The Beauty of First, Er, Second Love

The Beauty of First, Er, Second Love

Chapter 3

The Trio hurried from Transfiguration, but Ron's mind was so preoccupied he wasn't watching where he was going and ran headlong into a fourth year, who retorted with a sharp, "Hey!"

"Sorry, sorry," Ron apologized quickly, not even bothering to check if the person was okay. His mind was in a scramble after receiving this new letter.

Who, who, who could it possibly be? This thought was in the front of his mind. He had tried to come up with more possibilities during Transfiguration and was so out of it that Professor McGonagall had managed to transfigure him into a dung beetle. He hadn't even noticed until he realized the table seemed a lot higher than it had when he sat in his chair. His chair was off as well; it appeared to be a huge wooden field he was in the middle of. He had tried to call out, but found he had no voice. Just when Ron had panicked and begun falling from the chair at what seemed a great height, McGonagall had turned him back, causing him to land on the floor with a thump.

The class had laughed until she announced she would be taking ten points from Gryffindor for Ron's lack of attention. The rest of his House hadn't been too happy about that, and had glared at him the rest of class.

Ron had simply brushed the glares off and attempted to bring his head back to the wonderful world of Transfiguration, with only a small amount of success.

He had managed, however, to come up with more names for his list. He had even written them down so he wouldn't forget. Upon remembering this, he withdrew the list from his robes and glanced over it.

Hermione, seeing it, asked for a look. Ron passed the list over, and Hermione's eyes ran quickly down the sheet.

"Hmm...Luna, huh? You really think she went to all the trouble of making up the whole Pen Pal scheme to get you to ask her out?" Hermione was plainly skeptical about this.

"Not really...but I'm writing down anyone who's been acting a bit wonky around me lately. Wouldn't you say Luna is a definite possibility?"

"Well, yes. But she's always strange around everybody." Hermione paused, then hesitantly said, "Ron... Have you ever considered the fact that this could be just a...well, a joke?"

Ron's mouth dropped open, and he looked stunned. It was obvious this possibility had never occurred to him.

"A... a joke? Do you really think someone would do this as a joke? And that Luna would go along with it?" Ron was chewing his lip nervously as he asked this.

Hermione's heart went out to him, and she felt awful for putting the idea in his head.

"Oh, Ron, I'm sorry! Of course it isn't a joke! I mean, it's like you said, isn't it? Luna would never do that, right?" She seemed almost desperate to take back what she had said.

"I'm sure it isn't a joke, mate. No body except Malfoy would do that, and he looked just as surprised as everyone else when that poem was playing." Harry shot Hermione an angry look as he said this.

Right on cue, Malfoy shoved past Ron abruptly as he passed him in the corridor. He sneered, then called, "Who the hell would ever send Weasel a love letter?"

Crabbe and Goyle snorted in that brainless way they had perfected.

Ron's ears began glowing red, but before he could say anything, Harry smoothly interrupted, saying "So, Malfoy... how about that snog now? I mean, you looked a little eager in Potions when I said that, you know..."

Malfoy turned pink, stuttering, "What the...Potter, have you gone mad? Why the hell would I want to snog you? Besides, that potion was under affect when you said that...wasn't it?" He sounded a little frantic to prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

"Maybe it was, Malfoy... and maybe it wasn't. Owl me if you think you can handle the answer."

The Trio walked away, and once they were out of earshot, Ron rounded on Harry, saying, "You were joking, right, mate? You don't really fancy Malfoy, do you?"

Harry chuckled, then responded, "Of course not, Ron! I said that to get him off you! The potion was definitely working. Do you really think I'd want to snog Malfoy?"

Ron looked relieved. Hermione, however, had a frown creasing her face.

Ron glanced at her. "What, Hermione, you don't think Harry really wants to snog Malfoy, do you?"

Hermione seemed to come out of her trance, then said, "Hmm? Oh no, I was just thinking about possibilities for the letter is all. And no, I really doubt Harry is in a hurry to snog Malfoy," she grinned.

"Good." Ron was very pleased. "So, about the letter, eh? What have you thought up?"

"Well..."she glanced around, then said, "Let's go to the Common Room first. It's time to really think about this."

