Hermione Jane Granger

Mr and Mrs Longbottom,

You should both come tomorrow but don't go to the Shack. There's a cave in the hills just outside the village. Sirius has used it sometimes when he's come to visit Harry. It's a bigger area but it's still secluded and really, it would have been next to impossible to get everyone through the tunnel to the Shack or have them Apparate into the Shack from somewhere in the village.

Mrs Longbottom, nearly everyone's decided that they do want to join up, although Luna has some questions and Draco's dead-set against joining, which isn't surprising at all, but don't worry it doesn't mean he wants to be a Death Eater any more than he wants to join the Order, even if he will go on about magic tattoos and how nift they are.

Terry, are you going to come too?

Thank you for the carving.

Isn't it odd to think that we have more privacy on the Order Lock or the ISS one than most of the school has with Madam Umbridge calling them all on the carpet for posting private messages?

It's strange that people grew so used to using them so quickly. I think that must mean that people have more secrets than we might guess, or at least things they want to keep to themselves.

Do you think Sirius will get the other sets of buttons soon? The ones for the muggles in the camps, I mean. I think we should maybe start coming up with things for him to say on them, though I don't know if that's the best way to use them, maybe those shouldn't be like the Galleons and instead they should have useful information like Mr Snape was trying to give them in his posts. Only obviously he's got far too much to say on a button, even if it is in code. Maybe especially.

Are you still thinking about leaving? I'm sorry I haven't been around to talk much, but Harry and Draco especially have had things to work on that are really interesting. I think Draco might be coming round to think muggleborns aren't so bad, actually. He gave me a nift Transfigurations textbook and another on Arithmancy. For Christmas, you know. He wouldn't have done if he'd thought I shouldn't be learning about magic. He certainly wouldn't have given me his project to work on. I don't think he's quite ready to learn about the lock, or that you and I have wands. Maybe soon, though.

Only I feel badly about not telling Harry because the longer we leave him out, the harder it'll be to tell him about it. Only I know he'll want to include Draco straightaway, and he won't probably listen if I explain why it's not a good idea. You know they're practically brothers, so it's not hard to understand why he only wants to think the best of him.

Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to go on so long. We really haven't talked in forever, not like we used to when you were here. I just hope you don't go without telling anyone first. I don't think they'd tell you not to go, if you really wanted to leave. But it wouldn't be right to leave without giving them the chance to make things better.

Anyway, really I just wanted to thank you for the present and ask how you are, and tell you I do miss you, even if I don't say so very often.

Love from,

Hermione