4. ONE MONTH, THREE LETTERS (PG) BY IAMSHADOW
Title: One Month, Three Letters
Author: iamshadow
Ship: Pre Ron/Harry
Word Count: 1,283 + digital painting by kath_ballantyne
Rating: PG
Warnings: Possible plot development and other important hints (GASP!). Squeeing over cross referencing. Suspicious sweets. Minor swearing. Implied Howler.
Summary: Hermione is at Hogwarts away from her boys.
A/N: Very different format for this one, but I think I achieved what I wanted to. In all my other fics so far, Hermione was only appearing to turn up and lecture the boys. As funny as that can be, I wanted to make her a bit more three dimensional - but how to do it? So I took a leaf out of the shoebox_project's book and wrote some (mostly one-sided) correspondence. Unlike the others in this series so far, this one won't make as much sense if you haven't read the previous ones.
The Teapot 'verse Series
Chapter List HERE
Future Fics HERE
Teapot Cookie Fics HERE
9:30pm Thursday 3rd September
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Hogsmeade, Scotland
Dear Ron,
I saw the Daily Prophet article at breakfast yesterday, I’m so proud of you! Congratulations aside, I’ve had to confiscate half a dozen Wheezes products already and a First Year testing his Skiving Snackbox in the Common Room this evening vomited on my shoes. I can’t help but feel that the fact that my boyfriend making and selling the rotten things is tarnishing my image as Head Girl.
I imagine you’ll have to decide whether to hire more staff. You and George can hardly be keeping up with demand on your own. And you’re not to bully Harry into helping! He’s got more than enough to deal with without being press-ganged into making fake wands and itching powder. Being an Auror sounds ghastly, I can’t imagine why he’d want to be one after everything. His letter yesterday was barely more than half a dozen sentences and reading between the lines he sounds exhausted. Keep an eye on him, would you? And don’t let him sweet-talk you! If he’s stretching himself too far, get him to take a day off, even if you have to put him in a Full-Body Bind while he’s sleeping.
Neville is Head Boy, did you know? I imagine he wrote you. His grandmother was going to buy him a Firebolt, she was so proud, but Neville wanted a Comptonia subluceo instead. (Don’t give me that look, Ron. It’s a magical Sweetfern from America that glows in the dark, which you’d know if you’d ever paid attention in Herbology. Or Potions, for that matter.)
Everything’s mad here. The Years are all mixed up because so many people missed last year completely or are repeating, and so many others haven’t come back at all. Lavender’s still in St Mungo’s and the Patil twins are finishing at Beaubatons, so I’m sharing my dormitory with Ginny and some other girls that were in the year below ours, before.
(Oh, Ron, tell Harry to write Ginny. Quickly. When she saw I’d got a letter from him and she hadn’t yet…Well, let’s just say that if Harry doesn’t send her an owl soon, she’ll probably send him a Howler.)
There are still whole sections of the school that are unsafe. A lot of classes are being held in the library or in corners of the Great Hall while repairs are being done. It must be costing an absolute fortune in Galleons. Resetting the defensive wards alone before the start of term probably took weeks and a team of specialists. I know the Ministry is bearing some of the brunt of it, but still.
It’s ever so lonely without you here. You and Harry. Having the other DA members helps, though. We’re official now, too! Professor McGonagall announced it and everything. The Room of Requirement doesn’t seem to be working anymore, and I don’t think they’ll try to repair it after what Malfoy used it for, so one of the old classrooms is going to be fitted out for us.
Anyway, I’ve still got seven inches to write for History of Magic. I’m finding it ridiculously hard to concentrate without you and Harry here bothering me with questions and trying to copy from me.
Your Hermione.
P.S. Do you think that George would be able to run the shop alone for a day or two when the first Hogsmeade weekend comes up? I’d love to see you. I’ll owl you as soon as I know the date.
