A/N: This takes place during the summer after GoF. Enjoy :)
I disclaim everything.
June
June 6, '94
Hey Hermione,
I figured I'd write you because I miss
the way that you badger me about homework every single second of every
single day. Really, I'm very very bored and have no idea what to do with
myself, and that is why I'm writing to you. Fred and George are always
off in their room doing whatever they do, Ginny is away at a friend's
house for a couple of weeks, and Percy is, well, Percy, and never leaves
his office (not that that's a bad thing). Whenever I go downstairs, mum
has me de-gnome the garden or help her clean something in the kitchen
("You're bored? I have plenty for you to do!"). I don't mind my mum, but
she gets old after an entire week of nothing but her.
Write back and tell me what's going on
with you, so I have something to look forward to in the next few days.
Who knows, if I'm still bored sick I may even write back.
Ron
June 8
Dearest Ron,
How positively charitable
of you to think of me in your time of absolute boredom! I have been sitting
forlornly in my room since I arrived home from Hogwarts, dreaming—wait,
praying—that you would soon think of me and acknowledge
my humble existence with a letter penned by your godly hand. How I danced
with joy when I received your note!
Come to think of it, I don't
really feel like telling you how I am. Oh well.
Hermione
June 9
Hermione,
Hey, I didn't mean it like that…really,
how are you? And I promise that I will write back.
Ron
June 11
Dear Ron,
I am fine. I've been busy;
my parents are glad to have me home and we've been spending some time
together. I found an amazing book at the wizarding library near my house
called Play That Funky Music, Wiz Boy: 90 years of Wizarding Wireless
Radio (1900-1990), and I've been learning a lot. Ever since the Yule
Ball, I've been wondering about the differences in Muggle music and wizarding
music.
We're going to go on holiday in
a few weeks; we haven't decided where we're going to go exactly, but we're
working on it. How's the boredom coming along?
Hermione
June 12
Hi Mione,
The boredom's great, thanks for asking.
My mum got the idea that since I'm so bored she should teach me how to
cook, and I'm trying as hard as I can to avoid her.
And, if you don't fall over and die from
shock, I'm going to actually ask something about your book: how exactly
is Muggle music different from wizard music? I'm just curious, please
don't think that I've suddenly seen the light and become one of your kind
(an intellectual).
When you go on your trip, are you going to
Bulgaria? I wouldn't if I were you; I hear they have nasty summers.
Ron
June 13
Dear Ron,
Your mom's trying to teach
you how to cook? I am never eating at your house again.
Muggle music and wizard music
aren't really that different in songwriting terms; however, the sounds
of the music are a bit different. Muggles don't have access to all of
the magic sound effects that wizards have, and there tends to be less
of a variety of sounds—but they fill it up quite nicely with what they
have. If you want to actually hear some Muggle music, I'll make you a
trade…you can send me a wizard radio and I'll send you a Muggle radio.
I don't think you should have a problem with getting it to work; ask your
dad, I'm sure he'll help. We can switch back when we get to Hogwarts for
the fall. Write back with your reply.
Hermione
P.S. Whether I go to Bulgaria
or not is my business, thank you very much.
P.P.S. What on earth is a "Mione?"
June 15
Hermione,
In case you were wondering what the package
Pig was carrying is, it's the radio you asked for. I think he needs some
rest before he starts back, so can you give him some water or something
and let him rest up? You don't have to send back a Muggle radio, because
I checked with my dad and he has one. I've been listening to it, and you're
right that the only differences are really fewer instruments. They do
a good job compensating though. Dad says that the recepter's bad up here
or something, so we can only get one station. Apparently it plays music
from the 1970's, and some kinds are really different from other kinds:
sometimes it's very loud and awesome and sometimes it's very soft and
kind of (don't make fun of me) nice sounding.
Mum caught me being bored again yesterday.
I told her I couldn't learn to cook because I was listening to the radio,
but she said we could easily move it downstairs…blech. I had to knead
dough for bread. It turned out horrible, and Fred and George won't let
me hear the end of it. Percy made a huge speech about how we should leave
cooking to more experienced people (mum yelled at him, so I didn't really
care about that). She said that I kneaded it too much. I can't win.
Ron
P.S. Mione is a nickname that I decided to
use because I didn't feel like writing your full name. Before you go off
on me again, know that I'll suffer if you don’t like it.
June 19
Dear Ron,
You're right (for once); Pig
was out like a light as soon as he landed—right in my dad's bowl of oatmeal.
