Chapter 4 – Winter term letters.
Hi Harry.Sept 2nd
See! I promised I'd write to you! I miss you already but it's great here! There was the Sorting Dinner where all us first years had to get sorted into our houses. You know the houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. I got sorted into GRYFFINDOE…Ron says it's because I'm brave but the smart girl Hermione said that it wasn't just that. Ron is the youngest boy in that family that helped us onto platform nine and three quatrters. Ron has lots of older brothers too but his twin brothers Fred and George (or Gred and Forge) keep asking me questions about you. They keep asking if it was weird to be apart from you. I told them yes. They are really funny, they always finish each other's sentences and make pranks.
Guess what else! I'm famous! Famous as in like singers and actors are famous! I'm famous because on the night Mum and Dad died I defeated You-know-who. No-one bothered telling me the bad guy's name but they all call him 'you-know-who' or 'he-who-shall-not-be-named'. It's kinda annoying.
Classes were good today. Charms and Transfiguration were easy because you and Dud helped me before hand. Hermione knows everything though, she memorised the whole freaking book! Potions was horrible though! It was horrible. Our teacher is called Proffessor Snape and he kept asking me these horrible hard questions then made fun of me for not knowing what the answers. He kept saying "fame clearly isn't everything now is it Potter". He doesn't like me and I hate him!
Anyway, I'd better go. We all have to go to sleep for a while because we have Astronomy class at midnight tonight. Night night brother.
Love Danny
P.S. Send a reply with Horus or Hedwig.
Dear HarrySept 20th
Snape is horrible! He gave us this really long essay and it's really hard. It's all about this potion that we made in class today and Neville, a boy in my class, managed to blow his caldron up! What do you know about the Forgetfulness potion? I can't even find the stupid thing in my book now, I lost the page after class!
Anyway, Potions is definitely my worst class. We share the class with the Slytherins and they are aweful. They are always insulting us and this horrible person called Draco Malfoy keeps making fun of Ron and me. He calls Ron a weasel and keeps telling me our parents were fools for going against you-know-who. I really want to just hex Malfoy but I can't find the time to.
How's things at home? Is Vernon better yet? Hermione got ill with flu the other day but our school nurse cured her after a day. I hope school is okay. I wish you and Dudley were here though. Ron is okay most of the time and Hermione can be annoying but they are nothing up against you and Dud. If you were here I'm sure we would be able to play loads more pranks. Maybe if you get better this year you can come next year to Hogwarts.
Love Daniel.
P.S. Ron, Hermione and I were hiding from Filch today and we found a Three-headed dog in the third floor corridor Dumbledore told us not to go into. Before you say anything we didn't mean to go in there! But besides that, it was huge this dog. Bloody massive. Hermione said it was standing over a trap door so it was obviously guarding something important. Hermione's a nut case though so I don't believe her that much.
Danny,Oct 2nd
Guess what! Aunt Petunia took me to Diagon Alley again today because I couldn't go to school because of…anyway, she took me there for fun and in the ice cream shop Aunty started talking to me about going to Gringotts to see if they knew how to go about getting me a tutor for at home. Anyway, this French girl overheard us and she sat at out table and started talking. Aunty Petunia was really happy because she told me later that she'd always wanted to learn French. The French girl said her name was Madeline Tremaine. She said she'd just finished her schooling at Beauxbatons, a school for witches in France somewhere. She said she was looking for a job in England and overheard Petunia talking. Aunt Petunia invited her to tutor me after Madeline managed to convince her that she was trustworthy and clever and everything else.
Now Madeline is living with us and she's tutoring me in magic and in French. Instead of paying Madeline Petunia offered for her to just live with use. Dudley and I now share a room so Madeline can sleep in Dudley's old bedroom and we also use that room as a classroom. When I'm at muggle school, which Madeline insists is a waste of my time, she goes to work at Mrs Lawrence's flower shop.
Love Harry
To DannyOct 17th
Madeline's brilliant! She's teaching me loads and I can even hold a short conversation with her in French. She says I'm really smart and a very quick learner. We haven't covered any potions yet though and that's a shame but Madeline is teaching me about magical creatures and magical substances first because she said if I understand them then I can better understand potions. So I guess what I'm doing is like herbology for you but with all the things that can be used in potions to. Do you know, Madeline is a magical being. I don't mean a witch, I mean like a creature but a human creature if that makes sense. She wouldn't tell me anything else though, she said I had to "find out for myself".
This is a picture of Madeline so maybe you can help me find out what she is. She said it's like a human being and they all look like humans except when they are angry. She said her blonde hair is important as is her skin. Dudley says he likes her shiny blue eyes. Petunia says she is very graceful and poised but I don't know whether that helps. Ask some of the teachers or Hermione might know what she is. Please help me find out what she is. I have to go now.
Je vous aime. Au revoir.
Harry x
Harry & DudleyNov 1st
You will never guess what happened yesterday night! For Halloween
there was this huge feast at dinner time made up entirely of chocolates and sweets. No vegetables, no meats nothing but sweets. Smarties, doughnuts, toffee apples, chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott's Everyflavour Beans and lemon drops etc. Anyhow, in the middle of the feast Professor Quirrell burst into the hall shouting about a Troll in the dungeon. We were all herded off to our common rooms but Ron had upset Hermione earlier during Chrams class and she was hiding in the toilets and didn't know about the troll. Ron and I ran off to warn her about it but we saw the troll going into the girls loos where Hermione was. Ron and I went to save her.
