DISCLAIMER: See
A/N: Not much to say here either…
CHAPTER 5: RECEIVING RESPONSES
Eripe hunc nihi dolorem aut miniae saltem. Take this grief
from me,
or at least lessen it. –
The next day, two owls came back. Hedwig bore Neville's response,
and a
white-gray barn owl that Harry didn't recognize, carrying Cho's
response, flew in
through the open window. They both dropped off their letters, and flew
over to
drink water from Hedwig's bowl. Not sure whether or not he wanted to
see Cho's
letter first, he decided to start with Neville's.
Harry,
Thank you very much for writing to me. I really appreciate it. Also,
you
guessed right, I got an O in Herbology and DADA.
I'm also looking forward to a new wand. My Gran was torn somewhere
between
horror at the fate of my dad's wand and my efforts at the Ministry of
Magic. I
hope you can get Sirius' name cleared. It's too bad that Lestrange got
away
though, although I'm sure that You-Know-Who isn't very happy with her.
I just
hope that in the end, someone will finally be able to stop here. And
you want
to know something else? I wouldn't mind being one of those people.
In the upcoming war, I would be extremely thankful to work with
you.
Looking forward to Diagon Alley this Saturday,
Neville
Harry then turned to open Cho's letter.
Dear Harry,
Thank you so much for writing to me. I've never gotten a letter from
you
before. That was certainly unexpected.
In retrospect, I can see that you were depressed towards the end of
last year,
now that you mention that Sirius was innocent. I had to make sure I was
reading
the letter properly before I realized you wrote that he was innocent.
Then
again, after giving that interview to The Quibbler, I certainly didn't
want to
question your credibility.
I heard through the grapevine that Umbridge will be held on charges
against
you. Man, I hope she gets it! Shakes fist furiously. But haven't we
done enough
to her over the past year? Nah, let her suffer some more, it might
humble her.
I'm not sure about Fudge, though; I heard that Dumbledore was working
with him.
It must be his philosophy about second chances and stuff.
I heard from the Weasley twins that you gave them the money that would
have
been Cedric's from the Triwizard Tournament last year? That's so noble
of you.
(At this point, Harry noticed a few tear drops on the letter.) Whoops,
it
rained. Oh well. (That was a joke.)
I'm very glad that I know you as such a wonderful friend who I love so
much.
You're brave, noble, honest, modest, thoughtful, compassionate, and
quick on
your feet; the true epitome of Gryffindor. (1) Yet as I ponder
this, you've faced unimaginable dangers and monsters, and yet that
Gryffindor
bravery somehow faltered when you didn't ask me out to the Yule Ball in
time.
It's sort of amusing, actually.
I'm also very flattered with your description of me. I was also wise
enough not
to believe that Skeeter trash (albeit the Quibbler article, of course),
because
I could see how you didn't like the fame that follows you around like a
lost
puppy. Sometimes I feel like I'm one of very few people who care more
to know
Harry Potter, the person, not the legend.
Now it's my turn to compliment you. You're handsome, between your
build, your
jet-black hair and those intoxicating green eyes. I really like you and
respect
you. I know that last year, I was faced with the grief from Cedric's
death.
Then again, Cedric wouldn't want me to keep living like this. He'd
understand
that we couldn't and can't be together because he's... well, you know.
It really is nice to have you as a quill pal (nothing having to do with
fame,
of course). If you want to continue writing back and forth like this,
just send
a response back with Lotus.
Love,
Cho
Harry felt himself blushing. As much as he knew that he and Cho didn't
have a
romantic future together, it still pleased him that Cho was healing her
emotional wounds and not letting her anger take over. He quickly got
out his
Muggle stationary and wrote a response.
Dear Cho,
OK, I'm flattered. That was a very touching response you wrote to
me.
Yes, Umbridge will be on trial soon enough. Dumbledore is even coming
by later
today to help organize a case against her. What an ugly toad she is.
Next year,
I'll have my fellow Gryffindor Dean Thomas make pictures of her as
target
practice. That would be interesting.
It is also a good point that Cedric wouldn't want you to cease living
and not
find love with someone else, since he's gone. Professor Dumbledore told
me once
in my first year, "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to
live,
remember that." It seems fitting here.
By the way, we should continue the D.A. next year, although we should
probably
make it "Defense Association" instead. Or maybe "Order of the
Stag," since that's my Patronus' form. Each person's Patronus has some
special significance behind it, and as for the stag, I'll explain at a
more
convenient time, preferably after I clear Sirius' name. You'll see what
I mean
then. Anyway, I'd love to train people more, although it might not be
necessary, assuming we get a decent teacher next year. Lupin stopped by
my
house yesterday (he was another old friend of my parents) and told me
that
Fudge was trying to make up for last year's mistakes and trying to help
me out.
