Games Are Afoot Chapter 15b
Letters (2)
DISCLAIMER: JKR owns it all, I just get to play.
Author's Note: A HUGE GINORMOUS THANK YOU to Enthralled who suggested the letter blitz this week. She's bloody brilliant!
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September 7th
To Charlie, ever the Gryffindor,
Yes, I figured out why you like Chinese Fireball dragons the best. Their eggs are red and gold and so are they. Clever aren't you? So clever in fact, that you were a prefect too! Why didn't you say anything? At the little party your mum threw for us she mentioned Ron was the fourth prefect in the family. Bill, Percy, Ron…certainly not either of the twins…so that leaves you. You can applaud my deductive reasoning later. What was your favorite part of being a prefect? There is definitely something fun about getting to be out after hours on patrol. Even if sometimes Ron is…well, Ron. They split us up occasionally too. Thank goodness I have never had to patrol with any of the Slytherin prefects yet.
I love that you call her Matilda. It makes dragon keeping sound like an art form. I can see you gracefully dodging flames and tails as you whip your wand around with a flourish. Speaking of dragons, I was able to study my dragon heartstring. Wow. That was an amazing experience. I was sitting on my bed and my wand was next to me resting against my leg. When I took it out of the vial, I could actually feel the magic. Was it from a very old dragon? It made my hand tingle. But the best part was when my wand started to hum and vibrate next to me. What would cause that? It was very exciting and I have looked through quite a few books at the library but couldn't find a suitable reason for it happening. However, I haven't looked as diligently as I might have because you were right about something else.
The professors are OBSESSSED with O.W.L.'s. The way they talk does create more stress than the work. If they would help us relax a bit, I think the work would go better. Students are panicking and making dumb mistakes. But stress about O.W. L.'s isn't the only reason this is happening. There are a couple of staffing changes this year. One is for DADA and involves a witch from the ministry—yes, she works right with Fudge. She is set on "revamping" the teaching of this class complete with finding it unnecessary for us to practice what we learn. She is about as charming as our hostess from this summer. By the way isn't there a practical bit for all our exams?
Harry was definitely angry when he got to us. He is still struggling with it, as he hasn't had an altogether pleasant reception from everyone here. He has a very short fuse. He even has been biting of my head, well Ron's too, but we always bicker so I don't know why it bothers him so much all of a sudden. Fred and George have been "testing" their products on first years in our common room if you can believe it. Ron showed all the backbone of a flobberworm. I took your advice though and outwitted the dynamic duo. The were getting cheeky saying things like, "What are you going to do? Give us lines? Give us detention?" And I just looked them straight in the eye and said, "I'll write your mum." The look on their faces was priceless! I could tell they thought that was a low blow, but since when do they play fair?
My parents are very open-minded people. Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall both came with my first letter. My parents were shocked, naturally, but also excited. They have always encouraged me to explore and develop to my potential. They have accompanied me to Diagon Alley on several occasions and love the little magical gifts I get for them. They are judicious in whom they tell so as not to breach the statute of secrecy, but they couldn't be more proud of me. They were ecstatic about my being made prefect. I do miss them though. We had planned a trip to France this summer, but with, well, you know why I couldn't go with them. We owl regularly. They are wonderful people. They are both dentists, which would be the equivalent of teeth healers. They are very talented. I get my love of books from my Dad. Some of my earliest memories are of him bringing me a new book to devour. For Christmas this year, I would like to get him one about dragons. He loves mythical creatures (ha! ha!) I think he would love the moving pictures too. I got my organization and perseverance from my mum. She is one of the all time over-achievers. She outscored her entire class in Dental school. My dad was so proud. He loves that about her.
I am sorry about Percy. He always seemed like he had a good head on his shoulders so hopefully he will come around eventually. Maybe he is just trying to be his own man. He'll figure it out. If I have learned one thing about the Weasley family, it's that in the end, you all come together. Ambition is a fine line between success and power and right now Percy is tempted by the power. He thinks it will get him where he has always wanted to be. He will learn hard lessons about how he climbs his ladder of success. We all have to learn. Some learn lessons more easily than others. Take me for example, I have book smarts, but I can't get a broom more than a few feet off the ground. Give him some time, but don't give up hope.
