Letters to Home- Hermione's First Year
by Ejays17
Disclaimer: JKR owns this wonderful world I'm playing in, I own nothing bu an evil Plot Bunny called Bronwen
Summary: Hermione's first letter home after beginning at Hogwarts
5th September
Gryffindor Common room
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry
Dear Mum & Dad,
I have finished my first week of school, I'm sorry for not writing earlier, but I've been so busy with classes that I haven't had time to write properly to you. But I have a few hours free now, I've finished all my homework and the common room is quiet for once. I think Fred & George have detention, so there are no loud "bangs" from their corner.
Who are Fred & George? They're identical twin brothers with bright red hair & freckles. They have an older brother, Percy, who is very clever and a Prefect, and a younger brother Ron, who is new like me. They also have another two older brothers who have finished school, and a younger sister who will be starting here next year. Fred & George are trouble-makers and practical-jokers, and are constantly in trouble with the Professors. I have already learnt not to accept anything from them, after seeing the jokes they have tried on some of the other students in the common room.
Before I lose track, and forget to tell you the important things, I will re-start at the time I left you and boarded the Hogwarts Express.
After Dad had made sure my trunk was on the train and we had said goodbye – I hope you didn't cry Mum, you promised you wouldn't – I found a seat in one of the compartments with a few other first year students, two boys, Neville and Terry, and three girls, Mandy, Padma and Parvati. Padma and Parvati are twins, and very pretty to look at. Neville was worried about Trevor, his pet toad, which had been missing since just after we got on the train, so I helped him look for it after he said his Gran would be upset with him if he'd lost his pet already.
We interrupted Ron as he was about to put a spell on his pet rat. It wasn't a very good spell, it didn't make any sense, and all the spells I have tried are one or two words long, and this was a verse. I think he was trying to impress Harry Potter. Harry is very famous in the Wizarding world; I told you that I had read about him in Modern Magical History, and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century. He didn't seem to know he was in all these books, and I did say that if I were him I would have wanted to know all about my life, especially if he hadn't been living with wizards since It happened.
Instead of going with all the other students up to the castle in the carriages, we first years were collected by a gigantic man called Hagrid, and taken down to the lake to cross in little boats. I was in a boat with Harry, Ron & Neville. It was a very exciting introduction to the Castle, you could see how huge and beautiful it was from the lake. It's going to take a lot of time to find my way around it, especially if what Hogwarts, A History claims is true, and the staircases and portraits move around all the time. So far I haven't become too mixed-up finding my classes, and none of the staircases have moved with me on them yet.
The Sorting Ceremony was a nerve-wracking time. We were all left in the corridor by Professor McGonagall – she's the Deputy Headmistress, if you remember from my letter of offer – and the Head of Gryffindor House. The other Heads of House are Professor Flitwick (Ravenclaw), who teaches Charms, Professor Sprout (Hufflepuff), who teaches Herbology, and Professor Snape (Slytherin), who teaches Potions. Professor McGonagall also teaches Transfiguration, and she's also an Animagus! They're very rare, there are only five registered in Britain at the moment. She turns into a beautifully-marked tabby cat.
Oh, the Sorting Ceremony! I have so much to tell you that I keep getting distracted from the important information. We had to sit in the Great Hall in front of all the other students & put the Sorting Hat on. It talked to me! It said that I was very clever, and I would do very well in Ravenclaw, where I would be valued. But then it decided that I would be much more suited to Gryffindor. I'm not sure why it thought that I was more brave and daring than clever, but I'm sure it's right. I've never heard of it being wrong before. I suppose I will find out someday. The other first-years in Gryffindor are: Lavender, Parvati (not Padma though, she's in Ravenclaw), Neville, an Irish boy, Seamus, another non-Wizard, Dean, and Ron and Harry. I hope that Lavender and Parvati will be friends with me. It would be nice to have a best friend.
Classes are a lot of fun. I'm the only one who has memorized the textbooks, and so far I have been able to answer all the questions that the Professors ask. My classes are all very different, I think my favourite is Charms and Transfiguration.
The one I find the most difficult is History of Magic. It's taught by a ghost! He reads from the textbook in a dreary monotone, and at times even I find it hard to concentrate on my notes. And most people don't even try to take notes – they're going to have trouble when we have exams at the end of the year!
Potions is very interesting to learn, but I think Professor Snape doesn't like us very much. Us being anyone that isn't from Slytherin House. He wouldn't let me answer any questions from the first lesson, even though I was the only person with my hand up. He is the only Professor who isn't pleased that I know all the textbooks by heart.
I love it here, and I'm so pleased that you let me come to Hogwarts.
Love,
Hermione