The following night, as it happened, was also the night before Ron's first exam. Harry and Cedric, being Triwizard Champions, were both exempt from their end-of-year exams, but Ron was not, and he sensed it unlikely that 'too busy shagging both Hogwarts Champions simultaneously' would be accepted as a workable excuse for being unable to sit his exams - even if it would be a thoroughly plausible reason for being unable to sit.

The afternoon following the first steamy scene in the prefects' bathroom, Ron found Harry alone in the dormitory, napping on top of his blankets. Since every other Gryffindor from Dennis Creevey to the seventh-year prefects was busy revising in the library, Ron didn't hesitate to lay himself down next to Harry, curling himself warmly around the soft, sleeping body. Harry smiled and sighed, turning over to bury his face in Ron's neck; in response, Ron wound his arms around Harry and simply held him, allowing himself to drift off for a minute or two, as well.

He woke, moments later, to Harry nuzzling his neck and stroking his hair. Ron grinned and hugged Harry more tightly to show that he was awake. Harry let out a soft, deep chuckle that Ron felt more than heard, and felt in his groin more than anywhere else. "Was brilliant las' night," Harry murmured against Ron's throat, "C'n't wai' for more."

Ron pulled back, with great effort, so he could meet Harry's eyes. "I can't do it tonight, Harry," he said sadly. Seeing the look on Harry's face made it even worse. "It's History of Magic tomorrow, then Transfigurations, then Charms and Divination the day after that, Astronomy Wednesday night, Care of Magical Creatures and Defence Against the Dark Arts on Thursday, Potions and Herbology Friday. I'm swamped." He laughed humourlessly. "Now I think I understand why Hermione starts revising in April."

Harry kept staring at Ron, with such an expression of disappointment and desire that Ron wanted, really wanted to be that person who could say, 'but you go ahead - you meet Cedric tonight and I'll join you again at the weekend.' Only he was afraid that Harry would take him up on the offer, would meet Cedric alone for five nights in a row, and that by Friday night neither of them would care whether he turned up or not.

With visible effort, Harry rearranged his face into a look of deep affection. "Well, we can't do it without you. We'll have to wait for Friday, won't we?"

Ron exhaled, feeling miserable and stupid and selfish, like the worst friend who ever walked the earth. He lowered his face to Harry's, kissing him softly and deeply and lingeringly until the moment hung in time, like it had been another life or another person who'd worried about exams and Hufflepuffs who wanted to steal his boyfriend, and all this Ron had ever done was lie on this bed, on this warm afternoon, and kiss Harry Potter.

Slowly, without urgency or hesitation, Ron began to shift his weight so that his could lower his face away from Harry's lips and toward Harry's belt. If he had to ruin Harry's night, at least he could make up for it with a little enjoyment of the last few moments before dinner.

When they finally made it to dinner, Hermione took one look at them and shook her head in amusement. She never did miss a thing, that one. Cedric also raised his head as Harry and Ron walked in, seemed to come to the same conclusion, and screwed his handsome face into a giant question mark. Ron shook his head sadly and mimed flipping the pages of a book - can't tonight, I have to revise for exams, he thought as clearly as possible. Cedric shrugged, scowling, and returned to his housemates' conversation.

"I'll talk to him," muttered Harry, and he left Ron's side to approach the Hufflepuff table. As Ron tried to pretend he wasn't watching, Harry pulled Cedric away from his friends, whispered something in his ear for a moment or two until Cedric nodded, then returned to the seat Ron had saved for him. Ron watched Cedric shrug again, more fluidly and with less evident annoyance, and knew the gesture was meant for him. Harry leaned lightly into Ron at the crowded table and Ron closed his eyes, for only a few seconds, to feel the warmth of Harry's body through their robes.

The next couple of days, naturally, were the longest in Ron's life to date. He sat exams, ate meals, revised for more exams, slept fitfully and alone, then repeated the process. He was positive that he wouldn't pass half his courses and felt more miserable and distracted than ever before in his life.

On Tuesday, leaving North Tower after his Divination exam, Ron found both Harry and Cedric waiting for him in a shadowy corridor.

"The thing is," Harry said by way of greeting, while Cedric looked on and smirked knowingly, "the Third Task is Friday evening, only a few hours after your exams end. So we really don't see where waiting for your exams to be through is an option."

"You only have Astronomy tomorrow, and that's after dinner," Cedric concurred. "It doesn't matter what time you get to sleep tonight."

"Anyway," Harry picked up the argument, again, and Ron experienced a bizarre moment of disconnect as the tag-team onslaught reminded him of Fred and George, "we're not going to accept 'no' as an answer, so you may as well get used to the idea that you'll be with us tonight."

A patter of feet alerted all three of them to the public nature of the space, however deserted, and Ron flushed deeply at having come so close to being overheard. He met both pairs of predatory eyes and nodded mutely, his pulse already racing at the thought.

"Brilliant," enthused Cedric with a grin. "Same time and place, then?" And he turned and started to stride away, but trotted back quickly to press a hot, wet kiss to Harry's lips and then to Ron's before departing for real.

Ron gaped at Harry as he stood frozen in Cedric's wake. "You set me up, you did," he accused weakly.

"Too right," confirmed Harry with a wicked grin. "And I'm not sorry." With that, he turned on his heel and disappeared in the direction of Gryffindor, leaving Ron weak-kneed and slack-jawed in the middle of the corridor.