Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I own Parry Hotter, but not Harry Potter. Sorry.
Chapter Two Invitations and More Letters
Hermione Granger sat at her desk, an open book and several pieces of parchment in front of her. She had finished part of her Transfiguration essay, but she couldn't concentrate enough to do the rest. She never would have thought that she would rather daydream about Ron Weasley than do schoolwork.
Before she could lapse into a Ron-filled daydream, she heard a persistent tapping at her window. "Pig!" She exclaimed. A letter from Ron! But when she opened the letter, she saw that it was not in Ron's sloppy scrawl, but Ginny's neat handwriting.
Dear Hermione,
How are you? We're all fine here, and I'm sorry that I don't have any news about the war for you. I'm glad you're coming to stay though, we'll have a lot of fun. Harry says he's coming too! I'm so excited!
Have you finished the guest list for Harry's surprise party? I think you should invite Parvati, Padma, and Lavender. They're in your class so they'll hear about the party anyway. I just hope that Ron hasn't told Harry about the party. It would ruin the surprise.
Speaking of Ron, what is going on with you two lately? You were both pretty flushed when we were leaving the train station. I'm sure you just got in another row.
See you in a few days,
Ginny
Hermione gulped after reading the letter. Did Ginny know about she and Ron? Had Ginny seen them kissing at the train station? They hadn't exactly been discreet; they had only stepped behind a pillar when they had declared their feelings for one another. Hermione bit back a grin. Every time she thought about Ron and their kiss, her heart fluttered.
Pig was waiting impatiently for a reply to deliver. Hermione picked up her quill and began to write.
Dear Ginny,
I'm doing quite well, thank you. I'm glad that Harry's coming. His party will be great. I'll include the guest list in with this letter. I put Cho Chang on the list, do you think that's all right? She and Harry got into a bit of a fight, so I hope there's no hard feelings.
And as for Ron, I have no idea what you are talking about. We did not get in a row and there is nothing going on between us.
See you soon,
Hermione
She looked over her short letter. She felt bad about lying to Ginny about she and Ron, but she just wanted to keep it private for a while. Ron obviously hadn't told Ginny, and if Hermione told her, then Fred and George would taunt Ron without end. Hermione folded up the letter, and put it in an envelope addressed to Ginny, along with the guest list she had compiled earlier. Just as Pig was about to take off, she grabbed him and told him to wait. She sat down at her desk, and pulled out another sheet of parchment. At the top of the paper she wrote "Dear Ron". If he wouldn't write her a letter, then she would write him.
Once she was finished her letter to Ron (it was the fourth draft she had written and Pig was getting restless), she sent it off with the tiny owl. Hermione watched him fly away, and she also watched him collide with a large tawny owl that was flying towards her window.
"What is this, Owl Day?!" She said to herself, and let the large owl in. He dropped a letter on her desk and then perched on the windowsill very primly. He was obviously waiting for a reply. Hermione examined the letter. It was in a gold-accented envelope and the letter itself was bordered in a gold pattern. When she looked closer, Hermione saw that it was not a letter, but an invitation.
Mr. Neville Longbottom Cordially Invites You to a Celebration of Youth. Please Join Us on the Twenty-Eighth of July for a Party to Celebrate Mr. Longbottom's Sixteenth Birthday.
Gifts are Greatly Accepted, and Dress Robes are Suggested.
We Hope You can Join Us to Rejoice in the Merriment of Adolescence.
The writing itself was so fancy that Hermione could hardly even make out the words, but she got the meaning. Neville's grandmother had obviously tried to throw him the party of a lifetime, but instead he got what sounded like the most formal gathering that Hermione would ever attend. She sighed, and filled out the R.S.V.P. card that was included with the invitation.
Once the card was securely in the tawny owl's beak, Hermione looked over to see a snowy owl flying towards her window. Hedwig had no letter to deliver, but must have sensed that Hermione felt like writing one to Harry. She heaved another sigh. "Owl Day indeed."
Ron was sitting on his bed, his Potions book open in front of him. He was attempting to write an essay about the effects of a Growth Potion on living creatures. He was also attempting to get his mind off of Hermione, both with no success.
A polite tapping on his window interrupted his perfect daydream. A large tawny owl with an envelope in its beak glared at him through the windowpane. Ron let him in, and a very fancy invitation was dropped onto his desk. Ron read the note through, and then called to his sister Ginny.
"Ginny!" After a few moments she appeared at his doorway, looking annoyed. "We've been invited to Neville's birthday party." He showed the invitation to his sister. "Looks horribly dull, doesn't it?" Ron added.
