Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue

Sequel to "A Touch of Pink"

By lunalovepotter

Should he wear some? Ron Weasley debated as he sat on the edge of his bed holding the box of cologne. The box was off-white with a metallic orange border and the words: "Cannon Fire: The Scent of the Chudley Cannons, A Cologne for Men" written on it in bold lettering. Hermione had given it to him a month ago, along with a rather surprising - but very pleasing - note confessing her involvement in the trouble with the pink nightgown she'd intentionally left in his laundry. He'd never worn cologne before; but then Hermione might be offended if he didn't. It wasn't that bad, really - they wouldn't make cologne for men if men weren't supposed to wear it, right?

He opened the top flap and tilted the box, allowing the small square bottle to slide out into the palm of his hand; which, he noticed, was damp with perspiration. He studied the bottle, and the liquid inside it. For what had to be the hundredth time in the past month, he pulled off the cap in the shape of a cannonball and sniffed.

Musky, but there was a hint of fresh grass and some kind of orange spice. It didn't smell bad at all; in fact, he rather liked it. "Oh, bloody hell," he muttered, and tipped the bottle just enough to get a small amount of cologne on his palm. Now what? He realized rather awkwardly that he didn't know where he was supposed to put the cologne. Was it like lotion, did he spread it out over his hands?

A knock at the door startled him so much he nearly dropped the bottle. He managed to catch it, but not before a small amount of cologne spattered on his jeans and on the bedspread. "Great. Just great," he muttered thickly, as the heat rose in his cheeks. "Now my whole room is going to smell like Cannon Fire. Way to go, Weasley. Great hands, as always." He capped the bottle and stuffed it and the box in the top drawer of his bedside table, just as the door opened and a familiar set of bright green eyes peeked in followed by a shock of black hair.

"Hey, mate!" Harry stepped in and shut the door.

"Hey Harry!" Ron said, with some measure of relief. At least it wasn't Fred or George. "You're early."

"Yeah, the Dursleys couldn't wait to get rid of me, and I couldn't wait to leave. So I decided to pop over a few hours early." Then Harry's expression changed; he crinkled his nose and sniffed the air curiously. "What's that smell? Has Ginny been in here?" he asked.

"No," Ron said, rather indignant. "Why?"

"Well it smells like...wait a second." Harry's eyes glinted mischievously, and he trained them right on his best friend.

Ron shifted uncomfortably. "What?"

"Are you wearing....perfume?" Harry was doing his best not to smile, but was failing miserably.

"Ha ha, very funny, Harry." Ron got up and went to the window, which he pushed open just a bit farther in the faint hope that the morning breeze would carry off some of the smell.

"No, really, are you?" Harry came closer and sniffed the air around Ron.

"Knock it off!" Ron gave his friend a light shove. "It's not perfume, okay? It's cologne."

"Well you smell like a spice rack. Where'd you get that from, anyway?"

Ron was beginning to regret that he'd even opened the bottle at all. He leaned against the wall by the window. "Hermione," he said. "She bought it for me. But you can't tell anyone - especially not Fred and George. I'll never hear the end of it."

"I don't think I'll need to tell anyone, it pretty much speaks for itself." Harry chuckled, but silenced himself at the heated expression on Ron's face. "Alright, I won't say anything. So I take it Hermione's not here yet, then?"

"No, we got an owl from her early this morning, she'll be here after dinner. She and her parents are going to some Muggle film festival or something."

Harry sat on Ron's trunk, at the foot of the bed. "How's it been?" he asked. "I mean, since your mum found out about you two."

Ron shrugged. "All right, I suppose. Dad tried to give me a little 'talk' about - well, you know. Mum put him up to it."

"That must have been interesting." Harry grinned.

"Let's just say it's not an experience I'd like to have again," Ron said, and the two of them shared a laugh.

"So, have you and Hermione really - ?"

"Have we what?"

"Don't be thick, Ron. You know, have you - well..." Harry raised his eyebrows suggestively, and Ron's cheeks flushed.

