Disclaimer to JK Rowling

Interlude II

Dear Hermione,

Is he still angry? I was thinking about it on the train home, and I realised that you – and to a lesser extent, Ron - were right. I should have told him about Sirius Black, but would that have really lessened his anger? Would he have stopped obsessing over it? If I had told him before he knew how to get into Hogsmeade, would he have used that trip to go looking for Sirius Black? Those are the questions that I also keep thinking of, and I wonder if I was in the right, after all. I was just tired of meddling in affairs that were not my own to meddle with so I pretended I did not know.

I hope that by the time that I get back from the holidays that Harry would be fine with me again. I just did not want him to be angry with me over the holidays and for him to stew over it. Maybe my mother was right and I should stay away from Harry as we have spent most of the year arguing and falling out.

Also, you will not believe where we are staying over the Christmas holidays! Mother is currently renting a small cottage on the outskirts of Ottery St. Catchpole. Does that sound familiar? It should, because the next house over is Ron's! Apparently Mother and Mrs Weasley get along nicely, so much so, that Mother is considering raising chickens. It is rather provincial of her, but she seems genuinely interested. Ginny might come around some time during the holidays as she seems really lonely, but Theo and his father are due over for dinner later tonight.

Yours,

Lacie

x-x-x-x-x

Lace,

Don't be silly, of course Harry isn't still angry with you. You know how he is, he just gets really angry and when he calms down enough to rationalise things he realises that people do really care about him. Ron and I tried talking to him, but then he wanted to go and see Hagrid and since he has calmed down some. Maybe the real problem is that you're overanalysing your friendship with Harry again because your mother is meddling. I thought you saw through the whole Cedric-is-a-smokescreen façade she has concocted, but clearly not. Harry is a friend and I doubt he is going to do something truly stupid this year.

I didn't know that your mother was friends with Ron's mum! I don't think even Ron knows that they're friends. Also, chickens? Your mother really isn't the type to raise them. I can only imagine the look of abject horror on your brother's face when he realised who his neighbours were, too. Will you be spending Christmas with them too? It seems such a shame that Ron is staying at Hogwarts if the rest of the Weasleys are at home but I can understand why. I can also understand why you didn't.

Have you read the Daily Prophet? The case against Hagrid has been dropped, but they're still going to Wizengamot over executing Buckbeak. Luckily, I have researched a lot on animal trials but unfortunately I don't think there may be a case. In the Muggle world when an animal attacks a person, the animal normally gets put down. I'm still looking for a loophole because Hagrid told everyone about how proud Hippogriffs are, and everyone saw Draco bait Buckbeak. It will be a lot of reading over the next few months, but I will find something. In fact, did you see how much homework we were set over the holidays? I just about finished my Rune translation, but it was far too easy so I'm sure I've mucked up somewhere.

Your friend,

Hermione.

x-x-x-x-x

Record numbers leave Hogwarts over Christmas holidays

By I. Jarsdel

Statistics from the Department of Magical Education has revealed that a record number of students have decided to spend their Christmas at home rather than at Hogwarts. Hogwarts has traditionally allowed students to stay over the Christmas and Easter holidays, with keen students usually remaining to study for their OWL or NEWT exams. Officials from the Department do not attribute this to the recent attempt to break into Hogwarts by serial murderer Sirius Black. Ptolemy Wick, representative of the Department, states: "Hogwarts is one of the most secure magical compounds in Wizarding Britain and Ireland, and the Ministry is confident that the added reinforcements to Hogwarts' already resilient security is more than enough to deter Black from entering, and an attempt to do so will result in his capture."

Mary Nithercott, mother to three students, is not so convinced. "If I could, I would not send them back!" she asserts, "Black has already broken into Hogwarts before, and they did not capture him. I don't know what to believe but I know that Albus Dumbledore isn't doing enough to assure us parents that he is dedicated to the safety of our children."

Grace Wood, however, thinks that the added measures are too stringent. "My son was playing Quidditch when the Dementors swarmed towards the pitch during a game. One of his teammates fell a hundred feet or so off his broom after being attacked by them. I understand that the Dementors are there to protect the students but Hogwarts is not Azkaban. If Black got past the Dementors before, surely he could get past them again. There should be other measures in place rather the usage of these barbaric creatures."

The Ministry of Magic has always assured that the protection of the students has always been a priority, but recent events have not substantiated these claims. Furthermore, as Black has been sighted less frequently, the question remains – will Black ever be captured and be subject to the Dementor's Kiss?

The Daily Prophet wrote to Headmaster Dumbledore and Deputy Headmistress McGonagall prior to publication, but they declined to comment.

x-x-x-x-x

Dear Lacie,

Thank you for your Christmas presents! I think I'll find the history on the Most Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy an interesting read. Ever since this summer I've been wondering what 'dealings' with Muggles your family had in the past, and I'll be happy to read up on them. It would certainly be a holiday from all the holiday reading that I've done so far. I think I may have done too much on the Muggle Studies essay, and I probably have read too far ahead in Arithmancy, but seeing as I have all of this time off, there is no time like the present. I may as well get ahead now or I'll probably just tire myself out when we have lessons again. Harry, Ron and I have also done a lot of research for Hagrid's case, not a lot of it is helpful but we have more or less an entire library at our disposal.

