Disclaimer: Everything and everybody belongs to J.K.R., blah, blah, blah, you already know that... Ah! Stop. I've created a few people that do not belong to J.K.R., like annoying Celina Pryce or my two Death Eater idiots or a new woman appearing in this chapter for the first time (Okay, you got me, I'll tell you her name now: Anryn. And now don't bother me about her...) or a few other people appearing in further chapters (NO, now I am definitely not going to tell you who they are!). But I'll try very hard not to create too many new people, I promise.
And to all the people, who put me on their Author Alert list: I'm a very absent-minded human being, so please forgive me that I'm not only working on "Letters to Him", but also translating some English fics into my mother tongue. If you know some awesome fics, just tell me and I'll read and maybe translate them .
Thanks to everyone who commented on Chapter Three (or others):
Mason03: Thank you! First I wrote the letter to a friend whose father died, but I changed a few things and added a whole storyline and now here we go, Chapter 4 is up! #grins#
Curlycurlz: Thanks, if I need one, I'll take one of these names, but I hope I don't mess up genders and things like that ...
Draddog: Hey, I'm glad you like it! Keep reading and reviewing!
Ferokeroberos: Thanks, I really try not to keep you waiting too long. And forgive me all my mistakes, I'm a loser. Anyways, what does "Ttyl" mean?
Queen-of-sapphires: Yes, I know that scene when Cho helped Harry to get rid of Filch, it was so cute! Anyways, I needed her to have an own owl, so she got one to her 17th birthday. Don't complain, I'm the author! I'll mention it if it fit's in, I promise!
PIRO the unforgiven one: Oh, of course, take as many as you want! #grins# But leave a few for the other reviewers!
HoshiHikari4ever: Hm, I'm sorry, I've planned the whole thing through until the end of summer (but I'll keep on writing, I promise) and Cho won't tell it to somebody until it's nearly too late ... whoops, what was this? Bad, bad Susie, don't spoil any more! Anyway, I think you'll find Chapter 5 very interesting then...
Tami!!gurl: Well, I love suspense ... or rather, leaving you in suspense! But thanks a lot, take a cookie!
Sheen Rox: Thank you so much, because of you I'm spoiling again... Harry will find out about Cho on his birthday. And Chapter 4, this one, hehe, takes place on 24 July. (Am I crazy if I know exactly what happens on which day?) Anyways, I have to thank you for your corrections, I liked them very much!
James: Well, this is a good question, and I haven't really thought about it now because it'll happen some time in the future, but I know for sure that the point when she recognizes that she really loves him is ... whoa, don't spoil again, Susie! #bangs her head against the monitor like crazy Dobby# But she'll definitely do. But not now. Sorry, really can't tell you more now. #begs for pardon#
Thanks to my beta-readers Sheenrox and ERMonkey!(Hey, Caff-Break Dancist, are you still alive or did you die waiting for a new chapter?)Anyway, without you lot I'd be lost, so thank you VERY MUCH FOR DOING THIS!
And one last thing: By next week, I'll get posted a shortstory about Ginny. In English. Read it, please, and give me a little review! #begs#
And finally: On with the story! Enjoy!
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Chapter 4
Advice
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A few days had passed.
Harry was very glad that his Aunt Petunia was able to move again, so he hadn't had to do everything alone any longer. Aunt Petunia chatted again with the neighbours and could do smaller jobs again. Because of this Harry had a bit more free time. Above all, he used it to learn, because Harry had made a decision. Of course he didn't want Voldemort to get more power to hurt or kill the innocent as it had happened in the past, and the most important of all, he wanted to defeat the Dark Lord. But above all, he didn't want to be one thing: a helpless boy. The rest didn't matter to him. He really wanted to become a weapon, and he wanted to defeat Voldemort, prophecy or no prophecy.
Since he had thrown Dudley, without a wand, but definitely with magic, out of his room, he practiced simple spells without using his wand. Up to now he hadn't succeeded yet, no matter how hard he tried, but he wasn't going to give up.
Besides he had decided to put his hatred against Snape into the background (at the moment he had to worry about things that were more important, he could hate Snape when Voldemort was dead – if they would all survive) and he had continued with his Occlumency exercises before going to bed.
