A/N: This is going to be a rare one - this chapter solely takes place at Hogwarts... we have a birthday boy to celebrate in the next chapter, so this one more or less acts as a bridge. And we're not all that far away from the big spring dance! Kellen's probably getting his can of starch, iron and lint rollers out and spit-shining his shoes as we speak!

Back at Hogwarts the following Saturday, both Hermione and Daphne received letters via owl at breakfast. Both girls eagerly opened their respective envelopes. Daphne practically glowed as she opened her letter – she had never had a pen pal before, and thought that it was the coolest concept ever. Hermione did have a couple of pen pals back at her old Muggle school, but it had been several years; besides, she didn't find them nearly as fascinating as she did Kellen.

Daphne read her letter from Chelsea aloud to her friends:

"Sunday, January 26th, 1992

Dear Daphne,

Hello there! Thank you so much for reaching out to me! Yes, I'm what you call "Muggle-born", but we call that "no maj-born" here at Ilvermorny. Slytherin, huh? I have a friend whose father went to Hogwarts over twenty years ago… I'll have to ask her what house he belonged to because I don't really remember.

Yes, I know Kellen quite well, actually! He's a very sweet and impossibly smart boy… he and I got off to a bit of a rough start on the train ride to Ilvermorny, but we eventually became friends. I was struggling a bit in Transfiguration early on in our term, but he was kind enough to lend a hand… magic just comes so easily to him. I'm a little jealous, really… but he's a very kind-hearted boy so he's virtually impossible to hate. And yes, he is rather handsome – but I'd never admit that to him! And yes, he's a Horned Serpent, but I got sorted into the Thunderbird house. That's where the adventurous ones go, but I almost became a Horned Serpent myself, if you can believe it!

I'm from Wisconsin – not too far from Kellen, actually. He's from Minnesota – just a state over! Like I said, I'm 'no maj-born', as I'm the daughter of physicians. I was one of the lucky few that got to go to the wizarding district in New York to buy a wand – most of my classmates got theirs when they got to the castle.

As far as what I like to do in my free time, well… great minds think alike, I suppose! I do like to relax with friends (it took a while for me to make friends at Ilvermorny, but I'm glad I have some now!). I like to paint as well, and I also like to sing! I'm a soprano in the school choir as a matter of fact! Do they have a choir at Hogwarts as well? If so, are you in it?

Oh, I've included a picture of myself – I tried to find something flattering! I'm curious to know what you look like!

Thank you for reaching out… I can't wait to hear back from you!

Love,

Chelsea"

Daphne shared the picture of the freckle-faced girl with coppery-red pigtails, and a slight gap between her front teeth with her friends at the Gryffindor table. It was apparently taken using a Muggle camera, and Chelsea was wearing her formal robes.

"She's not at all bad looking," Neville said with a slight nod. He smiled at Ron, cheeks turning pink with slight embarrassment. "She erm.. she kinda…"

"She kind of looks like a Weasley," giggled Hermione as she finished Neville's sentence. Neville smiled and nodded at her in approval.

"Does not!" huffed Ron, with a somewhat cross expression on his face.

Daphne started giggling herself. "Reddish hair? Check. Freckles? Check. Red and gold uniform? Double check!" She chucked Ron playfully in the shoulder. "Face it Ronald, you can't deny the resemblance…"

Ron's face turned bright pink. "I can, and I will," he declared incredulously. He huffed as he folded his arms across his chest.

Hermione shot Ron a devilish smirk. "Maybe you're right… she's much too cute to be a Weasley."

Daphne poured it on. "And probably too clever, as well." Hermione high-fived Daphne for the jab.

Ron sighed. "Well, maybe she looks a little bit like me… but only just a little!"

Both Daphne and Hermione continued their giggling.

"And the Thunderbird house are where the adventurous students go," Daphne said matter-of-factly. She put her fingers to her lips, tapping them softly as her pretty blue eyes rolled upwards in thought. "That sounds rather like their version of Gryffindor, does it not?"

"I would say so, Daphne," agreed Neville. He turned to Hermione. "So, what did Kellen have to say? You haven't even read yours yet!"

"Oh!" gasped Hermione. "I got so caught up with Daphne's new pen pal that I totally forgot about my own! Just a moment, please!" She produced the neatly-folded parchment from her already-opened envelope and read her letter silently.

"26 Jan 1992

Dear Hermione,

Funny you should bring up birthdays… mine is coming up soon, actually – February 12th! You really don't have to get me anything, honest! But if you really want to get me something, another Orson Scott Card novel would be delightful. Oh, and I am a huge fan of Star Wars… there's this new novel series called 'Heir to the Empire' that really intrigues me… I don't expect you to get that, but you said you wanted some ideas!

We did win our latest Quiz Bowl – but my friend Anastasia stole the show this time. She even correctly answered a question about the creation of the Remembrall – apparently someone named Priscilla Longbottom invented it in 1823. I actually had no idea… but hey, it was a prime learning opportunity!

