That evening, Ana and Kellen returned to the Horned Serpent table in the great hall, both beaming. "We won!" Ana squeaked. "It was an even easier victory than last time!"

"Well done, you guys! I knew you'd get it done again!" Nova chirped with excitement.

"Congratulations!" exclaimed Harry. "So that's twenty five more house points, right?"

Ana nodded. "Though our next match is in the spring… that will be our last one of the term, and that one is worth fifty house points." She nudged Kellen and grinned. "You'd better bring a sleeping bag… the library is effectively going to be your second home going forward."

"That, and maybe a tea kettle," replied Kellen.

Nova arched an eyebrow. "Wait… you actually like tea, Sandy?"

Kellen's eyes widened, and gave Nova a look that said Really? You should have known that. "Oh yeah, November! I love a spot of tea, complete with biscuits! I'm fond of Irish breakfast, Earl Grey, and spruce tea most of all… my Norse grandmother makes the most delicious spruce tea…"

"He is half British too, don't forget," Harry added. "His mum makes traditional English style tea, so in a way, it's sort of like being back home in Surrey whenever I'm on the farm with them."

Nova smiled with approval. "Well, look at you, Sandy." She grinned at Harry. "And you're fully English yourself, Harry, so I would have expected you to appreciate a cuppa."

"I'm partial to Irish breakfast myself," added Ana. "I also like chai. Especially when it's spiced with a cinnamon stick."

"Maybe we can get together sometime," offered Nova. "I know Chicago isn't all that far for you boys, and it's just a hop, skip, and a jump for Ana here… I'm sure my father can find a way to spirit me there for a long weekend. It'd be wonderful to spend a little time together… just as friends, you know?"

"I'd love that," Harry sighed. "Except for Kellen and Wyatt, I've never really had any friends prior to Ilvermorny. It'd be nice to spend time with you and Ana outside of the castle… not as housemates, but actual friends."

"I find it really hard to believe that you've never had friends before you came to the States, Harry," murmured Nova. "You're one of the sweetest and most genuine boys I've ever known."

"It's not a matter of personality, Nova," clarified Harry. "My aunt, uncle, and cousin made sure that I never had any. I got along with many of the children at school, but we never got to spend any time outside of an academic environment. I never got to play soccer or go to the arcade, or go to their houses for dinner…"

"I remember you telling me about your awful relatives, Harry," Nova said. "You'll never have to go through that nonsense ever again." She hugged him gently and gave him a quick peck on the forehead.

"So, did you steal the show again today, Kellen?" asked Harry. "I know you were the team's most valuable player last time."

Kellen chuckled. "Surprisingly, not really. Anastasia was the one who did the best out of all of us, actually. She answered this really obscure History of Magic question that I didn't even know! I don't know how in the name of Merlin she knew that. I mean, seriously… I did quite a bit of researching and I still didn't recall seeing that Priscilla Longbottom invented the Remembrall in 1823!"

"Well, apparently I did. It helps that I've checked out the Marvels of Modern Magic book – it's perhaps the only text in the library that mentions anything about Remembralls." Anastasia replied with a smirk. She then smiled at her friend. "But for real… you did quite well yourself, Kellen… don't sell yourself short." She gave him a side-hug and a peck on the cheek. This time, Kellen's the one who ears and cheeks turned deep pink.

Back at Hogwarts, several days later…

Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Daphne were all sitting together at the Gryffindor table, enjoying their breakfast before class. Neville had no problem with Daphne sitting with them, as he had found her as pleasant and helpful as Hermione. Ron, however, was a little leery of their new green-clad guest as he was a bit wary of all Slytherin students – even ones as sweet-natured as Daphne.

"For the love of Merlin, Weasley, get over yourself," sighed Daphne. "If Hermione and Longbottom find me pleasant company, then there's no reason you can't either. Not all of us Serpents are venomous, you know."

"You very nearly missed your chance with Hermione, Ron," chipped in Neville. "You're lucky she still wanted to be friends with you after you kept pushing her away. I was hoping you learned from your previous mistake… I promise Daphne's every bit as nice and helpful that Hermione is."

"And prejudice goes both ways, Ronald," Hermione added. "Daphne may wear Slytherin green, but I'm sure she finds it hurtful that people outside her house would turn their backs to her just because where she got sorted."

Ron quietly munched on his waffles, taking his friends pleas into consideration. "I s'pose you're right. She hasn't even threatened to hex any of us yet, and she has been nothing but civil to us." He turned to look Daphne in the eye and offered her a small smile. "I'm sorry that I've been a little bit of a git, Greengrass… you've got some serious stones to want to sit with us at the Gryffindor table – you've earned my respect for that, for sure. You'd have made a pretty good Gryffindor, if you don't mind my saying so."

Daphne giggled. "You're fine, Weasley. I was pretty close to being your housemate, if you can believe it. That crazy cap kept wanting me to put me in Gryffindor, but I didn't want to disappoint my family so I told it to sod off and put me where my family has gone for generations".

At that moment, the school owls swarmed in the Hogwarts great hall, and Hermione was surprised to get not one, but two letters that morning! Neville couldn't help but glance at the top letter that was addressed to his friend.

"Hmm… Margot and Tommy Granger… those must be your parents," surmised Neville. "I wonder what they have to say…"

"That's right, Neville," replied Hermione sweetly. "It's been a while since I heard from them. I hope they're doing all right!" She carefully opened the envelope and read the letter that her parents wrote:

"Dearest Hermione,

It was terrific seeing you back home over Christmas, darling! We haven't seen you smile like that in a very long time... it makes our hearts smile knowing that you have some actual friends. Although we were looking forward to seeing you back home for Easter, we encourage you to take any opportunity that comes your way... you're an amazing young lady and we're beyond proud of you.

