Inspired by "Meant to Live" The Beautiful Letdown. Switchfoot but unable to post the song on the site becaues of the ludicrous rules. Thank the lovely ShavariBlue for saving this story from its untimely demise.
Meant to Live
Chapter Two: Correspondence
by V. C. (Velvet Curtain)
Words: approx. 3500
Microsoft Word Web Pages: 3
Rating: PG (according to me, not the site)
Reasons: Harry's kind of ticked, there's light romance, and a few things I don't think would be appropriate for very young children. It's my personal feeling, but feel free to disagree.
Relationships: Harry/multi, Ron/Hermione, OC/OC
Summary: Harry gets ticked at having no control over his own life, so decides to take a bit of a trip to regain that control. On the way, he makes some pretty amazing discoveries. Some tragedy, lots of drama (a lot like a soap opera, I think), light romance (for now...), slight OOC (no one can be completely IC, I don't think), etc. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: If I owned this, I would not be writing this.
A/N: This is really just a quick filler chapter that I wrote when I got home from my exam (by the way, I'll probably get a B, or, if I'm lucky, an A-) just for a reviewer, korrd, who requested that I say what's going on in the UK. No, I'm not going to have Harry learn Chinese. Sorry, frozenwands, but I'm very American (McKinley's House of Magic is located on Detriot St., just down the road from my own school ;D), and my school only offers French and Spanish. Also, I'm practically clueless on Chinese culture. My elder sister and brother were born in Japan, but I still know next to nothing about that either. As fascinating as the ancient Chinese culture would be, I have other plans for this story. China doesn't quite fit. :D Yes, I will have a different language involved in the story, and yes, I will include some anceint magics, but that's a bit too foreign to me. I'd love to see someone else write it, though! I would particularly like to thank PsychicLunar for the awesome review. Thanks for the offer! I really hope I passed. :hehe: I really hate point-slope and slope-intercept. I can never remember the formulas. Trust me, I know all about slow updating. Whoever's been reading my other story knows, too:blushes: I can sympathize with them, but I am going to try to update lots now that it's summer. Woohoo! You will have to give me a few pardon weeks, though. I have a busy summer (cheer camp, HBP, vacation in Minnesota at my grandparents' cabin by the lake thank her, by the way, for getting me hooked on HP, and a wedding in Las Vegas. Plus, our school is ultra-evil and is starting August 18th :scowl:), but I will do my best. THANK YOU! I love comments on my writing! I had so much fun with that chapter. I thought I was going a bit OOC with the letters (Harry isn't normally that emotional), so thank you for assuring me that I wasn't being over-dramatic. I'm touching:smiles bashfully: That sounds lovely! Update quick enough? ;P By the way, I love the poem on your profile. DemonicK? I think there might have been a mix-up. Some on e-mailed me to tell me that my story had no link and signed as DemonicK, so I thanked them for making my story accessible to everyone! Apparently, there is more than one DemonicK, if that wasn't you. :D
Guess what, all? I got SEVEN reviews today! I came home after a very dull, boring, annoying, unthrilling Algebra exam, found out one was my friends was moving and a bunch more were leaving my school, was accused by my mother of being a witch (we have some issues to sort out, if you can't tell- it's ridiculous), and signed online to check e-mail with a throbbing headache and major cramps. Then, I find that I, in fact, have five reviews waiting in my inbox! While I was reading them, I got another one! Then, while I was typing up this filler, I got another one! It was so exciting! I feel all better now! Thank you all SO so SO much! I love you all! I know have a total of 23 reviews and 1 e-mail from fanfictioners in my folder! That's 24! (I may not be skilled with Algebra, but I can add.) Whoot!
I hope the extremely long, rambling author's note makes up for the very short chappie. I'll start writing the next chapter ASAP!Enjoy!
2. Correspondence
Ginny Weasley growled in the back of her throat. She was really ticked. It had been nearly a month since Harry had "disappeared," and the wizarding world was on the brink of insanity. Why the heck did people rely on Harry so much anyways? Of course, she knew, but the public didn't know why he was so important. They didn't understand. He was just a celebrity to them, but they still thought it was their business when he decided to take a break. Gah!
