Standard disclaimers apply!

I do not own Harry Potter. I have nothing to do with Scholastic, Warner Bros or Bloomsbury. I'm not JKR and I am certainly not making any profit out of this.

Monday 28th September, 1998

Gryffindor Common Room

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

My Ron

You are a gossiping old woman and it sounds as though Harry and George are almost as bad!

Neville and Hannah are progressing along quite nicely, in their own quiet way. She had breakfast at the Gryffindor table this morning and I'm SURE they were holding hands under the table! He carries her books for her, and I've seen her brush dirt from his face more than once in Herbology. It's really the very sweetest thing ... and I'm rather tempted to gush, but I won't because that would draw attention to them, which I don't think they want.

Dean and Valerie are quite another matter altogether. I almost gave them a detention on Saturday night, because I kept on coming across them in various disused classrooms. I'm tempted to remind them, for the sake of my sanity and my eyes, just where the room of requirement is. Of course I WON'T, but it's still tempting.

Seamus is a complete Casanova and seems to have his eye on someone different every week (but thankfully not Luna). It's not helped at all by the fact that he's becoming rather popular with the sixth year girls (and a few of the fifth and seventh year girls too), who like to watch him at Quiddich practice. Have you ever heard of groupies? Seamus has groupies – and suddenly is MUCH happier to be the Gryffindor Seeker. He claims it's his Irish Charm and he really lays it on thick sometimes. Honestly, it's rather amusing to watch, and he's promised me (under threat of detention and dismemberment - and Ginny's bat-bogey for added measure) that he won't cross any lines.

I'm not even going to dignify the idea of Professors McGonagall and Flitwick with a remark - but it's not the first time I've heard the Pince and Filch theory; one wonders if it might be possible to actually get them together? Perhaps they'd be easier to get along with.

Professor McGonagall tells me it is perfectly acceptable for of-age students to leave Hogsmeade for a couple of hours on Hogsmeade weekends, as long as the student in question is back in Hogsmeade by 3pm.

Professor Slughorn has sent out his first dinner party invitations for the year. I don't particularly want to go, but Neville and Luna made Ginny and I promise we would.

It's great news that Harry's starting training! I'm about to write to him next. I've got no objections to our holiday being in September and I'm assuming you don't by the fact that you told Harry to ask me, so you two can sort it out between yourselves.

George, being the overly clever person he is, has told me that he's aware we're "up to something", and has offered to "smooth" our "way". I'm not entirely sure what he means by that, but talk to him and let him know what's going on.

Now I've got that other letter to write, and then about 12 feet of essays to get started.

Suddenly I'm feeling sappy and miss you even more than usual.

I love you, Ron.

Hermione

Dear Harry

Congratulations on getting into Auror Training! I know you'll do well!

I have good news!

You seem to have forgotten, or perhaps you didn't know, that Mr Thomas is a painter and Mr Finnegan is a builder. The best of both worlds! I think they would be the best option (assuming they're free at the time), because they're aware of the magical world (we'd have to go through Grimmauld Place with a fine-tooth comb before we had muggle tradespeople in) and I seriously doubt they'd be a security risk.

Think it over, and if you're willing I'll ask Dean and Seamus for their contact information.

It also occurred to me that your cousin Dudley might be useful in some way, with his contacts in hardware, but I'll leave that up to your discretion.

September is perfectly acceptable for our holiday. Ron knows where I want to go and you know where Ginny wants to go, so we'll leave you both to work out the details.

Now here's a question for YOU.

Ron has suggested (for a variety of reasons) that I offer Winky a position at Grimmauld Place. As much as I dislike the idea, I am seriously considering it (again for a variety of reasons). I don't know, yet, if I will or not, but I thought it best to get your opinion on it as Grimmauld Place is yours.

Now I must dash! Ginny is tapping her foot impatiently at me, as we are sharing an owl and she wants to send her letters off.

Love

Hermione

To My Favourite Chosen One

I KNEW YOU'D GET IN!!

As if they wouldn't take you! Even if you weren't Harry Potter, they would have taken you 'cause you're just THAT GOOD!

The picture of Teddy is gorgeous! I can't believe he's crawling already, and he's so big! Tell Andromeda that I really miss her cakes and our chats.

Hermione found out that over-agers can leave Hogsmeade for a couple of hours on Hogsmeade weekends. I know she and Ron are planning to go have a look at that screaming old bag, and Merlin knows what else they're going to get up to (I really don't need the visual, you know?), so I'd suggest we avoid Grimmauld Place.

That doesn't mean that I don't think we shouldn't take a leaf out for their book. What about a nice, secluded beach somewhere? Hermione also taught me a wicked little charm that I'm dying to try out on you and I swear you're going to love it.

I have to tell you! Neville and Hannah are SO CUTE that I just might have to die on the spot! They think no-one knows, but it's SO OBVIOUS they're together. I had to threaten Seamus with death so that he wouldn't tease them – poor sod, Hermione had already threatened him with detentions and such because the man is such a tart with all the sixth year girls.

Quiddich training is going great-guns. Your idea of training every third night has worked out really well, so I'll follow your advice and go to every second night two weeks before a game and every night a week before.

Vince and Robert are now really average beaters, instead of useless (they'll never be Fred and George, but we can't have everything, you know?) Evan is slowly starting to improve and Annie is shaping up to be a damn good little chaser. Dean's pretty good as a keeper – not as good as Ron when Ron's on form, but a lot better than Ron when Ron wasn't on form, so it all evens out. Now that Seamus (officially now known as That Irish Man-Tart) has stopped bitching, he's a bloody good seeker (which might have something to do with the bevy of girls that like to watch training – SO annoying). He'll never be YOU of course, but I think he'll win us a few.

I've got about 50 tonnes of homework to do, and I still have to send a quick note to Ron, so I'd better go. Hermione is scratching away and smiling like a mad thing, so she's obviously writing to Ron too ... are we SURE we want to go on holidays with them? It's sickening. HAH! Only joking.

"Only" a monthish until we see each other again. I miss the hell out of you and you clearly need to be taken in hand if you think that you're not going to be any good at this Auror business. I have absolute faith in you, so don't you dare tell me I'm wrong!

Love you to the end of the world and back!

Ginny

Hello Git

Don't worry, Hermione is fine and not working herself into a conniption (yet) - but I've never done so much fucking homework in my life, any advice on how to calm that down? My marks have never been better, but it's driving me mental.

Harry's having a bit of a moment, thinking he's only got into Auror Training because he's "Harry Potter", and I'm sure he's said nothing to you about it ... so sort it out (and don't say you know, blah blah blah).

We've had our weekly letters from the rest of the family. Everyone say's they're good, but is there anything I need to know? I didn't get any undercurrents or anything, but you know how it goes.

You look after our boy, and I'll look after our girl.

Love

Ginny