LETTERS FROM BEYOND

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters otherwise Ron and Hermione would already be together.

CHAPTER 3-QUITE INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS

It wasn't until late into that night that Remus was able to find himself alone with both Ron and Hermione. Harry and Ginny had taken a walk, with Ginny almost having to drag Harry out of the house. Tonks had stayed and after Charlie arrived she had followed him around subtly, saying that she was going to make sure that he didn't knock anything over. The only problem with her thinking was that in the end he was forced to help her up more than once after she had knocked something over.

"Ron…Hermione, we need to talk," Lupin stated with a calm and a bit reserved look on his face as he walked into Ron and Harry's room and shut the door.

"Why…," Ron wondered with a confused and surprised look on his face before he turned and looked over at Hermione sitting on the other bed.

"Is it Voldemort, is something wrong with Harry," Hermione inquired with a worried look on her face before she flashed a similar look back over at Ron.

"No Hermione, Harry's quite alright, he and Ginny are out taking a walk and will probably be back shortly, that is why I am taking this opportunity to speak to the two of you about earlier tonight," Lupin answered with a slightly nervous smile on his face as he walked to the foot of Ron's bed and leaned on it slightly. For a split second both Ron and Hermione did their best to appear, without speaking, that neither had any idea what Remus was talking about. He decided to hurry things along rather than wait until Ron or Hermione got up the courage to answer him.

"Earlier today…damn, okay I admit it…I broke the bloody lamp, but it wasn't my fault, Tonks…," Ron began to finally say with an embarrassed look on his face as he ears turned very bright red.

"Listen Ron I don't care about the…you broke a lamp," Remus started to say with a reassuring tone to his voice before he realized what Ron had said and changed his words at the end.

"No I didn't…," Ron quickly piped up with an innocent smile on his face as he hastily scooted back a bit on his bed before Hermione cut in.

"That's not what Remus was asking Ron…please continue," She snapped softly at Ron before she turned back to Lupin and smiled sheepishly.

"Right…I wanted to talk to the two of you about what happened in the attic…the two of you…snogging…," Remus softly said, all the while trying to sound as respectful and calm as possible, before at the end a smile began to grow on his lips as he saw the effect of his words on both Ron and Hermione.

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The next morning found everyone assembled at Diagon Alley, with Ron and Harry spending most of the morning looking at the latest Quidditch supplies while Hermione and Ginny bought all of the new books that they'd need. During their trek Ron and Harry had come across George standing at the entrance to Knockturn Alley, daring first years that they wouldn't be able to take five steps down the long and twisted street before turning around and racing back out. When Hermione had found this out she had been of half a mind to storm up to George and demand that he stop mistreating first years. But Ron had acted just quickly enough and had dragged Hermione into the nearest shop, which thankfully for him turned out to be the shop that he and Harry had been looking at Quidditch supplies in earlier.

"Why did you do that Ron, George should know better than to…," Hermione started to growl with an unhappy pout on her face before Ron pushed her fully behind several stacks of brooms and pressed his lips to hers. Quickly Hermione pushed Ron back and did her best to try and keep her composure.

"What did you do that for…someone could have…," Hermione started to exclaim with a furious scowl on her face, even though Ron could see the excitement in her eyes, as she pushed Ron away.

"I had to keep you from making a scene with George, he wouldn't have actually let anything happen to any of those first years…he's not a Malfoy, and as for the kiss well…only way I could think of to shut you up…sorry if you didn't like it," Ron started to reply out loud with an odd smile on his face before he leaned in close to Hermione and whispered the last part into her ear before leaning back and setting a sad pout on his face. Hermione was quick to respond.

"No…I did, really…it's just that I thought that we were going to keep this between us…and Remus, what if someone had seen us and," Hermione quickly replied with such a look of earnest on her face that Ron knew that she had indeed liked the kiss but was worried about being caught more than anything else.

"I checked before I kissed you Mione, it's just that kissing you was the first thing that came to my mind," Ron said back with a nervous grin on his face, one that only widened considerably when he saw Hermione grin back and blush to the roots of her bushy mane.

"We should get going, Harry and Ginny will start to wonder…," Hermione finally offered with a nervous smile on her face, as for the moment she slipped her hands into Ron's and loved the warmth that they provided and a pleasant chill ran through her body when he used his thumbs to softly rub the backs of her hands.

