"Hermione, I'm not sure Harry is okay," confessed Ron. Hermione looked up from Ron's shoulder. Ron had been so stressed lately, and at first it was cute, but now it worried her too.
Ron looked down at her. She was smiling. "What?" he asked, not being able to hold back a smile of his own.
She brought her finger up to his forehead. "You're forming a crease here."
Ron's jaw dropped and his hand went to where she had touched. Sure enough, a wrinkle was forming. He sighed heavily, and Hermione laughed.
"You're getting old." she teased. He smiled and narrowed his eyes, but he knew he could never be really angry at her, he adored her too much.
"But I do it better than you." and he brushed the crow's feet forming at the corners of her eyes. She giggled, and he noticed now the blue cirlces underneath her eyes.
"Laugh lines, and you put them there." Then a thundering pounding came from the hallway. Ron grabbed Hermione, ready to protect her, then it stopped.
Hermione waited a moment, then slapped Ron in the arm. "I can protect myself!" Ron opened his mouth to protest, and the pounding started up again, got louder, and the door swung open.
"Guys, you need to see this." said Harry, thrusting a letter into Hermione's hands.
Ron sighed again, "Why don't I get the letter first?" Hermione and Harry looked at each other.
"We're the geniuses, remember?" Hermione said, reading the letter. She gasped.
"What? What?" Ron asked anxiously.
"Yep, the whole time, it was him." Harry replied to Hermione.
"He must have gotten a fake ID through the Ministry, and-" she started.
"He got rid of anyone who might recognize him-" he finished.
"Luna, Ginny,-"
"But why her cousin?"
"THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING! SERIOUSLY, I THINK WE HAVE SOME MAJOR COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS HERE, FOLKS!" Ron blew up, and Hermione and Harry grinned apoligetically.
Hermione handed him the letter, and Harry brought him up to speed.
"So, the question is, why Luna's cousin, right?" asked Ron. Harry nodded. Ron looked confused,(more than normal), "Wait, since when does Luna have a cousin?"
Harry smiled, admitting, "I've been getting letters from Tonks, keeping us up to speed."
Ron looked at Hermione, "Did you know this?"
Hermione nodded, "She would send them late at night, and after you eat you completely zonk out, we tried to wake you up once..."
Ron gaped. "I do not zonk out!"
Harry smiled, "Yeah, you do." Ron looked back and forth between the two, who were smiling with too much enthusiasm for his liking.
"Then why didn't you tell me when I was awake?"
Harry looked at Hermione, who nodded and answered, "Ron, listen, we thought you might get upset if we told you about Ginny."
Ron, not expecting this, asked, "Ginny?"
Harry attention went to the dirty, wood floor. "Ron, I haven't been writing her, to keep our location secret, and-"
Hermione jumped in, seeeing how hard this was for Harry, "She's depressed, and she's hanging out with Luna's cousin alot. Tonks thought they might be dating, and-"
"WHAT? GINNY'S DATING HIM?" Ron gave a mad, questioning look to Harry, who was still staring at the floor.
"-we knew you would blow up." Hermione finished, rolling her eyes.
"I'll bet her cousin is in on it! What if he's taking a Polyjuice Potion too?" Ron accused wildly.
Hermione rolled her eyes again. "Ron, if that was true, then why would he expell him?"
Harry stopped Ron from answering and realized why, "So he could get in on the Order."
Ron smiled and stuck out his tongue at Hermione. "Told ya." Hermione stuck hers back at him.
Harry didn't notice, he was beginning to wonder again. "Wait, didn't Shalkebolt ask him to go to Number 12?"
Hermione nodded, "But only because he was expelled too. Shaklebolt didn't meet him before he was expelled, only after."
Harry sighed. "More letters."