Dear Ginny
Part 1, Moving In
By Chem Prof
Author Notes:
Introduction
This story is told in a series of letters from Harry to Ginny during the summer and fall after 6th year, following the events of Half Blood Prince. In them he talks about their (Harry, Ron, and Hermione) progress in the effort to defeat Voldemort but without revealing exactly what they’re doing. Along the way relationships change. (You can probably guess which ones.) Since the letters are from only one point of view, and he’s trying not to reveal too much, you need to be able to read between the lines a bit.
This story will be posted in clusters of letters, grouped according to what's happening to the trio at the time.
Part 1, Moving In
Letter 1
Sunday, 15 June
Dear Ginny,
It’s only been a day and already I miss you. Even though we can’t be together, I thought you might like it if I wrote to you regularly to tell you how we’re doing. I want to thank you for being so understanding about our breaking up. I really do appreciate that you realized that I had to do this, and were willing to let me go. I hope that these letters will let you know how much you’re still in my thoughts. I promise to try to be better about writing this summer than I usually am. If all else fails, I do have Hermione here to nag me about it.
It took a while to get everything sorted out at King’s Cross. Sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye then but I suppose people were anxious to get out of there. You can tell how scared everyone is now. There was a lot of explaining to do to get everyone to understand our plans. And of course it didn’t help that the Dursleys weren’t even there to pick me up. They didn’t realize I was coming home early. We finally ended up using the Knight Bus. They were rather surprised when I turned up on their doorstep two weeks early.
So anyway, we’re here at Privet Drive now and things have finally settled down. There was quite a bit of yelling when Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia found out that Ron and Hermione were planning to stay here with me. The typical stuff about freaks and unnaturalness and the regular abuse that I always have to put up with. It was quite a shock for Ron and Hermione though. I don’t think they really understood before today just how unpleasant and nasty my aunt and uncle can be. Of course they were in no mood to put up with it. Especially Hermione. You know how she can be when she gets going about something. Whew! Did she ever go off on them! It was pretty funny, actually, to see a 300 pound man cowering from this little slip of a girl. Well, she’s not so little any more actually, but she was by far the smallest person in the room. When the Dursleys found out that Ron and Hermione could legally do magic I thought they were going to wet themselves. Ron was pretty funny, too, with some of the comments he was throwing in, but it was mostly Hermione. I’ve never seen her so passionate. I think Ron’s really going to have his hands full with her.
Anyway, they settled down when we made it clear that we would only be here for two weeks, and that we’d stay in my room, and that they wouldn’t have to feed us. Since Hermione can apparate, she decided that she can easily go out and get us whatever we need. When she was ready to go out shopping for supplies she wanted Ron to go with her, and offered to side-along apparate him, but he turned red and wouldn’t do it. (I think he’s embarrassed that she can apparate and he can’t.) So she just glared at him for a few seconds, then decided to take me instead. I’ve side-alonged with Dumbledore a few times, so I was used to it. It seemed different with her somehow, though. Maybe it’s because I can apparate myself now, but instead of it feeling like her dragging me along it felt more like we were doing it together. I did point out to her that I’m perfectly capable of apparating myself, (heck, I could have even side-alonged her or Ron) but you know how she is about rules. Since I don’t have a license she won’t hear of it. But at any rate, we’re better stocked up with stuff than I’ve ever been while staying here. She also wants to take me shopping for new clothes (you know how I always have to wear Dudley’s old clothes and they fit me like a tent) but I’m not too keen on that idea.
Hermione has really done wonders with my room. I suppose you’re wondering how the three of us can all fit in here. She’s expanded it magically so there’s plenty of room for all of us. She also conjured up two more beds and desks and (surprise, surprise) several bookshelves. As you can imagine, Ron really moaned and groaned about that! And, as you also might expect, that lead to another bit of a row between them. She asked him if he thought we were just going to relax here and goof off and do nothing but play chess and talk about quidditch. Sometimes I wish Ron would think a little before he answers one of her questions like that. But no, he just shrugged his shoulders and said, ‘Why not?’ Boy, did she let him have it then. She had to stop and put a silencing charm on the room when Uncle Vernon yelled up the stairs for us to keep it quiet. She calmed down after that. She also got pretty red. I’m sure she was embarrassed about the Dursleys hearing her, but I don’t know why she would worry about it. They don’t even know her.
I wish she and Ron would hurry up and admit that they fancy each other. Despite what I said earlier about Ron having his hands full, they still haven’t done anything about it yet. It would be nice if all of this emotional energy they put into fighting with each other could go into snogging instead. Well, as long as I don’t have to watch it, that is. But still, everybody says that their constant bickering is a sign that they have repressed feelings for each other. I’m not sure I get that though. You and I never yelled at each other like that, right? And when Uncle Vernon yells at me it sure doesn’t mean he likes me. Oh well, I guess it’s just one of those things I don’t understand about men and women. It’s not like I had any decent role models about loving relationships while I was growing up.
Okay, this letter got way too serious. There’s not much more to tell, though. I’ll write again when something interesting happens. I still miss you.
Yours,
Harry
-oooOOOooo-
Letter 2
Monday, 16 June
Dear Ginny,
Whoa! What brought that on? Ron says that was the closest thing he’s ever seen to a Howler without actually being one. I guess I understand why what I said set you off like that, so I’ll try to explain a little better.