"Yeah…wouldn't want them to do that," Ron joked back with a sly grin on his face before he leaned in close and gave Hermione another kiss. But this time before she could say another word he had let go of her hands and slipped out of the store, hailing Ginny and Harry down as they headed down the street.

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Two hours after they had all returned from Diagon Alley, laden with their new schoolbooks, Ron had been walking through the house when he thought that he heard something coming from the room that Hermione and Ginny shared. He froze in place and listened again. As the seconds passed Ron was finally able to figure out what the sound was, someone was crying. He remembered Hermione as she had stepped back into the old Black Estate and couldn't remember her being anything close to tears. He knew that it wasn't his mother crying because she could never cry this quietly, like everything else that she did if Mrs. Weasley was crying everyone knew. Slowly and carefully he edged the door open, taking great pains to make sure that it didn't creak on its hinges, as he entered the room. His original summation out in the hallway had been correct, it was not Hermione that was crying softly, but instead it was Ginny. She sat, with her back to him and the door, on the edge of her bed staring at the far wall.

"Ginny," Ron asked with a concerned edge to his voice as he slowly took a full step into the room and leaned to one side just a bit.

"Go away, I don't want to talk to you," Ginny snuffled through her tears as she turned slightly to one side, just enough so that Ron could see that she was holding a letter in her hand.

"No can do Gin…," Ron replied softly with a sly grin on his face as he shut the door and then walked over to sit beside Ginny on the bed.

"I said leave," Ginny ordered again, this time her voice a bit louder and angrier, as she shifted her gaze away from Ron and back to the letter.

"Who's it from…Dean," Ron asked, unmoved by Ginny's angry outburst directed his way, as he carefully reached up and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah…no, I mean how did you…," Ginny mumbled back, partially in anger and partially in surprise at how Ron had guessed who the letter was from without being told.

"Doesn't matter right now Gin, he broke up with you didn't he…and by a letter to, didn't even have the nerve to tell you to your face," Ron answered quickly and then continued into his next question, all the while snaking his left arm around Ginny's shoulders, hoping that she wouldn't get any angrier than she already was. Ginny shot him an incredulous look before her countenance softened and the slightest traces of a smile slipped onto the edges of her lips.

"Yeah…he just handed me the letter and ran away, said that he had something important to do," Ginny finally replied softly with a somber expression on her face as she made a half hearted attempt to look Ron in the eye.

"His loss Gin…any guy that can't see how special you are needs his head examined," Ron countered with a very sincere and warm tone to his voice as he pulled Ginny close and held her as the tears began to stream down her cheeks before he gently kissed the top of her head and tried to keep from tearing up himself.

"You're not just saying that…you really mean it," Ginny asked, daring to pull away from Ron enough to look him in the eye. No matter how much Ron vehemently denied it whenever Ginny or Mrs. Weasley would cry, for reasons other than happy ones, he had always found it hard to not tear up right long with them, a sympathy cry as it were.

"To use a muggle phrase, you bet your sweet bippy…but ya know…if ya wanted me to…I could take care of him, a mallet might work," Ron mused with a sly grin on his face, as he was partially trying to cheer Ginny up but also trying to keep himself from tearing up, as he leaned back and stared off into space, looking as if he was concentrating really hard.

"Ron," Ginny shouted in shock as she stared at him for a moment before she shook her head and thought that perhaps she had misheard him.

"Course it'd have to be a really big mallet…one of those bloody circus ones…," Ron continued with a highly amused smirk on his face before he couldn't take the look that Ginny was giving him any longer and the two youngest Weasley's soon cracked up laughing.

"Do you stay up at night thinking of all of these stupid little ideas…," Ginny asked finally with a happy grin on her face as she wiped away a laugh tear.

"Nope…to busy sleeping, so you okay with the whole Dean thing…or do I need to bring Harry in here and get his opinion…," Ron began to wonder with a humorous smirk on his face as he looked skyward and appeared to be pondering the idea before Ginny's eyes grew wide and her ears went pink.

"N…no, not Harry…I'll be fine, really Ron," Ginny exclaimed with a sudden outburst of emotion as she leapt up out of her seat and spun around on Ron, staring him dead in the eye.

