AN: Please bare with the lay out, had a fight to get it to upload =. -.- is just a pause in the same scene, wouldn't let me start a new line. Sorry.

Chapter Two

'Hey' said a quiet voice behind him. Fred turned in his chair in the common room and saw a shy looking Hermione with an armful of books.

'Hey' he smiled back.

'How are things?' she asked awkwardly

'They are fine Hermione' he smiled reassuringly

'Good' she nodded and went to quickly leave

'How are things with you?' he asked

'The usual' she replied.

'Ah…'

- . -

It had been a week.

A week since the kiss experiment in the library.

A very busy week, full of classes, quidditch matches, prefect duties and Potter Problems.

- . -

'Can I help?' he smiled kindly, and she blushed a little

'I'm fine' she said with a determine look in her face

'I'm happy to help…any time, you know that'

'Thanks, I can handle it' she said honestly.

'Ok, I can't handle it' she groaned, walking into the almost deserted quidditch change room.

'Hermione?!' Fred asked. He was the last of the team still there, he'd stayed out a few extra minutes to work on his cobbing technique and was now in the middle of changing. Quidditch robes halfway over his head, completely blind, he spun at the sound of her voice.

'Yes', he heard her giggle.

Normally very suave, he suddenly forgot how to extricate his arms and had a moment of mortification as he struggled to free himself.

'Need some help?' she called.

'I can handle it' he muttered.

But moments later he jumped as he felt two hands touch him. One on his shirted waist to stead him, the other sliding up his neck to unhook the collar of his robes from under his earlobe. Then both hands disappeared, and the robe was pulled up and over his face. She was standing in front of him, arms raised up past his head helping to pull up the robes. She looked amused at his dilemma.

Seizing reality again, he pulled his arms out and threw the robes on the bench next to him.

'What's up?' he asked, causally sitting down to start unlacing his training gear.

'I admit defeat' she said with a sigh and also sat down - across from him on the centre change ring.

'Defeat?' he asked, pulling the first leg guard down and off his left shin.

'My stupid teenage brain is still pumping full of those irrational and disruptive chemicals, and I can't focus on my work'

'Irrational and disruptive' Fred chuckled to himself 'is that why you thought of me? Fight fire with fire?' he teased.

Hermione actually smiled at that.

'First few days I was fine…till I tried to sleep…' she started.

'Oh yeah?' Fred grinned knowingly.

'Yeah, I was clear headed in class and I…' she kept talking, completely missing his implication '…but when I tried to go to sleep, I could feel your lips, like you were there kissing me. It was very strange'

Fred grinned to himself for a moment, throwing his other leg guard up with the first.

'Ever been to the beach?' he asked

'Yes…' she replied, bewildered.

'Did you go in the waves?'

'Of course' she said looking confused

'When you got home that night did you feel…'

'The waves!' she gasped 'yes! Like a phantom wave still hitting my legs…it was so strange'

'Guess it's a bit like that. A new sensation, you're body probably just replays it'

Hermione sat for a moment, quietly pondering.

Fred watched her, fascinated.

-.-

'Is it normal to keep wanting more? I thought trying it would make it stop, kill the curiosity so to speak' she said into the room.

'Guess it's different for everyone, just got to find out your own unique drivers manual'

'You're…you're very easy to understand, I appreciate it' she said, more to herself than him.

Fred smiled, he'd grown up with one very emotive mother and one very analytical father. Hermione's directness didn't really faze him, he understood it. Maybe not the conclusions she drew but he knew why she would of got there.

'I'm better with other people's emotions than my own, I often understand them better than myself. Sometimes I feel like I'm broken'

'You're not'

She shrugged.

'Everyone is unique Hermione, and they go at their own pace. And we all have a different destination. If we all felt and wanted the exact same thing…how boring' he said honestly 'just be patient with yourself and listen to what you want.'

'I hate being a teenager'

'If you think it gets easier when you're an adult….' Fred said quietly

'Aghh' she laugh-groaned.

'Sorry' he grinned.

They looked at each other for a moment.

'How can I help you handle it?' Fred asked, referring back to when she'd walked in a few moments earlier.

'It all got muddled up in my memory'

'What did?'

'The different types of kissing, I don't remember where to touch when doing what, it's all just merged into a big ball of sensations'

'…You don't have to do specific moves for specific styles. It's not like ear nibbles are only for playful kisses or kissing their neck is only for passionate times…' he began, amazed at how differently her brain worked to his.

'But how do you know what to do if there isn't a recipe or formula?'

'You do what feels good' Fred smiled

'But how do you learn what feels good?' she said in earnest.

'You try stuff'

'How can you try things that you don't know exists? I need a book on this or something' she said in exasperation.

'Hermione…' Fred said looking at her stricken face 'I mean this in the kindest way possible: Don't over think it. Just go with your instincts'

'I don't know where they are' she said in defeat.

'Then…then experiment, trial and error, figure it out and when you find stuff you like, keep doing that' he said kindly.

'I don't want to feel stupid' she said in a small voice.

'Who does' Fred grinned in solidarity, he got up and moved across so that he could sit beside her.

'It's too intense'

'How so?'

'Trying to figure out what I want and also keeping the other person happy, then what if I like something but they don't or they like something and I don't, or I do something and that makes them repulsed and loose interest and what if…'

'Hang on' Fred cut in 'breathe'

'Thank you' she mumbled.

'You just need to communicate with your partner, that's it. Have an open honest dialogue. It will be ok' he smiled.

'I don't like being vulnerable'

'I know' he said, taking up her hand in his 'me either.'

-.-

They sat for a moment.

-.-

'Right, well, I'm here to help' said Fred in a cheery voice 'let's figure out what you like'

'Seriously?'

'Yeah, who doesn't want to kiss a lot for data analysis' he teased

'You're just as weird as me' she mused, a slight smile on her face.

'Believe me, I'm more so' Fred grinned.