***********************************
12:37pm Saturday 19th September, 1998
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Hogsmeade, Scotland
Dear Harry,
Thank you so much for that book! Even second hand, I really hate to think what you and Ron must have spent to find a copy in that good condition. And it’s the new edition! It’s going to make writing my Charms essays so much easier now I don’t have to rely on the Library copy being in when I need to cross reference something.
Even without you two here, today was wonderful. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a lovely birthday at Hogwarts. Ginny woke me early because there were half a dozen owls with presents lined up waiting. The girls in my dormitory bought me something too, which was unexpected, but very sweet. I don’t think Lavender or Pavarti even knew when my birthday was. It’s a beautiful blue lace shawl with a hat to match, for nice. One of the girls’ aunts is a milliner, and they managed to order it and get it owled to the school and hide it, and I never even knew.
Do you think you could find out from Ron if the sweets George sent are safe to eat? They look normal enough, and they were beautifully wrapped, but I can’t help being more than a little suspicious. Ginny said she thinks they’re fine but she wouldn’t take one when I offered, and I refuse to follow her rather ruthless suggestion and ‘test’ them on a younger student. Honestly, I have no idea how half the Weasleys weren’t sorted into in Slytherin. I’ve decided that the prolific nature of the family must balance out their Machiavellian sensibilities somehow; otherwise, I doubt there’d be any of them left.
Thank you again for the book. Give everyone my love.
Hermione.
P.S. I know you’re incredibly busy at work from what I’ve read in the papers, but would you be able to do something for me? I’d do it myself, but I really can’t take the time off to go to London right now. Do you know who’s in charge of the recovered items from the raid on Malfoy Manor? It’s just that my new wand, though it works well enough, just isn’t as, well, me as I’d like. Does that make any sense? I really miss my old one from Ollivander’s. Would it be too much trouble to find out if there’s a vine wood wand on the inventory? Thank you.
P.P.S. Tell Ron to get his act together and write to me! A few lines about the Cannons signings for the new season on the back of a Wheezes product list does not a letter make! If he doesn’t send a proper letter on fresh parchment (without tea or grease stains) in the next week, I’m sending him a Howler. At work.
***********************************
(Written on creased parchment which was stuffed roughly into a reused envelope. Undated, but received by Hermione Granger at breakfast in the Great Hall on Friday 2nd October, 1998.)
Bloody hell Hermione, that was LOUD. My ears were ringing for TWO DAYS, and George still hasn’t shut up about it. He keeps quoting it at me. This from the prat who claims he can’t hear the little bell on the shop door when a customer comes in.
George wanted to know if you liked the sweets. I told him you didn’t like sugary stuff, but he sent them anyway. If you haven’t opened them yet, I’d give one to Ginny first, then tell her they’re from him and watch the colour she turns. It’s brilliant. (There’s nothing wrong with them, by the way. They’re Honeydukes, George just wanted to wrap them up differently to make you nervous.)
Ron
P.S. About Hogsmeade, I don’t think I’m going to be able to come. We’ve got a new girl working in the shop, and she’s absolute rubbish. I don’t know why George hired her, really. So we’re having to watch her to make sure she doesn’t bollocks things up too much AND work on the new line that’s supposed to be ready for Hallowe’en. I guess I’ll see you at Christmas, then, yeah?
Author's Afterword
Americans who read this may know about the existence of sweetfern, but those outside the States probably don't. Sweetfern, or Comptonia peregrina, is not a true fern. It's the only plant of its genus, and fossils found suggest it once had a much broader spread across the Northern Hemisphere.
Sweetfern is also known as 'redneck reefer' because it can produce a mild high when smoked (though that's not the reason Neville wanted one).
Comptonia subluceo doesn't exist in the Muggle world. Subluceo is Latin, meaning "to gleam faintly, glimmer, glow".
