A/N: To everyone suggesting Hermione use Dobby — it's a good idea, except I don't think any of them know yet that they can call Dobby. Unless I'm forgetting something, in the books I don't think Harry learns how to call a house elf until Book 6 with Kreacher at the very beginning seeing Dumbles do it.

Saturday afternoon, Harry was in his room, laying on his bed.

He was trying to avoid the blistering heat they were having that summer, keeping busy by reading Advanced Quidditch Techniques for Seekers that he'd picked up the week before on one of his trips to Diagon Alley with Hermione, when there came a tap on his bedroom window. Opening it up, he took the letter off the owl's leg, and returned to his bed to read it. There were two letters rolled up together, the one on top quite short, while the one behind it was much longer. Harry started with the short one in front.

~.~

Hi Harry,

I hope you're doing okay. The Weasleys came and collected me yesterday morning, and this is the first chance I've had to write you. I can't say much, as I've been told not to tell you anything important in case the letter goes astray, and certainly can't talk about you know what and everything that happened at the end of last term. I've been busy even though I've only been here a day so far, but I can't give you details. But I'll tell you everything when I see you again.

Stay safe, and hope to see you soon,

Hermione

~.~

Harry set the first letter down, more confused by it than anything, before beginning the second letter.

~.~

Hi Harry,

Sorry for the absolute nothingness of the first letter — this is my real letter.

Mrs Weasley came to my house Friday morning with Ginny in tow, to take me to where I currently am now. I actually can't tell you where I am due to magic (still need to look up the spell), just that it's in a neighborhood called Grimmauld Place and is Sirius's family home (and that was a test, to see if the ink would vanish or something if I tried to tell you too much, but at least right now I can still see it) — but I can say it's a complete dump. I've never seen a place this bad before in my life, and it would certainly be condemned by health inspectors if they could see it or there were any in the wizarding world. But more relevantly, all of the Weasley clan except Charlie, who's still in Romania, and Percy, who the twins told me when we got a few minutes alone last night to chat has sided with the Ministry. There was a big row between him and Mr Weasley, but I can tell you more of that when I do finally get to see you again.

Speaking of which, I obviously won't be able to visit you again this summer, as we're not allowed to even leave the house and go outside, let alone come visit you. Of course, I haven't actually told any of them that I have been visiting you this summer, as I don't get the feeling any of them would approve of it given how much secrecy they're going through. But Mrs Weasley promised me that you would be brought here 'soon', though needless to say she refused to give me an actual date, so hopefully you'll get to come here before we both grow old and die — fingers crossed.

As for what I've been busy with that Dumbledore himself told me I can't give you any details about in case my letter goes astray — we're cleaning the bloody house! How for Christ's sake is that important!? Who gives a bloody hell if Voldemort finds out we're muggly cleaning a stupid dump of a house!? And yeah — the Matriarch is trying to make us clean this magical house like bloody muggle slaves! Of course, I've been using my wand since the moment I started, which has already resulted in a couple rows between her and I, and a constant stream of glares at me (and more than a few returned when I'm not busy making this derelict dump sanitary and safe enough to live in), but has resulted in the twins openly using magic to clean, along with Sirius when he's helping us, and Tonks when she's here (who I'll tell you a lot more about later — she's cool), and any other adults who stop by with some spare time to help. And getting to that, Sirius is obviously here in his house. Lupin, Mad-Eye (the real one this time), Tonks, McGonagall, Snape, Dumbledore, and some more I didn't know were here for supper last night. There's lot's more in what's called the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's group that fought Voldemort last time, but that's all I've seen so far. It's a bunch of adults who refuse to let me hear anything, or ask any real questions — so I know nothing more than you, honestly, if that makes you feel any better (I know it won't, but I had to try).

And honestly, even after only one meal, I'm already fed up with these adults. They won't answer any of my questions because, and I quote the Bitch in her high-pitched banshee screech, "You're too young!", despite the fact the only reason they know a bloody thing is because of you. And it's only been a day, but we students sure as hell aren't doing anything to destroy Voldemort, and I have yet to see or hear anything that indicates any actual action has been taken by any of the adults to kill him once and for all, either.

And in case you're curious as to how I'm writing all this to you, I convinced Mrs Weasley that I, the perfect teacher's pet who would never break any rule an adult gave me (are they seriously that delusional to still believe that after 4 years of watching me?), could be trusted to take the owl with the letter tied to its leg up to the fourth floor window we can send them out of, without taking the letter off and adding this second sheet of parchment that I didn't show them, before sending the owl on its merry way — yeah, they're all idiots. Oh yeah, sorry, forgot to mention — I have to have any letter I send to you read over by a 'responsible adult' (so not Tonks, who'd let me get by with anything, and even encourage it) to make sure it doesn't give anything 'important' away.

But as I can't be guaranteed that I will continue to be able to pull this off, I'm going to have to be creative about how I tell you what's going on here (if anything ever actually bloody occurs), for when they do read my letters to you before letting me send them — because Heaven forbid Voldemort find out we aren't living in squalor!

I'm at least not at the Burrow, though, thank God. I probably would have ran away from there already, and caught the Knight Bus back home. Like I said, this place is a dump, but it's at least big enough to get away from the Matriarch, and it has a nice library I discovered last night. But you're really not missing anything other than the Matriarch shouting at anyone she doesn't think is following her every demand.

Except Tonks, who is definitely my new bff even though I just met her yesterday. She's Sirius's cousin, which would make her your godcousin. She's seven years older than us, graduating Hogwarts the year before we started, and she's an auror now. She's also a metamorphmagus, which means she can change any part of her body at will (and yes, any part — I know exactly where your mind will go when you read that). You'll really like her, when you finally get to meet her. And she's bloody cute.

I think that's about it though, so I'll stop yakking your ear off. I'll try to write what I can, when I can, but it'll probably be challenging. But write me all you want — I don't think the adults will be intercepting incoming mail and reading it, but if they do maybe they'll finally be smart enough to realize how abusive it is to leave you all alone at the Dursleys.

I miss you terribly already, and I love you forever. Hugs and kisses, Your girlfriend,

Hermione

~.~

Now that's more like my girlfriend, thought Harry to himself with a smile when he finally finished reading.

He was certainly bummed that he wouldn't be able to see his girlfriend again until he was finally allowed to leave Privet Drive for wherever Hermione and the Weasleys were, and that Hermione was stuck somewhere she didn't want to be, but he at least knew that he wasn't missing anything other than his best friend by not being there, and that Hermione would have still been at home coming to visit him a few times a week if she had been given a choice.

He immediately got out a pen and paper, and wrote a quick reply to send to her as soon as Hedwig got back, the owl that had delivered Hermione's letter having flown off the moment he'd taken the letters off its leg.

~.~

Hi Hermione,

Thanks for telling me. Hopefully I'll be able to see you again soon, but based on all the summers so far, it'll probably be forever. Nothing exciting has happened here since we last talked.

Miss you too, and love you,

Harry