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Sunday 1/9/92
Dear Spencer
I'm back at Hogwarts. We arrived tonight so I'm sitting on my bed with the curtains shut writing to you. Ron was a bit strange about the letters I got while I was staying with him. I wrote back and warned Dean and Seamus not to write to me after the first one but I didn't want to do that to you and besides sending everything through Mrs Thomas and then international post each way meant that your second letter probably wouldn't come before I left the Weasleys anyway. I was right, it arrived at the Thomas' last night and Dean handed it to me when I saw him at dinner tonight.
I admit that I also got a letter from Patrick and one from Ruby, luckily neither of them tried to write to me while Dobby was stealing my mail because I couldn't have explained that to them. I explained it to Neville, he's been writing to me regularly too and he accepted my apology and explanation for not writing back earlier. Neville said what happened with Dobby stealing the mail and trying to warn me not to go back to Hogwarts, didn't make any sense, house elves aren't supposed to have that much independence. I got the impression that Neville didn't actually believe they could think for themselves and he believes that Dobby was following orders from his family which is why he couldn't tell me who they were. Dean and Seamus didn't have anything to offer, but they did remind me that we were forbidden to ask the elves at school for anything because they'd been forbidden to follow student's orders and it would hurt them not to do it, so then how could Dobby come and try to ruin his owner's plan to hurt me at school? He couldn't, either he was following orders or the plan's not about me at all and it's irrelevant to his owner whether I'm here or not something terrible is going to happen and Dobby didn't tell me anything about it so there's nothing I can do to stop it. I wish that I trusted one of the professors enough to tell them.
I don't understand why Ron was so jealous of me receiving letters, it isn't like he didn't know that I have other friends that I hang out with or as if he's the best correspondent himself. He only wrote three times in the two months before I came to his place and at least one of those times was to invite me and one of the others because I hadn't answered the first invitation. Even Hermione wrote me more often than that. She wrote to Ron too but he didn't seem to want to write her back from what she said to him when he complained about my letters.
I'm glad to be back at school, though the Weasleys were all nice enough and I don't think I can trust the people here any more than I can the Weasleys. It's nice to be able to sit here sealed up in my bed and know that neither Ron nor Hermione will try to read my letters. Hermione at least apologised for reading the letter I was writing, saying that she thought it was a homework essay even though I'd already told her twice that I'd finished all my homework. Thankfully it was a letter to Patrick and we were discussing the Dudley's history book which I read over the summer and I hadn't yet mentioned anything about Scoil Draiocht.
I think you're wrong about Mrs Weasley showing me their vault in order for me to offer to pay them. I did offer to pay my expenses like I did at the Thomas's, though of course I didn't tell her I'd stayed with them, I offered the same amount that Mrs Thomas asked for because I know that would be fair. Mrs Weasley refused to take the money, she seemed insulted that I would even offer. Ron and Ginny both looked excited by the idea though. I ended up giving her the new books on her booklist. We have a new defence professor and the wanker put 7 of his books on the booklist for every year (well first, second, fourth and sixth at any rate) and they're expensive and because they're new on the list they cant be passed down and Mrs Weasley couldn't find them in the second hand bookshop. I got given a free copy by the wanker himself who was signing books the day we bought our supplies and dragged me into the photo when 'The Daily Prophet' came to take his picture. I'll borrow Ron's or one of the other's if I need them but from what little I read they seem like fiction stories. There's only one or two spells in each book and they don't describe the wand movements and incantation.
Something really odd happened today on the way to school. We couldn't get through the barrier onto platform nine and three quarters for some reason. All of Ron's family had gone ahead of us and they all went through without any problems but we ran straight into a solid brick wall, thank goodness I let Hedwig fly to Hogwarts because her empty cage fell off my trunk and she would've been hurt if she'd been in it. We must have been the last to arrive because nobody else turned up but the clock didn't chime the hour until after we'd got all our stuff picked up and put back on the baggage trolley and Ron and I were arguing about what to do next. Ron wanted to take his parents' car and fly to school but I pointed out to him that his parents would be back looking for us any minute and we should just wait for them. Ron was upset with me and tried to goad me into stealing the car by calling me a coward but sure enough, after the train left the Wealseys and about a dozen other parents and younger children came back through the barrier without any problems. Mrs Weasley yelled at both of us for a good ten minutes which was humiliating in the middle of the station before she'd believe our story. She brought us up to the school and explained to McGonagall why we couldn't catch the train while Mr Weasley went to make a complaint to the department of magical transportation. It doesn't make sense why the two of us couldn't get through but what I really don't understand is how Mr and Mrs Weasley didn't notice that Ron and I hadn't come through onto the platform or got on the train until after the train left. Mrs Weasley made such a fuss of saying goodbye to all her children last year made them all put their things on the train and come back to the platform until the very last minute, and this year she didn't notice that Ron wasn't there to say goodbye to until after the train left? I know we were running a bit late but there was time to notice and come back for us even if we still might have missed the train. It just doesn't make sense, so does that mean she was in on whatever it was that stopped us from catching the train or was she spelled not to notice our absence. Neither of those choices goes with Mr Weasley's theory that the entrance to the platform just had a magical glitch, but none of the Weasleys could see anything wrong with that. Then again critical thinking isn't taught at Hogwarts and it doesn't seem to be a common skill among the adult witches and wizards I've met so far.
Anyway, Dean and Seamus were surprised to find me at school, so was everyone else but they'd all been surprised that I wasn't on the train. Dean thought that I'd managed to find another school that would take me. He was glad to see me back at Hogwarts though he did commiserate that he knew it wasn't what I'd wanted to do. Seamus didn't say anything but I think he felt the same as Dean. They'd both agreed that if I did manage to get into another school I shouldn't tell them about it until after the curiosity into where I'd gone had died down so they could act genuinely surprised and innocent of all knowledge of my whereabouts. It was good to see them again even if we couldn't talk privately tonight. When he heard what had happened at King's Cross, Neville asked Ron why they didn't just floo to the platform like most witches and wizards do. Ron made an excuse that his Dad had wanted to take the car because he hadn't had a chance to drive it lately but I was watching Mr Weasley in the rear-view mirror and he looked terrified the whole trip, even before he turned the engine on. He enjoyed showing us the car and talking about all the things he'd modified on it, but I don't think he ever wanted to drive it at all, especially not in London traffic. Just as well it's got a lot of magical protection to prevent crashes because I'm positive Mr Weasley has never been taught the road rules, let alone how to drive.
Your friend always
Harry
A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed followed or favourited this story for your support.
Stay safe everyone. Please stay safe.