AN: Firstly I would like to apologise to s.a.r.d for reasons she knows.

Secondly, I watched the movie Tristan and Isoldeon Sundayand thus this idea popped into my head – it's not like Tristan and Isolde, but it keeps my mind off it. :)

!SERIOUS FLUFF WARNING!

Disclaimer: don't own anything…still.

Please review and no flames thanks.

She searched the mirror, wondering what secrets it held. It was an odd thing, that she knew and its magic was almost unknown to her. She had only ever had need of it once before, when she was fourteen and the Bulgarian seeker had asked her out to the ball. This being only the second ball she had attended this was only the second time she had to face her reflection in the mirror.

Her hair lay down by her sides like it never used to before she put effort into it and on her bed lay several dresses her mother had passed to her waiting to be held up in front of her body and then tossed back to the bed. She picked one from the pile, a light blue long dress not unlike the dress robes she'd worn to the first ball and held them up. That colour may have suited her then, but it had been four years since then and things had changed.

There was a knock at the door as she called that they could come in; she was in her pyjamas after all.

"Mione? What are you doing? We have to go!"

"I know Ronald," she said slowly. "Now look, I know that I would never usually ask for your help, and I'm not…really. I mean, I know that you must be very busy and that you have better things to do. But I'm really stuck; I mean you just can't learn about these sort of things. It's supposed to be second nature I think, but it isn't and that's annoying me and now I'm in trouble."

"What is it?" He asked looking at the dresses on the bed. "What's wrong?"

Hermione sighed, "I can't think of what to wear, I mean, we're getting the Orders tonight and I want to look … nice, what with us being the youngest to ever receive the Orders and all that."

"But Mione, you always look nice." Ron silently cursed as she turned away to hide the red rising up her cheeks.

"Well, alright, but which one?" She turned around holding up a black dress that stuck to her sides and a red one that had a rather plunging neckline.

"Why can't you ask Gin?" he asked regaining his composure.

"Well, she's with Harry isn't she and I don't think I want to interrupt them. He only woke up yesterday."

Ron had a pained expression on his face as he studied the dresses. "I don't-"

"She's sixteen now Ron, she can do what she likes."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Hermione laughed despite herself. "You can't hate it just because you not-"

"Which one do you want to wear?" he asked changing the subject as he held the dresses up against himself. "I think the red becomes me more, but the black is very slimming."

She laughed loudly this time as he sashayed across her room holding the two dresses.

"Pass them here Ron, and turn around."

"Chosen then have we?"

"Turn around!"

Ron obliged twiddling his thumbs and humming what he thought was one of the old Sorting Hat Songs, but his memory since the battle hadn't been that good.

Hermione coughed and told him that he could turn around and he smiled. "I thought the black one suited you more" agreeing with her choice.

He held out his arm acting the perfect gentlemen and lead her down the stars to the reception room where the ball was being held.

"We're the guests of honour," he whispered to her as they joined Harry and Ginny at the top of the stairs, "It's time to act like it."

Harry smiled and hugged Hermione lightly, his vision was still a little wonky as Ginny helped him down the stairs, her spelled hand holding his normal one.

"They were all been broken in the battle, but it is these brakes which made them stronger" Rufus Scrimgeour. Harry rolled his eyes as Ginny kicked him under the table. "Today we honour eight of the bravest fighters our world has ever known." The Minister didn't like this. In fact, he despised it. Not only did he have to give the awards to eight members of the Order of the Phoenix, but one of them was a half-breed.

"Remus Lupin, Order of Merlin second class, Nymphadora Tonks, Order of Merlin second class." He read out biting his tongue. Lupin walked up smiling as Tonks followed him to receive her award, both of them had saved numerous muggles from Death Eater attacks risking their own lives and those of the ones they loved. Maybe it helped that they worked really well together and had subsequently married after securing ministry permission. "Fred Weasley, Order of Merlin second class, George Weasley, Order of Merlin second class." Fred helped George to the stage and led him to the Minister who shook hands with the twins who for the first time in known history hadn't made anything explode all day. Apparently they were saving themselves for the after party.

"Now we move to the four who saved the entire world, both ours and the muggle world, from destruction at the risk of their own lives and those of those around them." Rufus seemed hesitant to admit that he was to give the only four people who objected to him, the highest distinction the wizarding world could offer, but he had to. They had disserved it if for nothing else than for their sacrifice.

"Ginevra Weasley, Order of Merlin first class, Hermione Granger, Order of Merlin first class, Ronald Weasley, Order of Merlin first class and Harry Potter, Order of Merlin first class." The four of them stood up amide thunderous applause and moved toward the podium. The Minister shook their hands stiffly, not willing to let much show by the confrontation and handed them each the plaque. Despite his vision, Harry still smiled that the Minister of Magic would dislike him as he did. Hermione smiled as she sat back down next to Ron and listened patiently to the several hundred speeches and when the music started and they all made their way to the dance floor. It seemed natural, as Harry and Ginny danced, that Hermione should be partnered with Ron.

