Chapter 1- A New Tale Begins

AN: Hello everyone! If you just found this story welcome to my Years Later series, feel free to check out on my main page to read the previous story but I don't necessarily feel like you need to read it to understand this though I highly recommend checking it out!

On the other hand if you came from my previous story, so happy to see you back and I really hope you enjoy this new tale! This will be a different feel from my last story, which with Harry as the narrator was a very Potter style story, this one is a bit different with it being Ron but hopefully no less entertaining :)

Previously in the Years Later Series: The Return to Hogwarts:

Not an hour later Harry and Hermione were standing outside the London side of the Leaky Cauldron, Harry trying to calm a distraught Hermione as she paced the sidewalk.

"Harry, are you sure this is wise? We can still back out."

"I told you, Ron gave me his approval. It'll be fine. Ginny, on the other hand, I'm not so sure about."

"You said he nodded to you! That could mean anything!"

"Hermione, they're still our friends. We can't avoid them forever."

She groaned, "I suppose you're right…" He smirked at her and she shook her head unable to hold back her smile.

"Come on then," Harry said and opened the door for her. "After you."

"Thank you." She gave him a smile as they walked in. They quickly spotted the two youngest Weasley's sitting around a table in the back but were surprised they had a guest with them. They glanced at each other curiously before making their way across the room. As the table came more into view they were shocked to find Ron holding hands with their unexpected friend.

"Sorry, we're a tad late... How is everyone?" Harry asked, trying not to be too painfully obvious about his shock and curiosity as he stared at the intertwined hands before him.

"Great," Ron answered with a large genuine smile Harry hadn't seen in ages.

"Fine," Ginny answered, arms crossed over her chest not meeting his eyes.

"I am well, but you two look like you have a something to tell. Keep it all inside and you'll attract hordes of Wrackspurts, you know," came the dreamy voice of Luna Lovegood, the surprising holder of Ron's hand.

"Uh… okay? How about you two go first?" Hermione said, sitting down slowly seeming to be still in shock by the sight before her.

"Yeah, I'd like to hear the story about this first too," Harry agreed sitting down beside her. "When did this happen?"

"It was a few months back in March, about a week after my birthday. I didn't tell you because I wanted it to be a surprise." Ron grinned at them. Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance.

"Well, it is a surprise…" Hermione said wryly.

"It's a bit of a funny story, really," Luna smiled dreamily.

Ron smiled at her before turning back to them, "Like I said, it was a few months back. It was a cloudy day and I was feeling a bit rubbish while I was working at the shop and it was as dead as it could be but then Luna walks in, you know, with that air about her that she's got and in a bright yellow coat that practically lit up the entire store. Then she walked up to me and-"

March, 2000- Three Months Earlier

Ron reached up to put a box on the shelf in the Wizarding Wheezes mail room. It was slow as could be on the cloudy, blustery, rather rubbish day and with most of their customers at school all Ron had been doing for weeks was filling out mail orders. To say he was bored out of his mind would be an understatement.

Life honestly had been rather dull since Harry and Hermione left to teach at Hogwarts. He knew that this is where he was meant to be, helping his brother especially on his more rotten days like this one, and they were where they were meant to be he supposed, but that didn't stop him from feeling a bit left behind. Not that he had room to talk about that though.

He walked out of the mail room grabbing the clipboard off the wall on his way out, reading off the items for his next package. Suddenly the bell over the door rang and he glanced up. Surprised he saw the familiar face of Luna Lovegood. Her dirty blonde hair as long as ever and wide grey eyes giving him that permanent inquisitive look she always seemed to have when looking at him in particular. Even with the odd radish shaped earrings, cork necklace, and wand tucked behind her ear the most stand out part of her appearance was a sunshine yellow jacket that clashed fantastically with cloudy day outside as it brightened up the entire room.

Ron blinked, "Er… hey Luna."

"Hello Ronald," She said in her dreamy-like tone with a small smile.

"Can I help you find anything or were you just popping in?" He asked a bit awkwardly as she walked up to him.

"I was just at Rosa Lee's teashop picking up all sorts of herbs and teas. See," She held out a bag to him, the combined smell of whatever was in there making him cough a bit.

"That's… great, Luna," He muttered, glancing at the clock on the back wall.