Currently, Ginny was glaring at the table in the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place as though wishing to set fire to it, doing her best not to lose her temper with the frantic people all around her. There was a full search in progress; Harry had known they wouldn't listen to him. Really, sometimes Ginny didn't know why he tried. No one was ever going to listen to him. They were being such idiots- how could they rely on him to save the world when they couldn't even rely on him to take care of himself? Honestly, they were completely bonkers. They kept Harry under lock and key for his entire life; if Dumbledore was so great, shouldn't he have seen this coming? Really, a hormonal teenage boy locked up in a small house in a boring neighborhood during the summer under constant supervision- and they didn't expect repercussions? Ginny could definitely sympathize with Harry.
"I still can't believe Harry would do something like this," cried Mrs. Weasley tearfully, making Ginny roll her eyes heavenward. How many times had she heard that in the past month? "He's so thoughtful- Really, are you sure he hasn't been kidnapped? Surely he wouldn't do this on his own…."
"What about the team?" wailed Ron, sounding like a lost puppy. Ginny actually felt rather sorry for him. She had never seen her brother so … lost. It was like he didn't know what to do with himself anymore, and he was always worried about Harry. "Without Harry, we have no chance at the cup!"
Ginny bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from shouting at him. They won the cup without Harry last year! Honestly, the world did not revolve around him. Yes, the fate of it rested on his shoulders, but the earth still followed a heliocentric path. Last she checked, Harry was not 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface. Perhaps his temper could rival it, but certainly not his attitude.
"I do hope he's learning something," said Hermione fretfully, wringing her hands as she sat across the table from Ginny, her hair bushier than ever from incessant tugging. "If he's in another country, I hope that it will at least be good for him. Honestly, why he chose this year of all years to leave is beyond me. Where could he be?"
"He always wanted to visit the ocean," put in Ron brightly, looking excited all of a sudden. "Maybe he went to the coast!"
"We've already checked, Ronald," snapped Mrs. Weasley. "Professor Dumbledore is holding some conferences with the representatives of the other countries to see if we can locate him. Now sit down- you're wearing a hole in the rug."
Ron grumbled as he took the seat beside Hermione, running his hands through his hair, making it stand straight on end.
"I'm sure Harry is fine," sighed Lupin. He looked tired, Ginny noticed. He had been incredibly sad ever since Sirius had gone through the veil, but after Harry left he just hadn't been the same. He had no energy anymore. Ginny had caught him reading Harry's letter just the other day in the study, tears streaming down his face silently. She had left immediately as soon as she realized what it was- it took her a second to recognize the worn bit of parchment. Apparently, that wasn't the first time he had reread the letter. He was worse even than Ron, but Ginny could hardly blame him. He had lost all of his closest friends to Voldemort, and now he was losing the boy who was practically his nephew. He had, however, been spending more time with Ginny. They were a good match at chess, and Remus had taught her some fascinating curses and shields. She suspected that he knew she was Harry's contact, but he wouldn't try anything. He just looked so sad….
The room fell silent after Lupin's weary words.
"Remus is right," growled Moody, a distorted smile on his scarred face. "If anyone can take care of himself, that boy can. Say, Molly, have you any of that cake left? I had a bit of a craving earlier."
"Certainly," agreed Molly quickly, looking happy to have something to do. She bustled about to prepare the dessert as more people agreed with Moody. Ginny sighed, relieved. Once again, she held her tongue. Her temper went down slowly and she finally raised her eyes to look at Ron and Hermione, who were having a hushed conversation, no doubt about Harry. Honestly!
"I'm up to bed," she announced finally, standing from the bench as Ron and Hermione's whispers about Harry grew louder. "I have some reading to catch up on. 'Night, all."
That said, Ginny walked calmly out of the kitchen, Crookshanks at her heels. Crookshanks had been quite taken with her ever since they met, which disgruntled Hermione just a bit. Ron was pleased though- the less he saw of the cat, the better. Once she was out of hearing distance of the kitchen, Ginny stormed up to her room, careful to tiptoe past Mrs. Black's portrait. Her temper was rising again, and she didn't want to release it downstairs and accidentally let out Harry's secret. She shut her door quietly behind her, sat calmly on the edge of her bed, grabbed her pillow, pressed it firmly to her face, and screamed.
