I still do not own Harry Potter.
Dear Mum and Dad,
I think I've found out where the package from Vault 713 ended up. Yesterday, right after I wrote you about quidditch, Malfoy and I ended up arranging a wizarding duel at midnight in the trophy room. Please, don't freak out, we didn't actually do it. Malfoy was a rat and sold us out to Filch. By us, I mean Ron, Neville, Hermione, and me. Hermione followed Ron and I out of the portrait hole telling us off and couldn't get back in because the Fat Lady had gone out. Neville was spending the night outside the portrait hole on the way back from the hospital wing, as he had forgotten the password, and he followed us too.
We arrived at the trophy room and waited for Malfoy, until Filch turned up. We ran for it! We got away when Hermione unlocked a door to the third-floor corridor. Except then we realized that there was a giant, three-headed dog filling the whole space between the floor and ceiling! It was just as surprised as we were, so we had time to get out and slam the door. Filch was gone so we were able to get back to the common room fine.
Hermione said that the dog was standing on a trap door, so it must have been guarding something. Hagrid said Gringotts was the safest place in the world for anything you wanted to hide, accept Hogwarts. This must be where the package from Vault 713 was placed.
Sorry about almost getting into trouble,
Love,
Harry
Dear Harry,
What were you thinking wandering about the castle after dark trying to get into duels? You should be sorry you were breaking the rules, not sorry that you almost got caught.
Everyone's only sorry they got caught …
James!
Try not to break too many rules, Harry. Now, about the three-headed dog.
Don't go near it again. You could have been killed!
Lily, calm down. I think you're probably right, Harry, that whatever it is guarding used to be in Gringotts. It must either be really valuable or really dangerous if such protection is being used. And Dumbledore must have known someone was after it, if he moved it to Hogwarts.
Hogwarts will be the safest place for it, so you don't have to worry about it.
It certainly seems you are having an interesting year!
Keep writing,
Love,
Mum and Dad
Dear Mum and Dad,
A lot has happened this Halloween. It began in Charms class this afternoon. We were learning to make objects fly, and somehow Ron and Hermione got paired together. Hermione's good at everything, remember, and apparently Ron was saying the spell wrong. Hermione corrected him and did it right, but he got mad and said some things after class he probably wouldn't have if he had known she could hear.
We learned at the Halloween feast that she was in the girl's bathroom, crying, but we didn't have much time to think about it because not long afterwards Professor Quirrell came bursting into the hall calling about a troll in the dungeon before fainting. Dumbledore sent the students to their house dormitories and the teachers to the dungeons.
We were going to go back, but then I remembered Hermione. Since she wasn't at the Halloween feast, she wouldn't know about the troll. There wasn't time to go for a teacher, so Ron and I went to warn her. On our way to the bathroom, we saw the troll going into the girl's bathroom. What choice did we have? We followed it. I thought we could confuse it by making a lot of noise, and it worked for a little, but then it seemed just to make it mad. It headed to Ron who was against the wall and had no way to escape.
I had to do something. I took a running jump and managed to grab the troll around the neck, except, I accidentally stuck my wand up its nose. The troll went wild, and I was sure I was a goner, but then Ron shouted "Wingardium Leviosa" saying it right this time and caused the trolls club to levitate. Then it fell right on the troll's head, knocking him out cold!
That was when the teachers came in. McGonagall was furious. Then Hermione spoke up and said that we were looking for her because she went looking for the troll, thinking she could deal with it on her own. She explained that we didn't have time to tell anyone, and if we hadn't come looking for her she would probably be dead. It was astonishing! Hermione never does anything against the rules, and here she was pretending that she had, so Ron and I wouldn't get into trouble. McGonagall took five points from Hermione, but she awarded five points each to Ron and me. She said not many first years could take on a fully-grown troll and come out fine.
But I think that Ron and I will get along much better with Hermione from now on.
Love,
Harry
Dear Harry,
YOU AND RON TOOK ON A MOUNTAIN TROLL?!
I AM SO PROUD!
This is the second letter this year that tells of an experience where you could have been killed! THIRD! If you count the incident with the broom.
Your mother does have a point. On the other hand, you also have a habit of getting out such situations without a scratch.
I can't imagine a way to save Hermione without confronting the troll, as there wouldn't have been time to get the teachers all the way from the dungeons. I'm proud you went back for her, but I wish you wouldn't get into such dangerous situations. Be careful, Harry.
I think you two will be a good influence on Hermione. It takes the fun out of life to follow the rules all of the time.
What your father means is that you should follow the rules almost all of the time, just don't stress about it.
That's one way to think about it. Congratulations again on knocking out a mountain troll at age eleven.
Keep up with your studies.
And quidditch!
Love,
Mum and Dad