Dad wasn't happy, but he's not too mad about it. Pig woke up two days
ago and I gave him my letter then, but instead of delivering it he went
out and had a night of fun, then tried to win my forgiveness by offering
me a regurgitated mouse skeleton when he came back in the morning. Such
a sweet owl.
I'm sorry, but I still can't picture
you cooking. The only thing I see when I try to think of what you would
look like is you, standing stupidly in a kitchen with a chef's hat on,
and the empty and bewildered look on your face that you get when Professor
McGonagall asks you a question in transfiguration.
I saw some people from my old
Muggle school yesterday. They were all eating at the pub in town, and
gave me weird looks as I walked by. According to Lucy, one of the few
friends from my old school that I've kept in touch with, they think I
go away to some elite prep school in America. Why on earth would I do
that?
Glad that you like Muggle music.
What are some of the bands that you like? I really like the wizarding
music a lot. Though the Weird Sisters are good, they're nothing compared
to the Faerie Squadron or Clairvoyance. They are really fantastic.
By any chance have you heard from
Harry? He's not answering my letters.
Hermione
P.S. If you want, Mione's okay.
I've never had a nickname before.
June 20
Dear Mione,
Believe me, this stupid owl learned something
when he got back, like how not to piss me off by trying to find a new
home and wooing his prospective owner with his puke. Stupid git. I'm sorry
that he bugged you, and passed out in your father's oatmeal. Again, that
stupid git. Smack him after you read this. I give you my permission.
I like the band Lead Zeplyn, as they're
loud and Mum hates it when I turn up the volume. She says she can hear
it from three flights down, and wants me to keep my music to myself. She
got mad when I told her that if it was too loud, she was too old, and
then she made me knead dough again. More on my "cooking" later. Besides
Lead Zeplyn, I also like Simon and Garfunkel; they're very mellow sounding
and relaxing and all of that good stuff (DON'T LAUGH). I wish I played
guitar. I wanted to start when I was younger, but you know. I figured
you'd like Faerie Squadron and Clairvoyance, because they're very you:
kind of ethereal (oooh, Ronniekins used a big word) and contemplative
and the like.
You've never really told me about your
old school… (I can hear you now: "Well, that's because you're an insensitive
prat, Ron, and you've never asked!") What was it like there? Did you have
lots of friends? Admirers? Lovers?
Anyway, yes, mum caught me again and
made me cook. She stopped me from kneading the dough too much this time,
and it turned out okay. Fred and George didn't even realize that I'd helped.
Unfortunately, this means that next time she's promoting me to actually
helping with mixing the dough…I don't know why she's putting herself through
this. She's the one that likes homemade bread. The rest of us don't mind
if its store bought…
Your friend,
Ron
P.S. Harry's alright. He's at the Dursley's,
and he sent me a letter a week ago back with Errol. It turns out that
his uncle went berserk and threw Hedwig's cage out the window, and Hedwig's
hurt. The Dursley's told him that if they caught him sending mail, there'd
be consequences, so he's trying to lay low. He seems pretty upset, and
I actually think it's a relief to him to get away from Hogwarts and everything
for awhile…I'm a worried about him, Mione. I'm sure he appreciates your
letters, though. If you demand a reply, he'll probably give you one, and
if you want, go ahead and use Pig to send him a letter before you reply
to me, and then when he brings back your reply just write back to me then.
Hmm, this was a long P.S. Maybe it should have been part of the letter?
June 22
Dear Ron,
I don't "smack" animals, so
unfortunately (for you) your beloved Pig, instead of nursing his head,
is enjoying some owl treats that I picked up at the store behind the wizarding
library. Hope you don't mind. I took your suggestion and sent him to Harry
with a demand for a reply, and he did write me a little letter telling
me that he was alright and all of that garbage…but yes, I am worried about
him. Is he going to your house to stay before summer's over? Please keep
me updated, he's my friend too.
Led Zeppelin (check the spelling,
'Ronniekins') are very good. You wouldn't know it from looking at me,
but I like that kind of music occasionally. I also like Simon and Garfunkel
very much; they're one of my favorite Muggle bands. This is one of the
few times I'll say this, let alone put it in writing, so you might want
to save this letter: You have good taste, Ron.
