Hermione Jane Granger

Hello, Sirius, I hope you had a good birthday yesterday.

Harry was happy to see you on Saturday, but it made him a little sad, too, because he wishes it could be more normal, by which he means that it weren't such a huge risk for you and that you had more time and could just talk about ordinary things instead of only having time for the important things.

And I got to thinking that sometimes when he's home at the holidays, it's a little easier for him to slip out for a few hours. I don't think he could come to Grimmauld Place even though I'm sure he'd love to see it, and it's probably too dangerous for him to know that you and Mr Lupin are actually part of Laszlo's (but I think he could come along to tea time if Hydra had another session there with Mrs L Tonks), but what if we arranged for you and him to find a way to see each other over the holidays? I bet I could keep people away for a while if they think he's in Buckingham and doesn't want to see anyone. He's supposed to spend time with the Malfoys too, but that's harder to sneak away because it's more like being a family and people include him more. But sometimes he and Draco go flying and we could maybe arrange something then, as long as Professor Lestrange doesn't go with them or anything.

Anyway, is there somewhere nearby Laszlo's where you could meet him but not be seen? Or even anywhere else, if he can Floo there and so can you then you could just meet.

What do you think?

Hermione

P.S., I'm glad you liked the Galleon. We worked hard on it. Do you think Mr Snape's right and we could use something like it for everyone in the camps? I think we'd have to make sure that the messages from those coins don't show up on our coins here at school. The way we did these was that they're all connected through a modified Protean charm; I think if you did another batch the same way, but never connected one to the original coins (ours, I mean), you'd be all right. And then there's the question of how to keep them getting stolen or something if someone's in the camps. A Galleon is a lot of money to some people. But I think the twins could help with some anti-theft charms. Although that might be a problem because what if it started screaming in the middle of the night, a mudblood can't have an enchanted item at all and then they'd find it and maybe it isn't going to work, hm. Or do you think it should be something that doesn't look like money in the first place? That's probably better. A button or badge would do it and no one would think it too odd, maybe.

P.P.S., I think maybe if you had some time when I could slip away and see you, that might be good. If you and Mr Lupin have time, I mean, I think maybe I'd like to talk a little about--my mother. But maybe not just yet. I'm not sure. Sometimes I think it's better when I don't think about it.

P.P.P.S. Justin was glad, too, and he said that he hopes now you've met Hydra you'll stop worrying so much that she's just like Bellatrix.

I'm doing all right. I thought you should know. I didn't respond to Mr Weasley because I didn't know what to say.

I feel a bit like I'm in a fog, or like it hasn't sunk in yet, and I don't know when it will. It doesn't seem right to just write about what is happening in my days. It feels like I should be mourning. Or something. Only they aren't dead. Just werewolfed.

I don't know. Sorry.

It's going to be the hols soon and all the students will be going home. I'll still be here of course and I'll really be able to get some work done on the Lord Protector's book. I spend a lot of time drawing the same pictures again and again because I want them to be good, and fortuneately I'm becoming a lot better at it. When I've made something good I will ask Madam Pince to use a spell and copy it here. Not that anyone wants to read what a Mudblood writes I know but maybe it would be nice for Headmistress McGonagall to be able to see what I'm making for her.

I was thinking about this time of year in the camps. I am much warmer now than I ever was then. We were lucky because we didn't have to go out to work outside the camps proper, but it was still very cold, in every camp I ever remember being at. Some of them are very different than others because different Muggle buildings are different but they were all cold.

Here I don't have to go out into the snow. I'm grateful for that. Mum liked to talk about how we should be grateful at Christmas. Last year it was harder to be grateful than this year because Mum and Daddy weren't there. I have more things to be grateful about now even though they aren't here, because of course I have everything in Hogwarts, which is lovely. Mum said things that make me think that when she was my age she had things like there are in Hogwarts, only she is a Muggle so I don't see how she could have, but I suppose things were very different then.

I think I might ask Madam Pince if I can put some fir branches over the doors in the library where they won't get on the books. When I was little Mum couldn't always get holly or mistletoe but she would always find something evergreen to put up somewhere, which I think must be something that Muggles learned from wizards because they're magical too, aren't they? Anyway they look very pretty against the snow.

Today the word is polydipsia, which Mr Lupin taught me means "excessively thirsty." Mr Lupin's clabbert, Clifton, had polydipsia this morning, which Mr Lupin says is a sign that his hutch is too hot and needs to be moved out of the sun. That is awfully hard work so Mr Lupin was nice enough to give me a break.

It is a nice change from scrubbing toilets but I'm back on them in the afternoon. My least favorite job is serving at table, though. It never seems like I'm quite clean enough to really serve food, so I feel guilty before I even start, and then everyone stares.

It isn't so bad though because at least Terry has taken care of his problem and I know that this will end and then I'll go back to the library. The first day I was so miserable I cried and cried and cried. I couldn't believe that anyone would be so mean, even though I know that people are mean to other Mudbloods all the time. It just had never happened to me really, since Mum and Dad always took care of me in the camps. If I didn't have parents, like Terry, I wouldn't have cried I bet, because I would have been used to it.

I haven't heard from Mum and Dad in a long time. I hope they're okay.