Dudley hadn't mentioned the 'incident' in Harry's room and his parents didn't know about it. He talked even less with his cousin and left Harry in peace. Harry also hadn't said anything about it. Who could have told anyway? The Dursleys would have blamed him, and if he had told Moody and Lupin, they would have come to the Dursleys and in the end it would have been Harry's fault again. So he had just pretended to have stomach-ache – which he actually did have, in a way – and had gone to bed early.
Dudley and Celina had their first row, it was – how could it be different? – Harry's fault. Dudley was sulking because Celina obviously found that Harry and his friends in capes (in the middle of the summer) were more interesting than him. Harry ignored them.
After this incident with Dudley, Harry dreamed every night. Sometimes he awoke bathed in sweat, on other days just a strange feeling, which he couldn't describe, remained. But he could never remember his dreams, so he didn't get too preoccupied with them.
Harry stood up straight and examined his work so far. He had spent the whole afternoon plucking out weed in the garden. It was still very hot; he could feel the tingling sunburn in his neck. Eventually he heard some footsteps behind him. Harry turned around quickly and saw Celina. She cleared her throat.
"What are you doing here? How long have you been watching me?" Harry asked, he didn't care whether he was being impolite or not, why should he?
"Ah, I've just come over here. But I've been watching you for quite a while." She smirked.
"What? Why? Are you..." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Are you one of ... you know..." He didn't dare saying more as he saw her puzzled face.
"What? I can perfectly see into your garden from the window of my room. Harry, you have got a sunburn in your neck."
He rubbed his neck. "Thanks, I've noticed it." He looked her in the eyes for a brief moment, then he decided to finally do it. "Celina, I'd like to know something. And I'd like to get an honest response."
She opened her eyes wide. "What is it, Harry?"
"Well," he started. "Why are you watching me all the time when you're Dudley's girlfriend? Why can't you just leave me in peace?"
"Ah, um, well, this is a bit complicated to explain..." She examined her shoes. "You see...to begin with I thought that I was in love with Dudley..." She trailed off, looking as if she didn't want to say any more.
"But then…" Harry prompted.
"Ah, well, and then I saw you, and when those strange insurance agents appeared a few days ago – they weren't insurance agents really, were they? – you were just…so cool, you just threw them out..."
Harry understood. This girl was fully in love with him. He got a headache from talking to her, besides he didn't know what to do next. So he just turned around and went into the house, leaving Celina in the garden.
As soon as he arrived in his room, he took the answers he had received from Ron and Hermione.
He had got Ron's letter promptly, with an answer he should have been able to guess.
Harry,
If I were you, I'd just get out of her way and I wouldn't talk to her any longer. Fred said that he and George are working on a new sweet filled with love potion, but I don't think that it'll actually work. Love potions never work properly. But if necessary, you could try them on your cousin and that girl.
Mum said that Dumbledore would visit us in three days and we might be able to convince him to let you live with us in August. Hopefully he'll agree! Your relatives are the smaller problem then.
Bye, Ron
Harry sighed heavily. He had already thought of the possibility of getting out of her way, but it hadn't worked too well. The girl followed him everywhere, even in his garden!
Hermione's letter had just arrived that morning with a postcard from Bulgaria. She'd visited Viktor Krum, and Harry knew Ron wouldn't be too happy about that. Harry didn't mind so much, if Hermione wanted to visit Krum he didn't see why she couldn't.
To Harry's horror, she told him to talk to Celina about his true feelings, whether they were to Celina's favour or not. She had to live with it and to respect his feelings. The later he talked with her, the harder it would be for him, so it would be better for him to do it as soon as possible.
She agreed with his opinion about the wandless magic. She wrote that he should practice and bring his power under control and master his talents. He was already working on it, because this ability could be very useful. Besides, it could be dangerous if he didn't practice. Who knew what he could accidentally do?
Well, so he had to talk to Celina. And Harry too thought that it would be better to talk to her immediately; in the long run he could end up with problems that, if he acted now, would be avoidable.
He walked out of the house and looked for the girl, and again, he heard some footsteps behind him.
"Hello?"
Harry turned around and saw a beautiful young woman with long, blonde hair and two huge trunks, a suitcase and a handbag on her shoulder, standing on the sidewalk. She looked quite normal except for her huge pink earrings. He thought that she couldn't be much older than himself, and at the same time he was annoyed that he was delayed in talking to Celina.
"Eh...yes?"