My old school was brimming
with friends, admirers, and particularly lovers—yes, the lovers were in
abundance, especially since I was a sexy eleven years old. In case you
couldn't tell, that was sarcasm. The school was just a school, we learned
math and science and English literature, and I was at the top of my class
(you expected anything less?). Needless to say, I was as popular there
as I was at Hogwarts when I first arrived. Fun fun fun…just loads of fun.
I kept in touch with one or two friends, and I see my old schoolmates
around all the time during the summer. They all think I went off to America
for some reason, like I said last letter, and they give me odd looks on
the sidewalk and pass me by. I laugh at it; it's quite amusing really.
We've decided to go to Greece,
Bulgaria, and Romania for our trip. I'm so excited; I get to visit all
of the ancient Greek monuments—and I hear they have a whole separate wizarding
culture just as fantastic as the Muggle part of the country—and in Romania,
I could even see a real vampire!
Glad to know that your cooking
skills are progressing so steadily…before you know it you'll move to making
boxed cake mixes, and then who knows? You may one day attempt chocolate
chip cookies. Write back soon.
Not too sincerely,
Hermione
June 23
Mione,
I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY
GOING TO BULGARIA. DID YOU NOT BELIEVE ME WHEN I TOLD YOU THAT THEY HAD
LOUSY SUMMERS?
Bread is in the oven. I'll write a longer
letter later.
Ron
June 24
Ron,
Grow up, and deal with the
fact that I am going to Bulgaria for three whole days. How did the bread
come out?
Hermione
P.S. I'll get another autograph
for you while I'm there, if you like.
June 25
Mione,
Bread came out fine, thank you. Tomorrow
I actually make a whole loaf by myself. So there. (DO NOT LAUGH AT ME)
Ignore those idiots from your old school,
Hermione, because you're 467 times better than they could ever hope to
be at anything (you're 467 times better than I could ever hope to be at
anything, and I'm the every man incarnate, so I know. Except for two things,
chess and flying, but I won't talk about them). We never really went to
school. Mum used to school us at home before we went to Hogwarts on basic
math and spelling and reading and things like that. School's not required
for us, and it costs lots of money for kids under mandatory schooling
age. We just have to be able to read and write and add and stuff like
that.
I'm glad you think I have good taste.
Now, if I could just convince you that orange is a good color...
I honestly don't know if Harry's coming
up here or not…I wrote him and ordered him to reply or else with an answer
to that question, and Errol came back empty-taloned. I don't know what
the letter he sent you was about, but there was some definite brooding
involved in mine, and I am really and truly worried now. I think that
I have to get him out of the Dursleys' soon…what do you think? Should
we kidnap him? Mum's written to Dumbledore, and he's given his okay. I'll
keep you updated.
I stand by my opinion that Bulgaria is
a stupid place to go on holiday. However, Romania sounds great. Want me
to write Charlie and ask if he can show you around? I'm sure he'd be fine
with it.
Ginny comes back in a few days. I never
thought I'd be aching for her conversation.
Ron
P.S. Autographs are stupid.
June 26
Dear Ron,
Orange is, and always will
be, a horrible color.
I think that you should definitely
"kidnap" Harry; I really don't like the way that he's been acting, and
I'm very worried.
Because of your shameless
compliments and self-deprecation, I am prepared to forgive you for throwing
a hissy fit about my going to Bulgaria. I'm glad I wasn't actually with
you at the time, because I probably wouldn't be speaking to you right
now…aren't you glad that letters offer you time to think before you send?
Though I have a feeling that you didn't even do very much of that, from
the looks of it. Typical you. Why do you care so much about my going to
Bulgaria anyway? He invited me, and I'm fulfilling the invitation.
It's nice of you to offer
to write to Charlie, it would be great if he'd show us around.
Oh, and I'm sending Pig back
with something for you. I think you'll like it…ask your dad how to work
it if you can't figure it out by my instructions.
Don't be mean to Ginny.
I think you're beginning to
enjoy cooking. And I'm laughing at you whether you tell me not to or not.
As usual,
Hermione
June 28
You're alright, right?! Answer this as soon
as possible! You better be alright, please say you're alright…
Ron
June 28
Ron,
Calm down, I'm fine. Scared
half to death and crying, but fine. It wasn't my house. I thought it was
us at first; I'd been out for dinner and was walking back, and from three
blocks away I saw the dark mark hanging in the sky. I screamed and ran
the rest of the way home; I thought for sure that my parents were dead,
and Death Eaters were killing people in the street or something… When
I got home everything was alright there, thank God. Mum and dad were standing
on the porch looking shaken, staring at the house three houses down and
across the street. There were ministry wizards, and they were levitating
out what were obviously the bodies of the Pages…Ron, I'm crying. Sorry
if the parchment's blotted…I'm sorry…I'm alright. I had no idea that the
Page girl was a witch. She must have gone to a different school. Are you
alright? I had to explain to my parents what was going on with Voldemort.
