Chapter 25
A Letter From Nobody

Harry sat in the darkness of the common room. He was staring at the flames from the fire. The door slammed and he started.

"Hiya Harry," said Neville, walking down the stairs from the boys' dormitories.

"Hey Neville," said Harry.

"Harry, you look pretty bad. Come upstairs to bed," insisted Neville, concerned.

"I can't, I can never get to sleep," said Harry.

"Then I guess I'll keep you company," said Neville, taking a seat next to Harry on the couch, "it's not healthy to be by yourself so much."

"What about Raya? Who's keeping her company?" asked Harry.

"She probably has someone," said Neville, "don't worry about her - she's strong."

"Aren't you worried though?" asked Harry, "Because Draco is dead, don't you worry that Raya will, will get all sad and weak and die as well? That's what worries me most."

"Harry-," started Neville.

"We never see her anymore!" said Harry.

"In more ways than one," Neville murmured to himself.

Harry heard. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that, even before all the bad stuff started to happen, it seemed like Raya was behind a glass wall, not letting any people on her side of the wall except for Draco. She was so mysterious behind that wall, so many secrets and things about her that nobody knows and probably will never know. But now that Draco is gone, its like…the glass wall is beginning to fog up and it's getting harder and harder to see her. Soon we won't be able to see her at all," said Neville.

Harry sat in the stillness. It wasn't until they heard a floorboard creak behind them that either of them moved. Both of their heads shot around to see Ginny coming down the stairs rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"Why are you two up?" she asked in mid yawn.

"Harry can't sleep," explained Neville, "I'm keeping him company."

"Oh," said Ginny, "then I'll stay down here as well."

She walked around the couch and sat next to Harry and put her head on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, love," she said when she felt how tense he was, "What's all this about?"

"About Draco, Raya, Voldemort, I guess everything is just coming at me so fast that I can't think straight," answered Harry.

"Well you don't have to worry about Raya - she's a big girl and can take care of herself. Draco - well, what's done is done, and sitting around moping about it won't change a thing. And Voldemort, well, I guess Voldemort is a problem. However the other things are out of your control, so don't worry about them," said Ginny. "Please, Harry. For me?"

"I guess," said Harry, "but, still, I just feel so, so helpless."

"Harry, you're always helping us, you're a great friend!" said Neville then aside to himself, "that was cheesy!"

Harry and Ginny laughed. Then Ginny paused, looking up Harry. Harry noticed her smiling up at him and stopped, still carrying a weak smile on his face.

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"You're laughing again," said Ginny, putting her arm over his shoulder, "I like it."

Harry's smile grew wider as he kissed Ginny on the forehead.

"I don't think you need me for company anymore," said Neville jokingly. "I'm off to bed. Herbology test tomorrow, don't forget!"

"I won't," said Harry, and Neville walked up the stairs to the boys' dormitories.

Harry breathed in a deep sigh and hugged Ginny closer to him. He looked down at her, but her head was already lolling onto his shoulder in slumber. Harry kissed it, sighed, and rested his head on the back of the couch. The last thought that entered his head before he drifted off into the first deep sleep he had had in a long time was, "No more moping."

The next morning Ron came downstairs to see his best friend and his little sister snuggled up together on the couch. He crept over to the back of the couch and put his head so it was right next to both Harry and Ginny's ear.

"When I agreed to you two seeing each other, I didn't say I wanted to see this," whispered Ron and was delighted that, the second his voice entered their ears, they jumped apart from each other.

"I wasn't asleep," murmured Harry drowsily.

"Sure you weren't mate," said Ron, "only joking with you two. How 'bout a little breakfast?"

"That sounds nice," said Ginny, and she slowly got up, moaning in slight pain as almost every single bone in her back cracked.

They all turned when they heard the stairs creaked and looked up to see Hermione stumbling sleepily down the stairs.

"Morning, love," said Ron cheerfully.

Hermione kept right on walking past him, regarding him with a yawn and dismissive wave.

"What's wrong with you Hermione?" asked Harry.