Ron never did tell me about how you came to love dragons so much. I assume you loved Care of Magical Creatures lessons, but what else does it take to be skilled in your profession? Tell me a story Charlie—and make it a good one. There is no Flinch quill to keep you in line, so I will just have to trust you. That was a lovely afternoon, wasn't it?
Harry has been able to do a patronus since third year when Professor Lupin taught him when the dementors were around. Your mum didn't think it a good idea that many people know being as he got so much unwanted attention anyway. I haven't learned it yet, but I aim to. The charm I am currently working on is a Protean Charm. Wish me luck.
With affection, your friend,
Hermione
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September 15th
To my favorite Gryffindor Prefect,
Yes, I think I would rather patrol with you than Ron as well because, Merlin's hat, what if we happened upon a spider? Ha! I bet you are the brave one. I actually don't have to bet. You proved it by standing up to the twins. You were right too though, Fred did think you hit below the belt pulling the mum card. Drastic times call for drastic measures. I hope you know they respect you even if they test the limits. You seem to have that affect on all my brothers. You are truly a force to be reckoned with. Remind me never to upset you.
I am glad you figured out why I like Chinese Fireballs so well. I must say that red and gold are indeed my favorite colors. Could be the house, could be the Quidditch glory, could just be incredibly good taste. I laughed out loud at the visual image you created of me waltzing with Matilda.
Yes, I was a prefect during fifth year, but then I was made Quidditch Captain for sixth and seventh. Someone had to train Oliver for you guys. I think my favorite part of being a prefect (and captain) was getting to use the prefect's bathroom. Incidentally, which are your favorite bubbles?
I can't believe that you really have that much trouble with brooms. Have you tried it since first year? What scared you? Admit it, you are scared. Don't you muggleborns have some saying about getting back in the saddle or something? You were young and new to magic way back when and now I bet you could do a lot better. Give it a try. Have Ginny help you. She's much better than half her brothers and she makes a great teacher.
About Harry, maybe you should counsel yourself about him like you did me about Percy. It was brilliant by the way. Harry needs time. He's been through a lot. I think anger would be a completely normal reaction. If he could focus that aggression into Quidditch…well the results would be "therapeutic."
Thanks for sharing with me about your parents. They sound wonderful. After the great ones I have, it's nice to know there are others out there. I love my family. Thank you for your letters because you help keep me connected. Sometimes it is difficult to be so far away. Do you think your dad would like a picture of a real dragon? I could send you one if you would like. We have all types here. Which do you think he would prefer? I will save the story of my career choices until I see you next. It would take far too much parchment. Perhaps at Christmas?
So your newest professor thinks theory is enough, eh? What does the headmaster say about that? No matter, Hermione, you will conquer what ever you put that amazing mind to. As for Ron, well, my parents will be forever grateful that you have helped him get through school. He told me this summer how much help you give to Harry and him. Maybe I can return the favor. I used to be a fair hand at charms and I can in fact do a protean charm. If you need/want any help, I would be honored. Anything to help you succeed.
Ah, the dragon heartstring. Yes, it came from an extraordinarily old dragon. The oldest I had ever worked with. She was very special. She had become as tame as a dragon ever can get. She would occasionally let us close to her, but left no doubt that she was still in charge. She is the mother of a large portion of our fireballs at the reserve. She was formidable. As for your wand, I wasn't sure, because the Swedish Short Snout is the most popular for wand cores, but I just wondered where your core came from. The fact that you felt the magic when you touched the heartstring showed that the magic in this particular dragon recognizes your magic. As if that didn't make it special enough, the fact that the magic in your wand reacted, tells me that your heartstring was from the same lineage of the dragon who supplied your wand. And I was all set to try all sorts of different heartstrings and we got lucky on the first try! Would you like to guess what my wand core is?
I also want to wish you a very happy sixteenth birthday. I hope the day is full of excitement and surprises for you! To kick things off, I included a little present. If you look on the back of the parchment, you will find a small square tacked on. If you remove it and use 'engorgio' to return it to normal size, you can follow the instructions in the card to discover what it is. Again, Happy Sweet Sixteen to you.
With returned affection, Charlie