They hurried to the Common Room, where they collapsed into their favorite chairs by the fire. Hermione drew out a list and instructed, "Ron, let's have another look at those letters, please."

Nodding, he pulled the pages out of his bag and gave them to her. She carefully unfolded them and placed them on her lap. Then, using the list she had written down, she began glancing between the letters and her own writing. Every now and then, she would mutter, "Hmmm," or "No, not that one," or she would write something else on her own sheet.

Finally, Ron could not take it and demanded, "What are you muttering over? Have you found out who it is?"

Hermione glanced up at him, responding with, "No, I have no idea who it is. But did you know that there are spells that can show us who did write them? I was looking them over to see if the person who wrote these thought to use the counter spells before they were sent. I've already researched the spells, so all we have to do is..." She pulled out her wand, pointed it at the letters, and cried, "Revealus!"

Suddenly, a pale bluish tinge coated the parchments. Ron looked at Hermione, hopeful, but to his dismay, she looked absolutely shocked.

"Hermione? What is it? Do you know who sent it?"

Hermione looked at Ron, still with the stunned look across her face. She brushed a lock of bushy hair off her cheek, then said slowly, "No...whoever sent these is very clever. They put an Absconditus Charm on them before they were sent, which effectively prevents anyone from figuring out the writer. My guess is that it's a Ravenclaw, because I'm sure no one else would know that charm. It's a NEWT level spell." She sounded frustrated and impressed at the same time for Ron's admirer.

"Okay...well, let's make a list of all possible girls it could be." Hermione drew out a bit of parchment as she said it, writing in great letters at the top of the page:

POSSIBLE ADMIRERS

"Well, I don't think we should leave out Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, or Slytherins. Just because they know that spell means nothing. They could have looked it up for that reason, you know." Harry looked very convinced when he said it.

Hermione looked very put out, but nodded reluctantly. "Yes, I suppose you're right, Harry." So saying, she divided the parchment into four perfectly even sections, then titled each section with a House appropriately.

Ron looked alarmed, then said, " Slytherins, mate? I really doubt it. I mean, the girl said didn't agree with Snape always taking points from every House but Slytherin. Wouldn't that prove she isn't?" He looked very anxious that a Slytherin might have sent the letter.

"Not necessarily," said Hermione, looking thoughtful. "It could very well be a Slytherin; she might have told you that to throw you off."

Ron whimpered; obviously the thought that a Slytherin fancied him was very alarming.

"I'm sure it isn't," said Harry, fighting to hide a smile at the look of horror on Ron's face.

Ron swallowed, nodded, and said, "Well, just in case, I suppose let's write them down too."

When they were done, the paper looked like this:

Gryffindor Slytherin Ravenclaw Hufflepuff

Parvati Patil Pansy Parkinson Luna Lovegood Hannah Abbott

Lavender Brown Millicent Bulstrode Orla Quirke Susan Bones

Emma Dobbs Daphne Greengrass Padma Patil Sally- Anne Perks

Natalie McDonald Tracey Davis Mandy Brocklehurst Laura Madley

Ron frowned. "Are you sure these are all the possibilities?" He seemed very skeptical. "Seems to me there are a number of girls left out here."

Harry grinned. "Why, Ron? You think all the girls in Hogwarts are behind this? Or is sixteen too small a number for you?"

Before Ron could respond, Hermione cut in with, "Look, these are the most likely girls. They're in the same age range, relatively, and I'm pretty sure the elder girls here aren't, uh... the ones," she finished in a rush.

Ron was angry at the remark, and said, "So what, you think the older girls wouldn't be interested in me?"

"No, it's not that... it's just that they don't seem likely. The list we've drawn up is of available girls, see? I wasn't trying to hurt you, but the older ones are all practically dating, including the Slytherins." Hermione was trying desperately to make Ron understand.

Ron calmed down, then nodded, agreeing with her. Hermione looked relieved, then glanced around. "Oh, goodness! We're late for dinner! We better go."

Harry led the way to the Great Hall, and the talk turned to more trivial matters. Hermione lectured about homework, as usual, but the boys tuned her out as they approached the Hall. Ron was laughing at a joke Harry was telling about Umbridge as they made their way to the Gryffindor Table, where Seamus was gesturing dramatically as he talked.