OK, just so you know, Hermione took your side. She just told me I was being an insensitive git. Somehow she managed to include Ron in that, too. She was kind of flustered, though. She didn’t say it, but I don’t think she appreciated what you said about her. Anyway, after she chewed me out just now I understand better why you’re so upset.
I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that Ron and Hermione were coming with me. I thought it was obvious from the way we were talking on the train and at the station, but now I realize you weren’t really involved in those conversations. Look, it’s like this. I was planning on doing this alone when I broke up with you, but when the two of them confronted me about it I couldn’t turn them down. They’ve been with me for six years and have always done this kind of stuff with me. I know you were my girlfriend for a few weeks but it’s just not the same. I’ve shared everything with them about what I’m doing. And before you ask – no, I can’t tell you. It’s just too dangerous for you to know. Since I already told them last summer, way before you and I got together, it’s not like I can take it back now. If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t told anyone else either. Not even McGonagall.
It’s just not safe for you to be with us. I know you went along with me to the Department of Mysteries last year, and I do appreciate the support you and Neville and Luna showed, but the more people involved in this the more dangerous it will be for all of us. The only way this will work is if we keep it absolutely secret, so I just can’t tell you any more. Oh yeah, Neville and Luna don’t know anything about this either. Really, it’s just Ron and Hermione.
I’ll explain a little better about my room. Before I moved in here it was a storage room for Dudley’s old stuff. Since I’m only home for a month or two during the summer, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia still keep it pretty full of his junk. So I only have a little room for a bed and a desk, and hardly any closet or dresser space either. So Hermione used these cool spells to enlarge the room and add more furniture. It still looks the same from the outside, but it’s a lot bigger inside. Your house is like that too, right? So we aren’t really all sleeping together. She made two more beds (actually, she enlarged my bed a bit, too) and there’s lots of space between hers and ours. She also added curtains kind of like the hangings we have around our beds at Hogwarts for privacy. We even have a little sitting space where our desks are. (and Hermione’s bookshelves; can’t forget about them) Her bed’s on the other side of the sitting area. She’s even thinking about trying to make us our own loo, so we don’t have to share with Dudley, but she says that’s a lot harder.
Now that I’ve cleared that up, I have a funny story for you. You should have seen Ron’s face when Hermione came out in her nightgown this morning. I thought he was going to explode, he was so red. I mean, if he didn’t know Hermione was a girl before, he sure does now! Since you roomed with her the last two summers, I’m sure you’ve seen it so I won’t try to describe it to you. I guess you girls wear a lot less to bed during the summer. I have to agree with Ron, it really looked good on her. But, after a little while of him stuttering and staring at her, she finally gave up and went back behind her curtain and put a robe on. She gave me a little smile before she turned away, so I was pretty sure she did it on purpose to wind him up a bit.
Now I want to make it clear, I didn’t make a fool out of myself about it like Ron did. Sure, I looked a bit, but I managed to keep myself under control. In fact, I tried to imagine what you would look like with that nightgown. Pretty pleasant thought, actually. I mean, it wouldn’t look exactly the same on you because you’re smaller than Hermione, but I think I would rather enjoy it. Anyway, that was the excitement so far today. But maybe it will give Ron enough of a push to finally say something to Hermione. Nope, the git still hasn’t got up the nerve. I’m going to try to talk to him about it later when Hermione’s not around. She’s going to apparate home and visit with her parents for a few hours and pick up (what else?) some more books.
I did manage to hint at it to Hermione while we were out shopping this morning. I mentioned to her that her nightgown was quite an eye-opener. She blushed rather fetchingly and mumbled something about it being about time the two of us noticed that she was a girl. I’m sure she meant Ron. I’ve certainly always realized that she was a girl. And before you ask, yes, I always knew you were a girl too. The big difference now is that it’s pretty obvious that she’s not a little girl any more, if you know what I mean. And yes, you made it quite obvious to me during the past few weeks that you aren’t either. But that conversation pretty much confirmed for me that the reason she wore that nightgown was to get Ron’s attention. Now that she has it let’s hope she can keep it.
Other than that, the only other thing we discovered today was that Ron isn’t very good at being a muggle. We went down to the kitchen this morning after the Dursleys were finished to cook breakfast for ourselves (we’ve worked out something of a truce where we get the kitchen for an hour 3 times a day when they’re not using it). Muggle appliances are a complete mystery to him. I never really thought before about how much your mum uses magic in her cooking. So I’m in charge of cooking here, with Hermione assisting. Ron just eats, but as you know he is pretty good at that. We’ve decided that it’s a good thing we didn’t take him shopping with us. We think he would go nutters in a muggle grocery store.
Hermione and Ron send their regards, too. Ron still thinks it’s pretty funny the way you went off on me, so maybe next time you can yell at him. Sorry again for not being clear about what we were doing.
Yours,
Harry
P.S. Hermione just found out what I was writing (she only got a glimpse of the letter, so she didn’t see everything) and wanted me to tell you that her nightgown isn’t ‘that bad’ (her words). She says to say it has a camisole like top and it goes down nearly to her knees (looked to me like several inches short of her knees) and that it isn’t at all see through. When I pointed out to her that I could tell what color her knickers were she got all red and punched me in the arm. Anyway, she says it was pretty much like the one you wore when the two of you shared that tent at the Quidditch World Cup. Hmm. It that’s true I wonder if you still have that nightgown. I think I wouldn’t mind seeing what it looks like on you now. (grin)
-xox-XOX-XOX-xox-
Author Notes:
Harry's not a prolific writer, so these are going to be relatively short, compared to normal fanfic chapters.