"Study. Last Night. Herbology," answered Hermione monotonously. She flopped ungracefully onto the couch.

"Wow!" said Ron, "Harry, you got her to speak in incomplete sentences. That's a great achievement in my book."

"Also," said Hermione as she raised her hand feebly, and then limply put it down to reach inside her robes, "this came for you Harry. Don't know why I got it."

She raised her hand again, only this time she had a letter in it. Harry took it out of her hand and stared at the writing on the front of the envelope.

Mr. Harry Potter Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Gryffindor Tower Boys' Dormitories

"Who's it from Harry?" asked Ginny.

"Don't know," answered Harry, "there's no return address."

Harry carefully turned over the letter and was about to open the seal when a hand grabbed his.

"Harry don't!" said Hermione, now very awake, in her stern "don't mess with me" tone.

"Why?" asked Harry, "It's mine!"

"I don't care," said Hermione, "I don't like anonymous letters."

"Oh Hermione, just let the guy open his letter," said Ron.

Hermione turned to face Ron. She tapped her heel impatiently on the floor.

"And suppose it's some sort of evil spell coming to get Harry, what then, he opens it, dies, what would you do then? Hum?" asked Hermione, "You'd wish you had listened to me then, wouldn't you!"

"Well what if it's from somebody that has important information as to how we can defeat Voldemort? Hum?" Ron fired back, crossing his arms as he mimicked Hermione, "then you'd wish you'd listened to me, wouldn't you? When Voldemort kills us all?"

"Ron, how daft are you? Why would anyone send instructions on how to defeat Voldemort by Owl?" said Hermione hotly, "What if that letter got into the wrong hands?"

"That's why they didn't put their name on it!" explained Ron bitterly, "that way they could send us the instructions and wouldn't get hurt if it fell into the wrong hands."

"There are other ways of tracing a letter back to its writer Ronald Weasley!" said Hermione, her voice rising.

"Don't you go using formal names with me missy!" yelled Ron.

"MISSY!" yelled Hermione, standing up quickly, "I'll show you "missy"!"

"Oh god," said Harry.

"Here they go," said Ginny.

"Breakfast?" asked Harry.

"Please," answered Ginny and Harry offered her his arm as they walked out of the common room after taking one final glance back at the "lovebirds" to see Hermione pounce on Ron. The portrait hole door shut but they could just hear Hermione scream, "how's that for missy!"

They walked down the hall together, their footsteps echoing on the marble walls.

"So," said Ginny after a couple moments of silence, "are you going to open it?"

"I don't know," said Harry, "maybe I should ask Dumbledore."

"Yeah," said Ginny, "that would probably be best."

They walked down the stairway, and while they were waiting for the staircase between floors four and three to swing around they ran into Nearly Headless Nick.

"Hello Sir Nicolas," said Ginny, genially.

"Oh, hello," said Sir Nicolas, and he seemed quite sad.

"Nick?" asked Harry, "you alright?"

"Oh, yes Harry," said Nick, "what would make you think otherwise?"

"The fact that you look down may be a factor," said Ginny.

"Oh, well, no I shouldn't tell you," said Nick.

"No please tell us," said Harry.

"I love hearing secrets," said Ginny.

"Yes," said Nick, "A secret - that is what this must be. You may tell no one, understood. No one."

"What about the others?" asked Harry, "Ron, Hermione, Raya."

"Don't bother telling Raya," said Nick, "I'm sure she already knows. Where is she anyway? I haven't seen her around lately."

"Nor have I," said Harry, "nobody has."

Nick took a moment to think. "'Tis a shame."

"What is?" asked Ginny.

"Raya," answered Nick, "she was so full of life. Energy ran through her, was around her all the time. Almost like she glowed. All of the ghosts could see it. A shimmering light that seemed to follow her wherever she might want to go. But no more. I've seen her walk down the halls of this school. She walks as if she has no soul, she walks like us, only ghostly memories of what we used to be."

Nick began to soar upwards.