Ten minutes later, Ginny's pillow was a pile of feathers and tattered cloth. Her fingernails could do with a clipping, she supposed. All her furious energy gone now, Ginny lay back on her bed and closed her eyes wearily. This was getting old. It was the third pillow she ruined, and she let Hermione believe she angry at Harry for leaving. It kept her quiet, anyways. The loud-mouthed prefect had learned to keep her mouth shut about Harry around Ginny, who fixed her with a deathly glare every time she brought it up, not dissimilar to her mother.
A soft knock on the door disturbed her thoughts. Remus. He was the only one that knocked, really.
"Come in," Ginny called, sitting up and shoving the pillow remains underneath her blankets quickly, sitting on them to hide the oddly shaped lump. Remus entered, smiling sadly, and took the chair nearby. This wasn't unusual. Despite Ginny's disbelief that she was becoming friends with a former professor, Remus turned out to quite nice and very lonely. They were now on first name basis, unless they were around other people. He told her all the stories about when he was at school with the Marauders, and it seemed to do him good to have someone to confide in again.
"Angry?" he asked quietly, knowingly. He had learned to decipher her emotions by now, though he still rather obviously had no idea where they came from. He was very insightful.
"Very," replied Ginny with a heavy sigh. "You would think they would understand, but not even Ron and Hermione can give him space. Personally, I'm glad he left. He was getting a bit moody, and it would be nice for him to actually have a life."
Remus chuckled, shaking his head. "True, true. He does at least deserve that, what with the prophecy and all."
Yes, they both knew about the prophecy. Dumbledore told Remus after Harry disappeared, which made Remus absolutely furious. He had shared it with Ginny, as well, but they agreed not to tell Ron or Hermione. Being Harry's best friends, they would flip. Ginny was going to tell Harry that she knew about it in her next letter, just so he knew. After all, being his contact had responsibilities. It meant she told him everything. It was very fun- Ginny had started a letter to Harry a long time ago, just recording news as it came so that he could have a full update. Once she got his letter, she would add a response to his letter and send it along. It was rather like keeping a journal, actually, only not as personal. This one didn't talk back.
"So, up for a game of chess? I'm in a particularly vindictive mood at the moment. I could whoop you," challenged Ginny like a true Weasley. Remus mock glared at her.
"Now, now, Miss Weasley," he chided her with a small grin. "If you recall, it was I who whooped you last game."
"Like I said, I'm feeling vindictive," Ginny reminded him with a smile similar to that of a Cheshire cat. "Come on. I'm going to have to borrow Ron's set- my queen is still recovering from your knight's attack."
Later that night, Ginny snuck down to the kitchen while the others were asleep. She could hear her parents chatting up in bed, and Hermione was already asleep. As it was nearing two o'clock in the morning, Ginny wasn't surprised. Quiet as a cat, and just as slinky, Ginny made her way down the blackened halls with care, keeping in the shadows. Sometimes an Order member came in at an odd hour, so she was always on alert. She did this every night, having been given instructions from Harry to being this routine as of his departure. He said that was how she could contact him. So far, no letters had come, but Ginny kept the vigil.
She slid into the kitchen just as the clock turned to one-fifty-nine. One minute, and then she could go back up to bed. She reclined in a chair and stared at the table, stifling a yawn. As important as she knew this was, it was certainly tiring. She much preferred uninterrupted sleep. She sighed and turned her eyes to the clock, watching the second hand as it jerked around the face slowly, ticking softly. She yawned again. Oh, how she loved the early hours of the morning. She was going to kill Harry for this. Right after he killed Voldemort.
The second hand finally reached the minute hand, and together they moved to read two o'clock. Ginny returned her gaze to the table and smiled to find that, for the very first time, there was a bundle of letters on said table, with the top one addressed to her in Harry's familiar handwriting. Her sleepiness vanished as she took the letters, beaming. She left the room the same way she came and locked herself in one of the side rooms that she had long ago claimed as her own. No one ever came into this room, and she had cleaned it by herself.