This Kellen lad that you've told us about sounds very sweet. He also sounds exceptionally intelligent – fluent in four languages? That's amazing – few adults can claim that! Just be careful – he's only eleven or twelve years old, so please don't get too attached to him. We just don't want your heart to be broken is all. The same goes for your other friends Ronald and Neville, but they don't seem to captivate you like Kellen does.

We're glad to hear that you've made several friends this term, but they all seem to be boys. Have you made friends with any girls yet? You could use some female companionship.

Anyway, we're just thinking about you and wanted to let you know how proud we are. We love you more than you know, princess. Please write back when you have a minute – we always look forward to your letters!

Love,

Mum & Daddy"

Hermione smiled to herself, and then looked at the second letter – which of course was from her pen pal Kellen. She eagerly opened the envelope and hungrily read his surprisingly legible-for-a-boy handwriting (he wrote the letter in block lettering, only signing his name in cursive):

"Friday, 10 Jan 1992

Dear Hermione,

I just finished the copy of Ender's Game that you sent me… that was nothing short of awesome! I've never read Orson Scott Card's works before, but it was a very entertaining novel. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

About the upcoming spring dance, yes, Muggle/no-maj dress clothes are perfectly acceptable! I'm sure you'll look nothing short of positively beautiful. I promise I'll look sharp for you! I already have an outfit in mind, I hope you'll approve! I can't wait to be on the dance floor with the prettiest witch in the world…

My friend Anastasia and I are in our formal robes this morning. We have to go to Vermont in a little bit, as we're representing the Horned Serpents in a contest known as the Quiz Bowl. It's an academic trivia game where contestants from each house are asked a series of academic-related questions, and the house that gets the most questions right wins the match, and gets twenty five house points! We won the last match a couple of months ago – hopefully we'll win again today! Wish us luck!

I can't wait to hear back from you… I look forward to reading your replies every other week! They put a big smile on my face, without fail. I can't wait to see you in April.

Love,

Kellen"

Hermione giggled as she read the letter.

"What's so amusing, Hermione?" Daphne asked. Hermione simply handed her the letter. Daphne couldn't help but crack a smile as she read the letter. The grin on her face remained wide and bright as she returned the letter to Hermione.

"Kellen sounds like a very, very sweet boy," Daphne giggled softly. "Horned Serpents, eh? He must be an Ilvermorny Slytherin… I think I like him already!"

Hermione shook her head 'no'. "Actually the Horned Serpents are more like Ravenclaw… that's where the smarties generally end up."

Daphne merely shrugged. "He still sounds terrific. Do you have any pictures of him, by the way?"

Hermione nodded. "I do… I think I have a couple in my pack. Let me see here." She opened up her bag, produced a black folder, and pulled out a couple of photographs that Kellen sent her. "Here you go, Daphne," she said sweetly.

Daphne's eyes widened and her face brightened as she saw the pictures of Kellen in his Ilvermorny formal robes, and his Muggle dress clothes. "Oh Merlin! This Kellen boy… he's, erm… exceptionally cute," she sighed as she returned the photos. She blushed a deep shade of pink.

Hermione's giggles turned into full belly laughs. "Oh no you don't, Greengrass. Grimseth's mine. Go get your own cute Minnesota boy! Besides, he's a Muggle-born… what on Earth would your parents think?"

Daphne arched an eyebrow. "They'd think that you're one very, very lucky little witch," she said, still giggling. "And I don't care if he's not a pureblood, or even a half-blood… he really sounds like an amazing wizard. If he was my pen pal, I think my parents could look past a little thing like blood purity…"

"Well, why don't you ask Professor McGonagall to see if she can get you a pen pal of your own, Daphne?" suggested Hermione. "I'm sure she'd be happy to oblige."

Daphne nodded. "You know what, Hermione? That's not a half-bad idea, now that you mention it..."

Later that day, during their shared free period, Hermione and Daphne went to Professor McGonagall's office to see if Daphne could get an Ilvermorny pen pal of her own. The girls rapped gently on the Transfiguration professor's office door, and waited patiently for permission to enter.

"Good morning, young ladies," trilled the deputy headmistress.

"Good morning, Professor McGonagall," the girls replied.

"What can I do for you today?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Well, Professor… Hermione has a pen pal from Ilvermorny… and I was hoping that maybe I could get one too," Daphne said softly, with some hesitation. "Her friend Kellen sounds really smart… and he's really, really cute." She tried hard to stifle a giggle but couldn't totally prevent a squeak to escape her throat.

Professor McGonagall smirked. "Very well, Miss Greengrass. Do you prefer Ilvermorny? Or would you like to have a pen pal from Durmstrang, or Beauxbatons?"

"I prefer Ilvermorny," Daphne clarified. "But I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to a student from another institution."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "I'll reach out to Professor Goode, my counterpart at Ilvermorny. I'll see if she can recommend a pen pal for you. I'll be in touch with you, most likely in the next couple of weeks."

"Perfect, thank you, Professor," Daphne replied gratefully. "I can't wait!"

A/N: "Margot" and "Tommy" aren't just random names for Hermione's parents... they refer specifically to Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley (who played a Slytherin extra) who are married in real life!