Comptonia
Latin English Online dictionary
And a big transoceanic Happy Birthday to prydonia, long-time friend and beta. Twenty one again, is it? :)
<- 3. Scars c@r 5. Miscommunication ->
Author: iamshadow
Ship: Pre Ron/Harry
Word Count: 1,283 + digital painting by kath_ballantyne
Rating: PG
Warnings: Possible plot development and other important hints (GASP!). Squeeing over cross referencing. Suspicious sweets. Minor swearing. Implied Howler.
Summary: Hermione is at Hogwarts away from her boys.
A/N: Very different format for this one, but I think I achieved what I wanted to. In all my other fics so far, Hermione was only appearing to turn up and lecture the boys. As funny as that can be, I wanted to make her a bit more three dimensional - but how to do it? So I took a leaf out of the shoebox_project's book and wrote some (mostly one-sided) correspondence. Unlike the others in this series so far, this one won't make as much sense if you haven't read the previous ones.
The Teapot 'verse Series
Chapter List HERE
Future Fics HERE
Teapot Cookie Fics HERE
9:30pm Thursday 3rd September
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Hogsmeade, Scotland
Dear Ron,
I saw the Daily Prophet article at breakfast yesterday, I’m so proud of you! Congratulations aside, I’ve had to confiscate half a dozen Wheezes products already and a First Year testing his Skiving Snackbox in the Common Room this evening vomited on my shoes. I can’t help but feel that the fact that my boyfriend making and selling the rotten things is tarnishing my image as Head Girl.
I imagine you’ll have to decide whether to hire more staff. You and George can hardly be keeping up with demand on your own. And you’re not to bully Harry into helping! He’s got more than enough to deal with without being press-ganged into making fake wands and itching powder. Being an Auror sounds ghastly, I can’t imagine why he’d want to be one after everything. His letter yesterday was barely more than half a dozen sentences and reading between the lines he sounds exhausted. Keep an eye on him, would you? And don’t let him sweet-talk you! If he’s stretching himself too far, get him to take a day off, even if you have to put him in a Full-Body Bind while he’s sleeping.
Neville is Head Boy, did you know? I imagine he wrote you. His grandmother was going to buy him a Firebolt, she was so proud, but Neville wanted a Comptonia subluceo instead. (Don’t give me that look, Ron. It’s a magical Sweetfern from America that glows in the dark, which you’d know if you’d ever paid attention in Herbology. Or Potions, for that matter.)
Everything’s mad here. The Years are all mixed up because so many people missed last year completely or are repeating, and so many others haven’t come back at all. Lavender’s still in St Mungo’s and the Patil twins are finishing at Beaubatons, so I’m sharing my dormitory with Ginny and some other girls that were in the year below ours, before.
(Oh, Ron, tell Harry to write Ginny. Quickly. When she saw I’d got a letter from him and she hadn’t yet…Well, let’s just say that if Harry doesn’t send her an owl soon, she’ll probably send him a Howler.)
There are still whole sections of the school that are unsafe. A lot of classes are being held in the library or in corners of the Great Hall while repairs are being done. It must be costing an absolute fortune in Galleons. Resetting the defensive wards alone before the start of term probably took weeks and a team of specialists. I know the Ministry is bearing some of the brunt of it, but still.
It’s ever so lonely without you here. You and Harry. Having the other DA members helps, though. We’re official now, too! Professor McGonagall announced it and everything. The Room of Requirement doesn’t seem to be working anymore, and I don’t think they’ll try to repair it after what Malfoy used it for, so one of the old classrooms is going to be fitted out for us.
Anyway, I’ve still got seven inches to write for History of Magic. I’m finding it ridiculously hard to concentrate without you and Harry here bothering me with questions and trying to copy from me.
Your Hermione.
P.S. Do you think that George would be able to run the shop alone for a day or two when the first Hogsmeade weekend comes up? I’d love to see you. I’ll owl you as soon as I know the date.
