Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or anything that was created by J.K. Rowling.

A/N- This is a project for my free time, so updates may not be quick. I am always happy to get reviews, but not reviews that bash my plot. I enjoy advice and help from the readers, but not snide remarks.

This summer would be the end of me. By the end of school the war was raging out of control. No one could deny that Voldemort had come back. And no one could deny that there was a war. Attacks on muggles were happening more and more. The Deatheaters used muggles as weapons; they knew it hurt their opponents. So far I had kept my parents out of the line of fire, but soon I would be heading back to Hogwarts for the start of my sixth year. Two weeks and counting until I would be back in my second home. That's when I heard the owl tapping on my windowpane.

I opened the window to find a rather large gray bird; he just sat on the sill. I patted his back and he took off. A large cream-colored envelope sat where he had been.

"I wonder who this is from?"

The question didn't need to be asked aloud, but I had asked it anyways. My curiosity got the best of me and I tore the seal open. The seal was not one that I recognized. The deep blue wax also confused me; most wizards used blood red wax to seal their letters.

Inside the large envelope were four smaller ones; the first three had the Hogwarts crest across their fronts. The fourth envelope was plain, and made from the same cream paper as the large envelope.

I decided to open the letters from the school first, hoping that they would reveal the need for the odd delivery.

The first letter was to tell me that my prefect status was renewed. As a consequence of the war, some of the prefects would be changing each year. This was great news. Being a prefect for my 5th and 6th year meant that I was possibly going to be in line for Head Girl next year.

"Who are the other prefects? Ron? Maybe Harry?"

I continued to rip open the second envelope from Hogwarts. This was a list of supplies that I would need for my sixth year. It also made me wonder what the third package contained.

The third envelope was thicker, but not by much. I tore into it, anxious to see the contents. The first page was a letter from the headmaster detailing the need for the rearranging of the prefects. It stated that due to the war, some students would not be returning to the school in September. And to make things fair to all of the houses, new prefects would be assigned. One prefect would stay the same, while the second would be a different student from the same house.

I nervously flipped to the second page of the letter, only to find that it was another letter altogether. It was announcing that to promote school unity a series of formal dances would take place throughout the year. It would be the job of the prefects and the Head Girl and Boy to arrange three dances. It also gave suggestions as to when they should occur.

My curiosity was getting the best of me. What could the unmarked envelope contain? Why did the letters come packaged the way they did? I finally stopped questioning myself; I had no answers. I tore into the final envelope. There was a single sheet of cream paper. It was very small and rather rough around the edges. The writing was small, but overly curled. She recognized it at once. Dumbledore. But whose seal was it, and why? She read on to find out.

Ms. Granger,

I hope this letter finds you well. I apologize for the confusion this must have caused, to receive an unknown package. The war has caused many unforeseen changes, some of which you have already read about. An unknown package was far less likely to be intercepted by our enemies, so our school letters were all sent in this fashion, and from my longtime friend Adrian Abtereen. Good luck with the rest of your summer break. I will see you at the start of term. September 1st.

D.

I had tears in my eyes when I finished. This was the first letter I had received with news of the war, and the wizarding world, since early July. I should have been off fighting with Harry and Ron, but they felt I needed to stay with my family, to protect them. They were right; we had been attacked seven or eight times already. Nothing too terribly bad, but my parents would never have been able to defend themselves. I was ready for the start of classes. I missed my friends; I missed using my wand for more than fighting. I should find someone to accompany me to Diagon Alley. I needed to gather my supplies, and possibly a few more books to read in my free time.

Just as I was thinking of who to ask to go along with me, another owl tapped my window. This one was rather small, and all together too fluffy. I knew in an instant who it was from, Ginny, the only one of my friends who wasn't off fighting in the war.

Mione,

I just got my school list, and letters. And I'M A PREFECT!! We should go to Diagon Alley for our supplies, maybe this afternoon if you aren't busy. Owl me back to let me know.

Love, Gin

I thought about my plans. I didn't have any, so I wrote back to Ginny, asking her to meet me outside Gringotts at 4.

I handed the note over to the impatient owl that began to buzz around my room.

"Take this straight back to Gin. OK?"

I fed him a small treat that I kept for when my friends would owl me, and he buzzed out of my room, and on his way to the Burrow. I spun around and quickly started rummaging through my closet for something to wear. It was already noon and I had about a half hour of travel to get to The Leaky Cauldron.