolutely not his Prince Charming,” Hermione said firmly. “there’s only one thing for it. You kiss him.”

“What?” Harry spluttered, nearly dropping him in his surprise. “Me? What are you talking about? I’m not gonna kiss him!”

Hermione gave him a Look.

“Trust me,” she said. “Who else could be his Prince Charming?”

“Hermione!”

“We’ll talk later,” she said. “There are things you probably need to know about why Ron and I broke up, but for now, just trust me.”

Harry scanned her serious face, then squared his shoulders before cupping Ron’s cheek with a trembling hand, tipping the wan face upwards and bending down to press his lips to the pale and slightly parted ones of his favourite person in the whole world.

They waited.

Ron’s eyes flickered open and he frowned up at them both.

“Ron?” Harry whispered, snatching his hand away. “Are you OK?”

“’M fine,” Ron said, struggling to sit up. “What happened? I was…” He stopped abruptly, his hands flying to cover his lap and looking confused. “I was…”

“Yes, well,” Hermione said. “We found you here, like… like that… and we couldn’t wake you.”

“Couldn’t wake me?” Ron asked.

“Nothing worked,” Harry said.

“Then am I dreaming this?”

“No, sorry,” Harry said. “I mean nothing else worked.”

“Until what?”

“Until the thing that did,” Harry said weakly.

“This is exactly what Kinglsey was complaining about, yesterday,” Ron said. “That’s about the same level of detail you use in your reports for work, and then I’m the one who has to sort things out and…”

“Never mind that,” Harry interrupted. “Now you’re OK, right?”

“Right,” Ron said slowly. “So, how did you wake me?”

“He kissed you,” Hermione said.

There was a loud silence.

“Kissed me?” Ron looked wildly from one to the other and laughed nervously. “Why try… that? Why should that work?”

Hermione sighed heavily.

“I just thought,” she said, gesturing around the circular room. “Top of the Tallest Tower, nothing else would wake you… True Love’s Kiss.”

“But why would Harry… why would a kiss work?” Ron complained, not meeting Harry’s eyes as they both blushed furiously at Hermione’s casual use of the L word.

“It worked in Sleeping Beauty,” Harry said.

“Sleeping what?” Ron scoffed.

“It’s a Muggle fairy tale,” Hermione said defensively. “Her Prince wakes her with a kiss from her enchanted sleep, after she falls asleep after pricking her finger.”

“So, I suppose we hoped it’d work if you’d fallen asleep after fingering your prick,” Harry explained.