The Uncle From America

Chapter 9

November 10th

Dear Hermione,

That's my girl! When I told Tasha, she was a bit smug (I think she's already planning your next training session. Be brave kid). Things got a bit tense during the assignment and I didn't get enough time to bring you a souvenir, so the bookmark is from Tasha. The ideogram means 'strength' (I googled it).

I'm sorry about Harry. I think it's a good thing you're teaching him self-defense, you never know when it can come in handy. Whatever you're doing to help him, trust me, he will never forget (even if he gets grumpy and angry about it).

I have to go, but keep me posted.

Clint

Hermione winced at the mention of Natasha planning something. Casual training was hard enough –and she was seriously getting lazy lately –and she really needed to fall back into the routine of exercises Natasha gave her if she didn't want to suffer once she returned. She opened the second letter that had arrived a couple days before, but hadn't yet the time to read.

November 8th

Sorry Brita,

Right now is the great period of exams. We were going crazy studying and Don is helping us with homework. We'll write a longer letter later. In the meantime, we squeezed in some time for a group picture. Don's wearing his family's traditional cloths. Believe it or not, he's the youngest from an old Pureblood family and has to go through some stupid ceremony of recognition. I like his costume though. It would look great at Mardi Gras according to Paint.

TTYL!

Fish and the Melting Pot

PS: Gretel thinks Harry looks cute.

Hermione smiled slightly and glanced at the picture. It was animated, of course, like all wizards photos. They were all wearing the same uniform, black pants and blue shirt for Paint and Fish, along with a logo of their school. Both were making funny faces as usual. Gretel wore black pants instead of a skirt (apparently she had managed to avoid the girls-wear-skirts rule) with a purple top, and was glaring at the two younger boys. Don was there too, smiling and waving at her. His seemingly traditional costume was green and silver with heavy red jewelry wrapped around his neck and torso. A weird hat in a banana shape with large borders fell over his ears. Hermione smiled back at them, realizing that she missed them more than she expected.

Paint and Fish's incessant jokes and attempts at pranks, Gretel's unexpected devil-may-care attitude and Don's endless patience. She just hoped their barely standing friendship would be enough to see them unchanged once she returned.

"Hermione!"

She raised her eyes and met the panicking ones of Ginny. The girl was red and panting, and while Hermione hadn't said more than a couple words to her since the beginning of the school year, she got curious enough to hear what the younger girl had to say.

"Harry and Ron are fighting downstairs."

Hermione didn't need any more words and, after stashing the letters in her pocket (she was so not leaving them in the open for everyone to see), ran to the Common Room.

A huge assembly of students was gathered around what were obviously two people who were exchanging more than words. Had it been any other occasion, Hermione knew the fight would have been ended a long time before it would have started. Unfortunately, Harry was the antithesis of Gryffindor's hero right now. Students still hadn't swallowed the pill of him being selected for the Triwizard Tournamentand believed even less that he was innocent.

Still, the other students parted for her as she walked towards the center of the commotion. Harry and Ron were indeed physically fighting, wands on the ground, tearing at clothes and hitting each other. Harry was obviously stronger, but Ron had five older brothers, among whom he must have fought, at least once or twice. Hermione didn't know what upset her most; that Harry and Ron had come to blows or that no-one was trying to separate them. So she decided to step in. She grabbed the closest boy by the collar –who happened to be Harry- pulled him back, and tripped Ron who was coming forward. And then she stood in the middle.