Well, probably just my disposal. You see, Harry and Ron are not too pleased with me. Harry got a Firebolt for Christmas from someone without a note and it was delivered by a non-Hogwarts owl. A Firebolt. I'm not the maddest of Quidditch fans but even I can assume that is quite the prestigious gift. Even when Harry got his Invisibility Cloak, there was a note saying that it belonged to his father, but this expensive broomstick arrived and there was simply no note. Before you write back and ask me if I thought it was from Sirius Black, you needn't bother. I went straight to Professor McGonagall and told her and she agreed with me, and then went to the Common Room to confiscate the broom to thoroughly check that it was safe.

Of course that arrogant so-and-so, Ronald Weasley, rounded onto me and started yelling at me. If my cat isn't trying to sabotage his life then it's me, I suppose. He didn't care that I did it for Harry's safety, but what does he know? I was the one who had to distract Snape – who distracted Quirrell – when Harry had a jinxed broom in first year. He just stood there like a fish, you know, opening and closing his mouth without anything useful to contribute to the situation. Harry obviously took Ron's side, and stormed off before I could even explain. Maybe I should have left it alone and left him to fall off his broom again, who cares if a serial murderer is trying to off him, Harry certainly doesn't.

I shouldn't have written that. I'm just a bit tired, I have the longest of days and I don't seem to sleep enough. I know that once Harry has properly processed the situation, he'll realise why I did it. Sorry to unload on you like that in this letter on Christmas Day. I should have kept it light, but it was just weighing on my mind and before I knew it, I had written it all down.

Hope you've had a lovely Christmas!

Hermione.

x-x-x-x-x

Lacie,

Thanks for the present. Did you get books for everyone for Christmas? I suppose it was easier as you haven't gone to Hogsmeade to do your Christmas shopping and probably just had one of your many house-elves pick something up for you. Harry says thank you, too. He just doesn't want to write to you after you left on such bad terms. I think he wants to make up to you in person… and I may have told him what you said. Look, I don't blame you. I really don't, but it was a bit unfair. It wasn't as if Harry asked any of us to go and get the Philosopher's Stone or go to the Chamber of Secrets, it just happened.

Also, your best friend has crossed the line. I don't care for anything she has to say for herself. She is as stubborn as ever, first she bought a cat to spite me and snitched to McGonagall about the Firebolt to spite Harry. Even if you think it is Black, how is he going to walk into a Quidditch shop and simply steal a Firebolt with no one noticing? There have been no reports of a theft occurring, so explain that, Lace. You would think that one of the most expensive broomsticks ever made would warrant a newspaper article on it. If he had someone else buy it, how on earth did he get the money? No one could find that amount of money in a cave or something, so Black would have had to go to Gringotts or something to withdraw the money. How can Black walk into Gringotts without raising alarm? None of it fits, Lacie. You have to admit it and convince Hermione that she was wrong to run off to McGonagall. The Prophet ran an article last week about one of Wood's teammates falling off their broom and I bet it was some altruistic fan. Really. That makes more sense than a man whose face is plastered on every surface in Wizarding Britain.

Also Mum wrote to me about your family staying in the cottage over from my house. I wouldn't have thought that a Malfoy would deign to downsize so much. Did you end up having Christmas dinner with my family? It's manic isn't it? I'm sort of sad that I missed it, but Harry wanted to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays. Actually, you're a Malfoy, you've probably been invited to some posh Christmas party and would rather eschew the traditional Weasley dinner. Never mind.

See you soon,

Ron.

x-x-x-x-x

Witch Weekly: Society

Do our eyes deceive us, or was Lucius Malfoy spotted leaving the cottage that Narcissa Malfoy is currently renting in Ottery St. Catchpole in the early hours of New Year's Day? It has been no secret to us at Witch Weekly, that Lucius' fervent efforts in ascertaining justice for his son due to a Care of Magical Creatures class gone awry – for which, the Professor in charge has since been cleared of negligence charges – have warmed Narcissa's cool affections. Is this the start of Narcissa welcoming her husband back into the family fold following a summer of disgrace? Sources also report that the Malfoy patriarch was also spotted leaving the cottage on Christmas Day, following rumours that Malfoy presence was eschewed at important social functions, most notably, the Parkinson Christmas party [for more details, refer to our previous issue].

Perhaps old love was re-ignited with a New Year's kiss at the stroke of midnight. This writer can almost hear hearts breaking at the thought of Lucius Malfoy being off the market soon, but was he ever on the market to begin with?