The Gryffindor common room was nearly empty. Only a scattering of first-
and second-years sat frantically doing homework. To calm herself down,
Hermione went over and asked if she could help any of them. Only one
accepted, a chubby, nervous boy who reminded Hermione painfully of Neville,
so she spent ten minutes explaining why Wendelin was Weird and the reason
Uric was an Oddball.
Then she marched up to the Seventh-Year boy's dorm and knocked. Ron opened the door in a pair of blue plaid pajamas that were too short, making him look about ten. "What do you want? Nobody," he yelled back over his shoulder.
"Ron, get out of the way. I need to talk to Harry," Hermione said firmly, realizing that Ron was not going to be reasonable about this.
"Yeah, well, Harry doesn't need to talk to you." He tried to shut the door, but Hermione stuck a dragonhide-clad foot in the way. She pushed past Ron, calling calmly, "Harry, can I borrow Hedwig?"
"Yeah, sure." As Harry let Hedwig out, Hermione crossed to the owl's cage and stroked her feathers. Harry grinned, an expression no one had seen on his face for quite some time. As he transferred Hedwig from his arm to Hermione's, she contrived to drop a small wad of parchment on the cage floor while accepting the owl.
Hermione pecked Harry on the cheek by way of thanks, causing Ron to mutter dangerously, and then strode out of the room, calling goodnights to all four boys.
Once in her bedroom, Hermione grabbed parchment, quill, and ink bottle from her desk and spread them around her on the bed. Hedwig sat patiently on the windowsill, munching the last of a box of Every-Flavor Beans.
Hermione made a list of everyone who needed a letter. It was surprisingly short. She got to work, and soon a pile of sealed missals sat beside her. She finished off with one to Draco, which she wouldn't send. Hermione planned to give it to him when he arrived, provided they both survived the encounter. For now, the letter joined the others under her mattress. They had been written over the last sixteen months, simply to assure Hermione of her grasp on sanity. She sincerely hoped Draco never saw some of them.
Tying up the postable parchments, she held them out to Hedwig, who grasped them in both claws with a longsuffering hoot and flapped out the window into the February night. Hermione watched her go, wondering if the owl knew that it carried the hopes of the wizarding world in its claws.
Then she marched up to the Seventh-Year boy's dorm and knocked. Ron opened the door in a pair of blue plaid pajamas that were too short, making him look about ten. "What do you want? Nobody," he yelled back over his shoulder.
"Ron, get out of the way. I need to talk to Harry," Hermione said firmly, realizing that Ron was not going to be reasonable about this.
"Yeah, well, Harry doesn't need to talk to you." He tried to shut the door, but Hermione stuck a dragonhide-clad foot in the way. She pushed past Ron, calling calmly, "Harry, can I borrow Hedwig?"
"Yeah, sure." As Harry let Hedwig out, Hermione crossed to the owl's cage and stroked her feathers. Harry grinned, an expression no one had seen on his face for quite some time. As he transferred Hedwig from his arm to Hermione's, she contrived to drop a small wad of parchment on the cage floor while accepting the owl.
Hermione pecked Harry on the cheek by way of thanks, causing Ron to mutter dangerously, and then strode out of the room, calling goodnights to all four boys.
Once in her bedroom, Hermione grabbed parchment, quill, and ink bottle from her desk and spread them around her on the bed. Hedwig sat patiently on the windowsill, munching the last of a box of Every-Flavor Beans.
Hermione made a list of everyone who needed a letter. It was surprisingly short. She got to work, and soon a pile of sealed missals sat beside her. She finished off with one to Draco, which she wouldn't send. Hermione planned to give it to him when he arrived, provided they both survived the encounter. For now, the letter joined the others under her mattress. They had been written over the last sixteen months, simply to assure Hermione of her grasp on sanity. She sincerely hoped Draco never saw some of them.
Tying up the postable parchments, she held them out to Hedwig, who grasped them in both claws with a longsuffering hoot and flapped out the window into the February night. Hermione watched her go, wondering if the owl knew that it carried the hopes of the wizarding world in its claws.