"Wait!" called Ginny, and Nick stopped and turned, then Ginny said quieter, "you didn't tell us the secret."

"Oh, yes, how silly of me," said Nick and he floated downwards.

Both students stared intently at the ghost as he began to speak.

"Something is happening up there," said Nick and he looked upwards.

"Up where?" asked Harry.

"The place all us ghosts wish to go," said Nick, "heaven. Something is happening in heaven that has not ever occurred in the history of time."

"What is it?" asked Ginny intrigued.

"I don't know," said Nick, "but all of the ghosts' minds are in a different place. Whenever anything happens regarding heaven our hearts get heavy with want, but also full of despair for we know that what we want we can't get. Good day, Harry and Ginny." And he soared upwards.

"Wonder what that's suppose to mean?" said Harry more to himself than to Ginny.

"Maybe it has something to do with your letter," said Ginny.

"Maybe," said Harry, "all I know is, I've got to this letter to Dumbledore!"

They ran down the rest of the stairs and into the Great Hall, where all the students were seated and enjoying their breakfasts. Harry and Ginny strode right up to the staff table and placed the letter in front of Dumbledore's nose. He pushed his half-moon spectacles up to the bridge of his nose and stared at the letter for a long while. It was almost so long that Harry wanted to say to him, "we want you to open it!"

Finally Dumbledore took the letter into his hands.

"You want me to read it I assume," said Dumbledore quietly.

"Yes, sir," said Harry.

Dumbledore slowly turned the envelope over and broke the wax seal. He took the letter out of the envelope and placed the envelope on the table in front of him. He slowly unfolded the letter. His watery blue eyes darted back and forth across the page. After a long time Dumbledore placed the paper on the table in front of him.

"It was right of you, Harry," said Dumbledore, "to bring this letter to me."

He paused and then continued, "Come to me after your classes. If it is all right with you I should like to keep this letter for a while and go over it more thoroughly."

Breakfast was ending and students began shuffling out of the Great Hall. Teachers dabbed their mouths with their napkins and readied themselves for their next classes.

"Yes, of course professor," said Harry, and he and Ginny turned and walked out of the Great Hall as well.

"He looked pretty concerned didn't he," commented Ginny.

"It's obviously important," said Harry, "but why I'm not quite sure."

"Well," said Ginny, stopping in front of the open door leading into Transfiguration, "see you later."

"See you," said Harry, and he continued walking towards Defense Against the Dark Arts.

He entered the room apprehensively. His eyes were automatically drawn towards the desks that he and his friends had sat at in previous years. It dawned on him that this was his first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson this year, every other time the class had been on his schedule he had had some sort of meeting or emergency with Dumbledore, Raya, etc. There sat Ron and Hermione, as far apart from each other as possible. Hermione spotted him first.

"Harry!" she said brightly, "come, sit down." She shuffled some papers off the desk next to her and gestured to the seat.

"Oh please," said Ron, "C'mon mate. You don't have to do what you don't want to. Sit here, next to me."

"Oh that's mature, Ron," said Hermione, "trying to get Harry into the middle of the fight."

"It's exactly what you were doing Hermione," said Ron, "don't try and pin something on me that you're doing yourself."

"Honestly Ron," said Hermione, "I was just trying to give Harry a seat, unless you want him to stand all lesson."

Neville appeared behind Harry as the two went back and forth.

"What's wrong with them?" asked Neville, "Fighting again?"

"Of course," said Harry, "it wouldn't be a complete year at Hogwarts if there was a time period in which Ron and Hermione didn't speak to one another."

Neville chuckled. Suddenly the room went silent as the door slammed shut. The noise resonated around the marble room as brisk footsteps approached the front of the class. Everyone looked around but could see nobody.

"Good morning class," said a cheerful voice from where the teacher should have been. The students looked around in confusion, and to their amazement they saw a floating head appear at the front of the class.

Ron and Hermione glanced at each other and shrugged, forgetting for a moment that they were in the middle of a heated argument. Harry looked questioningly at Neville, but he had the same confused look. He looked around him.

