Some fun fluffiness to pass the time...

"Um, Ron…?"

She was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, weight shifted onto one leg, and biting her bottom lip as if she was thinking about something important.

Ron looked up from his seat at the kitchen table where he had been studying a newspaper he found here at Grimmauld Place from nearly 30 years ago. He was fascinated by it but didn't hesitate to put it aside when he heard her voice.

"Yeah?" Ron answered and then gulped. Since they had taken off on this adventure together, since they left Hogwarts really at the end of this past year, he had been increasingly unnerved in Hermione's presence. Something was happening between them, they both felt it, it was brilliant, but it also terrified him. She was just so … Hermione. So bright and brilliant and beautiful. Sure she was also bossy and had a low tolerance for nonsense, but in the past year she had completely lightened up. She laughed more and nagged him less in the past year. Something was definitely happening. It started last year but they decided to put things on hold once they made the commitment to join Harry on the Horcrux hunt. He admitted that he spent most of his time thinking about her and daydreaming about a time when they could be together.

"Well, I want to take a shower." She told him.

He paused and felt a wave of heat flash over his body, "Oh, okay I don't need the bathroom." He told her nervously and figured that was the end of it. But she didn't move, she continued to look as if she were thinking about something uncomfortable.

"Well, you see, I'm a bit…creeped out…you know, scared. I wondered if you would just, could you just sit outside the bathroom door while I take a shower?" she turned a deep shade of red as she asked him for this favor. He absolutely knew it pained her to admit that she was afraid and needed someone to step in and make her feel safe. He was more than happy to oblige. In fact, he was thrilled, happy to know that she saw him as her protector. He felt amazing.

"Oh, sure no problem." He told her with a smile and he swore she turned even deeper shade of red as she turned and he followed her down the hall and up the stairs to the second floor.

She held her towel tightly to her chest and she turned to thank him before closing the bathroom.

"Thanks Ron. I know it's stupid but I just, this place is just so creepy." she said.

"Yeah, it is, very. No problem. I'll be right here." He gave her another smile and this time he got a very shy smile from her in return. She closed the door and he leaned back against the wall next to the door, sweat beading on his forehead and his palms were balmy. He leaned his head back against the wall and tried to concentrate on the sound of her undressing on the other side of the door. He wondered if she had any idea how attracted to her he actually was now. Almost every day since he was 14 he had one random randy thought about her of some kind. If she had any idea of these thoughts, he wondered if she would allow him to be in such close proximity to her, naked and wet and in the shower. Probably not. He slid down the wall to sit as he heard the shower start.

"Ron? Are you still there?" she called out.

"Yeah, I'm here." He replied.

"Ok, good-thanks again." She said and he heard the shower curtain rings scrape against the metal bar as she opened and closed the curtain.

Ron allowed his thoughts to drift as he listened to the water running in her shower. Drifted to daydreams about the two of them together, really together. Living together and doing real grown-up couple things together. Things like going out to dinner, cooking meals together, going grocery shopping together, sleeping together, showering together. He caught himself and realized all of these fantasies involved food and sex. I am a Neanderthal – he thought. He wondered if she truly did feel some of the same feelings he did. He was sure she did but there was something terrifying about finding out. If the answer was no, he would be crushed. He didn't think he could handle that kind of blow. Surely she did fancy him though. All the signs were there. Even at the wedding, she blew off that wanker Viktor Krum so she could dance with Ron and she did so willingly and happily. That was huge.

After a few more minutes of daydreaming, Ron heard the water turn off.

"Ron?" she called out again.

He smiled, god she was adorable. "Yeah, I'm still here." He told her.

"Ok, good. Almost done." She said.

"Take your time." He replied.

Then he heard her gasp and scream out "Ouch! Oh!"

He jumped to his feet and without thinking he blew open the door to the bathroom. She was wrapped in her towel backed up against the shower wall and he could see it flying madly around the room in a fury, it was a doxy. He swatted at it but decided it was not a good idea to make it more angry than it already was. He tried to shoo it out the door and eventually he did so with success.

"Oh I hate those things!" she cried out. "And it bit me!"

"Are you okay?" he asked, finally allowing himself to enjoy the view of her in only a towel as she stood in the shower trying to get a look at her bite. She was straining her neck to look around to the back of her leg.

"Where is the bite? I can get the dittany?" he told her, trying to be helpful.

"Oh, it really stings!" she cried out, hands shaking, and he could see tears welling in her eyes. He kicked into gear.

"Here, Hermione, let me help. Where is the bite?" he reached out to help her step out of the shower. She took his hand with one of hers and held onto her towel tightly with the other hand. She seemed too distraught to realize that she was standing there nearly naked in front of him, with her long toned legs fully exposed and the tops of her breasts pushed up at the top of the towel. Ron felt faint but knew he needed to focus and not be a total perve right now. It was very difficult.

Suddenly, she started to giggle. Giggling, wet Hermione wrapped only in a towel. Ron's brain and body was about to explode.

"What's funny? I thought you were hurt?" he asked her confusedly.

