LETTERS FROM BEYOND

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

CHAPTER 5-AN ODD FIRST DAY

"Do you think she knows…," Ron wondered with a confused and worried look on his face as he paced back and forth in the living room of the Head's suite.

"Of course she knows Ron, I'd think that the fact that she knew would be quite obvious by what she said," Hermione growled impatiently back at him from her seat on the couch as she crossed her arms and leaned back.

"But how could she know…I didn't tell her…did you," Ron wondered aloud with a confused and worried look on his face as Hermione instantly gasped in shock at his stupidity and then sent one of her worst glares his way. "Oh…uh, sorry Hermione," Ron finally mumbled softly, after several seconds of thought, with a very deep blush on his face as he hung his head and moped, allowing his hair to fall down in front of his face.

"You're forgiven…this time, maybe Lupin told her, or perhaps it was simply a process of elimination, maybe she's watched how we act around each other over the years and compared that to how we act around others and…," Hermione said with a nervous and slightly scared look on her face as she looked up at Ron and couldn't help but get taken in by his sad puppy dog pose, one that she had grown to love.

"Well when you went to fetch Hedwig to send that letter to your parents Ginny did kid me about since I'm Head Boy that I'd be spending a lot of time with you…maybe… everyone else knew that we fancied each other and were just waiting for one or both of us to realize it," Ron countered with a deep in thought frown on his face as he crossed his arms and shook his head before leaning lightly up against the mantle.

"That doesn't make any sense Ron, if they had known that we had fancied each other for that long then the would have said something…right," Hermione countered with a deep in thought frown on her face as she stood up and walked over to the fireplace, sadly staring into the flames.

"You'd think, then again with us rowing morning, noon, and night maybe they just got fed up with it all and decided to let us work it out," Ron said with a look of deep thought on his face as he pushed off of the wall and came to stand just to Hermione's right.

"I feel so foolish now, thinking about what they must have felt every time that we…," Hermione began, with a sad look on her face, as she rubbed her tired eyes.

"Tore into each other…yeah, me to…," Ron added with a somber frown on his face as he knelt down, picked up the poker from its place by the fire and moved the logs about a bit to stoke up the fire.

"Ron, it's a magical fireplace, you don't have to stoke up the logs like that," Hermione corrected Ron with her usual know it all tone of voice as she gently laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I know…it just helps me to calm down," Ron replied with a deep breath before he slowly let it out, put the poker back in its place by the fire, and then stood up and dusted his hands off.

"Sorry," Hermione said with a look of regret on her face as she pulled her hand back and ran it awkwardly through her hair.

"Forget about it…we should probably get going, they've probably already started eating," Ron said with a bored and hungry frown on his face as he stood up and turned to Hermione.

"You're right…let's go, we have to…," Hermione started to say with an unhappy frown on her face as she began to make her way to the door before Ron pulled her back into a warm embrace and soon had kissed her immediate fears away.

11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

"Do you see them," Ginny asked with only a slightly worried look on her face as she sat up in her seat and looked around the large room, hoping to catch sight of either Ron or Hermione.

"For the fifteenth time Ginny, no…I don't see them, now calm down, they'll be here…Ron never misses a meal," Harry replied with a frustrated sigh as he crossed his arms on top of the table and tried his best to return to being as miserable as he had been before Ginny had begun asking him again and again if he knew where Ron and Hermione were.

"You're right Harry I don't," Ron announced proudly with a wide grin on his face as he sat down beside Harry while Hermione sat down beside Ginny on the other side of the table.

"Where have two been, they're just about to start," Ginny demanded with an angry scowl on her face as she glared only lightly at Hermione beside her before she very angrily sent her glare across the table at Ron.

"We had Heady Boy and Head Girl business to attend to, sorry if you thought that we weren't coming," Hermione answered with a sincere look of apology on her face, as she turned halfway to Ginny before she cast Ron a quick glance and then went silent.

"It's okay, Ginny just wanted to make sure that Ron didn't miss a meal," Harry chimed in with a slightly amused smirk on his face before the first years were lead into the great hall, sorted into their appropriate houses by the sorting hat, and then all seated. Dumbledore gave his usual speech, introducing several of the teachers even though everyone but the first years knew who they were, and finally his speech came to rest on whom the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher was. Every ear in the school sat rapt with nervous attention as they awaited the identity of their new teacher. Chatter erupted immediately from the students before from the Gryffindor table there arose a cheer, and a seething snicker from the Slytherin table. Taking his seat next to Hagrid, looking well rested and better than the last time that Harry had seen him was Remus Lupin. After the shock at dinner everyone returned to their separate houses, with Ron and Hermione following Harry and Ginny back to the Gryffindor common room rather than immediately return to their rooms.