I had before of course, but I don't think they really realized that we
were in danger because of me. Thanks for caring…
Hermione
June 29
Dear Mione,
I thought it was you. The article in
the Prophet said "A young witch and her Muggle parents were found
viciously slaughtered under the Dark Mark yesterday evening in Cambridge.
No motives to the killings were uncovered; the witch was 14 and her parents
were both Muggles," and then it went on to speculate why. Well, what other
witch in Cambridge would have a good reason for You-Know-Who to kill her
besides you? He's back, he's really back. I don't like this at all…
It's late at night, this won't reach you
until day after tomorrow at least. Harry's here, he's asleep. We literally
kidnapped him yesterday, even though I was panicking all day because I
thought you were dead. He didn't want to go at first—said I had more important
things to do than endanger myself by hanging around him. I told him to
shove it and get in the car or I'd beat the shit crap
out of him. He told me I'd end up worse off if I ever tried it, but he
got in the car anyway with a horrid look on his face. Fred and George
went with me (for some weird reason, mum trusted them). Percy and dad
had to work. They still haven't come home yet. Everyone's on quadruple
overtime because of what happened. What if it's really you next? Please
be careful, they could be hanging out there waiting for you…what if they
meant to get you, but got the wrong house? Maybe you should move. I thought
it was you, I thought you were dead. I'm writing in circles. Sorry.
Ron
P.S. Not a word to ANYONE about what this
letter says.
P.P.S. Charlie wrote back, and said he'd
love to show you guys around once you get there. He said he'd even take
you on a tour of his work…do your parents have any interest in seeing
dragons? Directions to his place are on the back.
June 30
Dear Ron,
Don't be worried about me.
I appreciate that you care though…I was really scared. We moved up the
date of our trip so that we could get away from the area for a bit; we're
all pretty shaken up. The story the Ministry gave onlookers was that they
all ate some undercooked meat, and caught some exotic form of food poisoning.
I can't even remember the name. Anyway, we're leaving for Greece tomorrow.
We can still write when I'm away; it'll just take longer because of the
distance (obviously). Tell Charlie thank you for me? And thanks for offering
his services. I mentioned dragons to my parents, and they just looked
at me oddly and asked if I was feeling alright. They still don't believe
me, but they're eager to be shown around Romania.
I'm glad that Harry's there;
I put a letter to him in the envelope. Will you give it to him? Does he
seem alright now that he's over being dragged away from his beloved Dursleys?
There was another dark mark
article on the front of the Prophet today. Did you see it? It's
starting again. Everything they told us about, it's all happening. I told
my parents that maybe we should just stay home, but they wouldn't have
it. I'm scared, too…
Keep writing to me. I need
to see what's going on back home while I'm away (and then there's you.
I suppose I'd miss you just a tad if you stopped writing to me).
Hermione
July
July 1
Dear Mione,
Are you getting this? I suppose you'll
be in Greece when Pig finally gets to you. He's been bringing girl owls
home with him. I wake up, and there he is squawking like mad and fluffing
his feathers at some dotty female who is three times his size and eating
all of his food. Stupid, stupid, stupid owl. Ginny thinks it's adorable.
I told her that she could pay for the extra food. She shut her mouth.
My parents are terrified out of their
wits about You-know-who's return. They believed it before, but now they're
not sleeping (they both have circles under their eyes) and they're jumping
at every odd noise and all of that. They've both been working against
it all along of course. You knew that. I think it's just sunk in now.
There's going to be a big meeting at our house next week for people who
want to go against Voldemort, so that should be interesting and informative.
If they let us in (or if they don't), I'll tell you all about it, alright?
Harry's better. He admitted to me that
he's glad that I rescued him. He seemed to think that no one ever wanted
to talk to him again because of Cedric, even though me, you, and Hagrid
had all been sending him practically a letter for every day all summer.
Idiot. He can't accept that he has friends.
By the way, thanks a lot for the tape
player you sent me last week. I figured out how to work it by myself,
thank you very much, and I love the Led Zeppelin (note the perfect spelling,
Hermikins) tape that you made me. Now I can annoy my mum whenever I want!
