We had just finished breakfast when there was a knock at the door. Everyone, including myself, was well used to visitors dropping in unannounced throughout the day, as the Burrow was the operating head quarters for the Order of the Phoenix.

Molly stood up and went to answer the door. She pulled it open to reveal a girl of about 17 with bushy brown hair and large suitcase.

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, leaping up and hurrying over to the door. He gave her a quick, one armed hug, and there was a badly concealed grin on his face. "I thought you weren't arriving till later? Oh, I'll get that!"

She had just stooped to pick up what I had first taken to be a suitcase but Ron's hand shot down to the handle before she could reach it. As he lifted it, I could see that it resembled something more along the lines of a flat topped treasure chest than a suitcase. Hermione smiled at him and thanked him, stepping into the house.

"You've got to ask her a security question, remember, Ron?" Mr Weasley said over his newspaper.

"Oh, blimey, I forgot. Er..." His eyes rolled up to the ceiling as he thought. "Who was our first ever defence against the dark arts teacher?"

"Honestly, Ron, anyone would know that!" She sighed, "Professor Quirrell, and he had You Know Who on hidden under his turban."

" 'Ow 'Orrible!" Fleur called from beside me. " 'Ow did he fit a full grown man under 'is turban?" I thought this was a very good question. Another good question was how did they not notice?

"No," said Bill, who was on her other side. He placed his hand over hers that was resting on the table. "You Know Who was possessing Quirrell and his face was attached to the back of Quirrells head."

My stomach rolled at the image I conjured up in my mind. I saw grotesquely mutated facial features protruding out of a man's scalp, patched of dull and thinning hair scattered around the edges. I shuddered.

"Yes, it was rather horrible," said Hermione, coming to sit in the empty chair beside Ginny. Ron abandoned his previous seat on the other end of the table and dropped into Molly's empty one right beside Hermione.

"Oh! Hello!" Hermione had just caught sight of me and had given a little start.

"Hermione, dear, this is Sarah," said Molly coming over from the sink where she had been bewitching the breakfast dishes to wash themselves. She put a supportive hand on my shoulder as she introduced me. "She will be staying with us for a little while. She's a muggle; so you two should have a lot in common!"

"Oh really!" Hermione quickly schooled her perplexed expression into one of calm interest.

I was saved from having to reply by an owl at the window. It was quite a large one with dark grey feathers and it carried two letters on it's leg.

"Oh, this must be from Charlie!" Molly said as the opened the window and untied the letters. "He said he would write. And he's sent one for you, too, dear, how nice!" She handed me an envelope with my name written across the front.

My stomach did a somersault. I wanted to rip it open and devour the content with my eyes but I didn't have any idea what could be written in this letter or what my reaction might be and I didn't want to wound any of the people sitting around me if I reacted violently – equally I didn't want to freak them out by bursting into tears, or laughing joyously.

I thanked Molly and tucked it into the pocket of my jeans, thinking to myself that if it was as pathetic as the last one, Charlie would have a lot to answer to.

We all sat around the table making small talk for a about ten more minutes before Bill and Fleur stood up, announcing that they were going to go out for the day. Ginny, Ron and Hermione left the table, then. They were going to go and make the most of the good weather. They invited me along but I declined. The letter in my pocket was burning a hole through jeans and I was dying to read it. I told them I would catch up with them later and made my way upstairs.

It took all my composure not to run up to my third floor room. When I finally had the door closed behind me, I sunk down onto the bed and ripped the letter out of the envelope.

Sarah,

Do you remember Remus Lupin from that first day? Well, his parents-in-law say they have a spare room for you. I can bring you there next week, before Harry arrives at the Burrow. Things are going to get pretty busy when he arrives, seeing as the wedding is only a couple of weeks later.

I checked on your Aunt yesterday. She's fine. She and her friend were way to excited to have a young man in the house. They pressured me into having three whole cups of tea and almost a full plate of homemade scones before I managed to get away.

I'm really busy at the moment with work so I won't have time to write to you as often as I did. Hopefully I'll be able to send one every few days but it just depends.

Charlie.

I reread it again. And again. Then, I read it a fourth time. There was something... off. It felt like he was having difficulty writing, like there was something he was hiding. And he didn't even mention the other letter he sent me.

I wasn't sure how to reply. I sat over a blank piece of parchment with a quil in ,y hand for a long time before I finally got the words to come out.

Charlie,

I do remember Remus Lupin. I can move whenever suits you, it doesn't make much of a difference to me.

I can definitely imagine Auntie Joan chaining you to the chair and force feeding you tea and scones. She most definitely enjoyed it.

I hope you can keep writing to me, even if it is less regularly. I would miss your letters.

All is fine here. Ron's friend Hermione just arrived this morning. She seems nice, though I haven't spoken to her that much yet.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Sarah

I was so disappointed that we had lost our easy banter in our letters. For a few short weeks, it had been like we were actual friends. Now, we were strangers again. He was writing to me out of obligation, rather than a desire to talk to me.

I carefully slotted the letter into an envelope and carried it heavily down stairs. Molly was sitting at the kitchen table with her parchment and quill, also writing to Charlie. She agreed to send off my letter when she sent her own, and I made my way outside to seek out the others, hoping that they would be able to distract me.