Excitement coursing through her veins, Ginny took the letter from the bundle and opened it, staring at the seal for only a second. It was a deep burgundy with the crest of an eagle, which she assumed was for the United States.
Dear Ginny,
Wow! America is incredible! I love it here already! I'm a bit more recognized over here, but those contacts help a lot.
Central Park Avenue was great. You would love it. It was just as it was described in the book you read. There was a gorgeous garden in the center, too. I stayed at the inn, The Double-U Inn, and made some great friends. Ryan is the son of the owner of the bookshop in Central Park Avenue called Quick Thinking. It has all the school supplies. He's going to take it over for his dad when he's grown up. It's very funny, but he has red hair a lot like Bill's in style. Truly a Weasley color. He has green eyes almost exactly like mine, and he's practically a carbon copy of his father. He plays basketball for the school and taught me how to play this summer. His mum is really nice, too. Ryan's little sister, Rachel, is a good friend as well. She's got the same green eyes as her brother and dad, but she has blonde hair like her mum's. She's on the gymnastics team, and Ryan says she's the best one. She's a year younger than you. Actually, she's a lot like a quieter, much more sensitive version of you. Pretty funny, really. Ryan's friends, Tim and Nathan, are my friends now as well. Nathan is on the basketball team, and Tim is on the swim team. He's a real artist, too. A bit like Dean, really. He's my dorm mate (we only have to share a room with one other person here!), and he's really nice about my nightmares and such. I had one the first night here. Voldemort knows that I've gone and he has people searching for me.
Class is good. I'm taking Advanced Defensive Magic, Defense, Advanced Charms, Advanced Transformulation, Advanced Astronomy, Advanced Magical Creatures, Advanced Potions, and even Advanced Divination. Defensive Magic, Defense, and Charms are my favorite classes so far. Transformulation is a lot of review, and so is Magical Creatures and Astronomy. Divination is much better, mostly because there's no Trelawney, but I have a long ways to go to catch up. Potions really isn't so bad, but Snape doesn't teach us anything worth learning. Really, you should study up some more on different kinds of potions, how they react together, stuff like that. It's really proved helpful.
Tonight I'm going to talk to Ms. Davis (the Overseer, like Deputy Head) about having some kind of meeting. Everyone gives me weird looks, but they've been forbidden from asking me questions about my past. I want to get it out in the open, because some kids who ambushed me in the Sports Shoppe at Central Park Avenue made me promise. It's really awkward.
I'm going to try out for the basketball team, so I'll write to let you know how that goes. I might join the Art Club as well. Tim says I'm good, but I don't know yet.
It's really different here. It's really nice. Lincoln Hall is grand- really elegant and extravagant. So is the Dining Room. There are columns, marble, porcelain, flower vases, busts, stained glass windows, silver silverware, round tables, it's all really nice. They have a big swimming pool, basketball court, indoor football court, and gymnastics area. They have a theatre, libraries for each different grade, a weight room, and all sorts of other Muggle things. There are three floors above Lincoln Hall for the dormitories and floor rooms. The second floor is for the seventh and eighth graders, the third is for ninth and tenth, and the fourth is for eleventh and twelfth (my grade and the year above mine). There are two people per dormitory, and the dormitories are all lined up down two separate hallways, one for girls, and one for boys. The floor room is like the common room, only slightly different. They have all sorts of games in there, Muggle and magical alike. People do everything in their dormitories or floor rooms. There aren't any houses, which is actually kind of cool. You wouldn't believe all the stuff that's here!
I should end this now, but I've sent some letters for Remus, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, and a few other people along with this. Could you make sure they get them? You could just leave them on their plate or something when they aren't looking, but somehow could you get them to them? Thanks.
Really, thanks so much for helping me, Ginny. I can't thank you enough. It's great to get away for a while. I'll write again as soon as I can.
Best Wishes,
Harry
She smiled at his letter, thrilled for him. It was good that he was having a good time and had made new friends. She found it very amusing that they were so similar to Ryan's family. It was fascinating how similar yet different things were in America. She was almost jealous. She hoped one day she could meet his new friends- they sounded fantastic.
