Letters

Dear Harry,

I do hope this letter reaches you. I sent it to the address you gave me. It would really be a shame if I got a number wrong or something.

Supposing this letter does reach you, I hope it finds you well. What have you been doing? Are the Dursleys treating you alright? Are you eating three meals a day? Do you have enough to read? I can get you more books from Diagon Alley, if you like. My parents are happy make the trip there.

I have been enjoying my summer so far – I've seen some of my friends from primary school, which has been nice. Though...it really is frustrating to have to lie about everything to them. I told them I went to an old boarding school in Scotland, very private and prestigious and everything, but it all feels so hollow – the truly wonderful parts of Hogwarts are the magical parts, which happen to be the very things I need to keep secret. At least I can talk to my parents. They're very confused about a lot of things, which is understandable, seeing as they're muggles, but they're happy to listen, which I appreciate.

Speaking of my parents, they've invited you to dinner. This Saturday, if you can make it. I told them all about you, and they're eager to get to know you. I assure you that they're perfectly nice people, and it would be no imposition at all, if that's what you're worried about.

Please do write back soon. I miss you, and I worry about you.

Sincerely,

Hermione

Dear Hermione,

Thank you for following my instructions. Please keep sending letters to the address on Wisteria Walk that I gave you. My neighbour, Mrs. Figg, is aware that you will be sending my letters there, and has kindly allowed me to come by once a week on Tuesday mornings to receive my mail.

I am doing alright. Life outside of Hogwarts is incredibly dull, but that is to be expected, I suppose.

I am glad to hear that you have enjoyed seeing your friends. I imagine it is difficult being parted for ten months from people you used to see every day. I wouldn't know, seeing as I was disliked by everyone at my primary school, but I can imagine it is unpleasant. Good to know you haven't been breaking the Statute of Secrecy, as well.

I hope you continue to enjoy your summer.

As for your invitation, I am afraid I will have to decline. I'm sure your parents are perfectly good muggles, and everything...I'd just rather not meet them right now. I apologize if this seems rude, Hermione. I certainly don't wish to offend you. I just don't feel very comfortable around adult muggles.

I miss you as well, though, and would love to see you at some point before the summer's end.

Sincerely,

Harry James Potter

Dear Harry,

I understand, about the dinner invitation. I thought you might refuse, to be honest. I'm not offended, and neither are my parents. I just told them you're a bit shy, and they understood. Perhaps another time, when you are feeling a bit more open to the idea.

I, however, would still love to see you. Perhaps we can have tea? There's a nice little tea shop a few blocks away from my house. My mother and I use to go there are least once a month to have tea together. I think you'd like it – it's quite pleasant and quaint.

Also...Harry James Potter! Don't think I didn't notice that you avoided my questions. I do want to know what you've been doing, and I most certainly want to know if the Dursleys are treating you alright. They haven't locked you up, right? They're feeding you enough? I already asked all this, I realize, but you completely avoided the subject altogether!

I am worried, Harry. With what you told me back at Hogwarts...it's hard to keep my promise. Really hard. But I swore to you on our pledge of friendship, so you don't have to worry; your secret is safe with me.

As for me, I am still doing quite well. You don't have to worry about me. I'm sure I'll have a perfectly pleasant summer.

Oh! And I still wanted to know, do you need some books? I'll probably be going to Diagon Alley soon, because I was hoping to do some research for You-Know-What. I thought it might be helpful to put together a list of goals for next year.

Sincerely,

Hermione

Dear Hermione,

I hope you are still well – I suppose it has only been a week since you sent your letter, but a lot can change in a week.

I am...doing fine. I really am. The Dursleys were quite unhappy to see me, of course, and immediately locked all my things in my old cupboard. Lucky for me, I can just unlock it in the night while they're asleep. Same with my room. If I give them cheek, which I've been inclined to do of late, they lock me in my bedroom without food. But again, despite the fact that there are seven padlocks on my door, it is of no difficulty for me to open them. They never quite caught on to that. They're really not too clever, you see.

I am eating. Not as much as the Dursleys, of course, but that is to be expected. They're rather...well, whale-ish, you see. Actually, that's not quite right. I suppose Uncle Vernon reminds me of a well-fed walrus, at times, and Dudley a baby hippopotamus. They eat far too much, and I am quite content in the knowledge that Uncle Vernon will probably meet his end at the hands of a heart attack within the next decade. The next five years, if the universe is lucky.

They have me working in the garden, but aside from that, there really isn't much for me to do except read. I very much appreciate your offer, for books, by the way, but I can take a form of wizarding transportation called the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley to buy more books, should I require them. However, I think that for now I will try to lay low here in Surrey. Best avoid any possibility for trouble, since it seems to find me at the most unlikely of times.

Or rather, perhaps, I seem to find it.

I really appreciate your willingness to do some research for You-Know-What. I think it's a splendid idea to set a number of goals at the beginning of the school year. Perhaps a list of spells and potions, to start with. I will work on it from here, as well. Would you mind sending Theo a letter, and asking him to do the same? I gave him a note with the same address I gave you, and asked him to contact me with muggle post (as I explained, I can't have owls showing up at the Dursleys'), but it occurred to me that he most likely doesn't know how to use muggle post. In fact, could you explain to him how to do so? I would very much like to be able to contact him as well. Then we can exchange ideas, provide inspiration, and combine the lists on the Hogwarts Express in September.

As for your proposal, I would love to join you for tea at some point in the next two weeks.. Just send me a place and time. I rather like the idea of going out for tea, actually – it's very...posh and grown up, don't you think?

Anyway, as I said, I hope this letter finds you well.

Sincerely,

Harry James Potter

Theodore Nott,

This is Hermione Granger. I'm contacting you on behalf of Harry, as he does not have access to an owl at this point, only to muggle post. You might recall that he gave us both an address when we parted. This is the address of his neighbour, Mrs. Figg, who has agreed to collect his letters for him.

It occurred to him that you might not have the knowledge nor the means to send letters through the muggle post, however, and he asked me to contact you for him, and explain to you how to send him letters.

Assuming you still have the address, you simply need to write it on an envelope, and bring it to the local muggle post office. If you don't know where that is, I'm sure you could ask any muggle and they'd be able to tell you. Once at the post office, you can ask them to send the letter for you. There might be a small fee (just a few pence, really), but I'm not sure how you would go about receiving the letters. It really depends on where you live. Perhaps you could send Harry your street address.

Anyway, if you have any questions, please contact me.

I hope this letter has found you well, and that the summer has been pleasant for you so far.

Sincerely,

Hermione Granger

Granger,

I am not sure what 'street address' or 'pence' are. I think that rather than waste both our time one this muggle post thing, I will send Harry letters via yourself until we can make other arrangements, if you have no objections, that is.

Enclosed is a letter for Harry. I trust you have enough good sense not to look at other people's letters.

I hope you are doing fine as well, and enjoying your holiday.

Sincerely,

Theodore Nott

Dear Harry,

The address for the tea shop is 145 Weston Street. I will be there on July the 23rd at 1 pm, waiting for you near the front of the shop.

Now, I would scold you about being 'content' with the idea of your uncle's death, but to be honest, I can't find it in my heart to be particularly worried for him either, so perhaps that's all that needs to be said about it.

Honestly, I don't understand how some people can be so horrible (not you, your relatives).

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing you. In fact, I'm quite excited!

Sincerely,

Hermione

P.S.

Enclosed is a letter Nott asked me to send on his behalf.

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