"I was just leaving when I remembered that you sell pygmy puffs here. My father hasn't been quite the same since the war. I think perhaps a pygmy puff might brighten him up," She said simply. Ron shifted uncomfortably as he felt his temper twinge at the memory of her father trying to hand them over to the Death Eaters.

"Well, unfortunately we're out at the moment," He said tersely, trying to look anywhere but her as her eyes seemed to bore into him.

"Oh, that is unfortunate," She murmured. Ron glanced back at her surprised at how put out she actually looked.

"Uh, well I can let you know when we have a new litter. Er I mean, uh…" Ron stammered as he searched for the correct word.

"Poffle?" Luna offered.

"Yes, right, poffle. I can let you know when we have a new poffle for adoption. Should be soon, one was born to our breeders a few weeks ago."

"That's very sweet of you Ronald, thank you," She smiled at him and his ears felt hot. That seemed like a bit much just for some pygmy puffs.

"Er, yeah… okay. I'll uh let you know then." He nodded to her and she gave him a final smile before going towards the door with a bit of a skip in her step.

Ron rubbed the back of his neck and then sighed; he realized he was a bit sorry to see her go. She was the first friend he'd seen in weeks and he wasn't sure if he could stand another lunch alone with no one to talk to, and if there was one thing he knew about Luna it was that she was always good for interesting conversations. "Hey, Luna?"

"Yes?" She said stopping at the door turning back to him.

"I go to lunch in about fifteen minutes… at the Leaky Cauldron."

"That's nice," She grinned at him.

He let out a bit of a chuckle. "No I mean would you… would you like to join me? Just to talk or whatever?"

"Sure," She smiled then left the shop. He watched as her and her yellow coat skipped down the alley and around the corner then shook his head with a small smile as he got back to work.

When Ron got to the pub about twenty minutes later it wasn't hard to find Luna. She sat tucked away in a corner in her bright coat and reading the Quibbler. Taking a deep breath to brace himself for whatever may come Ron walked over and took the seat across from her. He waited in awkward silence but she didn't come out from behind the colorful magazine. He glanced at the main headline 'Gulping Plimpies Invade Southern France". Underneath it many articles were listed including one that read "Most Effective Uses of the Gurdyroot" with a picture of a green onion like plant next to it.

His mouth twitched in a smile at the memory of her giving him such a root back in his sixth year as he talked to her about her hilarious commentary at the Quidditch match that March. He couldn't help but think how that seemed like a life time ago. Finally he gave a small deliberate cough in hopes of getting her attention.

"Hi," He said when she peaked out from behind the magazine.

"Oh! Hello, Ronald. I didn't see you there," She said in her trademark dreamy tone.

"It's fine," He muttered, in his mind grunting about how he was used to it. "You can call me Ron, you know. Everyone else does."

"I like Ronald." She smiled at him as she set her magazine aside. He raised an eyebrow at her before uncomfortably clearing his throat.

"Alright… uh, well… how've you been?"

"Well."

"Well what?"

"I've been well."

"Oh, right." Ron felt his ears get hot again, this time with embarrassment for saying such a daft thing, but when he looked back at Luna her expression hadn't changed, almost like he hadn't said anything embarrassing at all. He shifted in his chair before continuing, "Have you done anything interesting since I last saw you?" He knew that was good for at least a few answers from her, she was always doing odd things.

"Last summer my father and I went to France. After the war he needed to get out of England for a while. Being here was causing a horrible case of Wrackspurts. Positive thoughts can dismiss them, you know, and I thought perhaps some sun and maybe the ocean would help him come up with some," Luna explained, a sadness creeping its way into her dreamy tone.

"Did it?" He asked curiously.

"I suppose in some way. Mostly he just found an infestation of Gulping Plimpies," Luna said with a shrug and gesturing to the Quibbler on the table.

"So, you think getting him a pygmy puff might help more than a trip to France?"

"Perhaps. They are very cute after all."

"I suppose so, yeah," Ron agreed before a silence fell between them.

"He is sorry," Luna said, her dreamy tone dropping somewhat.

"Sorry?" Ron asked confused.

"My father. He's quite sorry for trying to turn you, Harry, and Hermione in."

"Yeah, well-" Ron started his temper flaring before he was cut off.