And I do, of course. Write back when you can…and don't get nervous. I'm
sure that you're fine and will continue to be fine. Just have fun, and
bring me back a picture of a real live vampire.
Your friend,
Ron
July 6
Dear Ron,
I'm glad that you liked the
tape player. You can keep it, if you want; I found it at a garage sale
down the street for $1 (probably the equivalent of a little less than
a sickle in wizard money). A garage sale is what Muggles have when they
have too much stuff. They put very low prices on all of the things that
they don't want anymore, then they set up a table in their garage and
people come and buy it from them. That way, they get rid of the things
they don't want anymore and make a little bit of spare money.
I'm in Pireaus, Greece, and
it's beautiful here. The weather is fantastic, and we've been sitting
on the beach for most of the day. I've seen several of the Muggle monuments
so far, mainly the Acropolis, which, of course, includes the Parthenon.
It's absolutely lovely; I've taken pictures that I can show you if you'd
like. It turns out that there's a whole wizarding village near here, and
since its less expensive than the Muggle city, that's where we're staying.
I talked to people in the pub, and they told me the real stories behind
the Greek gods. It turns out that they were all wizards who decided to
go public with their powers, and got a little carried away with the extent
of their celebrity. Many of the myths were actually true; I nearly died
when I found that out. Mount Olympus used to house a wizarding village,
but eventually they got sick of all the publicity and moved it to right
outside Pireaus. When they found out I was from England, they started
to badger me about Voldemort. When they found out I knew Harry Potter,
they went berserk. Don't mention that last bit to Harry, as I don't know
if he'd be thrilled to hear that. Soon, we're going to see some more of
the Muggle landmarks. Don't tell anyone, but for once I'd rather stay
on the beach! Although, my learning about the truth behind a big part
of Greek culture let me add a whole page to my History of Magic essay
again (you know, Ways that Muggles Perceived Wizards Through the Ages?
You have started it, haven't you), so maybe I'll be more enthusiastic
about leaving where we are tomorrow. I should make my parents take me
on trips more often; it does wonders for my grade in that class.
Tell me all you can about
the meeting, as I'm dying to know what's going on. I hope that your parents
are alright. They must be remembering what it was like from last time.
I've only heard what it was like, and I'm close to just cowering in my
bed and not coming out until its all over, one way or the other. Has there
been any more dark stuff reported in The Daily Prophet? Write me
soon.
As Always,
Hermione
P.S. Vampires are not "live;"
they're dead.
July 13
Dear Mione,
Sorry its been so long, but the meeting
was tonight and I figured I'd wait until it ended to write you about it.
They all started to arrive about an hour beforehand, and it was really
staggered. No one really arrived in a group, and they looked a little
wary of the circumstances. I asked my dad about it, and he said that the
Ministry wasn't endorsing it…they're still holding to the statement that
Voldemort hasn't returned, and it's just some straggling Death Eaters
who've decided to come out of hiding that have been killing people and
leaving the dark mark behind once every other day or so. Yes, it's increased,
and increased a lot. There's panic, Hermione, and I mean panic. The papers
are making huge assumptions, and I'm not sure if anything—or everything—they're
reporting is true, because on the next page there is always something
denying that anything happened at all. Dad said that some is true and
some isn't, but he won't tell me which is which. He also said that anything
to do with fighting Voldemort, even talk, has been forbidden at his job,
and that means that this meeting is illegal and could get him fired. That's
why everyone was looking so suspicious. No one knew whether to trust it
or not.
Mr. and Mrs. Diggory came, and Harry
almost ran off, I could tell. They were nice to him, and asked him how
he was. They seemed to be doing slightly better, which was good. Harry
held his ground, and he seemed alright enough after they left. I guess
he wasn't lying when he said that he was doing better. Anyway, the besides
them, it's weird to see who showed up. Professor Lupin was there (he's
looking pretty bad, but he says he's good), Sirius Black of course (he
came in dog form), lots and lots of people. Harry's old babysitter from
Pivet Drive, Arabella Figg, was there. He was really surprised to see
her, and it was actually kind of funny. When she greeted him he didn't
recognize her. Then, she muttered an aging charm under her breath. Harry
practically fell over from surprise. She said, "Well Mr. Potter, I'm very
pleased to let you know that I hate both cats and stale cake. So there."
