2426 words today for NaNo i stop the last section in the middle of a letter so this one picks up there.
pt 7
Then I ask about the prank stuff from George. She growled at me, Hermione. Then said she would talk to McGonagall and Slughorn about discussing potion toxicity build up in earlier level classes so student could be aware of problems. Then she threw me out of the infirmary.
I went to Andi's after I mailed your records. Teddy is doing well growing like a weed. Andi is doing better as well. Having Teddy takes her mind off of losing Tonks and Ted.
Please let me know how you are doing. I can't help but worry about you.
Love Harry
Dear Hermione
I got your mothers second letter with your ps. Glad you're doing better. I thought the description of how they tested your hair for potions was really interesting. I ask Slughorn about it. He arranged a special optional class for all years with Flitwick and Pomfrey. It was really interesting to learn how to charm diagnostic parchment and make the potion to test for toxicity. Every one that attended got to do one. There was some spectacular fallout though. There were five girls from various house that discovered they had been given Amortentia at different times over the last couple of years. McGonagall questioned them and discovered they'd all slept with the same boy. Did you know Bryan Selwyn, he was a year behind us in Ravenclaw? Well he's been expelled and arrested.
I miss you Hermione, Luna's nagging just isn't the same as yours. I keep turning to share some comment or complaint and you aren't there. Get well Hermione.
Love, Harry
Dear Hermione
It was very good to hear from you. That was the longest letter I think I've ever gotten from you. I'm sorry that the healers are not letting you study. It must be driving you mad but really we both know that you could have taken your NEWT's last summer without even taking seventh year. Just relax and do what they tell you.
Things are better here. Those creepy stalker girls that try to stand to close are being kept away by my quidditch girls. Since we practice and have a study group together they've gotten use to me. I have 6 girls and 7 boys on the team since we have a full roster of reserves. Mostly third and forth years. Our first game is coming up soon and I think we're ready. Randy was pushing for more practices but I don't think we need them. He right up there with Ron and Oliver in fanaticism.
Yes my grades are good and I'm getting all my work done on time. You know I enjoyed teaching the DA and I am having a lot of fun with the study group. McGonagall ask me if I might consider teaching next year. I told her maybe but in a few years not right away. I think I might like to get a Mastery or two. Probably Defense and Charms. I don't really think I want to be an Auror any more either. I don't like dealing with those old farts in the Wizengamot and Ministry. Don't get me wrong Kingsley is great and he's really trying to make a difference but half those wankers in the Wizengamot sat out the war behind wards and now they try to claim credit and maintain the status quo. If things don't change we'll have another dark wanker in twenty years. I can see it here in the halls of Hogwarts. McGonagall is doing her best but there's still bullying and favoritism and sorry for that bit of rant.
I went to Neville's for dinner this past weekend Susan Bones was there. Like me she's the last of her family. Nev and Sue both have seats on the Wizengamot but you have to be 21 to take it. Madam Longbottom is her proxy as well as Nev's. So most of the discussion was how to effect the changes we need to make. I'm quite sure I don't like politics.
Oh you're probably going to laugh at me when I tell you what happened the last night. Kreacher woke me out of a sound sleep at 3:30 in the morning to present me with the newest Potter elf. Apparently when Winky told me I had to support four elves she meant she was going to have a baby. That's why she wanted to come to work for me. He is named after his father sort of anyway. Kreacher and I had a long confusing conversation and I know he thinks I'm a complete idiot. I had to have him spell the name to finally get it. Winky named the baby Dobbytoo. How that for a laugh? I must admit he is the ugliest thing I think I’ve ever seen and hardly bigger than my hand. I'll have to go shopping this weekend to buy Dobbytoo's contract items and some sort of present for Winky.
When read back over what I just wrote I was surprised I hadn't thought about it but I was sleeping soundly last night. I haven't had any nightmares since I moved out of the burrow this summer. I've had bad dreams for most of my life and can't believe I didn't notice when they stopped. I figured that I would have them for the rest of my life.
I miss you and wish you were here
Love, Harry
Dear Hermione
It's wonderful that you're back in school. Don't worry about being behind, so what if it takes you an extra term to complete seventh year. Mind you I don't think it will. I still say you could have passed your NEWT's last summer.
Flitwick heard from McGonagall that I was interested in a Charms mastery and has offered me a apprenticeship. I accepted and will be meeting with him a couple of hours a week for the rest of the year. He seems to think I could pass the Mastery test when I take my NEWT's in the spring if I really work at it. It doesn't seem to be a problem since I have a light course load anyway.
I did get to the shops and bought some things for Dobbytoo. Blankets, dishes, a rattle and the cutest pair a little baby socks. Then I had to explain to Winky that the socks were not clothes but in honor of Dobby. I also found out baby elfs grow up in about a year. Dobbytoo will be starting to help around the house in about six months and can be given specialized training at a year old. I told Winky Dobbytoo could learn what ever he wanted to.
I picked up a camera and am sending you pictures. There's Dobbytoo with Winky. Teddy with Kreacher and Runt with the chickens, my little house and the quidditch team.
Kingsley wants Nev and I to stop by the Ministry Saturday he says he wants us to come spar with him as he needs the exercise, sounds fun.
I need to break off here and get ready for the Halloween feast. I'm hoping for a nice relaxing meal. No trolls, giant snakes, escaped prisoners or flaming goblets allowed.
