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Author: Grandma Kate Story: Ginny's Last Year of Home Schooling Rating: Everyone Setting: Pre-OotP Status: Completed Reviews: 3 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. Early in March, Hedwig arrived with a note from Ron thanking his parents and Ginny for his birthday presents. Molly read it aloud, Dear Mum and Dad and Ginny, That was a delicious cake. All my mates wish they had Mums who could cook like mine does. I used the mittens that Ginny knit when I was up in the Astronomy Tower for my class. It gets cold up there at midnight. All the teachers are piling on the homework. Even Hermione is swamped. She keeps saying that we have to organize study groups. She is mental. Harry and I need a lot of food to keep up our strength. Love, Ron ‘I know a hint when it’s worded like that,’ laughed Molly. ‘Ginny, we’d better start making biscuits for Hedwig to take back to Hogwarts.’ The next letter that arrived at the Burrow was from Bill. He asked his mother to please send him two pounds of the ‘Wake-up Wizard’ blend of Moonsickles Coffee. So Ginny and Molly took the Floo to Diagon Alley and got the coffee for Bill, new sunhats for themselves, and flower and vegetable seeds to start inside before the ground thawed. ***** Ginny learned even more cleaning spells than she knew existed when she and Molly did a thorough Spring Cleaning. It was much easier with only the three of them living at the Burrow. Molly sighed as she realized that next year there would be only two. Spring came to Ottery St. Catchpole. When the ground warmed enough, Molly and Ginny dug up the garden and planted their flower and vegetable seeds. Ginny began learning simple healing spells. They needed the ones for muscle aches and pains between the gardening and the cleaning. They made and sent two cakes to Hogwarts for Fred’s and George’s birthday on April First, but heard nothing back. The only letters that came from Hogwarts were those from Percy. He wrote faithfully, every week. Soon, even he wrote very short notes, saying he was swamped with homework. Luna Lovegood came down with a very bad cold in early April. It kept her from going into The Quibbler office for a few days. She still wasn’t well enough to go along when her dad had to go to Iceland in search of some magical creature that hadn’t been sighted in three hundred and fifty years. Their housekeeper had already promised to visit her grandchildren in Bristol, so Luna came to stay with the Weasleys for two weeks. This gave Ginny a chance to see how well her Pepper-Up Potion worked on someone outside the Weasley family. The two friends made necklaces, painted their toenails, and giggled a lot about boys. Mr Lovegood did not find whatever he had gone to Iceland looking for but brought back fur hats for both girls. By the time he came home, it was late April so it was too warm for anything but sun hats. On May second, Hedwig arrived with a letter in Harry Potter’s writing addressed to Ginny Weasley. She opened it with great excitement, but when she read it, she sputtered, ‘Mum, listen to this!’ Dear Ginny, I would like to know what kinds of dragons you saw in Romania. I think you wrote about three of them to Ron but he can’t find your letter and thinks he threw it away. He can’t remember if you saw a Norwegian Ridgeback. Did you? Please answer as soon as possible. Your Friend, PS. This is Ron. Send the answer back with Hedwig. And send food. Ron ‘I think you better repeat what you wrote to Ron when we first got back from Romania. Didn’t Charlie show you three breeds of dragons that came from the immediate area?’ Molly did not seem perturbed by Harry’s sudden interest in dragons. ‘Norway is not so close to Romania. I wonder if Harry is writing an essay about Norwegian dragons?’ Ginny wrote to Harry, repeating the information about the three breeds she had seen when they visited Charlie. She wrote that she had not seen a Norwegian Ridgeback. Then she asked him why he was suddenly so interested in dragons. She told him her Mum thought he might be writing something for a class. Molly approved of her letter and they sent it and some biscuits back with Hedwig. A week later, a Hogwarts owl came with a letter addressed to Arthur and Molly. It was from Madame Pomfrey. Molly read it and then asked Ginny to listen to it. ‘I have the feeling that there is more to this than she is saying. She says, Dear Mr and Mrs Weasley, Your son Ronald was bitten on the hand by what he thought was a dog on or about May third. It does not look like any dog bite that I have ever seen and has become badly infected. I am keeping him in the hospital wing until it heals. There is no need for you to come to Hogwarts in person but I think he would like to hear from you or his little sister. He mentions her and his brother Charlie in his sleep. I hope you are all well. Give my regards to Bill and Charlie when you write to them. Sincerely, ‘I wonder what kind of a dog bit Ron? I didn’t think students could bring dogs to Hogwarts,’ said Ginny in confusion. ‘I’ll write to him right away.” Molly nodded her approval while Ginny got parchment, ink, and a quill. She sipped her tea and wondered what the story was behind the so-called ‘dog bite’. Something did not seem quite right. Ginny wrote a cheerful letter full of news from Ottery St. Catchpole and what they had heard from Bill and Charlie. She told him that she hoped he’d be out of the hospital wing soon. She also included messages for her other brothers. She reminded Percy that he had said he would let Ron send messages with Hermes. She asked Fred and George where ‘her’ toilet seat was and she asked Ron if her information about dragons had been helpful to him and Harry Potter? Finally, she drew a picture of a very sad looking red haired boy lying in a bed with a big bandage around his hand. Molly sent Errol off with the letter and picture. The following Monday, Percy’s owl Hermes delivered a letter addressed to Ginny Weasley in a neat feminine hand. ‘Ginny, you got a letter,’ called Molly as Ginny came down the stairs. ‘I wonder who it’s from?’ Ginny opened the letter and read: Dear Ginny, My name is Hermione Granger and I am acting as a scribe for your brother Ron since he can’t yet write with his badly swollen hand. Madame Pomfrey thinks he was poisoned by whatever bit him. He asked me to tell you that he appreciated all the news and your amusing picture. Percy said that Harry and I could use Hermes to send this letter to you. Fred and George said something that I will not repeat, but essentially, it means that they haven’t yet managed to get the item you are expecting. I am going to let Harry finish the letter to you. I hope that we will meet in person soon, Hermione Granger Ginny smiled and said, ‘Harry wrote the rest. It says:’ Dear Ginny, Ron seems to be getting better. Hermione and Neville and I got in trouble for being out of our rooms after curfew. We had 150 points taken away from our House and everyone is mad at us. We have detention, too. Ron says that Charlie is a great dependable older brother. Is he your favorite brother? I wish I had a picture of your whole family so I could keep everyone straight. I could look at it and pretend that I had a family. Your friend, Ginny started crying when she finished reading the letter. ‘Oh Mum, I was right. Harry Potter doesn’t have any real family that loves him. Do we have a picture of all of us that we could send him?’ Molly thought a bit and said, ‘I think we have one taken just before Bill went to Egypt. Charlie’s in his Quidditch uniform so it must have been when we all went to his final match. You and Ron keep climbing up on your two oldest brothers and the twins are putting fingers behind everyone. I think Harry would like it. Let me look for it’ ***** Arthur, Molly and Ginny received a rather cryptic note from Charlie the next Saturday. Molly read it aloud to Arthur and Ginny. Dear Mum and Dad and Princess Ginny, No, I didn’t fall off the end of the earth but I have been very busy. All of the species we work with are mating and laying their eggs. All the females are extremely touchy. No offence meant, Mum, but a nesting dragon is a Force of Nature, just like you are when one of your children is threatened. Tell Ron and Harry and their friend Hermione that everything is fine. Everyone is settling in well. My friends would like to go back to Hogwarts when they have more time. Astrid says to tell Ginny she’d like to see her again sometime. So would I. I am always glad to get care packages from home. Do you ever have any extra Moonsickles coffee? Hint. Hint. Yours, ‘I wonder who the ‘everyone’ is that is settling in well at the dragon camp. I don’t think we will ever know the whole story,’ said Arthur with a puzzled expression. ‘Come on, Ginny, we need to practice your Chaser skills.’ ‘I think I have one unopened package of that coffee that both Bill and Charlie are so fond of. We may as well send it with some tarts and chocolate biscuits. You and your dad run along, I’ll listen to the Saturday marathon.’ Molly shooed Arthur and Ginny outside. The last week in May, Hedwig brought a letter addressed to Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter’s writing. She read it to herself and then to her mum, Dear Ginny, Ron and Hermione and I are very busy studying for our exams and doing research on a very important subject but we can’t tell anyone what we are finding out. Hermione and Neville and I had a scary detention. Malfoy is a very weird person. Please say thank you to your mum for letting you send me the picture of your whole family. You all have red hair and look friendly. I wish I had some brothers and a sister, but now I have a best friend with them. I hope to see you and your family some time again. Your friend, Molly said, ‘It’s not long until school is out. Harry will be on the Hogwarts Express with Ron and the rest of the boys. Maybe we will even meet their friend Hermione.’ ‘I can’t wait for school to be out and for my brothers at Hogwarts come home,’ said Ginny. ‘Do you think Harry will come here again?’ Molly shrugged and said, ‘We’ll just have to see what the summer brings.’ Ginny’s and Molly household routine changed as the weather got warmer They were out working in the garden every fair day but they always stopped to listen to Days of Destiny and have a cup of tea mid morning. The plot was getting complicated. Roderick had a vision in which he became aware of his Spanish heritage so he wanted everyone to call him Rodrigo. A seer revealed that his identical cousin Fenwick was actually his twin brother Rigoberto. This complicated the upcoming wedding of Olivia and Fenwick/Rigoberto or whatever his name was.
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