A/N: Written for the Hogwarts Fair 2014, Candyfloss stall (write a fluffy piece).
Awkward Parts of Teenage Love
1. Whatsortofflowersdoyoulike?
Ron was hopeless at romance. He couldn't help it; he didn't have a great set of role-models on the subject after all. Fred and George had a following of girls no matter what they did, and all they had to do was ask one on a date and it was done.
Granted, neither of them wanted someone as hard to please as Hermione Grange. Which was probably a good thing, in retrospect. He didn't want to be fighting his brothers for the girl. He'd lose.
And then there was Charlie, who had absolutely no interest in girls at all. Seriously. As far as Ron knew, he hadn't even had his first kiss. A little depressing, Ron thought. Even he'd had a kiss before. Granted, that was with Lavender Brown and a memory he didn't like thinking about nowadays.
And then there was Bill, the only one of them who hadn't started drooling at the sight of Fleur Delacour, and was now about to marry her. Ron thought that was torture, pure torture. Not that he liked Fleur like that – but he couldn't help those Veela tendencies of hers, could he? Hermoine didn't have to glare at him like that…
But maybe that meant she did like him. He brightened up at that thought.
Percy was no help either. He had his fair share of crushes – like Penelope Clearwater – but Ron would be damned if he'd take any advice from that traitor. And Giny…well, Ginny was a girl and the baby of the family and wasn't supposed to be in love anyway…
So he kind of had to wing it with Hermione. Unfortunately, his wings weren't getting him very far. The getting her jealous plan ended up with him having scars from bird beaks and being scarred for life after Lavender's…forcefulness. Though that was his own fault too.
He only hoped that the birds Hermione had set on him meant that she had felt jealous and that part of the plan at least had gone off without a hitch.
And then there was the try and butter Hermione up plan. That was a miserable fail and he couldn't salvage even a tiny bit of hope from it. He wouldn't even try to rationalise that one. It was just…a miserable fail.
And then there was the time he'd gotten poisoned – which hadn't even been intentional, but perhaps the most success he'd had. Though he didn't like the idea of being poisoned again, and he got the feeling that didn't count as romance anyway.
He sighed, looking at his parchment of notes and plans. 'Maybe I should just ask her out on a date like Fred and George always do,' he sighed. And maybe get her some nice flowers…but what sort of flowers did she like anyway? They never talked about flowers.
Then he actually considered the idea and his mouth dried up.
Harry and Hermione found him a few minutes later, coughing and quickly scrambling to hide that piece of parchment.
No way was he asking Hermione, and Harry – Harry was worse than he was. At least he hadn't made a girl he was kissing cry.
He sighed. Harry and Hermione looked curiously at him, then at the pile of books and parchment he'd been hiding in. 'Homework?' Harry said sympathetically.
'…something like that,' Ron replied, looking sidelong at Hermione who was frowning over the books.
'You left them to the last minute again?' she asked, exasperatingly.
'No!' Ron cried, before coughing and correcting himself. 'I did my homework. This is just…something extra…'
Hermione hummed and took a look at the books. 'Revising?' she asked, this time sounding pleased.
Ron decided not to mention he hadn't been doing that either. Though he probably should, since Hermione seemed happy to think he had been.
Well…he guessed it wouldn't hurt to find out a few other things she liked. 'Hermione..?'
'Yes?' She raised her head from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5 to stare at him.
'What – ' His mouth was growing dry again. 'Whatsortofflowersdoyoulike?'
'Excuse me?' she asked, confused.
Ron took a deep breath – and his courage fled. 'Never mind,' he said, taking The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5 from her. 'So, about McGonagall's transfiguration homework –'
'I thought you said you'd done it all.' Hermione was scowling again, hands on her hips and his previous unintelligible question completely forgotten. Harry had a bemused expression on his face for a while, but he quickly forgot about it as well.
Particularly since he was stuck on that particular homework item as well.