And yes, I know Miss Meservey quite well. She's a nice girl, but she's got a fair amount of sass too. She's a Thunderbird, which focuses on the soul. The adventurous-minded tend to get sorted as Thunderbirds – I reckon that corresponds with Gryffindor the most. Our deputy headmistress, Professor Goode, was a Thunderbird back in the day, actually.

Your friend Daphne got a good one, I think. I'm sure Chelsea will find Daphne to be a quality friend herself. Chelsea read her letter to us, and much like yourself, Daphne seems to be very eloquent and sweet-natured. I hope they become good friends.

I can't wait to hear back from you… your letters always bring a smile to my face. I can't wait to see you at Ilvermorny!

Love,

Kellen"

Daphne giggled. "So, did that Horned Serpent cutie send any more pictures this time?"

"Not this time," sighed Hermione. "Would you like to for me to tell Kellen that you said 'hello' when I write to him this evening?"

Daphne placed her thumb and forefinger on her chin, and had a pensive expression on her face. "Hrm… as long as it's just 'hello'. I don't want to be intrusive – he's your pen pal, after all."

Hermione smirked. "Good enough."

After breakfast, Hermione and Daphne went to Hagrid's hut to see if he could help out with Kellen's birthday present. After all, he came through for Christmas.

"Well, good mornin', Hermione! Good mornin', Daphne! What can I do for yer today?" he bellowed with a jovial chuckle.

"Hello, Hagrid," Hermione said with a big grin on her face. "It's my pen pal Kellen… his birthday's coming up in less than two weeks… you were a miracle worker for Christmas, and I was rather hoping you could help again."

Hagrid lifted his big, shaggy head. "Ahh, lemme guess… more books? If I remember correctly, that boy loves ter read Muggle novels…"

Hermione giggled. "That's right. He loves science fiction especially. I just got a letter from him this morning." She produced the letter from one of her wool coat's front pockets, and handed it to Hagrid.

"Let's see… more Orson Scott Card, or 'Heir ter the Empire'… I'll see what I can come up with," Hagrid replied with a grin.

"I'll gladly chip in whatever galleons are needed to purchase them," offered Daphne. She reached into her coat pocket and produced a handful of galleons and sickles, and gave them to Hagrid.

"That's more than enough, Daphne," chuckled Hagrid. "Here, let me give yer some of that back." He returned some of the coins to Daphne. He looked at the girls. "Now, what day is his birthday, exactly?"

"The twelfth," replied Hermione. "Not much time, I'm afraid… but I literally just found out today."

"That should be enough," Hagrid said with confidence. "I should be able to have something for him in a couple of days."

"Great, thank you so much, Hagrid," Hermione sighed with appreciation. "I'm glad that we can always count on you."

"It's my pleasure," chuckled Hagrid. "If yer ever need anythin', yer know where ter find me!"

The girls walked back to the castle. Even though they were bundled up, they couldn't help but shiver – it was well below freezing, and a biting Arctic wind cut to the bone.

"Thank you for helping to pitch in with Kellen's birthday gift, Daphne," Hermione said appreciatively, her breath condensing into a light grey vapour in the early February air. "I wasn't expecting that."

Daphne shrugged, and smiled at her friend. "It's not a big deal. I know how much Kellen means to you… and the thought of making him happy obviously makes you happy… and it does my heart good knowing that a good friend like you is happy… Merlin, I'd go so far as to say you're now my best friend."

Hermione turned around and embraced Daphne tenderly. "I've always wanted a friend like you," she replied softly. "Ron and Neville are terrific, but you're more than a friend to me… you're more like… a sister. I've always wanted to have a sisterly relationship with someone… and I'm beyond grateful that someone is you. Thank you… for everything."

"You're welcome," replied Daphne. "Truth be told, I've been looking for a friend like you as well… Tracey, Millie, and Pansy are all right, but you're so different then them. You have drive and ambition, but you're not going to achieve your goals at the expense of others… that's sort of a Slytherin trait there." She sighed. "There are days I regret not wanting Gryffindor a little bit more when I got sorted. I don't really fit in all that well in my own house… I'm more tolerated than accepted. But when I'm with you… I get to be myself. What you see is not for show, it's really who I am."

"And I'm the bossy know-it-all bookworm… I had my struggles too," admitted Hermione. "I was hoping that things would be easier here for me socially than they were at my old Muggle school, but it was the same thing all over again for the first couple of months. I got along with Neville and that's pretty much it… then Ron came to his senses around Halloween, and he's been a pretty loyal friend ever since. And then you and I started talking in the library… it's been terrific ever since. I'm beyond blessed to have the friends that I have."

"And you have that cute friend from the States… you have a dance coming up! You're so, so lucky, Hermione," Daphne replied with a giggle. "I wish I could go with you."

Hermione cocked her head slightly. "Well, I don't know if it's too late, but I suppose you could ask Professor McGonagall to see if she could take you… but I don't know who she's planning to take besides myself just yet. I don't know if you'd be able to get a date for the dance, especially since your pen pal's a girl…" She shrugged. "Kellen probably could have asked any girl at Ilvermorny, but he wanted to ask me!"