"If you say so Gin…," Ron started to say slowly with a sly grin on his face as he stood up and patted Ginny lightly on the shoulder on his way to the doorway, not having to look back to instinctively know how red her face was.

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After searching for some time Hermione found Ron sitting on his bed, with one leg draped over the edge and the other bent at the knee in front of him. After putting a two-hour sticking charm on the door, making sure that no one would interrupt them, Hermione slid onto the bed behind Ron. She looped her left arm around Ron's waist, rested her chin on his right shoulder so that the top of her ear connected with the bottom of his, and lazily draped her right arm overtop of his. Ron sat in a surprised silence for a few moments, feeling the pleasant sensation of her body against his, before he spoke up.

"Okay I give up, what's got you in such a good mood," Ron asked with a worrisome look on his face as he looked up from the spot on the page that he had been trying to read and glanced down at Hermione's right hand as she did her best to encircle Ron's right wrist with her fingers.

"What makes you think that I'm in a good mood, I could just be…," Hermione began to retort with a scrunched up look of fake unhappiness on her face before Ron stepped in.

"Because you didn't say anything about me actually studying…," Ron answered quickly with an only slightly nervous smile on his face as he felt Hermione swallow against his shoulder.

"Here…read this," Hermione finally stated after several moments of silence as she reached back and pulled a letter out of one of her pockets and handed it to Ron. He opened up the letter and recognized the Hogwarts insignia immediately. He only had to read down a couple of lines before he caught what had gotten Hermione so excited. "Head Girl…," Ron muttered softly in joy and admiration before Hermione let out a yelp of joy. "I knew you'd get it…my little snuggle-bunny," Ron added with a happy grin on his face as he let go of the book, pulled Hermione out from behind him until she was sitting across his lap and pulled her into a kiss.

"Open yours…," Hermione softly whispered back to him after finally coming up for air after their kiss, all the while keeping her face close enough to his that both of their visions blurred by looking each other straight in the eye.

"Why…we both know that Harry will get Head Boy, I'll be lucky to be a prefect after what we did last year…," Ron said back solemnly with an unhappy pout on his face as his chin drooped down a bit, his shoulders sagged, and he reluctantly took his Hogwarts letter from Hermione.

"How can you say that, for all you know thing could wind up just like they did last year, with Dumbledore picking us so that Harry would be free to study with Snape to keep Voldemort from controlling him," Hermione replied with a look of concern on her face as she wrapped an arm around Ron's shoulders and lightly poked him in the chest with the index finger of her other hand.

"Because I'll never measure up, or come close to competing with Harry…or Viktor," Ron mumbled back sadly in reply as he found that he could not look Hermione in the eye, something that immediately gave her cause for more concern. Her reaction was quick, if not subdued.

"Why do you think that you have to measure up to anyone…and why are you bringing Viktor into this, I thought that I told you that…," Hermione began to ask with a worried look on her face as she tried to catch Ron's gaze with her own, but was not successful.

"I know Hermione, it's just that ever since the Yule Ball I've felt like I could never measure up to Viktor…at Quidditch, emotions…it's why I always got mad when I found out that you were writing to him," Ron slowly and cautiously answered with a very emotionally pained look on his face as he stared intently at Hermione's shoes as he spoke.

"You thought that you didn't have a chance with me because…you were jealous of Viktor…," Hermione worriedly stated back to Ron as she tried to keep her heart from bursting out of her chest and fluttering up into the heavens.

"Yeah…," Ron replied solemnly with a slight nod of his head as he continued to study the tops of Hermione's shoes.

"Well that was dumb on your part Ron…honestly there never was a competition between the two of you, I knew who I loved…the one that had somehow managed to worm his way into my heart and set up a permanent residence there, no matter how hard I tried to root him out…that someone was always and forever you," Hermione uttered with a very clear and non wavering tone in her voice and look on her face as she forced Ron to look her straight on.

"And the Yule Ball…," Ron asked, still not completely convinced of what exactly Hermione was trying to tell him, as he hoped that Hermione was not about to unload a tirade on him.

"I only went with Viktor…and got mad at you…because I REALLY wanted to go to the dance with you and you didn't ask me until I was about the only girl left," Hermione answered, without taking a single second to ponder the question.