Love, Harry
Dear Hermione
Ha bloody ha ha. I suppose it depends on how you look at it as to whether I jinxed myself.
McGonagall announced new staff at the Halloween feast. Slughorn has taken on two apprentices, Patrica Stimpson who was two years ahead of us and Blaise Zabini. Stimpson will help with the third though fifth years while Zabini will be helping with first and second years. I heard Slughorn plans to retire in two years. Penelope Weasley, it was Clearwater, will be teaching Transfiguration for the rest of the year but only this year and not the NEWT classes. McGonagall will be keeping them. McGonagall also announced she's looking for an apprentice as well. She hired an administrative assistant to help with her paper work named Melody Burns she looks almost as old as McGonagall. She apologized for still not being able to find a muggle studies teacher. I hadn't realized that class wasn't available this year.
Went to spar with Kingsley. We had an audience as usual he had Neville and I duel with a pair of junior aurors first. Nev and I work well together. Then we went one on one with a senior auror. I did well. He got a couple of hits in but I still won. The Kingsley said I could take him on. He was gloating that he'd be able to beat me cause I was tired out. Ha, I wiped the floor with him.
Kingsley pulled a fast one one me. After the last round this little mousy guy who'd been standing on the sidelines watching congratulates me on earning my mastery in defense. Turns out he was an examiner from the ICW testing facility in Geneva. Kingsley wanted to be sure I knew that I earned it on my own merits rather just because I defeated Voldemort.
Turns out the test Baggins, the defense teacher, gave just before Halloween was the NEWT test. Not for everyone of course just my test. Everyone knows I don't like to discuss the questions after unlike some one I know who must obsess over every question. So I didn't realize that my test was different that all the rest.
So I earned my NEWT as well as the Mastery. I wasn't alone though. You know Neville took his NEWT's when they were offered last summer since he was at Hogwarts last year even if he skipped half his classes hiding out. Well he was awarded a Mastery as well. So I didn't feel to special.
Kingsley took us to lunch and when we got back Madam Marchbanks was waiting on me. I took the Charms NEWT in her office.
So now I'm down to Transfiguration and Potions for actual classes and my Mastery studies with Flitwick. He and McGonagall were awfully smug about tricking me. I think Baggins is glad I'm out of his class though I made him nervous.
I also learned Umbridge is finally going on trial. Seems that Wizengamot finally pulled their heads out and revoked all the muggleborn legislation and the werewolf restrictions and a bunch of other bigoted decrees. She's been in a Ministry holding cell all this time. Hers is one trial I plan to attend.
Slughorn called me into his office when he found out about my testing. He wanted to know if I wanted to take the potions NEWT early. He said it should be no problem with my talent. So I confessed about using the Prince's book and that it had belonged to Snape. He just laughed and said I was channeling my inner slytherin. He ask me if I still had the book that it could be used to update the book and give credit to Snape. I retrieved it before we left for the summer sixth year but I'm not sure where it is. Do you happen to know?
Before for say anything I will be continuing that class. Our last assignment was to find five potions that might be used on a regular basis research them then compare and contrast these with spells that do the same thing in an essay. These are everyday household potion not healer grade. So far I've done beard remover versus shaving charm, contraceptive potion versus the contraceptive charm, and drain cleaner potion versus the drain snake charm. I need to find two more so I'd better get going to the library.
Love, Harry
Dear Hermione
Glad to hear you've caught up. See I told you you could do it.
Got a letter from George, Ron threw a big frothing rant in the store when he saw the news that Nev and I had gotten our defense Masteries. George said he threw him out and told him not to come back until he could control himself.
Had a run in with Zabini he may lose his apprenticeship if he doesn't straighten up. I overheard some firstys complaining to the fifth year prefect that he was mean to to them. The little twit told them to suck it up a quit whining. I stepped in and ask just how was he mean. Turns out Slughorn was called out of the room for some reason and told Zabini to oversee the brewing. He pulled a Snape and got nasty when a cauldron melted. I went to McGonagall. He's on probation now. I suppose I shouldn't compare him to Snape, Snape never used the M word.
I'm conflicted over Snape. I have all those memories and I can kind of see why he was so nasty but then again it was directed at me and that still makes me angry.
Oh, did I ever tell you I heard from my Aunt Petunia this summer. Shortly after the last battle they were let back to Privet Drive and she sent me a nasty letter about storm damage to the house while they were gone and the garden not being tended.
I wrote her back saying I could magic it better and haven't heard from her since.
My charms studies are going well although I now wish I'd taken Arithmancy and Runes. I can just hear you saying “I told you so” if you're wondering. I spoke with Vector and she recommended A Basic Guide to Arithmatic Equations as Related to Charms which is charm specific. She also told me if I really want to learn Arithmancy she'd tutor me. I'm thinking about it. I did like Maths in primary.
Of course you need runes for wards which while they are an off shoot of charms is a different mastery. But I do like warding. Flitwick tells me I'm a natural at Charms and I feel like I'm learning everything easier this year. I wonder if its a by product of the horcrux being gone. Probably never been any research into that type of thing. Not that I want to bring it to anyone's attention either.
We won our first quidditch game 210 to 40 against Ravenclaw. We had a party after in the common room. I called Kreacher and ask him to bring a case of butterbeer. He seemed really surprised when he popped back the the butterbeer and half the common room shout thanks at him. Then Dennis came back with food from the kitchen. I was a good party but I missed you.
Love, Harry