It appeared that the Wizard Government was no different to our one. Having spent months denying anything was wrong; they then told us in great detail how to protect ourselves from all the things they had just said never existed. We received various bits of information, both directly and through the press. Of course, most of it made no sense to Jean and me at all. Imperius Curses? Dark marks? Inferi?

We, yet again, discussed the wisdom of Hermione returning to school, which she insisted on doing, so were partially relieved to see an article in her paper saying that security around the school had been tightened. At least she should be relatively safe there this year. We also agreed that she could stay with the Weasleys for the summer, it would be better there than at home on her own.

I have to say that we never considered we could be in any direct danger as her parents. This was an internecine struggle between wizards, so didn't really concern us. Anyway, we had enough to be going on with as muggles.

It had been a dreadful summer, continually cold and bleak. The cricket season was literally a washout, and there had even been a hurricane. Then there was that tragedy with the bridge collapsing, lots of people had died. The government was having internal problems – one Minister looked to have had a nervous breakdown, and there was the unending problem of law and order. Several prominent murders had the tabloids banging on about bringing back hanging and National Service, as they always did.

We drove Hermione down to Ottery St. Catchpole again, Ron meeting us as before. He'd grown. As we pulled away from the Post Office, I caught sight of the two of them in the year view mirror. They were having problems meeting each others eye. I suppose they were growing up, and she could do a lot worse. It made me feel quite old.

As we were in no particular rush to get back, we readily agreed to Arthur and Molly's invitation to stay to dinner. She's a wonderful cook. We sat around chatting, and naturally the topic turned to You Know Who. I kept calling him Voldemort, which is what Dumbledore had said when he visited us last year, but quickly got the impression I had committed an indiscretion. Arthur explained that most wizards didn't use his name, it was a sort of taboo thing, that's why he was generally known as "He who must not be named". Each to their own, I suppose.

Anyway, they felt that school was a safe as anywhere, probably safer, and had no hesitation in allowing Ron and Ginny to go back, which did more than anything to put us at ease. We said our goodbyes later in the evening, reminding Hermione about writing proper letters, and making sure she had enough funds.

She gave us little air kisses rather than her usual hug. Ah, Ron was watching, she had to be adult.

We drove off quietly reconciled to the idea we wouldn't see her until the following summer, per usual. It was always the low point of the year.

-o0o-

Hermione spent her summer lazing around at the Weasleys with Ron and Ginny. They were the only children at home now, as the next two – the twins who left Hogwarts half way through last year – had opened up a joke shop in Diagon Alley, which seemed to be doing very well. I was glad she was getting a decent break after her OWLS, she would need it for NEWTS which would be even tougher.

The only fly in the ointment was their other house guest. It was Ron's eldest brother's fiancée, Fleur. She was the French girl who had taken part in the tournament at Hogwarts a couple of years back, and was now working at the Goblin Bank.

'Honestly, she's just so full of herself. Just because she's got the most wonderful hair AND beautiful face AND perfect figure, of course. Ron obviously, being male, follows her around drooling like an idiot. It's pathetic. Ginny can't stand her either.'

You know, I could have sworn Hermione was a brown eyed girl – not a green eyed monster.

'Dear Mum and Dad,

The OWL results are out. I've sent them to you for safe keeping. I suppose I didn't do too badly.

Harry arrived yesterday. He's having trouble with his saliva glands as well. Boys!

Love

Hermione.'

Didn't do too badly? We looked at the list, and burst out laughing. Typical Hermione. Probably the most outstanding results in history, and she was disappointed because she'd missed perfection by a gnat's eyebrow. 10 "Outstanding" and 1 "Exceeds Expectation". Sorry, I had to slip in another little gloat.

Best of all, I now knew what DADA stood for. I'd nurtured this little fantasy for years that it was "Dance and Dramatic Arts".

-o0o-

School had started again. They had had a couple of wizard police escorting them, because of Harry. I hoped it wasn't the one with the pink hair. Hermione was taking 7 NEWTS, as planned. There had been another swap around with the staff.

The potions master she had never liked was now teaching DADA. 'And.. turn, kick, 2, 3, hex, 2, 3, 4, jinx, twirl…and rest. Once more from the top, darlings, and give me emotion.' Sorry, my imagination running away with me again.

I suppose I should mention that Hermione "came of age" that September, it happens at 17 in the wizard world. She told us the traditional present is a watch, so we bought her a rather good one, which she was very pleased with. Next year would be her 18th, the traditional birthday for us, and we were rather hoping the school would give permission for a party, maybe in Hogsmeade.

Potions was now being taught by a former teacher who had come out of retirement, a Professor Slughorn. Something funny was going on there. She started out gushing that Harry had told "Old Sluggy" that she was "the best in the year", but then Harry kept getting better marks than her. This was explained by a cryptic 'Of course, anybody can win by cheating'. How can you cheat in a potions lesson? Maybe he was buying the stuff in. Mind you, I could imagine it putting her nose put out of joint, and it being Harry would make things even worse. She was probably giving him a very hard time over it. Apparently, Ron wasn't pleased either.

