LETTERS FROM BEYOND

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

CHAPTER 4-DEVELOPMENTS

"What did you do to the door," Harry asked with a confused look on his face as he walked into the room that he shared with Ron, after spending the past hour trying various jinx and hex removal spells to get it to open.

"I placed a spell on the door for two hours," Hermione answered with a sad pout on her face, instantly wishing that her spell had lasted longer, while she sat on Harry's bed with her back to him.

"Why would you do that," Ginny asked as she followed Harry into the room and stood by the door, keeping an awkward distance from Harry.

"So that she could make sure that I got some homework done, bloody woman…," Ron grumbled with his best look of annoyance etched upon his face, before Hermione shot him a dirty glare. He did his best to tell her with his eyes that he was sorry and only said it to appease Harry and Ginny. Ginny giggled at the thought before she spoke up.

"Ooh Ron…better watch it, or else you'll find a spider in your bed," Ginny began with a laughing smile on her face as she aimed the smile directly at Ron.

"You wouldn't dare," Ron shot back with an over the top glare on his face as he stood up to his full height and towered down over the much shorter Ginny.

"Try me," Ginny snapped back with a look of sheer devilish glee in her face as she continued to stare down her brother while Hermione looked to Harry with a confused look on her face, hoping that soon the two would not bear witness to one of the worst Weasley tussles of all time.

"Easy you two, hey Ron…can uh, I talk to you for a second…in private," Harry started to say with an almost scolding tone to his face before he became nervous and nodded his head towards the door after getting an odd look from both Hermione and Ginny.

"Sure Harry," Ron said enthusiastically as he stood up and followed Harry out of the room, though not before casting Hermione a curious glance, long enough of one to let him know that his earlier comment had been forgotten.

"Have you talked to Ginny today," Harry finally asked softly after he and Ron were out of the room and walking slowly down the hallway a ways.

"Yeah…why," Ron replied, not really thinking much of it, as he stopped walking and leaned back up against the wall, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Was she okay, I mean I know Dean gave her a letter and the last I saw of her before I came to find you two she looked pretty sad…I don't know, I'm just worried about her," Harry slowly and nervously said as he ruffled his hair up more with his hands, almost as if he expected to come out of this with his hair calmed instead of its usual unruliness.

"She…no Harry she wasn't okay, Dean broke up with her," Ron said softly as he started to lie but then changed his mind and admitted the truth, already preparing himself for whatever tirade he'd receive for the act later on from either Hermione or Ginny, possibly both. Ron's face turned into a frown as he watched the expression on Harry's face change from one of general concern for a friend to one of worry, topping off with Harry's gaze leaving the small picture of a tree on the wall and drifting back to the door of his and Ron's room.

"Should I talk to her…," Harry asked, his voice full of worry, as Ron looked on in shock and pushed away from the wall.

"Harry…why all of the concern for Ginny, did you have another vision from Voldemort," Ron asked, nervously at first, before he took his friend by the shoulders and made Harry look him in the eye.

"N…no, it's just…something that Sirius wrote in his letter to me…about not letting the fight against Voldemort make me forget all of the good things in life, to quit pushing people away to protect them…you know, let someone in," Harry answered with a slightly sheepish smile on his face before Ron pulled his hands back and shook his head.

"And you've decided that Ginny's that…someone," Ron asked, his nerves racing his heart to the finish line, as he turned so that he stood exactly shoulder to shoulder with Harry and the two boys stared down the hallway at their room.

"Yes…no, maybe…I'm not sure yet, but I just don't want her to get far enough away so that if she is the one that I miss…," Harry started to answer with a contemplative frown on his face before the door to their room opened and Ginny stepped out, smiled at them and walked off down the hallway to the right.

"Talk to her Harry…but whatever you do, I swear on my last galleon that if you hurt her Voldemort won't be the one that kills you," Ron stated plainly under his breath as Harry swallowed hard and nodded his head before following after Ginny.

"What was that all about," Hermione asked softly as she came to stand next to Ron, after waiting for Harry to round the corner and get far enough away.

