The next morning Hermione scampered down to the Great Hall with Harry and Ron panting behind her, and she breathlessly awaited the morning flurry of owls to bring forth her copy of The Daily Prophet

A/n: all right, now that I'm over my writer's block and know where I'm going with the story, it shouldn't be more than a couple more weeks. Of course, it's just the reviews that have brought me this far…(hint, hint…) ~Jerry

The next morning Hermione scampered down to the Great Hall with Harry and Ron panting behind her, and she breathlessly awaited the morning flurry of owls to bring forth her copy of The Daily Prophet. Harry didn't look too enthusiastic about the entire thing, but he was curious to see if they would print Hermione's letter.

A tawny brown owl came with Hermione's copy of The Daily Prophet, and she practically bombarded it with five Knuts as she tore her newspaper out of its beak and flipped straight to the Opinion and Editorials section.

"Did they print it?" Ron asked, unable to hide his enthusiasm in spite of himself.

Hermione skimmed all the letters to the editor. "No," she said, sounding put out.

"What?" Harry asked. "But…they wrote back and all…"

"I know, it seems weird, doesn't it?" Hermione replied. She skimmed through it again. "Maybe there's a follow-up on yesterday's article…" She started flipping through the news section.

Harry and Ron served themselves some sausage, bacon and toast while Hermione kept searching.

"I don't believe this!" she said. "Nothing at all? After all that scoop I gave them?"

"Maybe they're still investigating it for tomorrow," Ron suggested.

Hermione sighed and put down the paper. "Yeah. Maybe," she said.

In spite of Harry's curiosity, Hermione's letter was the least of Harry's worries that week. That morning the Gryffindors had their first day back to Potions with Snape and the Slytherins. Whatever Snape had to do last spring with Voldemort's rising, it definitely didn't soften him at all, for he was just as cruel to the Gryffindors as ever before, especially with Harry. However, Harry saw Snape in a new light. Both were in the fight against Voldemort, and no matter what, Harry wondered whether he and Snape could make a sort of truce the way Sirius did only a few months ago. Therefore Harry didn't protest when Snape took ten points from Gryffindor when Ron called Draco a worthless git, much to Ron's annoyance.

"He's no better than he was last year," Ron complained as they walked out of Potions.

"People don't change, Ron, I hate to tell you," Hermione said bitterly.

Harry said nothing. That sounded like everything that contradicted with Dumbledore's belief about people getting a second chance. Many thoughts whirled through Harry's head. For once he was having scruples about being horrible to Snape, even though he didn't voice this to his friends. Harry knew Snape hated him since his first day at Hogwarts, but only two years ago Lupin was saying how Snape did not so much hate Harry as resented Harry's father playing a joke on him.

"What's on your mind, Harry?" Hermione said, noticing Harry's silence.

"Oh…just thinking about that article," Harry lied, to get Ron and Hermione to stop talking about Snape.

"The one that wasn't printed?" Hermione said. "I'm thinking of writing another."

"I'd wait a few days before I did," Ron answered. "You never know."

They stopped talking once they reached History of Magic. Harry and Ron sat in the back while Hermione took her usual spot in the front row, center, and before long Professor Binns walked through the chalkboard, pulled out his notes, and started reading. Harry sighed as he started taking lecture notes with his quill and parchment. Another year, another pile of unread notes.

There was no article about Joanne Kathleen Rowling's new book that Saturday…or Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Hermione looked frustrated by Wednesday morning, and she stood from the table and said that she was going to write another letter. Harry sighed, but there was nothing he could do, since Hermione tended to do whatever she liked whenever she liked. She came back at lunch with a new letter ready for Hedwig to deliver:

To Whom It May Concern:

I find it disconcerting that the latest letter I wrote to The Daily Prophet involving Ms J.K. Rowling's new book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, to be published by Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc. (a Muggle institution), remains unnoticed and underreported. The idea that any witch or wizard would reveal our world to any Muggle is and remains a felony with 8 to 15 months imprisonment at Azkaban, under the Muggle Restriction Law, Section 5B of Article X.

I admit I have not read Ms Rowling's latest work. However, given the title and the publisher, one could easily assume that she has indeed violated such an international law, and I would like to see some sort of investigation into the matter at hand.

Sincerely,

Hermione Granger

"I also made a copy for Bloomsbury and the Ministry of Magic," Hermione said briskly, looking excited about her letter.

"Wow, you really did your research, Hermione. I didn't know half of this stuff, and considering what my dad is, that's a lot," Ron answered. For Ron, that was the highest compliment he could have given Hermione. She glowed at his words.

But Harry wasn't too impressed. "I don't know what the big deal is," he said rather bluntly, "I mean, so what, she wrote a book? So have millions of writers."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "She is violating very strict laws about keeping the wizard community a secret, Harry. I mean, what would the Muggle community do if they found out about us? Burn us, like in the Medieval times?"

Harry knew Hermione meant to be funny, but it wasn't until then did he understand the severity of breaking Muggle Restriction laws. Finally he understood what Hagrid meant when he said four years ago, "Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone." He couldn't help but wonder what sort of consequences Ms Rowling's book would bring if she really did intend to expose Muggles to the wizard community, even if the book said on the cover it was fiction. There would be people flying from all over the world trying to get into Platform Four and Three Ninths, and Harry couldn't safely go anywhere around town with his already trademark glasses and lightning scar.

"Yeah, okay, send the letter. Do you want me to get Hedwig for you?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded. Ron also got out Pigwidgeon, but they were uncertain how to send out the letter to Bloomsbury. Ron thought they should use a Hogwarts owl, but Hermione and Harry both thought that the best way would be through Muggle post. Ron pointed out that there was no way they could do such a thing, for no wizard used Muggle post – none in Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, that is. Finally Harry decided they would ask Sirius to deliver the letter through normal Muggle post, for Sirius wrote in his latest letter that he and Lupin were passing by London that next week. So they sent out a barn owl with a letter to Sirius attached, explaining the situation. Harry left the rest up to his godfather.

The Gryffindors had a lot of homework to do that evening, as Professor Binns assigned five chapters from A History of Magic, and Snape wanted an essay on Fiber Sploosh by next Tuesday. Harry was able to get most of the reading done, but the essay would have to wait for over the weekend. He was just about to retire when Hedwig came at the window with a reply from The Daily Prophet, addressed to Hermione.

Harry took the letter out of Hedwig, giving her some of his Chocolate Frog he was snacking on as a reward, and she hooted her thanks as she perched on his shoulder, not quite ready to return to the Owlery. Harry brought the letter over to Hermione, who was just finishing up with Snape's essay and already had the reading done. When Hermione saw the letter she grabbed it and tore it open.

"What does it say?" Harry asked curiously.

"I'll read it aloud," Hermione replied: "Dear Ms Granger: Research indicates that we have written no such article about Ms Rowling's new book, which will supposedly be released this November. However, upon your last letter we have contacted Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc. and are awaiting their response to see if their facts verify yours. Thank you for writing to us. We will keep you updated on our research. Sincerely, Langston Hearst, Managing Editor, The Daily Prophet. Hmmm. How curious," Hermione finished.

Harry was definitely puzzled by such a letter. He reread it, just to be sure. "But – I read the article. You read the article. They never printed it? Hermione, do you still have the clipping?" There must be some mistake. That had to be it.

"I – no," Hermione answered, looking just as puzzled as Harry felt.

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I," Hermione responded, "But perhaps between the two of us we'll be able to figure it out."