"Gotta say that was a surprise…I mean, why didn't he tell us," Ginny wondered aloud with a still somewhat startled expression on her face as she plopped down into the chair nearest to the fire.

"He must have had his reasons…right Hermione," Ron replied with a sleepy look on his face as he sat down at the far end of the couch.

"Right…we'll ask him what they were tomorrow though, it's to late tonight," Hermione confirmed with a small yawn as she slipped down onto the couch right next to Ron before she started to lay her head on his shoulder. She realized what she was doing before it was to late and did her best to make it look as if she had seen a hair or something on Ron's shoulder and was only leaning in to get a better look before removing it. Luckily for her Ron did indeed have a hair on his shoulder, and so she plucked it off and flicked it to the floor. Harry looked for a moment like he was going to make a comment about Hermione's action but in the end he only shrugged his shoulders and yawned.

"This year ought to be interesting, Snape will probably give the four of us double detention out of spite," Ron added with an unhappy frown on his face as he leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling sadly.

"He wouldn't, that would be against the rules…and as much as Snape has it in for us he still follows the rules," Hermione stated confidently, as if she were reading it straight from a brochure, before Harry stepped in.

"Could be…although Snape was a Death Eater remember, to me that's more than a little outside of the rules," Harry differed with a thoughtful frown on his face as he scratched the arm of his chair and stared into the fire, all while keeping his voice low enough so that only Ginny, Ron, and Hermione could hear him.

"Even so we shouldn't jump to any foolish conclusions before we know more, I'm not exactly sure why Mr. Lupin has become the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher once more but I do believe that he has his reasons and will…," Hermione said with a serious and contemplative look on her face as she lightly tapped her bottom lip with the tip of her index finger, an act that for some reason made Ron want to snog her right then and there. But remembering the promise that he and Hermione had made he steeled his will and rolled his eyes in mock frustration and stared off into the fire.

"Tell us when he's good and bloody ready," Harry grumbled with an unhappy scowl on his face before he balled up his fists, pounded the back of the couch, and then without looking at anyone in particular walked out of the common room and up the stairs.

"Was it something I said…," Ron wondered aloud with a concerned look on his face while Ginny stood up and stared off into space after where Harry had just trekked.

"I don't think so…he's just…," Hermione began to say softly to Ron, as unintentionally her hand sought his out before she gave it a squeeze, before Ginny broke in.

"I'm worried about him, he's been acting weird ever since Sirius died…why can't he see that it wasn't his fault, why can't he see…," Ginny asked with a very worried and guilty expression on her face as she fought back the tears that were valiantly trying to gush down her cheeks.

"You…," Ron answered with a nervous look at Hermione before he stood up and had just made it to his feet when Ginny whirled around on him, looking as if she were about to smack him for daring to admit openly what was in her heart. But she stopped just short of that and stormed up the stairs to her dorm, leaving Ron and Hermione now all alone in the common room.

"You handled that rather well Ronald," Hermione joked with a sarcastic expression on her face as Ron turned back to look at her for an explanation.

"Handled what…I didn't mean to make her mad, I just said what I thought that she meant and…," Ron countered with a confused look of disbelief on his face before his shoulders slumped and he shook his head in frustration.

"She's not mad at you Ron, she's mad at herself…at Harry, I believe that she does still fancy him, quite a bit really, but she had convinced herself that it was just a simple crush up until now," Hermione said with a tired look on her face as she stood up and walked over to Ron, trying to get him to look her in the eye.

"Then why doesn't she just say so," Ron wondered aloud with a somber frown on his face as he lifted his head up and glanced over at the stairs that led up to the girl's dorm rooms.

"Why didn't you tell me that you fancied me, instead of rowing with me for a little over five years," Hermione asked quickly back, instead of answering Ron's question, as she laid a hand on his shoulder and tried not to yawn.

"Because it was easier than admitting to you what I was feeling and possibly being rejected for someone else," Ron finally answered with a very glum pout on his face as he finally turned back and looked at Hermione.

"Good answer, now let's go to bed before Filch catches us being out after curfew," Hermione added with a large yawn before she allowed Ron to pull her close and lightly kiss the top of her head.

"Okay, but one of these days you're going to have to explain all of this to me," Ron whispered softly down to Hermione as she was doing her best to simply stay awake.

"Deal," Hermione softly whispered back into Ron's chest before falling asleep. The next morning she would wake up to find herself lying against Ron on the couch in their living room, apparently after Ron had carried her back to their suite.