The three sat down and began piling food on their plates, listening to Seamus ramble.

"Then, see, Ron goes and starts falling off his chair, but McGonagall turned him back before he could hit. Shame, really. Might have knocked a bit of sense into him." Seamus grinned at Ron, who good naturedly ribbed Seamus back, saying, "Yeah? Well, Finnigan, I seem to recall you being the one who had a distinctly purple Mendacium Potion! I thought it was supposed to be a pale blue color, myself!"

The other Gryffindors roared with laughter at Seamus, who turned pink, but ribbed Ron back. The two of them continued in this vein until the end of dinner, where Hermione sighed, announced she had too much homework to finish to be lollygagging, and marched back to the Common Room.

Ron looked incredulous as he stared after her, saying, "'Too much homework to finish?' That stuff isn't due until next week!"

"Yes, well, you know Hermione. All homework, no play. Ever. I think it's lucky she even comes down for meals!" Dean was laughing as he spoke. He looked over at Ron and said, "So don't get angry at me, because we all know it's true!"

Ron looked surprised, then said, "I wasn't planning on it. She does work too much, but there's nothing we can do about it. Every time you mention that she might put down her books for a minute or two, she starts in about the NEWTs! And they're more than a year away!"

The rest of the Gryffindors agreed that it was very disturbing to like homework so much, and that they would never understand how Hermione was always doing it.

Lavender suddenly leaned over and said, "So, Ron, have you figured out who your Secret Admirer is yet?"

Ron stared hard at Lavender, trying to see if she would reveal herself as the writer. He realized she was waiting for an answer, and responded with, "Oh, er, not yet. But it's coming along great. Should know by tomorrow, actually," he said, searching Lavender's face to see if it had any impact.

She looked supremely unconcerned as she replied, "Good. I hope you figure it out soon. A Secret Admirer! How romantic! I wish someone would secretly admire me..." She cast a very obvious look at Seamus as she said it, but Seamus was oblivious as he turned to Ron and said, "Wow, really? Good on you, mate! Though why anyone admires you is a mystery to me..."

"Hey!" Ron protested, grinning, as the boys got up and began making their way to Gryffindor Tower, leaving behind a very crestfallen Lavender.

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The next morning, Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way to the Hall for breakfast, Hermione going on again about the NEWTs.

"... need them to get a serious position in the Wizarding World, Ron! With the amount you're likely to tally, I should think the Leaky Cauldron would be glad to get another barman!" And with these retorts ringing, she flounced to the middle of the table, piled bacon and eggs on her plate, and began reading Anything and Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the NEWTs.

Ron simply shook his head as he and Harry went on the other side of the table and sat across from her, grabbing at a dish of kippers.

As he chewed, his thoughts drifted to his pen pal. It was obvious it wasn't Lavender now. She was so googly eyed for Seamus, it was almost funny. And he was almost positive he could scratch Luna off. The next moment clinched this thought, as Luna hurried into the Hall, ran to the Gryffindor Table, and took a seat next to Colin Creevey. He watched as she said, "Hello, Colin. Will you walk to Transfiguration with me, please?"

Colin seemed stunned, but quickly came out of his stupor and said, "Yes, sure Luna. Umm... would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me next Saturday?"

Luna looked overjoyed as she gave an affirmative nod, and the two had quite an enjoyable breakfast together.

Ron tore his eyes away from the couple as the morning post arrived. He was not surprised when an owl dropped a letter next to his plate. Sighing, he picked it up, tore it open and pulled out a single sheet of parchment. Hermione and Harry looked over and watched him read. When he was done, he looked as if he had gone to heaven. He handed the letter to Harry, who read it, then passed it to Hermione. The letter was very to the point.

Dear Ron,

How are you today? I hope your classes are quite pleasant today. I know you have Care of Magical Creatures, and as I had that yesterday, I can say very definitely be prepared!

As for your Slytherin question, I told you I won't say what House I am in. I will tell you eventually, but it's too soon right now. I hope you understand. I don't want to mislead you, but it's just not possible yet.

I bet Hermione Granger has tried revealing charms to see who I am. There should have been a bluish color on the page, telling her I have already thought she might try this, and that I used an Absconditus Charm on the letters. She was very clever to have thought of revealing me that way.

