Disclaimer: sadly, I own nothing....
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I was the last one waiting, all the other guys and there dates said they'd meet us down in the great hall, including Harry who had somehow kept it secret form me that he was going with none other then my baby sister. I was going to go kill him right then and there (ok, maybe not kill, but at least fatally injure) When I saw her coming down that staircase.

Right now I'd just like to say one word. WOW. I mean, who would've thought that anyone could look so... Perfect? I mean I always found Hermione, quite pretty in that rare way, where you knew she was pretty but you couldn't figure out why, because she didn't have any of the regular things people considered pretty, like being tall and stick thin, (which is good for a girl, but not for a guy, I should know) She also didn't have the latest style clothing, or know how to put on make-up, but she was always... Nice looking.

But now, well, I was having trouble talking.

"Y-y-y-ou, a, woah, I mean, good. Red, yes, you look quite red today, I mean, in a good way, because uh..." I bumbled on like that for about three minutes before she stopped me by doing something so Hermione-like that all the tension seemed to disappear completely.

She sneezed.

"Bless you," I muttered.

"Thanks," She said crossing her arms as if to shield herself from my eyes. "You look nice," She muttered. The one bloody thing I had wanted to say and she got it out on her first try, life is so not fair.

"You do to," I said scanning over her for about the thousandth time since she first appeared. She opened her mouth and started to say something that sounded like "Really?" But came out:

"ReallyCHOO!"

"Hermione, how long did you stay outside?" I asked as sniffled and rubbed her eyes. She shrugged.

"Why?"

"Because, I think your sick," I answered putting my hand on her forehead like my mother always did to me when she thought I was coming down with something. Melting cauldron, hot.

"Ron, I'm not sic- AH AH ACHOO!" Her whole body sort of shook when she sneezed.

"You are too," I said in what was probably the most responsible voice I've ever used.

"Ok, but you can still go to the ball without me," She said wiping her eyes.

"What, trying to get rid of me?" I joked. She shook her head.

"It's just, you bought now dress robes and everything for it and..."

"Hermione, I seriously doubt anyone will miss a set of blue dress robes too much," I said forcing her to sit down.

"Ron, really, I don't want to ruin-"

"Hermione, to tell you the truth, I think I'd rather just stay here with you," I broke in sitting next to her and trying not to let myself stare at her too much.

"Why?" She asked. I gaped at her.

"Well, I didn't have the greatest time last year," I said as if it were quite obvious.

"But, you could this year-"

"Oh, right, it would end up with you begging me to dance, me insisting on not so I won't embarrass myself by stepping all over your feet, and then you getting asked by every guy there and his brother, to dance, eventually you will get so bored with me that you'll go off with one of them and I'll end up sitting there watching and feeling inferior," I spouted. Hermione shook her head.

"That's not true. For one, I WOULD get you out on the dance floor. Two, I'm sure your not that bad at dancing. Three, I doubt anyone would ask me to dance, and Four, I never get bored when I'm with you." Hermione replied getting a matter-of-fact tone. I shook my head.

"You live in a rich fantasy life," I muttered grinning, "Getting ME to dance? Come on."

"Well, look at what you said, everyone and his brother asking ME, bookworm Hermione Granger to dance, not likely Ron," I looked at the ground realizing I had been staring at her again.

"Why isn't it likely? You're good at dancing, nice to everyone, and you look really nice... Lots of people would ask you to dance," I muttered feeling my face get red. She shrugged and it got quiet. "Um, I'm getting... Hungry, I'll go down to the kitchens and get us something to eat," I said trying desperately to get away from the awkward silence I always see to create when around Hermione.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked as I walked through the great hall, to get to the corridor that leads to the kitchen.

"Sick," I answered.

"Sick? Are you serious?" I nodded.

"It's ok though, we're going to stay up in the Gryffindor common room," I told him trying to look pleased. I knew though, that it was going to be a very hard night. Talking to a girl all night that only said she'd come with me in the first place to be nice. And to get worse... I was starting to think I wanted to go with her a bit more then I had thought originally.

"Well, have fun," Harry said sympathetically. I nodded. Walking towards the door leading to the corridor that leads to the kitchens.

"Hey Ron, will you dance with me?" Some girl I had never met before asked.

"Uh, I would, but I'm a bit busy right now," I lied. Wondering who she was. The house elves were filing out of the kitchen holding platters of food as I got to the entrance to the kitchen.

"Harry potter's friend Mr. Ronald Wheezy," Doby said grinning. "How can I help you Mr. Ronald Wheezy?" Ron smiled.

"Hermione's sick," Doby's face turned to one of sorrow, "Could you get us some chicken soup?" Doby grinned again nodding vigorously and running into the kitchen, holding a large silver platter, with two large bowls of chicken soup, rolls, cups of tea, and icy pumpkin juice.

She grinned when I came back with the tray; she was sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace, all stretched out in those red dress robes. I had to look up at the ceiling to keep from well.... You know.

"Doby," I explained she nodded grinning.

"But Ron, I still feel bad about you not-"

"Hermione, don't feel bad for me, I feel bad enough for myself most of the time to make up for everyone else." I said loudly. She rolled her eyes. I set the tray in between us. It felt incredibly strange, like I had somehow made this into a date or something, it made me nervous, both of us all dressed up and no one else to keep it from being a "date"

"This really is nice of you, you know," Hermione said after a second. I shrugged. "No, really, it is, I'm probably going to bore you all night, and you could be out with Harry partying."

"I already told you Mione, I'm not much for Balls-"

"Well, if you would actually TRY dancing you'd probably like them," Hermione said taking a sip of tea.

"I don't like dancing," I muttered.

"Ron, you've NEVER danced before, how do you even know?" Hermione argued,

"Because-" She sneezed, "Because, I just know I won't like it even if I try it," I said lamely. Pretty girls really do make me dumber.

"You're just being pigheaded and close minded," Hermione said in that uppity way she does when she knows she's right.

"I am not!" I argued, knowing she was right.

"Then try it with me," She demanded. Damn it.

"Mione-"

"Please, for me," She begged. How can you say no to someone that looks like THAT?

"Fine, but only because your sick and I feel bad for you," I said she pulled me up and positioned me.

"Hermione aren't we missing music?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I don't have a CD player." She muttered.

"Do you have a wand?" I asked sarcastically. She grinned sheepishly. "You really must be sick." She flicked her wand doing a incantation, music slowly started singing from her wand.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Come What May, it's from a muggle play," Hermione said. I shrugged, she grabbed my hands and repositioned them so that they were around her waist, her arms were around my head.

"Ok, now what," I asked looking up to try and distract myself from the fact that I was currently pressed up against a young witch scantily clad in red silk.

"Well, looking at me, would help," Hermione said matter-of-factly. I tipped my head down, finding myself staring straight into her eyes. She turned her head. "Well, you don't have to look at me like THAT," She said swallowing hard.

"Sorry," I squeaked.

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Well, well, well, thank you everyone for all the reviews, I'm trying to read some of my reviewer's stories too, so you see, review for me, I'll review for you :)
And if anyone's interested, I just got a new fic up, "Syrupy Summer" which is pretty fluffy and in need of reviews!