"Are you living here?" the woman wanted to know. Now he was in a fix. If he said no, she would know immediately that it was not the truth, but if he said yes and she was a Death Eater... But on the other hand, a Death Eater would never plan an attack in broad daylight and on a public street, would they?
"Yes..." he answered frowning.
The young woman smiled happily. "Then maybe you can tell me how to get to Wisteria Walk?" Now he recognised her American accent. "You know, I wanted to save the money, so I took the train, but now, I'm here, I have no idea how to get to Wisteria Walk. I should have taken a taxi..."
"No, it's not that far away," interrupted Harry. "But don't you need some help with your luggage? I could..."
"No, that's very kind of you, but I can handle them alone. If you just could explain the way for me..."
"Yeah, sure." So he told her where to go and wondered, why on earth she didn't get into a sweat, as she carried the heavy trunks as the sun was still shining brightly down. But he was very glad not to lose even more time by playing the porter for her. Eventually he had to find Celina and ditch her, although they had never been a couple...
"Um...Miss?" Actually Harry didn't know what he was going to do. The young woman turned around very gracefully with her luggage.
"Yes? What is it?"
"If you...if you like somebody and they didn't like you at all, what would you do then, when they told you?"
"Oh, I think at first I'd hide in my room and cry, and then I'd do everything to get him back." Harry swallowed, but then she smirked. "It's better if you make clear that she has no chance to get you. Good luck!"
She walked away, her handbag swinging dangerously on her shoulder.
"Harry!!!" He winced and turned around. Celina was running to him. "Harry, who was that..."
"No," he interrupted. "Celina, I-I'm not interested in you, so please stop running after me like a little dog, just leave me in peace. Goodbye." He turned around and set off back into the house.
"Harry, no, listen to me! It's not how you think it is!" She called after him.
But he didn't pay attention to her words, but went directly back into the house.
In the next few days Harry managed to keep away from Celina pretty well, and when they did meet, he moved away as fast as possible. She looked very sad when he turned away, and he did feel a bit sorry for her. He wondered what Celina could have meant with her last words. "It's not how you think it is..." What did she want to say?
When Harry went up to his room after escaping Celina, he found quite a few letters waiting for him.
Lupin had sent back the anonymous letter which Harry had given him to check it over. The small piece of paper looked a bit worn out, the ink looked darker than usual ink and the parchment was shimmering light blue.
Lupin had attached a letter from himself in which he mentioned that the letter had been charmed and could only be opened by Harry himself. (Funny learning it now, when he already had opened the letter...) He also wrote, that the parchment was okay, but nonetheless Harry should stay vigilant and not act without thinking. After he had put the letter aside, it enflamed itself and left nothing than a small heap of grey dust.
Ron wrote about some research experiments of the twins that had gone wrong and about Dumbledore allowing Harry to come to the Burrow. Of course the letters contained very few information – like in the previous summer –, but at least he got some letters.
Hermione didn't write some news at all as she still was with Viktor Krum in Bulgaria and she wouldn't return until the end of July. Her letters seemed happy and joyful; she wrote about things like Today we visited Sofia, the capital city, and you know, when you're wandering through the shopping malls, you really don't think that you're in eastern Europe... or Have you got your OWL's yet? I'm dying waiting for them. What does it take them so long to evaluate the results of the exams?
And, of course, there was the anonymous writer. Meanwhile Harry had found out some details about them: It was a girl writing the letters; no boy would have a handwriting like that and besides, she had betrayed herself because of small things, for instance she mentioned that she loved reading the romances by Terrina Murch. Which boy would admit that he read love stories? Harry had learned from Ron that Ginny often irritated him using quote from romantic novels by authors like Turrina Murch.
But all in all, Harry learned a lot about the life of the girl and he tried to write something about himself too – but never too much. He has taken Lupin's advice to heart. After all, you never know...
A/N: Um, hey, important question: Do you mind if I create a few more new people? I won't make them into main characters, but it would be fun playing with them...
And I'm sorry, this has been a very short and lame chapter, but, well, I posted it very soon (whoa, only 32 days after the last one ... I'm really improving #grins#), and you know this phenomenon, I had to finish here because the next chapter will be totally different and it wouldn't fit to this one because:
Next Chapter: Some people will visit Cho, but no, Harry won't be one of them, you idiots, he doesn't know at all that his pen friend is a certain Ravenclaw female... AND we'll meet some other people...