"I expect it's his Gram who organized it," She said to him, taking the R.S.V.P. card out of the envelope and examining it.
"Then she must be having a major mid-life crisis if she wants to celebrate the Merriment of Youth," Ron said, snickering. Ginny giggled. "Or would that be end-of-life crisis?" Laughing, Ginny picked up the letter and went into her room.
Ron had gotten comfortable back on his bed and was seriously considering writing his Potions essay when his concentration was interrupted again, this time by someone yelling his name.
"Ro-on!" Ginny yelled, tauntingly. "Could you come here for a moment?!" He shrugged, and went to Ginny's room. He walked in to find her holding two letters in one hand, and Pig in the other. "Ron, you have a letter," She said slowly, a mischievous grin on her face.
"Who from?" He said suspiciously.
"Hermione," Ginny answered in the same singsong voice. She sarcastically sniffed the letter. "It smells so good!" She looked ready to burst out laughing. "Is it perfumed?"
"Give it here!" Ron lunged at her and grabbed the letter. Ginny fell onto her bed from laughing as her brother stomped angrily up to his room.
"You're lucky Fred and George aren't here!" She yelled up to him between laughs.
Ron slammed the door to his room and glared at Pig. "Ruddy owl! You're supposed to deliver the letter to who it's addressed to!" Ron sat on the edge of his bed, the letter from Hermione still in his hands. He wondered if Ginny wasn't lying about the letter smelling good, and timidly sniffed it. It did smell quite good, but not like it was perfumed. It smelled like Hermione, like flowers and books. He took a deep breath, and opened the letter.
Dear Ron,
How have you been? I've been fine. The weather here has been wonderful. And I do hope you have been doing your homework. The Potions essay was ghastly, but I finished it well enough. And I wrote a foot more than Professor Snape wanted, I hope he won't mind.
I'm glad that Harry can come to stay at the Burrow. He's always so miserable at his aunt and uncle's house, and I'm sure that this year it's ten times worse.
I'm also really excited to be staying with you and your family over the summer. I think that you and I have a lot to talk about that shouldn't be said in a letter.
I can't wait to see you-
Love,
Hermione
Ron read the last three lines over and over. I can't wait to see you- Love, Hermione. Love, Hermione. That didn't mean that Hermione loved him, of course. Not necessarily. Ron smiled to himself. She couldn't wait to see him! Just as he was about to jump for joy, he read the last paragraph again. I think you and I have a lot to talk about that shouldn't be said in a letter. What was that supposed to mean? Did it mean that she fancied him, and wanted to tell him properly? Or that she was sorry that she led him on by kissing him, and that she just wanted to stay friends?
He let out a groan of frustration. He would never understand girls.
The sun was setting on Privet Drive, casting a pinkish glow on the streets and sidewalks. Harry lay on his bed, reading Quidditch Through the Ages for about the tenth time. He read peacefully until he felt a gentle nipping on his ear.
"Hedwig!" The snowy owl flew over to his desk, indicating a letter that she had delivered. Harry opened it quickly when he saw Hermione's neat handwriting on the front.
Dear Harry,
I do hope your aunt and uncle have been treating you well. I can't wait to go to the Burrow. We'll have lots of fun with the Weasleys. And I expect you've been invited to Neville's party as well. It sounds really formal, and completely out of Neville's hands. And I'm going to have to stop at Madame Malkin's for new dress robes while I'm in Diagon Alley. I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron for a night with my parents, and then I'll go to the Burrow by Floo Powder the next day. And I don't know when you're arriving, but I suppose you don't either.
See you at the Burrow-
-Hermione
After Harry read the letter, he glanced at the fancy gold invitation on his desk. He had gotten an invitation from Neville, but he wasn't sure if he'd even be allowed to go. Would they let him leave the Burrow? Security couldn't be that tight. But he still hadn't sent a reply to Neville, and was starting to feel guilty about it. He quickly filled out the R.S.V.P. card, but left a note attached to it, saying that he would love to come, but he wasn't sure if he had permission. He sent Hedwig off to deliver it.
Harry glanced around his room. All of his belongings were packed up, with the exception of Quidditch Through the Ages and his quill. He was happy to finally leave the Dursleys, even though he had only been there a few weeks that summer. And at least this time he had some warning before some strangers just burst into his house.
Just then, as if someone was reading his thoughts, Harry heard a loud rumble from downstairs, as if several people had fallen over on the floor.
A/N: Heehee, sort of a cliffie!