Anyway, I managed to get my wand stuck up the trolls nose when I jumped on the troll. Don't even ask! It was an on the moment decision. Troll bogeys are nasty though. They're like glue and all slimy. Disgusting. Ron knocked the troll out with it's own club using the levitation spell we'd been practising in class. It was the same spell that he and Hermione had fallen out over. We beat the troll thanks to Ron and Hermione was fine. Professor McGonegall though only gave use a few measly points for our effort which was really unfair. And Snape had a bad leg so Hermione, Ron and I think he went to where that three-headed dog was. We reckon he's after what ever it's guarding.
Dudley, thanks for telling me about Harry. He's not telling me much about himself. Well done on your B in maths too.
Harry, you should have told me it was getting worse! You're my brother, you should trust me! I miss you loads and I feel really bad about not being there for you now!
By the way, I asked Hermione and Ron about Madeline and they said they didn't know what she was. Fred and George and Percy (Ron's oldest brother at Hogwarts – he has two more out of Hogwarts) just got this weird look in their eyes and said she was beautiful and I had to introduce them. They're bloody mad. I'm glad she's a good teacher and that you're doing well.
Love you and miss you.
Danny.
Bonjour Danny.Nov 2nd
Imbécile! Vous êtes stupide! Going after a TROLL what were you thinking! Madeline says that was a very stupid thing to do. After I read your letter out to everyone she paced around the kitchen throwing her arms around and talking rapidly in French. She said the troll could have killed you and it was only luck that saved you. Once she stopped being mature she said you were brave and honourable for going to rescue the girl…if still stupid. Auntie and Uncle are furious. Dudley is proud of you and I'm proud too. I still think you are a complete idiot but Madeline is right, it was brave. I hope you and Hermione and Ron can be friends now.
I don't understand why you didn't like her to begin with. Dudley disagrees with me on that, he says know-it-alls can be annoying. I think it's silly though. Disliking someone just because they are cleverer than you is just as stupid as not talking to Hufflepuffs because they are shier than you. Madeline says that judging people before you get to know them is half the problem in the Wizarding world.
I still don't know what magical being Madeline is but we are going to make our first potion on Saturday! I can't wait!
Je vous aime.
Harry.
HarryNov 5th
You are always saying Madeline this or Madeline that! Why? She doesn't sound all that brilliant to me.
Classes are back to normal now and the Troll incident has died down. I won't be able to write for a while though because our teachers are giving us lots of homework for some reason. That and I've got detention.
Danny.
To DannyNov 15th
I'm sorry I keep talking about Madeline. I just miss you so much and I'm always spending time with Madeline so she's kind of part of the family now. I really miss you. I'll try not to talk about her any more.
School's great at the moment. Dudley got another B in his maths test and I got an A. English isn't going so well though for me. I'm having trouble naming with verbs, nouns and adjectives. I can't separate the words into categories. I don't do French at school, I do German and it's really confusing too. Uncle Vernon is helping me with the Latin I have to learn at school though. Dudley doesn't have the same problem as me with German and Latin and English. He seems to be getting on okay but I'm having real problems.
My things are getting worse at the moment too. I know Dudley told you about them because you told me off before. I'm lucky if I can go a day without having a thing. The doctor still insists there's nothing wrong with me but I keep missing school and it's showing in all but my Maths and Science scores.
Bonne la chance.
Harry.
To HarryDec 1st
Sorry I haven't written to any of you in ages. I've been distracted here. As you know I got onto the quidditch team and we've had our first major match. Gryffindore won! I caught the snitch but mid way through the match someone started cursing my broom and I couldn't control it. Hermione managed to distract Snape from cursing my broom though and I managed to catch the snitch in my mouth. You remember the snitch right!
Anyway, I can come home for Christmas right? I really wanna see you guys and perhaps I'll finally get to meet Madeline. I'm sorry I got at you about her. Hermione talked to me about it because I was ranting in the common room and she explained that it was no good me being jealous and that you probably feel lonely without me being there and that Madeline is taking some of the slack. She also said that there were far more eventful things happening here than there would be in the muggle world and she would know because she gets the newspaper every morning and she's muggle born.
Maybe we should go see a wizard doctor to see if they know what's wrong with you. If it's getting worse and muggles know nothing about it then it's probably magical. And don't worry, I haven't told my friends about the thing. I'm not gonna tell them either. Hermione doesn't seem to accept that I want to keep it secret but Ron does. I think Hermione is just far too curious.
Love Danny.
Dear Danny.Dec 5th
Thanks for not telling about the thing. Yes you are coming home for Christmas. Make sure you send us a Christmas list though otherwise we won't know what to get you. I can't wait for you to get back.
I finally found out what Madeline is! She's a Veela. A veela is a magical creature that uses it's magic to lure prey. The book says they are kind of like the Sirens in Greek myths. Sirens use their voices to lure sailors to them and they are always beautiful creatures. The only difference is that Veela don't kill they just attract people to them. Madeline said it's strange to find someone like me who doesn't get affected by her appearance but I think I'm probably too young anyway. Now I think about it the clues she gave about her hair being so light and her skin being fair makes it a dead give away but since I've never heard of Veela before I guess I'm forgiven.
See you in a few weeks. I can't wait.
Je vous aime. Au revior.
Harry.