"Ginny…he asked me if she was okay, something about what Sirius wrote him in his letter," Ron replied softly, his gaze still locked onto the end of the hallway that Harry and Ginny had walked around, as he pulled Hermione's hands into his.

"Do you think he…fancies her," Hermione asked with a slightly nervous look on her face as she turned to Ron and raised her eyebrows.

"I reckon it's possible that he could fancy her Mione, but I'm not sure if she still does, sure she had a huge crush on him second year but…that was so long ago," Ron answered with a curious look on his face before he changed the subject. "Why do you think that Dumbledore made you Head Girl and me Head Boy, do ya think that he knew something that we didn't," Ron asked with a deep in thought smile on his face as he and Hermione walked down the hallway towards the boys' room.

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"Hey Ginny…wait up," Harry shouted with a hurried look on his face as he tried to catch up to the youngest Weasley as she made her way back to the room that she and Hermione occupied.

"I don't want to talk about it Harry, go away," Ginny replied with a sad frown on her face as she continued on her way, finally getting to the doorway.

"Why, because you don't want me to see you cry," Harry asked with an innocent intention behind it but instantly regretted ever asking when Ginny flashed him a very angry glare and looked to be on the verge of hexing him. But instead of that her glare faltered before she dropped her gaze down to the floor.

"No…it's just that, you won't understand…," Ginny finally replied with a scared and nervous look on her face as she stared at the buttons on the front of Harry's shirt rather than looking him squarely in the face.

"You sure…you know people have said that I'm a good listener," Harry weakly chimed in with a nervous half smile on his face as he was fishing for something to say to try and get Ginny to talk to him.

"Right Harry…that's why everyone comes to you with their problems, Merlin…I swear Harry sometimes you can just be so thick," Ginny snapped back with an angry scowl on her face as she balled up her fists and momentarily looked about ready to deck Harry.

"Come again…look Ginny I'm sorry that you and Dean didn't work out and just wanted to make sure that you were okay…make sure that we were still friends…," Harry snapped back sharply at first, causing a small amount of fear to well up into Ginny's eyes, before Harry forced himself to calm down and let worry stream into his voice.

"Still friends…why wouldn't we be," Ginny asked with a confused and nervous look on her face as she was finally able to look Harry in the face for more than two seconds without quickly having to look away.

"I don't…it's just that after what happened last year at the Ministry of Magic…," Harry started to answer with a very sad and nervous frown on his face, as he felt tears beginning to come to his eyes, before he was quieted instantly by a soft hand on his.

"You pulled away from everyone," Ginny quickly retorted with a sad and unhappy frown on her face as she walked away from Harry and sat down on a bench just outside of her and Hermione's room, smoothing out the folds in her skirt to try and calm herself down.

"Yeah…I did, but I never meant to hurt anyone, I was just so angry, hurt, confused…," Harry started to try to answer with a myriad of emotions on his face before Mrs. Weasley came up the stairs and interrupted.

"Oi now, you two should get to bed, the train leaves at eleven tomorrow and if you all don't get to bed soon then you won't be able to wake up in time…speaking of which Ginny where's Ron," Mrs. Weasley interjected with a loud voice as she placed her hands on her hips and looked squarely ahead at Harry and Ginny before Ron and Hermione rounded the corner, having just let go of each others hands after hearing Harry's voice.

"Here mum, is there something wrong," Ron asked with a concerned look on his face as he stuffed his Hogwarts letter back into its envelope and stared down at his mother.

"Wrong…no, it's just that the four of you should get to bed if you're going to get up in time to catch the train to Hogwarts," Mrs. Weasley answered with a slightly nervous smile on her face as she looked back and forth between Harry and Ginny on the bench and Ron and Hermione standing oddly close together.

"You're right Mrs. Weasley, I really should owl my parents and tell them the good news, they'll be so happy," Hermione announced with a very proud smile on her face before she turned on her heels and raced off to retrieve Hedwig.

"She got Head Girl," Ron informed the others with a slightly embarrassed smile on his face as he half turned and watched Hermione race away.

"Good for her, she deserves it," Harry added with a happy and proud smile on his face as he leaned back on the bench.