"No, we haven't," he said, after an awkward pause. "I mean, well, we've done some things, but we haven't done that. It's not exactly easy to get privacy at Hogwarts, and Hermione didn't like my idea of us using the Room of Requirement for - how did she say it - oh yeah, 'carnal activities'. She's got this thing about shagging in school. It's like...well, I suppose for her it would be like doing it in a church or something."

"This is Hermione we're talking about," Harry said, and the two of them shared a knowing look.

**

As the time of Hermione's expected arrival approached, Ron found himself growing anxious. All through dinner he fidgeted and shifted in his seat. He was looking forward to seeing her, of course; he'd thought of little else for weeks. But with it being the first time their relationship was 'out' to the entire family he was afraid it would be awkward.

Then he had another thought. They would be living under the same roof for the next two weeks. While the thought gave him a tickle of pleasure, he also knew it would mean an incredible amount of restraint would be required of him; and he wasn't so sure he'd be up to the challenge.

"Hey, Ron how about a quick pick-up game of Quidditch while we're waiting on Hermione?" Harry asked, once they both had cleared their plates.

"I'm in," Ginny offered enthusiastically.

"Sounds good to me," Fred added. George only nodded, since his mouth was still full of food.

"We'll need a sixth to make it even, though," Harry remarked.

"Count me in," said a familiar voice from the doorway, and Ron just about dropped his fork. Ginny quickly suppressed a giggle behind her hand, and Fred & George snickered.

"Ah, Hermione!" Arthur Weasley rose from his seat to greet her warmly. Ron earnestly hoped that he wouldn't say anything about their newly revealed relationship, but thankfully he only gave her a fatherly kiss on the cheek and offered to take her coat.

"It's so good to see you again, dear!" Molly swept over to her. "Don't you look lovely? Ron, doesn't she-"

"Mum, please..." Ron's cheeks flushed hotly. He wanted to hide under the table. Meanwhile Fred, George, Ginny, and Harry were almost bursting trying to hold in their laughter.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," said Hermione graciously, and shot a glance in Ron's direction that sent what felt like pin pricks down his spine.

Hermione had a somewhat tousled look about her; she was shrugging off her denim jacket, which she handed to Mr. Weasley. Underneath it, she wore a short-sleeved white sweater, with a calf-length blue pleated skirt.

"I'll just need to get changed first," she added."I came here right from the Merchant Ivory film festival. There was a showing of A Room With A View..."

But Ron wasn't listening. She looked really good, and it wasn't that she had done anything different; it was probably just their time apart that made it seem so. Perhaps her hair had been trimmed. Even though she'd tamed it somewhat over the years, it was still pretty thick and bushy, so it would be hard to tell if she'd done anything to it.

"Well, Ginny, why don't you help Hermione bring her bags up to your room?" Arthur suggested, but before Ginny could oblige, Molly cut in.

"Nonsense, Ron can do it," she said, with a firm look at Ron.

"Mum..."

"Excellent idea. Ron, help Hermione with her bags. The rest of you, finish clearing your plates before you go outside." Arthur gestured toward Ron.

"Go on, then," Harry muttered, and gave Ron a shove.

* * *

"Thanks," Hermione said, once they were out of the kitchen and on the stairs.

"Yeah, sure."

"Ron, you're not mad are you?"

"Huh?"

"About the nightgown - I suppose it was kind of a rash thing to do, I hope you didn't get into trouble. I didn't really think it through..."

"It's fine, really."

They reached the first landing, and started up the stairs to the second.

"It's just that - I, well, it was just getting so ruddy frustrating, sneaking around."

"Hermione, don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" Hermione didn't sound convinced; there was a hint of worry in her voice.

"Positive."

"But, I don't know, maybe I ought to explain it to your mum--"

They'd reached the second landing. "Honestly, what will it take to convince you that I'm not mad?" Ron said, but there was a smile tugging at his lips as he set the bags down just outside the door to Ginny's room.

"Oh, I don't know...a kiss?"

Ron paused for a second, not sure he'd heard correctly. But when he turned around to look at her, the smile on her face told him that he had. So without further ado, he took her face in his rather large hands, and planted a kiss firmly on her lips. The next two weeks were going to be amazing; he could feel it.