Ron appeared quite frequently in her letters these days. He got almost a whole one to himself after try-outs for the Quidditch team, where he became goal keeper 'with a little help from his friends … one of them anyway. I hope he never finds out, or maybe I do.' What was that about? Virtually the whole House had wanted to be on the team, she thought because of Harry, who was now Captain. As he had been proved right about You Know Who, everybody wanted to be his friend. I hoped the celebrity wouldn't go to his head.

Despite Harry's "cheating" in potions, Hermione still appeared to be one of "Sluggy's" golden children. He gave little supper parties for her and his other favourites, and was planning a Christmas party to which she had been invited. The rumours were that it would be full of the famous people he knew. She had invited Ron to go with her 'but only as a friend, of course.' Who did she think she was kidding? Was Ron our first potential son-in-law? We giggled quite a lot at that one. Jean wondered if it was too early to start looking for her outfit for "the big day".

The first Quidditch match of the season was approaching, and Hermione was getting anxious. The team had had to draft in an emergency replacement for a player who had been injured. It was a change they didn't need at the moment. She hoped Ron would be alright, she wanted Ron to play really well, Ron was quite nervous. I think there may be other players in a Quidditch team, but I'm not sure.

Gryffindor won the match, we were informed later, but Hermione seemed a little down and wouldn't tell us why. It was back to 'nothing to worry yourselves about' despite our reminders to tell us the real truth. Letters became lesson resumes again, and the more and more desperate attempts by girls to get Harry to invite them to this party. Apparently he had quite a little fan-club going. Some had even attempted to slip him love potions. We could imagine the eyes rolling as she wrote that one.

-o0o-

We were honoured, our darling daughter was coming home for Christmas!! We assumed it was because she was finding NEWTS a struggle compared to OWLS and needed a break, it certainly sounded like it.

'I'll be glad to see the back of this place for a few weeks;' she wrote 'I'm sick of it.'

She certainly didn't look too good when we collected her at King's Cross, falling asleep almost as soon as she got in the car and snoring gently all the way home.

We were convinced she was sickening for something as she sat in the living room, hands clasped around a cup of tea and staring listlessly in to it. She looked pale and drawn with dark patches under her eyes, and even her hair was lank and lifeless. Attempts at starting a conversation were met with either a non-committal shrug, or a grunt. Desperately trying to get on to a happy topic, I asked, in a bright and cheery voice 'So, how did the Christmas party go with Ronald?' First big mistake.

She didn't go to the party with Ron. She would never speak to Ron again. She wouldn't be seen dead with Ron. The only reason she didn't want Ron found decomposing in a ditch was that it wouldn't be very nice for the ditch.

Oh dear', I said, trying to sound deeply concerned, 'what's he done now?' Second big mistake.

Ron, it turned out, was a lying, two-faced, cheating scumbag with the morals of a rat, and the integrity of a sewer and she was well rid of him. Ron had taken up with her dorm mate Lavender and had spent most of the term with his tongue shoved down her throat, and she was welcome to him. Actually, they made an ideal couple because she was nothing more than a painted harlot, who was no better than she should be. In fact, she was a...

I sat there open mouthed. I was stunned to discover that a) there were that many words available to describe a girl of dubious moral character and b) my daughter knew every single one. Wherever had she picked them up? I was glad my mother wasn't around to hear it.

When Hermione had finished ripping poor Lavender's character and reputation in to tiny little pieces, she burst in to tears and ran from the room. Oh joy! The door slamming hormone monster was back. Jean looked daggers at me, and said I had the 'Emotional sensitivity of a falling house brick'. With that, she swept from the room too, pausing only to collect a bottle of wine and two glasses.

'Merry Christmas, one and all' I said to the cat, who stalked off with his nose in the air. I hated that cat.

Jean and Hermione spent a lot of time ensconced together that holiday. I heard them taking it turns to complain about men, in both general and specific terms. I know they made several (fairly expensive) shopping expeditions, I suspect a fair amount of chocolate was eaten and the wine rack definitely looked a bit forlorn by the end of it. On a few evenings, I was actually banished from the living room so they could watch girly films and cry a lot.

I wasn't invited to see her off at King's Cross. She and mum had to do a bit more shopping before she left, and I wouldn't enjoy it, I was told. Jean loved every minute of it.

'It's the first time I've felt like a proper mum in years.' she said, 'It was good to feel she could still pour her heart out to me.'

'So, those things you said about me weren't serious then? You were just encouraging her to work through her emotions?'

She gave me a strange look. 'If you want to think that - darling' was all I got in return.

January brought news that Hermione was old enough to have apparition lessons. Apparition is how wizards travel around when the broomstick is in for a service, and is what we had experienced when she was petrified in second year. Could we "lend" her 12 galleons for the exam? Harry and lists of the others were taking it as well. I think Ron must have emigrated, he wasn't mentioned.

