Thanks for coming, yesterday. I know you didn't know her at all, but it meant something that you wanted to be there, anyway.

Did people come and talk to you? I mean, not about Professor McGonagall but about other things. I know you talked to Alice and Frank, and I thought I saw Sirius talking to you for a while. He's brilliant, isn't he? And Mr Lupin's one of the first people who ever took an interest in my comfort, I'll always be ever so grateful about that. Well, we've talked about that before, haven't we! Anyway. It's too bad so few our age could be there, but at least with me and Draco and Terry and Colin and you and Sarah and Dudley, it's not as if there are no younger people.

By the way, I think the cartography project is brilliant and I'm sure it'll be helpful for the Zulu companies. And for us, too, when we're looking for places that Voldemort might have hidden the artefacts.

Oh, about that.... Our latest theory is that he might have hidden something in the orphanage where he grew up (he grew up in an orphanage, did I tell you?) or near the site where it was or something. Only we don't have any idea where that was, other than New London. Do you have any sources from before that might list places we could research? That would be immensely useful.

You don't have to worry about me going out, either. I mean, it's nice that you do but we've tested our disguises a few times now and it's fooled everyone we've met.

Anyway, I hope you weren't too bored or felt too left out. But I'm glad you were along.

Draco let me read what you wrote.

It helped. More than anything else has done, so far, I think.

He'd been listening to records from Sirius's old room and we were starting to be able to look at one another, before he got the note from his mother. And then he locked himself in his room all day. I was going to sit outside and try to get to him, but Mr Snape decided to put a chair in the corridor. Finally I got Kreacher to make roast beef and mash--his favourite, you know--and then he let me in. I put on one of the records (It was called 'Queen' and mostly I chose it because the first song was called 'Keep yourself alive') and we were sitting there listening and not talking. Which is really all we did last night, too, only this time I had a book to read so he wouldn't feel awkward.

And then you wrote to him. And he...well, it helped. And he showed it to me and then.... Remember when we talked? And you said you'd been afraid to let yourself feel because you feared you'd never be able to stop?

Well, he let himself feel. So did I. And it sort of flooded over for a little while. But then we both noticed the record had stopped.

And then he ate loads of pie. And vommed it (which was almost funny but I didn't dare laugh. Mostly I was just happy he tried eating anything).

So.

Thank you. I'm so glad you're in the Order, Hydra. Truly.

I'm so glad to know you.

Hydra was called before her mother and Professors Lestrange, Dolohov, Sprout, Slughorn, and McGonagall. (Oh, Madam Pomfrey, she looks so thin.... And very worn out.) That was probably the one moment I worried I might be discovered but she called Hydra over and it gave me a second to get into the corner.

Then the Headmistress said, 'Well, Bellatrix, we're all assembled. What did you want to say?'

Well, you could tell 'Bellatrix' didn't like being talked to that way but she ignored it and started speaking. She never raised her voice, she just said that she understood from Professor Slughorn that Hydra had been indulging in an 'ill-conceived dalliance' with Justin ('that Hufflepuff boy' is what she said) and that everyone was to consider that entanglement at an end. She said Hydra had 'more important things to do' and wasn't ever to be alone with Justin or even in his company except if they were engaged in school activities, like revising or participating in clubs together. She looked right at Hydra and said 'As for you, you're not engaged, don't be silly. Your father may have indulged your little fantasy but you won't get any of that from me. You're going to use your gifts to serve the Lord and that's that. If he chooses you, you may marry Harry, but it may turn out that the Lord and I have different plans for you.'

Professor Slughorn asked if there was to be a penalty to either of them (or both) for their violation of the terms Mr Lestrange had set. Hydra's mother said she didn't care about any of that, so long as Hydra wasn't holding herself back in any way. 'However, if she's breaking the rules for this boy then he's clearly holding her back and dominating too much of her attention. And I expect that all of you will make certain he does not interfere again.'

Then Professor Lestrange asked if they would hear the same thing from his brother if he were to speak to them about the matter. And Bellatrix said--and I don't know, Hydra, I thought this sounded sort of ominous--she said that Mr Lestrange was not to be given any say in the matter anymore, that she had 'revoked his authority over Hydra' and that as far as she was concerned his judgement was no longer to be trusted.