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

The next day classes went smoothly, except for the occurrence during afternoon potions when Neville had forgotten to include the essence of stinkfoot in his potion and it had exploded, turning everyone's hair white. Lavender and Parvati had immediately shrieked in horror and were it not for Snape and his intense glower the two would have immediately gone running off to Madam Pomfrey and begun to beg her to change their hair back. Hermione had scowled at her hair and tried to calm it down but soon gave up after whispered into her about an idea that he had for later on that day, an idea that involved just the two of them. Ginny had done her best to hold in a fit of laughter when she first saw them, but soon Harry all but told her to let it out. Ron had plastered an odd smile on his face while she laughed but when she finished he had double-checked that she did not have a camera or any way of preserving the image of himself, Harry, and Hermione with white hair. He did this mainly to keep such an image from ever having the opportunity of falling into the twins' hands, because if it ever were to have then he never would have heard the end of it.

"Sorry Ron…but you look so funny, I just wish that I had a camera," Ginny giggled with a humorous smile on her face as she took a step back and took in the sight that was the golden trio.

"Well just be glad that you don't, because if you dared to take a picture then I'd have to throw you in the lake," Ron countered with a daring scowl on his face as he marched up to Ginny and stood glare to glare with her.

"Ron," Hermione exclaimed, partially in both contempt and annoyance, before she stomped her foot and did her best to drag Ron away from his youngest and only sister.

"Settle down Ron, Defense Against The Dark Arts is next…I want to get there early and ask Lupin why he's teaching again," Harry stated with a very driven and certain look on his face before he turned and started off down the long hallway, not checking as to whether or not Ron and Hermione were close behind him.

"He's scaring me," Ginny said with a very worried look on her face as she watched Harry walk away until he disappeared around a far corner.

"Me to, you should talk to him Ron," Hermione agreed with a nervous and slightly worried look on her face as she leaned over and lightly bumped Ron with her shoulder.

"Why me," Ron shouted in surprise and some disapproval as he lurched back away from the two girls and did his best to remain calm.

"Because…you're his friend," Hermione answered finally, after having stood in front of him in silence for what seemed like an eternity.

"So are you, and you're better at this type of thing than I am Mione," Ron shot back with a scared silly expression on his face as he turned to face Hermione.

"True…but he listens to you more than he does to me, and besides that if you have to you could always force him to listen to you, I could never…," Hermione replied with a nervous look on her face as she laid out her reasons why.

"I could…," Ginny announced with a very fervent and certain scowl on her face before she noticed the odd looks that she was receiving from both Ron and Hermione and quickly took off down another hallway towards the stairs that led to her next class.

"Is it me Mione…or are Harry and Ginny…," Ron began to say with a concerned edge to his face as after watching Ginny leave he turned back to Hermione, who nervously slid her free hand into his, but only after checking to make sure that they were alone.

"Acting more and more oddly with each passing day…no Ron, you're not alone, but we don't have time for that now, come on," Hermione agreed with a nervous look on her face before she started to hurry off down the hallway after Harry, at first nearly dragging Ron behind her. They arrived at the classroom to find a healthier looking Remus Lupin calmly sitting behind his desk at the front of the room. Harry had already taken a seat beside Neville so Ron and Hermione quickly slid into the only open seat left available to them, the one dead center in the front of the room. Ron began to groan but sat down reluctantly and stared at his book. He wondered if he would even really need it seeing as how the last time that Lupin had been teacher he had for the most part gone his own way.

"Alright everyone, welcome to Defense Against The Dark Arts, and I am Professor Lupin, now since most of you already know me or took my class a couple of years ago or so we can skip the introductions…," Lupin began with an eager smile on his face before the class got into full swing. Unfortunately for Ron they stayed in the book for most of the lesson. At the end they were given the assignment of writing a two foot long essay on the mystical creature of their choice. By the smile that spread across her face the instant that Lupin finished giving the assignment Ron was sure that Hermione already had most, if not all, of the report already written in her head. He however was not so fortunate and when the class ended he was about ready to beg Hermione to help him with his when she tugged on his sleeve hard enough to get his attention.

"We should get back to our rooms and get ready for tonight," Hermione stated with a very nervous tone to her voice as she collected her books.

"But what about Harry, shouldn't we be here with him when he asks Lupin why he's back," Ron countered with as he started to slip his sad puppy dog face on but was stopped when Hermione answered quickly enough.

"Harry will tell us when he's good and ready, besides I think that Lupin would rather talk to Harry without us hanging around, and you need to get started on your essay so that you don't have to cram the night before it's due," Hermione stated with a very certain and unwavering look on her face as she stood up from her seat and lightly glared down at Ron.

"Fine…I don't have a topic for my essay yet, guess I could do it on something simple like garden gnomes," Ron mumbled in defeat as he slowly collected his books and stood up.

"You should try and do better than that Ron, how about we ask Hagrid if he has a creature that you could write your report about," Hermione shot back with an optimistic smile on her face before Ron had to hurry up to follow her out of the classroom and down the long hallway, just as a nervous Harry stood up and approached the front desk.

END OF CHAPTER 5