Ginny pulled the thick set of parchment from the drawer of one of the desks in the room where she had hidden all of her "Harry stuff," as she liked to call it, and sealed it up. There was his news, ready to go. She grabbed some parchment and a quill and set to writing him a more personal letter in response to his own. She encouraged him, teased him, chided him, and filled him in on everything that had happened that day before she folded it up and sealed it. Two letters, ready to go. Now she would just deliver the other letters and go to bed, and, hopefully, she would have replies to send back to him by nightfall.
With a smile still on her face, Ginny crept back down the dark corridors with ease. She slid the letters under doors, and finally crept back into her own room, resealing her own letter and setting it on the floor next to Hermione's. After checking that Hermione's breathing was still deep and even, Ginny crawled back into her own warm bed and curled up, hugging her new pillow tightly as she slipped into the world of the unconscious.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" A scream startled Ginny out of her very pleasant dreams and nearly scaring her to death. She clutched her hand to her heart, which was beating rapidly, and looked around to see what was wrong. All she saw was Hermione, jumping up and down excitedly and waving two letters in her hands with a wide smile on her face. Ginny bit back a smile and faked an annoyed glare.
"Why, in the name of Merlin, are you screaming bloody murder at-" Ginny checked the clock- "seven o'clock in the morning?" she demanded, pretending to be furious. Hermione did not look repentant.
"Harry wrote!" she screeched joyously, bouncing over to her bed and handing her the letter. Ginny stared at the letter with a blank expression on her face, and then she grinned at Hermione. If she was going to act, she was going to do it well. Very well. She squealed loudly and threw her arms around Hermione, acting for all the world as though she hadn't read her letter the night before. Inside, Ginny was laughing her head off. She had them fooled!
There were more screams all over 12 Grimmauld Place as other discovered their own letters. Mrs. Black had been woken by the chaos, and was now screaming obscenities at all of the people running from room to room, confirming that Harry had, indeed, written them a letter. Ron had burst into the girls' room, a broad, disbelieving smile on his face and his own letter in his hand. When he saw the letters they held, his grin widened and he whooped for joy.
It was Christmas in August for the occupants of 12 Grimmauld Place. Dumbledore was flooed immediately and joined in the celebration for a few minutes before disappearing again to inform the delegates from countries all over the world of this new development. Ginny greatly enjoyed watching everyone's reactions. They all thought she was smiling and laughing at odd moments because she was happy and relieved to have heard from Harry, while she was laughing and smiling at them and their antics. Hermione was running every which way, still in her nightdress, with Ron at her heels. Remus's reaction was the best, Ginny thought. As much fun as it was to see her mother faint dead away and her father looking as though he had discovered a new Muggle toy, Remus's beaming face was the best to see. She might have to add a postscript to Harry's letter to tell him about it.
Three days later, everyone was still in hysterics over Harry's letters. However, Ginny now had all the responses to send back. Much to her surprise, Remus knew that Ginny was the correspondent. She didn't know how he found out- had Harry told him? - but he knew. He had winked at her when he handed her the letter instead of leaving it on the table and had told her not to worry; he would keep her secret. To say she was surprised was an understatement. She added a second postscript under the one about the reactions to her own letter about that.
That night, Ginny snuck back down to the kitchen and placed the letters on the table, ready to go. She had checked for Portkeys and tracking spells, and had to remove one from Dumbledore's, and now they were safe for Harry to open. She tied them up in a bundle and set them in the center of the table. As the minute hand moved to read two o'clock again, the bundle vanished silently.
A/N:
I know, really short. I couldn't think of all that much that could be going on in the UK, but I did try, just for you, korrd. If anyone would like to write a UK chapter, I'd be happy to post it for them or recommend it. What would be brilliant would be if somebody wrote an entire side story to this, from the UK side. :hint hint: ;D I'm sorry if there are any mistakes- I wrote it in half an hour and didn't spell/grammar check. I apologize deeply and assure that it shall never happen again so long as I can help it. Thank you all for reviewing! Please, DO IT AGAIN! This is the most reviews I've ever had on anything, so I'm very excited. REVIEW!
Love,
V.C.