***********************************
12:37pm Saturday 19th September, 1998
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Hogsmeade, Scotland
Dear Harry,
Thank you so much for that book! Even second hand, I really hate to think what you and Ron must have spent to find a copy in that good condition. And it’s the new edition! It’s going to make writing my Charms essays so much easier now I don’t have to rely on the Library copy being in when I need to cross reference something.
Even without you two here, today was wonderful. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a lovely birthday at Hogwarts. Ginny woke me early because there were half a dozen owls with presents lined up waiting. The girls in my dormitory bought me something too, which was unexpected, but very sweet. I don’t think Lavender or Pavarti even knew when my birthday was. It’s a beautiful blue lace shawl with a hat to match, for nice. One of the girls’ aunts is a milliner, and they managed to order it and get it owled to the school and hide it, and I never even knew.
Do you think you could find out from Ron if the sweets George sent are safe to eat? They look normal enough, and they were beautifully wrapped, but I can’t help being more than a little suspicious. Ginny said she thinks they’re fine but she wouldn’t take one when I offered, and I refuse to follow her rather ruthless suggestion and ‘test’ them on a younger student. Honestly, I have no idea how half the Weasleys weren’t sorted into in Slytherin. I’ve decided that the prolific nature of the family must balance out their Machiavellian sensibilities somehow; otherwise, I doubt there’d be any of them left.
Thank you again for the book. Give everyone my love.
Hermione.
P.S. I know you’re incredibly busy at work from what I’ve read in the papers, but would you be able to do something for me? I’d do it myself, but I really can’t take the time off to go to London right now. Do you know who’s in charge of the recovered items from the raid on Malfoy Manor? It’s just that my new wand, though it works well enough, just isn’t as, well, me as I’d like. Does that make any sense? I really miss my old one from Ollivander’s. Would it be too much trouble to find out if there’s a vine wood wand on the inventory? Thank you.
P.P.S. Tell Ron to get his act together and write to me! A few lines about the Cannons signings for the new season on the back of a Wheezes product list does not a letter make! If he doesn’t send a proper letter on fresh parchment (without tea or grease stains) in the next week, I’m sending him a Howler. At work.
***********************************
(Written on creased parchment which was stuffed roughly into a reused envelope. Undated, but received by Hermione Granger at breakfast in the Great Hall on Friday 2nd October, 1998.)
Bloody hell Hermione, that was LOUD. My ears were ringing for TWO DAYS, and George still hasn’t shut up about it. He keeps quoting it at me. This from the prat who claims he can’t hear the little bell on the shop door when a customer comes in.
George wanted to know if you liked the sweets. I told him you didn’t like sugary stuff, but he sent them anyway. If you haven’t opened them yet, I’d give one to Ginny first, then tell her they’re from him and watch the colour she turns. It’s brilliant. (There’s nothing wrong with them, by the way. They’re Honeydukes, George just wanted to wrap them up differently to make you nervous.)
Ron
P.S. About Hogsmeade, I don’t think I’m going to be able to come. We’ve got a new girl working in the shop, and she’s absolute rubbish. I don’t know why George hired her, really. So we’re having to watch her to make sure she doesn’t bollocks things up too much AND work on the new line that’s supposed to be ready for Hallowe’en. I guess I’ll see you at Christmas, then, yeah?
Author's Afterword
Americans who read this may know about the existence of sweetfern, but those outside the States probably don't. Sweetfern, or Comptonia peregrina, is not a true fern. It's the only plant of its genus, and fossils found suggest it once had a much broader spread across the Northern Hemisphere.
Sweetfern is also known as 'redneck reefer' because it can produce a mild high when smoked (though that's not the reason Neville wanted one).
Comptonia subluceo doesn't exist in the Muggle world. Subluceo is Latin, meaning "to gleam faintly, glimmer, glow".
Comptonia
Latin English Online dictionary
And a big transoceanic Happy Birthday to prydonia, long-time friend and beta. Twenty one again, is it? :)
<- 3. Scars c@r 5. Miscommunication ->