Professor Sprout pointed out that they have mostly the same friends in common, so they're bound to be together loads of the time. Bellatrix just shrugged. 'That's immaterial to me, so long as they are conducting themselves appropriately and in approved school activities.' She looked at Hydra again. 'To be clear, that means no compromising positions, no after-hours interludes, no carrying on together. Whatever you thought you were doing with this boy is over.'

Professor McGonagall asked what Auror Lestrange expected them all to do if Justin and Hydra broke her prohibitions again. And she said, she didn't care what measures were taken to ensure that her instructions were followed, just that they'd better see to it that they were followed.

And if they are not followed, then she wanted to be informed immediately. She looked right at Hydra but from where I was, I could see her face, too, and--oh, Hydra, I'm sorry, I hope I never see that look again. She was so cold. She said if she heard of any more 'nonsense' that she would leave off whatever she was doing to come here directly and kill Justin herself. 'If that is what it takes to get my daughter to stop wasting her time, then so be it.'

She looked at everyone in turn (and it was almost funny to see everyone avoiding her eyes!) and then she asked if she'd been clear enough for them all, and then demanded that Hydra answer her, too, and then she said, 'Good. Then may this be the last time we need discuss it' and she swept out.

It felt like everyone took a breath, then, and Professor McGonagall said to Hydra, 'Well, I hope you have considered your situation very carefully. We have matters to discuss, so I think you had better go back to your common room, Miss Lestrange' so Hydra left then, and they all talked about what to do.

The good news is that it was mostly more about how to keep you two from getting into trouble again, and not about making you feel even worse for what happened. But it doesn't sound like you'll be very happy about their solutions. I don't want to say so that you can both act surprised when you hear it from them. I mean, it's odd because in a way, they all sort of regret calling Bellatrix in on the issue. I could tell. Especially Professor Slughorn, he seemed relieved that she wasn't out for Justin's blood--this time. But I don't think it's going to be easy and I'm sorry, so sorry, there's just no way I think you can ignore everyone this time.

Hello, Professor McGonagall,

I know you'll say you're not technically a professor anymore but you are to me, and anyways, your office still hasn't opened up to Madam Umbridge and I think that's got to be a sign that the castle knows she's not the real Headmistress and you are.

Did you and Mr Malfoy come and look at the book? Only I know that Madam Pomfrey and Mrs Longbottom were looking for ways to find out if there were any more children born who need to be got out of the camps.

I was wondering if you could do us a favour, though. Harry's found out that the Lord Protector really wants him (Harry, I mean) to get so cross with Madam Umbridge that he'll murder her. Well, he's obviously not going to do that, I mean, he's not going to become a murderer because He wants him to be, but we got to talking about ways that we could get rid of Madam Umbridge that wouldn't be that extreme. And we came up with the idea of a sit-in, where the students would all gather in the Great Hall and refuse to leave.

Only, you know she's been making everyone practically starve, the halfbloods and all, I mean, and we're worried that if we actually organised a protest, she'd cut off everyone's meals and it would fall apart.

But we got to thinking that if the castle thinks you're still the real Headmistress and has kept your office locked, maybe the house-elves would listen if you turned up out of the blue and told them to take their orders from you and not her. So we could make sure that we'd be fed decently if we manage to pull off the sit-in.

Do you think that would be possible?

Oh, and also, when you're in your cat form, can you talk with other cats? Because we've rescued one of the kittens from those horrid plates in her office and we wondered if the kitten could tell us anything about what it's like to be imprisoned, I mean, if it remembers it or was hurt or anything.

I hope you're otherwise well and not drinking and keeping busy. Are you reading anything good? I recently got Harry to stop dragging me with him to his lessons so I've spent loads of time in the library and Madam Pince has been very good about looking the other way when she knows I'm reading in the stacks. Oh, and Mr Snape has been a marvellous teacher. He says that even though I can't sit for the O.W.L.s, he thinks I'm well beyond them in Potions anyhow and we've already gone halfway through his N.E.W.T. material, too. There are some other projects he wants me to work on that I think are probably about that level, but that's only because Harry hasn't had any of those lessons yet so I think they must be very advanced.

It was really good to be able to see you over the holidays. I hope you'll be able to come back to Hogwarts if we get rid of Madam Umbridge.

Oh, and I wondered if you've changed the password to your office because if you haven't, maybe I could go and look at the book for you? Or maybe I can't, I don't remember if you have to be there to look at it yourself.

Sincerely,

Hermione