Parts of this are word for word from the first book which I own a copy of but nothing more in case you thought I did.
The room is dark today. The chill seems to permeate even into the dying fireplace which cracks occasionally.
"Rowena?" Harry calls out into the mindscape. Something rustles and the boy turns, eyes searching in the gloom for some glimpse of a bright colour. The fire crackles again, spitting a tiny piece of red coal onto the flagstones.
"Auntie?" Harry stares into the dimness, "Are you okay?" There is no sound this time. Harry shifts, imagines more wood for the fire and builds it up again. When flames are eating through wood the room seems a little warmer.
The boy turns, searching the much brighter room.
"Harry." The voice is quiet but Harry hears it. In the corner of the room sits Rowena. He steps closer, frowning.
"You're wearing black." It isn't what he means to say first but it shocks him strangely enough. Harry doesn't think he's ever seen her wearing black- not that he really believes that. Surely she must have at some point?
"I am." The witch takes a deep breath and stands. Her voice hitches oddly.
"Are you okay Auntie Rowena?" They both stay where they are.
"Yes. I'm fine my boy. What are you asking such questions-" Rowena attempts to maintain a sense of normality. The words come out rushed, her voice running out before she can finish. The older witch's face crumples momentarily.
"For?" She completes the sentence and looks away, chin raised defiantly. Harry walks forwards, stopping when he is only meters away from her.
"Auntie Rowena?" The witch gasps, turning further away. The boy's frown deepens.
"What's wrong?" Harry is almost certain that the woman is crying.
He stands for a moment, unsure, then wraps his arms around her waist. The witch sobs quietly, turning and curling her own arms around Harry...
"The people who were after me made me kill someone I love." Rowena's voice is almost hollow after the tears. Harry pours some tea, knows that although drinking in dreams doesn't really have any use the gesture will help calm his teacher.
"I'm sorry." He says. The witch takes her tea almost robotically.
"It helped me escape." She frowns, seeming more like herself as she wraps nonchalance around her as if it were a shield, "I wouldn't have escaped if I hadn't killed him." Rowena sips at her tea, straightening slightly.
"But you care." The witch sighs.
"Yes. I do." She places the tea on an end table beside her chair.
That night Harry learns of Rowena's childhood.
"I am Tim. I will be your teacher for the rest of the year." The man with the strange eyes says when everyone turns up to History of Magic the next day.
Hermione instantly throws her arm into the air. Tim watches her blankly for a moment, confusion flickering over his face.
"Your hand is in the air." The girl takes this as his permission to speak.
"Don't you mean Professor Tim? Students are meant to call teachers by Professor and their last name." The Professor stares at her and pauses.
"Yes." He says, as if he doesn't know what the word means, "Now we should begin the lesson. All lessons will be taught one by one. You may all leave except you." Professor Tim points to a short boy from Ravenclaw. The boy holds his head high.
"Thank you Professor." Everyone else in Ravenclaw and a number of Gryffindors (including Hermione) complain.
"You will all get turn!" Says the Professor, eyes narrowing. He points randomly.
"One by one- you will teach others what you learn." Summarily everyone except James the small Ravenclaw gains a few free hours. Ron celebrates and disappears with the majority of the first year Gryffindors to play the largest game of Gobstones Hogwarts has ever seen. Hermione stomps off to the library to study, upset by the injustice of the new Professor's teaching methods.
Neville looks at Harry.
"I think Hermione's idea might be best." Neville says, shrugging, "I mean we don't know how well James will take notes." Harry nods.
"Yeah, I have a letter to write anyway." The two boys join Hermione in the library. The girl has already pulled three books from the shelves and is busy making notes from the first when they find her.
"Mind if I take this?" Neville asks, laying his hand on the second. Hermione looks up briefly and smiles.
"Yes. I'm glad to see someone is taking their education seriously." The boy blushes a little, nodding and pulling out his parchment, quill and ink.
Harry begins composing his letter.
Dear mom, Claire, Alex, Uncle Dean, Uncle Sam and Castiel,
I hope you are okay. I'm having a great time at Hogwarts- I've even started separate lessons because I'm really good at some things. I've bought some food for you to try too- I hope you like it!
I've made three friends already. They're called Hermione, Ron and Neville. Hermione is hard-working and really likes learning, at the moment she is studying in the library because one of our teachers wants to teach one student at a time and she wants to make sure she knows everything she can before exams. Her parents are dentists.
Ron's whole family can do magic too-he isn't in the library with Hermione, Neville and I- he's playing Gobstones with everyone else who doesn't have lessons. It's a game where you throw balls filled with dirty water at another smaller ball and you have to get them as close to the small one as you can or they explode. Hermione has to force him to work or he won't get things done- he's a good person though. He eats like Dean.
Neville is nice too. He was really nervous when I first met him but he's getting better now he has friends. He has a pet toad which keeps escaping and I think it might be ill- I haven't seen it for a while actually. He works hard too.
The Professors are mostly good and the teacher from Transfiguration is teaching me private lessons because she says I'm good at it. She taught my blood mom and dad so she's been telling me about them. I have a Godfather too- he was framed for something he didn't do but I might get to meet him soon.
Whatever happens I'll always love you guys though!
Oh- and my Transfiguration professor wants to have a meeting with you. Apparently they don't have my move on their records.
I have another friend too who had something awful happen to her recently. She told me about her past because of it and it was really sad. I don't know how to help her- she's even been helping me with my magic and I've said I'll help her with a spell she's struggling with in return but I don't know what I can do because we're in different houses and people don't like us talking to each other. I don't know if you know how I can help her but I want to if I can.
Love Harry
Harry says goodbye to Hermione and Neville. Hermione is giving Neville a quiet lecture on what she has read from the first book and the boy is diligently takings notes.
Harry seals his envelope shut and heads off for the Gryffindor common room.