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Author: Grandma Kate Story: Ginny's Last Year of Home Schooling Rating: Everyone Setting: Pre-OotP Status: Completed Reviews: 8 Words: 21,638
The Harry Potter Universe belongs to J.K. Rowling. I’m just borrowing the characters for a while. This is for pleasure only, no profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended. It was January sixth, the day classes began again at Hogwarts, when Harry Potter’s owl Hedwig tapped at the kitchen window. Ginny ran to get the post. ‘There are three letters. Mum, do you want me read them out loud?’ ‘Go right ahead, dear. I’m up to my elbows in bread dough,’ answered Molly. Ginny looked at the three letters, ‘This one’s from Fred and George and this is Ron’s writing and I think, maybe, this one is from Harry Potter.” Ginny blushed all over. ‘Probably so,’ said Molly. ‘It’s likely to be a letter thanking us for his Christmas presents. Why don’t you read his first?’ Dear Mr and Mrs Weasley and Ginny, This is the best Christmas I have ever had. I love the green jumper you made me. It is so warm and such a nice color. I really appreciate you making me one just like I was a Weasley. Your boys are so friendly and nice and insisted that I sit with them at Christmas. It made me feel like I had a family again. I liked the fudge, too. Ron and I have been eating a lot all holiday but we could both stand to gain a little weight. Ron is teaching me to play Wizard Chess but I am better at Exploding Snap. Fred and George really like Exploding Snap. We are spending lots of time in the library and doing our homework so you don’t have to worry about us getting in trouble or doing anything we aren’t supposed to. Thank you again,Harry‘Did you notice, he addressed it to me, too,’ said Ginny in a kind of high squeaky voice. ‘You did help with the jumpers and the fudge, so he should thank you,’ Molly answered as she set the bread dough to rise. ‘What do your brothers say?’ ‘ I’ll read Ron’s next,’ said Ginny as she opened the second parchment. Dear Mum and Dad and Ginny, You really make good fudge. We made Percy sit with us instead of with the Prefects. We think he likes a Ravensclaw Prefect who has curly hair. Harry got a great present. It is a kind of cloak. And he found a mirror that shows different things to different people. He could see other people from his family, even though he doesn’t have any relatives who aren’t dead besides the Muggles. And when I looked, I was taller and older looking and both Head Boy and Quidditch Captain. Do you think that will really happen? Our friend Hermione came back today. Now we have to study and work on our homework again. But classes are beginning tomorrow, anyway. All my dorm-mates are good blokes but I like Harry best. I think Ginny does too, because she sends me food that he likes and says to share. I bet she was terrified of the dragons because she is a girl and only ten. I think I’d like to visit Charlie and maybe, Bill, too. Yours truly, ‘I am surprised that Ron wrote such a nice long letter. He’s really growing up,’ said Molly. ‘Now read the one from Fred and George.’ Dear Family, Staying at school over Christmas hols wasn’t so bad because we could always find someone to do stuff with. Harry is getting to be pretty good at Exploding Snap, once he got used to losing his eyebrows. Did you have a good time visiting Charlie? I bet he was glad to see you. We want to go with you the next trip you go on. I bet there are lots of interesting things in Egypt. Thanks for the food and jumpers. We ate the all the food and are wearing the jumpers. Sincerely, Happy New Year! Fred never leaves me anything to say. We missed being at The Burrow for Christmas but it sounds like Charlie needed you more. Next year Ginny will be at Hogwarts so you better have us all come home. My jumper was the one with a ‘G’ on it, wasn’t it? I hope so because I don’t want to wear Fred’s. Love from George Ginny laughed and said, ‘Between them they write a good letter.’ ‘Leave the letters on the table so your dad can read them. He always likes to hear from his children,’ Molly said as she started up the stairs. ‘Our holiday is over, too. It’s Monday so we need to strip our beds and wash the sheets and towels. Let’s try and get the washing done before Days of Destiny comes on. It takes forever to dry clothes in this weather even with drying charms.’ ***** Molly began teaching Ginny some of the simple healing spells from The Witches’ Guide to Everyday Ailments. Ginny turned out to be very good at brewing fever and upset-stomach potions and was making progress at removing splinters using Molly’s wand. She told Molly she might possibly train at St Mungo’s. Molly was ecstatic and suggested that Ginny learn some of the more advanced spells for headaches, cramps, and eyestrain. She would be popular with her classmates. The weather had turned cold and rainy at the Burrow so Arthur and Ginny were not able to practice her flying and catching on the weekend. Percy still wrote every week without fail, but mostly he just said how busy he was and how much homework he had to do and that the weather was terrible. Ginny wished her other brothers would write more often Ginny had made so much progress in baking that Molly let her make the cake for her father’s birthday on February sixth. All of the Weasley boys sent presents they got from Hogsmeade and Ginny knit him a new scarf with Gryffindor colors. Arthur was touched by his simple family birthday celebration. Molly did all of the cooking for the birthday dinner since Ginny had made the cake. They had to eat leftovers for the rest of the week. Percy’s next two weekly letters repeated that he was very busy and that Fred and George and Harry Potter were practicing Quidditch quite a bit. Their Captain, Oliver Wood, was a severe taskmaster. Apparently all the practice paid off because he wrote that Gryffindor beat Hufflepuff on February twenty-second when Harry Potter caught the Snitch in record time. The following Monday, Hedwig came with a letter from Ron to Ginny. Dear Ginny, Harry caught the Snitch so fast because Professor Snape was being the referee and he is prejudiced against Gryffindor. He’s the Head of Slytherin. We have to do homework every night and it makes us very hungry. Maybe you could make something good and send it to us? Harry likes it when you send us stuff. Love, PS. Harry is really hungry because he has to practice being a Seeker in all kinds of weather. He would have written something but he fell asleep studying. Ginny looked disappointed. ‘Maybe I should make something for him and Harry Potter.’ ‘I think you might want to write a birthday letter for Ron. He will be twelve next weekend.’ Molly was pleased that Ginny immediately started to write to Ron. ‘I’ll make him a card as well, but how does this sound?’ Ginny began to read. Dear Ron, Happy Birthday. Now you are two years older than I am until August. I hope you like the mittens I knit for you. I remember when you got hives all over when I forgot to wash the wool last time I made you a scarf. Don’t worry. I washed these mittens already. Mum is making your cake because she always does and I don’t know as much about Freshness Charms as she does. She is making it extra big so you can share it with your friends and brothers because boys your age eat a lot. Love, ‘Hedwig needs a while to warm up and get dry. Then she can take your package and letter. I’ll send his cake closer to the weekend through the Ministry post.’ Molly was glad that Ron was able to use Hedwig for some letters. That was so thoughtful of Harry. She didn’t have the heart to send poor Errol out in this weather. She thought maybe she would teach Ginny how to make strengthening pellets next week. That ought to perk Errol up a bit. Molly and Ginny were quite caught up in the plot of Days of Destiny. It is true that when Molly heard the voice of Fiona’s true love, Roderick, saying, ‘I love you! I love you! I love you!’ to another woman, she clapped her hands over Ginny’s ears; but it turned out to be that he was talking to Olivia, evil Olga’s good identical twin, and it wasn’t Roderick, but Fenwick, Roderick’s identical cousin. There had been a prophecy that Olivia and Fenwick were to be together, so all was well.
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