"But then who's Head Boy, knowing our luck it'll be Draco and…," Ginny started to groan as she slumped forward and dropped her head into her hands, loathing the thought of a year at Hogwarts with Draco Malfoy as Head Boy.

"He'll give us one detention after another," Harry chimed in with an equally dismal expression on his face as he looked as if he wanted to comfort Ginny but thought better of it, or got scared, and did nothing.

"Well then luckily for us ole Dumbledore had his wits about him and didn't make Draco Head Boy," Ron interjected with a somewhat amused but also nervous smile on his face as he crossed his arms and tried not to smile to big.

"So then you know who the Head Boy is Ronald," Mrs. Weasley declared with an odd look on her face as she walked up to her youngest son and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"That I do…," Ron replied softly with a slowly growing grin on his face, as it looked like he was doing his best to hold in his joy before bursting.

"No way…no way would Dumbledore make you Head Boy," Ginny stated with a very surprised, but inwardly pleased, smile on her face as she lifted her head up out of her hands and stared oddly at Ron.

"Well he did, for some strange reason," Ron countered with an optimistic and almost giddy smile on his face as he looked back down at Ginny and Harry for a moment before looking up at his mother.

"Oh my little Ronnie's Head Boy, I…this is…," Mrs. Weasley started to shout with an overjoyed smile on her face before her emotions overwhelmed her and she pulled Ron up into just about the tightest hug that he had ever received as tears of joy began to flow down her cheeks.

"Way to go Ron," Harry shouted as well with a very happy smile on his face, his state of melancholy momentarily forgotten, as he was next to congratulate Ron on being named Head Boy after Mrs. Weasley finally let go of him.

"Guess this means that you and a certain Head Girl will be spending an awful lot of time together…," Ginny added with a teasing grin on her face before she jumped up from her seat and gave Ron a warm hug, not caring when first Ron's ears and then his entire face went beet red.

"Shut up Ginny," Ron snapped back, more out of embarrassment than anger, as Ginny just grinned even more.

"Don't talk to your sister like that Ronald," Mrs. Weasley interjected with a softly angry frown on her face before she nodded her head in the direction of Ron and Harry's room.

"Yeah…uh goodnight Ron…Harry," Ginny started to add to her mother's words before Mrs. Weasley cast a baleful eye her way and she blushed deeply before waving to the two and disappearing into her and Hermione's room.

"Goodnight…," Both Ron and Harry said in unison with unsure smiles on their faces before they turned and walked back towards their room.

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They had barely made it to the correct platform in time. More than one first year, like Harry in his first year, had no clue where platform nine and three quarters was. About half a dozen of them stood in a group on the landing between platforms nine and ten, seemingly hoping that one of them knew something. When he had first seen this Ron had started to make the first years situation into something of a joke but a stern clearing of Hermione's throat made him think otherwise. With a grace beyond her years, or so Ron thought, Hermione politely guided the confused first years through the gateway and onto platform nine and three quarters. After getting a crushing hug from his mother, and a very stern warning about behaving, Ron followed Ginny and Harry through the gateway and soon stood staring up at the train that would take him back to Hogwarts.

"I knew this was all going to well…," Harry said into Ron's ear as he pointed down the platform to where Ron could see Draco shoving his way through a crowd of first years, with his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, trailing not far behind.

"Bloody git," Ron growled with an angry scowl on his face as he started to set Pig's cage down onto his trolley and step forward but stopped when he felt a gentle hand on his arm.

"Easy Ron, you're Head Boy don't forget, you can't be fighting Malfoy at the drop of a hat, even if he does deserve it," Hermione stated with an unhappy and hopefully soothing look on her face and tone to her voice as she looked Ron in the eyes and silently begged him to stay calm.

"But Mione he…," Ron began to counter with a begging look on his face before Hermione guessed what he was thinking and stepped in.

"Don't worry Ron, Draco will get what's coming to him, now come on we'd better get on board," Hermione quickly stated with a confidant and certain look on her face as she pulled her hand off of Ron's arm only to use that same hand to pick Crookshanks' carrying case off of the top of her trolley. Ron begrudgingly calmed down and followed after her, not wanting to get into a row with her before they even got to Hogwarts.