The song ended as they walked outside to the courtyard to sit on a stone bench to watch the others dancing. They saw Harry smiling for the first time in a while as Ginny whispered something in his ear and Lupin and Tonks laughing as she changed her hair.

She smiled sadly as she smoothed out her dress. "Do you think they'd like all this?"

Ron smiled, "they'd be proud as anything to know that you helped to rid the world of the one source of all evil."

"It sounds like some sort of superhero." She smiled.

"A what?"

"Nothing, muggle thing."

He smiled and hugged her on impulse. "Your parents would love to see this, and you like this."

"Black," she said absentmindedly fiddling with her hem. "Seems appropriate."

"Mione, don't be like this, it wasn't your fault, there was nothing you could do." He placed an arm around her shoulder bringing her close by. "And I know they wouldn't want you to be so sad. They're away from all of that now."

She nodded. "I just wish I could have-"

Ron smiled and nodded. "I know, but you couldn't. Come on, dance with me again."

She nodded and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. A slow song started as he pulled her close to him again.

"Since when have you known how to dance?" she asked the question she'd been meaning to ask for a while now.

Ron laughed, "Fred gave me a lesson or two."

Hermione laughed, "Fred?"

"Yeah, how do you think he got Angelina to go out with him?"

"I thought it was all for the money," she smiled.

"No way." Ron laughed. He smiled a little and said, "you do look beautiful you know."

"Thank you," Hermione said slowly wondering where that comment had come from.

He kissed her forehead sending a shiver down her spine. She bit her lip, this wasn't happening, she told herself. Any moment she'd wake up and the war would still be going on, he would still treat her like a best friend.

Then, suddenly he was kissing her softly on the lips. She stepped back suddenly and he started. "I'm sorry," his ears turned red. "I shouldn't have done that, I'll just go away now…I'm sorry."

He wondered off around the corner of the building where Hermione could several curses float back to her. She smiled and then stopped.

What was she thinking? Had the dress cut off more circulation than she thought? She shook her head positive that it wasn't having as much blood as it needed. She ran around the corner where Ron was pacing cursing himself completely.

Then he turned to see her standing there, the moisture in the air had made her hair slightly curlier than it had been straightened which he had to admit he liked better than the straight version. "You aren't going to laugh at me are you?"

Hermione smiled kindly, "me? Laugh at you? I'd be too scared."

"Scared? Of me?"

Hermione nodded and moved to lean on the wall next to him. "Scared that maybe I'd say something and that you'd take it to mean what it did…that your emotional range of a teaspoon might expand."

He laughed and hit her in the arm playfully. "My emotional range has been…interesting."

"Yes, the Won-Won fiasco showed that."

He laughed and turned to her suddenly solemn. "That…that wasn't a very Hermionyish way of saying what I really hope you were saying was it?"

She smiled. "Maybe, you'll have to interpret that however you like."

Ron bit his lip this time not wanting to get his hopes up. He'd only liked this girl since he was thirteen and who finds their sole mate at that age anyway?

"I like…I like your hair curly," he said softly so she could only just hear him.

She smiled and laughed, "Remind me to destroy all bottles of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion in the world tomorrow."

He looked at her, "okay, out with it. Yes or No?"

"To what?"

Ron stumbled, "well, do you…like me?"

"Your one of my best friends."

"That wasn't what I meant."

"I know," she said. Then suddenly, she was kissing him. Neither one knew how the heck it had happened, but when they walked back into the ballroom to see Harry, Ginny, Fred, George, Lupin and Tonks waiting for them so they could go to one of the twins' after party they both had the biggest smiles on their faces that the others rolled there eyes. While Harry whispered into Ginny's ear, "It's about time."

Ginny nodded, "but what about the plan?"

"Lock them in a cupboard and see what happens?"

"Yeah,"

"Well, if we do that the consequences would by slightly different wouldn't they?" Ginny nodded smiling as they walked down to the Diagon Alley. "Well, there's always Neville and Luna."

"Neville and Luna?"

Harry shrugged, he couldn't think of anyone else.

For the record, several things exploded at the after party including one of Ron's eyebrows and several blast-ended-skrewts said to be remembrance for Hagrid. Ron and Hermione left in the early hours of the morning, Ron's arm around her shoulders and walked up to where the ice cream parlour used to be. They ordered coffees and watched the street start to fill with people, some of whom stopped to congratulate them on the awards, but others simply passed them by not noticing.

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