I hope you recovered nicely after having been transfigured into a dung beetle. Seamus Finnigan made sure everyone knew about it, and I was quite worried. I do hope there haven't been any problems now that you've been turned back.

I told you in my previous letter that I like reading. It's very true, and I believe I may have found a book that you might like. I know you aren't too fond of reading, but it might interest you. The book is called "The Cannons from the Beginning." It goes through the Cannons time as a professional Quidditch team from the time they first formed. If you'd like to read it, ask Luna for it and she'll give it to you.

I suppose I should go now; my dorm mates are yelling for me to come to breakfast. I hope you enjoy the book.

Your Pen Pal

Ron looked over to Luna, still next to Colin. She gave him a knowing look, and got up from her spot on the table. She wandered over and handed Ron a considerably thick tome, saying, "I hope you enjoy this, Ron. She thought you might like it very much, and I believe from the look on your face, she was quite right."

Ron in fact looked as if his birthday had come early. He took the book gently from Luna, cradling it as one would a child. He began flipping through the book, stopping every now and then to check out a passage or to exclaim, "Wow!" in an impressed sort of way.

"Right, thanks, Luna. I'll write her back right now!" Ron pulled parchment from his bag and scrawled a message as Luna waited.

Dear Pen Pal,

Thanks very much for the book! Where did you find it? I'm sure it wasn't in the library; Hermione would have found it by now.

Yes, I do have Care of Magical Creatures today, but it's after lunch. Thanks for the tip; I'm sure it'll come in handy.

Hermione was very surprised you thought to use the Absconditus Charm on your letters. She reckons only Ravenclaws really know that spell, but Harry said you could have learned it to send the letters. I think it was clever of you as well.

I suppose I understand about your not wanting to tell me your House. It would make it quite easy to find you, which I know you don't want yet.

I was very surprised when I was turned into the dung beetle. Thanks for asking; I'm fine. No ill feelings or anything. I'm completely fine, although I'll admit it was a shock when I wasn't in my chair anymore.

Thanks again for the book. I'll just give it to Luna to give back to you when I'm done.

Ron

He folded the letter and gave it to Luna. She took it, saying, "You can't give that book back, you know."

Ron was surprised. "Why not?" he asked.

"It isn't the library's. It's hers. She wrote home and asked her mother to send it. Her mother's a very big Cannons fan too, and gave her a copy of this book on her birthday. It's her second copy, and she wants you to have it."

Ron was very, absolutely stunned. He was speechless as he looked at the book, then Luna, then back again. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Finally, "Th- Thanks. Tell her thanks for me, please? I can't... I don't... wow."

Luna nodded as she turned away. "I will. And Ron? Don't make her think she has to buy your friendship, please."

Hermione finally spoke up, saying, "She gave that to you? Wow. You know what this means, don't you, Ron?"

Ron was slowly gaining back the power of speech. He said,"Hmm? Oh, I already thanked her, Hermione." He was too busy looking at his new book to really listen to her.

"No, not thank her. You have to buy her a gift as well. Since we have a Hogsmeade trip next Saturday, it's the perfect time."

"Wha-? But Hermione!" Ron protested. "I don't know what to buy her! I don't know who she is or what she likes!"

Hermione rolled her eyes and tutted. "Oh Ron, don't be absurd. She told you in her last letter what she likes. Go from that. I'll help you if you want."

Ron looked like a trapped animal, but finally sighed. What harm could it do? And she did give me a great book...

"Oh all right, Hermione. I'll buy her a bloody present, okay? But I want you and Harry to help, yeah?"

Hermione nodded, while Harry had picked up the book and began flipping through it. He nodded absentmindedly, not really paying attention.

Ron looked relieved as he ate the last bit of his kippers and stood up. "Harry, mate, we'd better leave if we don't want to be late for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Aren't we supposed to be learning about the Adficio Curse today?"

"Yes," Hermione responded. "Come on, let's go."

She led the way to main hallway, and the three Gryffindors made their way up to the third floor.

Ron held his book with care, thinking, A present? I don't know what to get a girl for a present! Almost makes me wish she hadn't given me the book... Nah. I'm still glad I got the book!

Ron whistled happily as he followed his friends to their lesson, the inevitable question still on his brain- Who is this girl?