Dear Dad,

I started Hogwarts this year. I got into Gryffindor, just like you and Mum. Hagrid told me a lot about you. I never knew you were on the Quidditch team. Were you captain? I was made the first first-year seeker in a century. McGonagall put me on the team when she saw me flying to catch a fellow Gryffindor's Remembrall. I guess I reminded her of you, eh? Technically, I wasn't supposed to be on the broom without Madame Hooch present, but McGonagall must not have realized. Oh well, it worked out for me, didn't it?

I made two amazing friends this year. I met Ron on the train. He taught me about chocolate frogs and Wizard Cards. My first card was Dumbledore. I was really surprised when he vanished. I guess if I had grown up with you and Mum, I wouldn't have been. I saw you this year, you know. There was a mirror that shows you your greatest desire. I looked into it and all I saw was you. Ron saw himself as Quidditch captain and Head Boy. He's one of seven children, can you believe that? The youngest boy. I've only met his brothers Fred, George and Percy, but they all seem really nice. Fred and George are Beaters on the team with me. They tried to scare me into thinking Quidditch kills people. Although, I did end up falling off my broom in my first match. But we won! I nearly swallowed the Snitch.

I mentioned two friends before, and the second one has kind of a funny story to it. Her name is Hermione Granger, and Ron and I became friends with her when we all battled a troll in the girls' bathroom together. Ron didn't like her at first, but after that, he came around. She's really smart, too. She's memorized almost all the spells from our textbooks. She can be kind of a know-it-all sometimes, but I'm ok with that because she helps me when I'm lost.

My teachers are all really cool, except Snape. Oh, and Quirrel, but I'll tell you about that later. Snape didn't like me from the start, it seemed. He tried to say I wasn't paying attention to him in class, when in fact I was really just taking notes. It's like he hates me because I'm sort of famous, but I can't help it! I didn't intentionally defeat Voldemort the night…well. The night you died. At first, I thought Snape was to blame for all the strange things that happened this year. He just seemed to always be in the right place at the right time, you know? But it turned out that he was trying to stop Quirrel! It seems to me a strange thing for Snape to do, but he was actually helping. I don't think it was because he wanted to, though. I still think he has a hidden agenda.

Quirrel was actually the one who cursed my broom and made me fall at my first Quidditch match. Hermione thought it was Snape because she saw him muttering a counter-curse to Quirrel's attack, but she didn't notice Quirrel behind him. Snape's spell didn't work anyway, so I don't think he was trying all too hard. Quirrel was after the Sorcerer's Stone because he was working for Voldemort. In fact, Voldemort was on the back of Quirrel's head! He was drinking unicorn blood to keep alive, but Hagrid told me that when you drink something so pure, it turns into a curse, so Voldemort had to find some other way to come back, but it didn't work because I followed him into the hiding place and found the stone. Quirrel ended up dying. He turned into ashes when I touched him. I didn't feel all too bad, though, because he was trying to kill me so he could get the stone.

After all that, though, Gryffindor lost the House Cup. But Dumbledore gave us some last minute points at the End of Term Feast and we ended up beating Slytherin by 10 points! You should have seen the look on Draco Malfoy's face.

Ron's invited me to stay at his house for the summer. I can't wait to go so I can get away from the Dursley's. I wish I could live at Hogwarts all year. It's more like home than living with Aunt Petunia ever was.

I miss you, Dad. I wish you were here. I love you.

Harry.