"I am. It does sting like the devil but, oh god Ron… it bit me on my bum I think!" she continued to giggle and he couldn't help but laugh at her state. She was tearing up now for real and he could tell it was from the stinging and the giggling combined.

"I need the dittany, can you get it?" she asked through her giggling and tears. "Just grab my bag I left it in the sitting room."

He shook his head in disbelief at her as he retrieved the bag. She really was something. When he returned to the bathroom the door was closed again and he knocked gently.

"Hermione, here I have the bag."

"Wait a minute … okay, come on in." she was steadier now and still trying to look back behind her right leg to see the bite. "It's not on my bum." She got out as she outright laughed. "It's kind of at the top of my thigh in the back."

"Still stings?" he asked her.

"Yes, very much so."

"Here the dittany will help." He pointed his wand at the bag and ascended the bottle of dittany. He held it out to her.

She looked up at him with an expression he had never seen on her before. It was pouty and helpless and, he had to admit, sexy. He gulped again.

"Do you think you can help me with it?" she asked cautiously.

He tried to stay calm and be cool. "Oh yeah, no problem." He croaked out.

"Ok, thanks Ron. And by the way I did put my knickers on when you went to get the dittany so you're not going to see anything you shouldn't really see." She told him in a very Hermione-like tone but there was a noticeably different feeling behind it. She was being flirty. Ron's mouth began to get dry.

She turned around with her back to him and leaned forward a bit onto the sink. He really thought he would faint now. He willed himself toward her and kept his gaze on her bare shoulders and upper back for a moment. Her skin looked really smooth and tan, there was a gathering of freckles on one shoulder and he noticed a darker spot of skin on her back, just at the base of her neck. The spot was shaped a little like a heart.

"What's that?" he asked bluntly. He cursed himself for his stupid nerves.

"What's what?"

"This spot on your back, right below your neck?"

She flushed red again. "Oh, god I hate that, it's just a birthmark. My dad said they branded me at the hospital. I hate it. It's horrible. "she said sadly.

"No it's not. It's pretty cool. Like a tattoo but natural." He told her. He turned red also. He wanted to lean in and kiss it. It took everything he had not to do so. He continued to stare at her skin and study her neck and shoulders. She had pulled her hair up into a bun on top of her head so he had full view.

"Uh, Ron, my leg is stinging." She said shyly.

"Oh right, sorry!" and he snapped out of his trance and then he lowered himself down behind her, now he had an excellent view of the back of her legs. They were pretty. She had pretty legs. Very lean and nicely shaped. He desperately wanted to reach out and touch them. He then caught a glimpse of the bite, it looked pretty nasty.

"How does it look?" she asked from up above.

"What?" he was dazed.

"The bite? How does it look?" she asked again.

"Oh, well…not terrible, but not great. Here let me get the dittany on it."

He unstoppered the bottle and realized this was going to be a bit tricky. He needed her leg to be a bit flat so the dittany didn't just dribble down her leg.

"Listen, I need to lift your leg and steady it so I can apply the dittany on good okay?" he said in another croaky tone.

"Yeah, whatever." She said nonchalantly.

He took a small but deep breath then and gently lifted the injured leg with his hands. Her skin was warm and smooth and felt incredible. He moved his knee over so that he could prop her leg on his knee. She balanced herself against the sink on one leg and he squeezed a few drops of dittany onto the bite. As he watched the bite sizzle slightly and heal itself over, he felt a wave of disappointment that this experience was coming to an end. He decided to take advantage of the moment though and as he lifted her leg from his knee to place it back down on the floor, he tenderly ran both of his hands up and down her right leg as if comforting the hurt appendage. He felt her shiver but she didn't protest or tell him to stop. Her skin felt amazing in his hands. For a final bold move, before he stood, he quickly lifted the bottom of her towel from her body to get a brief glimpse of her knickers and her tight bum-they were some kind of black silky material. Ron was elated. Just when he thought he knew her so well, he realized there was so much more he wanted to learn.

He stood up quickly then looked at her from behind in the mirror. She was even redder than before. She likes it – he thought and it excited him.

"All set." He said to her reflection in the mirror.

"Thanks Ron." She told him shyly.

"Anytime."

They continued to stand in and stare at each other in the mirror for a few more seconds.

"Well, I should get dressed now." She told him.

"Yeah." He agreed but did not move.

She started giggling again and turned around on him, allowing him to look down on her, direct in his line of vision were the tops of her breasts spilling out of the towel. Ron thought-was this really happening?

"Ok Ron, out now." She commanded in a giggly voice as she took his arm and led him out the door.

"Oh, right." He agreed again.

He stood outside the door looking in toward her as she began to close the door on him.

"Thanks again Ron." She told him in a serious tone.

"Yeah, thank you, I mean, no problem." He said. "Feel better?"

"Yes." she said smiling, "Loads."

"Good." He replied dreamily. "I'll just wait right here then."
Hermione nodded, "Ok, then." Then she closed the door gently.

Ron rested his forehead on the closed door and allowed a giant smile to spread across his face. This was going to be a really interesting adventure.