-o0o-

In March, we got a terrible shock, starting with an owl hammering at the window about 5 o'clock one morning. What had gone wrong that was so important? It was a letter from Hermione to Jean, heavily blotched by tears.

'Mum,

Ron's been poisoned. Harry was quick enough to get a bezoar in to him, otherwise he would have died. He's in the hospital now but seriously ill. They said he'll be OK, but they've got his parents up here. Why did they do that if he's not in any danger?

I feel so guilty because I've been so horrible and cruel to him all this year. What if he dies before I get the chance to say how sorry I am and I don't hate him because I don't. I love him mum and I've never told him and it might be too late now. Maybe this is my punishment for being so cruel.

I don't care if he never speaks to me again as long as he knows and he can marry Lavender if he wants and I'd even go away so he never has to see me again. I just want him to get better and be happy.

Help me, please. What do I do?

Hermione'

It had obviously been one of those letters written in the early hours of the morning when you can't sleep and every little thing gets magnified by the loneliness. How the demons come out at night. That was the real problem of her being so far away. If she was at home we could have hugged her and given her hot milk and things wouldn't have seemed quite so bleak.

Jean wrote back with what comfort she could, telling how good the school nurse was, and how she'd been saved from being petrified and reminded her we were taken to the school to see her, and was sure everything would turn out fine. She even decided to put in a few words about Ron not hating her as they had been friends for years, and friendships can survive many things. Perhaps he would never love her in the way she loved him, but he would always be her friend and so on. It's the sort of letter only a woman can write. I'd be hopeless at it. I'm so glad I'm not 17 any more.

-o0o-

Ron didn't die, as it turned out, and Hermione was going up to the hospital wing to visit him on a daily basis. He had to stay in for a couple of weeks. We just hoped that she would be sensible and take it slowly and not blurt out something she would regret later.

It wasn't long before Harry joined Ron in the hospital. He managed to injure himself again playing Quidditch. That boy was a walking accident. "Cracked his skull" was the verdict, but he managed to come out the next day, at the same time as Ron.

Hermione wrote to us specially to say they were both back on their feet, and she had accompanied them back to their House. The main point of the letter was actually to get in a dig that "Lav-Lav" had been angry with Ron because Hermione knew he was coming out, and she didn't. 'I can't think why that should upset her, can you?'

Oh dear, do I hear the sound of cats sharpening their claws.

Ron and "her" seemed to be having problems with their relationship we were informed, with some glee, over the next few weeks. Ron had actually told Hermione and Harry that he wanted to finish it but Lav-Lav wasn't letting go that easily. Hermione was now definitely trying to move things in the right direction – for her. 'I've started helping him with his homework again. I think he's finally realised he needs a woman with just a little more than painted nails and an ability to breathe through her nose whilst snogging.' Ouch. I think time was being bided.

Of course, there was other minor news as well. The Apparition test was going to be at the end of April, and they were all practicing hard for it by taking extra lessons. Hermione seemed to be getting on quite well, and thought she had a chance of passing. Ron was struggling a little bit. Harry couldn't take his test until he was 17 which would be in July.

-o0o-

'Dear Mum and Dad,

I can't ever remember being so excited!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I passed my apparition test yesterday, at the first attempt!!! Ron failed because he left a bit of his eyebrow behind, but I'm sure he'll pass next time. I can't apparate around the school though because it's not allowed.

Oh, and before I forget, Ron and her had a MAJOR falling out last night. I was sort of involved, but I wasn't trying to stir things up, she just jumped to conclusions. She sort of caught us coming out his bedroom. (I know that looks quite bad but it was perfectly innocent honestly, it's a long story and Harry was in there with us but she didn't see him. OK, that doesn't actually make it sound any better. Just trust me!!) Anyway, she really went in to one on him AND THEN SHE DUMPED HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was a bit tense in the dorm when she eventually came up. I pretended I was asleep. She's crying a lot though. I'm trying not to rub it in too much; I don't think that would be very fair on her. Especially as I won (hee hee).

Ginny split up with her boyfriend as well, so I think she'll make a move on Harry pretty soon. I've told her she should. I love it when a plan comes together, don't you?

Lots and lots of love

Hermione.'

She's such a sweet, innocent girl. Jean could start looking for her outfit again, by the sound of things.

-o0o-

Dear Mum and Dad,

This might have just been one of the best days of my life ever!!!

Gryffindor has won the Quidditch cup again!! We stuffed Ravenclaw in the final match. Ron was brilliant and we had a huge celebration afterwards. Best of all, Harry and Ginny finally got it together after the game. You should have seen them; they were actually snogging right in the middle of the Common Room!! I'm so pleased for them because Harry could do with some happiness in his life with all he's going through and Ginny's really sweet and fancied him for absolutely ages.

Lots of love from your little matchmaker,

Hermione.'

-o0o-

'Mum and Dad,

Something terrible has happened; I can't tell you it in a letter. I need to stay here for a couple of days then I'm coming straight home, you won't need to collect me.'

I need to talk to you both.

Hermione.'