"Guess I was a real prat then huh," Ron groaned with an annoyed at himself frown on his face as he fell back down onto the bed, with his head resting on the pillow and Hermione right next to him so that they were both lying on their sides and staring each other full in the face.

"Yes you were…but you're forgiven, after all I still can't get that image of you from first year out of my head, you were sitting in the compartment with Harry, eating one sweet confection or another as fast as you could chew and you had a little patch of dirt on your nose," Hermione quipped with an amused smirk on her face as she reached up and trailed a path from Ron's forehead down to his lips with the tip of her index finger before the two giggled at their own actions.

"Well I did feel bad first year when I made that joke about you in Flitwik's class, okay not until after I found out that you had spent most of that day crying in the girls…I never meant to hurt you, it was just that…," Ron replied with a nervous and regretful expression on his face as he focused his gaze on Hermione's nose, or at least he tried to.

"I know Ron, I forgave you for the joke when you and Harry saved me from the troll, that experience kind of put a lot of things into perspective, showed me what was really important," Hermione came back with softly as the two interlocked the fingers of his left hand and her right so that their palms were pressed firmly together.

"Speaking of relationships…Dean Thomas dumped Ginny, git didn't even have the guts to tell it to her face, just gave her a letter while she was in Diagon Alley, she was in a right state till I came along," Ron recanted with a serious and somewhat worried look on his face as he locked gazes with Hermione and secretly hoped that he wouldn't be punished to much for sharing that secret with someone.

"And now," Hermione asked with a very worried look on her face as it was easy to tell that now that Ron had opened his big mouth about Ginny and her ex that he was in the entire way.

"Well I think she's better, I offered to off him with a giant mallet, you know one of those circus ones…she laughed at that, but then when I mentioned asking Harry about what we should do she made it clear that she didn't want Harry to be any part of this," Ron answered with a nervous and concerned look on his face as he used his thumb to gently rub the back of Hermione's hand.

"Do you think that she still fancies him, Harry I mean, it would explain why she didn't want him to know…and somehow I'm doubting that she wanted you to be telling me either," Hermione concluded with a very sure look on her face as a candle on the other side of the room burnt out.

"Uh yeah…she'll probably want to hex me into next week if she ever finds out, so for my safety Mione, do ya think that we can keep this between you and me," Ron asked with a nervous look on his face as he anxiously glanced around the room before returning his gaze to Hermione's face.

"Okay, but you didn't answer my question about whether or not you think that Ginny still fancies Harry…and don't stall Ronald Weasley, I know when you're lying, your ears always turn red," Hermione shot back with a sly grin on her face as with her foot she edged the book that Ron had been reading off of the bed, resounding in a loud thud when it hit the floor.

"Probably…Ginny's like a bloody …when she's got something in mind that she wants she doesn't let it go, ever…somehow I doubt that she's given up on Harry, she probably just didn't want anyone to know about it, lie low…," Ron replied with a deep in thought look on his face as he scrunched it up in a funny way and Hermione was forced to use her free hand to brush some of his hair off of his face to see the excited gleam in his eyes.

"Well as both Ginny's friend and your girlfriend I am strongly advising you to talk to Harry, don't let him know the details, but find out what he thinks about Ginny, who knows maybe with a little luck we can solve two of our problems, lifting Harry's spirits and keeping Ginny from breaking anything…she'd always break something after breaking up with whatever guy that she was dating at the time…despite her bravado I believe that to a point she actually cared about each of them," Hermione said with a very serious and slowly growing look of hope on her face before she explained at the end after seeing the confused look on Ron's face.

"Will do Mione, now I think that there's something that I need to do," Ron said with a slight nod of his head before he fished his Hogwarts letter out from underneath his left hip and after some effort pulled the letter out and read it, his face betraying nothing.

"Well…," Hermione asked with an impatient and anxious look on her face as she inched a bit closer to him and looked like she was on the edge of her seat figuratively speaking.

"You know, Malfoy's going to have to be real careful this year…," Ron began to say with an emotionless look on his face before he spun his wrist around and turned the letter to Hermione so that she could read it. Seconds later she let out a shriek of joy and flung herself at him, kissing him in joy and excitement before the two ended up accidentally rolling off of the other side of the bed and crashing awkwardly, and painfully, to the floor.

END OF CHAPTER 3