And then she told him that Dumbledore had had her live near the Dursleys
so that she could keep an eye on Harry, but he was to have no idea what
she really was. Then she apologized to him for making him eat stale cake
and sit through lectures on her cats. He forgave her.
Anyway, once everyone arrived, we all
piled into the kitchen so that the meeting could start. Dad started to
tell me, Harry, Fred, George, and Ginny that we would have to leave, but
Dumbledore (yes, Dumbledore was there, and so were practically all of
the teachers from Hogwarts) told him that it would be good for us to hear
at least the beginning. He gave me and Harry an approving look and then
walked to a chair that dad had set up. He stood up and cleared his throat,
and everyone stopped talking and turned to listen.
He first announced that, yes, You-Know-Who
had returned, and that everyone was there to do something about it. First,
however, he had to test everyone present under Veritaserum to make sure
that there were no spies (at least yet). Even we were tested. I'm assuming
that you're not a spy for You-Know-Who, so I'll keep telling you what
happened. They gave us a drop of the potion and then asked if we are or
plan on becoming a spy for You-Know-Who, and then when we answered no
the line moved on and we were given an antidote. You'll never believe
this, but there was a spy right there in the room—he didn't know he was
going to be tested, as Dumbledore didn't say what the line was for. Everyone
stunned him and threw a ton of curses, and then they bound him and threw
him on the table. Mum threw a fit and ordered everyone under 18 to leave
right then, but Dumbledore again calmed her down. After that ordeal was
over with, Dumbledore explained everything that had happened as of yet—only
some of the reported killings were true, not all of them. The Daily
Prophet is no longer to be implicitly trusted, he said (his wording,
not mine). Then, he revealed Sirius Black to be innocent, and made sure
that everyone believed him. Everyone was pretty much mobilized, and after
that they began doling out assignments. No one was allowed to hear anyone's
assignment except their own, because it could put them in danger (and
this way, if they were caught, they couldn't give any information if they
were tortured).
And that's it for the meeting…Mum even
got an assignment. Dumbledore took Harry and me aside as everyone was
leaving and asked if we would be willing to volunteer our services should
the need ever arise. I accepted without even blinking, and I think Harry
did too, even though I don't know what he could possibly want with me
and Harry (considering we're only 14, and ignoring the fact that Harry
has been attacked by some form of Voldemort for three out of the past
four years).
You're okay, right? Everything's good
with you? Are you still in Greece? This was a really long letter, 6 pages
(!), and I still feel like I have a ton more to write…I think I'll end
it now. I've been going at it for an hour, and Harry's asleep. It's pretty
late at night, and Pig's been hopping around in his cage, wanting to get
out, for the past 3 hours. Write me back soon, alright?
Yours,
Ron
July 18
Dear Ron,
Wow, that was a long letter.
Thanks for the detailed account of what went on. So Sirius was accepted
and everything went okay with that? Harry wrote me and told me that Sirius
stayed with you for a few days. He was really happy about that. It's all
really happening, I guess; this meeting was just a reality check for those
who weren't really sure…I wonder what Dumbledore's having everyone do,
and if it could possibly do any good. I hope it does. I'm scared to go
back home.
I'm on a train to Bulgaria
right now. We're going to stay there for at least three days, or until
we can confirm where we're staying in Romania. My parents still don't
believe me about seeing actual dragons, but they're getting scared and
asking me lots of questions on how dangerous they really are. I told them
that I'm sure that Charlie can handle it. I got both you and Harry souvenirs
from Greece that I hope you'll like. I finished rewriting my History of
Magic essay on Muggles' misconceptions about wizards through the ages.
It is positively brilliant, if I do say so myself. I can't wait until
we get to Romania so that I can add to my dark creature review paper for
Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Oops, the train's arrived.
I'll write to you in a day or so, when I can get to a quill and paper!
Hermione
P.S. How's the cooking?
July 23
Dear Hermione,
Oh, I understand. I write you a huge
letter dictating everything that's happened of importance, and you write
me a half-page scrawl detailing how you're going to Bulgaria to visit
your dear Vicky. That's not very fair.
Ron
P.S. I am the bread master, thank you very
much.
July 25
Dear Hermione,
Did you know that the age of consent
is 16, and you are 14, and Vicky is 18? Child molesting, plain and simple
child molesting.
Ron
July 27
Dear Hermione,
What kind of parents let their 14-year-old
daughter date an 18-year-old professional Quidditch player, anyway?