How thoughtful. (That was sarcasm.) Of course, if you'd ever like me to
teach
you one-on-one (and I promise I'll be extra careful), just say so.
I also remembered something. Not to open old wounds or anything, but if
One other thing: While I know that you and I don't have a
romantic future
together, I still wouldn't mind working with you.
Sincerely,
Harry
P.S. Do you have any idea why your Patronus turns into a swan? (2)
In the end, Harry decided it was just fine. He sealed the letter, gave
it to
Lotus, and the bird flew off. He then turned to Hedwig, and asked, "Can
I
rely on you to send a letter to someone?" Hedwig complied, and Harry
began
another letter.
To Professor Snape,
I know you hate me, but there is something that I think needs to be
sorted out.
I'm writing this because I just want to get this off my back, and since
I'm
hoping to pass N.E.W.T.-level Potions, I don't think I could stand
another year
or two of having to contend with you.
First of all, I'm sorry I violated your privacy by looking in the
Pensieve. I
thought maybe I could see what it was in the Department of Mysteries
that you
were so eager to hide from me. If you thought I was amused by what I
saw, well,
with all due respect sir, you were dead wrong. I was aghast and
horrified. For
the past five years, people have been telling me what a great man he
was,
brilliant yet mischievous, and here, from your unbiased memory, I found
out one
thing that everybody had neglected to tell me: that he was also
something of a
bully towards you. Here he torments you for the amusement of Sirius and
Wormtail, but that was hardly what bothered me. Lupin, who was made a
prefect
in the hopes of exercising control over his friends, just sits there
and
doesn't do anything. To cap it all, the 15-year-old version of my
mother rushes
to your defense and insults my father so brutally, I can't see how the
two of
them could have gotten married in the first place. I once heard
Professor
McGonagall describe my dad and Sirius as the forerunners of the Weasley
twins,
and yet even those two weren't bullies.
I'm also writing this to point out that I'm sympathizing with you,
because if
you remember correctly from our Occlumency lessons, I was bullied
before
Hogwarts and was something of a social outcast myself. I also remember
the one
time I used the Shield Charm and got a glimpse of a few of your
memories,
including where you were crying in a corner as boy while watching your
father
shout at your mother. Even when my cousin wasn't bullying me, my aunt
(my
mother's sister) and uncle found ways to keep me miserable. Until
Hagrid showed
up on my 11th birthday, I had no idea I was even a wizard or famous
just
because Voldemort killed my parents but failed to do it to me.
Dumbledore only
sent me there because of all the protective magic, as long as I'm with
my
abominable relatives. As one of my friends put it, my fame is like some
lost
puppy that keeps following me around. I hate it when people whisper,
point and
stare wherever I go, look for the scar on my forehead, try to get a
picture
taken with me and ask for my autograph. I don't do pictures and
autographs. In
other words, my life hasn't been so great either, and I try to maintain
as
normal a life as possible, and I would give anything just to have a
normal
life.
You know, you and Sirius actually had something in common. You both
thought
that I was a mini-James instead of being a person in my own right. One
thing
that Sirius said to me at the beginning of the last term at school
still
bothers me. "You're less like your father than I thought, Harry, the
risk
would have made it fun for James." I may look a lot like him and I may
have inherited his skills for flying, but it goes only as far as that.
I'm not
some troublemaker who spends half his life in detention, and I
CERTAINLY
wouldn't bully around another kid like that. If you really need any
more proof
that I'm not a duplicate of my dad, I was told that, although he was
brilliant
at all his subjects, he actually hated Defense Against the Dark Arts. I
seem to
do well at that, through interest and good survival skills, if you know
what I
mean.
Anyway, I hope you take this letter seriously. I didn't write all this
just to
give you more material to use against me in Potions class. And I know
you won't
use this information against me, because I've seen your memories too,
you know.
Having taken the risk of writing you over the summer, I am prepared for
whatever response you might send me.
Sincerely,
Harry Potter
After thinking about it more, Harry decided it wasn't too personal,
didn't
give away much information, and helped give a good argument to Snape
about the
truth. Plus, the last paragraph was a kicker with a bit of a Slytherin
touch,
Harry thought to himself with a grin.
He sealed that letter too, gave it to Hedwig, and she soared out
the
window. He was just contemplating whether or not Snape would also want
reconciliation with his least favorite student when there was a knock
at the
door downstairs.
(End of chapter 5.)
A/N: I tried keeping these characters and their letters in character.
(1) Remember this, folks.
(2) I'll offer my own explanation
later.