The other kids seemed to have no problem with a floating head teaching the class. They just giggled. He leaned backwards to touch the desk behind him. It belonged to Shahlaa and Riley, two new students he had never really talked to.

"Who's the head?" He asked casually. Shahlaa giggled and whispered back.

"That's Miss Adeen. She's training to be a professor here. I don't think she knows she's invisible." Hannah explained. Harry looked even more confused.

"Oh, no, she's not usually," Added Riley hastily. "She must have had an accident."

Harry nodded and let his chair fall back into its place to take a proper look at Miss Adeen. What he could see of her was that she was young with vibrant red hair and a soft face dotted with fair freckles. Her voice was soft too - none of the class was bothering to strain their ears to hear her. She realized this and raised her voice.

"If everyone would please find their seats, we will begin," she said in a sing-song voice. Everyone sat down leisurely. Neville raised his hand.

"Yes, er, I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met."

"Neville Longbottom, miss."

"Neville, what is it?"

Then Neville continued to ask the question on all of the friends' minds.

"Miss Adeen, my friends and I have not been in class because, well, we have other engagements during this class. Could you please tell us what we are studying?"

"Well, Neville and friends, welcome! We had an introduction to amulets last lesson, if you turn to page 522 in your textbook you can catch up, I'm sure. I am Miss Adeen and I hope I can have the pleasure of your company for the rest of the year."

"Now," said Miss Adeen, addressing the entire class, "If everyone will please find a partner we'll begin our lesson."

The class when up into the soft chatter of choosing partners.

"Well Harry," said Ron, "that's no tough decision on your part, you get to be partners with your best mate."

"That he is," said Hermione, "Harry's my partner."

"I believe, Hermione, that I asked him first," said Ron, gritting his teeth.

"Well it doesn't matter how far before the fact you asked because he doesn't want to be partners with a silly little boy that can't tell an amulet from a piece of chicken!" said Hermione, her eyebrows narrowed.

"Actually, Ron, Hermione," said Harry, "I'm partners with Neville."

There was a slight surprised pause, before:

"WHAT!" came a cry in unison from the fighting pair.

"I'm partners with Neville," said Harry slowly as if talking to small children.

"Harry James Potter," said Hermione, "I don't know what you're thinking! You're pairing me up with, with, him!"

She thrust her arm towards Ron and stuck out her pointer finger.

"Don't point and me missy!" said Ron.

Hermione gave Ron another death glare.

"You want another bruise to match that one on your arm Mr. Weasley?" asked Hermione menacingly.

Ron flinched a little before retaining his confident air.

"You really think you gave me a bruise Hermione," said Ron coolly, "please you hit like a girl."

"I am a girl you half-wit!" yelled Hermione, "and, let me remind you, it took you four years to realize it!"

Ron's eyes grew narrow.

"And don't pretend to be so cool about it Ronald," said Hermione, "I mean what if I was to let it slip that after I hit you, you began to cry!"

Hermione put her hand over her mouth in mock surprise. Then she lowered it.

"Oh my, did I say that out loud?" she asked innocently, knowing the answer perfectly well.

Ron took a seat cushion out from under him and threw it at Hermione, hitting her directly in the face.

"Would you two cut it out!" said Harry, "Hermione do you want a failing grade?"

"NO!" she answered immediately.

"Then you two had better get quiet," he said turning his attention to the front of the class when the room had grown quiet, partners had be chosen and everyone was ready to continue. Ron and Hermione gave one final glare at each other before also turning their attentions to Miss Adeen who began speaking.

"Amulets have been part of our culture for thousands of years." she began, "When I say amulets most of you are probably thinking about golden necklaces that hang around your neck that have beautiful jewel encrusted designs. However, amulets can come in the form of small pendants, rings, even pouches of herbs to large statues and wall hangings. Amulets are most commonly warn to prevent disease or ward off evil spirits or even bring the wearer good luck. Today we will be creating amulets of our own. Talk with your partner about up coming events or things that may happen in the near future that might be nerve-wracking or you may hope for good luck on. I'll pass out the necessary materials and you and your partner, with each other's help, will create an amulet specifically for that event. The instructions for making the amulet are on the board."