Ron
July 28
Ron,
My "half-page scrawl" did not
detail how I was going to visit my dear "Vicky." It mentioned, in a passing
sentence, that I was going to Bulgaria. Viktor's name wasn't written even
once. I won't even go into the other two horrible letters you sent me.
What is the matter with you, Ron? You become awfully sensitive each time
Viktor's name is brought up; maybe this is something you should look into.
Hermione
P.S. I sincerely doubt that you
are the "bread master."
August
August 1
Hermione,
I become "awfully sensitive" whenever
Vicky's name is mentioned? You should talk. I'm so sick of this, he's
the only person that you ever care about. You and Vicky can just go to
Bulgaria.
Ron
August 4
Ron,
Hahahaha. Substituting Bulgaria
for Hell. How clever. What is wrong with you? Now if you will excuse me,
I have to write a letter to Viktor, the only person I care about, to tell
him that I arrived in Romania safely. It seems that no one else cares.
Hermione
August 7
Hermione,
Sarcasm doesn't look good on you. And
fine, write to Vickypoo…see if I care. I have more important things to
do, anyway.
Ron
August 10
FOR THE LAST TIME, WHAT THE HELL IS THE
MATTER WITH YOU?
Hermione
August 13
I can't believe this! Something is not
wrong with me! NOTHING is wrong with me! In fact, I think I'm the only
sane person involved here! Geez, Hermione, if you don't see, I'm
not going to tell you you're stupider than I thought isn't it obvious
by now why the hell do you think I've been writing to you all summer doesn't
what we have mean something to you I hate you and never want to talk to
you or see your handwriting again just…I don't even know. Never
mind. I'm sorry I got upset. Have fun in Romania and I'll see you in Hogwarts
whenever you decide to start speaking to me again.
Ron
August 20
Dear Ron,
I'm home now. Are you ever
writing to me again?
Hermione
August 21
Dear Mione,
Yeah …are you?
Ron
August 22
Dear Ron,
Obviously I'm writing to you
again. Are we going on a "don't ask" policy about the little letter fight
we had?…last chance to pretend it never happened, Ron.
I've been skimming over the
huge amounts of issues of The Daily Prophet that were waiting for
me when we got back. It wasn't good…even with half of it not being true,
that's a lot of death. I'm sorry for fighting with you, Ron. This may
be morbid and unnecessary, but, well, I don't want you to die while we're
mad at each other. Please, if that ever happens, know that I probably
already forgave you for whatever stupid thing you did…
Hermione
August 23
Dear Mione,
Listen, it's alright. It was pretty much
my fault, as usual, so just don't worry about it. I'm the one who should
be begging you for forgiveness, not the other way around…as for Voldemort,
we'll be at Hogwarts soon. We'll be safe there, and we won't have to worry
about anything with Dumbledore around. You know, Voldemort didn't attack
Hogwarts last time because Dumbledore was there, so I think everything
will be okay for us for awhile. Harry is saying not to worry about it.
Do you believe him? I don't know if I do.
I have no idea when we're going to Diagon
Alley, so guess I won't be seeing you until school starts again. Not too
long until that…only what, 11 or 12 days?
How was Charlie in Romania? He wrote,
and said that you guys had a good time. He said that your parents flipped
over the dragons. Did you get any pictures? See any vampires?
Well, I guess that's it. Write back?
Ron
August 25
Dear Ron
I'm glad we're not fighting
anymore. Sorry for taking so long to reply, I went to Diagon Alley to
get school things. People keep their heads down and walk as fast as they
can from shop to shop, and then they leave when they get what they came
for. The Leaky Cauldron isn't nearly as crowded as it used to be…people
just don't hang around anymore. It's sad, Ron.
Charlie was doing fine when
we saw him, and he was very nice to my parents and me. He showed us all
around the area where he was, and he even introduced us to a few friends
of his—one of whom was a vampire! He seemed to enjoy the celebrity his
condition brought him. He's not evil, and says that in actuality very
few vampires are what they are made out to be. Most live in secret off
of cow's blood, and they can easily get that at a butcher shop. Very few
actually roam around at night hunting for humans. He let me take a picture
once he found out it was for you. Maybe you should keep in closer contact
with your brother; he's a very interesting person. My parents saw the
dragons and flipped. It was quite funny, and the dragons themselves were
amazing. They're much less frightening when they're not about to kill
Harry at the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
I do hope you're right about
Hogwarts and Voldemort. And if Harry thinks I'm not worrying when I see
at least one killing a day splattered across the front of The Daily
Prophet, he's insane.
