closer

chapter 1

- harry

The fire bathed the empty Gryffindor common room with a warm glow, creating a calm moment to contrast the last few months. Combining the interrogation from reporters and Ron's cool remarks; silence had never felt quieter.
With a spit and gasp of sparks, Sirius's face materialised into the fire, the embers flickering around his features.
"I don't have much time, Harry, so let me get straight to it." rasped Sirius. "Did you or did you not put your name into the goblet of fire?"
"No!" I replied irritably.
"I had to ask. Because if you didn't - whoever put your name in there - they want you dead. You have enemies inside the castle. Karkaroff was a Death Eater, Barty Crouch sent his own son to Azkaban - you can't afford to be anything but careful. Do you understand?"
From behind, the unmistakable sound of footsteps were approaching.
"Sirius. Someone's coming. I have to go." I hissed.
"Keep your friends close, Harry."
His face melted into the ashes, the last flames dying around it.
The footsteps had stopped.
"Who were you talking to?"
I turned round, facing the person who I wanted to see the most yet not at all. Ron.
"What?" I reply
"Who were you talking to?"
"Sirius. In the fire." I blurted
"'Course. Can't talk to me about anything anymore."
"We can talk." I protest. "I'm telling you, Ron. I didn't put my name in the Goblet. I don't want anything to do with the Tournament, I've had enough of that in my life."
"Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it."
He turned back up the stairs, disappearing into the shadows.
"Keep your friends close, Harry."
Until my name was drawn, there was never a time when me and Ron weren't close. Not since the day we'd met on the train; most of the disagreements within the trio were between him and Hermione.
There was even a time when I had felt closer to Ron than friends normally are, or perhaps I just wanted to be. I know I had wanted to be. But some things just had to go unspoken. And with our friendship in the state it was that night - I thought maybe they never would.