With a wave of her wand they appeared.

"Remember once you get to the incantation. 'Made from gold and gems from the sea, a amulet against,' and here you would fill in what ever kind of a amulet you are making, 'I make to protect me.' You may begin."

Harry and Neville began talking about the likely upcoming confrontations of Voldemort or his followers. Ron and Hermione glared at each other.

"I'll be making an amulet that wards off diseases," said Hermione briskly, "that way it will keep you away from me."

"I'll be making one that fights against bad luck," said Ron, "so to say it a little differently, I'll be making an amulet that fights against you."

"I'd like to see you try," said Hermione, "you fail every course that involves the mixing of any sort of ingredients, you won't even be able to make a necklace let alone an amulet!"

"Have you two considered an amulet against negativity?" asked a voice behind that pair.

They turned to see Miss Adeen standing behind them.

"You two don't seem to like each other very much," she said.

"It's all his fault," said Hermione glaring at Ron.

"My fault, this is all your fault!" said Ron glaring back.

"Oh, they like each other fine," said Harry, smiling "they're engaged. They just figured they'd start the married couple act now."

"Well," said Miss Adeen kindly, smiling "it would be beneficial to both of you if you would get started. We don't have that much class time left."

She smiled pleasantly and walked away inspecting how others were progressing. Hermione sighed.

"First melted gold," she said to herself, "then throw in the gems from the sea."

The cauldron before her began to bubble.

"Made from gold and gems from the sea, an amulet against misfortune I make to protect me."

The bubbling slowed down and the mix inside the cauldron turned from a gold color to swamp water green color. Hermione picked up the tongs that were next to the cauldron and trust them into the pot and fished around until finally she had managed to pick up her amulet.

"Oh my!" said Miss Adeen, when she spotted Hermione's work, "see here everyone. Look at, um, excuses me, I don't seem to know your name."

"Hermione Granger," answered Hermione, proudly.

"Class, look at Miss Granger's work," called Miss Adeen, "a very fine looking amulet in my book, twenty points to Gryffindor."

About twenty minutes later the four friends walked out the classroom, however, only three of them were holding amulets.

"I don't know what went wrong," said Neville, who was soaked from the shoulders up, "I guess I added too many gems from the sea. How was I to know they were going to turn into sea water?"

"That tidal wave was amazing Neville!" said Ron glefully, "how 'bout giving that a try in old Snape's class. That would be hilarious."

"Oh Ron grow up," said Hermione sharply, "Neville isn't willing to get a week's detention minimum from Snape just so you can have few laughs."

"I was kidding, Miss I-Can't-Take-A-Joke," said Ron rolling his eyes.

"You're just jealous because I'm more mature than you," said Hermione.

"Would you two cut it out!" said Harry, "Do either of you even remember what you're fighting about?"

"That's not the point Harry," said Hermione.

"It's exactly the point Hermione," said Harry.

"Yeah, Hermione, that's exactly the point," said Ron triumphantly.

"Shut up Ron," said Harry.

And Hermione threw him a smirk.

"You two are in love," said Harry, "and this sort of fighting isn't worth ruining that."

"Harry, just because we're in a fight doesn't mean we aren't still in love," said Hermione.

"Or that we're not going to get married," said Ron.

"It's what we do Harry," said Hermione, "you fight against Voldemort, we fight against each other."

"Besides," said Ron, smiling proudly, "It's like a pastime."

Harry looked back and forth between his two friends. Finally saying, "I'll never get you two."

Harry walked towards the Great Hall. Dumbledore sat at the staff table and has Harry walked closer he saw that he still had his letter in his hands. He walked up the Dumbledore.

"Professor?" asked Harry.

"Ah," said Dumbledore, looking up at Harry, "You've come to see me about your letter."

"Yes, sir," said Harry.

"Well," Dumbledore began, "I've read it over and over again and it's time you read it."

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