Yours,
Hermione
P.S. Ron, is there something you
would like to say? Anything at all? Honestly, I think things would be
much better if you, by any chance, do have something to say, and then
you said it…feel free to ignore this.
August 27
Dear Mione,
I just came back from Diagon Alley, too...we
should have planned this so we could have met there. Harry wanted to see
you. You're exactly right, it was really creepy there…no one was talking
or anything, just moving around with strained looks on their faces. Even
the goblins at Gringotts seemed different.
So, Charlie has a vampire friend and
he didn't tell me? I feel insulted. I just wrote to him and told him as
much. He'll probably reply with one sentence: "Go do your homework and
stop bothering me." I don't care, though. He's a good guy, not teasing
like Fred and George, and not as laid back as Bill. Great at Quidditch…have
you ever seen him play? Next time he comes up, I'm going to have to invite
you over so you can watch him fly. He's amazing.
Please remember what my dad said about
The Daily Prophet, alright? My dad wouldn't lie. It is scary looking,
I know, but half of it isn't even true. It's just rumors. If you read
the headlines closely, some people have been killed two or three separate
times. It's only there to make people panic. Dad knows the editor, and
he told me that he's trying to get the ministry to admit the obvious,
and also trying to get the people to mobilize. Of course, he's going about
it all wrong, but what can dad do?
Write me soon, alright?
Love,
Ron
P.S. I'm not saying a word.
August 28
Dear Ron,
I went back through the issues
of the paper we got while we were away, and you're very right—the Pages
were killed twice (though the first time it was real), and the St. Claires
were killed three times. That's just from the ones I went through. Do
people realize? I think they do, but I think it's just all too frightening
to ignore. Some of it is true, and that's bad enough.
Three days, and we're back
at Hogwarts. It's been a long summer…I can't say that I'm not glad it's
over. My parents have been getting nervous about me leaving them again.
They wonder if I'm going to be safe at school. I then asked them what
they, two Muggles who can't do any magic, planned to do to protect me
if our house was attacked? I told them about Dumbledore, and about all
of the experienced teachers there, and then they stopped trying to get
me to stay home. I'm the one that should be worrying about them.
What if Voldemort came when I wasn't there to at least try and save them?
Not that I could do very much, considering I'm only 14 and not even fully
qualified…but you know. I hope you know.
I have to stop this constant
worrying. It's not doing any good. Harry told me that whatever comes will
come, and worrying won't make it come any faster or slower. I'm trying
to take his advice, but it's hard.
Sorry for the depressing letter.
I needed to get it out.
Love,
Hermione
August 30
Dear Mione,
I would have written yesterday, but stupid
Pig was out courting again and didn't come home last night. I'm about
to kill him. He's a post owl, not a love machine! How can any female owl
in their right mind find the little prat attractive? Half of them are
so large that he's the size of something they would cough up after eating
a particularly furry mouse! Sorry, I'm a little upset with him.
It's fine about your letter…you can write
anything you want. I understand completely, and (NOT A WORD TO ANYONE)
I feel the same way a lot of the time. I'm trying to listen to Harry too.
It's weird how he's the one telling everyone not to worry, and he's the
one who's technically in the most danger out of all of us.
I'll be seeing you again in about 2 days,
huh? I'm going to miss writing to you, Mione (or Hermione, whichever you
prefer being called off paper). Toward the end of the summer, I just want
to let you know that I wasn't bored, but I wrote you anyway. Just so you
don't think that I was just writing to you because I was bored sick. Really,
I was writing to you because you sent me the tape player. I'm just kidding
with that last statement.
However, even though I'll be disappointed
not to write to you anymore, my joy at seeing Malfoy again will stop me
from feeling too bad over it. If you can, try to write me once more before
the first, alright?
Love,
Ron
P.S. I'm still sorry for wasting half the
summer fighting with you through owl post.
August 31
Dear Ron,
I think that's the nicest
thing you've ever said to me. I'm in shock…and I forgive you, again, for
fighting with me for half the summer through owl post. Really, stop worrying
about it. I'll miss writing to you as well, but now we can talk every
day again. We can always write over next summer, or during Christmas if
one or both of us go home.
It's very late, and I'm sorry
to make this so short, but we are, after all, seeing each other tomorrow.
I'll talk to you soon, literally this time.
Love,
Hermione
