Awkward

I'm back! One of these days I'm actually going to finish a fanfic when I start one... ah well - this is a short chapter, set again on the morning of Bill and Fleur's wedding.

Ron was standing at the foot of the stairs, his mouth opening and closing like a fish as he scanned her figure. Swallowing visibly, his cheeks and ears had turned a furious shade of red.

Hermione tried to walk gracefully down the stairs which was no mean feat when she was being stared at unabashedly.

'You look gorgeous,' he blurted out before he could stop himself. His eyes widened at his own admission and he immediately cast his eyes at the floor, standing back against the wall to let her pass.

'Thank you Ron,' she said with an attempt at composure. This was also hard to do when the stairs were so narrow.

And it was then that she missed the bottom stair, crying out and bracing herself for impact with the floor below. Instead, she found herself in the arm of Ron, who had proven just how good a keeper he was when he trusted his instincts!

As gently as he could, Ron used this same arm to pull her back against him. Out of shock, he then placed both his arms securely around her middle as though she might suddenly run off into the path of some other danger.

The pair slowly opened their eyes and Ron gruffly breathed a question down into her hair, 'Are you alright?'

Hermione let out a sob and her shoulders shook against his chest. With a feeling of great trepidation, he turned her around to face him and could see tears flowing down her cheeks.

The emotions of the morning already running high, it seemed this shock had been the last straw for Hermione's nerves.

'There, there,' Ron murmured somewhat awkwardly, 'you're ruining your makeup.'

This had been a mistake; Hermione covered her face, embarrassed and continued to cry.

'Er... I didn't mean you look bad now your makeup's run,' Ron said, digging a giant hole for himself, 'I just thought you ought to know. Let's face it; you'd kill me if I didn't tell you. I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't.'

Hermione smiled through her tears.

'Ron?' she asked, 'do you think you could get me a tissue? I... don't want anyone to see me like this.'

Ron's heart softened to Hermione in a way it did to nothing else. Biting the bullet, he slid his hand into hers.

'Come on - let's go and sit down, we can get one from my room. Anyway, why is it always me hanging around when you're crying eh?' He shook her hand and grinned, as though to shake the upset out of her. 'Anyone would think the two things are related...'

She smiled again. 'Funny you should say that.'

'Here,' he said passing her a tissue, having reached his room, 'sorry about the size of the tissue, but with this conk, what do you expect?'

'Ron! Stop putting yourself down!' she admonished him, though amused. He was only trying to cheer her up.

Sitting herself primly on Ron's bed, she finished wiping underneath her eyes and blowing her nose, and then looked properly at Ron for the first time.

'Oh!' she exclaimed, 'don't you look smart!'

Ron blushed and automatically turned towards his mirror, fiddling with his tie.

'Well I'm not too bad. I've messed about for ages; somehow Harry always looks good even with that sticky out bit of hair he's got. And I wish I could do something about these.' He gestured hopelessly at his freckles.

'Harry looks good I'll admit,' she answered, prompting Ron to look downcast, 'but you look great.' She smiled warmly at him.

The tips of Ron's ears went bright red and to cover this embarrassment, he blurted out 'do you want another tissue? Not that you need one, I'm not saying you need one, like I say, you look gorgeous to me but I thought... you... might... er...'

He'd said far too much. And Hermione was smiling very strangely at him.

Ron looked impossibly cute, standing there with his 'I think I'm in trouble' face. He pretended to look in the mirror again and fiddle with his tie, only to discover Hermione stood behind him.

'Let me have a look.' He turned towards her and she examined the tie carefully, her hands running along the knot.

Chancing a glance upwards, she discovered Ron's eyes had glazed over; he was staring down at her dreamily.

Hermione smiled knowingly.

'I've finished,' she said, waking him from his reverie, 'and just for the record - I've always loved this.' She kissed his nose. 'And these.' She kissed his freckled cheek.

Ron gaped at her, one hand pressed against the cheek.

'Thank you for helping me Ron. I'll see you downstairs.' She looked shyly at the floor, and left without holding his gaze again.

Ron stood motionless for a moment, and then turned back to the mirror once more, where for the first time in his life, he saw a handsome young man staring back.

A/N:

If you think that crying after you've missed the last couple of steps on the stairs is mad, you've obviously never done exactly that, then slipped on the rug at the bottom and rolled sideways into the living room. Yep – that was me. Once the initial shock wore off I couldn't stop laughing about the last part. How the devil I managed to roll into the living room always got me :\ It's a literal and metaphorical ROFLMAO.