"Anything I can get you, dears? Your usual, Mr. Weasley?" the nice old waitress asked politely.

Ron clenched his jaw, "Yes please."

"And for you, dear?" the woman asked Luna.

"Just tea, thank you," Luna said, giving her a smile before looking back at Ron, the inquisitive look returning to her face as if wondering what he was going to do next.

Ron huffed and sat back in his chair crossing his arms. "Tell your dad to just forget it. We all did things we aren't proud of."

"You haven't forgotten."

"Forgotten what?" He growled.

"Whatever it is you did."

Ron's mind drifted back to that manky old tent in the fall, rain pouring down, Harry and Hermione working together like they always did, and then the yelling that filled the air. He angrily got up from his seat.

"That's none of your business!" He shot at her prepared to leave, drawing the eyes of some customers nearby, but she only stared at him with those wide grey eyes. After a few tense moments just glaring at her he took a deep breath and realized she hadn't even asked to know. He sat back down with a grumbled, "Sorry."

She simply gave him a vague smile as the waitress set down a tea set in front of her and his typical bacon sandwich and Butterbeer in front of him. He muttered a thank you to the woman before he took a swig of his drink, avoiding Luna's gaze. This certainly hadn't gone as expected. He thought perhaps she'd ramble on about Nargles or something of the like for a while. Then he'd have a laugh about it for the rest of the day rather than this. But despite the prior tense moments Luna seemed cheery as ever as she made herself a cup of tea.

He shot a few glares at some customers still staring at him before glancing over his sandwich at Luna. A small smile was on her face as she stirred sugar into her drink not at all acting like he had just made a bit of a scene. It was odd, like everything was with her, but a bit of a relief actually. It was so different with everyone he had ever known. If he got mad most of the time they did too and a fight would start, but not with her. Luna looked up from her tea and he ducked his head away quickly hoping she hadn't caught him staring but was sure his heated ears gave him away.

Ron couldn't think of a thing to say and every time he looked back at her she was looking at something new in the room, wearing a distant smile and occasionally sipping her tea seemingly not bothered in the least by his lack of speech. Ron tried many times to find what she was looking at that made her smile but never saw anything of significance in the corners she stared at. Eventually her silvery gaze returned to him and she finally broke their silence.

"How are you, Ronald?"

"Me?"

"Yes, I'm afraid I never asked. How are you?"

"Oh well, does it matter?"

"Yes, I think so," She said, so simply it stunned Ron for a moment.

"Well, then… I'm fine. Just fine."

"That's very good," She smiled at him and he gave her a bit of a disbelieving smile back.

"I suppose so, yeah," He shrugged and they stared at each other for a few moments before the waitress came back with their bill. "Thanks," He told the woman before he began digging into his pockets for the right amount of gallons and sickles.

"How much do I need to pay?" Luna asked, craning her neck to look at the bill before Ron snatched it up.

"No need, I've got it," He told her putting his money on the table, rather proud he had some to show off now.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Positive," He grinned, sitting back in his chair.

"Money is a curious thing, don't you think?" She said, giving him a small smile. He raised an eyebrow at her before she continued, "It can inspire confidence or pride but in the end it doesn't really matter, does it?"

Ron blinked, "Of course it does. It matters a lot when you haven't had it all your life. It's not easy just scrapping by you know."

"I know," She told him simply before standing, somehow silently reminding him she lived just over the hill and scraped by like they had for years. "I should really be going now. My father will be wondering after me soon after all. I had fun though, Ronald. It was good to see you."

"Good to see you too," He said blankly as she smiled at him, gave him a small wave, and then took her bag of strange herbs and teas and left the pub.

Once she and her colorful coat left the room another splash of color caught his eye, the Quibbler sitting on the table. He reached over and grabbed it, smiling a little as he glanced at the cover before opening it. That's when he saw a big red stamp on the inside page: 'MOCK-UP'

"Bloody hell," He muttered before running out to catch her. Craning his neck over a group of plump old witches planted right outside the door he caught a glimpse of her yellow coat skipping off but by the time he had pushed his way through the women she had already disappeared. Looking down at the magazine in his hand an odd smile pulled at him as he realized he'd be seeing Luna Lovegood again quite soon.

AN: Just getting things started but I hope you enjoyed nonetheless :)