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The actual ride there was mostly uneventful, aside from some rather snide comments from Draco about Ron and Hermione being named Head Boy and Head Girl. When Ron and Hermione said the password, boiling fish, and entered their suite both stopped and stared at their surroundings. They stood in what could be described as a small mudroom, with hooks on their wall for their cloaks and to hang their bags, benches to sit on while pulling shoes on and off and even a small mirror that Ron guessed was for one to make a final check on their appearance before setting out for the day. After the small mudroom came a room that reminded Ron of the Burrow, or at least what the living room of the Burrow could be if his parents had more money. A roaring fire took up a good chunk of one of the walls, with a thick rug, coffee table, and very comfortable looking couch and set of chairs encircling it. The rest of the room was a little dark, being lit only by a great many candles. Had she been able to form words at that time Hermione would have commented on how the room seemed quite romantic. As they walked further into the room they discovered that on the opposite wall from the fireplace stood a large bookcase that stretched from the ceiling to the floor, filled with books that Hermione hadn't seen in the library and would have pulled one down had Ron not pulled her along in the room to the right. That room turned out to be Ron's room as Pig sat in his cage on the bed with the rest of Ron's belongings arranged accordingly. The room was about the same size as the one that he had shared with Harry and the others the previous year but now felt somehow empty with just one bed. Hermione marveled at the size of the bed, imagining how many different books, parchments, and assorted other materials that she could lay out on that large of a bed. Ron however felt like he'd get lost in the middle somewhere as the bed was at least twice the size of his back at the Burrow. Other than the bed the room consisted of a small bookcase filled with books, a caged roost for Pig, a desk with a comfortable looking chair nearby, what looked like a hamper, and a large chest of drawers that sat next to a large closet.

Fighting off the almost overwhelming urge to hop onto the bed and rest Ron let Hermione lead him into the bathroom that was through the other door that led into and out of Ron's room. The bathroom was a sight to behold, all polished and shining white tile with a shower built into the far wall and a rather sizeable bathtub rising up as an island in the middle of the room with steps leading up to it, and two sinks that sat below a long mirror that ran the length of the room. There looked to be more than enough towels, uniquely enough each one was monogrammed with the Gryffindor coat of arms on them, as was every odd tile in the bathroom and on each door. A toilet sat against the wall just opposite the sink and mirrors. Fighting off the urge to stop and smell the scented candles, soaps, and lotions Hermione made her way into her room, leaving Ron behind in the bathroom, and found that it was almost identical to Ron's, except that instead of a caged roost there was a large pet bed for Crookshanks to sleep in lying right next to the bed.

"I hope that you like what you see," Professor McGonagall said with a hopeful smile on her face as she stepped into the bathroom and smiled down at Ron before Hermione joined them.

"Yeah…it's bigger than the Burrow," Ron replied with a slightly astonished, but pleasantly so, expression on his face as he looked around the bathroom, doing his best not to blush.

"It's wonderful Professor," Hermione added with a happy smile on her face as she walked up to Ron and lightly elbowed him in the side in hopes that he would calm down.

"Good, Albus and I thought that the two of you would, now there's just one more thing that I must tell you before dinner, tomorrow night at six o'clock the two of you are to meet Professor Dumbledore and myself in his office for a private dinner…just the four of us, it's customary every year for the Head Boy and Head Girl to dine with us so that we may discuss the upcoming year," McGonagall said with a pleased, but still serious, look on her face as she clapped her hands together and took a deep breath.

"We'll be there…I can't wait," Hermione replied with an optimistic and eager smile on her face, which left Ron no doubt that she had already begun dreaming up new rules and regulations for the students, before she leaned into Ron slightly.

"Of course Ms. Granger, no doubt you already have several promising ideas as to how better run the school and we will have time to talk about them tomorrow night, but for now I will let you spend some time with your boyfriend," McGonagall answered back with at first a serious look on her face before her lips broke into a warm and congratulatory smile before she turned and left the bathroom, leaving a stunned Hermione and Ron behind.

END OF CHAPTER 4